Hi was wondering if I would be wise to upgrade my stereo separates (Sony mhc s3) as I was in curry's and I couldn't say any sounded miles better do I still have a decent quality stereo separates or should I think of upgrading? Thanks in advance
grays155 said:Hi listened again today to onkyo and pioneer and I have to say the clarity of my separates is the same as these new ones had new caps put in the separates last yr other than that no problems it's now 13 yo and thought quality would have been vastly different and it's definitely not I think I'll stick with what I have they were 600pound when new or could upgrade to a av reciever I'm unsure but the stuff I have sound excellent even though it seems Sony is thought of as budget I beg to differ
grays155 said:Yeah sound like something to think about maybe going to richer sounds and I'd like speakers to improve the general sound nothing in particular and wow only 60 watts a channel lol seems so much louder and you said it's 6 ohm but what if speakers are 4 ohm could I expect and clipping or damage to equipment really sorry for all questions and extremely grateful for reply's
SteveR750 said:grays155 said:Yeah sound like something to think about maybe going to richer sounds and I'd like speakers to improve the general sound nothing in particular and wow only 60 watts a channel lol seems so much louder and you said it's 6 ohm but what if speakers are 4 ohm could I expect and clipping or damage to equipment really sorry for all questions and extremely grateful for reply's
Unless you're going to open a nighclub with it, I wouldn't worry about power and impedance. Dave's advice to go and spend half a day in a good retailer, one who has a separate listening room will help. You might not walk out with anything new, in fact it's a good idea to plan NOT to buy anything at the first visit, unless you've been able to hear everything on your shortlist.
Best place to start a shortlist is buy a bunch of magazines and get a feel for what gear is generally popular, and search the forums for reviews / comments, look for comments from people who have similar situation / shortlist / budget etc. It takes a a bit of time, but it's half the fun, and it will focus your final purchase much better. Good luck!
SteveR750 said:Probably good advice if you're relatively new to it. I wouldn't visit a shop and ask them to recommend me a £2k+ amp. I know what I like, based upon rerefencing my observations against others with experience of listening to the same kit as i've owned gives a clue as to what I might like, and might not; but then I've been wasting shop owners time for 30 years or so.
SteveR750 said:Which would be fine if the dealer was close enough, and had all of the possible options. IME it's rare to get more than two lined up at once, and that's before you've found one that has your existing amp / speaker or similar as a baseline ref. Example, I'm driving for over 2 hours each way to hear two amps tomorrow. There are another two I could demo in Coventry, there is nowhere nearer that is practical. I know that the audio retailers in Swansea and Cardiff won't have the range to demo, so I'd just be wasting their and my time! It's a bit of a postcode lottery having a practical localish dealer that can organise every option, plus these guys are running a business, to sell consumer products at as high a margin as they can. There will be a minority who won't necessarily be offering completely impartial advice.
Personally I'd prefer home demo, based upon a cross section of advice.
davedotco said:SteveR750 said:Which would be fine if the dealer was close enough, and had all of the possible options. IME it's rare to get more than two lined up at once, and that's before you've found one that has your existing amp / speaker or similar as a baseline ref. Example, I'm driving for over 2 hours each way to hear two amps tomorrow. There are another two I could demo in Coventry, there is nowhere nearer that is practical. I know that the audio retailers in Swansea and Cardiff won't have the range to demo, so I'd just be wasting their and my time! It's a bit of a postcode lottery having a practical localish dealer that can organise every option, plus these guys are running a business, to sell consumer products at as high a margin as they can. There will be a minority who won't necessarily be offering completely impartial advice.
Personally I'd prefer home demo, based upon a cross section of advice.
You have put your finger on the issue right there, but not in the way you think.
You clearly have your own way of doing things but it is not the way I that feel gets the best results.
I very much understand the dealer issue, so many of them a cr@p these days but the primary reason that I think you will tie yourself into a knot is the piecemeal nature of your approach.
Again, I am talking in the broadest possible terms here, but having decided that the amplifier is the weak link in your system, going into different shops and different rooms and trying to evaluate what a different amplifier will do in your situation will be very, very difficult.
In an ideal world I would suggest that you try and find the best dealer within reach, don't worry about what brands he stocks, but get him to play you complete systems based as closely as he can on what you already have. If he is any good he will play you a setup that he knows works well, has maybe been refined over time and represents good value for money.
If you like what you hear, move to that setup in the least number of steps, you might need to replace several components.
Again, I do not know you personally, but your forthright views probably would not let you put yourself in the dealers hands to such an extent, which is I think a shame, sometimes a different, experienced viewpoint can really help.
grays155 said:Would i not be able to just get speakers for my existing amp would that make a huge difference as I don't miss any detail from the amp or should I just upgrade the whole system thanks for reply's they make for very interesting reading
davedotco said:SteveR750 said:Which would be fine if the dealer was close enough, and had all of the possible options. IME it's rare to get more than two lined up at once, and that's before you've found one that has your existing amp / speaker or similar as a baseline ref. Example, I'm driving for over 2 hours each way to hear two amps tomorrow. There are another two I could demo in Coventry, there is nowhere nearer that is practical. I know that the audio retailers in Swansea and Cardiff won't have the range to demo, so I'd just be wasting their and my time! It's a bit of a postcode lottery having a practical localish dealer that can organise every option, plus these guys are running a business, to sell consumer products at as high a margin as they can. There will be a minority who won't necessarily be offering completely impartial advice.
Personally I'd prefer home demo, based upon a cross section of advice.
You have put your finger on the issue right there, but not in the way you think.
You clearly have your own way of doing things but it is not the way I that feel gets the best results.
I very much understand the dealer issue, so many of them a cr@p these days but the primary reason that I think you will tie yourself into a knot is the piecemeal nature of your approach.
Again, I am talking in the broadest possible terms here, but having decided that the amplifier is the weak link in your system, going into different shops and different rooms and trying to evaluate what a different amplifier will do in your situation will be very, very difficult.
In an ideal world I would suggest that you try and find the best dealer within reach, don't worry about what brands he stocks, but get him to play you complete systems based as closely as he can on what you already have. If he is any good he will play you a setup that he knows works well, has maybe been refined over time and represents good value for money.
If you like what you hear, move to that setup in the least number of steps, you might need to replace several components.
Again, I do not know you personally, but your forthright views probably would not let you put yourself in the dealers hands to such an extent, which is I think a shame, sometimes a different, experienced viewpoint can really help.
grays155 said:Would i not be able to just get speakers for my existing amp would that make a huge difference as I don't miss any detail from the amp or should I just upgrade the whole system thanks for reply's they make for very interesting reading