Want an entry-level/budget seperates system

[admin_exported]

I feel its about time I bought a decent hifi system, and want to do it properly with seperates to get a high quality, spacious sound. The kind of sound where you dont have to turn it up loud to enjoy the music, I noticed this quality when listening through a £999 system in richer sounds with my friends iphone in the dock.

I have no set budget as I'm using a credit card but as low as possible, without losing too much quality. I need an amp, cd player, speakers, stands and hifi rack. As well as all the cables.

So far I've looked in richer sounds and seen the following:

Amps:

Cambridge A1 v3 £79.95

Cambridge 340A £169.95

Cambridge 540a v2 £169.95 (149.95 in silver but I'd prefer black)

Cd players:

Cambridge 540c v2 £149.95

Cambridge 340c £179.95

Speakers:

Wharfedale 9.0 £49.95

Tannoy F1 £79.95

Mordan short 902i £119.95

They also have a deal for £379 for the 340 series amp and cd player plus the tannoy F1's.

So can anyone recommend a good combination of the above? Should I also try elsewhere and look at other brands such as the NAD 315 series which also got 5 stars in what hifi mag?

 

[matthewpiano]

Your reference to the credit card and 'no budget' concerns me. Don't forget you still have to pay for it in the end, even though it doesn't feel like it when you actually make the purchase.

 

[Anonymous]

The CA gear is a good starting point.....maybe worth a look at the new 550 / 650 Amps. Considered as very good VFM. Other than that....anything you have listed...especially as some is available as discount due to the 550 / 650 coming out. As you have said...packages are good value as long as they do what you want.....

 

[stufran]

The CA 640A & C @ £170 each are a bargain, while they have been superceded by the 650 they still stand up to the competition today. Haven't heard the Wharfedale 9s (with the CA gear) but again, while they have been superceded by newer models, @ £50/ pair they must be a bargain ! You can get a pair of Soundstyle Z2 stands from Richer @ £50/pair. Total cost would be £440 plus a rack, decent interconnects & speaker cables & you're on the road for around £600 - can't be bad !
As the earlier respondent stated & hopefully without being patronising, handle the CC with care - they can bring pain & misery in the wrong hands !

 

[matthewpiano]

Yes, I wasn't being patronising - just advising caution.

A couple of recommendations for you to try:

Cambridge Audio 340C with Musical Fidelity V-DAC
Cambridge Audio 640A amplifier
Mordaunt-Short MS902i speakers.

Will sound superb. Fed by any decent transport the V-DAC comofortably out-performs pretty much any sub £500 CD player, and it usefully allows you to connect your laptop up to it as well. At £150 its a fantastic bargain.

Alternatively, and more off-the-wall, see if you can get an audition of what I'm using but perhaps with 902is instead of the Mezzo 2s (to keep the outlay reasonable, although the Mezzo 2s are worth the extra if you can find it). With the V-DAC between the CD and amp, and using the Chord Co. cables the TEAC mini seperates sound absolutely incredible and you get great features like USB input on the CD player and Wi-Fi internet radio on the tuner. The amp is a little gem and really makes my Mezzo 2s sing - much more than my CA 740A did if truth be told. If you don't need the tuner you can buy the amp and CD player seperately.

 

[Anonymous]

To the OP, did you decide on the hi-fi in the end?

I'm in a similar position. Wanting to get my first hi-fi without spending too much money. But I do have the luxury of upgrading from cheap Dell speakers from my laptop's headphone port, so anything I buy is going to be a massive improvement!

I managed to get hold of a CA 640A v2 amp, brand new for £150 and have decided to pair it with Wharfedale 9.1's at £100. Many people recommend the MS902i as a good match but I personally find that combination a bit bright and harsh.

I wouldn't go for the Diamond 9.0s, they really aren't suitable as proper hi-fi speakers (good as AV satelitte speakers though) and I think you will be disappointed.

Next on my shopping list is a V-DAC at £130. So all in all the 3 main components will come to £380, plus about £100 on stands and cabling. I think I'll have a pretty good entry level setup for the price.

 

[matthewpiano]

Suasexed:
To the OP, did you decide on the hi-fi in the end?

I'm in a similar position. Wanting to get my first hi-fi without spending too much money. But I do have the luxury of upgrading from cheap Dell speakers from my laptop's headphone port, so anything I buy is going to be a massive improvement!

I managed to get hold of a CA 640A v2 amp, brand new for £150 and have decided to pair it with Wharfedale 9.1's at £100. Many people recommend the MS902i as a good match but I personally find that combination a bit bright and harsh.

I wouldn't go for the Diamond 9.0s, they really aren't suitable as proper hi-fi speakers (good as AV satelitte speakers though) and I think you will be disappointed.

Next on my shopping list is a V-DAC at £130. So all in all the 3 main components will come to £380, plus about £100 on stands and cabling. I think I'll have a pretty good entry level setup for the price.

You won't regret buying the V-DAC. Its one of hi-fi's biggest bargains. Stunning piece of kit.

 

[Anonymous]

no not yet but just seen the latest richer sounds pdf and they are doing the black CA 340 cd and amp along with the CA speakers for £349 seems like a good deal to me. once i get paid this week i think i'll get that. speaker stands will add £50 so £400 all in. will probably use an small table to put the amp and cd player on to start with and get an a/v rack later.