warm/detailed hifi suggestions (FIRST HI-FI!!)

tristaaan

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Hey guys,

Basically i've recently moved out of my parents house and want to start my hifi system. I've been using some Q Acoustic 2020i's connected to a creative surround sound (not particularly the best set up by any means!) but now i want to get myself some floor standers and a proper seperate system (amp, cd player, dac, power amps etc). My dad has his own hifi system and as he's progressed with it over the years i've seen and most importantly heard it change, and decided that i prefer a warm, but still detailed sound. I believe he has Kef Reference Series Model Three speakers, Sugden Masterclass power amps, Musical Fidelity a5 cd player, and i'm pretty sure it's a sugden masterclass pre-amp he has too. I love how that system sounds and i would love something similar eventually (obviously don't have the money right now to go out and buy a system like that)

I'm looking for a budget system for now, but definitely want some floor standers (think i'll keep the Q acoustics/creative surround sound as my bedroom speakers). I obviously also need an amp etc, which i do have a few questions about. i think i'll have a budget of around £500-600 (although will eventually upgrade everything in turn, and maybe add things..) but for now i kinda want to know, is there much point using a pre-amp/power amp combo for low budget systems, or would i be able to just use an amp (something like the Cambridge Audio Azur 340A SE) and cd player/dac?

now that we've established that, does anyone have any suggestions on warm/detailed speakers and amps etc... as you can see i'm a relative newbie, although i have picked up a few things from my dad. I know that system matching is very important, so i'd also kinda like to know where the greatest sound change would come from, i'm guessing probably speakers but i know that amps/cd players/cables/dacs make a difference to the sound and timing and precision etc, so would i be best going with warm speakers then tailoring the system (amp cables etc) around the speakers to achieve the better detail/timing, or vice-versa?

This post has ended up a lot longer than i originally inteded, so kudos to anyone who has stuck with it!!

Very thankful of any response and input

Kind Regards

Tristan
 

Macspur

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Hi there and welcome,

Firstly, I must say you've had a good mentor in your Father... very nice set up.

Would you be prepared to go down the second hand route?

Warm, but detailed speakers... Spendor, Harbeth immediately spring to mind, but I think certainly the latter may be out of budget for now. As for amps, the likes of Sugden, Pathos, Electrocompaniet, Croft would fit the bill.

There will be lots more, far more learned people on this forum, along with other suggestions.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Mac

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davedotco

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At this point I think we need a little more information on total budget and what sources you want/need in order to get started.

Any special requirements in terms of room size of musical tastes?
 

BigH

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Yes I'm not clear on the budget either, is it £500-£600 for an amp? If so I would look around for some ex demo or nearly new amps. you can find a few bargains if you are lucky, I saw an Arcam A19 2 weeks old went for £409, Rega Brio rs go for about £400 ex demo, with ex demo you should get the full warranty. If you want new then I think you should push the budget up to around £650-£700, although you can offend get a discount so that £700 amp you may get for £650, at that price range I would consider the Creek 50A and Arcam A19, if paired with some suitable speakers should give you the sound you want, not sure about floorstanders, how much room do you have?
 

CnoEvil

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Another amp to consider, if you can push your budget a little, is the Peachtree Deco 65.

If on a very tight budget, the Taga Audio HTA-500B Hybrid Digi-Tube Amp (25W) with Bluetooth, costs £250 and might be of interest: http://www.kronosav.com/amplifiers/integrated-amplifiers/taga-audio-hta-500b-hybrid-digi-tube-amplifier-with-bluetoothr.html
 

tristaaan

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hi again, In repsonse to Mac, i would definitely be willing to go down the second hand route, most of my fathers set-up is 2nd hand, and he's got most of it for half price or less (based on retail price). In response to Davedotco and BigH, i'm not really sure about budget either, i don't really have the money right now (due to just freshly moving in, and not having a very high salary job) so no matter what the budget is i'm gonna have to save up a little. My current set up is using my pc to play files through either the creative surround system or my Firestone Audio Fubar 4+ DAC, either through the main/stereo speakers, or through my Grado SR80i headphones, so i think for the moment i'd stick to the pc output via the DAC, which would save on the need for a cd player or tuner. Therefore, the budget would be just for the amp and speakers,

i am not completely bound to wanting floorstanders, but i would prefer them, however i am always open to the ideas for bookshelf/standmounts. the room i'll be using is around 9ft square (almost, theres a little stick out bit where the door is). As i said, the budget is almost limitless as of now, but the higher i put the budget, the longer it will take me to save, and inevitably the longer it will take to start my first system. So for now i'm trying to keep it as low budget as possible, as there is always room and time to increase the budget, and add/upgrade certain components, whether that's the cables, speakers, amp, or whether it's adding in a cd player or tuner etc)

Thanks for all the feedback so far, i've been reading a lot of other forum posts, and reviews etc, and i think i'll probably need to go do some listening and 'try before you buy' before i make my decision, but reviews certainly do give you a rough idea before you start :)

Thanks again,

Tristan
 

tristaaan

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actually i tell a lie, the room is about 10ft x 12-13ft, either way it's a fairly small room (due to it only being a small apartment because i live on my own)
 

Macspur

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Hi,

Yes, getting out there and demoing for yourself is really the only way, but as you say, the reading of reviews/forums does give you a starting point and some idea what to look for... once you've narrowed the choices down, a home demo is essential too.

Try and scour the second hand market, Ebay and the likes and you never know what might turn up and Cno's suggestions are always worth looking into.

Just be patient, take your time and it will all be worth it.

Mac

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matt49

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Macspur said:
Try and scour the second hand market, Ebay and the likes and you never know what might turn up and Cno's suggestions are always worth looking into.

Just be patient, take your time and it will all be worth it.

Aye, there's the thing (though it's something I'm not very good at).

I'd register on Hifi Wigwam and Pink Fish Media. Both have good classified ads sections (actually most of the kit is duplicated on both sites). The sellers are genuine enthusiasts, the kit is usually in good condition, and prices are reasonable.

One thing I'd be on the look-out for would be a second hand Sugden A21a: this will give you exactly what you want in terms of warmth and detail. Don't be alarmed by its low power output: it's pure Class A, so those 30 or so watts come with bags of current and can drive most reasonably sensitive speakers (and in any case your room is fairly small).
 

tristaaan

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yeah i must admit my dad has told me to just keep an eye out on ebay and the likes for bargains, and to bide my time, don't just dive in and buy the first thing that's in my price range. Hoping to get some demo-ing done fairly soon... thanks for all the ideas guys :) it really helps, i'm only fairly young and don't really know all that much about the older stuff (which can go very very cheap) and still be just as good as the newer stuff :)
 

Macspur

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Sound advice from Dad.

smiley-smile.gif


Looking forward to your progress.

Mac

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Intravenus

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The Taga apears to be a Polish licenced version of the Mistral 307 amplifier which you can get in the UK for £199.00. The speakers are good too.
 

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