closing tag is in template navbar
timefactors watches



TZ-UK Fundraiser
Results 1 to 24 of 24

Thread: Hi-Fi recommendations

  1. #1
    Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Kent/SW London
    Posts
    1,667

    Hi-Fi recommendations

    Inspired by the tasty hi-fi set ups in the other thread, I thought I’d start a separate one to ask for recommendations.

    I currently have a modest set up that consists of:
    Pro-Ject Debut III S Audiophile deck
    Pro-Ject Phono Box pre
    Onkyo CR515 mini receiver
    Monitor Audio Radius 90 speakers

    I mainly use the above for listening to records but I think the smallish speakers and receiver could be replaced with something a little more purposeful.

    Budget for speakers and receiver/amp would be around £700 total.

    TIA

  2. #2
    Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Bedfordshire, UK
    Posts
    1,655
    What sort of music do you listen to? This will determine the basic criteria for amp and speakers.
    If this is mainly for music, forget the idea of an a/v receiver and get a good integrated amp for around the 300 GBP mark. eBay is good. Don’t be afraid of 70’s and 80’s Japanese amps from JVC, Sony, Sansui etc. They can be serious bargains if you do your research. I’d avoid most boutique UK amps in that price range as they can prove problematic although there are some good ones from the like of quad and Cyrus that may just fall into your price range.
    Speakers take the rest of your budget and here I would go UK boutique, mission, B&W, Tannoy etc. All made some cracking speakers but you really need to play some music through them before deciding.
    If it was my money I’d be looking for a Technics class aa / vc-4 integrated amplifier and a pair of B&W floorstanding speakers. It won’t be the last word in detail but it will play music and not dissect it like some hiFi can.
    There are a million correct answers to your question though but buy wisely and you should be able to flip though many combinations until you find the one you like best.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Kent/SW London
    Posts
    1,667
    Hi Julian,

    Thank you for your comment. I mainly listen to heavier stuff - rock/metal etc if that helps form a more specific recommendation. I appreciate it’s a broad area for which I am asking!

  4. #4
    Master mondie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Llandudno (ex Oz)
    Posts
    3,653
    For that budget nothing is going to come close to a good pair of ADAM active speakers:

    Start with these:

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Adam-A5X-...UAAOSwPeRd1-8Z

    Then add a nice user preamp with built in Phono such as this Rotel

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rotel-RC-...MAAOSwSRtdxSds

    That leaves you a little budget for a tuner. For £700 I think you will be much happier with the sound

  5. #5
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Warwickshire
    Posts
    961
    I have a Cambridge CXR120 that I’m about to eBay (upgraded to an Arcam 390).

    Works very well for AV and Hi-Fi duties. I only upgraded as I wanted Atmos.

    https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/gbr/e...ucts/cx/cxr120

  6. #6
    Master
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Fens, UK
    Posts
    1,995
    I have a Sugden audition C integrated amp I’m about to eBay. Well within your budget and if you can find a better amp for the money I’ll eat my hat.

  7. #7
    Check out Marantz stuff, I listen to variety of music and their stuff was the most neutral sounding to me. Should be within the budget too!
    I would highly recommend going to your local audio shop, and see if they can show you few setups, so you can hear the difference for yourself.
    Good luck!

  8. #8
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Herts
    Posts
    617
    I'll be watching this thread with interest.

    Just moved house, so now have space to consider building and homing a system

  9. #9
    Craftsman PJdB's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Surrey
    Posts
    570
    I have been through a number of speakers, I have now finally settled with Miller & Kreisel, so precise, love them.

    THey work with a Denon amp, Oppo player and a DIY FI 18" sealed sub

  10. #10
    Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Kent/SW London
    Posts
    1,667
    Now also considering these amps:

    Cyrus One
    Audiolab 6000A
    Quad Vena II
    Arcam SA10

    Anybody have any experience with them?

  11. #11
    I was thinking of buying a Cyrus One as i've been using their stuff for years, but it seems the Rega Brio amp might be a better buy - the reviews are good, maybe worth a look?

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by vulcangascompany View Post
    I was thinking of buying a Cyrus One as i've been using their stuff for years, but it seems the Rega Brio amp might be a better buy - the reviews are good, maybe worth a look?
    This is what dealers are for, depending on what part of the country you are in you might find one who can demo them both back to back.
    Both brands have a good reputation especially Rega.

    Don’t dismiss second hand but be aware that capacitors do degrade over time. The good thing about British brands is you can often get them re-capped. I have just sold a 20 year old Naim pre-power that was still going strong but replaced it with a unitiqute 2 for less than £600.

  13. #13
    if not already join one of the hifi forums like hifi wigwam, lots of stuff for sale on there , add another 100 quid to your total and will probably get a preowned naim 5i-2 and a set of pre owned neat motives which is pretty much all you will ever need unless you decide to spend many thousands .

    *ive owned the audiolab 6000a , personally i think its way over rated
    *cyrus amps are pretty bright so make sure you match speakers /have a listen (your monitor audio speakers and a cyrus amp would make most ppls ears bleed)
    Last edited by pugster; 27th November 2019 at 14:01.

  14. #14
    Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Kent/SW London
    Posts
    1,667
    Quote Originally Posted by pugster View Post
    if not already join one of the hifi forums like hifi wigwam, lots of stuff for sale on there , add another 100 quid to your total and will probably get a preowned naim 5i-2 and a set of pre owned neat motives which is pretty much all you will ever need unless you decide to spend many thousands .

    *ive owned the audiolab 6000a , personally i think its way over rated
    *cyrus amps are pretty bright so make sure you match speakers /have a listen (your monitor audio speakers and a cyrus amp would make most ppls ears bleed)
    Interesting, can I ask why you found the 6000A overrated?

    There do seem to be some good bargains for pre-owned gear but the bluetooth and digital inputs are steering me towards newer tech.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by rico View Post
    Interesting, can I ask why you found the 6000A overrated?

    There do seem to be some good bargains for pre-owned gear but the bluetooth and digital inputs are steering me towards newer tech.
    i found the 6000a muddy and flat sounding (tried multiple speakers) , a marantz 6.1 receiver i had at the time as part of a dolby set up played music better , i got the 6000a as at the time i knew they had a sort of cult following and wanted to try one out.
    not sure what inputs you need but most things can be sorted with a separate DAC .

  16. #16
    Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Kent/SW London
    Posts
    1,667
    Quote Originally Posted by pugster View Post
    i found the 6000a muddy and flat sounding (tried multiple speakers) , a marantz 6.1 receiver i had at the time as part of a dolby set up played music better , i got the 6000a as at the time i knew they had a sort of cult following and wanted to try one out.
    not sure what inputs you need but most things can be sorted with a separate DAC .
    The only inputs I 'need' are for phono and maybe digital. I have a separate phono pre for my turntable.

    I'm also looking at s/hand stuff on eBay - seem to be some veritable bargains on older stuff. Arcam A75 circa £100, A85 circa £250. Can't be a bad deal?

  17. #17
    Master Tifa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Shropshire UK
    Posts
    1,690
    I have not got enough popcorn for another HiFi thread so close to the last one...

  18. #18
    Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Kent/SW London
    Posts
    1,667
    I’ve just bagged a Naim 5si amp on eBay. Any recommendations for speakers that would work well with this amp?

  19. #19
    Master mondie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Llandudno (ex Oz)
    Posts
    3,653
    What's your budget Rico? You had £700 originally, ignored my advice and then bought an amp near to the value of your original budget. Nothing wrong with ignoring my advice but an acknowledgement for the 30mins spent looking for you would have been appreciated.

    You still will not better a good set of active ADAMs with your increased budget at this level, in my experience.

  20. #20
    Grand Master Rod's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Co. Durham
    Posts
    10,239
    Quote Originally Posted by mondie View Post
    You had £700 originally, ignored my advice
    Me too, it's bad form to ask for advice, get it from members who even go to the trouble of
    sending a photo, and are left without even a thank you.... or even not knowing if he even received the advice.... bad form in my book.

  21. #21
    Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Kent/SW London
    Posts
    1,667
    Apologies for the lack of acknowledgement chaps, been getting excited.

    I picked up the Naim for about £500 so I’d wager I’ve got around £350 for speakers.

  22. #22
    Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Bedfordshire, UK
    Posts
    1,655
    Nice amp the nait 5 I had one years ago, be careful as they can lead to serious expenditure on power supplies and power amps in the future.
    I’d not pair the naim with b&w speakers as they like a bit of power up ‘em and good though the nait is it’s just not got the grunt.
    If it was me I’d be looking for something traditional like tannoy or mission where the speaker is on the warmer sounding side with good sensitivity.
    These look just the ticket.

    https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F264303236389



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  23. #23
    as ive said in other posts , im using a naim 5i-2 and and have gone through several different speakers - the neat motive 2's are by far the best ones ive used (they are also suggested on most naim forums ) - through you are prob going to have to dig deeper than £350 for a used pair (500-600 ) -imo there no point buying sub standard speakers when you have a good amp, if you have to wait and save a bit more money.

    *if you are near london i'd grab these
    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Neat-Moti...kAAOSwxH1d4jKV

  24. #24
    Grand Master Rod's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Co. Durham
    Posts
    10,239
    The NEATS are good speakers. I know Bob Surgeoner personally, and he designs his speakers on extensive personal listening rather than relying on too much tech. He's also a very good musician.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Do Not Sell My Personal Information