gregjd

Having just built a new conservatory (HOW middle aged??!!) I feel the need to disturb the tranquility in there with some music. I've had various crappy mini / midi systems in the past and quite fancy a seperates system with a bit more oomph. My budget is as small as possible however.. What would you guys recommend? Is a lot of this serious hifi malarkey just hype? Couple of mags I have recommend entry level NAD seperates stuff. Any good? Is there anywhere reliable to look for decent 2nd hand / discontinued kit?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Have a look at TEAC's mini systems, especially as you can get 'em with better Mission speakers for the same price.
Also good are Denon, who also use Mission speakers ,and Kenwood. All are available as mini, or midi seperates.
Alcazar

Duck_Pond

If there's a Richer Sounds near you, go to them. They're usually very cheap, and will let you listen to the hardware before you buy, in special booths sometimes.

I think they used to have 2nd hand stuff, but their new models are cheap enough not to bother with it!

Oh, and they don't BS you into buying naff gear either. You say how much you've got and what you need, and they recommend the rest.

Jye

I wouldnt waste daft money for a conservatory anyway, too much glass which will reflect the sound no doubt. NAD is good and British made if that matters

If the Hi-Fi is going to be placed in the conservatory what about a receiver (not sure if NAD make receivers), then you will have a radio and amp in one, saving on clutter. Bose make small inobtrusive speakers which can be mounted out of sight but they can be expensive.

NACRO

I can recommend NAD kit- looks crap but offers good quality for the cash. I had an old 3130 amp and it was rated at 30W but was easily more powerful than a technics amp I also had rated at 150W- NAD build amps that deliver distortion free sound at high current levels.

Last time I looked Richer sounds had some of their amps at good discounts.

Dizzy

imho you should listen to what your going to buy... its all well and good say "X" make is better than "Y" but it is quite subjective too. especially with the speakers.

There are a few second hand shops around but not many. I wouldn't buy from richer sounds unless you knew exactly what you want. Just IMHO.

Jye

It wont make any differnce listening to the kit TBO, not unless they let you listen to it where its going to be sited, i.e. in the conservatory, as it will sound completely different in the dealers listening room.

redwrx

I used to be well into the HiFi scene ....

if you are going to spend out on separates, work out from what you will listen to most.


so if you;'re gonna be listening to cd', invest slightly more on the cd player ...remembering that if you play on poor quality ..you amplify poor quality

Ive got a Linn turntable ...sounds amazing ...wont go into costs on that

Ive got a Cambridge Cd player ...it sounds mint ...cost around £150

A middle of the range amp .... NAD, you mention, are good ...ive had one of their amps ...never missed a beat.

I got Mission Floor stand speakers ..not for everyone ..but their other entry level stuff is quality ..

Mine is far from the best system in town, but its sound quality kicks a$$, and its loud enuff to annoy all the neighbours on the estate.


Richer sounds are definately worth a visit....try and get the separates played together so you can hear them ... a good store will have a listening room.

£400 - 500 i would think is a good starting block in the separates game...but once your in, then its upgrade time.



[Edited by redwrx - 6/25/2003 3:32:00 PM]

gregjd

Thanks Guys, much food for thought!

beemerboy

greg,

i got an acoustic research amp A07(?)model (2x60w)- black
plus acoustic research AR18LS speakers (with spiked stands)-walnet colour (100w)
technics CD player 2nd from top model at the time
20ft Monster speaker cable

you can have the lot for £300 ovno, as its in my loft, growing a beard at the moment.

this stuff is quality, but hey, if you want new, go to richer sounds, they have some reasonable kit there at fair prices.

all the best

Dazza

New To Scoob

Greg, look at richer sounds web page www.richersounds.com the deals are amazing, I got my AV set up from them for a lot cheaper than anybody else could match.
Examples, Cambridge Audio Amp RRP £139 now £69, Sony CD £129 now £65 etc, etc, remember if your going to spend money on decent Hi-Fi stuff buy some decent cables not those stupid cheapo things that come with the equipment. If you are into fancy stuff I remember they had an Alto Audio cd/amp package for £600 or something like that it's sort of oval shaped and chrome finished, when this first came out I'm sure they were about that price each.

Kevin Groat

Greg,

Bought myself a Marantz CD63 Mk II SE KI Signature and the matching Amp, PM 66 SE KI Signature off ebay a couple of months ago. £500 each new, I got them for £140 each and they're as new condition. Set of Mission speakers from Richer sounds and that's me sorted. Sounds ace..


Kevin.

Luke

Kevin

That was a good price...i have been watching ebay trying to get a 63ki and some of the prices are mad £180+!!!! but what a nice bit of kit!!

Be lucky.

Also try a set of KEF "uniQ's".. would walk the missions.

hades

Jye, I have to say "don't listen" is very bad advice IMHO.

Yes, any system will sound different in your own room, and a home demo is the best way to try it out. However, you'll still get much much better idea by listening to the gear in a shop than not listening at all. I've heard some highly rated stuff that I knew would not suit me at all the second I heard it, and have never regretted spending money on things I've auditioned, and I have bought a lot over the years (get the bug, and keep upgrading. Bit like scoobies, really!)

workshy_fopp

I just got a second system together for the dining room/kitchen.
Arcam Alpha 7 Amp - £74 on Ebay, Mission 73i's - £144 new from Hifibitz.co.uk and the second lowest model Sony CD player for £60 new from Richers. So £278 total. Plus £4.50 a metre for QED silver speaker cable. Sounds pretty bloody good.

Adrian F

I agree if you care what it sounds like and don't just want back ground music then you need to listen to it all together not one bit at a time as it is very much a taste thing and also in a proper demo room you will be surprised by the difference made by just changing one item. Take some music of your own so you know what it should/could sound like and also some thing that will challange the equipment, i have favourite tracks by different people for different aspects and it is well worth the effort.

I also have learnt that just because What HiFi give it an award and Richer Sounds sells it cheap doesn't make it sound good to every one. Hopefully it will give you years of listerning pleasure if you choose the right items or years of irritation if you mismatch them!

As to reliability my parents have a 5 year old Nad amp i bought them and they have my old CD player which is a Denon and is 12+ years old! though the more modern Denon CD player i replaced it with only lasted 4 years and was their top of the range @£750! so it is dependent on luck i suppose?

TopBanana

Some of the recommendations, but I'm surprised by all the rave reviews of Mission speakers... shop around!

Jye

I agree in part hades, sorry if it came across as so different, its just that the sound of Hi-Fi is so subjective a home demo is a MUST.

Or are you saying a dealers listening room has similar acoustics to a conservatory?

[Edited by Jye - 6/25/2003 10:45:16 PM]

mj

If it did sound crappy in the conservatory, you always have the option to cover all the glass with empty egg boxes.

And I quite like the NAD look - functional - no japanese SFX units/light shows for me.

corradoboy

For a conservatory I agree with some of the other posts, a Denon/Teac Mini would be fine. Some of these now come with DVD and surround processors, so add a TV for a complete set-up. Depending on budget, I'd probably go for a Linn Classik ( Linn ) (£900ish for music/£1500ish for full AV setup). All your amps/cdp or dvd/tuner in 1 small classy box, and great sound to boot. Just add speakers (& TV for AV).

Don't beleive all you read in mags either. I remember WhatHiFi raving (5* review) about some £200 Gale 4 speakers (floorstand,biwire,mass fillable,spiked) and they sounded OK in isolation, did a direct A-B comparison with some £130 Mission bookshelves on £70 stands and threw the Gale into the street. Fookin rubbish. Just so happens that Gale were owned by Richer Sounds, WhatHiFis biggest advertisor. Go figure!

Whats with all the Mission bashing, any speaker is a personal preferance. I've heard KEFs, and didn't like them. Same for Ruark, Mordaunt & Short and even Linn (except in a Linn system). Just auditioned some £2000 B&Ws, and they buzzed on certain frequencys (mostly with organs). My 16yo Missions didn't, and they're still running perfectly. Mind you, can't vouch for the new ranges.

Jye

Mission make top speakers, always have done. OK they usually have such a wide range that a few near lemons sometimes slip through, but overall I'd say Mission are one of the better (non-esoteric) speaker manuafacturers. I've had my 752 floorstanders for over five years now and they will be the last thing I upgrade

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Same here, I have a pair of "Argonaut" floor standers from Mission, and I love 'em.
Did a trawl round about 18 months ago, and the only things I found that I liked MORE, (and would therefore replace 'em with ), were a apir of Cyrus CLS70's on their tripod stand. The Mrs hated the look of the stand, so we still have the Missions: which she hates the size of::::
Alcazar

ProperCharlie

You must have a fine set of ears alcazar - i replaced my old Mission 733s with a pair of CLS70s. Bloody good they are. The missus says they look like triffids. I'm like - am I supposed to give a t*ss?

Charlie

dba

another vote for Denon systems,they are astonishing for the money

C h a z

Go with the NAD, if you can find it cheap (cough, look left). I might have some second hand Castle speakers in stock if I were a dealer, but I'm not because I don't have a banner.

Jye

Do I hear discounts galore for Scoobynetters @ www.bestpricetv.com?

C h a z

Depends on what you are after. With net sales the margin is tiny but if there is something that you need then I can see what I can do. Group buys on anything anyone?

O n i o n.

I recently bought a tele from bestprice.
Good service and a great price. Worth checking out.

[Edited by O n i o n. - 6/27/2003 10:02:59 PM]

hades

As it seems to be a topic of the day - Mission make consistently decent stuff in my experience, and I remember it all starting for me with some little mission 760s and a NAD 3020i many years ago.

One thing that some people are touching on here - it is vital to hear the whole system. I have encountered eg some amps that sound really good with some speakers and lousy with others.

Jye - I have been to a dealer who has a conservatory if that helps? Agree home demo is the best way but - especially if you've going to put the kit in a "normal" room - you can get a fair idea from a dealer demo. Think we're in danger of violently agreeing with each other!

Luke

Last night I was loooking on ebay and loot. To try and find a marantz 63 KI. 11.30pm I call a guy who I find is only down the road. Jump into car to go and have a look as the price seems very good.

the Cd was great and in perfect condition will all paperwork. £125.00!!!

But what amazed me was... this guy had spent a fortune on Music Fidelity stuff..and I mean a fortune. But the set up and the room was all soooooooooooooo wrong!!

Took me monthe to find the right spot for my Quads!!!