New HiFi

Jonesiani

Jonesiani

Jonesiani

Associate
Joined
17 Jun 2005
Posts
1,491
Location
Kegworth
Hi all, i've decided to finally buy myself a hifi system. Its something ive wanted to do for ages.

I plan on buying a CD player, and then taking it to a shop to try with various amps in order to find an amp i like.

My budget is probably around £400 per unit, with maybe a little flexibility.

I try not to take things that i read in What Fifi too seriously, insted i try to read as much as possible into reviews.

For a cd player, ive been looking at units from Denon (DCD-710AE), Cambridge Audio, and Marantz.

Can anyone recommend any other units to look into?

Thanks!
 
I'd suggest holding off on the CD purchase. Try instead to have a listen to some systems as a whole. Visit some dealers. Listen to what they recommend and why. That part is important. Some combinations work well together, others don't. A good dealer should be able to help you discover what makes a good product match. Committing yourself to a CD player then trying to find an amp and speakers it works with will be harder work.

This might sound odd, but choosing the right dealer is probably more important at this stage than the gear itself. You'll only have this money to spend once, so finding a dealer who isn't just interested in flogging you some boxes will help set you on the right course for the future. Buying from a dealer who just wants your cash could leave you feeling disappointed with the gear and looking for an upgrade far too soon. It'll cost you more in the long run. I know. I made that mistake myself.

I started off with a good dealer. The system they sold me lasted years and gave me an immense amount of pleasure. Then I moved for work. New location, new dealers. Very different experience. It took me a long time and a load of bad gear choices and wasted cash before I found a dealer who actually understood the essence of music that gets you excited when you play an album. I've heard their entry level system which is about half your budget and it still has that spark that makes you go "Yes!!"
 
It should be good fun and a relaxed atmosphere with as much time as you want to make your decision - thats what I look for in a dealer.
 
I bought a system not long ago. it was B&W 685 speakers, NAD C352 & a beresford caiman DAC to play music through USB. I'm v pleased with the system, but I agree that listening to the seperates in a store would make the choice easier :)
 
Thankyou for the great advice :)

Funnily enough i actually own a Beresford Caiman, i use it as a headphone amp for my HD650s.

I'll keep looking. Theres a Superfi in Notts i can get to so i'll have a look there.

How do the B&W speakers sound? They look lovely.
 
lucid said:
I agree that they do look nice. But if you are buying HiFi with your eyes then..... :eek: ;)
Click to expand...

Oh deffinately not. But looks do come into it somewhere down the line :) maybe about 10%. I wouldnt want kit i thought looked dog ugly :)

I'll deffinately be listening to as many units as possible!
 
If you want genuinely lovely looking speakers then things like Sonus Faber really are gorgeous. Unfortunately not in your budget, good to look at all the same
 
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