I need an app and a couple of bookshelf speakers

[Hatter The Mad]

Re; http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=14315529#post14315529

Moving the thread here

I am really at a loss with hifi equipment - all I know is I want a good amp and a couple of good monitors.

I need to be able to connect my PC to it, iPod dock perhaps too...

Some questions:

24) Is it worth getting a separate preamp and power amp?
65) What shall I buy? I'm looking at spending £300 - 500, preferably in the lower end of that money.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Good god. I'm looking at some of the prices on What Hifi - am I in too deep, shall I stick with the PC speakers?

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Taking advice from What Hifi, I am looking at:

NAD C326BEE http://www.whathifi.com/Review/NAD-C326BEE/
CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AZUR 540A V2 http://www.richersounds.com/product...cambridge-audio/azur-540a-v2/camb-540a-v2-sil
CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AZUR 340ASE CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AZUR 340ASE

Are these decent, or should I be looking at better, second hand? Keep in mind I am just starting out, and I will not be obsessing over things like room acoustics.

Not sure what to do about speakers... willing to buy those second hand.

 

[jellybeard999]

24) Is it worth getting a separate preamp and power amp? - yes, but not at this budget
65) What shall I buy? I'm looking at spending £300 - 500, preferably in the lower end of that money

IMO any of those amps would be fine, but I'd go the second hand route.

Wharfedale 9.1, Monitor Audio BR2 etc
NAD C320, Arcam Alpha 7, 8, 9, 10 (R models have remote) etc

Basically follow

Neither.

Go second hand on the separates and get an awful lot more for your money than an entry level CA and pair of cheapy Gale monitors.

For amps check out Arcam alpha 7 or 8 or 9, NAD, rotel for example, and for speakers B&W, monitor audio, KEF, mordant short etc. Much more sound per pound here

The aboove recommended (and this would have been a setuping costing over £500 new), the amp should only cost around £60-£80 and the speakers £80-£100. Well under budget. Ebay tends to be expensive, so I'd join AVF and check out their classifieds section

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Wharfedale 9.1 are on offer at Richer Sounds for £60 (http://www.richersounds.com/showimage.php?image=305815.jpg&max_width=123&max_height=96). Are these reasonable? I could spend a lot more, but not if it is unnecessary

 

[divuk83]

Its the 9.0s that are that price, the 9.1s are at 125 squid. I thought that was a bit to good to be true when you posted that!

Before we theoretically spend you budget on an amp and speakers, what sound card do you have? No point trying to get good sound from a crappy onboard soundcard.

Dave

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music

PS: Thanks for putting up with my whiny neediness. I know that if I walk into a store I'll get sold some crap package with a high mark up!

 

[divuk83]

NAD C315BEE can be had for 179 squid delivered online (20 squid less if you can live with the silver coloured one!) and that would go nicely with a pair of 9.1's and it would all be brand new so would have a warranty. This would leave you with a bit of change for some speakers stands and half assed cables. Don't really have any experience with that sound card. I have an M-Audio 2496 which was the best cheap upgrade over onboard sound at the time. Having said that I mainly listen to CD's rather than music off my PC.

Dave

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Do I need a DAC unit to plug my computer into an Amp?

 

[Hamster]

You don't need a DAC. You can run a cable directly from your soundcard to the amp.

NAD and Arcam amps partner Monitor Audio speakers very well. I'm running a NAD C320BEE and MA Bronze BR2 from my PC and the sound is superb for the price.

 

[iraiguana]

If you run a dac eg beresford dac http://www.beresford.me/main/main.html

You can expect much improved sound quality and you can pick one up for under £100 second hand as well. It may be worth getting as a future upgrade once you have a good amp, speakers and cables.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

I don't understand why I need a DAC, surely an amp in this day an age does digital processing, and my soundcard can output digital?

 

[james.miller]

av amps do. stereo amps do not.

 

[Barks]

I'm running a NAD C320 BEE and in no way whatsoever regret buying it. Had it hooked up to some Tannoy F2s for 2 years which it drove flawlessly, now have it hooked up to some Wharfedale speakers which are meant to be driven at 100-150W/channel. They still shake the room with ease. Great amp, save yourself some money and grab a second hand one off the eBay.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

How can you tell whether an amp will need a DAC? What connectors am I looking out for?

 

[MikeHunt79]

I'll say it and say it again Sonic impact T-amp sounds better than amps costing many times as much...

 

[davidcotton]

Check out Audioengine a5 speakers, no amp required as built in.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

I still don't understand how to connect my PC to the amp.

* FlexiJack (Digital In / Digital Out / Line In / Microphone) via 3.50 mm minijack
* Line level out (Front / Rear / Center / Subwoofer / Rear Center) via 3.50 mm minijacks
* AUX_IN line-level analog input via 4-pin Molex connector on card

I take it I need to use the "FlexiJack" as an analogue out to the amp? Worth investing in a nice cable?

 

[Hatter The Mad]

3.50 mm minijack out = stereo?

 

[jellybeard999]

3.50 mm minijack out = stereo?

A single 3.5mm jack is stereo. The green socket is usually front speakers, and that's what I use. The second in the list.

You want a 3.5mm to twin phono/RCA cable.

Something like https://www.mycablemart.com/store/images/products/1085_large.jpg (random picture)

3.5mm jack on the right, RCA on the left.

Did you get a setup in the end ? What did you get ?