Speaker choice help

Alexrose1uk

Alexrose1uk

Alexrose1uk

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Joined
26 Apr 2004
Posts
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Location
Milton Keynes
Am looking at getting a Cambridge Audio A5 to power some speakers, to improve the sound quality from my X-Fi over the current 5.1 Creative set I have now, as from experience and understanding of pc sound gear vs hi-fi gear, the quality is in another league and will really kick the <censored> out of a pc 5.1 set with a sub.
My friend got the A5, and some Mordaunt-Short 902i bookshelf speakers, and hes really happy with them, however I wanted to try and get some other recommendations. Im probably looking at bookshelf speakers. My budget is approx £250

Can anyone also tell me if this amp is reliable, because being a student I might look at a famous auction site, and if I buy and older one, is it likely to go wrong/not sound as good?
 
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It's very obvious when hi-fi gear is working and when it is not! I know everyone has their reservations about trading on the internet, but it is very unlikely that you'll find the one borderline case which is somewhere inbetween working and broken. You'll get waaaaay better value for money if you look at ebay. I'd look at Audiolab and Cyrus amps (notably the 3). There are all manner of things on there, you just need to do a bit of hunting. The only problem with buying second hand stuff is that you can't listen to it before buying. Us telling you what hi-fi will work for you is like us telling you what your favourite music track should be, it's a very individual thing, and if you're buying second hand try to gather as much from user and magazine reviews as possible about the sound characteristics of each piece of kit. In this budget sector the differences might be a little less marked, but present nonetheless.
 
Hehe, thats why Im looking at the A5, and judging from my mates I quite liked the punch, and clarity, along with some warmth. As long as its working when they say it is I can be happy I guess, its more speakers that have me stumped, as my friend has his speakers new, so of course theres no way of telling what they're like after a burn in, so I wondered if anyone had any speaker recommendations, and an idea of thier qualities :)
 
You can get B&W DM601s new for £250, but as mentioned, second hand is the way to go. Look at Monitor audio, Mission, B&W for a start and let us know what you like the look of :)
 
How are mordaunt-short's considered btw? I have to admit, the mordaunt bookshelf speakers did seem pretty nice. Also, unfortunately, recommendations will help, as theres a lot of brands to look at, and MK doesnt really have any shop to look at aside a small Richer Sounds shop, and the Mordaunt were about the best ones they had in thier, others being weaker missions (mini) etc, and without recommendations towards some nice speakers, I probably wouldnt know where to start!

Also, are Kef any good?
 
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i am going to be spending a lot of money of a hi fi set up very soon. At the moment i am thinking of NOT going 2nd hand and just buying brand new. My choices are likely to be all rega equipment. Apollo cd player ((£500), Mira amp (£600), R3 floorstanding speakers (£500).

Is this a bad move? What would you suggest 2nd hand for £1600 worth of stuff?
 
devilkazuya said:
i am going to be spending a lot of money of a hi fi set up very soon. At the moment i am thinking of NOT going 2nd hand and just buying brand new. My choices are likely to be all rega equipment. Apollo cd player ((£500), Mira amp (£600), R3 floorstanding speakers (£500).

Is this a bad move? What would you suggest 2nd hand for £1600 worth of stuff?
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Id suggesty making your own thread instead of highjacking this guys! :p
 
devilkazuya said:
i am going to be spending a lot of money of a hi fi set up very soon. At the moment i am thinking of NOT going 2nd hand and just buying brand new. My choices are likely to be all rega equipment. Apollo cd player ((£500), Mira amp (£600), R3 floorstanding speakers (£500).

Is this a bad move? What would you suggest 2nd hand for £1600 worth of stuff?
Click to expand...

For that budget you would be a fool to buy new. (I could understand on the speaker front though)
 
Buy a Rega Planet second hand, looks identical and is very nice. My brother has one. Only thing is with second hand CD players at, doesn't the laser/transport tend to break after about 6 years? Might be false economy if that is the case, it happened recently on my brothers DVD player (the second player Sony ever released), got it repaired though. Anyhow, start a new thread, you'll get plenty of advice i'm sure :)

EDIT: See that you have now :o :)
 
Any further suggestions for speakers to go with a Cambridge Audio A5?

I liked the Mordaunt 902i, but would like to know rough ideas of what I can expect from say Missions, B&W, Kef, or if anyone can point me to a good indepth review site? :)
 
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