Spec me a sound set up, for this budget

devilkazuya

devilkazuya

devilkazuya

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24 Jul 2005
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i am starting to put money aside for a hi-fi set up.

i have a real thing about sound quality, and like to know i am getting the best for the money i am spending. I will be buying an amplifier, a cd player, and a pair of speakers.

I think i will budget at £300-400 for each piece of equipment (so approximately £1000 overall)

Could those who are really in the know spec me what they would go for in this price range, and preferably with detailed reasons in terms of the kind of sound, and component quality.

I listen to different kinds of music, but some primary examples would be funk, ambient, rock, progressive rock.
 
i guess what i am looking for on this thread, is a list from those who have knowledge/experience of a range of each of these components in my price range, which are reputed for their quality. Then list them, with a brief summary of their sound, so i have a few in my head to consider.
 
i am going to be auditioning some KEF iq5 floor standing speakers tomorrow, and some b&w cm1 book shelves. The guy at sevenoaks is telling me that the book shevles are better, and that book shevles are better in general for sound, as the drivers are easier to drive etc.

What do you guys think?
 
i am interested in QUAD after your recommendation. They look very nice too with the piano gloss finish.

I will give the ones in sevenoaks a listen tomorrow. Hopefully i can get some cheaper elsewhere though. The 12L seems like it's got some good write ups, as well as the lesser 11L .
 
i demoed some stuff today in sevenoaks.

tried the b&w cm1 speakers, which were excellent i might add. For the price apparently they really sound like something more expensive. I was listening for about 90 mins in joy.

The first hour i spend on an audiolabs 8000s and and audiolabs cd player. I was really enjoying myself. Everything was detaield, yet very full and enveloping.

The remainder of the time i tried some arcam stuff, and i jsut wasn't having as much listening.

Definitely of these, the audiolabs stuff is winning out. Going back tomorrow for another demo to try the audiolabs with a different set of speakers.

Squiffy, why do you say not to go for one of the new ones of the 8000s?
 
if the Kef you are suggesting are reference, then they cost like £1300 don't they, which is well out of my price range. I am stretching to about £450-£500 ish for the b&w cm1's if i go for those. I really did enjoy those speakeres today. I think i am trying some floor standing monitor audio SR6's tomorrow. I'll tell you how they go with the audiolab.

Oh, and the audiolabs 8000s i tried is the new kind obviously, made in china. What is wrong with that in your opinion, it was really good sounding. Didn't Tag McClaren buy them before hand, then over engineered them and went bankrupt for spending to much money on development, and they were selling them at like £1000, yet the compnenets were pretty much indentical, just the finish on the housing was nicer i am told.

Which b&w speakers do you own by the way?
 
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Shimmyhill said:
Can i jump in here, slight OT.

I have always liked the B+W/Arcam combination, based on your findings i will be trying an Audio Lab - can i ask what model + price the amp you where listening too was ? I have some b+w speakers already but i am after a 2 chanel amp for the fronts/music duties.
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i was testing out the audiolabs 8000s, and it was excellent really, and distinctly better than the arcam amp i was also trying. The speakers i was testing were the b&w cm1, and iw as heavily impressed by them. I'll have more to say after this next afternoon as i am going back in for more testing.
 
i demoed a fair bit off stuff today.

Firstly, i'd tell you that the monitor audio rs6 are not that good, especially when next to the b&w cm1 standmounts, which cost about £100 less. the cm1 is more enveloping, has deeper and nicer bass. The detail is similar, but the cm1 still wins out there too.

My main findings today were discovered by having a demo at audio t, as well as sevenoaks where i was yesterday and today. At audio t, they have the rega range. I loved it. I was only on the rega R3 floor standers, which are their cheaper floorstanders at £500, and i was having such a good time. They had so much detail and separation. I seem to find that idioteque by radiohead is a great track to really test a speaker, and it really shone with it. When i was using the rega speakers, i was also using the rega brio amp (cheaper at £330) and then the rega mira amp (£600) both were excellent, but the mira was obviously better, and i don't think i will be able to resist getting it now. I was using a rega apollo cd player as well (£500) I guess they must be very good in general rega, because this wasn't there mroe expensive stuff, and i was really enjoying what i heard. I recommend rega to you people to demo. It is likely what i will end up going for.

Overall, that is seemingly going to cost me speakers (£500), amp (£600), cd player (£500). All new. I wouldn't know how to get this stuff 2nd hand, and to be honest i am the kind of guy who likes to knw his stuff is brand new, so may just have to fork out for this.

I still recommend listening to b&w cm1's coupled with an audiolabs 8000s. It is a pleasure. I just prefer the rega, as i find it more detailed and tighter bass.
 
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