Hi Fi system

boogieman

duotone said:

octatonic said:

I am building a system as well- we are moving house and I will have a dedicated room just for music listening (the luxury).

I was thinking of this: http://www.richersounds.com/product/amplifiers-receivers/roksan/kandy-k2/roks-k2-amp-blk

paired with these:

http://www.richersounds.com/product/floorstanders/focal/chorus-716/foca-chor-716-blk

If your spending that kind of money, then definitely audition it at a shop. The thing I have found with richer sounds in the past is that they won't have it in store to try out and has to be ordered online.

I agree. Spending that amount, you really need to hear it first. Richer Sounds are brilliant on price but if you go into a proper hifi shop, they'll let you audition it in a dedicated listening room. Some will even let you home trial the gear, so you know exactly how it sounds in the space. I'm well out of touch with the hifi scene these days, but the Roksan was always reckoned to be a great buy, so that should be a relatively safe option. I've never heard of those Focal brand speakers though.

Phil_aka_Pip

Roksan have got good write-ups in HiFi News in the past. Focal have also received credit from reviewers, although I don't remember reading a review that made me want to go out and buy them.

Kit won't sound in the shop the same way that it will in your home. Doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to it though.

I do recommend getting a subscription to HiFi News, and following what the reviews say over a period of time. This can be instructive.

crunchman

Richer Sounds are good for the value for money end of the market.  If you want to spend £600 on a system that is a major step up from your Dixon's all in ones the they are great.  If you want the really high end stuff you go to a specialist shop.  Personally I wouldn't spend enough to make it worth going to one of the high end shops.

I have Richer Sounds that's about 10 mins walk from home which is great.  I've bought my two most recent TVs from there as well.  I can just load it in the car and be home in 5 minutes.  You don't have to take a whole day off work and wait in for a courier who may or may not turn up.

hubobulous

I have an Audiolab amp listed in the classifieds if that's of interest? A stunning amp as some on here may testify.....

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/30945/fs-audiolab-8000c-preamp#latest

Winny_Pooh

B & W speakers are a no brainer if you are bewildered by the options out there.

beed84

Heartfeltdawn said:

Fretwired said:

beed84 said:

In terms of 'classic' hifi then I'd argue that a NAD 3020e amp and a Rega Planar 3 turntable running through a decent set of speakers will give a lot of new stuff of similar ilk a run for their money.  I know because that's what I own. Very happy I am too.

I have an NAD 3020 and a Rega Planar 3 (and a Rega Planar 2) and I would agree. I have a small room in which I have a Regar Planar 2, NAD 3020, Denon CD player and cassette deck, Yamaha graphic equaliser and a pair of Wharfedale Diamond speakers .. it actually sounds warm and focused. Not loud but a great sound.

I've had my NAD3130 for a decade now hooked up to some Silver 5L monitors and it's done a great job. Everything goes through an external DAC (SPL Crimson) which is excellent. 

As an afterthought, the HMV I worked at last year were using a NAD 3130 (or a similar incarnation). It goes to show you that the old stuff really doesn't need replacing and can outlast modern alternatives.

strumjoughlamps

another amp that has stood the test of time is the Denon 255UK..

or go tip top old school and get 2 Musical Fidelity power amps and a pre amp, partner it with a Micromega Stage 3 CD player = YUM

ICBM

beed84 said:

It goes to show you that the old stuff really doesn't need replacing and can outlast modern alternatives.

I'm still using the Pioneer SA-540 and Wharfedale Laser 30s I bought in 1983.

I did have to replace the tweeters in the speakers after a few years when one went buzzy, the originals were no longer available and a bit crap anyway so I used the ones from Laser 50s instead, which have been fine ever since.

Also the spring speaker wire connectors on the amp went brittle and cracked, so I replaced them with standard RS screw terminals. Apart from that it's working fine and sounding as good as it always did. It's on every single day apart from when I'm on holiday, it's what I run my computer's audio through.

Phil_aka_Pip

Winny_Pooh said:

B & W speakers are a no brainer if you are bewildered by the options out there.

I'm still using DM4s on my main stereo

hubobulous

I use my Celestion A1s with my stereo and for the computer, and my Missions for the TV and stereo in the lounge. Great speakers.

chillidoggy

Back on track, Taff, secondhand is good, but make sure you get quality British equipment, don't skimp on the amp, more power is good, even if you will never use it. It just sounds better, trust me on this one. And in a room that size, I'd not bother with floorstanders, I'd be going with bookshelf speakers, and again, there's some cracking s/h bargains to be had out there.