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  1. #1
    AR Newbie Registered Member
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    Suggested systems for new(ish)bie

    I am interested in getting back into the whole "audiophile" thing and need some help. I have about $1000 to spend on a system (specifically a CD player, floor standing speakers and an amp.). The only trouble is that there are few hi-fi shops in the area so auditions are a problem.

    I know this is far from ideal, but I was thinking about putting a system together based on the various reviews on this website and seeing if I could pick up the components on ebay for a decent price.

    Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I should be looking at? My music tastes are quite varied (from classical through to heavy rock) and so want something that will work well with everything!

    All suggestions gratefully received!

  2. #2
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    On Ebay there is one vendor selling new pairs of Infinity Primus 360 floorstanding speakers for $440 (that is including the shipping fee).

    I would purchase a new CD player, or even a DVD player. Buying used could get you a lemon and a new one will have a warranty. Yamaha and Sony have decent CD players in the $150 range. I'm not familiar with too many online dealers but try- crutchfield.com, jr.com, tweeter.com

  3. #3
    RGA
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    I have a set of Wharfedale Vanguards which are similar to Wharfedales E series a decade earlier -- No i'm not selling them or anything but the line will do everything quite well and would be relatively cheap on the sued market -- trouble with buying used is you'd have to do a lot of research to know what is good -- and even then you may not like them -- everything gets good reviews but hardly anything si very good IMO.

    The field is so big with thousands and thousands of manufacturers and nobody here as heard them all -- the reviews on the site are kinda useful but they are all as are we biased to what WE like which again may not be what you like. You're basically going to be looking at $500.00 of your budget on speakers. Nothing new at the price is really going to do all music well. Athena Technologies for a floorstander is pretty decent but agains the used market will serve you way better sonically --- but on the other hand the speakers would be 10+ years old and may require money to have repairs or sprucing up.

    You're safer buying a used amp as they have few moving parts. Used cd players I'd avoid -- you could get a 300 disc player from Sony -- I picked one up and they're loads of fun -- sound is as good as most in the price range too. ($170.00).

    Amps used: ($200-$300) that are probably safe no matter which models you find used

    Sugden
    Arcam (delta or Alpha series)
    Creek
    Naim
    NAD

    Speakers will consume the rest of the budget -- I personally would consider the following with (S) to mean a standmount speaker if you can live without a lot of bass and you don't requitre very loud (all are around $600.00 or less)

    Energy C5,
    Audio Note AX-Two (S)
    B&W 601S3 (S)
    B&W DM 303 (S)
    Athena Technologies AS F2 http://www.athenaspeakers.com/modelASF2.htm

    The Athena will play the loudest from this list and will not require the expense of a sub. it's also very easy to drive so you don't need more than about 20 watts from the amp to play very loud (if that many). They are made by the same company that makes Energy.

    Still though I would look at the used market for floorstanders. My Wharfedales to use as an example were hand built in england cost $2k US in 1992 and now could be had for about $350.00 - $500.00 on Ebay. You will find many a $2k speaker back then now going for a piittance and that my friend is where you come in -- find the audiophile that treated his speakers like his baby but now is getting itchy to go upscale and pounce on them. Usually the maintenance is cheap like refoaming the woofers (under $100.00 for the pair) and some don;t need this even at 30 years old.

    Good luck

  4. #4
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
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    RGA pretty much nailed it

    Quote Originally Posted by RGA
    You will find many a $2k speaker back then now going for a piittance and that my friend is where you come in -- find the audiophile that treated his speakers like his baby but now is getting itchy to go upscale and pounce on them. Usually the maintenance is cheap like refoaming the woofers (under $100.00 for the pair) and some don;t need this even at 30 years old.
    $1000 can put together a pretty nice little stereo system with a bit of shopping. I think you can go pretty cheap buying a used CD player on ebay or the likes. Denon, Yamaha, Sony, etc all make very good inexpensive models you should be able to find for $100 or less. Spending anymore than that at this point probably won't reveal itself in the sound quality as much as allocating that money to speakers and amplification. Later on when you've upgraded again, you can go back and revisit the player.

    What I'm thinking is $100 for the player used, then $200-$300 for an integrated amplifier (or separate amp and pre-amps) from ebay or audiogon. You could also add Rotel or Adcom to the excellent list of amps RGA provided...maybe Parasound and PS Audio, too, though they tend to be bit pricier.

    Put that $600-$700 into speakers though. If you buy used, a few years old from ebay or audiogon.com, $600 can snarf you a set of Paradigm Studio 20's or Studio 40's (both standmount speakers), or the Totem Arro (floorstanders) for example. You might also look at some Energy Veritas 2.1 or something as well. You will sacrifice a bit of low bass response for better sound quality generally going the standmount route, but you might have to buy stands if you don't have any. You should be able find some for reasonably cheap for now.

    There's an aweful lot of good speakers out there I'm sure you'd be happy with, if you can't really audition any, it's hard to recommend some to suit your tastes.

  5. #5
    Suspended topspeed's Avatar
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    Terrific recommendations so far. RGA and Kex really nailed it in that you should allocate at least 50% of your budget towards speakers. Even "sued" ones like RGA mentions (j/k Rich, freudian slip? )

    I'd add Cambridge Audio for both an integrated and cd player to the list. Personally, with cd players so cheap I'd probably buy new and get a warranty to boot. There are just too many moving parts in these things and Lord knows what the previous owner did or didn't do to it? I also agree that you'd be better served by a standmount at this price point, although the used market certainly gives you more options. You might also consider some planars like Magnepan's MMG's which are around $500 new. Make sure you like their sound with rock first though. Some love 'em, some loath 'em (which can be said with just about every speaker). Check audiogon.com for used and audioadvisor.com for any specials they may have running.

    Good luck and enjoy the ride.

  6. #6
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    Don't despair, you can get some decent floorstanders...

    And they would be new or close to it. The AS-F2 and Primus 360 are good possibilities. You could also consider PSB Image 4T or 5T. Saturday Audio (www.saturdayaudio.com) has these in B-stock for 369-469. Both very good speakers. Try the factory outlet at Axiom Audio for a good deal on their M40ti's. While some good recommendations on amps have been made, you might consider a decent stereo receiver from Harmon Kardon ( HK3380 or 3480), Denon (DRA395 or 685) or Onkyo (TX-8511). Check www.jr.com or www.crutchfield.com. For a source I'd take a look at a dvd player with a 24 bit/192khz dac. Toshiba, Sony, JVC, Samsung, Panasonic and others offer very affordable units which do a pretty good job on cd play. Audio Advisor is clearing out a Yamaha dvd player which looks pretty good for about a $100 (www.audioadvisor.com). Just some food for thought--- an HK3480 from jr, the Image 4T from Saturday Audio, and the Yamaha from Audio Advisor would cost $740 plus some shipping. Get some 12 gauge speaker wire at Home Depot or Lowe's and you're good to go with some very respectable sound.

    There are lots of possibilities of course and the guys here can help a lot as you have already seen. Audiogon has already been suggested and there is a feature there which may help some. Click on the search button on the home page. This will take you to a page where you can enter the first two digits of your zip code to see listings in the area you live in. If you see anything good you may be able to arrange local pickups and audition some stuff which can be helpful when buying used and save some money too. Hope this helps a little and welcome back to the audiophool world!

  7. #7
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    Used but not abused

    [QUOTE=sanj2010]I am interested in getting back into the whole "audiophile" thing and need some help.

    The preceeding recommendations are wonderful. I also am getting back into "the audiophile thing", and have used my local craigslist[URL=www.craigslist.org] to build up my system. Since speakers are such an essential part of your system, at least that would give you a fighting chance to hear and see them before buying(perhaps you don't have access to craigslist, but then perhaps local sales in the paper?). Certainly you now have some names to look for.

    I live in NYC, so I know I'm spoiled--but I just paid $40 for a fine working pair of Wharfedale Saphire 83's; $130 for Paradigm mini monitors; and $80 for a NAD 7240PE receiver.

    Good luck.

  8. #8
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    Thank you for your replies. I must confess that I am not sure about the logic of spending the majority of the money on the amp and speakers though. Will they not simply show up the flaws in a cheaper CD player?

    Sanj2010

  9. #9
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sanj2010
    All

    Thank you for your replies. I must confess that I am not sure about the logic of spending the majority of the money on the amp and speakers though. Will they not simply show up the flaws in a cheaper CD player?

    Sanj2010
    At the level of equipment you are going to end up with, you probably wouldn't notice any "flaws" a cd player of $100 or so would have, and spending less on speakers and amp would leave you with gear that wouldn't let you enjoy the possible benefits a better player would have.. And those cd player "flaws" aren't many to begin with. I would think the majority of people here wouldn't be able to tell the difference more than half of the time. Today's cheap players do a pretty good job. You certainly wouldn't notice the flaws as much as you would the inferior sound lower-grade speakers and amp give you.

  10. #10
    Shostakovich fan Feanor's Avatar
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    An really OLD, debate

    Quote Originally Posted by sanj2010
    All

    Thank you for your replies. I must confess that I am not sure about the logic of spending the majority of the money on the amp and speakers though. Will they not simply show up the flaws in a cheaper CD player?

    Sanj2010
    What is a reasonable distribution of cash when buying a new system? There is no single, right answer. However for a modestly priced system such as you're wanting, speakers are definitely key and the 50% figures others have suggested is about right. The next most important component is your amplifier or receiver. Modern CD players sound a lot alike, as Kex suggests -- that's not to say identical. But in your price range a few extra bucks spent on the speakers will give much, much more satisfaction.

  11. #11
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    Update

    Ok, I am seriously considering a Musical Fidelilty X-150 amp and a pair of B&W 601 S3 speakers.

    What are your opinions of this setup?

    Sanj2010

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