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New system advice ....please.

R

ron 1

pfm Member
I have shall we say been in hi fi hibernation for some years and all my "kit" has been in storage. However I have now decided to bring everything out and set up one system only the remainder of which will be disposed of to members of my family or sold.
My current equipment:
Meridian 105 monoblocks with their own power supplies.
Michell Argo Hera preamp/poer supply.
Onix oa21s
Thule ia50.
Meridian 506 cd player.
Meridian tuner.
Naim Sbl loudspeakers.
Diesis Solitaire loudspeakers.
I would like to retain the Sbl,s if at all possible and I really like the Onix.
Member thoughts on this conundrum would be greatly appreciated.
 
Ron,

Not quite sure what you're after (thought wise), but I'd simply ask why not try the various combinations out and pick what you like?
 
My last system set up was the Meridian 105,s Michel Argo with the Sbl,s.
The Onix was last used with Epos es11 which I now regret selling. My train of thought is in the direction of utilising what I,ve got or selling and buying something more up to date and pose the question would this be an improvement.
 
good advice from vital , you have a fair amount of kit with lots of permutations so try it all out and make a short list . It is likely your taste in sound will have changed as the kit has been packed away for a while so revist and find out where you are at this point in time
 
As I said I like the Onix amp but I was using that with the Epos es11,s I never got around to using it with the Sbl,s. I will try it and see what happens but my initial thoughts are it may be a little underpowered.
 
I forgot to mention the Onix is currently receiving attention to the input switch and volume control with an engineer friend and hopefully will be back fully working next week sometime.
 
Surely the first question is 'what music media do you intend to use?'.

Vinyl, CD, digital systems involving servers/computer?

It's partly a case of what you've got now but mainly one of how do you see the future?
 
I sold my Linn lp12 ittok years ago when I decided to go down another road music wise CD instead of vinyl. At the time I had a big record collection around 2500 albums and storing them became a big problem. I bought the Meridian 506 cd player brand new after listening to quite a few and I have been happy with it and this is what I intend to use now. I have no plans to go down digital systems involving servers or computers.
 
I don't know why, but I find myself recommending a pair of Michell Alecto monoblocks. Probably because it would be a nice visual / sonic addition to the Michell Pre amp and 506 CD Player These drive anything, so could be used with the SBLs as well, or almost any other speaker. If you can find a pair, they should be around £600 to £800.

The Orca pre is a big step up on the Argo, so this could be your long term aim. A friend who has been into hifi for many decades has ended up with this amplification and loves it to bits. I sold him the Alecto's and wish I hadn't sometimes.
 
I was looking at that combination years ago and I spoke to Tom Evans about upgrading my Argo to hr status but it did,nt come to pass. At the time getting hold of Alecto monoblocks was,nt easy and I would,nt have thought it will be any easier today. Orcas I dreamed about. However I will initially try the Onix oa21s with the Nam sbl,s and go from there but I have reservations as to their compatability We will see.
Thank you for your thoughts on my predicament.
 
I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the 105s driving the SBLs, because I'm currently using an old 103D to drive the mid-bass units in an otherwise all Naim setup with a NAP250 on the trebles (SNAXO-Supercap as the XO).
 
I used the 105,s with the Sbl,s for quite a few years and I was happy with them.Bear in mind I had the 105,s fully serviced and upgraded with hi grade components by an engineer friend and they were a1 electronically speaking.I did compare them with a more up to date Meridian amp I forget which one and there was a difference in some detail and clarity but not to the extent that would make me replace them.
 
Just a thought has anybody tried a Michell Hera hr in their system I was wondering how much difference hr would be over the standard Hera.
 
I had orca and Alecto monos and it's a sublime combo and yes I regret selling them big time ..but young family made it a hard decision to move them on..
 
Hifi-dog you had some combination there Alectos/Orcas was my dream set up and they are very difficult to get hold of. You see Alectos occasionally but Orcas ......do not come for sale or very rarely.
 
Scottyhammer, Thanks for your thoughts on the 506 I tried a few before I bought this one it is a beauty and its not going anywhere.
 
I am a complete moron as far as digital streaming is concerned I would,nt know where to start. My systems have always been based on vinyl and cds. I do however have an ipod which my daughter fills with album tracks and is used on holidays.
 
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