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£2.5k budget secondhand hi-fi advice

If he buys those IMF's it will probably cost him his marriage.:D

takes a while to get used to them .... they are large and old fashioned ... but a bit of danish oil, and they look good (like a well constructed expensive very rare antique piece of furniture)

;)
 
The most important part is the speaker IMO ... it sets the tone for everything else. If I had to fill a large room with bass on a budget I'd start looking at old 12" or 15" tannoys. Something like this:

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89357&highlight=tannoy

However Tannoys may not be your cup of tea so finding someone nearby who would let you listen to a pair would be advisable.

If you like the tannoys that would leave 1.5K for source / amp, for which there are many choices. IMO the amp / DAC is a lot less critical than getting the speakers right.
 
The most important part is the speaker IMO ... it sets the tone for everything else. If I had to fill a large room with bass on a budget I'd start looking at old 12" or 15" tannoys. Something like this:

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89357&highlight=tannoy

However Tannoys may not be your cup of tea so finding someone nearby who would let you listen to a pair would be advisable.

If you like the tannoys that would leave 1.5K for source / amp, for which there are many choices. IMO the amp / DAC is a lot less critical than getting the speakers right.

I agree partially, that's why on my recomendation, I started with the speakers first ...

but saying that, you need a decent amp to bring out the best of the speakers, so the amp is just as important (based on my personal experience)
 
Hi,

I'm looking for some advice on building a new hi-fi system with a budget of around £2.5k (I will be buying used/ex-demo items)

I will need floorstanding speakers with good bass extension down to about 30hz. My room is quite large.

Amplification and a DAC. Most if not all of my listening is now through spotify premium, and I will probably end up ripping my cd collection to lossless.

So far the PMC FB1i seems like a strong contender, and maybe Dynaudio Excite, Proac D18

For the amp I lean aesthetically towards the idea of having monoblocks though open to using an integrated amp or stereo power.

The Cyrus integrated with onboard DAC looks good and convenient but is so damn ugly.. :p

I wonder if I would need a preamp as well as power + DAC?



I listen to a very wide range of music: from indie rock/nowave, classic rock, metal, hip hop, dub, ambient, chillout, lounge, jazz, electronica, techno, classical, avant garde, minimalist, sonic art... really just about everything. So no overly polite classical-only oriented stuff. Rhythm and dynamics are very important to me as well as clarity, detail and finesse

I will definitely try to audition stuff but just wondered if anyone has strong opinions about where to look for the most bang for buck with this budget, and maybe brands/models that are known for being transparent and engaging across every musical genre, with excellent low end and preferably at all volumes

What about starting with something like the Naim uniticute and build round that?
 
waterox,

I'm afraid I find your approach totally wrong. Do a bit of homework, go 'round and listen to some systems, at dealers or at other people's houses. Find a sound you like. Then try to get that sound in your home.

Right now, you are in the wilderness, ending up with a system that you'll like listening to would be a huge coincidence.



x 2


esp at other people's houses
 
waterox,

I'm afraid I find your approach totally wrong. Do a bit of homework, go 'round and listen to some systems, at dealers or at other people's houses. Find a sound you like. Then try to get that sound in your home.

Right now, you are in the wilderness, ending up with a system that you'll like listening to would be a huge coincidence.

in theory, that works and is the best route to take ....

however, when you are trying to build a system that comprises older gear, I very much doubt that any of your 'mates' would have the exact same components recommended by some who give advice

so, you have to decide .... do you take a chance and do your research, ask hundreds of questions on several hifi forums, and take the advice from people who have owned the components/system?

... or if you don't have balls and the time and effort to do proper research, and don't want to take a gamble and get a bargain, go to Richer sounds or seven oaks and tell them your budget, listen in their listening room, then ask for a home demo

those are the choices faced when you buy older gear

:cool:
 
I will need floorstanding speakers with good bass extension down to about 30hz. My room is quite large. I listen to a very wide range of music: from indie rock/nowave, classic rock, metal, hip hop, dub, ambient, chillout, lounge, jazz, electronica, techno, classical, avant garde, minimalist, sonic art... really just about everything. So no overly polite classical-only oriented stuff. Rhythm and dynamics are very important to me as well as clarity, detail and finesse.
This is a tough ask for £2.5k. How big is your room and how loud do you need your system to go? ATCs seem like the logical choice for minimal box count and a single source system.

James
 
@Greg
Any specific recommendations for pro gear? I know PMC are quite often seen. Not a fan of genelec or huge tannoys.
I'm looking for transparency, but some monitors can become a hard listen after a while.
Anything pro with good low end is probably soffit-mounted or massive.
waterox, I can only really recount my own journey with this. Whilst I've heard a reasonable variety of pro active monitors as part of this quest, it's by no means extensive. However, to give you some context - similar to yourself I listen to a very wide variety of music and I seek a variety of characteristics from systems I put together. I'm also on a reasonably tight budget too, so pre-owned is always my first port of call, but that makes demoing difficult (it also seems to mean I buy gear that I then don't want to sell).

At this juncture, I specifically wanted to find something to replace my Kef reference 107/2, which are driven by a Krell KAV-400ix. This combo has a number of plus points for me, but some drawbacks too. There's lots of detail and clarity, considerable transparency too. The Kefs go deep (20hz), they are very good at low volumes and they can move some air too - they're sensitive and will push 112db. Very nice timbre and good with vocals. However, they lack visceral impact due to the design and there is an aspect of the transition between low mids and upper bass that isn't quite right (I've tried them with a number of different amps, just in case).

So regards active monitors, I basically came to the conclusion that certain brands attract high prices - both new and used - amongst hifi folks, but didn't necessarily offer a better end result than cheaper, less well known/less trendy alternatives (differences, yes, but not fundamentally better overall IMO). For me, the brands shortlist pretty much boiled down to: Adam, KRK, Quested and JBL. The other question being bigger "mid-field/mains"; or smaller near-field/mid-field + a sub?

The question of sub or no sub also attracted the issue I've had before of struggling to get a sub to integrate properly, so I was leaning towards a bigger pair, without the sub. Except as I managed to get demos ticked off, the with sub option became the preferred choice. I was surprised how much better integration could be.

Ok, so for me, the long and the short of it boiled down to these:
http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/General/Product.aspx?PId=25&MId=5
plus this:
http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/General/Product.aspx?PId=23&MId=5

I picked up the combo, just over three years old in almost perfect condition for £995!

So far, in situ, I've found them to be remarkably transparent - to the point of forgetting they're there; they integrate very well with the sub and work very well without the sub too; they have considerable dynamic headroom and don't seem to harden at high SPLs; the visceral impact is excellent; bass extension is very good; I've found them to be pretty much as good with acoustic / vocal music as with deep house, dub reggae/sleng teng, Detroit techno, etc. I'm yet to try any classical SACDs though. They don't quite match the sweet mids of ATCs and they don't quite have the sweet high of the Adam ART ribbon, but overall I think the balance is right for me.

One point, which seems obvious, but is worth stating - they are very revealing of your front end(s) and of course of different recordings and their faults. For me, this is what I want because if the recording has boogie, then the boogie is articulated, but if the recording is dull/harsh/badly mixed or mastered, then you would hear it. Dance tracks with poorly sampled/blended samples are revealed as clear as day.

Basically, for me, they have proved to be a real bargain.
 
waterox,

I'm afraid I find your approach totally wrong. Do a bit of homework, go 'round and listen to some systems, at dealers or at other people's houses. Find a sound you like. Then try to get that sound in your home.

Right now, you are in the wilderness, ending up with a system that you'll like listening to would be a huge coincidence.

fair enough, but surely PFM can offer some open opinions on such things as new v secondhand, source v speaker first, digital v vinyl, CD v streaming, amps v active speakers etc????
 
oh, and those IMFs...I'd love to get to work on those cabs. The seller was honest enough to take close-ups of the damage, but there's nothing there that could not be restored to wild degrees of gloriousness.
 
Two absolute alternatives to my suggestion above would be:
These Impulse H2 for £1500 leaving you £1K for DAC / Pre and valve power amp.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170579179848

or these Harbeth series 40, assuming there isn't a bidding war.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120660032071
Ok, so you'd only have £500 left to get a cheap used DAC and maybe a Marantz PM7200, but you'd probably never need to change the Harbeths and could upgrade the other parts as you go. If you landed them for £2K it's a steal I reckon.

I honestly think either of these two options could be superb and a good long term plan - as a "speakers first" approach (which I now massively subscribe to).
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Whilst I totally agree with Markus and would advise the same I'm not very good at taking advice (especially my own) and tend to do the complete opposite; I've bought tons of kit that I know I can get my money back on and played around until I have found a system I am happy with. Sell on the bits you don't want and job done.
 
I'd agree. If you're happy to take the punt and play around, deal with sellers and their quirks, then that approach may take a while, but it is lots of fun (it's my preferred approach personally).
 
Here's a radically sideways suggestion

your budget will buy a very nice pair of Genelec 1030A active monitors, a 7060B sub and a used benchmark dac1 pre HDR.

That system would take a lot of beating and has guaranteed excellent resaale value.
 
Anything pro with good low end is probably soffit-mounted or massive.

I'd think it's the same for consumer speakers as well. Given your 30 Hz requirement, you're looking at very big speakers, almost of necessity.

your budget will buy a very nice pair of Genelec 1030A active monitors

He said he doesn't want Genelec or Tannoys though.

I think Greg is generally right that pro gear can give the best audio VFM, but given what you say about Genelec/Tannoy, studio monitors might not be your cup of tea. However, you could get a DAC with balanced XLR output, and then you can skip the expensive consumer amps (and cable hang-ups) and save some money on that side without sonic compromise. E.g.: Benchmark or Lavry DAC into an MC2 amp.
 
Two absolute alternatives to my suggestion above would be:
These Impulse H2 for £1500 leaving you £1K for DAC / Pre and valve power amp.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170579179848

or these Harbeth series 40, assuming there isn't a bidding war.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120660032071
Ok, so you'd only have £500 left to get a cheap used DAC and maybe a Marantz PM7200, but you'd probably never need to change the Harbeths and could upgrade the other parts as you go. If you landed them for £2K it's a steal I reckon.

I honestly think either of these two options could be superb and a good long term plan - as a "speakers first" approach (which I now massively subscribe to).

I was actually thinking of suggesting blowing your budget on Harbeths and then getting a cheap amp and cd, but I was too afraid of being battered by source-firsters. So Greg had more courage. Demo Harbeths quick though, because price rises are coming and they'll soon go out of your budget (and second hand are rare).
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
I was actually thinking of suggesting blowing your budget on Harbeths and then getting a cheap amp and cd, but I was too afraid of being battered by source-firsters. So Greg had more courage. Demo Harbeths quick though, because price rises are coming and they'll soon go out of your budget (and second hand are rare).

Seconded.
 


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