merlin
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I would tend to avoid anything claiming to be "High End". It tends to add a nought.
What hifi system would you choose up to 25k
- Thread starter paulieGB
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I would tend to avoid anything claiming to be "High End". It tends to add a nought.
merlin
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Daniel Quinn
Banned
If I had 25k which I absolutely must spend on a hifi and nothing else I would make my way around all pfmers house listen to the hifi and buy the one I liked best .
For those with hifi worth more than 25k , youd have to put a red cross on your door
For those with hifi worth more than 25k , youd have to put a red cross on your door
divedeepdog
pfm Member
If I had 25k which I absolutely must spend on a hifi and nothing else I would make my way around all pfmers house listen to the hifi and buy the one I liked best .
For those with hifi worth more than 25k , youd have to put a red cross on your door
+1
Add Wammers to that route, they're usually quite nice face to face
Robert
Tapehead
I'd be pushing the vast majority of the budget into good large actives (not small speakers at this level which is utterly pointless IMO). Certainly ATC would be in the frame as would PMC.
The digital source can almost be anything which works. Think about spending a few hundred not a few thousand pounds on this part of the system. Only pay more if you value superlative build and features.
No mention of vinyl but if you play records then it's worth investing in a good TT, though these days I'n not convinced you need go mad here either. Around £1k-2k will get you something good enough like a Michell Gyro or one of the better Rega decks. Don't skimp on the cartridge and for the best results you want a good MC - at this level for me that would be Lyra.
Don't spend silly money on a phono stage - it's (or should be) a handful of components in a box and the primary requirement is a low nose PSU and accurate RIAA. Do-able for a couple of hundred quid.
The digital source can almost be anything which works. Think about spending a few hundred not a few thousand pounds on this part of the system. Only pay more if you value superlative build and features.
No mention of vinyl but if you play records then it's worth investing in a good TT, though these days I'n not convinced you need go mad here either. Around £1k-2k will get you something good enough like a Michell Gyro or one of the better Rega decks. Don't skimp on the cartridge and for the best results you want a good MC - at this level for me that would be Lyra.
Don't spend silly money on a phono stage - it's (or should be) a handful of components in a box and the primary requirement is a low nose PSU and accurate RIAA. Do-able for a couple of hundred quid.
mattgbell
Help the elderly and unwell!
As has already been suggested, do make sure you listen to some electrostatic speakers. Some people, having heard a good 'static, never want to go back to dynamic speakers.
Most 'statics require a lot of lateral space, as they're pretty wide and need to be kept away from side walls. Martin Logans are a bit more forgiving in that regard, and they work well in middling sized rooms.
Most 'statics require a lot of lateral space, as they're pretty wide and need to be kept away from side walls. Martin Logans are a bit more forgiving in that regard, and they work well in middling sized rooms.
merlin
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In all seriousness, your room is the same size as mine.
Most of the loudspeakers you are auditioning or having recommended will cause problems in that living room.
The main reason is that you will have a room node at circa 40hz - that means speakers with extended bottom ends will boom.
Speakers that are rolling off around 45hz will work best. I have had huge numbers of speakers through my room in the past decade from Proac D100's to the current Focals with horns, panels and all sorts of exotica in between.
The best speakers have been those that pay attention to the affect of the room's dimensions. IMHO you can save yourself an awful lot of time by taking that into account.
Most of the loudspeakers you are auditioning or having recommended will cause problems in that living room.
The main reason is that you will have a room node at circa 40hz - that means speakers with extended bottom ends will boom.
Speakers that are rolling off around 45hz will work best. I have had huge numbers of speakers through my room in the past decade from Proac D100's to the current Focals with horns, panels and all sorts of exotica in between.
The best speakers have been those that pay attention to the affect of the room's dimensions. IMHO you can save yourself an awful lot of time by taking that into account.
maxflinn
pfm Member
Good call. I've not had the pleasure of hearing a pair but anyone who has seems to be very impressed.
Including you of course, Matt
.
david ellwood
Kirabosi Kognoscente
Oooh Question. Big Question
Unquestioningly excrement.
merlin
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Heresy more like. It's great being a free thinker.
JemHayward
pfm Member
Martin Logan Summits, £13,000 (no need for subs etc.) EAR890 Valve Power amp £5900, Audiolab MDAC £600, (used) Logitech Squeezebox Touch £300, NAS or PC say, £600 and spend the rest on live music. - this is my system! ATC actives with the MDAC etc would be equally valid, but the MLs are something rather special.
darrenyeats
pfm Member
Merlin, you raise a very good point. Can I add, it will depend on construction, for example one of my side walls is a plasterboard internal wall and it doesn't reflect enough bass to support a problematic mode. The vertical mode will be affected by ceiling/floor construction - I actually have split modes there since some bass reflects of the ceiling, and some reflects off the floorboards in the loft! But I agree if all the walls are brick and the room has no spaces opening up from it, then the length and width dimensions should predict the room modes.
If anyone wants to tinker further, I recommend XTZ Analyzer as a cheap and simple way to measure your room.
According to my listening preferences (and finding a bigger room!) I would go for Devialet 170 and a pair of Harbeth M40.1, fed by a Mac Mini.
Throw in some good stands and cables, and I reckon it's in in the region of 16-17k.
For more power, you could step up to the Devialet 240.
Throw in some good stands and cables, and I reckon it's in in the region of 16-17k.
For more power, you could step up to the Devialet 240.
Alan Sircom
I dü werds, me
OK, I think rather than polling the Fishes for their own ideas, draw breath and think it through for yourself. From experience, you run the very great risk of falling into 'analysis paralysis', where you find good and bad things in everything you hear and are never satisfied. That's fine if you want to run through a mile-long list of products you have box-swapped your way through, in order to become Charlie Big Potatoes of a forum, but for sitting back and enjoying music, it's a terrible thing to do.
Ask yourself what you specifically liked about the Naim/B&W system that you specifically didn't like about the systems with the KEF and PMC loudspeakers. Forget price for the moment and concentrate on what worked for you with one that didn't work with another. Let the results of that self-searching exercise guide you to the next good system.
It may be that an active system, or a system using electrostatic speakers would be your best choice, or it may be that what you crave is entirely different, and you end up with big horn loudspeakers and a two-watt triode amp. Great... go for it. But simply asking the 'what would you buy?' generally only serves to take the temperature of a forum, rather than providing any legitimate and useful answers.
it's a good point that room treatment can improve the lot of an audio system in a listening room, but if - for whatever reason - that is simply not possible, then you need to factor that into the mix too. You can mitigate some of the properties of a room with furniture, but it's rarely more than a token gesture, because most audio frequencies are not altered by being in the presence of a cushion. Pragmatically speaking, if this is a dual-use room (as in not a dedicated listening room, and especially if shared with another), audio-specific room treatment is probably out, but if this is going into a dedicated listening room/man cave, you should be using dedicated treatment.
A demonstration room in a store might not be as well treated as you might imagine (I've heard some hideous ones) or it might be supremely well engineered. Whatever, you can safely say it will be different to your room. This is not an obstacle to making decisions, but a home trial should be factored into the final decision. Think it this way - if a bad suit looks bad on the hangar, and bad under shop lighting, taking it home and trying it on won't make it any better.
