sound systems...

[old.Kez]

ph33r my PC speakers etc.

(some bog standard affair, because much as I like to listen to music, I'm a pauper)

 

[Panda On Smack]

All my hifi stuff is Arcam and i got some Ruark Speakers

which is nice, oh and 15" Pro-Plus car sub hooked up to it. not sure why a car sub but still.

 

[old.frankie]

car subs = cheap

i might get a cheap sub and a crossover and use it on the 5th output on my 5.1 amp

then again, eltax powered sub for house use is 50 quid reduced down the panasonic techy shop

i really need a decent 5.1 sound card now

im think SB live player 5.1

any good?

50 quid i think they are

 

[old.TUG]

I been fookin around up richer sounds today... just looking etc, and I might be able to get an ok system for 300 squids.. but I'll have to use my old sony speakers for a bit, already have a minidisc so thats ok.

I was lookin @ this 'bargain' deal tho:

Kenwood KAF3030 (i think) amp, 4 channel, 25w over 4 channels, 50w rms over 2 @ 8 ohm = 119 (rrp: 250, 4 stars but spot on for dance/rock kinda shit which is all I listen to)

Technics SLPG490 CD Player, nice lively sound... obviously not audiophile gear but good enuff for what I listen to I spose

Mission 700 speakers... way too small for me but all those 3 things in a deal = 210 quid. Sell the speakers locally for 60 or 70 and buy a 2nd hand l33t0 tuner or something and get better speakers down the track. They did get 5 stars in what hifi tho and me room is small so they mite not be too shit... but 5" woofers aint my cuppa tea for phat bass... heh

What do u lot reckon anyways?

 

[Perplex]

Missions are renowned for being bassy. Don't knock the small bookshelfs, the bass will surprise you

 

[-AP-]

True, Mission 700 aren't going to produce super low frequency sound. They really are introduction compact speakers - but don't me wrong they are still quality!! If you are looking for that size maybe the mission m71s would be better.

But it is true to say size isn't everything when it comes to speakers.... no point getting big fat floor standers set up in your room if your not going to get the most out of them.

I mean have you heard the BOSE sattelite setup? Amazing! I have seen speakers about the same size as the 700 for £5000. I would advice to go for something a little better .... i think when it comes to a stereo system it is definately worth saving up that little extra to get the next product up. Took me a few years to save up for my system..... definately worth it!! Try looking at the m70 series or even the introduction speakers on the 78 series.

Just look around until you find something you really like and do not be rushed into buying by richersounds staff!!! Try to find a more specialised shop and ask for thier advice aswell. £300 is not going to get you the ultimate system but you want a good balance of amp, speakers and cd/minidisk (what ever you use most).

Well good luck.

 

[*Exor*]

Originally posted by Panda on Smack
All my hifi stuff is Arcam and i got some Ruark Speakers

How much did you pay for your Ruarks out of interest? They are built quite near me out of some guys house iirc. I tried out a pair once, £500 pair, and I thought they sounded a bit poor, but the really expensive ones I heard (over a grand) sounded absolutely superb.

 

[Panda On Smack]

They are Prologue One's. Cost about £750 but i got them for £300

i find them really good. They go well with the Arcam.

What you got?

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by TUG
SNIP STUFF

The Mission 700s are actually incredibly good speakers for the price, I've had to master on them on a few occasions, and the mid range is rather lovely, very crisp clean sound, don't expect to pump the bass tho, as they won't give a good response, nasty thumping etc..

Try also to pick up some better quality interconnects, the ones supplied by the manufacturers are absolutly basic and don't help at.

As for speaker cabling, best recomendation is to get hold of some solid core mains cabling, absolutly the best cable to use for connecting speakers up to amps, get some decent plugs (Banana, 5 pole, whatever your amp uses) and connect it up, voila, great sounding without being ripped off with bollocks about oxygen free cabling.

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by lovedaddy
What do people use for headphones? Im currently using a pair of Beyer DT331s - but taking them to work every day is starting to get tiresome. Any suggestions for a nice, and not too costly pair of seconds? (I was thinking Sennheiser 500s? anyone using these?)

I've got a pair of Sony MDR 700s, lovely for Djing, and Recreational listening if you like your sound powerfull and bassy, don't try to do any kind of level mixing with them though as you'll invariable under mix the bass level, they go for about £120 I think

For general use the Sennheiser HD-25SPs are very very very good for the price, the bass virtually never distorts and equalises well even during mad highs, smaller profile and ear cup which some people prefer, especially if you inted to be using them on the move, should be able to be picked up for about £50/60.

I know you said not too costly, but check out the Sony MDR F1S, about £270, open design, absolutly amazing sound, design is swish as can be expected for the Sony range.

For about £60/70, you can get the Sony MDR V600s, studio monitor class, absolutly massive tho, will cover your ear, and half the head.

hope some of that helps

 

[Panda On Smack]

Scoob in 'Hi-FI genius' Shocka

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by Bodhi
Nice kit that. I've had the KI-Signature stuff for about 4 years now and NOTHING I have heard even comes close to it for digging detail out of recordings. I listened to some Arcam stuff when I bought this, and admittedly it did sound very good, but sounded far too warm and safe for my liking. It wasnt fast enough to keep up with the music I was listening to at the time either (Offspring, Green Day, Prodigy).

Virtually any Tube amp beyond some messed up home made thing will give better detail, check out the McCormack DNA 225 or the Sim Audio Moon M3, I've got an M3 at home (took it in lieu of two weeks wages, go figure) and I've been esctatic with it

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by Panda on Smack
Scoob in 'Hi-FI genius' Shocka

Beware my spitting serpent style

 

[*Exor*]

Originally posted by Panda on Smack
They are Prologue One's. Cost about £750 but i got them for £300

i find them really good. They go well with the Arcam.

What you got?

Mission 771e, I was (and still am) gobsmacked at how incredible they sound for a mere £300, well, £400 with stands

I guess I just dislike the sound of floor standing speakers, which I assume your Ruarks are. I find them too bassy.

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by *Exor*



Mission 771e, I was (and still am) gobsmacked at how incredible they sound for a mere £300, well, £400 with stands

I guess I just dislike the sound of floor standing speakers, which I assume your Ruarks are. I find them too bassy.

If you don't like the (sometimes Excessivly so) bassy sound, try resting them on something like; a partially inflated tire, egg crates or anything of that ilk, it'll cut the bass down a treat (how you make it look good is your problem, heh)

 

[Panda On Smack]

ye they are floor standing, not too bassy though

sound just right for me

cant go worng considering they were 1/2 price

 

[bodhi]

Originally posted by Scooba Da Bass


Virtually any Tube amp beyond some messed up home made thing will give better detail, check out the McCormack DNA 225 or the Sim Audio Moon M3, I've got an M3 at home (took it in lieu of two weeks wages, go figure) and I've been esctatic with it

Tube amps (I presume you mean valve amps) sound far too warm and cant really go as low as a meaty transistor amp can.

 

[old.frankie]

should be picking this amp up tommorow so will report back tommorow. Itll take a lot of setting up with all the different setting to get the perfect sound matched to my setup here, but i'll get there eventually

I need something to cheer myself up after today...

 

[old.TUG]

Allooo

The setup I am interested in now is:

AMP: Kenwood KAF3030: Balls out exciting sound, doesn't cause fatigue either apparently... good for dance/rock which is about all listen to with the odd chilled/ambient tune on the side.

CD: Sony CDPX E220. Sposed to be exciting, full of power blah blah and warm too if needed... I think they were an award winner for cheapish CD players in What HiFi?

Speakers: Mission 701's. Reasonably big but not too big for me room, plenty of bass really, nice sound and they got 5 gold stars in What HiFi.. woo.. lol. I was lookin @ KEF Cresta 2's but, they look a bit small and some peeps say the bass is a bit, well, not all there

Interconnects and speaker cable: Gale XL189 speaker cable and Cambridge Audio atlantic interconnects.

So, I am more than likely gonna have a listen to some stuff soon.

BUT! Before I go, here are some alternatives I could choose... feel free to gimme your opinions.

AMPS: Cambridge Audio A4, Sony TAFE330

CD Players: Technics SLPG490 (got 5 stars in what hifi but thats all I know.. heh), Cambridge Audio CD5 (pretty damn good quality for the money but... more suited to yer classical shit rather than me bangin tunes!)

Anyways your opinions will be appreciated. Ta

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by Bodhi


Tube amps (I presume you mean valve amps) sound far too warm and cant really go as low as a meaty transistor amp can.

The warmth helps pick up all the detail, try listening to a singer with a wide range on a transistor amp and a tube amp, on the tube you'll be able to hear the entire range, and on a decent setup, even how far away the singer is from the mic, along with the mic's characteristics.

As for the lower frequency issue, that's frankly bollocks

 

[-AP-]

I have really lost interest in stereos now.... i went through a phase where i knew what was good what all the latest technology was etc.


Well Da Bass seems to know what he is talking about . My top end KI signitures gives me unbelievable detail and clarity. You can put in a cd to listen to and it blows you away. Not because of the power... more becuase of the quality of sound produced. It's nice to listen to music how what the artist/producer wanted you to hear it.

If you like the sound of the sperates and they have been given good reviews i don't seen any reason why not to go out and get them

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by TUG
Allooo

The setup I am interested in now is:

AMP: Kenwood KAF3030: Balls out exciting sound, doesn't cause fatigue either apparently... good for dance/rock which is about all listen to with the odd chilled/ambient tune on the side.

CD: Sony CDPX E220. Sposed to be exciting, full of power blah blah and warm too if needed... I think they were an award winner for cheapish CD players in What HiFi?

Speakers: Mission 701's. Reasonably big but not too big for me room, plenty of bass really, nice sound and they got 5 gold stars in What HiFi.. woo.. lol. I was lookin @ KEF Cresta 2's but, they look a bit small and some peeps say the bass is a bit, well, not all there

Interconnects and speaker cable: Gale XL189 speaker cable and Cambridge Audio atlantic interconnects.

So, I am more than likely gonna have a listen to some stuff soon.

BUT! Before I go, here are some alternatives I could choose... feel free to gimme your opinions.

AMPS: Cambridge Audio A4, Sony TAFE330

CD Players: Technics SLPG490 (got 5 stars in what hifi but thats all I know.. heh), Cambridge Audio CD5 (pretty damn good quality for the money but... more suited to yer classical shit rather than me bangin tunes!)

Anyways your opinions will be appreciated. Ta

Never used a Kenwood amp, but I imagine it'll be a competent general purpose amp, as for tha alternatives, you can prolly pick up a CA A5 for the same price as the A4, a slightly better amp IMO (not sure if it has a phono stage and I don't have any of CA's brochures here to check for you, check if you intend to connect a turntable up direct)

The technics cd player is actually very good, never had a problem even with VERY scratched CDs, plus it has an optical out, bonus if you intend to record digitally, if you add a better quality DAC to this at a later date, you get an excellent budget system.

The CA CD5 is another very good cd player, flatters the mid range, and is probably rather too warm for the music you say you mostly listen to. However, optical out and a remote are both a bonus.

However, I'd prolly stick with the first option of the Sony, their drive mechanisms are built to last, plus this particular one comes with an optical out, and a rather lovely DAC.

The Ca interconnects are a decent enough choice. I have no idea how much the Gale speaker cabling goes for, but again I'd recommend using solid core mains cabling instead, probably cheaper with equivalent performance.

 

[Panda On Smack]

my mate works in a hi-fi shop so i get everything through him

he makes interconnects for customers that are worth about £400+ quid

what you can spend on a hi-fi is really quite amazing

even a silver power lead makes a difference as u get purer electricity. i remember testing the lead out and noticing difference

it was bizarre

 

[old.Quorthon]

Originally posted by Bodhi
My Stereo system consists of:-

Marantz PM-66SE KI-Signature
Marantz CD-63MKII KI-Signature
Mission 733i Floorstanders

OMFG I actually agree with Bodhi for once , truly a kicking cd/amp combination.

Only difference with me is I have Kef Q35 floorstanders.

Got the new marantz tuner as well - still not sure about the new look - it looks odd in between the old styleee stuff.

Q

 

[-AP-]

THe 733i produce some IMPRESSIVE bass.

A lot of people have their doubts about the Marantz PM-66SE KI-Signature, Marantz CD-63MKII KI-Signature combination. Apparently designed for people in south-east Asia with different maketing trends - i.e they like a 'tinnier' sound

Heard the acrcam alpha 8se goes well with that amp in that price range. Of course the ki-signatures i have are at a completely differnet level

 

[bodhi]

The 733i's have a nice habit of wobbling your dangly bits on stuff such as Massive Attack, Roni Size etc. Only drawback is the treble can get a bit carried away in brighter recordings (most indie stuff), but the Linn speaker cable I fitted cured most of that (and so it bloody should have at 8 pound a metre). Add in the Audioquest Quartz I fitted (120 pound a metre ) and you have a pretty kickarse sound which would shame hi-fis costing twice the price.

About the KI-Signature combo, it was actually tuned for UK ears, but is not really to all tastes. It can sound very tinny using the wrong speakers, and often you dont realise the bass is there due to how low and well controlled it is.

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by Panda on Smack
my mate works in a hi-fi shop so i get everything through him

he makes interconnects for customers that are worth about £400+ quid

what you can spend on a hi-fi is really quite amazing

even a silver power lead makes a difference as u get purer electricity. i remember testing the lead out and noticing difference

it was bizarre

Power leads make a difference as your amp get's clearer, a lower quality amp that muddies things you won't notice the difference, yet if you try to power a hi quality amp with a lower quality amp you'll pick up the changes a lot easier, it's quite odd really that the power lead makes that much difference

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by Bodhi
the Linn speaker cable I fitted cured most of that (and so it bloody should have at 8 pound a metre).

Welcome to the world of being conned hand over fist

 

[Testin da Cable]

I know nothing of hifi systems/speakers etc, and I don't mean to provoke anything but...if that bass is so " low and well controlled" that you don't know it's there...then what is the use of it?

Don't flame...that's a [moderately] serious question.

 

[old.frankie]

got it now

all i can say is WOW

Setup as it is now...


Technics SA-DA8 dolby amp

Hitachi HA-3700 2 channel amp

2x Tannoy MX1's
2x Acoustic solutions profile 300 floorstanders
2xAcoustic research AR18's

Got the soundcard running the music from the computer, as all me music is MP3. Sound is AMAZING, so clear, and really punchy. totally brilliant. The sub out on the technics amp goes into the hitachi amp (sub out has frequency crossover at about 200hz) and the hitachi runs 2x AR18s under the desk, which are 8inch woofers. The sound is awesome, really is 100% clear, very very nice, recommend to anyone who has some money to burn to get a decent sound setup through separates... but remember you need a decent size room and solid walls to avoid a crap sound, even the most expensive amps and speakers wont get rid of that...