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New member Username: Sigur_rosPost Number: 1 Registered: Sep-05 | To all newbies. You'll probably buy entry level hifi. And thats fine. I have a less then good hifi system but have been shopping for 2 yrs. I was reading through the posts and was surprised even though I am in the "Amp" section, I saw alot of people talking about cheap cheap cd players. Like one guy buying an Arcam FMJ32 amp. an amazing amp. but got an arcam nonFMJ cd82 not even a cd 92 cdplayer. the system will have lots of good clean power but sound like a cheap cd player... even though it's a good player. A better match and better sounding system would be a cd92 with an Arcam a90 amp. IMO. But thats expensive stuff really. for me anyways. The order of IMPORTANCE for QUALLITY SOUND is this. it goes down the line from where the music comes from. Cdplayer. the amp can only Amplify whats the cd player gives it... (we're talking integrated). then the amp. (the interconnects are usually so short you dont need to spend a ton in entry level hifi) then the speaker cable and speakers. the longer the speaker cable the higher quallity they have to be. The speaker can only produce quallity sound if the speaker cable doesn't ruin it on the way. So I think i'll buy short. maybe 4-5 feet. but first and formost buy a not good, but great value cd player. top of the line NAD regular series (not S series at $2000) or a good rotel 1072. Azur 640 might be good. I dont know. now I would like advice I need a system. I'm thinking NAD C372 (with prospects of bi-wiring with a 272 later) the NAD C542 Cd player. Or the rotel 1072. and i'm confused on what speakers i want but i'm positive i want bookshelf and am looking at Energy RC-10's.. i liked alot. mission M5's (lthough not sold in North america anymore I love the silkdome tweeter) Totem rainmakers or Mite's. Any suggestions atall.. should I go with a denon 2 channel amp of simular price (of the NAD) like the one i heard with energy RC-10? |
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Silver Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 918 Registered: Sep-04 | Most of what you say above is spot on in my view. As to cable runs, any decent amplifier (NAD C320BEE and above) should be able to drive ordinary speaker wires up to 5m (15 feet) per side in length without problems. The C542/C372 is a very effective combination. Even at this level it's worth investing in something above bargain basement in interconnects in order to preserve the resolution and timing of the signal coming from the CD player. As to bookshelves, the Totem Mite and Rainmaker are a good combination. Also look at Dynaudio Audience 42 or 52 if you can. Regards, Frank. |
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Silver Member Username: CheapskatePost Number: 398 Registered: Mar-04 | NAD and Rotel gear are very similarly rated, but they are very opposite in character. NAD is often referred to as warm or dark sounding while rotel is at the opposite end of the spectrum and called dry, cool or clinical. i hate the sound of my NAD stereo reciever on my soft dome super zero minimonitors and love the sound of my Onkyo 55wpc home theater reciever. in stereo mode, the onkyo total kicks the NAD's butt in treble clarity and extension. the "cheap consumer" reciever images far better than the "high end" reciever ever dreamed it could. i really get frosted when people have knee jerk reactions to "cheap gear" who've never lived with it. i've lived with NAD. i had to get a divorce. it drove me nuts. LOL most people seem to like warm sound. i despise it. what's good and what isn't depends ALOT on the individual and the gear they're using too. my mission M71s (which are notoriously bright) are just too much on the onkyo. metal domes might be painful too. LOL bright + bright = headache i'd get rotel and wouldn't touch NAD ever again with a ten foot pole, but i'm a treble freak. rotel sound is closer to my heart... namely more ruthlessly revealing. if you were to get mission M5s, i'd suggest getting the NAD to tame them if they're as bright as M71s are. i don't trust NAD reliability either. the LEDs on my tuner have slowly died one at a time. i bought it used at a store that quit carrying it because of numerous reliability complaints and switched to marantz instead. as much as i like my superzero/onkyo system (even compared to $1,000 B&Ws and equally expensive gear) for it's punchy neutral sound from 100Hz up (i have a sub) and imaging that those 1K bower bookshelfs can't match (they DO have treble to die for though) i'm about to scrap my system for giant killing magnepan MMGs and a panasonic class-d reciever. just because something is cheap, doesn't mean it's bad. $1000 maggie MG12s walk all over 20 times their price B&W 801s on macintosh gear for speed, coherency and simply not sounding like boxes at all. their bass smacks B&W into the mud too for being so much faster and detailed if not as deep. when you buy gear... it helps to have priorities. mine USED to be speed and imaging (nothing but acoustic suspension minimonitors) but now i've discovered "sound that sounds like real sounds". bang for the buck is always a top priority with me too. LOL even though NAD is about the only affordable reciever rated into 4 ohms... i'd rather go with panasonic (which has gotten alot of good reviews for their class-d SA-XR series recievers) and take my chances, but i have a clear cut anti-warm, anti-NAD bias. |
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New member Username: Sigur_rosPost Number: 2 Registered: Sep-05 | So whats a good setup for 2-2500 cdn? to start with and with easy upgradability |
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Silver Member Username: CheapskatePost Number: 414 Registered: Mar-04 | it depends on the sound YOU like. everyone has different priorities. there is no simple answer. tube freaks hate anything solid state, bassheads hate small acoustic suspension speakers and so on. i already have a decent onkyo/NHT system, but i'm about to scrap it if favor of panasonic/magnepan because i totally love the way maggies sound. they're super fast top to bottom (i love maggie bass more than my sub) and have a super natural midrange that sounds so realistic on vocals. for me... planars have totally changed my 20 year old acoustic suspension minimonitor preference. i'd rather give imaging specificity up for totally unboxy natural sound. this is where i'm going: magnepan MMGs... the cheapest full range that magnepan makes ($550 pr. USD) they're factory direct only, and actually have 2K more treble extension than larger and more expensive models until you get to $4000 3.6s. the MMGs come with a 30-60 in home trial mentioned in the goodsound review. panasonic SA-XR55 100wpc X6 reciever. it's the cheapest unit that can handle 4 ohm loads, has gotten great reviews and is class-d ($240 USD delivered US) the SA-XR70 is $50 more and offeres HDMI along with a couple other in/out options. i'm going with the cheaper unit because of the next piece of gear... behringer DCX2496 crossover/EQ so that i can bypass the MMG crosovers (weakest link), feed them more power (they're power hungry) and use the EQ section to tune the system for flatter response. i honestly think that this combo of well reviewed gear is the cheapest way to get truly high end sound that can embarass much more expensive gear. if you can, try to go to a store that sells maggies and hear if they float YOUR boat. if you like them, you could always go with higher grade $$$ gear as your budget allows, but my priority is cheapest route possible. LOL here... read these reviews and links to see if this approach appeals to you. (not the DEQ review is for an EQ only... the DCX is a crossover with an EQ) MMGs http://www.goodsound.com/equipment/magnepan_mmg.htm panasonic class-d recievers http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=806&page_nu mber=1 http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?print_page=y§ion_id=3&article_i d=514&page_number=3&preview= http://www.hifichoice.co.uk/review_print.asp?ID=2334 http://www.stereotimes.com/amp040104.shtm specs compared to onkyo & yamaha recievers http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/assets/download/1117200314244.pdf user reviews: http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?forum=amp&n=45944&review=1 using it with MMGs http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?forum=amp&n=60070&review=1 http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/MUG/messages/87345.html behringer DEQ2496 (not DCX2496) http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0705/behringerultracurve2496.htm there are more reviews for behringer and maggie/panny setups, but they take a little bit of searching. i'm saving this list right now for the next time this comes up. jimofoakcreek loves his sa-xr50 & MMG system. i KNOW i love maggie sound and a DECENT amp that can work with them is better than a great amp on a traditional box speaker to my ears. $1000 MG12s on a marantz CD player and $1000 amp sounds better than $20,000 B&W with $40,000 in macintosh gear to my ears. that's just my opinion. hope something here helps. |
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Silver Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 135 Registered: Dec-04 | Budget, If I hear one more work about your dream mmg's, that you WON'T buy, I swear I'm gonna drive this chatroom right over the next cliff.... From the Budget Lemming family vacation $4.98 |
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Silver Member Username: CheapskatePost Number: 428 Registered: Mar-04 | well choke on your words then nuckchuck... i'm waiting for my panasonic reciever to be delivered RIGHT FREAKIN' NOW! i might not have the system up and running immediaely, but i'm in the process of achieving it right now. i've put my money where my mouth is... now you can put your mouth you know where. |