Budget amp/speaker system to suit particular needs...

[qpop]

Hello all, been looking around this site for a bit, I see theres a lot of knowledge to be shared here!

So I thought I'd delve in and give you something that you might try and ponder for me

I'm looking for an amp/speaker combination to replace my aging (but well loved) awful Panasonic Mini-HiFi system...due to some sort of electrical fault the sound quality has gone from acceptable to unlistenable, with a noticable "noise" overlay regardless of input.

So...with xmas coming soon etc I'm on the lookout for a new set.

The system will have either 2 or 3 inputs...iPod, laptop, and XBox (possibly, though its not a neccessity) and all of my music tends to either be VBR encoded MP3s (~320kbps) or FLAC (the collection is getting bigger...)

No need for phono pre-amps, etc. etc.

So amps, I've been looking at CA equipment, but I find their amplifiers to be a little cold? We have 2 in the household already on different speakers, and I'm not a major fan, but I really don't want to spend more than ~£150-£200 on an amp, so it looks like CA might be the only choice...

As for speakers I'm really torn between Wharfedale Diamonds, Tannoy F1s, and Mordaunt Short Avant 902i's. Again top end of budget here is really £150.

I was looking in Richer Sounds earlier today and the sales guy was telling me that a CA A5 amp and Gale .... £79.99 speakers are a good combination, but I have a feeling spending a little more (£50-£100) in total should bag me much better sound for my money.

As for what I listen to, it is (unfortunately in this case?) very eclectic. Generally more on the electronic side of things, anything from UNKLE, Prodigy, Squarepusher to Cafe Del Mar to guitar led music, White Stripes, Interpol, Nine Inch Nails, all the way to Wiley, Roll Deep, Aesop Rock, bass driven hiphop.

So, maybe it'll be impossible to find a budget amp/speaker combo to do justice to essentially lossy encoded music of varying styles, for the price, but I'm hoping some of you lovely people here could shed some light for me, and lets face it, its not going to be any worse than what I've listened through for the last few years!!

Thanks in advance

[tudj]

I recently bought a Marantz PM4001 to go with my Wharfedale Diamond 9.1's I'm loving the combination so far, I listen to alot of similar music to you and these speakers perform great in all different genres. I listen mainly to lossless music so I cannot comment on lossy files. The marantz is definatley worth a look at, see if you can audition it with the wharfedales, or whatever other speakers you are considering.

The NAD C315BEE is also within budget and has good reviews, as does the CA AZUR 340A SE

[qpop]

As an aside: Is this too good to be true? WHARFEDALE 9.1 (DIRECT/ WARRANTY) £119.99 UK FREE POST on eBay, also, Speakers Hi Fi, Home Audio Hi Fi, Consumer Electronics (end time 10-Dec-08 15:21:31 GMT)

And do you reckon Richer Sounds will undercut eBay shop prices? (They do claim to beat web prices)

[tudj]

I highly doubt they would price match e-Bay shops, they should however match Super-Fi's price of £129.

[Badger0-0]

For speakers, you could do a lot worse than the XTZ wmt93.

£155 on the powerbuy, although they're out of stock until mid december;

XTZ Speakers powerbuy

Stunning looks and in my opinion, they're better than all of the speakers you mention, by some distance.

I suspect they would work well with the CA too, as they have a tendency to be slightly bright

[qpop]

Hmmm ok, I'm not sure I want to wait that long, is the sound going to be significantly better than Mordaunt Short Avants/Wharfdale 9.1s? Youre review seems to point towards a lack of bass, which for a lot of the electronic music is essential.

[Badger0-0]

A very good point. I just assumed you would be using a sub
That changes things a little.
Whilst they're not, in my room at least, very bassy they are still a good speaker.
Comparing to the 902, I can say the mid range is much better.
The 902, in the same position in my room, were very boomy to my ears, which made the midrange seem very thin.

Of course, if you prefer a more boomy sound (and I'm not knocking it) the 902 would indeed be the best choice of those you mention, IMO.

Add a sub and it's an entirely different proposition

[qpop]

So I'm now leaning towards a NAD C315BEE hifi or CA equivalent or possibly Marrantz something or other/Mordaunt Short 901i Avant or Wharfedale 9.1s, given the choice what would you lovely people go for? (considering I like bass, and fairly clear high-end)

Edit:

I'm now leaning towards splashing another £50 on an amp and getting a NAD C325 BEE amp, on the basis that it'll last me a lot longer than a C315...

Good concept?
Which speakers would match better between the Wharfedales and Mordaunt Shorts?

Thanks

[L4dva]

I owned a pair for MS 902 for years was extremely pleased with them, paired up with a Cambridge Audio 540 amp (the first version)the bass was just about enough. I have a similar music taste to you and loved these speakers
positioning made a big differance to the bass and the room it self.

When I came to upgrade I listened to a pair of wharfedales 9.1 and really wasn't that impressed with them, that was my oppinon anyways.