Question Advice on New Budget System

D

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Hi,

I am 52 now and in the past I have had some reasonable HiFi stuff, but that was years ago now, before the digital age!

Now I have the opportunity to buy a new system from scratch. My budget is only about £1200.

I no longer have my vinyl - only CDs - and all I want is to play those CDs. No TV or streaming.

I am not looking to keep upgrading - I just want something nice for the money which will go for a few years. I auditioned the Q Acoustics last year and I like them. The amp is based on a review. The CD has also had good reviews. Not sure about it though:

Q Acoustics 3050 (about £500)
Marantz PM 6006 amp (£260 ish)
Marantz CD 6006 CD (£320 ish)

The rest of my budget will be for decent cabling and connectors.

It is a big outlay for me so I was wondering if anyone has any advice or changes they think I should be making?

Many thanks in advance
 
Personally I'd say your choice is excellent and think that it would give a great listening experience, but i really like the marantz/Q acoustics sound.

Edit- just make sure your room is big enough to accommodate those speakers.

Also, as the amp has a built in DAC you could go for marantz cheaper 5005 and use a digital optical or coaxial out and you'd get the same quality sound from the cd player as the more expensive one as the pm6006 has the same dac. Also the Q acoustics 2050i go for a little over 300 pounds and are excellent also, I'd compare both them and the 3050 but i think very little difference, that could bring your spend down to 800 ish with similar if not identical sound quality
 
I agree, you have picked a great little system there that you will enjoy for many years. I used to have the Marantz PM6004/CD6004 and they were very good for the $$$ .. even made in Japan! .. not sure about now tho :D
 
There is nothing wrong with your system as you laid it out. That would be a fine system.

However, there are alternatives what could perhaps represent better value. That is, you will get more for you money. That said, can't really fault your original choice.

In amps, Yamaha represent high value, you can probably get more power and more features.

I would suggest taking a look at the Yamaha AS501 (85w/ch, DAC, £300) and the Yamaha AS701 (100w/ch, DAC, £400 to ~£500). And if you shop around, you might find excellent prices. I believe RicherSounds has the Yamaha AS701 for £399.

YAMAHA AS501 Black Stereo Amplifier

YAMAHA AS701 Black Stereo Amplifier

Another alternative might be the Marantz PM7005 with 60w/ch, and a DAC that has USB-PC as well as Optical and Coaxial Digital Inputs, but it is going to be in the roughly £450 price range.

Admittedly, I'm pushing your budget up higher with some of these.

As an alternative to the Q Acoustic 3050 which is a decent speaker -



Currently, the Wharfedale Diamond 240 (best guess £450/pr, £699/pr retail price) are on sale at SuperFi, actually for less than the next model down, the Diamond 230 (£499/pr). Either of these speakers would be nice. The Diamond 240 has the advantage of a Midrange Driver, a slightly larger cabinet, and a bit deeper bass.

Unfortunately, at the moment, I can't seem to connect to SuperFi, so I can't confirm the price.

Also, Dali Zensor 5 (perhaps Zensor 7), and the Monitor Audio Bronze 5 (perhaps Bronze 6).

Those are just alternatives for you to consider; again, nothing wrong with the original system you suggested.

If SuperFi still has the Diamond 240 on sale, that is almost too good a bargain to pass up. If not, then nothing wrong with the Q Acoustic 3050.

If you can stretch a bit on the amp, then from RicherSounds, the Yamaha AS701 with 100w/ch is also an exceptional bargain at £399.

Though you said you didn't need Network Streaming, RicherSounds also has the Yamaha RN602 Network Receiver (80w/ch) for £399, a considerable discount. Not only do you get local streaming of stored music, but you get access to many of the Internet Streaming Services like Pandora and Spotify, but you also get access to something like 20,000 Internet Radio Stations. Give it some thought. That represents access to virtually unlimited music.

NEW: Yamaha RN602 Network Receiver!!!

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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SuperFi.co.uk just came back on-line.

Wharfedale Diamond 240 - 2x6.5" - £498/pr (£699/pr retail) -

Wharfedale Diamond 240 Floor Standing Speakers (Pair) - Superfi

Here is the next model down, which is worth considering, but not when the Diamond 240 are priced so low.

Wharfededale Diamond 230 - 2x6.5" - £499/pr -

Wharfedale Diamond 230 Floor Standing Speakers (Pair) - Superfi

And just to show you what a bargain the Yamaha AS701 is at RicherSounds, here is the price from SuperFi (& others) -

Yamaha AS701 - £499 -

Yamaha AS701 Amplifier with DAC - Superfi

Here are possible Yamaha CD Players to consider -

Yamaha CDS300 CD Player - Superfi

Yamaha CDS700 CD Player - Superfi

As to wire and cable, don't get too carried away. Most people spend less than 5% of system cost on all wire and cable.

In speaker wire, you can certainly spend more, but doubtful that money will buy you more than this -

Fisual S-Flex Studio Grade White Speaker Cable 2 x 2.5mm - By Brand - AudioVisual Online - Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists

Fisual S-Flex Studio Grade Black Speaker Cable 2 x 2.5mm - By Brand - AudioVisual Online - Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists


Again, just a few thoughts.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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I am really late with answering - I have been ill for a long time. But back now!

Thank you all for your answers. I did buy the gear I mentioned. But I changed the amp to a Cambridge Audio cxa60 which put me over budget. I thought the PM6006 was a bit bright. The CD6006 and the 3050s were excellent buys however. I would have tried more speakers, like the Wharfdales, but my illness stopped me from travelling for a long time so I couldnt audition easily.

Thanks again
 
I was ready to suggest that you may want to audition the amp first upon reading your initial post, as to me too it sounded somewhat thin. I think the cxa60 is a better amp, although more expensive and the speakers at that price point I think are very good. How do you like the complete setup you chose?
 
You are right about auditioning, Ezav, but I couldn't drive at the time due to epilepsy. I had a bit of a windfall a bit later and changed a lot: The cxa60 was reasonable but was still a bit hard on the ears and it lost composure on complicated arrangements. So, I copied a friend who has the same speakers and an Arcam Alpha 9 - he had a little dot IV valve preamp and I bought one too. I borrowed an Arcam P75 for a while then finally got a Quad 99 as power amp which was second hand but the buyer let me audition for the whole easter weekend just gone. Now I think it is great. I also bought an Audio V90 DAC between the CD and the tube amp and it is pretty sweet to my ears. Now I can play with different valves. The speakers are still good. So, it is still pretty budget but I have stopped analysing the sound now - it lets the music through nicely without "intruding". If you know what I mean.
 

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