Guidance / Recommendation new hi-fi set up

Antonio68

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Greetings :
I am looking to replace my separates - most are now sold & I am only keeping my Technics 1210 turntable.
I have 2 Eltax Liberty 5 01871 which will go.

I am looking for some advice/guidance/recommendations for a set-up.
In Dec, I brought a Samsung QN95A TV.

I am looking to buy used and my budget is approx. £1,200

My hifi set up must include HT bypass & I realise the integrated amp's are limited with a price tag.

I realise I am not an audiophile since I find it odd not to have an amp which does not have Bass/Tone such as Arcam, so was drawn towards Marantz & Denon.
I also know nothing about speakers/pairing & am not quite in the same league as many here when I have read some of the threads.

I have been offered a Denon PMA-1510AE for £200. This ticks the box for HT bypass, and has Bass/Tone.
My only concern is the 70w. May not still be available once I decide.

Given my budget and needs, would some of you be so kind as to offer some advice on a good set up for :
  • Amp
  • Front 2 speakers
  • AV receiver & speakers
I do not need Alexa nor multi room listening. My needs are relatively basic : A good sound for vinyl, CD's & some streaming. Music is limited to soul/reggae & Italian/Greek [ my background ]. But we enjoy a decent volume!

I was hoping we could get away with 5 speakers, I even toyed with the idea of the 2 amp speakers and getting a soundbar to be done with it because I am finding researching brings me more questions than answers. Ohms, frequencies are beyond my basic knowledge of them.

I am researching from this list of amp's : Amplifiers with HT-bypass - update 22. May 2022

A few suggestions on kit/pairing would be great and I can go along and research them further with a view towards securing some decent used kit.

Much appreciated !
 
We can all recommend speakers and amps but at the end of the day we dont know how they will sound in your room with your own ears.

For me, I would go for the Denon PMA-1510AE, a pair of Mission lx4 mark 2, get a used avr with at least front pre outs. Pioneer would be my preference as they don't get as hot in my experience, the matching centre Mission LX, LX 3D. All should leave plenty of budget for cables.. No need for stands with floorstanders. Add a sub later.

You should visit your local hifi independent dealers rather than buying online from the big boys.
 
getting a soundbar to be done with it
Now that's desperate.
Samsung QN95A TV
When sound bars are mentionned I always reply buy a Panasonic and use the headphone/sub out socket for 1 or 2 subs. The result is much better imo.
Anyway we digress.

Good deal on that Denon, if you miss out on it a Roksan Kandy K2 might be worth looking into (set you back a bit more though).
As for speakers I wouldn't know where to begin. Perhaps you can find one of those packages of AVR and 5 speaker set plus sub. When I had an AVR I used my old speakers and bought a none matching centre, was ok but could have been much better (had the fronts set up for stereo so not near perfect for cinema either). Those front 3 really do need to be matching tonally.
 
The Cyrus one hd answers a few of your needs at 699, it was released to generally positive reviews at 1000 I think.
 
I put a surround system together for £1,000 and couldn't understand what people were saying in the adverts. I don't think things have gotten any better.

Money goes a lot further in stereo.







Don't know phono preamp.

I use the apple tv device for tidal music videos.
 
Thank you all for your input !
Password1 & Flobs, I went along with your advice and purchased the Denon PMA-1510AE.
It was the best offer in this price range and my only concern was the 70w, but I put that concern to sleep.

Next step are compatible speakers and the AV.

A few suggestions within the replies here, so I will research those. A relief, one piece of kit finally sorted.

I welcome any further suggestions for speakers and AV !!
 
What about a 5.1 set like the Monitor Audio Bronze 5 HC 5.1 (should be around the £700 mark used?) or a bit cheaper the Monitor Audio 2 HC 5.1 (there shouldn't be much problem finding such a budget 'mainstream' set used). I think these would go well with the Denon and leave enough to pick up a Denon 5.1, probably 7.1 AVR to have the pre outs for 300 or less.
I had a Monitor Audio Reference Center (essentially the Bronze with a cheaper finish). It sounded very good for the price. A bit sluggish in the bass and lower mids but quite an appeasing sound (if you get to listen just pay attention to the bass/lower mids which are quite deep and see if you like the sound if so they should be a good fit imo.
 

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