I'm only 16; please help me with your superior knowledge! *sycophantic title over*

Jebbenezer

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Hey guys,

I shall try and be as concise as possible but apologies for the inevitably long post. I shall add a TL:DR at the bottom!

I am on the verge of finishing my GCSEs, and assuming the results are up to scratch I will be getting some money from my parents as a well done present, as it were.
My parents have been so desperate to try and give me a tangible incentive to work that they have been rather generous (!) with the amount of money on offer.


My budget is probably going to be about 250 to 400 pounds, but the figure I am working with is 300, so please bear this in mind


I want to spend it on a system that will:
  • Play my iPod
  • Use my computer as an input
  • Be loud enough for potential parties
  • Use bookshelf speakers, as it will be on my desk (it's huge so bags of room, don't take width of components or anything of the like into consideration)


The music I listen to will vary from acoustic stuff to metal, but my taste is primarily hard, alternative rock; think Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, G'n'R, Feeder.
It needs to stretch from acoustic to metal though, as I have an incredibly varied music taste.


As heretical as this sounds I do not need a CD player, all my music is digital *sound of true audiophiles slitting their wrists*. I'm afraid this is the reality of teenagers now adays, or so it would appear to me, anyway.
Most of my music is 320kbps MP3, and the stuff I really like I've got as FLAC, so hopefully that should be okay for good sound quality.


Just a heads up, what I've got at the moment is a Monitor Audio I-Deck (2 Speakers, Amp/iPod dock) which I bought a few years ago for the sum of 100 quid (my pound sign doesn't work on my keyboard, apologies!), but to say it's dying would be an understatement!
I've got a cheap 30 quid creative sound card in my PC.

Here is what much forum lurking and investigation has led me to -

A fatman itube valve amplifier and iPod dock

Paired with a pair of tannoy mercury F1s

So, question number one: is this any good? Would this be the best I could do for the money?

Question number two: what would YOU recommend (amp / iPod dock / speakers) for 300 quid that could do the above?

Question number three: I know my soundcard is far from ideal, but when i'm running my pc through it would it be sufficient or will i need to invest in a better soundcard and spend less on the actual system?

I am a complete hi-fi noob, realistically, and this is the most helpful and knowledgeable collection of people I have come across in my search, who's collective experience probably literally stretches to thousands of years :D, so please help me, and I shall be eternally grateful and make sure I post pictures of the final system in all its glory!



Many thanks in advance,
Arthur


TL:DR I have 300 quid. What should I get that will do iPod/Computer in the form of Amp/iPod dock/bookshelf speakers?
 
Just my opinion, but the FatMan tube amp is something of a novelty. Did you notice that the power was only 13w per channel? Now tube amps can indeed sound sweet, but you are not getting much amp for your money. And, those tubes are RED HOT, as in, burn your fingers start paper on fire hot. Most people are not willing to put up with that hazard.

And iPod dock can run £30 to £40. A good adequate amp can run, in my opinion, £180 to £250. Some good basic speakers can run from just under £100 per pair up to about £200 per pair.

I'd like to recommend the NAD C326 amp, but is going to consume too much of your budget at close to £300. Though the 40w/ch NAD C315BEE for about £160 from Superfi.co.uk would not be a bad choice. This is also a fairly compact amp.

NAD C315BEE AMPLIFIER - available from Superfi UK

The NAD C316 is the latest and greatest version of this amp, unfortunately it is selling for £215 -

NAD C316BEE AMPLIFIER - available from Superfi UK

Another possibility would be the Pioneer A307R with 45w/ch for about £180.

PIONEER A307R AMPLIFIER - available from Superfi UK

In an ultra high powered amp from a highly rated source is the now replaced Cambridge Audio 640A V2 for £199. The Cambridge 640A has a substantial 75w per channel.

Cambridge Audio AZUR 640A V2 Black | Stereo Amplifier | Richer Sounds

Move down a bit in price, the very nice 45w/ch Cambridge Audio 340ASE can now be had for a very modest £129, which is an outstanding deal. Probably the best of the lot for that low price. Available in both black and silver -

Cambridge Audio AZUR 340ASE Silver | Stereo Amplifier | Richer Sounds

That is about the best there is for under £200.

In speakers, the Tannoy Mercury Custom F1 are a good choice.

TANNOY MERCURY F1 CUSTOM SPEAKERS (PAIR) - available from Superfi UK

But also consider this stunning deal on Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 for half price -

WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 9.1 SPEAKERS (PAIR) - available from Superfi UK

A highly acclaimed speaker.

If you can raise your budget a bit, consider these speakers as well -

Dali LEKTOR 2 Walnut | Speakers Per Pair | Richer Sounds

A lot of people have been singing the praises of the Dali Lektor 2, but mostly for its outstanding clarity. I wouldn't expect it to be super bass heavy, but few bookshelf speaker will be.

If you are interested in a larger speaker that will make some serious parties, consider this floorstanders for £199 -

INFINITY BETA 40 3-Way Dual 6-1/2" Floorstanding Loudspeaker - www.hiwayhifi.com

I've research the speakers and found consistently positive reviews, though I haven't actually heard it. Infinity is a respected speaker maker, and these speakers are on sale for half price. Though, they certainly WILL NOT fit on your desktop.

As to your sound card, just accept if for now. Let's deal with one upgrade at a time.

Of course there are other possibilities for all these dealers. As well as browsing the possibilities at SuperFi and Richer Sounds, consider browsing these dealers as well -

SuperFi.co.uk
RicherSounds.com
HiFix.co.uk
HiFiGear.co.uk
PeterTyson.co.uk
AVBristol.co.uk - sometimes has some good bargains
and many others

That should get you started.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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I'd like to recommend the NAD C326 amp, but is going to consume too much of your budget at close to £300. Though the 40w/ch NAD C315BEE for about £160 from Superfi.co.uk would not be a bad choice. This is also a fairly compact amp.

Steve,

What are your thoughts on the HK980 for the OP's requirement?
 
Steve that's incredibly helpful, many, many thanks!

I know some criticisms of the iTube have been it's heat, but that's insane! Shouldn't be too much of an issue but the power thing might be; I play guitar and it needs to go loud on a regular basis, so maybe not!

Cambridge Audio AZUR 340ASE Silver | Stereo Amplifier | Richer Sounds Sounds tasty, I think they've got that running through a pair of Tannoy Mercury F1s at School and it sounds fantastic; hence my original interest in the Tannoys.

WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 9.1 SPEAKERS (PAIR) - available from Superfi UK Visit http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/product_id/2197 for details The Wharfedales sound like a good bet, and pairing them with the Azur 340 has got possibilities!

Do you think the Wharfedales sound better than the Tannoys? I've done some googling but direct comparison is obviously hard to come across!

What about Arcam SOLO R DOCK | iPod Dock - iPod Not Included | Richer Sounds as an iPod dock to go with the CA amp and Wharfedale Speakers? That's pretty much dead on 300!
Would that be an improvement over the itube / tannoy set up do you think?


Cheers,
Arthur
 
Steve,

What are your thoughts on the HK980 for the OP's requirement?

That is a close out model available only at particular stores; Norwich and Nottingham. That is an excellent 80w/ch amp at an equally excellent price.

I would still favor the NADs or the Cambridge in general, but the Harman typically sells for about £312, so £199 is indeed an outstanding deal. Considering the 80w of power and the very low price, this should certainly be on your list if you have access to these stores.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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On the iPod Dock, these are really just glorified plugs to connect between the amp and the iPod. The more expensive one include video output for the iPod, though that doesn't do much good if you are connecting to a stereo.

Other Dock have charging capability and remote control.

If you don't need a lot of fancy features, you can get a basic Dock for £15 to £20. The Cambridge iD50 is very nice, but it is about £99.

Still you can't fault Arcam quality.

The only thing I would say is make sure it has the features you want. One feature being a remote control. This is not a complete system remote. This specifically controls the iPod itself. If you don't feel you need to control the iPod from across the room, then don't worry about it.

In fact, if you don't need remote control or video playback, the a basic £20 Dock is probably enough.

As to Tannoy vs Diamond, it is about a toss up. I personally prefer Wharfedale in general. But both are well regarded. Both have 5" bass drivers. Both have similar low end frequency specifications, with a slight edge going to the Diamonds (Tannoy F1 = 55hz, Diamond 9.1 = 50hz). Both are front ported which is an advantage for a desktop speaker. When it gets down to two nearly identical speakers, only your ears can tell you what you really need to know.

Regarding the Cambridge 340SE, an excelent amp that typically sells for a lot more, but I think they are on deep discount because the replacement 350 model has just been released.

The same is true of the NAD C315, they are well below their typical selling price because the newer C316 model has just been released. Either of these amps represent outstanding value.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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Some quick suggestions:

Cambridge Audio iD10 Black | iPod Dock - iPod not included | Richer Sounds (Is perfectly adequate to get going - you could always buy a better one down the line and for an extra £10 you can buy a remote control: Cambridge Audio ID10 REMOTE | Remote Control for ID10 iPod Dock | Richer Sounds)

A very musical and oft-overlooked amp which has a headphone output and phono stage (add a turntable later if need be): Denon PMA510AE Black | Stereo Amplifier | Richer Sounds

And another shout out for these excellent speakers at a crazy price: WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 9.1 SPEAKERS (PAIR) - available from Superfi UK Visit http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/product_id/2197 for details

Your friends will be very, very jealous.
 
Here is one thing you will find in this group, no matter how much money you want to spend, we want you to spend MORE.

Consider any of the amps suggested, though the Cambridge 340ASE and the NAD C315 are the lowest priced and best deals. If you just need a basic iPod dock with charging and no other fancy features, then the basic £15 to £20 Dock is fine.

The Dali Lektor 2 are out of your price range, but not by much, and indications are they have stunning clarity, and while they have rated response down to 49hz, they aren't going to have a lot of heavy bass drone that people typically expect from a speaker.

If you priorities are the perception of heavy bass then the Tannoy F1 or more likely the Diamond 9.1. But if you want absolute clarity and perfection of sound, the Lektor are going to bring you closer to that.

£ 130 to £150 = Amp
£ 20 = Dock
£250 = Speakers
---------
£400 to £420 total (depending on whether you get the NAD or the Cambridge)

More than you wanted to spend, but that would be a superb system that would be envied by anyone.

But, it represent about £100 to £150 more than you really have to spend. Only you can determine if it fits your priorities and whether you can justify it from a budget perspective.

Steve/bluewizard
 
Welcome to the wonderful world of hifi! :)

There are a fair few options out there at your price point, but if you want the best bang for your buck, you'll need to take your time, shop around, and listen to a few systems before you bite the bullet. Usually I'd recommend going second-hand as a good way to stretch your pennies, but I think you need to go and listen to some kit and buy what you enjoy, so that option's out for now.
Go into your local audio shops and have a listen; don't be afraid of last year's models, ex-demo or clearance bargains, you may get a great deal.

I listen to a fair bit of the stuff you mentioned, and it's not easy to find a system that will rock well, IMHO. I'm quite fond of Marantz amps, and a lot of their budget PM series stuff will make you smile, I think! There's a deal at one of the audio chains for a PM6003/CD6003 and Wharfedale diamond 10.1 speakers for £599 - take out the CD player and you may be within budget. The Kef iQ series do pretty well for rock too, as do the XTZ WMTs.

I really wouldn't spend anything more than a tenner on an Ipod dock - all it does is provide a line-out signal, and I doubt it's going to be the weak link in your system.
 
Quick suggestion to add to the above posts:

Cambridge Audio AZUR 340A Black | Stereo Amplifier | Richer Sounds <-- Seems to be plenty left and at £120 its an excellent price.

Paired with a Set of Mordaunt Short Aviano 1 speakers which cost around £200 but im sure you could get a package of a bit of speaker cable thrown in and possibly the dock ?

So thats say £320 for a really good hi fi system.

Your sound card will make a big difference, take a look at the Asus Xonar Dx or D1 which often sell for second hand for around £30, using one myself with some Aviano 1 bookshelf speakers and for what the system is it sounds superb.
 
This is all fantastically helpful; thank you so much guys!


Boxrick - that looks fantastic, so many people have sung the praises of the Azur 340A in this thread it's looking like a definite contender! Those Mordaunt Shorts look fantastic, and from a quick Google What Hi-Fi appear to really rate them!

I shall look further into the issue of a new soundcard, but I'm buying a new PC at the same time, which is being 'subsidised' by my parents also, and I shall have to see what that's going to come with soundcard wise!
(Anyone particularly interested, I know far more about computers than I do about Hi-Fi, and this is what I'm looking at as an excellent value for money pre-built system "Titan Xenomorph" Intel Core i3 530 2.93GHz @ 4.00GHz Dual Core DDR3 AVP Edition System [] Gamer - Titan Intel , on-board 7.1 only on this, alas.)


Surayne - I think you're definitely right with the shopping around and listening to systems; the only problem is that as I am only 16 and subsequently unable to drive I am reliant on my parents, which obviously limits what I can do! We have a Superfi and Richer Sounds in Liverpool, and it did occur to me the thing to do would be to just walk in and say 'I have X amount, put me something together that can do what I want, and let me have a listen!', but I assumed finding deals on the internet would be the best bet? Perhaps I'm mistaken here, I shall get my dad to take me to Liverpool either way and see if they can match internet deals and whatnot.

I've read shop second hand many a time on this forum, and I'm afraid I just don't feel comfortable enough as essentially a first time buyer to do so, thank you anyway though!

The deal you mention is at Richer Sounds (Deal 4) I believe, and I did very much consider it when first seeing it; unfortunately, separately, the Amp is 250 and the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1s are 200, which puts it well above what I can spend, sorry!

The iPod dock is definitely something I would've spent far too much on then, so thank you to everyone who pointed out (as I do not want video out, or even really a remote) I can get away with only spending 15/20 quid on one!


Interloper - That iPod dock looks fantastic, and one way or another that'll be what I probably get, so many thanks for that!
The Denon amp very much has possibilities, and is not out of my price range, so thank you for that suggestion!
Another blessing given to the Wharfedale 9.1s, they are certainly looking very tempting, so thank you!

And hahaha, I don't think so! My friends mocked me for spending 50 quid on a pair of Denon headphones, I somehow doubt spending hundreds on a hi-fi they are going to find particularly impressive ;). And I have a feeling my not-girlfriend, but basically girlfriend, will *ahem* not be impressed either. But, I guess, like a Yorkie, it's just not for girls ;)
:laugh:


Dazzor - what a fantastic amp that looks! Even in my limited knowledge I am well aware of the quality of Harman Kardon Hi-Fi gear, but both of those places are too far away for me to get to, sorry! Props on finding such a fantastic bargain though, and many thanks for the suggestion!

Steve/Bluewizard - You're undoubtedly right about the iPod dock, as I mentioned earlier I'll probably go for the 20 quid Cambridge Audio one.
With regard to the Tannoy/Mercury comparisons, judging by what is being said, to get the best all round set up I'll need to invest a bit more in speakers, and those Dali Lektor 2s are looking tempting! As are the Mordaunt Short Aviano 1s mentioned by Boxrick, and I think with a little bit of budgeting and hard-grafting over Summer I can very much stretch to them!


So to summarize so far, I'm probably now looking at around 150 on an Amp, 20 on a dock, and about 200 on speakers! Far, far more than I originally intended to spend but you've all won me over, what can I say ;).

D10 as the dock looks like a good, safe bet

Amp-wise, the CA 340ASE looks good,
As does the NAD C315BEE

For speakers, the Dali Lektor 2s look excellent and I'll certainly give those some consideration, although as someone who'll be listening to rock/metal primarily will they be suitable? I know you've hinted, Steve, that they're not quite as bass heavy as some other speakers, do you think that won't at all matter?
The Mordaunt Short Aviano 1s also look to be excellent, but in their What Hi-Fi review , it was suggested that they'd be better placed on stands. As someone who wouldn't have the room to do this, is putting them on a desk going to matter sound-wise?

Thanks so much for all the help so far guys, it's much appreciated!

Arthur

EDIT: PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 | Best stereo speaker £150-£300 (What Hi-Fi). They're 200 and definitely worth considering for speakers it would appear!
 
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Completely agree on the Cambridge ipod dock, bought my girlfriend one of these to plug her ipod into my CA 540a and works very well for a tenner. Good sound quality and charges the ipod up. The remote is fine too for another tenner.
 
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 | Best stereo speaker £150-£300 (What Hi-Fi). They're 200 and definitely worth considering for speakers it would appear!

Don't know if you realise this, but the Diamond 10.1 is the new version of the 9.1 (which are selling at half the price as they're last years model). They sound virtually identical. You may be better off paying £99 for the 9.1s and putting the extra £100 elsewhere (towards your amp or to buy some music!).
 
Sounds good Rich, thank you!

And Interloper I guessed it was the new version, didn't realise they sounded "virtually indentical" though :O! In that case perhaps the 9.1s would be the better option then!
Opinions on how the Mordaunt Short Aviano 1s compare to the Wharfedale 9.1s? Obviously the Morduant Shorts are twice the price, but is it worth spending the extra hundred quid or so do you think?

Arthur
 
Opinions on how the Mordaunt Short Aviano 1s compare to the Wharfedale 9.1s? Obviously the Morduant Shorts are twice the price, but is it worth spending the extra hundred quid or so do you think?

This is where listening and demoing comes in - although I appreciate this can be virtually impossible sometimes. Since RS has the Aviano and 10.1s in you could ask for a demo of both those in the knowledge that the 9.1s will sound very similar to the 10.1s. Bear in mind the Aviano is only twice the price (as are the 10.1s) as they are current models and the 9.1s also used to cost £200. So only you can decide if the different type of sound is more to your taste and warrants the extra £100.
 
Beg, borrow or steal a ride - you HAVE to listen to a few things before you buy. When I started out a few years back I thought the most important opinion was one of a reviewer; then it was the opinion on the forums (which I still respect a fair bit!). But I trust my ears now.

I wouldn't worry about your sound card - if you want an upgrade in a few months / years, you can look into getting a USB DAC. Get the amp and the speakers right first!
 
Hmm you both make very good points; I shall make sure I get over to Superfi and RS and see what's what. Surayne you're right, I'll be playing it through my iPod for the most party anyway!

Interloper I hadn't thought about that aspect of it, and I guess demoing is the only way to see what justifies the extra hundred quid!
 
This is where listening and demoing comes in - although I appreciate this can be virtually impossible sometimes. Since RS has the Aviano and 10.1s in you could ask for a demo of both those in the knowledge that the 9.1s will sound very similar to the 10.1s. Bear in mind the Aviano is only twice the price (as are the 10.1s) as they are current models and the 9.1s also used to cost £200. So only you can decide if the different type of sound is more to your taste and warrants the extra £100.


Yea it is a difficult thing, What Hi Fi rate the Diamond 10.1s above the Aviano 1 ( just slightly ). However I find the top end detail much crisper on the Aviano 1s along with having a stronger punchier bass.

Other peoples opinions will vary but at £200 the choice would be no brainer if i had to buy a set of speakers for myself ( hence me having 2 sets of the damn things! )
 
Some thoughts on a couple of issues -

1.) Cambridge 340A and 340A-SE -
The "SE" is a Special Edition and only cost about £10 more, and I think it is certainly worth it. Again, for only £129, this is an outstanding high value amp, as is the NAD C315.

2.) Dali Lektor 2 -
Check out this thread for a short review by someone who audition both the Diamond 9.1 and the Lektor 2 - (see 'hfffoman'; Post# 43 ), though the whole thread is an interesting read -

http://www.avforums.com/forums/what...ers-classical-music-girlfriend-problem-2.html

This pretty much mirrors what I said. The Lektor have the same rated bass response as the Diamond, but you perceive more bass with the Diamond, but more clarity and balance with the Lektor.

I'm pushing the Lektors, perhaps because there has been a lot of feedback on them lately, but while expensive, they are good speakers. But also noticed, Hfffoman said he could have easily listened to the Diamond for hours on end. He is not faulting the Diamonds in any way. Also notice that that he is into Classical music which has a little different dynamic than Rock.

I think this person settled for the Lektor 2 short term, and when he moves to a new places is going to switch the speakers to more expensive Focal bookshelf speakers.

3.) Sound Card -
Most new computers come with 5.1 sound cards, I suppose for gaming, but a 5.1 sound card, while it has some advantages, is not going to be the equal of a plain stereo sound card for the same price.

Here are two Stereo sound cards that appealed to me -

M-AUDIO - Audiophile 2496 - 4-In/4-Out Audio Card with MIDI and Digital I/O

M-AUDIO - Audiophile 192 - High-Definition 4-In/4-Out Audio Card with Digital I/O and MIDI

These are actually more for audio production, or home recording studio purposes, and they have high quality DACs and digital optical outputs. I think if you search Google-UK Shopping, you can find local prices on them. They are not cheap, but they are not that expensive either. And being made for home recording studios, you can be sure the audio quality is pretty good.

4.) Speakers in General -
Nothing wrong with the Aviano 1, though check the specs to compare. Nothing wrong with the latest and greatest Diamond 10.1, other than the fact that they are double the cost of the Diamond 9.1.

The Avaino 1 has a low end response of 55hz, about the same as the Tannoy F1. Though the Diamond 9.1 and Lektor 2 have a 50hz and 49hz respectively. but the perception of bass is more important than the actual number. The spec won't tell you as much as your ears will.

Regarding the Diamond 9.1 vs the Diamond 10.1, to say the sound identical I think is a mistake, though to say they sound very similar would be more correct. But the 9.1's, which are a very highly rated and regarded speaker, for a paltry £100, is a fantastic deal. Keep in mind the retail price on both these speakers (9.1, 10.1) is the same.

5.) Amps in general -
Someone suggested the Marantz PM6003, that is indeed a good amp. However, the suggested Cambridge and NAD are on close out, and are deeply discounted, and represent outstanding value.

6.) General in general -

Probably the absolute best deal, the one that most maximizes your money would be -

£129 = Cambridge 340SE
£ 99 = Diamond 9.1
£ 15 = Basic Cambridge iPod Dock
-----------
£243

The same as the above but with the NAD C315 would be £274.

Both very impressive systems, both well under your budget.

Whether you would be more impressed with the Lektor 2's, only your ears can answer that question. The Lektors do however add an additional £150 to the system price, pushing you well over your preferred budget.

But like I said, you can't come here and expect us to stay on budget. It sooooo very easy to spend other people's money.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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If it were me and given the way the OP is planning on using them, I'd have a look at a pair of active studio monitors (hard to blow up at a party and sound better sitting in the nearfield) and partner it with a good little DAC to make the most of the digital sources.

One of these partnered with something like these would make an excellent, robust nearfield desktop set up. Look carefully second hand and you could stretch the budget even further.

Russell
 
Russell, I did briefly look into that, but I just don't think it's a route I want to take. I'd rather go for the Amp/Dock/Speaker set up, I think I just want something I can gradually throw more and more money at over the years as it comes, and I don't think what you suggest would really allow that; but thank you anyway though!


Steve, that sounds great, special edition it is :).
With regard to speakers, as to what sounds best I guess listening for myself is the way to go, however as one is twice the price of the other... I think the sound would have to have a huge improvement to justify an extra hundred quid! And, as you say, the 9.1s are a steal at their current price!
Both those soundcards look fantastic, and would I'm sure be a worthwhile investment in my new PC to get the best out of the system as a whole.
That 243 system looks fantastic, and also to be incredible value for money. Before I do anything purchasing wise I shall make sure I get over to RS/Superfi or somewhere and give it a listen with my ipod and some of the stuff I'll be listening to, to see how it actually sounds! I'm not sure there's an awful lot left to be said, you've all been fantastically helpful, and when I get my results and (fingers crossed) subsequently round to buying this I shall let you know the final result and probably provide a picture of it in all its glory!

Cheers guys,
Arthur
 
I wouldn't bring an iPod unless you have WAV or FLAC, or other lossless file formats on it. If you've got MP3, standard ACC, or some other limited format, best to bring a few CDs.

When I audition some Focal speakers, they sounded very good. Just after I went to another store and one of the sales people had his iPod connected, so I auditioned some Martin Logan Motion speakers, they were absolutely lifeless, and I'm convinced it what because of the iPod source. (He claimed the music as in WMA format, though we can't be sure.)

You need the best quality source to insure you hear the amp and speakers at their best.

Steve/bluewizard
 
Ah okay, I'll bring a couple of CDs i've got kicking round then! Do you not think 320kbps mp3 is sufficient? I was going to say if I'm not going to be listening from CDs for the most part is it really worth doing that, but then again I guess CDs will allow me to see which is the component more suited to what I want, and then can subsequently be used in my system :D. Good thinking, thank you!
 
I wouldn't bring an iPod unless you have WAV or FLAC, or other lossless file formats on it. If you've got MP3, standard ACC, or some other limited format, best to bring a few CDs.

When I audition some Focal speakers, they sounded very good. Just after I went to another store and one of the sales people had his iPod connected, so I auditioned some Martin Logan Motion speakers, they were absolutely lifeless, and I'm convinced it what because of the iPod source. (He claimed the music as in WMA format, though we can't be sure.)

You need the best quality source to insure you hear the amp and speakers at their best.

Steve/bluewizard

Steve,

Silly question/theory:

With regards to Ipod connectivity; as all the docks mentioned are taking a line-out from the proprietary connection on the bottom of the ipod with a RCA/phono connection/s for left and right at the other end….Surely this means that it’s the DAC in the ipod doing the business?

On that basis won’t this be the weak-link by a country mile in the OP’s intended system?


Just a thought?

Cheers
D
 

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