New Member after New System - No Idea !!!
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New member Username: JellomanpieSydney, NSW Australia Post Number: 1 Registered: Jan-09 | Hi all I've read with interest loads of fantastic help given to new entrants to the world of HIFI Audio.......and I am another. Wife and I have never been in position to have $'s for decent sounds - too many kids - but opportunity now knocks - yeeha !! I am a bit of a research nerd when it comes to buying new stuff - I want to get the best I can for my hard earned cash. Looking though forums etc and other research I am thinking of a couple of routes/ options, which add up to roughly AUD$7000......so some honest advice would be greatly appreciated: option 1: Arcam Solo Integrated Amp Dali Ikon 7 speakers option 2: Cambridge Audio 840A Amp Cambridge Audio 840C CD player Dali Ikon 7 speakers Option 3 (few more $'s - but is it worth it?): Arcam FMJ CD37 CD Arcam FMJ C31 PreAMP Arcam FMJ P1 Power AMP Not thought about speakers - but assume Dali Ikon 7 Notice its really the 'All in 1 vs the separates' with the Ikon 7's in each - I think they look and sound pretty good, but up totally up for alternative suggestions for either set-up. Will be using this in a pretty empty room which is 8m x 4m - for North America that's 24ft x 12ft  Music mix is, well, mixed. Some classical, plenty of rock (rolling stones) and modern indi (oasis, razorlight, kings of leon etc). I live in Sydney Australia so am fairly limited for quality Hifi......that I know of other than Pymble HIFI or Eastwood HIFI - each sells opposing brands, tough to choose there !! Here's hoping for some great ideas cheers Mark |
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New member Username: JellomanpieSydney, NSW Australia Post Number: 2 Registered: Jan-09 | or perhaps on the speaker front a pair of B&W 683's......? As you can see, just guessing, but they seem to get a pretty good write-up Mark |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 3478 Registered: Sep-04 | Mark, Although you're on the other side of the world to me, you're not in No Man's Land (although the Aborigines might have something to say about that ). For example Pymble also retail the Naim brand which is a direct competitor to the mid- and more expensive Arcam kit you're considering. There's also Audio Genesis in Pyrmont? Brand-wise, you may also wish to consider Plinius and Dynavector. These are from neighbouring (!) NZ which should mean more reasonable prices and better distribution in your area. I've heard both sets of electronics and been impressed with both. All electronics sound different. Each has its own presentation style which gets infused into every performance of music. You are in a happy position of not having preconceptions so you should find that the differences are quite significant, but it will need you to 'tune in' to what you're hearing when you visit those dealers for demos. Try to take several discs - more than 2 but less than a dozen. You'll find that you gravitate to just 4 discs or so, but take the extra along - it's not exactly a hardship - so you don't get caught short. Speaker-wise, those who own Dalis seem to love them so they're well worth a listen. There are other brands in that sphere too such as B&W, PMC, Neat, Focal, Monitor Audio and EPOS. Most dealers choose their product brands because there's some kind of affinity between the products which produces synergy so be guided by your dealer. On the specific suggestions you've made, you've pretty much covered the complete Arcam range from its entry level to its most expensive - and I'd be surprised if the latter actually came in close to your budget, especially when you add the required cabling. As one's system improves, most of the time, the cabling becomes more important to the system since the compoenents become more revealing and so the cable becomes the limiting factor. The old rule of thumb of 10% on cabling is just a rough guide and I'm finding more and more that if cables use a higher proportion than that, the performance gain to the system is quite significant. Again, be guided by the dealer, but ensure you check what he's up to so you know what you're listening to. For example, it's not unusual for me to wire up a top-line Arcam system with £300 interconnects and £30/m speaker cable. Now, on the face of it that seems like an incredible amount of money, but comparing the system wired up with a £120 interconnect and £10/m cable the value for money proposition of the higher cables is obvious because of the jump in performance. It's a question of synergy. Finally, many people used to be concerned that the only way to achieve quality was by separatng units and to separate the preamp from the power amp. It remains true today that separating the two pays dividends. However, the entry level for the pre/power scenario is constantly rising and there are some unbelievably good integrated amplifiers in the under £3000 price bracket. What I'm saying is to consider anything in your price range, no matter how unlikely... And most important of all - have fun! At the demos, learn to relax. Don't analyse it to death, just go with the flow and listen to every voice that every system gives you without judging it too early. Some systems come to you immediately but then have nothing left after a few minutes. Some systems don't grab you until you've tuned in, but then the relationship lasts much longer. They each have their quirks, so treat them more like people with their foibles and you'll understand and enjoy yourself loads more. G'luck! Frank. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 13271 Registered: May-04 | . As a research nerd, what research did you do to choose these components? What made you pick these particular components as systems? Have you researched the effects of placing speakers in a symmetrical room? . |
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Silver Member Username: SmwickB.C Canada Post Number: 153 Registered: Dec-07 | Mark, have a listen to Plinius electronics with Totem Acoustic speakers. Both are found in NZ. I have heard good things about Plinius though I have not heard them. I own a pair of Totem Sttaf speakers and love them. Totem also recommends Plinius amps for their speakers, so it should be a really nice rig. I power my Totems with Rega electronics which are available in Australia, worth a listen. |
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Silver Member Username: EdisonGlendale, CA US Post Number: 856 Registered: Dec-03 | Mark, I would consider buying them on ebay - http://shop.ebay.com.au/items/_W0QQ_nkwZarcamQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZR40QQ_mdoZ You get more quality for the price. Arcam is a good choice. Since you are new to this, I would go slow in choosing your system. That's great that you are a research savy - you will benefit greatly for it. This is even better sight to ask for suggestions - www.audiogon.com Go slow and research 'til you are satisfied. Then buy them on Australian ebay. Check the seller's rating and be careful when buying on ebay - if you do, bargains can be had. Something like these would be nice. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Kef-Reference-Series-Model-2-Home-Cinema-Speakers_W0QQite mZ140293801291QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Hi_Fi_Speakers?hash=item140293801291&_trksid =p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318 http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ARCAM-Alpha-8-CD-Player_W0QQitemZ200298095015QQcmdZViewIt emQQptZAU_CD_Players?hash=item200298095015&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2 %7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318 Good cables are Ixos. You can buy them from other nations, since the shipping isn't much for small items. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/IXOS-142AV-5M-3-RCA-to-Scart-Cable-GOLD-SERIES-NEW_W0QQite mZ350149300752QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090106?IMSfp=TL090106118003r29305 http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/IXOSXHS606S15/IXOS/XHS606-15-A WG-GAMMA-GEOMETRY-SPEAKER-WIRE-SILVER-50-FOOT-SPOOL/1.html If you have more questions, post them and someone will help you out more. Please go slow and research, before buying, and your ears will thank you. Best luck, |
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New member Username: JellomanpieSydney, NSW Australia Post Number: 3 Registered: Jan-09 | Wow, thanks Frank and James.......some great advice - really appreciated. As you indicated Frank, its not quite the end of the world here 'down under', we even have running water and buses  I have been checking out more companies before making the 'bold leap' of going into a couple of the HiFi specialists with a handful of our favourite CD's........the local guys are really helpful and keen to let us work through some set ups with them. Even offering to come and set up as well which is good customer service from my view. By the way Jan, my leaning to the Arcam and Cambridge Audio was purely from reading some magazines and looking at a few websites etc (loing hours of trawling through) trying to see what I felt would fit into our modest budget - and still leave enough $'s for my wife to buy a new sofa for us to enjoy the new sounds washing over us after a glass of Rose in the summer. The speaker choice was just from listening to a pair in a local shop (not a hifi specialist) and I thought they sounded great.... Likely to give sound test a go in a couple of weeks, once kids are back in school and wife and I can get a decent morning to spend at Pymble HiFi or another!! thanks for advice so far, its all going in..........wife can't stand talking to me about this stuff now as I start sounding to full of it !!! Mark |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 13298 Registered: May-04 | . "........wife can't stand talking to me about this stuff now as I start sounding to full of it !!!" Then it's time to stop talking and reading and putting imaginary pieces together that you haven't heard. Reading about audio has its place but that place isn't in the "what should I buy" department. I don't care how experienced anyone is at this game, they are not you. And they do not have your reference points. And that's what I see lacking in most of the "what should I buy" threads, a lack of reference points that, if they exist at all, didn't come out of a magazine article. Here's my advice; take your wife to a few nice dinners followed by a few evenings spent listening to live music. If you've got the money to put into a hifi, you should have the money to devote to enjoying the real thing. Ask your wife what she thought about the music and the dinners. Get a feel for what she'll enjoy, because if she doesn't enjoy the new music system, you'll find it doesn't stay in the room with the hifi for long and the new sofa won't be the one that gets relegated to the spare bedroom. Don't talk about hifi with your wife, discuss the music you heard. Get in a conversation about something real that you both shared and not something full of researched numbers and names that only matter to you. She should tell you what you need to listen for when making a decision, not what to read in a magazine or what to research more fully Then you, being the research freak of the couple, hand her the debit card and let her go buy what she likes in a system while you buy the sofa that fits your backside. And don't say another word about hifi, just sit on your new sofa and enjoy the music content with both purchases. . |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 11436 Registered: Dec-04 | I like the blue sofa. |
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New member Username: JellomanpieSydney, NSW Australia Post Number: 4 Registered: Jan-09 | Great stuff Jan, good sense of humour there....... Yeah, we do go to loads of live music - we like to get out to about 1 gig per month, so live is where it is at for us. Sometimes even dinner too!! The point of going for a nice hifi is that we do enjoy the time we have at home, and rather than sit watching the box when the kids are playing or in bed we tend to bang on the music and chill or boogie (got a 1980's B&O system at the moment which I think has just about shaken to pieces - wife listening two rooms away while hoovering is what gave it the 1st kiss of death). Anyway, rest assured mon ami, live is numero uno und recorded ist sekunde. The dinners and out and about have and will continue, its just that sometimes we have to be in with the kids - so near as being there is our next stop!! Nuck - I'll bear the blue one in mind, but it doesn't go with the colour scheme  cheers Mark |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 11437 Registered: Dec-04 | Attaboy Mark! Welcome to the forum, mon ami. What have you both seen/heard live lately? Put the B&O to rest...please! B&O= Bose and Others. Just not a fan, sorry. |
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Silver Member Username: EdisonGlendale, CA US Post Number: 873 Registered: Dec-03 | Jello, Check the reviews out on this British magazine done by the pros - buy the ones that got 5 stars. http://whathifi.com/BestBuys/ Cheers, |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 3144 Registered: May-05 | Buying gear that reviewers gave 5 stars to without hearing it yourself is a great way to buy gear. I just bought an 06 Highlander soley due to magazine reviews. No need to see or drive it myself. Reviewers know what I like better than I do. If you believe that one, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn that I can sell you. |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 2329 Registered: Jun-07 | LOL ive seen 5 star reviews given to Sony AVR's. They are must buy's for sure. |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 11474 Registered: Dec-04 | Stu, I got the bridge on small money down and great rates. Had to take a bridge loan... |
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