Building a Budget Hi Fi System for under £600(853USD) CD or Vinyl.

I think this might be My 1st proper Thread/Post.. ..

Well I'm not sure if this has been done before(probably!) and how long ago? Now I know a lot of people on here would consider this amount of money to be well.. just one piece of tha Hi Fi pie and not a complete system, but within this Thread We are talking about normal everyday folk that probably don't spend massive amounts on this kind of purchase(and if You are Happy with whatever you listen to your Music on then great) having been into Hi Fi in quite a big way and also Computers I know and have spent(possibly wasted) a fair bit on upgrades etc over tha years(but a bad patch saw everything go) and since then I've managed to coble together a modest little system that allows Me to enjoy my Music again.

So Building a Good Starting point system(or indeed something you'd be happy with for a few yrs?) and on a very small Budget.

Well at £600(or just over $850) what could you put together, and which item would get tha Lions share so to speak, I mean you could just split it equally between CD/Vinyl - Amp - Speakers.. I think 1 x of source and Amp and Speakers is maybe tha best way to approach this, but tha doesn't mean tha Amp couldn't be a Amp/Reciever.. which would also give the Listener Radio Broadcasts to listen to..

I'm not including Interconnects and Speaker Cable, would be stretching tha Budget and well most people would either have some knocking about or well could pick up some basic cables for very little and well just wanted to keep it simple..

I haven't stated(till now) where you would be buying this items, yes I know bargains can be had on FleaBay(live on there most days,in-fact my Tuner and CD Player are from tha Bay) I will Posted what I would possibly spend My Budget on and well peeps can Say "yeah not a bad choice" or Laugh their pants off!?

atb

 

First question would be where's your current music collection? LPs, CDs, files on your computer. If you already have a computer, and don't want to get sucked into vinyl, the best bang for your buck will be a usb dac and some good powered monitors.

 

Active speakers need to be included on your options list IMO. Some good deals to be had on source gear too.

 

Cheers for tha replies, for Me it would be either CD or Vinyl.. I have a massive amount of Mp3 on DVD Disc but tbh have never liked tha sound and after reading up(yes I know tha Dac and indeed tha Mp3 itself can make a huge difference to sound quality) maybe I'll keep tha Discs and go through one day.. idk? maybe only own 50 CD's at tha moment, buying a couple off FleaBay each week..but tha Collection is not big enough to discount going down tha Vinyl route again.. even tempted by 2nd Duals and RP on tha Bay.. @Brother Rael yeah Active Speakers could/should definitely be considered(tho my knowledge on these is a big fat Zero) in-fact been away from Hi Fi / Home Cinema / Computers for maybe 5-10yrs... ..

Thanks again for replies.. ..I will list what I find in a bit, and this is really to garner feedback,ideas and such and maybe even be of some use to someone else. ...myabe

almost forgot. ..this will Thread and tha Help will form part of My decision when I purchase my new system(once Car is sorted) and tha 'Budget' well tha Missus won't really bend much past £600. ..under tha thumb you see is Me

atb

 

My partner wanted a decent system after listening to mine.
Easy. Thorens td166 with nad cartridgel
Cost on ebay. £130
Denon pma 350. £27
Monitor audio speakers. £18
Sony cdx 930E. £100
Total £275
The deck was mint. Cartridge required realignment, stylus was excellent and has very good sound quality and superb tracker!
Main bearing was cleaned and relubed, suspension was fine and it only required a thouough clean.
The amplifier is well preserved with exent phono stage and a beguiling sound quality loads of power and yet smooth and clean in the Bass
The speakers are 90 db efficiency and medium size stand mounters, 2 way.
Cabinets are clean, and work well in system!
Cd player was boxed, and as new! With remote control.
Inter connects were supplied by myself, and are 1 step up from basic patchcords.
It sounds awesome, especially in view of price. And would be on par with seperated priced in total of £2000.IMHO.

 

Cheers for reply Thor, That's some Bargain hunting and a very good price for tha whole 'shebang' I do keep watching 2nd hand decks on tha Bay.. .also seen some nice Decks(D.I.Y)Custom made from some Thorens and Duals. ..can't remember where?

atb

 

A couple things I am certain of, If you are looking for excellent sound quality, Vinyl is the most expensive path and Head phones are the cheapest.

For a home system the best bang for the buck is is used amp and speakers with a new DAC USB connected to a computer. The cost of used CD's is next to nothing and much better than any mp3. It's hard to recommend used gear since I have no idea what is available in your part of the world but I would think Rega and Musical Fidelity would be around as well as B&W for speakers. I consider all three to be world class brands.

I love records but it is not budget friendly in any way shape or form. I would recommend getting set up with amp and speakers and then revisiting the idea of a turntable once the budget replenishes itself. If you do it all at once you wont have much of anything.

 

http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/tannoy-reveal-502-active-studio-monitor-pair--213838

Active Tannoys, essentially speakers and matched amp for £200 - leaving you £400 for source(s)

 

The main features of the Tannoy Reveal 502 include:

• Compact active monitor design with a massive soundscape
• Frequency Response: 49 Hz - 43 kHz
• Max SPL: 108 dB
• HF 1 inch Soft Dome (25 mm) poke resistant tweeter
• LF/Mid Range 5 inch (130 mm) custom high efficiency speaker
• 75 Watt Bi-Amp module and active crossover filter ensures maximum power and tonal clarity
• Balanced (XLR,20 kOhm) and unbalanced (1/4 inch Jack, 10 kOhm) inputs for maximum flexibility
• Aux Input/Aux Link Out (Mini Jack, 10 kOhm) to plug in your phone /tablet for instant listening
• Adjust volume and EQ to match your listening environment. HF EQ Settings -1.5 dB HF Cut/Neutral/+1.5 dB HF Boost
• Accurately tuned front-firing bass port allows near wall placement and ensures optimal LF performance
• Rubber padded base for acoustical isolation
• Dimensions H x W x D: 11.8 x 7.2 x 9.4 inches (300 x 184 x 238 mm)

^^^ They do look and sound(description) tha Business

 

My cobbled together System.. Which cost me about £40.. Not counting MD and Speakers..both mine from new a Long,long time ago.. ..

Whilst I am happy with what I have got(can listen to Music again and Enjoy) but I do want better.. Got Tha 'Bug' again you see

atb

 

T

the thing i am finding time after time with Thorens decks is that with an oil change, suspension sort out if required, belt change, and realign properly (often the cartridge is way off the mark) and a new stylus, that they scrub up very well!
They will with tlc reward you with quality reproduction.
I have a couple of turntables,and my td150 mk1 never fails to put a smile on my face.
Spares are plentiful they are tweakable and attractive.
I must add it was the cheapest tutntable i have ever bought at £

54 but also the best. I was going to change the plinth, arm, and have it polished etc but am so happy as it is. Thorens arms are very underrated IMHO.
Add a quality amp and speakers( these can be purchased in kit form) and your away.
I must add that all items except amp will need fettling. I use metal polish, pipe cleaners maplins contact cleaner, cotton budd to clean all contacts , from mains plugs , fuses. Maybe volume pot on amp if noisey.
Im mean amps only need a visit to guitar amp repair shop(they will service most amps) if you feel it warrants it. All in all a quality system can be done and fun.
You have to be realistic and learn to do much of the fettling.
A faulty speaker is easy to refurb. One can measure drivers with a meter to check resistance. Crossovers benefit from being taken into repair shop and caps being changed and resistors also.
Very rewarding.
Interconnects can be home brewed(wire world to name but 1 supplier)

 

In my opinion speakers are the most important so I would spend more on speakers than the rest. Maybe get an amp with a decent dac and usb hookup to connect to your computer.

 

Your post wasn't clear about whether you had vinyl in your music collection, so...

At this budget, if you don't have records at all, just forget vinyl altogether. It will bleed you dry. Period.

Your existing amp seems decent. Can't speak to your disc players.

I'd suggest a fresh pair of small bookshelf speakers, plus a small subwoofer to give the sound more overall weight. Add a new DAC (US$1-200) that can work off both your disc players and computer). I have no brand recommendations.

I think those kind of upgrades will yield the greatest sonic improvements.

Says the forum's official Poor-Boy-Cheapskate.

 

I don't know what shipping would be like to the uk but I used to have one of these dacs and the sound was really good. Shipping from france shouldn't be too much http://www.audiophonics.fr/en/appar...b-dac-24bit96khz-v21-tcxo-edition-p-8600.html. The only reason I don't use this anymore is because I got a raspberry pi with a i2s dac also made by audiophonics. You get the same quality as known brands for much more reasonable prices

 

Does one of your disc players have a digital out? Personally, I would spend almost all of that money on speakers and maybe £100 - £150 on a DAC. Use your existing CD/DVD player as the transport and keep your amp, which will make the least difference in your system, and you're good until that next upgrade.

 

Cheers again for replies folks, I had thought about just using Tha D100 as Transport and adding a external DAC.. .. Still thinking about Turntables' like Thor said.. Might be a little Pro-ject on its own.. Idk? always liked Tha sound of Vinyl.. Did have half decent collection once.. .

atb

 

Tannoy Reveals? Well sir is thinking on the right lines!

Lovely speaker, but check out Mackie as well. Have you a good pro-audio store nearby to have a demo? They're great to deal with usually. Always very helpful any time I've visited one.

 

Again Thanks for all replies, It has been Great being able to 'Chat' to folks about Music and Hi Fi. Whilst I've certainly got tha 'Bug' again..I will be approaching it a bit differently this time round, Well I have already with tha way my System is cobbled together and tha Price it has cost so far is peanuts tbh.. ..I very much doubt if any of tha System as it stands will be carried over, rather replaced as and when, still looking out for 2nd hand TT and Dacs on FleaBay.. seeing Arcam, Nad, Niam kit has Me thinking fondly of all tha kit I used drool over. ..This next item not being one of em..

Bush MTT1

but at tha Price it was £50? and tha price it can be had for on FleaBay.. I may pick one up just ti get me Vinyl Collection going again.. ..I know its really not going to blow me away sonically, but What Hi Fi(back in tha day) gave it a rather good review, based on tha give away price and performance.. SOoo I think I'll take a chance on one and well start hunting down some decent Vinyl(No Good Hi Fi Shops here, But do have a rather good small Independent Record Store) still need to find out more about this Amp I have, was gifted me by Uncle, but does need a service? where to start?

Is MD making a comeback, Sony released new blanks??

atb

 

Hiya folks, just been checking in spare bed room and located tha Pioneer Turntable tha was gifted to Me by Uncle with tha Pioneer Amp(though I have no idea IF this Amp originally came with this TT) Anyhoos.. waffling!! was told it works? has 2 x prongs on end of Power Lead and I think Amp has Input for these(will check) TT has couple buttons missing? and not sure about Cartridge or owt? Looks like 'Orignal' ?? Pioneer head/cart? brb. ...just off to Google and look on FleaBay. .anyone know anything about this Deck?

atb

 

Mackies could be a good choice for one that wants a pretty transparent, neutral sound. But those that like a more romantic colored sound might not be satisfied. But if neutral is your thing- they are great for the money (I've used them in studios). They cost about the same as good passive speakers, so you get the aamp almost for free.

 

They enjoy a prodigious bass, I think, so in the right setting they'll perform well.

Hence my reference to going into a good pro-audio and trying a few models out.

 

Cheers again for replies(do keep popping in,when Sky is working!?) Need to Google Hi Fi Shops in Local-ish Area.. We did have 2 Local, both gone years ago.. Only Richer Sounds and SevenOaks(both Brum) Think My Uncle holds Mackies in High regards, he's bit of a Singer,well sometimes. ..

atb

 

My Internet Speed from tha ISP Tha believes in better!?

 

I feel your pain. Just about to ditch my current provider for Sky. I'm just under a mile from my local exchange so hoping it goes well. Then again...!

 

Cheers Brother It wasn't always this bad with SKY, but had enuff of their bull! so changing.. anyhoos it was good and now its not...

Question for anyone looking in(probably gonna sound bit dumb,nothing new!)

Now tha Amp i've got is the PIONEER SA-508 and with this came tha PIONEER PL300(I have never plugged tha TT in) and now I want to test, well I daren't plug it in now!? checked tha back of tha Amp this morning and it has 3 x Pwr outputs for TT without going home and checking, but seems 2 are switched and 1 unswitched? Now I haven't messed with Hi Fi for ages.. So IF anyone can/could point us at some Info would be Great.. .I really want another TT, Hell complete new System, but if this works and I can replace Head(cart?)Needle with new one(after checking works) WAffling I know.. brb off to Google em

atb

Caught a great prog last night with Danny Baker, Boy George, and two other peeps talking about Pop going back to 60/70s.. was pretty cool ... Boy George 'Luvs' Bowie.. ..Woman Columnist.. Grace Dent I think, well she was BiG Smiths and Morrissey and Sisters of Mercy..