JamesBass Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Didn't know where was best for this so apologies if it's not in the right section! Recently I got my parents old Hi-Fi out of storage and low and behold it's knackered and Sony don't have any sort of support for it so minus reverse engineering it I need to buy a new Hi-Fi. Just wanted to get some peoples opinions and experiences with Hi-Fi's. I mainly got my parents one out of storage for the use of the turntable, so I'd want one with a turntable. I don't own any tapes so won't need a tape deck but would like a good cd player included as well. Any recommendations or guiding thoughts out there? Thanks James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 (edited) Generally speaking , a modestly -priced but well-chosen seperates system will out-perforn even fairly upmarket "lifestyle" systems . It's a bit of a difficult question to answer without knowing what budget you have and a clearer idea of what you have in mind , but a major factor to consider is where and how you will be listening to the music you play on the system . How big is the room you will be putting it in and where were you planning to place the speakers ? Will you be listening much on headphones ? Also bear in mind that you will be able to plug a laptop or P.C into the system and accesss music that way , so that is another consideration . Edited August 10, 2013 by Dingus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceonaboy Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 (edited) These days a reasonably cheap iPod docking station will sound easily as good as the old stereos of yesteryear. I have a Sony docking station with radio and cd player which is attached to my computer and my music sounds great. A fraction of the cost of my old monster hi fi system! Edited August 10, 2013 by iceonaboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceonaboy Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 You can buy turntables these days that connect to your pc, so its all possible with minimum outlay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted August 10, 2013 Author Share Posted August 10, 2013 budget is max of £250-300 at a push. The room is a master bedroom size and it's going on to a shelf on my book case, I can sound proof that no problem and the speakers will be placed around the room, uncertain of placement till I find sizes out, it could be multiple places. Headphone use will probably be sporadic to average. I don't mind buying a seperates system but any recommendations are much appreciated. I've seen plenty out there just not sure what I should be looking at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterFingers Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 A reasonable turntable for £150 is the Marantz TT5005. It has a built in phono pre-amp, which means you could buy any mini CD Tuner that has a standard analogue in. I'd check out Richer Sounds - they have the Marantz and a wide range of Mini Systems. I'd guess that your old system's speakers are ok so be sure and check the power and impedance on them so that you can use them. You should be able to what you want for about £300 - and it'll no doubt handle ipod ins to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterFingers Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Oh, I'm assuming it's a small system you were after - but if it's bigger separates then the Cambridge gear is pretty good budget stuff. Richers again I suppose.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 (edited) Sorry, have lost track about turntables. For the rest: with that budget, I strongly advise going second hand, or looking at the micro component systems that some large multistores do cheaply, like the Yamaha MCR-550 and Philips DCD7010, both with iPod docking, or the JVC UX-G70E and Yamaha PianoCraft MCR-232, both without, I think. Second hand could land you component Hi-Fi of normal type, or for example a Yamaha MCR-740 or even MCR-840 The 840 is simpler than the 740, as in less programming possibilities and no wake-up function IMS, but even better at sound quality, and the 740 already beats anything in its vicinity. BTW 740 does external iPod dock. 840 has dock on amp. Of these, I have not heard the Philips, but it seems well-recommended enough. The JVC is the only thing I've heard that makes a positive impression alongside the Yamahas. I've used hours and hours testing with all the demanding and rewarding test CDs that I've used for decades to undress Hi-Fi equipment. BTW, did I mention I like the Yamaha PianoCraft series? In case not: I like the Yamaha PianoCraft series. best, bert Edited August 10, 2013 by BassTractor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Nad stuff for me - always used it, good s/h buy too. Again, Richer Sounds, who also have a good clearance dept [url="http://www.richersounds.com/clearance"]http://www.richersounds.com/clearance[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Richer sounds , because of your budget. NAD are excellent ,and I think Richer sounds still stock them. I can't remember off hand, but I think there are turntables around the £100 mark that come in different colours. Another basschatter will be along to help;) Rega are great too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm486 Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 I'd look second hand for your budget, I've recently got a new stereo for my flat, I bought a pair of mission 702e speakers, a Denon AV amplifier and a Denon SACD player for just over £100 in total. None of these are truly Hi-Fi equipment, but the amplifier does have a phono input and for the price I paid, it all sounds fantastic. With your budget, looking second hand you could get some seriously good kit. Due to the size and weight of Hi-Fi equipment, not many people are willing to post so you can get some real bargains on collection only stuff on eBay. Good luck with the search, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 (edited) defiantely go secondhand! i've built excellent sounding systems well within your budget. this is a good place to get an idea of what's worth buying [url="http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/index.php/olde-worlde/295-old-buying-guide.html"]http://www.hi-fiworl...ying-guide.html[/url] these pages have kit for sale a well [url="http://www.usedhifishop.co.uk/"]http://www.usedhifishop.co.uk/[/url] [url="http://www.greenhomeshop.co.uk/shop/"]http://www.greenhomeshop.co.uk/shop/[/url] [url="http://www.2ndhandhifi.co.uk/"]http://www.2ndhandhifi.co.uk/[/url] this site is great for diy tweaks and gear (i'm using one of the flexy table racks and it's great!) [url="http://www.tnt-audio.com/int.html"]http://www.tnt-audio.com/int.html[/url] this also has a 4 part section on how to buy secondhand gear too. i buy most of my kit through ebay (searching within 25 miles usually) or from the local paper and gumtree, latest bargain was some Atacama speaker stands, 3 pairs for 59 quid! i've also snagged the occasional item from cash converters but it pays to carefully check anything over before you buy, i've had speakers that were trashed (they gave me my money back though) for amps/cd players some good names to watch for are: cambridge audio, marantz (especially the cd63/67), denon, arcam, rotel. for speakers: mission, castle, kef, unless the room is realy big then i'd go for standmount/bookshelf speakers (really the same thing and best put on some decent stands like Atacama's) turntables: rega or pro-ject are probably the best options in your price bracket but you might snag a thorens as well (i'm using a thorens td160b mk2 and really like it) if you want a tuner for radio then my top pick is the denon tu260, i've got one and the sound is fantastic for the price! Matt Edited August 10, 2013 by Matt P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Richer sounds can be very cheap and cheerful and they do very good bundle deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted August 10, 2013 Author Share Posted August 10, 2013 Cheers for the advice there guys, second hand looks to be the best option from what people are saying, I could go higher with my budget but then it'll begin to eat in to my next bass and amp fund Just looked the speakers over and one cone has been perforated, and the other seems to be missing wires, shame the system isn't working as it was a top of the range one when new, but that was a good 20-25 years ago now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 (edited) So, there is a turntable with it? Top of the range Sony 25 years ago was pretty decent, so your turntable could be a cracking bit of kit. Edited August 10, 2013 by steve-soar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Worth a look, in my opinion. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Project-Pro-ject-Carbon-Turntable-6-months-old-Upgraded-Acrylic-Platter-/221265371231?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Turntables&hash=item338471a05f Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the boy Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 [quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1376155479' post='2170362'] Cheers for the advice there guys, second hand looks to be the best option from what people are saying, I could go higher with my budget but then it'll begin to eat in to my next bass and amp fund Just looked the speakers over and one cone has been perforated, and the other seems to be missing wires, shame the system isn't working as it was a top of the range one when new, but that was a good 20-25 years ago now! [/quote] Is your hifi totally wrecked. If the speakers and amp are still working you could buy a bluetooth adapter and stream music to it from your phone etc. £50 would do the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 one thing to look out for with s/h speakers is "foam rot " on the speaker cone surrounds. It is repairable normally but mitigates the bargain price. A lot of 80's and 90's speakers are subject to this, and JBL Control1's as I found out a couple of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 [quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1376158000' post='2170404'] Worth a look, in my opinion. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Project-Pro-ject-Carbon-Turntable-6-months-old-Upgraded-Acrylic-Platter-/221265371231?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Turntables&hash=item338471a05f [/quote] wow! Nice:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted August 10, 2013 Author Share Posted August 10, 2013 [quote name='the boy' timestamp='1376159705' post='2170422'] Is your hifi totally wrecked. If the speakers and amp are still working you could buy a bluetooth adapter and stream music to it from your phone etc. £50 would do the trick. [/quote] Amp works, turntable needs repairs, tape deck isn't working, the CD tray isn't ejecting and the speakers are broke, I could fix it but would need the schematics and when I rang and emailed sony they told me that it's so old they don't have any form of support for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 +1 for Richer Sounds - great value and proper customer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mentalextra Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 +1 Richer sounds! As its a bedroom setup are you really sure you want speakers at all. There are some very nice headphones and listening levels late at night are going to be a lot better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Ebay. My current hifi was state of the art 20 years ago, and cost me about £30.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the boy Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 [quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1376161011' post='2170441'] Amp works, turntable needs repairs, tape deck isn't working, the CD tray isn't ejecting and the speakers are broke, I could fix it but would need the schematics and when I rang and emailed sony they told me that it's so old they don't have any form of support for it. [/quote] Cool, sounds promising. If the amp and speakers work then buy one of these and stream your music. Sorted. http://bit.ly/13rQqFD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 (edited) Im an advocate of buying quality used second hand separates. I have a meridian CD player (actually separate transport and DAC), Linn speakers and a Rotel amp. It sounds very, very good; MUCH better than either of my 2.1 systems (HK and Sony) It all cost about £300. The amp is a bit crackly and getting worse, so if anyone has any recommendations. Ideally up to £90 used Edited August 11, 2013 by Roland Rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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