What hifi setup?

[V8OW]

I apologise in advance for what will probably be a very vague question, but any pointers would be appreciated!

Having bought my first house last year, I'm nearing the end of the renovation. What I need now is to decide on a music system.

I've got ceiling speakers in the kitchen hooked up to a mini amp and a google chromecast, which means I can play radio/spotify/whatever through those from my phone. I was planning to do something similar with my 'main' system which will be in the lounge, however I can't decide what to go for.

I want it to incorporate a turntable, so I was going to try and piece together a system from used bits, but to be honest I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. I've also seen some more modern systems with bluetooth connectivity and some other mod cons (Teac MCD800 for example), but I'm guessing these won't be a patch on an older separate system.

Given a budget of say £300 where should I be spending my money to tick the boxes below?

- Turntable
- Bookshelf speakers
- DAB? (not crucial if I can stream from my phone)
- Decent sound quality, but doesn't need loads of power (small terraced house)
- aux or similar for google chromecast

[Type R Tom]

Richersounds do packages, otherwise I'd browse old mags and reviews for decent kit then look to buy second hand as for £300 your going to struggle. Maybe get £300 speakers and amp with another chromecast then add a deck once you've saved a few more pennies.

[V8OW]

Type R Tom said:

Richersounds do packages, otherwise I'd browse old mags and reviews for decent kit then look to buy second hand as for £300 your going to struggle. Maybe get £300 speakers and amp with another chromecast then add a deck once you've saved a few more pennies.

£300 was just a guide, as it was the price of the TEAC system. Could probably throw more money at it, but don't know what decent components cost. I'll do a bit of reading this evening.

Richer sounds seem to have some mini hi-fi which have clever stuff like dab/bluetooth. Are these likely to be any good, or would I be better off with a proper older amp?

PIONEER XCHM51DAB £179 http://www.richersounds.com/product/mini-hi-fi/pio...

DENON DM40 £179 - http://www.richersounds.com/product/mini-hi-fi/den...

[Fermit The Krog and Sarah Sexy]

If it were my £300 two things I'd be looking for is a cheap Arcam amp (say an Alpha 7, pretty sure these have a phono?) and a pair of Kef Q15's. Combined these should be less than £200. I'm no use on DABS or turntables mind.

[Crackie]

V8OW said:

I apologise in advance for what will probably be a very vague question, but any pointers would be appreciated!

Having bought my first house last year, I'm nearing the end of the renovation. What I need now is to decide on a music system.

I've got ceiling speakers in the kitchen hooked up to a mini amp and a google chromecast, which means I can play radio/spotify/whatever through those from my phone. I was planning to do something similar with my 'main' system which will be in the lounge, however I can't decide what to go for.

I want it to incorporate a turntable, so I was going to try and piece together a system from used bits, but to be honest I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. I've also seen some more modern systems with bluetooth connectivity and some other mod cons (Teac MCD800 for example), but I'm guessing these won't be a patch on an older separate system.

Given a budget of say £300 where should I be spending my money to tick the boxes below?

- Turntable
- Bookshelf speakers
- DAB? (not crucial if I can stream from my phone)
- Decent sound quality, but doesn't need loads of power (small terraced house)
- aux or similar for google chromecast

Denon's mini systems are very good indeed when partnered with good speakers and that's what I'd suggest for an entry level system. However the Denon is £180ish without speakers, add £125 or so for a competent S/H turntable & phono preamp ( http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pro-Ject-Elemental-Turnt... ) and you're already at the proposed budget........by the time you've added a decent pair of S/H bookshelf speakers ( Wharfedale Diamonds, Tannoy Mercurys, KEF Codas, Monitor Audio BX ), cables and possibly speaker stands the budget is likely to be nearer £400.

Alternatively the £300 budget could be achieved if a S/H amp, with phono stage ( http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROTEL-RA931MKII-Stereo-i... or NAD or similar ) was substituted for the Denon.

When choosing S/H speakers, avoid designs with foam surrounds and plastic speaker cones; instead choose models which use rubber surrounds and paper ( preferably doped paper ) cones. The reason for this is that foam surrounds and polymer cones deteriorate with age due to exposure to UV light; rubber and paper designs are not affected by UV in the same way and are likely to be as good, if not better, than when they left the factory.

Edited by Crackie on Monday 18th April 15:55

[900T-R]

Yep, if you want a turntable, getting an older amp that still has a decent phono stage included, seems like a wise move.

If you can live with the looks, or - better still - have the skills you fabricate yourself a (better) plinth, you could do much worse than to find yourself a vintage idler-drive Lenco L75, L76 or L78 which were built in huge numbers in the 1970s and - as the merits of idler drive have been rediscovered - form the base of many a DIY ultra high end deck nowadays (for a general idea, look at the Lenco Heaven site/forum). Of course, you need to make sure the deck you buy is in a healthy state as these are a fair bit more intricate than an entry level belt drive turntable...

Speakers are a very personal thing. At entry level, you can't go far wrong with any of the 'classic' British or Brit-inspired two way 'bookshelf' designs. New or nearly new, Q Acoustics seems to be universally rated - this as a starting point/benchmark for your own exploration.

[V8OW]

Thanks both - very helpful.

The budget isn't that strict, but I'd rather not spend too much if I can help it.

I'll do a bit of ebay research this evening.

[phil_cardiff]

I put together a system on the cheap, and this is what I did:

1. Ex-demo Cambridge Audio 650a amp for £130. Check out the Richer Sounds bargain bin section of their website.
2. 2nd hand Marantz CD player from a friend, £35. Loads on ebay but a Chromecast Audio may render this pointless
3. New Wharfdale Diamond 9.1 speakers for £99 http://www.superfi.co.uk/p-2442-wharfedale-diamond...
4. About £30-40 on wires and rca cables, probably paid too much
5. Attacama speaker stands for £60. You could put them either side of your TV if you have a suitable TV cabinet.

So all in all I paid about £300 and it's a nice little system. I've connected the amp to my Sky box and PS3 so TV and movies can sound good through it too.

[Esseesse]

Buy everything second hand.

Mordaunt Short MS20i (or 25i) Pearls sound far far better then you would expect and go for absolute peanuts because they look ordinary. Better than Mission 780's and possibly Quad 11L's too.

A Marantz CD63 variant is worth looking for if you want a CD player.

Edit: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mordaunt-Short-MS25i-Flo... I believe these were the last speakers Mordaunt Short made before being gobbled up by the group associated with Richer Sounds (Audio Partnership Plc).

Edited by Esseesse on Thursday 21st April 14:21