Choosing Seperates

[Belle427]

I'm still thinking about going back to separates and just wondered what people thought of the kit below.
Would consider used as my old system of rotel ra971/kef q35/marantz cd 63 ki sig sounded good to my ears for the money.
Seems used is the no brainer value wise but I can't remember which kit was highly regarded back in the day.

Today's choice
https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/floorstanding-s...

https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/amplifiers-rece...

Added later

https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/wireless-stream...

[JimbobVFR]

The speakers and amp are both well regarded, there's lots of choice though at that sort of budget and Hifi is particularly subjective I feel so a listen would be recommended.

I'm not convinced by the streamer you've added. The amp already has its own DAC which is likely to sound similar to the CXN, I'd either go for something cheaper with a digital output, from very cheap with a Chromecast audio or for a little more a Tuefel Connector is a bargain.

https://www.teufelaudio.com/uk/multi-room/teufel-c...

There's umpteen other options for streaming, Roon is worth a look as an interface (but it's pretty pricey) it all depends exactly what you want to stream, do you have a large collection of ripped FLAC files or are you thinking Spotify/Tidal etc etc.

[Belle427]

Spotify premium mainly as its bundled with a phone contract.
I still have my old CD collection so maybe forget the streamer and do as you suggest.
Thanks

[JimbobVFR]

Belle427 said:

Spotify premium mainly as its bundled with a phone contract.
I still have my old CD collection so maybe forget the streamer and do as you suggest.
Thanks

In that case grab a Chromecast Audio while you still can. They're brilliant for Spotify and a bargain at around 20-25 quid. If your amp purchase does include a DAC the 3.5mm socket on the CCA is a dual purpose jack and outputs digital optical with a suitable cable.

[Red 5]

Belle427 said:

I'm still thinking about going back to separates and just wondered what people thought of the kit below.
Would consider used as my old system of rotel ra971/kef q35/marantz cd 63 ki sig sounded good to my ears for the money.
Seems used is the no brainer value wise but I can't remember which kit was highly regarded back in the day.

Today's choice
https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/floorstanding-s...

https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/amplifiers-rece...

Added later

https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/wireless-stream...

If I can correctly glen your budget from those selections, then I’d suggest the following....

B&W 603 speakers
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/bandw-603

Amp from Arcam, inc very good DAC.
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/bandw-603

EST £1699 for these.

Add a cheap streamer for now as mentioned above, then perhaps try a better one later.

This will be many magnitudes better that the links you’ve included!

[JohnnyMac]

I recently bought a Bluesound Node 2i and am very impressed with it. Haven't played a CD or vinyl since getting it. I have a subscription to Tidal and use that through the Bluesound phone app. It's getting fantastic reviews and is a bit cheaper than the Cambridge Audio one you linked here.

[MiloD]

I have a CXA60 mated to a CXN (v1) and my speakers are B&W CM1. It makes for an excellent system, I love it! It’s crisp, clear and musical. I did recently crack and add a Pro-ject turntable to the system which I’m also thoroughly enjoying. 😉

When we move and I’ve got more space I’ll buy some floor standers to replace the CM1s. Otherwise for me this is it for the next fair few years.

[Monty Python]

Find a local dealer with a listening room - there's no way reviews can test every combination and you're the one who's going to have to listen to it.

[Belle427]

Thanks for all your input, I will do some more research/listening and go from there.

[toon10]

I upgraded my whole setup last year to match my changing needs. I started out on what features I wanted and went from there. The options you have above all have decent reviews but without hearing them together and making sure the system delivers everything you want to ask of it, it's hard to say if you should go ahead or not.

For me, I needed a new integrated amp but also wanted streaming. As I was on a tight budget, I started looking at amps that did both. I originally wanted to look at an Onkyo TX-850 but my local dealer couldn't get me one to demo. He suggested the Yamaha RN-602. I wanted optical connections, USB, phono stage and Spotify connect. The Yamaha was one of a few options that did all of what I wanted for very little outlay and also happened to sound clear and clean.

Next up was speakers. I did a load of research and read reviews. I ended up going into my dealer and asking him to connect up a load of options to the amp. The clear winner out of the ones I tried were some Monitor Audio silver 6's. They were more expensive than I wanted to pay but after bit of haggling he came down on price and I upped my budget slightly.

I ended up with a great sounding system that I could play Spotify on, my FLAC collection via USB and also connect my PlayStation, Sky Box, turntable and CD player to.

There really is no substitute for hearing everything setup for yourself. The speakers I ended up with were given 4 stars in What Hi-Fi and they blew away others in the same class that had 5 stars (to my ears anyway.)

[Anthony Micallef]

I listened to the those speakers when I was looking for some floor standers and I was very underwhelmed.

In the end I went for these https://www.whathifi.com/tannoy/revolution-xt6f/re...

[The_Burg]

Anthony Micallef said:

I listened to the those speakers when I was looking for some floor standers and I was very underwhelmed.

In the end I went for these https://www.whathifi.com/tannoy/revolution-xt6f/re...

Down to £500, bit of a bargain. Even less if you can put up with white.

[toon10]

Anthony Micallef said:

I listened to the those speakers when I was looking for some floor standers and I was very underwhelmed.

In the end I went for these https://www.whathifi.com/tannoy/revolution-xt6f/re...

I suppose that's my point. Audition and base your judgement on what you hear. I ditched my old Tannoy profile 632's which sounded horrible and tried a load of options. Some speakers are sensitive to the amp too so matching is important. I tried some Tannoys (although don't recall the model), Dali's and Monitor Audio options on my amp and the Dali's came a close 2nd to the MA's but what swung it for me was the range of music the MA's coped with. The Dali's were superb until I tried heavy rock where they lost a little detail and got muddled.

Unfortunately my local dealer did not have any KEF or B&W options otherwise I'd have tried those too. I have some B&W kit in the house and have always been impressed but didn't want to buy the speakers without hearing them first.