My midlife crisis hit my ears
Discussion
Apologies for the clickbait title, but it seems that my midlife crisis is revisiting things from my youth. Trainers, albums and suchlike.
I have recently decided I want to go back to stereos/hifi as I have really missed it, and have a conundrum: Do I go for the tower hifi's (that can handle a streamer as well), or do I go separates?
Pro's for the tower - always wanted it, has vinyl, tape (I still have tapes and would like to keep the ability to revisit when I want). Fully working Technics tower for under a grand for example.
Cons - not going to be as good as separates. Time can't be good for them. Fixing them when they go wrong.
Unknown - can I put good speakers on them and will it make them sound better?
Pro's for separates - had them back in the day (NAD amp, cheap CD from Richer sounds). Better sound. Can scale up. Speakers I will be spending a good amount on. KEF or the like?
Cons - cost goes up as I will be adding to it. Amp, CD, Tape, Vinyl, Streamer (EQ???) and of course the speakers.
As a DJ, I already have a very good set up for that (Pioneer, Xone, Vestax, Yamaha speakers etc), so this is about audio clarity that fills a room with rich, warm sound. I had a good read of Billbring's '£2500' thread (thank you to all who contributed there).
So what would you do? Reading this back I think I know what the answer would be, but I'd prefer people with more knowledge than me to confirm it! Thanks in advance.
I have recently decided I want to go back to stereos/hifi as I have really missed it, and have a conundrum: Do I go for the tower hifi's (that can handle a streamer as well), or do I go separates?
Pro's for the tower - always wanted it, has vinyl, tape (I still have tapes and would like to keep the ability to revisit when I want). Fully working Technics tower for under a grand for example.
Cons - not going to be as good as separates. Time can't be good for them. Fixing them when they go wrong.
Unknown - can I put good speakers on them and will it make them sound better?
Pro's for separates - had them back in the day (NAD amp, cheap CD from Richer sounds). Better sound. Can scale up. Speakers I will be spending a good amount on. KEF or the like?
Cons - cost goes up as I will be adding to it. Amp, CD, Tape, Vinyl, Streamer (EQ???) and of course the speakers.
As a DJ, I already have a very good set up for that (Pioneer, Xone, Vestax, Yamaha speakers etc), so this is about audio clarity that fills a room with rich, warm sound. I had a good read of Billbring's '£2500' thread (thank you to all who contributed there).
So what would you do? Reading this back I think I know what the answer would be, but I'd prefer people with more knowledge than me to confirm it! Thanks in advance.
What do you really want from it?
I've enjoyed buying a few amps I never found the money for in my 20s.
I'd like to get hold of some different speakers to try.
I had enough disappointment with secondhand tape decks back then, I wouldn't want a £1000 system with a built in tape deck to go wrong.
A tape deck is a complex thing, I'd want one which could be fixed, with a the knowledge to do so freely available.
If I wanted a tape deck at all that is, Which I really don't.
The music I listened to on tape when I was young sounds a whole lot better digitally or on other people's vinyl now and then.
I guess it depends a bit what era you're harking back to, you could be needing a mini-disc or DAT on the one hand, or 8-track on the other?
I reckon some people who were young when DAB came out are pretty middle-aged now?
Stuff like 'multi-room' and active crossover multi-channel can be getting on a bit now?
The same issues are true of CD players to an extent, some you can buy new lasers or whole mechs for. But there's still other stuff in there to go wrong.
And some vintage CD players really were Not Very Good!
Having faffed with changing the mech in a 30 year old CD player, putting it in the loft and spending £300 on a new one was the right thing to do!
Old school 'hifi amps' are largely made of discrete components and simple chips which can be substituted.
Stack systems are more likely to depend on obsolete 'proprietary' or 'special to type' chips which you cannot get documentation or replacements for.
A broken amp is a project, a non-working all-in-one is WEEE.
I've enjoyed buying a few amps I never found the money for in my 20s.
I'd like to get hold of some different speakers to try.
I had enough disappointment with secondhand tape decks back then, I wouldn't want a £1000 system with a built in tape deck to go wrong.
A tape deck is a complex thing, I'd want one which could be fixed, with a the knowledge to do so freely available.
If I wanted a tape deck at all that is, Which I really don't.
The music I listened to on tape when I was young sounds a whole lot better digitally or on other people's vinyl now and then.
I guess it depends a bit what era you're harking back to, you could be needing a mini-disc or DAT on the one hand, or 8-track on the other?
I reckon some people who were young when DAB came out are pretty middle-aged now?
Stuff like 'multi-room' and active crossover multi-channel can be getting on a bit now?
The same issues are true of CD players to an extent, some you can buy new lasers or whole mechs for. But there's still other stuff in there to go wrong.
And some vintage CD players really were Not Very Good!
Having faffed with changing the mech in a 30 year old CD player, putting it in the loft and spending £300 on a new one was the right thing to do!
Old school 'hifi amps' are largely made of discrete components and simple chips which can be substituted.
Stack systems are more likely to depend on obsolete 'proprietary' or 'special to type' chips which you cannot get documentation or replacements for.
A broken amp is a project, a non-working all-in-one is WEEE.
Re. towers, one tiny thing breaks in them and it can render large swathes of it useless.
And time really isn't kind to things like rubber belts / little plastic cogs etc.
Instead I'd build up a stack using matching separates from the same brand / colour and era - as you want cassette, it'd be a case of used components from the likes of Technics / Sony. Then add a Wiim for streaming.
i'd keep the vinyl player out of the stack if it's going be used a lot.
Speakers are more of a personal thing but for a 'large, warm' hifi-ish type of sound, I'd be heading down to Richer sounds for small floor-standers according to taste/budget.
And time really isn't kind to things like rubber belts / little plastic cogs etc.
Instead I'd build up a stack using matching separates from the same brand / colour and era - as you want cassette, it'd be a case of used components from the likes of Technics / Sony. Then add a Wiim for streaming.
i'd keep the vinyl player out of the stack if it's going be used a lot.
Speakers are more of a personal thing but for a 'large, warm' hifi-ish type of sound, I'd be heading down to Richer sounds for small floor-standers according to taste/budget.
Don1 said:
What do I really want from it? Good question.
The ability to replicate music with a clean, warm and accurate sound.
The aesthetics to work for me.
The technology to work and be reliable as possible.
To fit with a limited space.
I respect your point about the aesthetics, it's important.The ability to replicate music with a clean, warm and accurate sound.
The aesthetics to work for me.
The technology to work and be reliable as possible.
To fit with a limited space.
I probably have different views about what's good, but I like that people are curating various eras of stuff.
It's like art that I wouldn't actually want to own, but it's good to know it's there and see it from time to time.
But like art, it can be expensive, resale value can be suspect and tastes change over time.
All the hifi I've bought has been affordable in the sense of if it just stops working and I can't fix it, I will shrug my shoulders a bit and happily look for something else a bit different.
The AV thing which annoyed me most was probably the VHS VCR which was put in a cupboard after not many years' use and a few years later dragged out, to find that it did absolutely nothing. So I'm sceptical about that era of tech.
dan98 said:
Re. towers, one tiny thing breaks in them and it can render large swathes of it useless.
And time really isn't kind to things like rubber belts / little plastic cogs etc.
Instead I'd build up a stack using matching separates from the same brand / colour and era - as you want cassette, it'd be a case of used components from the likes of Technics / Sony. Then add a Wiim for streaming.
i'd keep the vinyl player out of the stack if it's going be used a lot.
Speakers are more of a personal thing but for a 'large, warm' hifi-ish type of sound, I'd be heading down to Richer sounds for small floor-standers according to taste/budget.
....and this is where I got to mentally when I was writing the post. Thank you, appreciated.And time really isn't kind to things like rubber belts / little plastic cogs etc.
Instead I'd build up a stack using matching separates from the same brand / colour and era - as you want cassette, it'd be a case of used components from the likes of Technics / Sony. Then add a Wiim for streaming.
i'd keep the vinyl player out of the stack if it's going be used a lot.
Speakers are more of a personal thing but for a 'large, warm' hifi-ish type of sound, I'd be heading down to Richer sounds for small floor-standers according to taste/budget.
OutInTheShed said:
Good stuff.
Thank you - really useful. It's feeling more and more like seperates is the way to go, I don't need to go big bang - I can add bits as I want to / budget allows.
I was just having a look at Hi-Fi shops near me and they all do specials/pre-owned (and tested), with some reasonable savings. But some of the prices / names are eye opening. A Gryphon Antileon EVO amp at half price! Only £37,500. <gulps>
Or the eBay gamble.
i think vintage hifi is a gamble, plenty of components in an amp can die of old age.
One amp I bought on ebay worked fine the day I got it, but keeled over after a few weeks daily use.
But it was under £100 and I'll get around to fixing it sometime.
Or it will sell on ebay as spares/repairs for up to 3/4 of what I paid for it.
One amp I bought on ebay worked fine the day I got it, but keeled over after a few weeks daily use.
But it was under £100 and I'll get around to fixing it sometime.
Or it will sell on ebay as spares/repairs for up to 3/4 of what I paid for it.
What’s your budget or have I missed that?
Personally, I wouldn’t bother with the whole retro thing. There are some crazy prices out there, speakers can deteriorate over time, and there have been some real improvements with amplification. Upgrade paths are also more limited.
I’d decide on your budget and if you want to get everything now or something built around your preferred source which you’ll then add to later on. Even if you want everything now do you think the system will evolve? If so, that might affect what you spend the most on now.
Personally, I’d get yourself down to a hi fi shop and start listening to amp / speaker combos. Buying second hand is great but I wouldn’t want to buy anything where I’ve not heard it before - and ideally in my own home. A good shop should allow you to do this.
You mention a warm sound. Wharfedale speakers and a Marantz amp would be my suggestion.
Personally, I wouldn’t bother with the whole retro thing. There are some crazy prices out there, speakers can deteriorate over time, and there have been some real improvements with amplification. Upgrade paths are also more limited.
I’d decide on your budget and if you want to get everything now or something built around your preferred source which you’ll then add to later on. Even if you want everything now do you think the system will evolve? If so, that might affect what you spend the most on now.
Personally, I’d get yourself down to a hi fi shop and start listening to amp / speaker combos. Buying second hand is great but I wouldn’t want to buy anything where I’ve not heard it before - and ideally in my own home. A good shop should allow you to do this.
You mention a warm sound. Wharfedale speakers and a Marantz amp would be my suggestion.
It's all in the amp and speakers (and speaker wire), I've got 25 yr old floor standers and a reasonably good Cambridge audio amp. Although I love CDs etc I removed all other separates for a cleaner look and stream radio, music etc thru an old Alexa device. Sound quality is amazing to me and far better than Sonos type modern solutions
You could buy a modern steaming amp and a pair of speakers - job done.
If you've got anything on cassette that isn't available on Youtube I'll be quite surprised. All Youtube needs is a lead between the PC/laptop/tablet/whatever and your amp. Youtube may not be hi-res but it's not as if cassettes are either.
If you've got anything on cassette that isn't available on Youtube I'll be quite surprised. All Youtube needs is a lead between the PC/laptop/tablet/whatever and your amp. Youtube may not be hi-res but it's not as if cassettes are either.
OutInTheShed said:
i think vintage hifi is a gamble, plenty of components in an amp can die of old age.
One amp I bought on ebay worked fine the day I got it, but keeled over after a few weeks daily use.
But it was under £100 and I'll get around to fixing it sometime.
Or it will sell on ebay as spares/repairs for up to 3/4 of what I paid for it.
I watched a yt vid the other day, he fixed an old-ish-but-not-that-old-really Onkyo AV amp. Every single surface mount capacitor on the DSP board needed replacing!One amp I bought on ebay worked fine the day I got it, but keeled over after a few weeks daily use.
But it was under £100 and I'll get around to fixing it sometime.
Or it will sell on ebay as spares/repairs for up to 3/4 of what I paid for it.
Forums | Home Cinema & Hi-Fi | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff