Please me help me to buy my new hi-fi

[ASNL77]

My budget: £1 000. (about $1 900). What do you advise me to buy (CD player, amplifier, speakers)

Edited April 28, 2005 by ASNL77

[sheldonm]

My budget: £1 000. (about $1 900). What do you advise me to buy (CD player, amplifier, speakers)

...I'll sell you mine!

[jazzbo]

Okay, I'll be like a broken record and recommend my favorite audio products:

https://athena.safe-order.net/decware/catalog.htm

[BbM7]

Jazzbo,

No one wants to listen to a broken record, especially on a new hi-fi.

Over the years, you've certainly piqued my interest in decware. Perhaps someday!

[Chuck Nessa]

Yes, I suggest you buy a CD player, amplifier, speakers.

[Jazzmoose]

Okay, I'll be like a broken record and recommend my favorite audio products:

https://athena.safe-order.net/decware/catalog.htm

Damn, Lon...every time you post that link I lose an hour at least, drooling...

[wolff]

You need to go listen to some gear at your local hi-fi dealer to get an idea of what's available. Listen to a low powered tube amp with good efficient speakers at some point.

Off topic:

That Decware tubed phono stage looks yummy. Dual mono, with outboard power supply and adjustable impedance and no circuit boards.

Edited April 29, 2005 by wolff

[jazzbo]

Yes Wolff, it has gotten good pr from owners. And I haven't heard a circuit from Steve Deckert that doesn't bring great sounding music home to poppa!

[Clunky]

You need to go listen to some gear at your local hi-fi dealer to get an idea of what's available. Listen to a low powered tube amp with good efficient speakers at some point.

I doubt you'd get a tube amp and CD player speakers at under £1000. Rotel get pretty good write ups and might be worth considering. If it was me I'd probably spend £500 on the amp and split the other £500 between the player and the speakers.

[jazzbo]

I think you could afford the basic Zen amp, and the Parker 95 speakers that are designed to mate with them and get really good reviews from owners of the combo, and a fairly decent SACD or universal player to start off an excellent system (with the Decware amps you don't need a preamp for cd, they have adjustable gain pots on the amps' inputs).

Decware Zen "C" Amp

Parker 95 speakers

There are users of Decware in the UK that maybe you could talk to, audition with? Look within this forum if interested:

Decware Forum

One of these, David Williams, posts here occasionally.

Edited April 29, 2005 by jazzbo

[AmirBagachelles]

I would spend $400-500 on a player, $600-800 on an amp, and $600-800 on speakers. Pick a small bookshelf speaker/minimonitor with stands, I would say. (I spent $1600 for my gear, $400 each on a player, pre, amp, and used bookshelf speakers.)

For speakers:

www.nsmaudio.com

I believe Cadence can let you buy and trial these speakers or anything they sell on easy-return terms. Talk to Cadence about your budget choices, they also have good used/demo gear.