Hifi

[dubblebubble]

What sort of HiFi does everyone have. I have just blown my speakers and I'm in search of replacements. Thoughts?

cheers
Paul Arkell

[Bruce Lindfield]

Separates all the way - but if you're looking for speakers - then old Tannoys are great for reproducing bass - studio monitor quality!!

[anonymous0726]

I have a pair of Boston Acoustics that I love.

[Wil Davis]

Studer, Revox, Klipschorns.

- Wil

PS: If you're looking for new speakers, you might check eBay for used JBL 4412s - a friend of mine picked up a mint pair for less than $500. You just have to remember to get them up in the air (too bassy if they're left on the floor) - but man, do they sound good!

[Damon Rondeau]

Originally Posted by Ray Parker

I have a pair of Boston Acoustics that I love.

I know you're asking about something a little different, but Ray's comment twigged me a bit.

I managed to get a set of Boston Acoustics powered speakers for the PC (they're hard to find now, I think.) I bought 'em based on specs and anecdotal reports as high resolution speakers and man are they ever. The sweet spot in front of the computer sounds ranks right up there in the speaker systems I've heard. They're loud enough, too, to fill a moderate sized room, but some of the glorious detail is lost when you move out of the sweet spot.

[Ed Fuqua]

Anybody doing the Cambridge Audio stuff?

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Anybody doing the Cambridge Audio stuff?

I bought a Cambridge Audio DAB (Digital) Radio receiver (Tuner) at Xmas - like a present to me!!

It had won loads of awards in Hi Fi magazines and I'm very pleased with it.

Sounds good through my Tannoy Speakers!

[jneuman]

I run old JBL 4410 studio monitors , a Bryston 4B 200W/ch power amp, and Bryston broadcast pre-amp. All purchased 1/2 price through work. All are bullet proof and dead accurate. The JBLs are great for classical and acoustic jazz but lack punch for pop music.

Jon

[Chrix]

I'm running a Aiwa Reciever and Aiwa CD changer. I know...I know...not the best. But where I make up for it is my Yamaha NS-10s that I got for (get this) $6 for the pair at a rummage sale. And they're in impecable shape. Idealy, I'd like Marantz components, but I've got Grad School coming up and little money to throw around.

[dubblebubble]

I've always been a bit confused as to why a speaker would be callled a monitor, such as the NS-10. Is it because they do not project into a room like a standard speaker? If not what is the difference between a "monitor" and a standard speaker.

As far as Boston Acoustic speakers go, I loved my first pair of A70's brought way back in '86. They are a bit out my price range in Australia now though.

cheers
Paul

[mje]

Back when I was a Scientist- lab coat and everything- I had a lot of fun hauling test gear to high-end audio stores to evaluate speakers, amplifiers and tape decks for our lab. I got to know a lot of high end dealers, and spent a lot of time just auditioning gear.

I've heard good sound from $120 speakers, and from $25,000 speakers, and I'll say this: Once you have halfway decent speakers- that is, reasonably flat response, no obvious flaws, like buzzing, etc- the sound has less to do with the speakers than with what's at the front end.

I have a lot of speakers and amplifiers sitting around the house that I've snagged at yard sales- often for $10-$20- and I've discovered that you can build a good system if you trust your ears, ignore fashions and pseudo-tech-talk and find out what was popular ten or twenty years ago.

The "good" system has a pair of Polk 10As I bought as floor models in grad school *25 years ago* for $400. Still great. Fed by NAD electronics- and a really nice Music Hall CD player a friend in the business got me.

My livingroom system has a pair of B&W mini bookshelf speakers I bought for $25, a subwoofer I paid $20 for, and a Marantz receiver I paid $10 for, full of garage gunk. I hosed the Marantz out on my driveway, dried it, lubed the pots, and it sounds as good as new. ;-)

The music room has a pair of Dynaco A35XLs. A favorite in the 1970s, they can be had for nothing today. Bedroom, ADC monitors. There's more in the basement.

Assuming, though, that you want to buy new speakers:

Today I see a lot of flash "home theater" stuff with 5 or 7 speakers that sounds like it belongs on a computer for video gaming. Yuck. Lots of cool extreme imaging effects- hey, did a spaceship just go by?- but crummy sound.

Do this: ake a CD with really good bass sound, like Brian Bromberg's recent acoustic recording, go to an audio store and audition speakers until you find some that sound like there's a real acoustic bass in the room. Listen to stuff above your price level so you know what's possible, then listen critically to stuff you can afford.

[mje]

Originally Posted by dubblebubble

I've always been a bit confused as to why a speaker would be callled a monitor, such as the NS-10. Is it because they do not project into a room like a standard speaker? If not what is the difference between a "monitor" and a standard speaker.

"Monitor" used to be a meaningful word- it meant a speaker designed for critical near-field listening for profesisonal mixing. Monotors weren't necessarily flat- they were simply standardized, so you could repeat the same mix in different settings. There's a famous monitor (name escapes me) that was popular for mixing pop singles, since you could tell what the recording would sound like on a car radio!

Today the word is essentially maningless. It's used to refer to small speakers meant for studio mixing, but it's used to freely in advertising home audio speakers that it doesn't mean anything.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Anybody doing the Cambridge Audio stuff?

I noticed recently that the Cambridge Audio Azur 640C v2 won the "What Hi Fi" magazine award for best CD player under £500.

[velvetkevorkian]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Anybody doing the Cambridge Audio stuff?

i have their entry level amp, and it seems well worth the money. i recommended it for my mum's house as well, and it sounds very suave there, especiall for a relatively cheap piece of kit

[Ike Harris]

Several years ago, I decided to go nuts and get a nice surround system since we watch a lot of movies. The speakers are Polk Audio. The mains are the TR5 's (kind of medium small) and sound great. Within a year I upgraded to a better center and rear channel model. Made a lot of difference. I stayed with the subwoofer(a discontinued PSW100)I got since it also did a great job. The next thing would be to upgrade from the Sony receiver and add small subs to the center and rear speakers. I heard that done at a hi-end store and it was pretty dramatic.

That being said, I have all my old stuff in my music room(Pioneer, Empire, Advents) and will re-foam surround the speakers and get that sucker going.

Ike

[oliebrice]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Anybody doing the Cambridge Audio stuff?

I used to have one of their entry-level amps which had a lovely sound, but no pre-amp so useless for vinyl.

I'm thinking of buying one of their CD players now, anyone heard their cheap CD player CD34?

[John Sprague]

I just recently plugged in a pair of Advent speakers in my practice room that hadn't seen action since college a million years ago, and I'm happy as a pig in mud.

[oliebrice]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

I noticed recently that the Cambridge Audio Azur 640C v2 won the "What Hi Fi" magazine award for best CD player under £500.

I just bought one of these greatly reduced in the sales, and am very, very pleased with it. Beautifully clear, each instrument really stands out. reccomended.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Yes - I bought one too - I have a feeling the bass response isn't as good as my Marantz CD 63 Special Edition - but I do like it and it was very good for the money!