Hi Fi/music player advice

[badgermark]

with £300 to spend on separates plus a turntable you're going to be very lucky indeed to get a setup for that.

I found that a really nice system can be had with the following kind of budget:

* £200 on speakers
* £200 on the amp
* £100 on the cd player
* £150 on a turntable
* £50 on speaker stands
*£100 on interconnects & speaker wire
TOTAL = £800.00 and thats really stripping it back.  Any less than that and I think you're wasting your money (imo).

Once you have cash available, go to a shop that will let you hook up various bits of gear and take along some CDs that you're very familiar with - you'll want to listen to the control in the bass end and how extended it is (for starters).  I like a bit of Primal Scream's Accelerator to test out seperates then something like Otis Blue or Lady Soul (Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin respectively) for quieter stuff to make sure the rig isn't too brash.

Hmm a trip to a hi fi with my favorite Aereogramme album seems imminent. Plus i need to get myself a new TV as well. Beans and toast for meals but i'll be able to listen to the same 4 vinyls over and over and over.

[ToneMonkey]

I picked up my speakers second hand for only £50.  They're chuffin good RTL TDL2's as agreed by a lot of people on here.  That'll leave you some money for the amp and CD player.  Do you have a DVD player at the minute?  That's what I'm using as a CD player.  Might do for the time being.

[Denim n Leather]

Most DVD players make TERRIBLE CD players! Why? Because the angle  and focal length required for the laser to read a DVD is different than a CD. The best multi-format players (even a discontinued model like an Arcam DV-78 or DV-88) have either two lasers, or a special laser that changes according to format. DVD players are also not designed to natively play back a CD at 16/44.1, thus there is some converting taking place; and with that conversion comes read errors, error correction, and associated jitter. A player like the DV-78/88 mentioned above is designed to play back both CDs and DVDs in a high quality fashion.

A good CD player is still going to be superior for playing back CDs, in my opinion, than a good multi-format, so-called Universal player unless it is VERY good, like an Arcam DV-137/139 or Esoteric UX-1/UX-3/DV-50.

[ToneMonkey]

Oh, I don't deny that.  I agree 100%.

I only meant that it could do for the time being if you've only got £300 and are planning on building the system up.  For the time being it will play CD's so you could get an amp and speakers and have a working system until you could afford a CD player.

Being honest the DVD player that I'm using is a multi function jobbie and has been working quite good with the stereo.  When I have the money and can be arsed, it swill be replaced with a proper CD player and the DVD player will be under the telly replacing the cr@p one that's there at the minute (haven't watched a DVD for over a year now so no immediate rush).

[PhilKing]

If you can find a second hand Thorens TD150/160/125 for your turntable that will be a good source (though you will need to get an arm, but second hand most have them).  The TD150 is almost a ringer for the Linn - I have one in my old Linn plinth with an Ittok Arm!  Look for a second hand NAD Stereo amp (I picked one up on EBay for£45 a few years ago) and see what you can find in second hand speakers.  If you pick up a Hi Fi news they have second hand shops in the back and they have some good deals too.