I second the opinions of others that quality used equipment can yield more cost effective results than new, particularly in categories of audio gear that possess few moving mechanical parts, such as tuners, amplifiers, and speakers. Don't forget to audition equipment from quality Canadian, British, and European manufacturers as well as the BEST Japanese and American brands. Do expect some brands of new quality gear to take some time to break in. Cheap awful stuff stays bad forever. And above all, let your ears, not your eyes, ego, or wallet be the judge. Audition using familiar recordings of acoustic music (classical, jazz, folk, blues, unplugged rock, or whatever) so that you can compare that sound to some roughly analogous live reference. Remember that sound preferences can be very personal, so what pleases you best may not please someone else. However, do buy a sound that you can live with without fatigue, but not at the expense of the details and nuances of the music. Do listen to great equipment that you can't possibly afford, then try to see how close you can come to that great sound within your budget using lesser equipment. Think about what conveniences and controls you really need; in high fidelity less is often more. Have fun!
Advice for a new hi-fi customer
Hello, I'm hoping I can get some help/comments/suggestions in upgrading my system. I have consumer level stuff and only recently realised what I have been missing. I use my current system for audio and home theater. I know I need to upgrade everything but only have the $$ to do it in stages. Currently: Kenwood AV reciever VR-2080 (100wX5 with preamp outputs) Kenwood DV-2070 DVD player Bose 201 Bookshelfs Bose Acoustimass II Series 5 (Two sats and one passive sub) Bose VCS-10 center Cheap cables connecting them right now. I wish I had known more before I got some of the stuff I did, but c'est la vie. I am making up for that now by doing lots of research/listening before I buy anything again. I have listened to and really like the Magnepan 1.6 speakers.(86db sensitivty) I would like to purcahse those as my first upgrade. The Kenwood "should" be able to power them (not well, I know. :)). But what I would like to know is where I should spend my next 1000.00. I have put a general price cap for myself at 1000.00 per component or upgrade. For example, I was looking for 2 channel amps in the 1000.00 range to conmsider after getting the maggies. All components need to be compatible with home theater. I will probably use the preamp section of the kenwood for a while since getting a hi-fi piece to replace it and to what it does (AC-3, DTS, ) is rather expensive. I listen to all types of music but generally do my critical listening to female vocalists like Tori Amos, Liz Phair, Ani D'franco, Jewel, Leah Andreone. Also listen to, but not very critically, rock, alternative, eletronic, classical, jazz, blues, techno, even some rap. I have heard the 1.6's paired with KRELL 250mc monoblocks and a wadia 850 cd transport and REALLY liked the sound. (Of course total system price was like 17,000) Also liked the time i heard a different set of 1.6 with Rotel CD player and 130w Rotel amp, but the bass wasn't "as" nice. (this is MUCH more in my price range) So you could use that as a reference of my tastes. My room is medium sized maybe 18x20. (Haven't actually moved into it yet.) Thanks for any help, Nathan