Re KEF and Hegel - no, not a good idea. Unless your goal is to spend many thousands and be done with it. The LS50 has a very unique sound, needs very tricky placement, and on the bright and overly detailed side. Which is exactly what the Hegel does, too much separation, too little warmth and fluidity. Together: bright, fatiguing, in your face notes, that feels like a cat scratching your side burns. Both the Hegel and the KEF are impressive and good value for the money. But you need to find out if your ear likes that type of very revealing, analytical, monitor sound.
Seeking Advice to Improve My Audio System ($1000 Budget)
Hello everyone. I have started collecting physical media (mainly Classical Music, but also some Metal, and older singer/songwriter material) for a few years now, and have built up a collection that is mainly vinyl, but also some CDs. I have slowly built up a stereo system to support it. I am not very knowledgeable with audio equipment and feel like I am drowning in information, and so I have pieced together what there seems to be a consensus around with my budget. So far I have:
Audio Engine A5+ 150 W Speakers
REGA Planar Plus 1 Turntable with built in stage
SMSL PL200 CD Player
I use the RCA port for my turntable, and the aux port for my CD player.
Now I am wondering where I should go with my setup. I want my next investment to be around the $1000 range, but am not sure where to go with it. Should I get a woofer for the speakers and an external preamp for my turntable? Or at this price, am I better off looking for better speakers...or is there another weak point in my system? My main concerns are that the midrange and upper frequencies do sound muddy compared to other systems I have heard (but they aren't terrible) and while the bass isn't bad, it certainly could be enhanced.
As a final question, I am confused when it comes to the pre-amp. I don't quite understand how they work, and I am a bit confused and worried that I would run into an issue with my existing built-in preamp overriding an external one? Any advice?
Showing 4 responses by gano
it’s tricky because if you go to passive speakers, you would need an amp. You can get a decent vintage receiver for under a $100, on ebay, craigslist or shopgoodwill. I would go with Denon or Yamaha. You can’t really go wrong with it. But you can add Onkyo, Adcom and NAD to the list too. For speakers, again no need to spend a $1000. There are a lot of vintage speakers that sound great. Cambridge Soundworks, Celestion, Boston Acoustics, Monitor Audio, Paradigm, etc. The key is to find quality and avoid junk. People here spend many 1000s a year on cable upgrade alone. They can’t really make meaningful suggestions for a system that has no quality component (maybe your CD player is OK) especially the Rega 1 is despicable. I am saying this as a Rega fan, that version should not exists. (I am terrified by the Wavetouch Audio WT-95 idea that would "take" your $1000 and would leave with you where you are right now. And coincidentally, the person suggesting it is the person selling it. Ouch. No.) You can get great sound from vintage, quality components. Just do your research or feel free to pick our brains. Knowledge substitutes a lot of $$$ in audio. |
re: Wharfedale Lintons+Yamaha A-S801. I have had both, not at the same time though. I did not end up keeping them so they didn't end on the top of my list. The Lintons are very popular and well reviewed. The Yamaha less so. For that price range, I don't think there are better values than Creek, Quad Vena, Mission and Arcam. Musical Fidelity is one price category higher but also terrific value. A 30 day trial is the way to go. Here is a web site for speaker options: https://speakerchoices.com/ I know it may be frustrating for you that you find a combination you like and people tell you to like something else. It's all subjective there are no wrong choices. Your ear is the smartest guy in the room.
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