Budget Stereo Setup

[kingfisher]

I am planning to build a budget stereo setup. Since my budget is tight, I am planning to buy a used Stereo integrated amplifier from olx and books shelf speakers from Taga Hormony( around 13K) so my total budget is 25K. I found NAD C325 BEE stereo amp for 20K in Olx. Can it be paired with Taga Hormony speakers? Any suggestion is appreciated . Thanks in advance.

 

[raghupb]

NADs are usually benign amps. Pairs relatively well with most speakers.
Nuances, etc can only be ascertained after listening to the combo (Speakers+Amp)
Set a budget and choose the speakers first, if possible.
They go amp hunting (locally as you would a chance to actually pair up).

Since you have listed Chennai as your location, be patient. Something or the other will come up.
Also there is a vibrant group of FMs locally. Hook up and seek advice.
Someone may some have components hidden under their bed
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[MaSh]

Yes as Raghu mentioned, Speaker First, then hunt for an amp that can drive them well while being a good match.

What is your Source going to be? If its a digital source, you would need a DAC too.

MaSh

 

[ubitoo]

Blind purchases at entry level is a risky proposition because of individual tastes and hit or miss nature of the equipment. Going to second FM @raghupb's message above - audition before buy wherever possible. At least, survey the various sound signatures (warm, soft, bright etc.) associated with various brands using the music you prefer.

Having said that if you extend your speaker budget a bit, there are good ones on offer from Mission and Wharfedale too.

 

[hifitoaster]

Since you are in chennai, u can look at Ritchie street for both. U can easily set up a stereo under 15k which can outperform a 40-50k stuff bought new. Most old, quicker chennai folks and second hand stuff anywhere on internet is from there. Some of the stuff even lands in this forum for blown up prices

 

[RRR]

Some of the stuff even lands in this forum for blown up prices

Agree with you on this.

 

[sandeepmohan]

Since you are in chennai, u can look at Ritchie street for both.

Can you elaborate on what you get on RItchie Street? I have heard a lot about this place but have not been there nor do I know what you get? As in , new, used, pricing, component options, etc?

 

[hifitoaster]

Can you elaborate on what you get on RItchie Street? I have heard a lot about this place but have not been there nor do I know what you get? As in , new, used, pricing, component options, etc?

It's a market for electronic parts and finished goods. From chennai central, take a local train and get down at chindadripet station . I think its about 5-10 mins on this train. From there it's a km and half If i am.not wrong. There is one area in this market where u see more than 10 shops selling used audio. They all buy it from abroad, in bulk sometimes even in partially working states. Sometimes, they buy old stocks as such. And they swap parts sometimes from different dead amps to make working amps most of the times with original parts. Say for example u have 3 different and 3020 with 3 different complaints and u can built up one right. Then there are resellers who would pick up those amps and speakers and put them on olx and quickr adding their own creative stories to the history of these devices. But prices will be around 40 -100 percent blown up. Anyway, when u buy used in india, look for scratches on the devices, if there are too many usage Mark's then it's very likely to be from here. There is nothing wrong in getting from there if it's working and u know what to look for. U can get avrs , stereo amps, pre powers, speakers from possibly even high end brands. Had seen martinlogan, McIntosh and jolida tube amps at times. Depends on how lucky u r sometimes u can strike gold. I had bought lot from there but had problems with only few. Most sellers are gentlemen in terms of dealing. Atleast I never had any bad experience.

 

[kingfisher]

Yes as Raghu mentioned, Speaker First, then hunt for an amp that can drive them well while being a good match.

What is your Source going to be? If its a digital source, you would need a DAC too.

MaSh

I have Panasonic BDP 220 blu ray player and Cowon S9. Also I use mobile phone also to play songs. Anyhow, I am not planning to buy DAC as of now. Which speaker should I buy? My budget is max 15K.

How about this one: Awarded by WhatHiFi:

Mission LX-2 Bookshelf Speaker (PAIR)

The Mission LX-2 Bookshelf Speaker (PAIR) utilises Mission's traditional driver configuration and placing the tweeter below the mid/bass, the Mission LX-2 Speakers have been constructed with Mission's roots at the forefront of the design team's minds. The traditional arrangement facilitates tim

www.hifimart.com

 

[MaSh]

I have Panasonic BDP 220 blu ray player and Cowon S9. Also I use mobile phone also to play songs. Anyhow, I am not planning to buy DAC as of now. Which speaker should I buy? My budget is max 15K.

How about this one: Awarded by WhatHiFi:

Mission LX-2 Bookshelf Speaker (PAIR)

The Mission LX-2 Bookshelf Speaker (PAIR) utilises Mission's traditional driver configuration and placing the tweeter below the mid/bass, the Mission LX-2 Speakers have been constructed with Mission's roots at the forefront of the design team's minds. The traditional arrangement facilitates tim

www.hifimart.com

Oh alright. So all analog connections from the sources? Which amp will you be using?

Check the For Sale section, a speaker pair on sale came up today. Equalizer, AVR, HT speaker, Bookshelf speaker, DBX crossover for sale

MaSh

 

[kingfisher]

NADs are usually benign amps. Pairs relatively well with most speakers.
Nuances, etc can only be ascertained after listening to the combo (Speakers+Amp)
Set a budget and choose the speakers first, if possible.
They go amp hunting (locally as you would a chance to actually pair up).

Since you have listed Chennai as your location, be patient. Something or the other will come up.
Also there is a vibrant group of FMs locally. Hook up and seek advice.
Someone may some have components hidden under their bed
Cheers,
Raghu

Thanks. I found a NAD C 325 BEE Stereo Integrated Amplifier in Olx selling for 13K. I am bit skeptical about buying used one because I not that much expert in judging the price and condition of the amp. Any one know what is the actual price of this one?

 

[kingfisher]

Since you are in chennai, u can look at Ritchie street for both. U can easily set up a stereo under 15k which can outperform a 40-50k stuff bought new. Most old, quicker chennai folks and second hand stuff anywhere on internet is from there. Some of the stuff even lands in this forum for blown up prices

I bought my Altec Lansing VS4121 from there only , 9 years back. Still its working fine! if you know any shop name/person name there, pls let me know.

 

[hifitoaster]

I bought my Altec Lansing VS4121 from there only , 9 years back. Still its working fine! if you know any shop name/person name there, pls let me know.

I dont buy it from there anymore. Just because I dont need anything now. Also I am out of country for the time being. But chennai folks can definitely help, if they want to.

 

[Mayank Shah]

Norge and Taga, both have good budget amps. But Taga amp on the mart always seems to be out of stock.

 

[hifitoaster]

And trust me, these old units, some of which is over thirty years old, are more reliable than the ones we get to buy new now. My NAD 7120 is almost 35 years old. Till now, no repairs and still going strong, whereas a new marantz I had (pm 6003), I had to service 2 times before I sold it off. And sound wise too, they are more fresh than the new ones. My suggestion, try used vintage ones to built a stereo setup for a beginning, and later we can try new ones, which, probably you won't.

Same with my experience too, all the stuff from 2000s had more complaints than stuff from 80s, early 90s and 70s. A friend of mine has a pair of sonab(swedish hi fi brand specialized in omnidirectional speakers which got sold to some cheap brand later) speakers connected to a Pioneer sx series reciever from 70s. I havent heard the new Ohm walsch speakers anywhere but they follow the same principle. I really dont think I heard that kind of soundstage on anything under 50k these days. He picked it both for around 30k which I personally thought was too much for that old gear, until I heard it. I am sure , that speakers is going to be at my home, if he upgrades just because its weirdly special.