Planning for a good entry level HiFi system

bijumgopal

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Jan 9, 2015
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Chennai but native place is Calicut, Kerala
Hi, I am totally new to HiFi system.
Music is like breath for me.
My favourite genres are Melody, Classical and Vocal.
I also like selected western pop like 'Hotel California', 'Bohemian Rhapsody' etc.
I have been listening to my favorites using my Pioneer EV5 music system. Now I would like to move to a good HiFi system.
I visited the Chennai showroom of TORVIN and got impressed my their entry level Integrated Amp and Bookshelf speaker system.
But later came to know that the prices are at par with international brands.
I would like to have opinion about the combination Norge 2060 + Wharfdale Diamond 10.1 Bookshelf speaker.
I will use my existing Pioneer as CD player.
Budget wise this fit my pocket. Regarding performance I request your suggestion. What are the tood shops in Chennai?

Thankyou.
 
Hi, I am totally new to HiFi system.
Music is like breath for me.
My favourite genres are Melody, Classical and Vocal.
I also like selected western pop like 'Hotel California', 'Bohemian Rhapsody' etc.
I have been listening to my favorites using my Pioneer EV5 music system. Now I would like to move to a good HiFi system.
I visited the Chennai showroom of TORVIN and got impressed my their entry level Integrated Amp and Bookshelf speaker system.
But later came to know that the prices are at par with international brands.
I would like to have opinion about the combination Norge 2060 + Wharfdale Diamond 10.1 Bookshelf speaker.
I will use my existing Pioneer as CD player.
Budget wise this fit my pocket. Regarding performance I request your suggestion. What are the tood shops in Chennai?

Thankyou.

______________________________________________
Your choice is good. Take a plunge into wonderful world of Hi-Fi. The combination that you have mentioned is good to start with. I am sure, once you are into it, insatiable desire will engulf you and you will start wanting something better than the best! But before buying any gear, audition the product as many time as you can, with various combinations. One problem here, Norge doesn't have any dealer in Chennai but I am sure that FMs from Chennai would help you.
Wish you all the best :clapping: :clapping: :clapping:
 
"My favourite genres are Melody, Classical and Vocal."

Hint:
A good full range driver >= 8 inches coupled with a decently powered amplifier should do the job well for your kind of music.

If you have enough space and okay with little help from carpenter google for JE Labs open baffle design to start with.

Rest is homework for you and your choice :)
Best luck!
 
+Rohit,

For classical and Vocal ,Full range is best as the Sound comes out of single source without any distraction.

Just select Driver and if you so Lazy for building the cabin then try Open Baffle.
 
My recommendation for OB is deliberate for open sound.

+ Its easy to make is added bonus :)
 
I would recommend you to start your journey from used amp and speaker, later you may upgrade
Rgds,
Andis
 
I have Norge 2060 + Boston Acoustics A26. It sounds great. I considered Wharfdale 10.1 or 121 as well, but got A26 since it was on a sale in hifimart for 13,900. I think now it is out of stock.

I bought my Norge 2060 directly from Mr. Shyam Bajaj. You can email him and he will give you bank details. Transfer the amount and it reaches you in 2 to 3 days. Great amp. But my advice is through in some more and go for Norge 1000. More power.
 
will he get required bas for trackslike 'Hotel California', 'Bohemian Rhapsody ?? When I heard OB i founf\d them quiet bass less!

OK, just for others reference. YMMV :)

I have an OB setup @ my home using vintage 12 inch drivers put in a JE labs baffle design.

The sound stage is quite huge (as compared to anything I have heard till now).
Vocals are very prominent and realistic.
Bass is natural, tight and tuneful when required without a hint of "boxiness"(There is no box/enclosure after all)
The Bass notes produced have enough heft and intensity to surprise you at times! It can go pretty LOw.........

We will not get Bass like you get from a subwoofer or the reverbing Bass notes from a "boxy" design (which I really cant appreciate as they sound very artificial).
It has the capacity to provide the right bass when required.

So, IMHO, "OB cant give good Bass" is more of a myth albeit it is implemented well. That is where the size of a driver plays a big role.

Recently I heard a 15 inchers placed on plastic chair (without any enclosure, Raw driver) it has enough air moving capacity to create chest thumping Bass notes.

So it all boils down to driver size, baffle dimensions (height,width,shape), placement.

Also another factor to consider is the price. In similar price point the VFM can be very high in a well put setup.
+ you get flexibility to try different drivers (you can use adapter rings to fit an 8, 10, 12, 15 incher or anything in between! :) )

I cant say if it is better or worse but it is an interesting way to listen to music. :)
 
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P.S: If it helps any beginner. Notes.
Earlier I had floor standing speakers (having two bass drivers, a midrange and a tweeter) costing 5 x more.
Current ones sound better with better coherence, wider soundstage, better vocals and timbre, better bass, more open sound.

Needless to say, I am really surprised and dumbfound how a simply setup and humble costing system can sound so much better! It especially works well for the genre of music I subscribe to which is predominantly vocals and classical.

Took me quite some time and money to realize this! :) Still learning...

Just my honest observations and experience.
Kind regards!
 
Lets not limit yourself to Norge and Wharfedale alone. You could let us know your budget, that will help with suggestions.
Norge and Wharfedale is a good start, in keeping with your budget you should listen to various combinations of amplifier and speakers, carry your own material that you normally listen to. Listening to a few combinations will open your world a bit more and you will begin to have preference one over other, this is important. Satisfy yourself among the options available in budget, then go for the one sounds best to you.

A good pre-owned amplifier is highly recommended.
 
I heard from htstore guy that Dali Zensor 1 has a small driver. It is more of Satellite. Zensor 3 is a good Bookshelf speaker for music.
 
Get Norge 2030 amplifier - priced about 6-7K.
That will leave you with a fortune to spend on the speakers.

Remember the sound tone/signature is mostly speakers. Amps are fairly flat and linear and most of the times you will not even recognize which amp is powering.

I have recommended 2030 amp by Norge because it has fair enough power to sound very loud sans any distortion. Of course if you sit 20 ft away from the speakers, then you DO require considerably higher wattage amp - something like Norge 1000.

On speakers, you WILL need to audition to know if the sound produced is something that you would want or not.
Do not limit yourself to only Wharfedales. Do not fall prey to notions that you need largest possible speaker to produce good bass.
 
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Side Note: For benefit of OP.

1) Speakers are a very important part of the system. Maybe the most important! Period.

2) Different amplification sounds different due to different implementation. If you connect a NAD Vs Marantz Vs Norge Vs other, there will certainly be a difference in presentation (warm/bright/neutral). If you connect a solid state Vs a tube amp it will sound different.

The 1 + 2 combination also matters.

Often you see 'warm' amp + 'bright' speaker combo, vice versa.

Just my 2 cents. YMMV. :p
 
Have you considered Usher S-520? Almost any amp would drive this. There was an old thread (by psychotropic, i think) about pairing Usher S-520 even with Topping TP20 chipamp.

There are better Class D amps available nowadays at very reasonable prices. If I was in your shoes, I would go for this combo (Usher S-520 with a sub $100 Class D amp.

But of course, this is all highly subjective.
 
For excellent sound that won't break the bank, the 5 Star Award Winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Bookshelf Speakers is the one to consider!
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