Suggestions please...Want to upgrade my old BPL music system

sand64

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Hi friends...

I am having a old music system from BPL (model No.D-1000 with a pair of 4-way floorstander T-1000) which I purchased way back in 1998.

I liked it when I purchased it but within 2-3 years of owning it, I felt I want more.... Throgh this forum I came know about big brand names like yamha, onkyo, but being small town guy of Lucknow, never got chances to audition any one of these.....

Anyone knowing about this BPL system may suggest If I should discard my existing system or should I upgrade it. I have a budget of 50-60k but surely look for optimum value for money. On the other hand I would never mind spending more than 100k (in phases) for a decent system. I am more in music than movies but will prefer 5.1 system...

Also in my BPL system, at half the volume levels, speakers start booming or sound becomes a bit noisy, muddy and distorted. What does it indicate.... powerful amp & weak speakers ????

Will be greatful for suggestions

thanks & regards..
 
Hi there
If you are more in music then movies why go for a 5.1 system. You should opt for a stereo setup (2 channel) as your BPL system which is also a stereo setup.
I think 60k is a decent budget. I have not auditioned much so would leave to other forum members to give suggestions.
Also you can go through threads like one Magma has started where he has give his views on various stereo setups he has audiotioned
And I would also suggest you make a trip to Delhi if there are not enough dealers in Lucknow. I know its not easy traveling but then as you said you want the best value for your money, then its best to audition all you shortlist
 
Rikhav....Your BPL stereo was the best during its time. It was an original Sanyo paired with BPL floor standing speakers. There was nothing like it back then in terms of features and sound quality.

If i recall right the D1000 was launched over 10 years ago. The problems with the sound can only be with the amplifier. You might need to replace some of the electronic componenets in the amplifier section. Be careful who you give it to. Not everyone can handle a D1000. Quality Speakers very rarely fade in performance and what BPL made for the D1000 back then was a classic.

Well there are a couple of things you can do. One is retain the BPL speakers and pair it with a new Stereo Amplifier or 5.1 Surround Sound Receiver from Onkyo, Yamaha, etc.

First thing is you need to figure what you really want. If music is your priority I suggest staying away from 5.1 cause there is a world of a difference in sound quality.

For stereo you can buy a Norge top of the line Amplifier. You must be having a DVD player so that should take care of your music and movies.

If you must have 5.1 you can still retain the BPL speakers and buy a 5.1 channel Surround Receiver from Onkyo or Yamaha. A matching receiver from these brands should cost around Rs. 25000. There is a little risk. If the sound does not turn out well with your BPL speakers you will have to spend on new speakers too but i think we can accomodate them in the said budget & you are ready for this too.

There are so many options that it might end up very confusing. So start with a new Stereo Amplifier or Surround Sound/AV Receiver.

There is nothing much you can do to upgrade the electronics on your D1000. I am just guessing that your speakers are still good for this upgrade.
 
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I would tend to agree your old BPL is good. A couple of options. Get the electronics on the BPL repaired and if you have a PC you can connect it with the PC. I've done it for a couple of friends and instead of playing tape or a CDP via the Aux its instead connected to a PC via the Aux. The SQ will be considering the amp the speakers package.

Can your speakers be disconnected or are they inbuilt? I'm not too sure if they can be paired with a stereo amp. That will take some mixing and matching.

The final and more expensive option is to assemble a new system from the ground up and for this lots of options. You can go for a 5.1/7.1 system but it will not be too good for music. You can go for a stereo amp, CDP, speakers, but this will be more expensive especially if you're looking for a great sounding unit. Another option to consider is a PC with a great soundcard and powered speakers. Cost will be on par or even lesser, but as a system it will outperform everything else. You will just need a home PC, nothing special. Just need to invest in a good soundcard, that's all.

Think and let us know which direction you would like to proceed in and lots more help will pour in.
 
hi sand
for that sort of price you can go for a good surround sound system or a really good stereo system. going the stereo route you get much better quality of sound.

if you do get to audition when you travel the step into a showroom that sells monitor audio. for a surround sound you would be looking at the bronze series. for stereo you would be looking at the silver series. it'll give you an idea of good quality surround sound versus a better quality stereo setup within the same budget
 
Muddiness is likely due to incorrect mounting of speakers. Make sure you have a firm stand. Put the speakers on spikes and experiment. Your player also needs to be on a sturdy base and isolated from vibrations. Instead of electronics, these mechanical adjustments might improve the sound more effectively.

Regards
 
I remember the D1000, it truly was the king of its day, far superior to comparable offerings from Philips, Sony and the like. I had its little brother, the D200, which again was just a rebadged Sanyo, again excellent sound that far exceeded the cmopetition.

About replacement, unless you have a way of testing each of the individual components to see which are still good, and which to dicard, i would honestly recommend getting rid of it and just putting together a good stereo setup from ground up.

Rikhav....Your BPL stereo was the best during its time. It was an original Sanyo paired with BPL floor standing speakers. There was nothing like it back then in terms of features and sound quality.

If i recall right the D1000 was launched over 10 years ago. The problems with the sound can only be with the amplifier. You might need to replace some of the electronic componenets in the amplifier section. Be careful who you give it to. Not everyone can handle a D1000. Quality Speakers very rarely fade in performance and what BPL made for the D1000 back then was a classic.

Well there are a couple of things you can do. One is retain the BPL speakers and pair it with a new Stereo Amplifier or 5.1 Surround Sound Receiver from Onkyo, Yamaha, etc.

First thing is you need to figure what you really want. If music is your priority I suggest staying away from 5.1 cause there is a world of a difference in sound quality.

For stereo you can buy a Norge top of the line Amplifier. You must be having a DVD player so that should take care of your music and movies.

If you must have 5.1 you can still retain the BPL speakers and buy a 5.1 channel Surround Receiver from Onkyo or Yamaha. A matching receiver from these brands should cost around Rs. 25000. There is a little risk. If the sound does not turn out well with your BPL speakers you will have to spend on new speakers too but i think we can accomodate them in the said budget & you are ready for this too.

There are so many options that it might end up very confusing. So start with a new Stereo Amplifier or Surround Sound/AV Receiver.

There is nothing much you can do to upgrade the electronics on your D1000. I am just guessing that your speakers are still good for this upgrade.
 
To make the whole purchase an easier thing to do I recommend the Pro Fx or Onkyo Theatre packages. Agreed; its not anywhere close to being the best but they do sound good with some tweaking. I have worked on the Onkyo TX SR304E paired with Pure Acoustics AV799 & Onkyo SKW204 Sub woofer. It is a bright sounding setup but it works very well for Home Theatre & is decent with music. This package costs around Rs. 38000. This is as sweet as it can get.

I recommend this as you mentioned that it is not easy for you to source quality Hi Fi considering where you live. All of the above brands & models can be purchased from Onkyo. They deal with Pure Acoustics as well & can demo it from you
 
Get in touch with Mr. Madhav Kohli he is located in Lucknow and will be able to help you out in selecting/buying/auditioning the system of your choice. He was employed with CA Audio in delhi but now he has started his own venture. Call him at 09415434861.
 
Thanks friends for your valuable suggestions...and sorry fort late reply, being out of staion..

From out of whatever i have gathered from your suggestions, few questions have arised in my mind.

1. Many people say if u r more in music than movies, then no need to go for 5.1. But whenever you see a movie in a dolby theatre, you enjoy more and it is again sound which u enjoy more.

2. Even if I prefer to stick to stereo, how do i upgrade my BPL system....?? My sytem is ok but i feel that vocals are not that clear and speakers start booming distorted at half of vol. control. I cant get electronic parts modification done. So tell me which one to replace? Amp or speakers. I dont know rms power of my amp and my speakers are two floorstandars (4-way with two 20 cm drivers).

Do suggest...

thanks & regards.
 
Thanks friends for your valuable suggestions...and sorry fort late reply, being out of staion..

From out of whatever i have gathered from your suggestions, few questions have arised in my mind.

1. Many people say if u r more in music than movies, then no need to go for 5.1. But whenever you see a movie in a dolby theatre, you enjoy more and it is again sound which u enjoy more.

2. Even if I prefer to stick to stereo, how do i upgrade my BPL system....?? My sytem is ok but i feel that vocals are not that clear and speakers start booming distorted at half of vol. control. I cant get electronic parts modification done. So tell me which one to replace? Amp or speakers. I dont know rms power of my amp and my speakers are two floorstandars (4-way with two 20 cm drivers).

Do suggest...

thanks & regards.

Sand,

Since you say you are more into music but still like to enjoy that occasional movie in 5.1 may I suggest:
1) Onkyo/philips/sony htib This is basically an av reciever(surround amp+tuner) with an included 5.1 speaker package. Something like the onkyo 3100 would be good enough. It costs 18k.

2) A Norge 1000 paired with a set of bookshelf speakers like the Wharfedale 9.1 /Tannoy F1 / Usher se 520 for about 30k. Audition these to find what kinda sound suits your taste.

Now the big question what are you going to be using as your source?
 
Thanks a lot..

But can u suggest why my existing stereo system distorts in SQ at higher volume levels ? Whenever I go beyond half the level of vol. control the vocals become muddy and speakers start booming. Which one causes this distortion.... Amp. or speakers ?

regards.
 
Thanks a lot..

But can u suggest why my existing stereo system distorts in SQ at higher volume levels ? Whenever I go beyond half the level of vol. control the vocals become muddy and speakers start booming. Which one causes this distortion.... Amp. or speakers ?

regards.

Sand,
That is the reason why I asked you about your source of music. Is it a pc, cd player. dvd player, cassette player? You could even check the wiring, soldering in speakers, amp etc. But again, I think our experts will have better troubleshooting skills:)
 
I think the amp has seen its days. You can buy a Norge 1000 and pair them with your BPL speakers. Even if this does not work the new amp is still good for a new pair of speakers you can buy from Norge itself.

As suggested by another member; a HTIB sounds best for you. You can get a very good sounding system from Philips or Samsung. They do ok for music too.
 
After listening to nice and warm floor standing speakers for over 10 years it is highly improbable that Sand would be satisfied with a HTIB for music. He might get impressed by the demo, mostly due to the subwoofer, but he would repent his purchase within a few days.

Sand,
Though this BPL system was good for its times, 50% of the volume control was what it was meant to play comfortably. Apparently, you like your music loud and clear. So you need a more powerful Amp. No HT receiver (AVR) in your budget is good enough for music, but if you insist on an AVR, please consider Denon and Yahama over Onkyo. Onkyo is good for movies but is not the most warm and musical amp.

In the long term you would need to replace your entire BPL system, but you could do it in steps:

Step1: (Amp ~30 to 40K)
  • Use your current DVD player or PC as source. You could also use the line out from the BPL box, if there is one
  • Use your current BPL speakers
  • Buy an amp from NAD, Marantz or Cambridge Audio (CA). Spend about 35K for this. Buying a cheaper amp would compromise your future setup, for ever.

Step2: (Speakers ~40 to 50K)
Replace the speakers with good floor standing towers from Monitor Audio(MA) or Mordaunt Short (MS). Buy the best you can at that point in time. You could also consider used speakers from a higher series of MA, MS or B&W.

Step3: (Source ~25 to 35K)
  • Replace the source with a good CD player from the same company as your amp; there are many benefits in doing so, but you could go to a different brand too.
  • If you start using HDD based audio by that time, consider CA DACMagic.
Now you have a pretty good stereo system!
Start with the HT...


Step4: (Sub-Woofer)
Buy a Sub-woofer for movies. Keep it switched off for music.

Step5: (Home Theater)
  • Buy a HT receiver and connect its preout for the front channel to your stereo amp.
  • Buy matching center and surrounds from the same company as your main speakers.
This way, eventually you would have the best system you can afford; without having to dispose off any of your new purchases for many years to come.

Thanks,
Sharad
 
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Thanks sharad
& thanks to all members taken pains to help me out for my quest...

Sorry I was out so could't post replies..

Just when I decided to try, by buying a pair of speakers and replacing my old one, I find sharad suggesting replacment of my amp. Well thanks a lot.. that is pretty well planned & explained.

Now suggest in following lines...

1. What if I buy a pair of speakers, stand mounted bookshelves or floorstanders, and replace BPL one? If I enjoy them then continue with stereo mode for some more time.

2. Later on buy a good AVR and use all 4 speakers..... a step towards 5.1.

3. Then spend some money on sub & centre.

This is because I feel that my amp is ok but speakers are not able to handle the power send by amp. to speakers. Well I may be wrong & sharad may be correct.... it may be that my amp. distorts at higher volumes.... I am not sure...

Physically I can say that the sound is ok at lower volumes and these is enough bass. But system as a whole somewhat lacks in mid range..

My BPL speaker has 2 Nos. of 8' drivers. One driver is always active and another activates when I press "bass boost" butten of my amp.

So I need suggessions from sharad as will as all the pals
of this thread..so that I can start with my auditions & purchases.

Also suggest about adding a source to the amp. so that I can listen my mp3 files...

thanks & regards.
 
Well you can buy a new pair of speakers but I feel the problem is still with the amp. The circuit components have probably reached their service life though I know it is a little too soon.

Do go ahead with a new pair of book shelves if you like. You can always use them at a later stage when you make the move to 5.1.

Amplifiers show signs of fade when they are unable to handle heavy bass even at low to moderate volume levels. When the volume is high & you have a lot of bass hitting the speakers you can sometimes notice the lights on the amplifier going dim in sync to the bass note or thump. You need to look close for this. This is a sign of weak curcuits & over load. Can happen with age & improper speaker-amplifier matching. In your case it is due to age of the system. More so for the amplifier. Speakers can go on & on.

The Bass Boost function has nothing to do with the 2nd driver coming to life. It is normal. Its sends a boost to the lower frequencies & the cone starts moving. There is no special circuitry for the speaker system. I know this for sure in the D1000 as there is only 1 pair of speaker wire running to the speakers. At a later stage BPL stopped selling the dual woofer floor standers for the D1000. They switched to book shelves with a single 8" woofer.

Your computer or laptop is the best source to get your MP3's flowing through the system. A Hi Fi dedicated source such as a CD player will ruin your budget plans cause the cheapest CD player that supports MP3 is a Marantz 6002 for Rs. 21500 (Cost in Coimbatore). Onkyo & Denon make a changer based CD player (Rs. 18000 approx) that reads MP3 but I suggest you stay away from them cause CD Changers tend to have problems in the long run.

Do audition some book shelves & for an immediate solution to the amplifier I suggest a Norge. You can mail them your speaker specifications (Hope you have the speaker manual or it should be printed behind the speaker box) & they will revert back to you with the right model.
 
Sand64,

I agree with most of the comments from sandeepmohan. That is exactly why I feel that you would need to replace the amp too in the near future. So instead of doing it as disjointed steps, plan the whole move and then implement it in phases.

Norge amps are good value for money, if you are on a strict budget, but you mentioned that you could spend more that 50K now and upto 100K in phases. You can do much better with all this money, if you plan it well.

Thanks,
Sharad
 
Thanks sharad
& thanks to all members taken pains to help me out for my quest...

Sorry I was out so could't post replies..

Just when I decided to try, by buying a pair of speakers and replacing my old one, I find sharad suggesting replacment of my amp. Well thanks a lot.. that is pretty well planned & explained.

Now suggest in following lines...

1. What if I buy a pair of speakers, stand mounted bookshelves or floorstanders, and replace BPL one? If I enjoy them then continue with stereo mode for some more time.

2. Later on buy a good AVR and use all 4 speakers..... a step towards 5.1.

3. Then spend some money on sub & centre.

This is because I feel that my amp is ok but speakers are not able to handle the power send by amp. to speakers. Well I may be wrong & sharad may be correct.... it may be that my amp. distorts at higher volumes.... I am not sure...

Physically I can say that the sound is ok at lower volumes and these is enough bass. But system as a whole somewhat lacks in mid range..

My BPL speaker has 2 Nos. of 8' drivers. One driver is always active and another activates when I press "bass boost" butten of my amp.

So I need suggessions from sharad as will as all the pals
of this thread..so that I can start with my auditions & purchases.

Also suggest about adding a source to the amp. so that I can listen my mp3 files...

thanks & regards.

Well you could confirm whether its your speakers or amp.by trying your amp with somebody else s speakers( new one/good condition) or your amp with other speakers.:)

Sharad, I suggested htib just for movies and pure stereo set up like norge 1000 with wfdale 9.1 for music.

sand, as for your source, if you have a pci e slot on your pc you could get a asus xonar essence stx and hook it up to your amp and speakers. Expense 8.2k
 
A beautiful, well-constructed speaker with class-leading soundstage, imaging and bass that is fast, deep, and precise.
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