What is the lowest realistic amount required for a Hi-fi setup?

[madbullram]

Never buy used amps!! they will have their own aging problems!!:indifferent14: A good setup goes like this Amp=Norge 1000 + Norge book shelf =16000/-:yahoo: pioneer dvd player=4000 in total 20k u done it. Don't ask these audiophiles they will make u bankrupt

Used products do have problem but that doesnt mean you never buy them. If you wait and watch and pick the right one, you will go a long way. They give you immense value so dont throw them out of the window.

Spy: I just did my setup and I had gone the used product route, took me 4 months, I have a Marantz CD 48, NAD C350, Acousitc Research TSW410, Nakamachi CR2, Denon TS210 all within 25k.

At 19 what we lack is patience, we want all tomorrow (been there ). If you are willing to wait we can get a good system for around 20k. Norge is really decent system but thats where it stops.

 

[psychotropic]

yeah don't ask audiophiles about hi-fi......you can always ask the trolls!

Never buy used amps!! they will have their own aging problems!!:indifferent14: A good setup goes like this Amp=Norge 1000 + Norge book shelf =16000/-:yahoo: pioneer dvd player=4000 in total 20k u done it. Don't ask these audiophiles they will make u bankrupt

 

[Muthusami S]

Hey all!

I have been reading these forums and for a long time been wanting to get into serious stereo setup for music...

I would like to know, what according to you, would be the minimum($$ ) one requires to get into this?

Looking forward to your inputs

Hi Spy King,

You can set up a decent and true VFM stereo system within 20K. I have set up a system within the budget and enjoying music so far. Details:

1. Source: Philips DVP642K DVD Player (Rs. 4.5K) - Now you can get Philips 3356 DVD player for 2.3K in Chennai.

2. Amplifier: 100W RMS (per channel) Craftel amplifier (Model: STA 662) - Price 7K

3. Floorstanders: Craftel 150W RMS (per channel) - 12" woofer, 4" mid range, and 1" tweeter. - Price 7K

4. Cables: MX OFC - Rs. 45/metre.

I bought the amp. and floorstanders two years back. As you are in Chennai, you can enquire about the latest prices with Mark (Mobile: 9841023957) of Craftel. 2.1 systems are also available with Craftel (50Wx2 & 100W RMS sub). You can select speakers of your choice.

Hope this information helps.

 

[sonosphere]

Never buy used amps!! they will have their own aging problems!!:indifferent14: A good setup goes like this Amp=Norge 1000 + Norge book shelf =16000/-:yahoo: pioneer dvd player=4000 in total 20k u done it. Don't ask these audiophiles they will make u bankrupt

Hi Spyking,
I agree with rajanravi's Norge proposal as follows:
Norge 2060 amp (7.5k) + Norge Millenium spkr (11.5k) + LG Cdp (3k) = 23k

Also suggest the following at the cost of sounding "negative":
1. Don't spend even 1k on fancy cables... just budget Rs 500 for non-branded OFC cable... fancy cables are the biggest rip-offs in HiFi audio.
2. Two channel HIFI means delivering flat freq output from 50Hz to 20Hz comfortably without bass boost/equaliser to at least moderately loud levels (min 80dB at 2m distance from spkr).... Audioengines 2 or even 5 don't go till 50Hz in flat path. IMHO Only Norge Millenium, Wharfe 9.2 /10.2 are the budget bookshelves that can do.
3. At entry level, adding more amount to CDP won't help, rather divert the same to speakers... it will bring about greater change.

regds,

 

[grubyhalo]

...
2. Two channel HIFI means delivering flat freq output from 50Hz to 20Hz comfortably without bass boost/equaliser to at least moderately loud levels (min 80dB at 2m distance from spkr).... Audioengines 2 or even 5 don't go till 50Hz in flat path. IMHO Only Norge Millenium, Wharfe 9.2 /10.2 are the budget bookshelves that can do.
...

Hi sonos,
Could you please let me know how the Norge/Wharfedales compare to the Audioengines sound-wise?

 

[marsilians]

Hey all!

I have been reading these forums and for a long time been wanting to get into serious stereo setup for music...

I would like to know, what according to you, would be the minimum($$ ) one requires to get into this?

Looking forward to your inputs

It really depends on your budget, ears and heart in that order. I know some people who are very contented with the stock speakers that came with their computer while others crave for more despite having a few lacs worth of equipment.

 

[hemantwaghe]

Never buy used amps!! they will have their own aging problems!!:indifferent14: A good setup goes like this Amp=Norge 1000 + Norge book shelf =16000/-:yahoo: pioneer dvd player=4000 in total 20k u done it. Don't ask these audiophiles they will make u bankrupt

RAVI WHERE WERE YOU ALL THESE DAYS?
WE WERE LOOKING FOR MASSEIAH LIKE U?
Such deep thoughts and market knowledge like LCD's power cosumption of 400 watts ,such predictive power that 42" LCD's will be sold on footpaths ( I was venturing forr books yesterday on footpaths in churchgate ,yes LCD's are already there -only they are 7 Inches!) and such motherhood statements like "NEVER" buy used amps..man you are visionary.

BTW I had 25 + years old hitachi and still have appx 15-20 years pld Cyrus 1.. I claim that they were better than current Norge! In fact there is a healty demand for Hi_fi brands which are almost dead like Sansui, Technics,Luxman ,Nakamichi Dragon, Alchemist - just name a few! I had 10 + yers nad and I can bet that it would blow Norge off!

You are just fountain of knowledge man!!!

 

[deba]

For a starter on budget , the best is to buy an active 2.1 speaker system like Altec or Creative which are easily available in India and use your laptop/desktop to play CDs or go for a DVD Player from Sony / Philips which will cost you Rs 3000/- in average.

I have my own dedicated Hi Fi but at times I do listen to my Altec Lansing and believe me it sounds very good at 1/20 the price.:lol:

This is the easiest and cheapest way to start your hifi journey.:yahoo:

 

[unleash_me]

Buying used imo is the most practical and logical way to get into this hobby. Once an audio enthusiast/phile owns a system, most do take extreme care of their beloved equipments. Usually they think about a sale only when there is an opportunity to upgrade - which unfortunately is the way of life!

Being a member here, there should a min level of standard when one talks about hi fidelity music systems. Getting such standards from an entry level desktop speaker is next to impossible. I'm not very familiar with Norge setups. Something like a CA340 combo or Marantz 5001/4001 with a good entry level speaker like diamond 9.1 should be the bare minimum one should invest in. If not, at least a simple all-in-one like CR515 or DM37. Anything less will only make you feel compromised in sound and spend the following months wondering how and what to upgrade in the near future to fill the obvious gap.

 

[psychotropic]

hey sonosphere, just out of curiosity, have you listened to and compared the audioengines to the wharfedale and the Norge?

I've owned the A2 and auditioned the 10.1 (and a lot of other speakers in this budget), the A2 has a mid-bass bump to sort of 'compensate' for the lack of LFE becase the drivers and cabinets are so small, but the overall sound that you get is fairly balanced and i thought on par with the wharfedale, except for the LFE part of things. If I am not mistaken the A2s were also a touch more detailed than the Wharfedale, but my comparison was not side by side using the same equipment, so can't say for sure.

Ruler flat frequency response is an ideal, but I don't think even the wharfedales or the norges would achieve that, so it might be best of the TS auditions all these and makes a decision for himself. The audioengines are great value also because there's a good amplifier built into them as well. A wharfedale 9.1 + Norge combo would also cost roughly the same, so I guess auditions and comparisons are the way to go

2. Two channel HIFI means delivering flat freq output from 50Hz to 20Hz comfortably without bass boost/equaliser to at least moderately loud levels (min 80dB at 2m distance from spkr).... Audioengines 2 or even 5 don't go till 50Hz in flat path. IMHO Only Norge Millenium, Wharfe 9.2 /10.2 are the budget bookshelves that can do.

 

[keith_correa]

@ spy king: each post made here will confuse you more. Go out there and listen - to different components that you think make up a hi-fi system. If what your ears like fits into your wallet - buy it and that is true practical hi-fi.

 

[spy king]

hello all!

Thanks for all your inputs! I must say it's getting more and more confusing!

I shall first spend time trying to audition different setups while I save up..

And my current options as it would seem are;

1.Active speakers such as the Audioengines or the swans ~10K for A2, 18k for A5
2.New Norge amp + norge/warferdel speakers ~8k amp + 10/12k Speakers ?
3.Second hand stuff If I can find a good deal ~no idea!

so about 20K should get me started?


And I'm pretty sure I don't want a 2.1 altec lansing/creative speakers.. thats what I am upgrading from

Plus, I don't require a Cdp, because I plan on using my PC+sound card or a dvd player that I already own

 

[sachin_k5]

hey wait! even I have an old Sony hi-fi system.. will a norge amp bring them somewhat to life? :S then I can get the amp now, and bookshelves when I can save up enough!

Absolutely, you will understand what a real amp does. These Sony systems are all crap. Get the 2060 Norge now and hook it to the sony speakers. Get a Millennum BS/Diamond 9.2 later on.

Be careful when buying used hi-fi stuff you may get conned easily since you are just entering this field, else get help of some guru here.

 

[sonosphere]

Hi sonos,
Could you please let me know how the Norge/Wharfedales compare to the Audioengines sound-wise?

Hi grubyhalo,
Considering my musical preference* it's no contest.... Norge/WD 9.2 is clear winner.

*I like full freq range music having western music instrument-blend (not typical Hindi film blend). Want to hear lowest bass guitar notes + thump of drum-kit clearly thru mix apart from the usual midrange and treble-end sparkle. My favourites... Dire straits, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, Linkin park, some songs of A.R Rahman, Pritam

Regds,

 

[sonosphere]

hey sonosphere, just out of curiosity, have you listened to and compared the audioengines to the wharfedale and the Norge?

I've owned the A2 and auditioned the 10.1 (and a lot of other speakers in this budget), the A2 has a mid-bass bump to sort of 'compensate' for the lack of LFE becase the drivers and cabinets are so small, but the overall sound that you get is fairly balanced and i thought on par with the wharfedale, except for the LFE part of things. If I am not mistaken the A2s were also a touch more detailed than the Wharfedale, but my comparison was not side by side using the same equipment, so can't say for sure.

Ruler flat frequency response is an ideal, but I don't think even the wharfedales or the norges would achieve that, so it might be best of the TS auditions all these and makes a decision for himself. The audioengines are great value also because there's a good amplifier built into them as well. A wharfedale 9.1 + Norge combo would also cost roughly the same, so I guess auditions and comparisons are the way to go

Hi Psyco,
Yes, I have heard AudioEngine 5 and WD 9.2 + Norge (2060 & 1000 both) during pre-puchase audition. I also agree with almost everything you say above... However still find WD 9.2 to be clear winner, because to me any speaker not matching upper end with 50 Hz low end (at 0dB reference) is NOT HI-FI in my book. I didn't find significantly more detail in Audioengines.

Why Audioengine may be little more detailed:
Deficient LFE allows small dynamics of mid-range & treble details to be audible which otherwise get masked by LFE (specially thumping bass dynamics that last for approx 50-200 millisecs)

If you want non-subjective assessment see below points:
1. Feed different pure sine wave tones from 45Hz to 30 Hz (in 5 Hz steps) to Audioengine 5 and WD 9.2. You will hear what I am talking above.

2. See Audioengine 2 freq response in fig.5 here > Stereophile: Audioengine 2 powered loudspeaker

3. See WD 9.2 freq response in fig.4 here > Stereophile: Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 loudspeaker

4. In (2) and (3) we see how smaller copies of Audioengine 5 and WD 9.2 perform. The low freq on AE-5 & WD-9.2 will go lower by 10 Hz approx. Midrange + treble end graph almost remains the same.

At the end of day both speaker give balanced sound, but for some like me, the one with extented low freq is the better balance.

(BTW I am not trying to promote WD 9.2 here, go for Norge Millenium bookshelves (another VFM goodie) if you want... just want my buddies to savour the full freq spectrum:licklips

Regds,

 

[RAC]

hi, Yes if u have sony old bookshelves u can connect them to any amp and use them before jumping and buying a new set of speakers.

Hi
I have an old Sony mini Hi-Fi system, model MHG-2000 or something like that. I find the bass quite boomy/loose. I was under an impression that changing the Sony speakers with budget speakers from Norge, CA, Wharfedale would improve the sound a lot.

Am I mistaken. Has anyone tried this?

 

[BLASTO]

hey comon don't try to sell ur old crap to this poor guy man:licklips:. there are good norge amps with speakers for 12K with 12 months warranty

Iam not selling anything to anybody.. Where did you get that?
Are you out of your mind?

 

[hemantwaghe]

hey comon don't try to sell ur old crap to this poor guy man:licklips:. there are good norge amps with speakers for 12K with 12 months warranty

Can I know which system you owe and and your expereince in audio so that we can understand your comments?
Anyway I have 20 year old Cyrus 1a and I can challange norge anyday. Anyway I had old Nad 3020 i ( Not 3020) and it was fantastic for 20 W power . Then used as pre amp and sold for better yamaha.
Imho many old amps have one thing which norge lacks - a phono input.In fact many old amps have selectable(MM/MC) phono input ( Ravi if you understand and apprciate what it is)

Anyway a thing I will always miss that I was getting an Alchemist Kraken Integrated ,pure class A for JUST around 9 k! I was not able to salvage my equipment in that time and I lost it to someone!

I do not think you understand how big my loss was but the issue is 8 k is lesser than many new norge's asking price!

I've dumbstruck and feel like a blind man by flashes of your knowledge so need to understand your specific knowledge background.Anyway I keep on selling goods (and buying spending more money) and I know couple of my customers are here on forum and I am certain that they feel they are not cheated!

PS - Like your signature "leopard battle tank. barak missile sytem,f22 Rapter " Man you rally dream big ! Or are you US president disguised?? Any I find these are bit noisy so how you interpreat hi-fi sound through them??