A newbie to the slaughter

Hello everyone. This is my first post so please be gentle with me.

I am looking for possible upgrade routes for my system. I currently have arcam cd92t - arcam a85 and qaud 12l. I am happy with my system but recently felt something is missing. That missing feeling is involvement with the music. To this end I have budgeted myself 3-5k gbp for new cd player and amplifier. Due to my location only major brands are available to me and also it is near impossible to test products. To this end I am asking if anyone can give their impressions of the folling combos:

avi lab cd player + avi lab amp
primare 30 series cd+pre+power
naim cd5 +nac112 + nap 150
copland cda 822 + suggested amp?
sim audio nova cd + moon i-5 amp
mf 3.2 cd + 3.2 pre/pwr

I mainly listen at low to mid levels to jazz and acoustic music, with a bit of rock, dance and soul.

Sorry for being so vague and a bit of a pain. If I could audition kit easily I would take that route but here in korea that is near impossible.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Regards
steve

 

Welcome to ZG, Seoulman .

I think you'll be hearing quite a few recommendations for the Sim kit that you've mentioned. Don't forget that the 2nd hand market is very much on the buyer's side at the moment and many bargains can be found .

Enjoy the hunt .

 

Ok my impressions are as follows

Small Sound
Large Sound
Nasty Sound
Plush Sound
Tasty Sound
Snoring Sound

take your pick! Only you really know which variety of sound you prefer, but I'd go for Tasty anyday

 

You wouldn't happen to know anyone with any Tasty equipment for sale, would you?

 

Thanks for the replys so far.
I am afraid the second hand market is a mystery never to be explored by me in korea as I struggle to buy a meal let alone hifi in korean.

 

Aha, a neighbour! Greeting from Tokyo.
You could also usefully include offerings from Accuphase, Luxman and the high-end kit from Denon in your list - Denon make some really interesting things (and I'm not talking about what they sell in Europe / US).
Not sure what the import situation is w/r Japanese audio in Korea, but i imagine tarifs are not going to be higher than on Euro or North American gear... What's the second hand market like, too?
Are there any Korean audio brands? There has be something interesting...

 

Now why do you ask that my good man?

Is that LG beasty playing up or are you after a quality preamp?

BTW, who was that bird wiv the proper voice on that CD you played at the wekend?

 

Thanks Joel.

Further to your post I have no idea about the second hand market as my korean is to poor to find it and until I get my assistant up to speed on hifi she is not much use finding it.

The tax on japanese electronics is actually higher than on us or british for some korean reason I do not understand. The only korean hifi maker I know of is inkel and the less said about them the better imho.

Its good to know there is a neighbour on zerogain so if the north koreans ever invade can I sleep on your floor?

 

Your most welcome. Although they will have almost certainly nuked us by the time you get here
Sounds like you have some training to do there... Don't suppose you or your assistant are into samulnori or Korean court music by any chance
---------------------
edited to add
and I'm always on the look out for shamanist trance either from Korea or Siberia...

 

Oh a nuclear end is preferable to the artillery that can hit seoul at anytime joel.
My assistant is a big k-pop fan (oh the humanity). I will ask her if she like korean court music or samulnori for you. She did take me to a korean concert once but got upset because I fell asleep.

 

It could be worse. She could be a J-pop fan like my daughter :chunder:

 

Joel trust me k-pop is less talented sibling of j-pop but the videos are nice to watch with the sound off I guess.

 

Seoulman,

Because of your vacinity to J land, I'd go with Joel's recommendation of accuphase, at the prices you get stuff out there, why have fluff, when you can indulge in the real gear for a fraction of the cost. Wm
Its good gear too

 

Cheers Wadia-miester

Thanks for the suggestion I am afraid due to many years of trade disputes between korea and japan, japanese electronics get hit with huge import duties so is normally a lot more expensive than you would think for imports from an hour away.

regards
Steve

 

You should see what Accuphase costs in the UK :yikes:
I have a feeling that you should hold off until your assistant is up to speed, and then research the s/h market. Secondhand is always worth knowing about, even if you intend to buy new (so that at least you'll know how much your taking it out the dealer's door has caused it to depreciate).
Back to K-pop, I like BOA. Although with the the sound turned down.

 

No... was just wondering whether you may have been checking out the charges for shipping it to S.Korea

Not entirely sure she'd take to being called a "bird", given that she is a bit of a diva....although possibly "dame" would be more up her street, being of a trans-Atlantic persuasion. That was Renee Fleming (one of Classic FM's faves, so I am told ), singing the third of Strauss' "Four Last Songs", with the 'band' (Houston SO) being led by Christoph Eschenbach.

She majors on tone purity and technical proficiency, although she's often considered a bit soulless. I actually have a few other recordings of the same piece, with quite different characterisations. There's a much slower, darker and bigger version (from a matching physique) from Jessye Norman, a faster but gloriously luscious version from Gundula Janowitz (on LP only), and a lighter, but not quite so controlled version from Soile Isokoski - and I also have some other stuff from e.g. Dame Kiri, Birgit Nilsson, Christa Ludwig, Barbara Hendricks...and even some Emma Kirkby somewhere. You're of course welcome to come around and have a taste of these various Divas, should you feel so inclined.

(Oh - she sang a couple of the songs on "The Lord of the Rings" too)

 

But surely birds are renowned the world over for their singing prowess Graham?

Still I should love to have the opportunity to listen to some more in the near future, once my move is complete. Thanks for the offer.

I do admire a good pair of lungs I must admit

 

Joel,

You are a man of good taste if you like BOA with the sound down. You should try cherry filter, they are a korean punk/noise band but sing songs about cats etc all very strange but the lead singer has one of the few voices in k-pop i can stand.

I did some research on accuphase and found one amplifier available: accuphase e211 - 90 watt costingequivalent to 1500gbp. Do you know this model ? I am not sure how price compares to uk. I would need a cd player as well so would need recommendations to go with it.

Regards
Steve

 

Steve,

Check out http://www.hificlub.co.kr which has a very popular s/h marketplace. With your assistant's help, you should be able to find what you want.

Also there are many shops in Yongsan area that deal with s/h gears.

Good luck!

 

Dear Joongul,
Thanks for the tip on audiocafe. I am sitting here with my dictionary trying to work out the korean on the page, My assistant has got the week off for holiday.
I may try going up to yongsan this weekend, I am south of the Han. I guess you must be in korea to know the inside of the korean market.

Regards
Steve