Looking to upgrade

Hi guys, first post here, had a good look around at stuff to try find out more about hi-fis and such. (Got here by googling a post in July 2005 with a guy who had the same Hi-Fi as me (Cant find nothing about it hardly)).

Anyway, here is what i currently have:
Amp (Combined Pre and Power): Sony MHC-EX5
Speakers: Sony SS-EX-50
CD Player: Sony CD9-EX10

I have a tapedeck and tuner also (but the tuner display is broke, and i dont do tapes anymore).

As you know this is a very old system, my speakers are kinda damaged and the left one sounds louder than the right.. no idea why and the tweeters dont seem to work.. they dont vibrate at all anyway.


What i listen to/what i want:

I basically listen to hip-hop mostly and some dance. I listen to CDs, and plug my MP3 player in also (which doesn't sound back considering). I plan to hook my computer up to it also. So some loud bass would be nice, and also good sounding bass when music is at a low volume for when i like to chill and parents are in.

I plan to be buying things second hand, as im 18, and don't have much money at the moment, so i basically need information on what to look for, thats cheap and lots better than what i have.

No idea what my amp does or speakers, i don't have the manual, and looked for over an hour for information on the internet.. no luck. But i guess the "50" means something.. 50 watt speakers perhaps? The post i found on here said its 60 watts at 6ohms.

Downstairs my parents have a Sony CMT-CP1 (which actually has good bass but its in our convervatory, so might be able to get it), i'd prefer decks though.

So any advice for what i can do? Take it i get a new amp and speakers.. but whats the spec i should look for? Also could i use the speakers off the CMT-CP1 or the Sony SS-EX-50 speakers as additional speakers so i have 4 speakers? Or get a subwoofer, or buy 4 new speakers or something?

I don't want to spend much, but plan to upgrade as i go, i currently have a small room, so speakers in a stand are the best option, or speakers i can put on my desk either side.

Thanks in advance,
Ste

 

Budget?

 

Hmm.. I'd say 2-300 second hand..

thats for the amp and speakers. cheaper is always better, i can get better stuff another time.

thanks

 

I'd start with the amp. If you cut your budget into too many components, you will end up with something not much better.

a Naim Nait isnt a bad integrated amplifier for sub £300.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Naim-Nait-3_W...oryZ3280QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

How about....

Creek amp-
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CREEK-4240-IN...9707081540QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

JMLab speakers-
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Focal-JMLab-S...ryZ14991QQssPageNameZWD4VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or these speakers, which are great but not as good as the JMLabs IMO-
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/REGA-KYTE-Spe...ryZ14991QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Back-Again-RE...ryZ14991QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Should leave you with enough for decent interconnects, speaker cable and a load of music or a good CD player!

Happy hunting.
Alex

 

I'd say go with the creek and JMLab Alex has suggested. Forget the interconnects though. Does your CD player have a digital output? If so, get a nice DAC. Maybe a second-hand M-Audio Super DAC. This way your computer gets an upgrade to good sound as well if it also has a digital out!

 

Hi, thanks for the replies.

I've looked up the Creek AMP, and its 40 Watt RMS, would it sound much better than what i currently have if i also get the JMLab speakers, will there be good bass?

Would i also be able to use a centre speaker with the Creek AMP? Says it can handel 2 sets of speakers.

Thanks

 

40watts is plenty for small speakers like the JMLab. It also has no relation to the 'quality' of the sound (unless seriously underpowered) so don't be overly concerned.

When it says two sets it probably means you can switch between which pair you are driving. e.g. you can have one pair in the kitchen and one in the living room.

I have not heard those JMLab but they have a good name, as do Creek.

The only way I can see of getting better for the money is a pair of active studio monitors and something to control the volume level. This is what I would personally do –

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Alesis-M1-Act...405071273QQcategoryZ23786QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

These are brilliant for the money IMO. Especially that price! A total of 100 watts per speaker. By the way, active means they have the amplifiers built in. These have a separate amp for each driver (better than sharing) and also have active crossovers rather than passive which is another big advantage.

Then get one of these - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Passive-pre-a...ryZ67807QQssPageNameZWD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That will total about £250 and beat off anything else you can find for that money I think. The pre-amp (that’s an input selector and volume control) is a DIY kit but is very simple and extremely high quality. If you really can’t manage to solder a few wires then I will volunteer to do it for you.

You MIGHT even pick up a DAC to upgrade the CD player for £60 or so. Something like this for example - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AUDIO-ALCHEML...9708238402QQcategoryZ3272QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

I would agree re. the Alesis. Active speakers may be a good option as it is harder to damage them if you get carried away with that hip hop 'n dance material. Note that they don't have grilles - that's the norm with this type of gear.

If you want to avoid eBay, they can be had cheaply on the High Street - see here:

http://www.turnkey.co.uk/tkweb/stockdetail.jsp?sku=ALES-M1MK2&context=BSTOCK


By the way Tenson - do you know of any good little active speakers that I could use with a Squeezebox in the bedroom - they must look decent (grilles are a must) and would prefer they had an auto power ON function when input signal is applied.

 

What I was suggesting was from a sound quality point of view, if it's loads of bass and sheer power then I would go with Tenson's suggestion.

 

Actually I would go with the Alesis for sound quality as well. They are very good little speakers, quite extended and very tight bass and the bi-amping and active crossovers pay off in the detail and subtlety department.

Another option is the Behringer Truth monitors, but I'm not sure how they sound.

I'm afraid I can't think of any that have an auto-power on function. Do you know of any? Grills... again I can’t think of any off-hand. You could always cover a pair of monitors with fabric though!

 

Oh, I just spotted these as well (note that they are £200 pair):

http://www.turnkey.co.uk/tkweb/stockdetail.jsp?sku=KRK-RP8S&context=BSTOCK

Seem good value. they have an 8" woofer and larger cabinet than the Alesis so likely to have better bass extension if that's what you want.

Look cool as well.

 

My search continues - it just seems a perfect solution to use with a Squeezebox.

 

Personaly I don't like KRK but is your choice at the end of the day.

 

I haven't heard any of these active monitors mentioned TBH. The KRK's are a bit too "Bling" to be taken seriously though.

 

Ahh cool, i'll definatly look into the Alesis M1 Active MK2 Monitor Speakers, I'll keep a look on ebay, and may just get them off the website someone suggested when i save up.

So i just need a pre-amp as the power-amp is built into each speaker. My brother is good with a soldering iron, so i guess he can do it, if not my dad could.

Anyone know the range on the wireless squeezebox? May look into buying one also.

What does the DAC upgrade do?

 

Is it worth the extra £80 for the Alesis? Or are the KRKs a very good buy for a small budget for the price? The KRKs also have a power-amp right? so i just need a pre?

 

I just don't like KRK. Nasty midrange and treble, average bass. I have not heard those little ones but I have worked with the Expose 8 which is a bigger model somewhere around the £2,000 mark.

 

Could anyone tell me if these speakers are any better than the Alesis, or just as good (as i can get them pretty darn cheap by the looks of things):

Mission M71 Loudspeakers - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mission-M71-L...06718831QQcategoryZ112516QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Mission 701 StandMounts - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Pair-of-Missi...07750514QQcategoryZ112516QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mission-701-H...07183595QQcategoryZ112516QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Tannoy Eclipse - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tannoy-Eclips...06847099QQcategoryZ112516QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

B&W 601S2 - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/B-W-601S2-ATA...07172644QQcategoryZ112516QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Acoustic Energy Aelite 2 - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Acoustic-Ener...08528161QQcategoryZ112516QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

You get what you pay for (to a degree), and the Alesis are some of the very best bang for the buck.