Hi-fi thoughts

[happypig]

It's time to upgrade I think but I'm not really up on what's what these days.
My CD player is 30 years old, speakers similar age. Amp is 5 or 6 years old (Marantz).

The choices, as I see them are:
Replace CD player (I have the option of a fairly new one from a relative) & speakers and maybe add a DAB receiver.
Get a new all-in-one unit with built in CD/DAB
Sonos (?) or similar multi-room.

Music is on CDs but also ripped to MP3 and stored on my mac (and ipod/ipad) so something that streams might be good. Spotify might be good too but not essential.
I wan't something that will go reasonably loud.

 

[Bozza]

Love our Sonoses (Soni?).

 

[Uncle C]

It's time to upgrade I think but I'm not really up on what's what these days.
My CD player is 30 years old, speakers similar age. Amp is 5 or 6 years old (Marantz).

The choices, as I see them are:
Replace CD player (I have the option of a fairly new one from a relative) & speakers and maybe add a DAB receiver.
Get a new all-in-one unit with built in CD/DAB
Sonos (?) or similar multi-room.

Music is on CDs but also ripped to MP3 and stored on my mac (and ipod/ipad) so something that streams might be good. Spotify might be good too but not essential.
I wan't something that will go reasonably loud.

On a scale of 1 to 10 where does sound quality rank. Not a particularly good indicator when you highlight loud as your only criteria.

 

[happypig]

On a scale of 1 to 10 where does sound quality rank. Not a particularly good indicator when you highlight loud as your only criteria.

Probably an 8/9.

I only put loud because I like to wind it up a bit without distortion

 

[driller]

Sonos.
All you need is nas drive for rips and the sonos system

Perfect.

 

[Uncle C]

Probably an 8/9.

I only put loud because I like to wind it up a bit without distortion

In which case Bose is out and Sonos (which is a bit better) also. Both are like eating Chinese food, good at first but if SQ is important will leave you wanting more.

Computer based systems are the way forward and are improving by the day. I pensioned off my £4000 CD player some years ago.

How comfortable do you feel with using something like the Paspberry Pi as your player?

You do realise that saving music as MP3s has already compromised the SQ. FLAC would have been better and WAV best of all.

 

[Bedsex]

I agree that Sonos is the right answer. Unfortunately they do make it very easy to keep expanding your system and spend an extraordinary amount of money!

 

[Icy Gull]

I have a Bose Soundlink 2 and most of the time use it in preference to my pretty good sound system. I can use it anywhere, even when away from home, which is a massive plus.

Sound quality is excellent too, as is volume,

 

[Napier's Knee]

Naim Mu-so. But go to Richer sounds and get demos

 

[happypig]

In which case Bose is out and Sonos (which is a bit better) also. Both are like eating Chinese food, good at first but if SQ is important will leave you wanting more.

Computer based systems are the way forward and are improving by the day. I pensioned off my £4000 CD player some years ago.

£4k is above my budget. I'm looking at about a quarter of that tops.

How comfortable do you feel with using something like the Paspberry Pi as your player?

I've already got one running my home server, another running Kodi for TV stuff and a couple in project boxes so quite happy using one. The Mrs, on the other hand, will want something she can either use off her phone like Sonos can I beleive, or just bung in a CD.

You do realise that saving music as MP3s has already compromised the SQ. FLAC would have been better and WAV best of all.

Yes, I know that. All my rips are 320k, amazon DLs 256k. I'm happy enough with that level of quality.

 

[AmexRuislip]

It's time to upgrade I think but I'm not really up on what's what these days.
My CD player is 30 years old, speakers similar age. Amp is 5 or 6 years old (Marantz).

The choices, as I see them are:
Replace CD player (I have the option of a fairly new one from a relative) & speakers and maybe add a DAB receiver.
Get a new all-in-one unit with built in CD/DAB
Sonos (?) or similar multi-room.

Music is on CDs but also ripped to MP3 and stored on my mac (and ipod/ipad) so something that streams might be good. Spotify might be good too but not essential.
I wan't something that will go reasonably loud.

Recently down sized music empire to fit the size of our hobbit house with this.

For us its a great buy, and has just what we need.

www.ruarkaudio.com/products/r2-overview

 

[fleet]

Sonos or the new Bose multi room system. With Sonos you can get a connect amp and use your existing amp and speakers if you want, so if your amp is good you could upgrade your speakers and use Sonos through it. I use that through Mission speakers and an arcam amp and it sounds very good (even with the lower quality of the compressed stream format).

 

[wallyback]

£4k is above my budget. I'm looking at about a quarter of that tops.



I've already got one running my home server, another running Kodi for TV stuff and a couple in project boxes so quite happy using one. The Mrs, on the other hand, will want something she can either use off her phone like Sonos can I beleive, or just bung in a CD.



Yes, I know that. All my rips are 320k, amazon DLs 256k. I'm happy enough with that level of quality.

What is this raspberry pi you speak of?

How does it help with hi-fi?

 

[Uncle C]

£4k is above my budget. I'm looking at about a quarter of that tops.



I've already got one running my home server, another running Kodi for TV stuff and a couple in project boxes so quite happy using one. The Mrs, on the other hand, will want something she can either use off her phone like Sonos can I beleive, or just bung in a CD.



Yes, I know that. All my rips are 320k, amazon DLs 256k. I'm happy enough with that level of quality.

Equip RPi with Moode software and a Wi-fi stick. Total cost about £50. Then add a DAC (Rasberry do one too but I have no knowledge of it),. I am guessing that whole lot is less than £100. Then add amp and speakers to suit budget.

The RPi and your entire stored record collection can be accessed via your network with any Wi-Fi device such as you wife's phone.

 

[blue-afro-man]

Just got some penta 3s. No finer sound in the world! 15 years old too.

 

[Uncle C]

Just got some penta 3s. No finer sound in the world!

I've told you a million times not to exaggerate.

 

[Ludensian Gull]

Love our Sonoses (Soni?).

Thinking of buying a play 3, being a complete technophobe are they easy to set up?

 

[Bozza]

Thinking of buying a play 3, being a complete technophobe are they easy to set up?

Yep - very easy. Even easier than it used to be as a dedicated bridge is no longer required.

 

[Ludensian Gull]

Yep - very easy. Even easier than it used to be as a dedicated bridge is no longer required.

Thanks, had a listen to them in Currys last week, liked the sound of the 3 but couldn't really justify the price jump to a 5, to my untrained ear I couldn't really hear much difference

 

[Bozza]

Thanks, had a listen to them in Currys last week, liked the sound of the 3 but couldn't really justify the price jump to a 5, to my untrained ear I couldn't really hear much difference

We have a 3 in our lounge and it's fine. Only this past weekend a friend was telling me that his office has replaced a 3 with a 5 and it's completely overkill. Unless you have an enormous room to fill, the 3 should be great.