My current stereo (not deserving of the term hi-fi!)system is now
over 15 years old and was a pretty cheap package then. I should like
to upgrade preferably in phases. Initially I plan to replace the
amplifier and speakers. My budget is around gbp 1000.

The room is approx 5x4 metres.
I need minimum 4 line inputs (no phono) of which at least 1 tape loop.
Headphone out
1 speaker pair
Remote control would not be used if there were one.

Any suggestions from the obviously knowledgable poster in this group
most welcome, preferably supported by reasoned argument.

"Adagio" wrote in message
...
My current stereo (not deserving of the term hi-fi!)system is now
over 15 years old and was a pretty cheap package then. I should like
to upgrade preferably in phases. Initially I plan to replace the
amplifier and speakers. My budget is around gbp 1000.

The room is approx 5x4 metres.
I need minimum 4 line inputs (no phono) of which at least 1 tape loop.
Headphone out
1 speaker pair
Remote control would not be used if there were one.

Any suggestions from the obviously knowledgable poster in this group
most welcome, preferably supported by reasoned argument.

With a budget of £1000 (or indeed with any budget) I would buy used. There
is Ebay, with a constant stream of equipment, and/or dealers who sell on
their part-exchanges. Hi-Fi equipment has been of a very high quality for at
east twenty years, so anything you are likely to buy used will sound as good
as something new provided obviously, it's in good condition. Buying from a
dealer will allow you to take it back if it doesn't work properly. As to
brands, QUAD is always good and reliable, but doesn't have a headphone
output, so you may want to look at Audiolab and A&R Cambridge (ARCAM).

As to 'speakers, these are so personal as to be difficult to advise, but if
I were buying for myself, I would go for something traditionally British
like Rogers, Harbeth, Spendor, KEF and B&W.

I would stay away from anything too esoteric (like valves) as quality is
variable and reliability is much less than modern Solid State. Likewise
electrostatic 'speakers I would avoid buying used, as within your budget
they're likely to be pretty old.

What I wouldn't do with your budget especially is buy new unless I had an
aversion to used, as the value for money is so much better when buying used.

S.

--
http://audiopages.googlepages.com

"Adagio" wrote in message
...
My current stereo (not deserving of the term hi-fi!)system is now
over 15 years old and was a pretty cheap package then. I should like
to upgrade preferably in phases. Initially I plan to replace the
amplifier and speakers. My budget is around gbp 1000.

The room is approx 5x4 metres.
I need minimum 4 line inputs (no phono) of which at least 1 tape loop.
Headphone out
1 speaker pair
Remote control would not be used if there were one.

Any suggestions from the obviously knowledgable poster in this group
most welcome, preferably supported by reasoned argument.



Listen to what Serge says - he knows what he's doing....

......and then go to my 'For Sale' page:

http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/item...emsforsale.htm


.....where you will see several items 'now on eBay' including a 'perfect
spec for you' pre/power amp combo (with no remote) and speakers that go
with them like cheese and pickle!!

(The auctions doesn't actually happen until 9:00 pm tomorrow night -
drop me a line *Presto* if you are seriously interested..!! ;-)

"Serge Auckland" wrote in message
...
With a budget of £1000 (or indeed with any budget) I would buy used. There
is Ebay, with a constant stream of equipment, and/or dealers who sell on
their part-exchanges. Hi-Fi equipment has been of a very high quality for
at east twenty years, so anything you are likely to buy used will sound as
good as something new provided obviously, it's in good condition. Buying
from a dealer will allow you to take it back if it doesn't work properly.
As to brands, QUAD is always good and reliable, but doesn't have a
headphone output, so you may want to look at Audiolab and A&R Cambridge
(ARCAM).

How far does the bad capacitor problem effect hi-fi equipment?. I mean the
notoriously bad ones which were manufactured or should I say incorrectly
counterfeited a number of years ago.

On 20 Oct, 18:00, Adagio wrote:
My current stereo (not deserving of the term hi-fi!)system is now
over 15 years old and was a pretty cheap package then. I should like
to upgrade preferably in phases. Initially I plan to replace the
amplifier and speakers. My budget is around gbp 1000.

The room is approx 5x4 metres.
I need minimum 4 line inputs (no phono) of which at least 1 tape loop.
Headphone out
1 speaker pair
Remote control would not be used if there were one.

Any suggestions from the obviously knowledgable poster in this group
most welcome, preferably supported by reasoned argument.

The first thing you should do is consult your nearest quality
specialist retailer who will give you the best advice and let you HEAR
some alternatives before you buy. I do not adhere to the idea of
buying blind without an audition as this maywell lead to throwing your
money away.YES things will sound different in a shop demo room,but it
will still give you a pretty good idea.AND if the dealer you choose is
helpfull, if you make a mistake and purchase something that you don't
get on with they will offer an alternative.(see BADA British Audio
Dealers Association).

Borosteve.

In article , jasee
wrote:

"Serge Auckland" wrote in message
...
With a budget of £1000 (or indeed with any budget) I would buy used.
There is Ebay, with a constant stream of equipment, and/or dealers
who sell on their part-exchanges. Hi-Fi equipment has been of a very
high quality for at east twenty years, so anything you are likely to
buy used will sound as good as something new provided obviously, it's
in good condition. Buying from a dealer will allow you to take it
back if it doesn't work properly. As to brands, QUAD is always good
and reliable, but doesn't have a headphone output, so you may want to
look at Audiolab and A&R Cambridge (ARCAM).

How far does the bad capacitor problem effect hi-fi equipment?. I mean
the notoriously bad ones which were manufactured or should I say
incorrectly counterfeited a number of years ago.

Shoddy or counterfeit devices of various types have cropped up over the
years. However my experience/impression is that with reputable UK audio
brands the chance of being affected has been low. The manufacturers take
care to quality check what they make, and either check the goods inwards
and/or only buy from a reliable source - e.g. directly from the component
maker or appointed factor.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html

"jasee" wrote in message
...

"Serge Auckland" wrote in message
...
With a budget of £1000 (or indeed with any budget) I would buy used.
There is Ebay, with a constant stream of equipment, and/or dealers who
sell on their part-exchanges. Hi-Fi equipment has been of a very high
quality for at east twenty years, so anything you are likely to buy used
will sound as good as something new provided obviously, it's in good
condition. Buying from a dealer will allow you to take it back if it
doesn't work properly. As to brands, QUAD is always good and reliable,
but doesn't have a headphone output, so you may want to look at Audiolab
and A&R Cambridge (ARCAM).

How far does the bad capacitor problem effect hi-fi equipment?. I mean the
notoriously bad ones which were manufactured or should I say incorrectly
counterfeited a number of years ago.


Electrolytic capacitors do need replacing, but generally they're good for at
least 20 years. If you've no hum, then at least the main reservoirs are
fine, but more insidious are the bypass and coupling capacitors which will
reduce bass response as they dry out. Nevertheless, equipment made in the
last 10 years should be fine. As to the counterfeit components, as far as I
know this only affected the "boutique" brands which for marketing reasons
would consider fitting "designer" capacitors. Everybody else would be more
than satisfied with standard commercial-grade components. I haven't ever
heard of QUAD, Audiolab or ARCAM going in for "designer" capacitors, just
properly engineered commercial components.

S.



--
http://audiopages.googlepages.com

On Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:24:54 +0100, "Serge Auckland"
wrote:

How far does the bad capacitor problem effect hi-fi equipment?. I mean the
notoriously bad ones which were manufactured or should I say incorrectly
counterfeited a number of years ago.


Electrolytic capacitors do need replacing, but generally they're good for at
least 20 years. If you've no hum, then at least the main reservoirs are
fine, but more insidious are the bypass and coupling capacitors which will
reduce bass response as they dry out. Nevertheless, equipment made in the
last 10 years should be fine. As to the counterfeit components, as far as I
know this only affected the "boutique" brands which for marketing reasons
would consider fitting "designer" capacitors. Everybody else would be more
than satisfied with standard commercial-grade components. I haven't ever
heard of QUAD, Audiolab or ARCAM going in for "designer" capacitors, just
properly engineered commercial components.

The batch of bad capacitors that affected a generation of computer
motherboards certainly weren't "boutique" items. Did that
manufacturer also sell into the designer market?

"Laurence Payne" NOSPAMlpayne1ATdsl.pipex.com wrote in message
...
On Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:24:54 +0100, "Serge Auckland"
wrote:

How far does the bad capacitor problem effect hi-fi equipment?. I mean
the
notoriously bad ones which were manufactured or should I say incorrectly
counterfeited a number of years ago.


Electrolytic capacitors do need replacing, but generally they're good for
at
least 20 years. If you've no hum, then at least the main reservoirs are
fine, but more insidious are the bypass and coupling capacitors which will
reduce bass response as they dry out. Nevertheless, equipment made in the
last 10 years should be fine. As to the counterfeit components, as far as
I
know this only affected the "boutique" brands which for marketing reasons
would consider fitting "designer" capacitors. Everybody else would be more
than satisfied with standard commercial-grade components. I haven't ever
heard of QUAD, Audiolab or ARCAM going in for "designer" capacitors, just
properly engineered commercial components.

The batch of bad capacitors that affected a generation of computer
motherboards certainly weren't "boutique" items. Did that
manufacturer also sell into the designer market?

That's true, I had one! However, the capacitors failed in such an obvious
way visually (the tops burst and the contents spewed out) that it should be
easy to spot.

S.



--
http://audiopages.googlepages.com

jasee wrote:

"Serge Auckland" wrote

With a budget of £1000 (or indeed with any budget) I would buy used. There
is Ebay, with a constant stream of equipment, and/or dealers who sell on
their part-exchanges. Hi-Fi equipment has been of a very high quality for
at east twenty years, so anything you are likely to buy used will sound as
good as something new provided obviously, it's in good condition. Buying
from a dealer will allow you to take it back if it doesn't work properly.
As to brands, QUAD is always good and reliable, but doesn't have a
headphone output, so you may want to look at Audiolab and A&R Cambridge
(ARCAM).

How far does the bad capacitor problem effect hi-fi equipment?. I mean the
notoriously bad ones which were manufactured or should I say incorrectly
counterfeited a number of years ago.

I have not heard of any instances of it affecting audio equipment. Because the
affected caps were high frequency low-ESR types designed for switching power
supplies, I'd expect audio not to be much affected.

Graham