My first hifi help

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iiee

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Hi guys this is my first post. So i guess i should introduce myself. I am a law student at hull university looking to acquire some small speakers to go with an arcam alpha 8 amp which i hope i got cheapish for £75(including delivery) on ebay at the recommendation of a friend. I really have no idea what im doing with regards to hifi and i was wondering if you could recommend any used or new for under £100 which i could sit on my desk and listen to music from my computer on. I dont really know how to describe the kind of sound that i like but i have grado sr60 headphones (which convinced me i needed a better sound system) which i love for the open airy sound that they give out so something that would give a grado type sound would be nice.
*edit* i listen to all types of music with the exception of rap and most metal but its really important that it can handle both rock and classical reasonably.

Also I have been told that i will need a DAC and have been offered a beresford tc 7500/7510 for £50 it says (jec 7500 on the box but my friend said it was the same as the beresford 7510 without the headphone amp ????) is this a good deal? and do i even need it? I have a creative xfi sound card in my comp.

Thanks alot for your time and please go easy on me.
 
Hi and welcome,

Speaker recommendations - blimey where to start :)

Second hand will get you far more for your money but you need to avoid the older speakers unless you you don't mind either a little or a lot of restoration.

A few bargains pop up regularly.

- Mission 760 or 780 (also sold as Cyrus 780)
Sprightly little speakers that will certainly entertain and you should find then for under £50 these days.

- Mission 751
Very underrated and lovely build quality. Nearer your £100 cap but well worth.

- Rega Kyte or Ara
Again these will be nearer to the budget limit but sound crisp and lively.

Before spending money on a dac, have a listen to your Creative card into the Arcam.
Don't assume the card is inferior to an outboard dac.
 
Hello and welcome.

The Beresford TC7500 I have not heard of, but the best place to ask about that is here.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/

Look in the Digital Section. Stan Beresford himself posts on AOS.

In the context of you budget the sound card is probably sufficient.

Speakers? Get yourself to Richer Sounds

http://www.richersounds.com/stores/hull

eBay often has small speakers.

Perhaps other members here will comment?
 
Unquestionably you need to be looking at the second hand market: forum classifieds, eBay and local press. Small speakers are not expensive to ship: just book a collection at Parcels2Go.com. Ruark Rhapsodies are very good small-ish speakers now available at silly prices used, but the choice is huge . . . I would recommend buying and trying: just stick back on eBay what you don't like.

One surprisingly fantastic little cheap speaker is the Eltax Monitor III that Richer Sounds sold for about £60. I'm sure I still have a pair around somewhere . . .

Alternatively, you might look at putting the Alpha 8 back on eBay and converting the £175 budget into some high quality active speakers like the AudioEngines, Swans or Epoz models: on short stands they are surprisingly fab for near field listening.

The Beresford at £50 is a sound buy: it will knock spots off your soundcard.
 
RobHolt said:
Well they look alright but I've never heard them.
Dave has used more speakers than anyone on the planet - so if he's heard them and rates then they must be worth a go.
Click to expand...

Firstly thank you for the quick responses

This might be a silly question but those speakers seem to be laid flat rather than vertically like im used to seeing. Would it be fine to use them vertically? and if i am going to put speakers on my desk (not much choice about that they have to go somewhere and i dont have space for stands) do i need something special to put them on?
 
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Thank you Rob what about using them on the desk is that a bad idea? They seem to be very well reviewed now i have googled them but i have one more concern what is the difference between a near field monitor and a normal hifi speaker?
 
Near field monitors are intended to be used close to the listener - so great for use on a desk. Most hi-fi speakers are designed to operate a few meters away from the listener.
In both cases the aim to get correct balance.

You might find that raising them up slightly off the desk improves bass clarity and articulation.
 
Getting them off the desk is a must: otherwise prepare for hideous bass reflections, completely muddy midrange and abysmal imaging. Tweeters at ears, please.
 
Look carefully at the size of those speakers. They are quite big.

Rob, I am not sure that Dave Rance has heard them. He might just have spied them.

Dimensions: 420 x 200 x 250mm
 
Sounds too big for a desk - more suited to sitting up on the bridge of a mixing desk perhaps like the old Yamaha. Those were deliberately lean balanced in the bass to account for the boundary.
 
hubsand said:
One surprisingly fantastic little cheap speaker is the Eltax Monitor III that Richer Sounds sold for about £60.
Click to expand...

My son has a pair of those he still uses as rear speakers. We picked them out after a bit of listening at Richer Sounds in Colchester. Surprising good for the price.
 
Labarum said:
Look carefully at the size of those speakers. They are quite big.

Rob, I am not sure that Dave Rance has heard them. He might just have spied them.

Dimensions: 420 x 200 x 250mm
Click to expand...

oh those are a little big i could probably fit them on my desk (its a big desk) but maybe not something to rush into. Thanks for pointing that out. Are new speakers much not very good with old amps? For instance would wharfedale 9.0 or mission 1020i speakers be much worse?

*EDIT* Also could i have an opinion on the mission 761?
 
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Matching speakers to amps is a matter of technical specification not age. You have a "run of the mill" amp it will suit most "run of the mill" speakers built in the last 30 years.

Someone else will have to comment on the 761.

What software are you using to play music? iTumes? Something else?

Do you listen to Internet Radio? It can be very good.
 
I think the 761 is a taller 760 with two bass drivers.
Should be fine but don't pay more than £50 for them in excellent condition.
 
I use Mediamonkey mainly Labarum and i sometimes use grooveshark and spotify as well.

Rob thank you at least i know a good price for them. I dont suspose you could tell me about the following deals

Kef cresta 2 £40 + p&p
Wharfedale 9.1 £50 +p&p
Mission 751 £75 but with a visibly caved in tweeter seller claims it doesnt effect sound quality
 
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iiee said:
Mission 751 £75 but with a visibly caved in tweeter seller claims it doesnt effect sound quality
Click to expand...

They always claim that - I don't believe it to be true though.
I can never understand why so many get this done to them either.
I certainly wouldn't buy damaged unless you intend to renew both tweeters (replace with new units).
 
Only one of the tweeters is bust the otherone is fine do i have to replace both? Is it a difficult job? and as a complete hifi should i just avoid completly
 

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