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My Trip to a Hi-Fi Dealer


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I visited a Hi-Fi dealer yesterday with a view to upgrading my TT to a Rega Planar 1.  I took 15 different records with me to test for various things and even brought my bookshelf speakers with me to see how they would fit with the Rega.  I found that the sound improvements from the Rega over my Sony were only minimal with my own speakers and when the guy hooked up the Rega to an amp and speakers he recommended, the sound was amazing.

 

This has led me to conclude that the weak link in my set-up is my speakers and, if money were no object yesterday, I would have bought the amp and speakers and passed on the Rega.  I could tell that my speakers weren't comfortable when they were hooked up to the Rega and its pre-amp (an external one) and there was a mild humming sound from my speakers in the background and I even detected a few skips in the sound playback.  The Sony is a much safer pair of hands in many respects; reliable pre-amp with switch for phono connection if required; fully-automatic with cue-lever button for manual use and a more vibration-friendly chassis.  I could tell that the Rega would not take well to being the piggy in the middle between my powered speakers on top of my chest of drawers.

 

I would have loved to have bought the amp and speakers I was shown yesterday but £1,200 is way beyond my means at present.  My budget is more along the lines of £200 for the amplifier and £150 for the speakers although I could probably stretch to £350 for the amp and £200 for the speakers if the right ones came up.  I'm looking at wall speakers with an amplifier that's big enough to put underneath the TT on my chest of drawers.  I don't want to invest in special Hi-Fi shelving if I can avoid it.  If anyone has any suitable recommendations or suggestions, please post them.

 

I'm not saying the Rega is a bad TT, it could be a fantastic TT in the right environment but it's not for me at the present time.

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2 hours ago, dethrock said:

What's your current amp and speakers? Check out UK Audio Mart. 

 

Here's an example of a cheap amp that's still really good https://www.ukaudiomart.com/details/649532035-rotel-ra01/

I'm using these powered speakers:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KitSound-Bluetooth-Wireless-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B06XGT1QM7/ref=sr_1_6?crid=14AH1OMB9VAC6&keywords=kitsound+reunion+speakers&qid=1575667145&sprefix=kitsoun+re%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-6

 

Thank you for the link and the suggestion.  The Rotel seems to tick most of the boxes but I'll see if I can find something with an optical/digital out port and a remote control first before pulling the trigger.

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  • 2 months later...

I am no expert but I have noticed that most experts that I listen to say to start with the speakers. Get the best speakers that you can afford and set them as far away from the wall as possible. I have never been able to set my speakers out into the room but it does make a difference if you can. They generally recommend to spend more on the speakers than the amp too because they make the biggest difference. If your turntable works well, upgrading the stylus or maybe the cartridge and stylus would probably make more of a difference than buying a new turntable given that the cartridges are comparable between the two turntables. Of course, I have a very modest system made up of used equipment so I have very little experience with really nice hifi gear. I am just repeating what I hear the experts say. Enjoy whatever you have!

Edited by genewiseman
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  • 4 weeks later...

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