[Yotora]

Hey guys, I hope this is in the right thread ^^ but uh, basically I need some help with setting up an entry-level hifi system, i'm quite new to the audiophile scene and I found a set of speakers and a subwoofer online for a cheap price - they have great reviews. It's the Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 speakers and SW150 subwoofer. (Only £229.90 for both the speakers and subwoofer )
 
I was just wondering, would it be possible to find an amp and also cd player combined into one unit which is capable off powering both the speakers and subwoofer? I'd like one with a usb port/ sd card port and multi cd capbabilities preferably but i'm not majorly bothered. Oh and i've also got a fairly low budget - only £150 or so :/
 
I didn't know where to start as i'm a newbie to this so I thought I'd come to head-fi as i've read quite a few threads on here and what not but yeah, i was wondering if you guys could help me out

 

[ProtegeManiac]

None for the price you mentioned but so far you can check out the following:

CDP +low watt tube speaker amp : Shanling MC30 music center
 
CDP + SS speaker amp+preout for sub, loop out for separate (headphone) amp : Arcam Solo range
 
CDP + 1tb/500gb/ + NAS music server + SS speaker amp + line out to amp/sub : Cocktail Audio X10
 
 
 
I'd go with the Cocktail - it has USB and other connectivity options, including uncompressed streaming via WiFi. And it's probably the cheapest of the bunch. Also, when you bust CD transports as on the other two, as opposed to using mainly the HDD, etc on the X10, IF you bust an HDD, that's easier to replace - you just get a new HDD and install it. Kinda slow to boot up (even my Aspire series ACER boots up faster) but consider that warm up time for the amp.

 

[Yotora]

Awesome, yeah i quite like the look of the cocktail and the size of it is great, but i found that my mother has an amplifier in her TV unit which never gets used so I think i'm going down the route of simply a CD player with USB capabilities now, which seems to be a lot more realistic and in budget, I greatly appreciate your help though
 
Quick question though, the amplifier in question (a Cambridge Audio A1) is rated at 25W power output, would that be enough for the diamond 9.1 speakers which have a 20-100W power handling? (not too sure what that means )
 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
Quote:

...so I think i'm going down the route of simply a CD player with USB capabilities now, which seems to be a lot more realistic and in budget, I greatly appreciate your help though

 
Most CDPs I'm aware of with USB inputs tend to be around the price of the Cocktail X10. Also read the specs of USB inputs on CDPs - even some higher models only take up to 320kbps through USB, where the X10 can be loaded with lossless, so if you're expecting or hoping for lossless formats this will be a consideration. And you can stream the content from an NAS to pretty much anywhere in the house, and given the X10 is compact and light, you can carry it to any system in the house, too (speaker system in one room, another in the TV room, headphone system in your room, patio outdoor speakers if you have any, etc).
 
 
Quote:

Quick question though, the amplifier in question (a Cambridge Audio A1) is rated at 25W power output, would that be enough for the diamond 9.1 speakers which have a 20-100W power handling? (not too sure what that means )

 
That the one with the TV? Specs given by Wharfedale for the speaker and an amp to go with it give a range for a minimum and safe operation. 20w is their general minimum for (CEA-rated)* amplifier power, 100w is the max before you run the risk of putting in too much power. Take note you are much more likely to destroy speakers by forcing it to get too loud with a weak amp at high distortion output levels than with an amp with 200wpc low distortion and high damping factor (how it reins in the speakers) since with the latter your ears are more likely to stop you.
 
Also efficiency of the speakers (how loud it can go with 1watt,++), noise isolation and room modes (how the room affects the sound), and your own preferences/hearing can affect what counts as "minimum." In a room with lots of noise leaking into it and with lots of earwax, you might need more than 50watts, for example; others can already appreciate the Wharfedales with an 8wpc T-amp in a small, quiet room.


*There are too many ways to measure power - at what freq, or you can get a higher rating in watts but then noise levels might be too high, etc - so assume the minimum refers to 20w of "clean" power. There's no strict rule but assume AFAIK but assume it should be minimum 20w at no more than 0.01%THD.
 

 

[Yotora]

Hmm... the X10 seems somewhat more appealing now ^^ but thanks for your in depth response, i may have to mull this over for a while before any decisions are made but i think I have all the information i need now, thanks a lot

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Hmm... the X10 seems somewhat more appealing now ^^ but thanks for your in depth response, i may have to mull this over for a while before any decisions are made but i think I have all the information i need now, thanks a lot

 
No problem. Trust me when I say its better to stew plotting where to spend money for a month, or months, rather than rush, sell, upgrade in quick succession.

 

[Yotora]

I've given it some thought and i don't think i'll be getting the X10, i'm not after perfection with my audio so i think the 320kbps will suit me fine for now, although i may upgrade this in the future - but i mean far future, like years ^^ and I don't intend to move my hifi system aroudn the house, we've got a system downstairs which is decent, like for parties and what not
 
BUUUUUT, I found out you can play mp3's straight from an iPod, PC or whatever into an Amp (can't believe I didn't know this xD, me being a total n00b), so I think i may get a more powerful amp such as the Onkyo A-9155 or Yamaha A-S300 and my PC isn't too far from where I'm going to put my speakers and system

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

I've given it some thought and i don't think i'll be getting the X10, i'm not after perfection with my audio so i think the 320kbps will suit me fine for now, although i may upgrade this in the future - but i mean far future, like years ^^ and I don't intend to move my hifi system aroudn the house, we've got a system downstairs which is decent, like for parties and what not
 
BUUUUUT, I found out you can play mp3's straight from an iPod, PC or whatever into an Amp (can't believe I didn't know this xD, me being a total n00b), so I think i may get a more powerful amp such as the Onkyo A-9155 or Yamaha A-S300 and my PC isn't too far from where I'm going to put my speakers and system

 
Those are quite expensive and large amps for not wanting perfection, but at the street price they should be good value. Consider some HT receivers too, some entry-level ones have direct USB inputs for some iPods and Androids, so you're taking the digital audio and decoding it using the usually better hardware on the receiver.  They can make good enough power when driving only two channels so they won't be that far behind the performance of entry-level dedicated 2ch amps, not to mention you can hook up other sources via digital inputs (AppleTV and similar products, BluRay players, etc).

 

[Yotora]

Ah yeah, that's a fair point I haven't really considered HT recievers, and yeah it is quite a large amp, but I think it's the look of the yamaha that's really caught my eye, it just looks awesome

 
I may have to do some more research now but in terms of questions and what not, you've answered all of them really now - thanks a lot for the help
 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Yeah that Yamaha's design is like 1980s amps reinterpeted into a more modern (and cleaner) look. Real classy, it'll look great between vintage KEFs or Spica.