In recent Sunday Thoughts, we’ve chatted about how to bring younger people into the hobby ( I don’t like that word as it conjures images of lofts filled with model railways), how to keep things welcoming, and how to make sure we don’t forget that HiFi is really about the music. This week I thought I’d do something a bit different. Instead of just musing on the state of things, I decided to set myself a bit of a challenge: could I put together a proper HiFi system for a grand? The reasoning behind this was that when I’ve published previous Sunday Thoughts articles, comments were made that there just aren’t the starter systems about that there once were. Where are the NAD 3020s, the Dual turntables, and the Wharfedale Diamonds? Well, the truth of the matter is that there are still some great and affordable bits of kit out there, and I’m going to highlight a few for you.
When I say “proper HiFi system,” I don’t mean a Bluetooth speaker plonked on the kitchen counter or one of those all-in-one plastic towers you used to see stacked in supermarkets. I also don’t mean a soundbar, though if a Bluetooth speaker or a soundbar suits your purposes, then carry on. What I do mean is an amplifier, a pair of speakers, and the ability to stream music or play records.
Now, some will already be rolling their eyes and muttering that you can’t do anything worthwhile with a budget like that. And if you only ever look at the exotic end of the market, where systems cost more than a car, then I suppose you would come to that conclusion. I’ve heard plenty of those systems, and they can be absolutely staggering, but if all we ever talk about is the far end of the market, then it paints a picture of HiFi as something you need a lottery win to enjoy. And I don’t buy that.
We put up a news item in the week about a pair of Sonus faber speakers that cost about 75K and some of the posts on socials were pretty scathing that a loudspeaker could cost so much – I’ve written about the price of kit before, so I’m not going to get into that again here, but you can read my How Much article here.
The truth is that HiFi should be something you can get into without needing a second mortgage, though I still maintain that the high-end is a wonderful thing. Look, even a grand isn’t loose change, but it’s not fantasy money either, and it’s a figure that a lot of people can realistically consider if they’re serious about their music. Anyway, I did some searching and came up with a handful of systems that come in on budget. I’m not saying these are the only systems out there (there are many), but I think they give you an idea of what’s available and debunk the theory that you have to be loaded to get into HiFi. I’ve purposefully kept this as simple as possible and not included turntables, but there are some lovely budget decks out there from the likes of ProJect and others, and FOSI introduced a $350 turntable with its own phono stage and cartridge only this week.
If you want to go all British, then newcomers FELL are offering you a CD player and an amp for about a grand, though you will have to find a pair of speakers.
I’m not making any claims here about the sound quality of any of these systems, but I’ve purposefully kept the kit from reputable manufacturers with solid distribution and retail presence – I wanted to keep it simple. But I also wanted to show that it is well possible to get your tunes elevated from a phone and a Bluetooth speaker for not a huge chunk of dosh.
I was chatting with Simon at Henley Audio about this proposed article, and he pointed me at a couple of “Sets” they put together at very affordable prices. One of these Sets included an amp, speakers, and a turntable for around 700 quid. Now, I like this idea of dealers and distributors putting together packages for people – it makes the whole buying process so much easier than trying to cobble bits from all over the place together. Let’s face it, the choice is actually bewildering!
For someone moving up from a phone and a pair of earbuds, or maybe a Bluetooth speaker, any one of these setups will be nothing short of an aural revelation. They will offer so much more by way of sound staging, dynamics, and all the rest of the buzzwords that we bat on about endlessly in the HiFi game.
Some will buy a system like this and stop there – and that’s perfectly fine. They’ll enjoy their music and never feel the need to change a thing. Others will start to wonder what happens if they move to bigger speakers, or a different amp, or maybe try out a better streamer or turntable. That curiosity leads into the middle ground of HiFi, where there’s a huge amount of choice and variety – some would argue that there is actually too much choice, but that’s a whole different Sunday Thoughts article asking to be written. And then, yes, a few will make the jump into the higher end, chasing the dream systems we all read about and get to hear at shows.
But it all begins with something like this. A grand buys you a very credible entry into the hobby. It proves that HiFi can be attainable, not just aspirational. And more importantly, it proves that HiFi is about the music.
So, the next time someone says you can’t put together a proper system for a thousand fun tokens, I’d point them to one of these examples. They’re real, they’re available, and they’re more than enough to show someone what this hobby is really about.
And if that gets just one more person hooked on listening to music properly, then I’d say it’s been a challenge worth doing.
AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-LP70XBT BEGINNERS TURNTABLE LAUNCHED The Audio-Technica AT-LP70xBT Beginners Turntable has been designed as a gateway for audiophiles taking their first steps into the world of vinyl. The Audio-Technica AT-LP70xBT…
PRO-JECT AUDIO SYSTEMS LAUNCHES THE STEREO BOX E COMPACT AMPLIFIER Pro-Ject Audio Systems has unveiled the Pro-Ject Stereo Box E Compact Amplifier, a compact integrated amplifier aimed at delivering high-quality…
Birch Audio are a new company based in Omaha, Nebraska and have very clear aims in the manufacture of their loudspeakers - "To make exceptional minimalist audio equipment". To this…
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A Proper System For a Grand? You Must Be Mad!
A Proper System For a Grand? You Must Be Mad!
In recent Sunday Thoughts, we’ve chatted about how to bring younger people into the hobby ( I don’t like that word as it conjures images of lofts filled with model railways), how to keep things welcoming, and how to make sure we don’t forget that HiFi is really about the music. This week I thought I’d do something a bit different. Instead of just musing on the state of things, I decided to set myself a bit of a challenge: could I put together a proper HiFi system for a grand? The reasoning behind this was that when I’ve published previous Sunday Thoughts articles, comments were made that there just aren’t the starter systems about that there once were. Where are the NAD 3020s, the Dual turntables, and the Wharfedale Diamonds? Well, the truth of the matter is that there are still some great and affordable bits of kit out there, and I’m going to highlight a few for you.
When I say “proper HiFi system,” I don’t mean a Bluetooth speaker plonked on the kitchen counter or one of those all-in-one plastic towers you used to see stacked in supermarkets. I also don’t mean a soundbar, though if a Bluetooth speaker or a soundbar suits your purposes, then carry on. What I do mean is an amplifier, a pair of speakers, and the ability to stream music or play records.
Now, some will already be rolling their eyes and muttering that you can’t do anything worthwhile with a budget like that. And if you only ever look at the exotic end of the market, where systems cost more than a car, then I suppose you would come to that conclusion. I’ve heard plenty of those systems, and they can be absolutely staggering, but if all we ever talk about is the far end of the market, then it paints a picture of HiFi as something you need a lottery win to enjoy. And I don’t buy that.
We put up a news item in the week about a pair of Sonus faber speakers that cost about 75K and some of the posts on socials were pretty scathing that a loudspeaker could cost so much – I’ve written about the price of kit before, so I’m not going to get into that again here, but you can read my How Much article here.
The truth is that HiFi should be something you can get into without needing a second mortgage, though I still maintain that the high-end is a wonderful thing. Look, even a grand isn’t loose change, but it’s not fantasy money either, and it’s a figure that a lot of people can realistically consider if they’re serious about their music. Anyway, I did some searching and came up with a handful of systems that come in on budget. I’m not saying these are the only systems out there (there are many), but I think they give you an idea of what’s available and debunk the theory that you have to be loaded to get into HiFi. I’ve purposefully kept this as simple as possible and not included turntables, but there are some lovely budget decks out there from the likes of ProJect and others, and FOSI introduced a $350 turntable with its own phono stage and cartridge only this week.
System One: Cambridge + Q Acoustics + WiiM
Total spend: around £850.
System Two: Denon + Wharfedale + WiiM Pro Plus
Total spend: around £950.
System Three: Audiolab + Q Acoustics + WiiM Mini
Total spend: around £940.
System Four: Pro-Ject Uni Box S3 + Fyne Audio
Total spend: around £900.
System Five: Pro-Ject MaiA S3 + Stream Box S2 + Fyne Audio
Total spend: around £940.
If you want to go all British, then newcomers FELL are offering you a CD player and an amp for about a grand, though you will have to find a pair of speakers.
I’m not making any claims here about the sound quality of any of these systems, but I’ve purposefully kept the kit from reputable manufacturers with solid distribution and retail presence – I wanted to keep it simple. But I also wanted to show that it is well possible to get your tunes elevated from a phone and a Bluetooth speaker for not a huge chunk of dosh.
I was chatting with Simon at Henley Audio about this proposed article, and he pointed me at a couple of “Sets” they put together at very affordable prices. One of these Sets included an amp, speakers, and a turntable for around 700 quid. Now, I like this idea of dealers and distributors putting together packages for people – it makes the whole buying process so much easier than trying to cobble bits from all over the place together. Let’s face it, the choice is actually bewildering!
For someone moving up from a phone and a pair of earbuds, or maybe a Bluetooth speaker, any one of these setups will be nothing short of an aural revelation. They will offer so much more by way of sound staging, dynamics, and all the rest of the buzzwords that we bat on about endlessly in the HiFi game.
Some will buy a system like this and stop there – and that’s perfectly fine. They’ll enjoy their music and never feel the need to change a thing. Others will start to wonder what happens if they move to bigger speakers, or a different amp, or maybe try out a better streamer or turntable. That curiosity leads into the middle ground of HiFi, where there’s a huge amount of choice and variety – some would argue that there is actually too much choice, but that’s a whole different Sunday Thoughts article asking to be written. And then, yes, a few will make the jump into the higher end, chasing the dream systems we all read about and get to hear at shows.
But it all begins with something like this. A grand buys you a very credible entry into the hobby. It proves that HiFi can be attainable, not just aspirational. And more importantly, it proves that HiFi is about the music.
So, the next time someone says you can’t put together a proper system for a thousand fun tokens, I’d point them to one of these examples. They’re real, they’re available, and they’re more than enough to show someone what this hobby is really about.
And if that gets just one more person hooked on listening to music properly, then I’d say it’s been a challenge worth doing.
Stuart Smith
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Read More Sunday Thoughts.
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AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-LP70XBT BEGINNERS TURNTABLE LAUNCHED The Audio-Technica AT-LP70xBT Beginners Turntable has been designed as a gateway for audiophiles taking their first steps into the world of vinyl. The Audio-Technica AT-LP70xBT…
PRO-JECT AUDIO SYSTEMS LAUNCHES THE STEREO BOX E COMPACT AMPLIFIER Pro-Ject Audio Systems has unveiled the Pro-Ject Stereo Box E Compact Amplifier, a compact integrated amplifier aimed at delivering high-quality…
Birch Audio are a new company based in Omaha, Nebraska and have very clear aims in the manufacture of their loudspeakers - "To make exceptional minimalist audio equipment". To this…