Hi-Fi advice

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Electric_Andy

Heavy Metal Fan
Location
Plymouth
Depending on what you stream Sonos is a good bet, pair of Play:1's to start with.

Never looked back!.

Yes I looked at those, but how would they compare to the fullness of sound from a set of floor standing speakers like these: ?

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tobykenobi

Über Member
Floor standers are great if you have the room but can be pricey for good ones (I have a pair of Castle Severn IIs). Again, looking used is the way to go - although try to listen - if a driver has blown then it's pointless buying them unless (a) you can get replacements and (b) you're adept at fixing it yourself.

I've no idea what Edifier speakers are like but the disadvantage of active speakers is the difficulty of attaching multiple inputs. An integrated amp might have 6 inputs; active speakers only one or two. Might not be a problem for you, however.
 
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Electric_Andy

Heavy Metal Fan
Location
Plymouth
ok thanks. I do have room for floor standers and I like the look. I've been reading the reviews on £100 active speakers and it seems they are a nice upgrade from standard PC speakers but fairly low end for a living room. I might just go to richer sounds and see if I can listen, then get a 2nd hand amp.
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
The old wisdom was all-in-one speakers couldn't compete on quality with a separate amp and speakers set-up.

Things change, but buying all-in-ones without an audition is more of a risk than doing the same thing with a traditional speaker.
 
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Location
Cheshire
That looks ideal. So this would work as a radio/media player and an amp? So I could just play stuff on my phone, Bluetooth it to the above, and connect passive speakers?
Thats right but not bluetooth over your wifi but has a phone app so you can control that way. Quality amp though that can drive decent speakers..its a total bargain.
 
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Electric_Andy

Heavy Metal Fan
Location
Plymouth
I've just found my dad's old Toshiba separates which he said i could have. Bought in 1986. I set up the amp and receiver with the speakers and it sounds great. I'm going to make some spikes for the bottom of the speakers, and I've ordered a Bluetooth receiver. I like the retro look so this is great, so far just cost me £8 for the receiver!
 
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Electric_Andy

Heavy Metal Fan
Location
Plymouth
Another question. My amp has 2 channels. L and R are connected to L and R speakers. The other L and R outputs, i connected to a subwoofer that I got for free. However, when all 3 are plugged in, it cuts one of the main speakers so I can only hear 1 speaker and the sub at a time. Does this mean something doesn't work, or that my Amp is not capable of running 2 channels concurrently?
 

keithmac

Guru
The old wisdom was all-in-one speakers couldn't compete on quality with a separate amp and speakers set-up.

Things change, but buying all-in-ones without an audition is more of a risk than doing the same thing with a traditional speaker.

A my Sonos Speakers have one digital amplifier per driver built into the housings, sounds well enough and no wires everywhere (wifi serving them lossless FLAC).

I think my Soundbar has 9 dedicated amplifiers inside it!.

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KneesUp

Guru
I run volumio on a Raspberry Pi with a IQAudio DAC. This gives excellent quality, and allows me to play all BBC radio at 320kbps, stream Spotify and play everything off my NAS. It's all controlled by an interface you can view in a web browser, or an Android or OSX app. It also has AirPlay, so I can send music from my phone to it over wi-fi. It's all hooked up to my (now old I guess) Arcam A75 and pair of (definitely now old) Maxim 2 speakers which I picked up for a fiver because I liked my old ones so much. Prior to that it ran through a pair of Missions I got at a car boot for less than a tenner. It sounds excellent for the cost - look around on eBay or charity shops - not all amps are created equal, and a 'good' old one will sound better than a 'cheap' new one.
 
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