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Hi-Fi Lo-Fi

There has been a fair amount of discussion about how hi-fi seems to be a dying hobby. Most people just don’t get it.

And when we suggest that they need to have their house rewired and buy $1000 speaker cables to get good sound it is no wonder that that average person thinks we’re nuts.

We are nuts. Of course.

But that’s another story.

Anyway, I feel like a better way to expand the hobby is by showing folks that they can put together a decent system for less that a half decent speaker cable.

I recently did this. By accident sort of.

My old Toshiba receiver from high school (1980) finally bit the dust. It was the basis for the system down at my cabin.

I’d already replaced my Bose bookshelf speakers with Polk Audio Monitor 70 towers, $180 Craig’s List.

So I needed an amp and radio. We listen to the radio a lot down there. I had a Denon tuner in my home system that I never use. Approx. $110 eBay.

I just bought an NAD 316BEE on eBay, $200. Its 40 wpc and gets great reviews.

I had a Toshiba DVD play. $15 at thrift shop.

That’s $505. Add 12 ga low ox speaker cables and some banana plugs and an outdoor FM antenna and I’m close to $550. Interconnects are mid level RCA that I already had.

Results? Surprisingly good. The old Toshiba receiver was not bad but this NAD really opened up the sound stage...well outside the speakers in fact. And the room (larger main room in a small log cabin) is far from ideal. Bass seems great to me but I’m no bass fetish. I have a large B&W subwoofer but don’t feel the need. Volume and energy are excellent far exceeding levels I would ever actually listen at.

Of course it does not have the richness, clarity and sound stage of my home system. But it cost about 30x less.

Many folks won’t be willing to spend even $500 for a system. I only did so reluctantly and piece by piece.
But for those who really want to get started in hi-fi I think we all ought to be able to point them in this sort of direction to get them started.

Once they’re hooked we can steer them toward the $10,000 speaker cables. ;-)


n80
ghasley
2,506 posts
 
@n80


Excellent post and some of these responses do in fact prove your point. Never is the law of diminishing returns more applicable than in hifi. There are some who may even, deep down, resent the fact that you CAN achieve really nice sound for very little outlay. If people are honest with themselves then up to a certain price band, its about the music. Above that price band, it becomes about the equipment and what is possible to reproduce. The chase to determine what kind of drumhead or microphone was used in the recording is mercurial I will readily admit.

It really ticks me off when someone posts something about “well, if its all you can afford, then...”. Priorities are different for everyone and just because one person is willing to spend their entire social security check on a new cable is hardly the test. 

Thanks for posting this and I hope someone new to the hobby happens upon it one day and gets into the hobby. The system you put together truly can be the on ramp or the finish line, to each his own.
n80 OP
2,125 posts
 
Thanks. And I don't want anyone to get me wrong here. I'm not knocking high end audio. I'm not even knocking people who just like the super expensive equipment just because that's what they're into.

Its all okay.

But if someone says, 'wow, your home system sounds really great, I'd like to listen to music that way too' it is helpful to be aware of an entry point for them without suggesting that they need speaker cables that are bigger than a garden hose and cost over $1000 (like mine). For most people that either puts them off because they think such things are not obtainable
 or because they think I (we) am a pretentious snob and don't want to be associated with a hobby full of people like that.

On a more practical level, being able to assemble a system like this is handy for situations exactly like mine. Let's say you've just plopped down $10,000 for those awesome looking speaker cables.....or that snowmobile...and you want a system for the garage, cabin, shop or office and you only have $500 or so..............
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
n80 OP
And I don’t want anyone to get me wrong here. I’m not knocking high end audio. I’m not even knocking people who just like the super expensive equipment just because that’s what they’re into.

Its all okay.

>>>>That’s mighty decent of you, partner.
n80 OP
2,125 posts
 
Thanks Geoff. 
kacomess
200 posts
 
One way to achieve greater return on your investment is to buy used equipment from fellow Audiogon Forum members. Items are almost always very well cared for and you can get a lot of advice...at least that approach has helped me. I'm not knocking Craigslist, but dedicated audiophiles may sell here preferentially.

Keith
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