What's a good stereo/hi fi? Recommendations please

StormWarrior

I just bought a new hi fi, the Ferguson micro system and it is absolute RUBBISH! It has a terrible sound quality, I am so unhappy with it I want to take it back and change it. It sounds small, tinny and faraway, the so-called bass-boost isn't even noticeable. I mostly listen to 80's hard rock and metal, so I need something good for that. I want something that sounds powerful and has a really good bass boost. But preferably costs less than £200. Any suggestions?

WindSock

Bose

Standard Toaster

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyZspqjtG2k

Thank me later

Idleater

Standard Toaster wrote: »

Thank me later

Classic

OP, best bet is to head to any shop that sells them and give a couple a blast. At that price, you are going to compromise on something, so you'd be best off seeing what is available at that price that you like the sound of.

StormWarrior

I tested the ferguson one, and it sounded ok in the shop, but when I got home it sounded pretty bad.

Red Alert

Maybe a silly question but are you sure the speaker polarity of both speakers is right? A "far away" sound is sometimes because they're out of phase.

phelixoflaherty

http://whathifi.com/Review/Denon-D-M38DAB/

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055952776

Mathiasb

WindSock wrote: »

Bose

Bose doesn't do HiFi at all, they do design.

Stay away from Bose at all costs if you want good sound and good value for money.

If you like their design and don't care about the sound, then go ahead.

antomagoo

Mathiasb wrote: »

Bose doesn't do HiFi at all, they do design.

Stay away from Bose at all costs if you want good sound and good value for money.

If you like their design and don't care about the sound, then go ahead.

Really? Was led to believe Bose wave music system was fantastic for sound, so much so that I headed into their shop in dundrum yesterday and I have to say I was well impressed with the demo. Not impressed by the price though, but still considering buying. What would you recommend for a small HiFi? Sound quality is top of my list, so would I be better going for seperates?

any views on the denon that phelixoflaherty linked to

Slaphead07

antomagoo wrote: »

Really? Was led to believe Bose wave music system was fantastic for sound,

It's a cardboard tube, or if you upgrade I believe they offer a plastic tube. Utter muck, not to be confused with a sound system. The previous poster was spot on, they have a great marketing dept. but nothing else.

the Denon would be ok.

Pike Bishop

Hi,Teac,Denon or Onkyo all make decent mini units.Check out Richers in Belfast.Their delivery rates are good(their prices are better than Peats)

Spudzzmurphy

Why not have a look for a good secondhand separates system.

andy1249

Bose = cheap trash hyped up and sold at an extortionate profit , if price was any gauge , these units should actually sell for no more than 100 euro.

Heres the engineering....

http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

Dont buy Bose , they are an outrageous rip off , instead , do a bit of research , you can buy 10 times better for half the price , easily ....

Mathiasb

andy1249 wrote: »

Bose = cheap trash hyped up and sold at an extortionate profit , if price was any gauge , these units should actually sell for no more than 100 euro.

Heres the engineering....

http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

Dont buy Bose , they are an outrageous rip off , instead , do a bit of research , you can buy 10 times better for half the price , easily ....

Some valid points, but this is hilarious:

Smaller subwoofers move faster and thus have tighter bass response for improved clarity and accuracy, but larger subwoofers can reproduce lower frequencies and at louder volumes.

Anyone saying that larger drivers are "slower" is completely uneducated on the subject.

andy1249

Not hilarious at all .... hes talking about mechanical movement , as in Thiele/Small calculations ,

The larger the mass of the cone , the harder it is to move ... obvious to a certain extent.

See here for the calculations , the important one is below in a jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiele/Small

Mathiasb

andy1249 wrote: »

Not hilarious at all .... hes talking about mechanical movement , as in Thiele/Small calculations ,

The larger the mass of the cone , the harder it is to move ... obvious to a certain extent.

See here for the calculations , the important one is below in a jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiele/Small

It's real bad to generalize like that. Of course, heavier (larger) cones require more control (motor strength, better spiders, better surround) etc.

But to say that larger driver aren't as "fast" as smaller ones.. That only creates confusion. It has nothing to do with group delay, or phase reponse or anything like that, which might be interpreted by the listener as a "slow bass".

earpiece

If your looking for high-end speakers check out these guys: <Snip>

Mathiasb

earpiece wrote: »

If your looking for high-end speakers check out these guys:

What's high end about them? Delling for almost €2900 for example. Just the drivers alone go for < €1000. No performance measurements either. What's so great about them? Just wondering.

earpiece

They've got a frequency/impedance graph at the bottom of the page!
I have a pair of the ones you mention (in Oak).... first, beautifully finished, but more importantly, ever listened to music and looked about the room thinking the singers behind you and the piano's to your right etc.
My living rooms acoustic's probably play a part in that too, but these speakers do bring music to life..... what more can I say - I'm a happy customer.

Mathiasb

earpiece wrote: »

They've got a frequency/impedance graph at the bottom of the page!
I have a pair of the ones you mention (in Oak).... first, beautifully finished, but more importantly, ever listened to music and looked about the room thinking the singers behind you and the piano's to your right etc.
My living rooms acoustic's probably play a part in that too, but these speakers do bring music to life..... what more can I say - I'm a happy customer.

Ah, right. Didn't scroll down far enough ;P

I've seen better graphs (+where's the phase?) but I've also seen worse. They're not the best bang for the buck though.

earpiece

Yeah, no phase response, what sold 'em for me was the other half picked the solid oak cabinets with out fuss..... plus they're an Irish outfit, I know the drivers are Norwegian, but at the same time it's good to see something been made here, hell knows the country needs it! No regrets.

The Ritz

Mod Comment:

@earpiece,

I've snipped your post above to remove the web link. As a newcomer to Boards and to the HE forums, you're very welcome to join discussions etc., but a first post which recommends/promotes a particular company is not welcome.

The HE forums are a commercial-free zone - it's routine to see recommendations made by regular posters, but first posts giving a recommendation are not welcome because they are usually attempts at using Boards to promote some company or other.

You can find lots of guidance on Boards in the Newbie/FAQ forum here: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=98, including information about this issue.

Cheers,


Ritz.