Setting up first audio system

[worf]

Hi, I'm looking to set up my first audio system and the more research I do the more confused I become.

For my system I'm thinking of an integrated amp and a pair of floorstanding speakers. I live in Hong Kong so there's not too much equipment to choose from and not really many places where I can test equipment. (I'm hoping to get second hand gear)

The room where the system will be is rectangular, concrete walls and has a tiled floor.(around 4 metres by 10 metres It's the main living area so I wont have much room to play with. (I guess a more social set up would be realistic, although I do enjoy listening to my music and take it seiously)

Speakers I've been looking into are B&W and KEF but am open to any brand. May be able to get a pair of B&W603 S2, but should i go for floorstanding of bookshelf? Not even began to look at integrated amps yet.

Musical tastes are indi, rock, jazz

Most of my music is on an MP3 player (I try to use a higher bit rate 192 - 320) Would this make a significant difference in sound quality compared to CD's?

So with all this in mind, what type/style of speakers (should i biwire) and amp should I be looking out for and what would you recommend?

Thanks,

[2channellover]

1st audio system

Worf,

I'm a newbie on this board myself, but relatively mature in a 2ch music systems.

I understand the room will serve more than one purpose, but doing my best conversion your room is not that small.

Speaker brands - IMO this the most subjective piece of equipment in your system, so your taste will drive this decision. That said, you can't go wrong with B&W spkrs I've owned a pr of m804 for many years and I still like them. Haven't heard Kef in a while, but they are we'll respected as well. You're going to have to listen somehow.

Floor standing or book shelf - Personally I like floor standers for music only application. Unless paired with really good sub, monitors lack adequate bass reproduction IMO. But...your amp may help you make that decision. Matching up your the efficiency of the spkrs with your integrated amp will help you get the best performance out of your system.

Never attempted to listen to my ipod thru my system, so I can't offer an opinion there.

Good luck with it.

Tony

[planitismetal]

Hi, I'm looking to set up my first audio system and the more research I do the more confused I become.Musical tastes are indi, rock, jazz

Most of my music is on an MP3 player (I try to use a higher bit rate 192 - 320) Would this make a significant difference in sound quality compared to CD's?

So with all this in mind, what type/style of speakers (should i biwire) and amp should I be looking out for and what would you recommend?

Thanks,

Hi worf

Look, the differences are tremendous between mp3 and cd... And if you like jazz as you tell, mp3 is a disaster... Only if you have loosles compression, or flac you will have all the details from the cd... So, first of all, you have to decide if you are going to listen to music or noise...
For too many years I used to listen to noise, but fortunatelly I bought B&W and Classe equipments, and now I'm listening music!!!
Keep in touch and there are too many ideas for making a nice setup!!

[Finleyville]

Hello worf...

I do not think the higher bitrate will matter as much as the source itself. Either way I think you will be alright.

IMHO, the two most important factors in how a system will sound are the speakers and the room in which they are located.

I think the general consensus here is that take your total budget for the whole system and use half or more of that for the speakers. No other part of the system makes as much difference of how it sounds than the speakers. You will not hear a difference in amps, cables, etc unless your noiseboxes are up to snuff. With that said, 2channel is correct in that which speakers you choose is totally subjective. You need to listen to as many different manufactures as you can. The best way is to find a dealer who will allow in house testing for a couple of weeks. This will allow you to see if floor standers are needed or just a quality pair of bookshelves in your room. Which brings me to my next point.

The room which your system resides has an enormous impact in how it will sound and is often overlooked. With your concrete walls and tiled floor your primary room will be very "live" without some treatments. Walk around and see how much echo you hear when you clap a few times. Hanging a few tapestries on the wall and using throw rugs to dampen early reflections will go a long way to improving ANY system you decide upon. You can research much more on room effects and critical speaker placement on the wonderful world wide web.

Good luck in your system.

Hi, I'm looking to set up my first audio system and the more research I do the more confused I become.

For my system I'm thinking of an integrated amp and a pair of floorstanding speakers. I live in Hong Kong so there's not too much equipment to choose from and not really many places where I can test equipment. (I'm hoping to get second hand gear)

The room where the system will be is rectangular, concrete walls and has a tiled floor.(around 4 metres by 10 metres It's the main living area so I wont have much room to play with. (I guess a more social set up would be realistic, although I do enjoy listening to my music and take it seiously)

Speakers I've been looking into are B&W and KEF but am open to any brand. May be able to get a pair of B&W603 S2, but should i go for floorstanding of bookshelf? Not even began to look at integrated amps yet.

Musical tastes are indi, rock, jazz

Most of my music is on an MP3 player (I try to use a higher bit rate 192 - 320) Would this make a significant difference in sound quality compared to CD's?

So with all this in mind, what type/style of speakers (should i biwire) and amp should I be looking out for and what would you recommend?

Thanks,