regressor Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Hi guys, My name is Edward and I'm an engineering student. I'm here because I've only gotten into hifi in the last 4 months - and I've been using some hand-me-downs from my parents, so I'm looking for the lower end of market to slowly upgrade my system (and would love some advice on what to do.) My system consists of an old Pioneer amp (SX-750), an even older pair of Kef speakers that have Model K2 Celeste Mk. II written on the back and a JVC XL-V333 CD player. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Hmm, where to start. Do you have a listening position that forms an isosceles triangle with the speakers and with the tweeters up around ear height ? If not, then you may get a better image by doing that. If the speaker leads are the crappy thin stuff that the dealers give away, then you may get a lift by using something a little thicker, better and the shorter the leads are the better (I'm talking metres not cms). IF you have all that and are still not happy then suggest you go out and listen to other people's stuff to get some ideas. That only costs some beer or wine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mac Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Welcome! The SX-750 is a nice grunty 50WRMS/ch receiver... very nice indeed. Provided that it is operating in spec, it should do a pretty reasonable job! I'm not familiar with those particular KEFs, but you could possibly look at a speaker upgrade as your first port of call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regressor Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 (edited) Thanks for the replies Nigel and Pete. I'm really happy with the SX-750, I like how heavy and solid it is - makes me think of quality! I borrowed some older Bose 301 speakers to test, and the difference in sound was quite staggering - so I'm 95% sure that most of the sound pitfalls are due to the speakers. (They're close enough to equidistant from my listening position, and close enough to head height) However I'm actually really proud of my speakers, they're about 40 years old and were bought second hand by my parents before they were even married. There's a lot of history in these speakers but they have sat unused for 25 years - until I got really, really bored these holidays and started to use them. I also like how they're made in England, I know that doesn't mean anything to quality of build or sound quality but it makes me happy. I'll admit I don't have a whole lot of money to spend, so I'm more than happy to buy ex demonstrator or second hand. I listen mainly to different kinds of rock and stuff like Bowie. So I have a few questions regarding new speakers: I live in Sydney during semester but I live in Canberra during holidays, where would be better to buy the equipment? I bought the second hand JVC CD player from Duratone in Canberra, but from what I could see at the time most of the speakers were well outside my price range (although I'm sure they would have something to sell me.) If I have a budget, of say $500 maximum (can certainly be stretched a lot, but cheaper is better though) can I afford to buy some low end bookshelf speakers from a quality brand? (European (UK especially), American or Australian built would make me happy.) I'm not going to take my Hi-Fi system within 500 feet of my college room, because things tend to get broken. Since for about half the year I'm not at home, is it better to wait it out and save my money now? My current speakers are a testament to the longevity of the equipment, but is the same quality equipment getting cheaper, more expensive or just about level? I've been lucky enough to have been offered an exchange to a Canadian university, and with our amazing exchange rate will Hi-Fi equipment be cheaper over in North America than buying here, like just about everything else? And if so, is it viable to ship back speakers? And finally: am I posting this all in the wrong place and would it be better off making a post in Speakers & Subwoofers Discussion?! Thanks if you made it through this long winded post! Edited February 18, 2011 by regressor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mac Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 The 750 is a nice centrepiece around which to build a system. Classic vintage looks, strong performance. If you haven't already, it is worth getting the amp serviced/inspected to ensure that the bias and offset adjustments are correct. If you intend keeping the amp for a long time, consider having the electrolytic capacitors replaced. These dry out over time, and lose capacitance, gain ESR, or both! $500 will get you some fairly nice bookshelf speakers brand-new. A few that spring to mind are the Usher S520 ($400 timber veneer or $450 gloss black/white), Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 ($299) or 10.1 ($385). There are plenty of other sub-$500 options out there. Extending the budget further will obviously widen the scope of what you can get. I reckon these Mordaunt-Short speakers in the For Sale section are a downright bargain at $250... I'd be giving these some careful consideration! http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/showthread.php/29416-FS-Mordaunt-Short-MS3.5-Floorstanders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cullender Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Don't get rid of the kef k2 celeste speakers, they are excellent, or at least the speakers inside are:- B139 Bass Driver, T15 Tweeter. All you need is a good midrange and change the crossover and maybe a bigger cabinet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djb Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 greetings KEF made some good gear do a google search... BUT u did a comparison so i think its back to parental shed< build ur own nostalgia base dont carry parental baggage! like peter i cant believe no one has bought the mordant shorts last time i looked i think they were $200 pick up if they were in melb i would have bought them on principle< google transmission line< stunning bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 I would have thought the Kef's would be better than the Bose. Are all the drivers in the Kefs working ? They may just need some TLC.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upfront Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 Generally in speakers of that vintage and the fact that they haven't been used in 25 years, probably means they need a bit of maintenance. ie.. New surrounds spiders etc.. Maybe your hard earned money would be better spent on fixing the old rather than buying new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goooobags Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 I'm an Engineering student up in sydney too, what engineering do you study? Keep an eye out on Gumtree and the classifieds here, every so often second hand bookshelf speakers pop up for a good price. I grabbed my Paradigm's off gumtree with stands for a reasonable price, they're a bit beat up but still 100% functional. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicprObe Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Hi there! In your field you might want to take a look at the Vintage HiFi thread! http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/showthread.php/34493-Vintage-HiFi?highlight=vintage+hifi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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