My 1st complete Hi Fi.

Hi all,

I'm new in Hi Fi world and I would like to own my 1st hi fi.

Would like to know where should I start from and any magazines to intro???

My budget is RM3k, I already have a pair of RA Labs speakers (very old Black Gold series). Now I'm looking for an affordable and decent integrated amplifier.

Please advise, your assistant will me much appreciated.

Thanks and regards,
Noobskate.

What would your front end be? CD based?

CT-Boy wrote:What would your front end be? CD based?

Yes. CD and iPod based.

Types of music you listen to mostly?

CT-Boy wrote:Types of music you listen to mostly?

Mostly Jazz & Blues. Sometimes, I will also listen to some pop music with heavy bass.

Ahhh.. just like me!
If you can audition the intended amps with your speakers, that would be a good start. Better to do it in your home as room acoustics will affect the sound. How big is your listening area? Size?

Anyway have read some past reviews and having these mentioned:
"The BG Mini-Reference needs a system with a somewhat forgiving or sweetened high-frequency presentation. The NAD electronics work splendidly in this respect, without detracting from the Mini-Reference's strengths. I caution readers against pairing this speaker with any associated gear that sports a "ruthlessly revealing" or analytical high-frequency presentation. "

May be you need to look into NAD electronics or something similar in the same league?

Yours is the RA Labs Black Gold Mini Reference speakers, right?

http://www.stereophile.com/budgetcomponents/494ra/index2.html

CT-Boy wrote:Anyway have read some past reviews and having these mentioned:
"The BG Mini-Reference needs a system with a somewhat forgiving or sweetened high-frequency presentation. The NAD electronics work splendidly in this respect, without detracting from the Mini-Reference's strengths. I caution readers against pairing this speaker with any associated gear that sports a "ruthlessly revealing" or analytical high-frequency presentation. "

May be you need to look into NAD electronics or something similar in the same league?

Yours is the RA Labs Black Gold Mini Reference speakers, right?

http://www.stereophile.com/budgetcomponents/494ra/index2.html

Hey, thanks for your info.

I'm not sure whether it is a Mini Reference speakers the article mentioned about. Because the speakers was belongs to my father.
But from the size I don't feel it is mini. It have a pair of 8" inches (8 ohm) woofer and a pair of 1" inch (6 ohm) twitter. Is that consider as mini also?

Btw, any idea that I be able to find RA Labs speakers? Coz this brand is like extinct. While, any GENUINE, RELIABLE and FRIENDLY (i'm new and i will ask a lot of questions. So, the sales person will need to willing to entertain me *at least a while la*) shops to recommend??? Preferably KL. Thanks.

Nevertheless, do you mind to share your current setup???

I have more than one..
I too use obsolete speaker models but still sound good!. Your RA Labs model is (maybe) circa 94.. one of mine is way back in early 80's!
Where exactly do you stay in KL? PM me maybe I can let you play with my amps so that you have a fair idea in what direction you need to take.
Won't cost you a thing.. maybe a teh tarik or two

PS Don't believe the age you see there. It's to confuse the enemies.. hehe. Not that I have any.

mini ref is the 6in bookshelf. the 8inch is called something else (ref one?). the model is written on the black coloured label on the speaker's rear bottom left. used to retail for around RM900 some 17-20 years ago. distributed by Unik (Malaysia) in Johor who also distributed AR (and Advent?). hmm... coincidence?

Roy Allison was chief designer at AR during the early days (1970's). For those who have owned AR, Advent and RA would notice some similarities in the timbre...

I've never had the chance to listen to Allison Acoustics speakers. Do they share similar timbre? just curious.

the RAs really shine with piano pieces. they tend to lean towards the bright side, that's probably why piano pieces can get scarily realistic and extended for a sub Rm1K speaker. try partnering them with VERY VERY WARM sounding amps /source. For eg. a NAD 3020 or Sansui AU-xxx is still not warm enough to tame these babies. i'd suggest tubes along the line... or some expensive phat sounding high current amp.

just sold off my dad's pair to make way for other speakers. and for now, no matter how hard i try to tweak some Rogers Studio 3, i ain't getting that piano that used wake me up while dozing off.

I WANT THAT RA PIANO BACK! arghhh.... dammit!

CT-boy, the age is to confuse enemies or to get young chix? now i'm

drife wrote:mini ref is the 6in bookshelf. the 8inch is called something else (ref one?). the model is written on the black coloured label on the speaker's rear bottom left. used to retail for around RM900 some 17-20 years ago. distributed by Unik (Malaysia) in Johor who also distributed AR (and Advent?). hmm... coincidence?

Roy Allison was chief designer at AR during the early days (1970's). For those who have owned AR, Advent and RA would notice some similarities in the timbre...

I've never had the chance to listen to Allison Acoustics speakers. Do they share similar timbre? just curious.

the RAs really shine with piano pieces. they tend to lean towards the bright side, that's probably why piano pieces can get scarily realistic and extended for a sub Rm1K speaker. try partnering them with VERY VERY WARM sounding amps /source. For eg. a NAD 3020 or Sansui AU-xxx is still not warm enough to tame these babies. i'd suggest tubes along the line... or some expensive phat sounding high current amp.

just sold off my dad's pair to make way for other speakers. and for now, no matter how hard i try to tweak some Rogers Studio 3, i ain't getting that piano that used wake me up while dozing off.

I WANT THAT RA PIANO BACK! arghhh.... dammit!

CT-boy, the age is to confuse enemies or to get young chix? now i'm

Bro, thanks for your info.

Though i'm zero in Hi Fi but i feel that the speakers i have here is a pair of good stuff (listened almost everyday when I was young *somewhere like 8 yrs old? haha* paired with an unknown South Korea 50W power amp).

Btw, any idea that i can get another pair of this speakers? or RA Labs speakers?

Thanks.

korean Lotte? or late 70's Scott amp?
try putting up a Want To Buy. for 6in mini ref, try pm Abhas, he's got a nice pair. but, last i heard he's keeping them.

zero or hero dont matter. as long as we enjoy the music, nothing else matters... so metallica sings. haha.

drife,
No, not young chix. At least not here! LOL! Young chix would be as old as my son and daughter! Don't think my 'equipment' got enough voltage handling capabilities to handle the (s)urge.. HAHAHA!

Well, a NAD or ROTEL would be a good start. Tubes would definitely be recommended in this case.
However Noobskate need to rectify his speakers first. Wonder if the drivers are still avail. for replacement? I suggest getting a replacement speakers that sounds 'like' the RA Labs. Noobskate, have you heard other speakers that you like?

Don't worry so much about getting the best or top of the range equipments. Start from an affordable level and work your way up.. as drife said, as long as we enjoy the music, nothing else matters!
Oh yes, abhas may have something in store...

ct-boy you're a decepticon man. i seriously thought that you were your age. and i'm sure your snake-like power cord can provide enough juice when the situation gets demanding

drivers and tweeters made by RDL acoustics. drivers from ebay don't come cheap anyway. also, i think the x-over plays a major role in budget speakers to minimise/"hide" certain frequencies that tend to boom or rattle the cabinets.

i've never heard of a british "equivalent" that sounds like the RA, maybe not yet. you know lah, the all big, spacious, smooth, airy american forward paper driver sound. if you're into that kind of sound maybe try some 1990's Polk Audio or Clements Audio(no paper driver here)... one of those that gets you into the groove and bounce along.

with those abovementioned usa/canadian speakers, my critical listening brain just switches off while i start to notice how the sound just kinda power-envelopes occasionally.

CT-boy, you get that same feeling with your RAs?

drife, I get your drift
decepticon? I like it! Btw, we have another member here than I know that could be Megatron!, deceiving age but very experience in audio.. much much senior, no names mentioned!

No I am no RA user but all my speakers has been British made. Celestion, B&W, Monitor Audio and current one is TDL Electronics.. of course the American and Canadian(Italians too) have some great speakers out there it is just my taste that I prefer British.. I like those laid back smooth sound flows...

wah. megatron pulak. what is the registered member age? hehe just curious

cool. i just like to have ALL different flavours. have never owned any tdl but my mate's olskool studio monitors (4 foot high, not including on dedicated plinths) sounds good but demand a bit of current... just needs juice to whack certain registers through the chambers.

i think we should re-read noobskate's first post.

1) already have a pair of speakers
2) got 3k bajet

i think we should up a bit. soli no budget NAD here. quad quad quad.... or class-A mf mf mf... or kt88, high current el34 (with rectifiers) etc sure can tame the RAs

Last I saw he was 37.. hehe.
This TDL is a floorstander, transmission line. It certainly beat all my previous speakers hands down and shook the house!

Agreed but his RA one side is a bit 'cacat'(The twitter and woofer were replaced by other brand) and he requires a replacement.
Yes.. no budget NAD but pre-power amp combi should be okay, right?
chchyongs Class A 50 watter F5 should fit the bill too! Just a touch under 2k albeit DIY. A good passive preamp should fit in nicely...

the RTLs? the studio monitors are the bigger monsters. hmm... you might end up with them one day. or you already have the studio monitors?

i could imagine placing them 5-6feet out of the rear wall (i'm just dreaming, i don't have that kinda space) and just drive them real hard with ss with a tube front-end... then pat barber's double bassist will sweep though the side walls and bite you in the a$$

No, not yet But I was actually eyeing one but kinda hard to justify to the 'home minister' why I need another set of speakers!
I know someone is looking for one here!

My space is kinda limited to but enough to put 2 floorstanders sets, the other one for the HT...

Ooo yeah, I can really imagine that lor.. was planning to 'fire up' my tube preamp tonite but no mood lah.. maybe tomorrow nite..
Ahh the double bass.. what a bite that would be!
You're a dangerous man drife!

hey man, i've yet to see a Studio Monitor for sale, maybe i missed those previous posts. don't let it go man. sapu it if u're a tdl hardcore fan. poison... try to poison home minister as well. go audition with her and play some of her favourite tracks and keep fingers crossed !!! hahaha

move one of the floorstanders to the rear for surround nice overkill.

when we're bored of slow paced mary black or tsai qin alikes, we could always get dangerous and fire up music that demands a bit of attack, headroom and current. ahh... all for the thrill!

but only do that in the afternoon/evening. if not, senior citizen auntie uncle might give one look. and i just pretend that its the tv.

The one that was advertised here was the Studio 1M. Thats not the one, right?
We're referring to TDL Studio Monitor, the one with the midrange unit. Nope have not seen any being offered in the local market. Oh yes, I will sapu this for sure..
Most of the time she's ok with my gears, just that I don't play it 'too loud'! I will at times when I play rock or pop materials! Otherwise no 'feel' mah! Only on a good sunday afternoon!

Good suggestions for one of the floorstandsers to be at the rear channels! An excuse to justify the Studio Monitor, yes!
You're dangerous lah! LOL!

nope. i dunno much about the tdl line-up but this one i heard/saw has no numbers. just studio monitor. a bit scary right? initially i was so used to tdl's with the rtl 1/2/3/4 and was searching high and low for numbers but this one don't have it. i'm a bit lazy to google tonight....

anyway, my friend has them in a small 10x12ft room and is overpowering. almost like sitting next to jim keltner or ron tutt.... heheheh jim or ron was probably wearing shorts and singlets and all hands and legs were sweaty and smelly... can almost imagine that lar. though overwhelming, it was refined and controlled, with that tdl signature. these used to retail for rm20k i believe?

yeah. psycho your home minister that rear floorstanders give more realistic soundfield ma. i can imagine friends/visitors come into your crib and go WTF? tdl floorstanders as rears?

you're a serial killer

i think its this one.

Noobskate, sorry for hijacking. can't help you much with RA replacement drivers.

if you can't find RA, maybe try auditioning some:

1) polk audio
2) clements (google Philip R Clements)
3) others might wanna add to the great budget american/canadian speaker list.....
4) Pinnacle? are they still around?

drife wrote:Noobskate, sorry for hijacking. can't help you much with RA replacement drivers.

if you can't find RA, maybe try auditioning some:

1) polk audio
2) clements (google Philip R Clements)
3) others might wanna add to the great budget american/canadian speaker list.....
4) Pinnacle? are they still around?

Well, that's ok...
I'm thinking of progressively build up the system.
Let's back to the drawing board shall we?

After browsing thru the comments from both sifu, i realized that we are only talking about amp and speakers...how about cables??? And a complete decent system that be able to start up within RM3k???

I'm noob and i don't know about hi fi much. Not to mention how space can affect the sound quality and those technical things of hifi. I have try to search articles and reviews online, but then i still don't have any clues.
But what i want is something which is light and mild but yet be able to become brutal occasionally. And to catch up from the system progressively.

And FYI, I don't mind start from 2nd hand items as long the equipments and speakers are still in good shape.

Thanks.

Hi Noob,
3K isnt much if your even spec in the cables. If you are really aiming for sound at this price point, I do suggest the AudioGD integrated amp or China good quality tube amp. Very good components use. Not really sure about the sound. But you can PM Chua55; he may able set you up for an audition. I have feeling these equipments have great potential. This could only be the way to get the best value for your money.

Of course, many will suggest 2nd hand goods, there isnt anything wrong with this one. But then again there is always risk in the equipment failing you in many way, if you are technical and keen on practicals, this can be another option other than buying new.

Speaker cable, there is no recommendation; you need to try it... the best speaker cable may not give you the sound that you want. At least, you should be using a decent one when you audit or pair it with your speaker. Not the supermarket type. You can only find a good matching pair, later one when the rest of the system settle down.

Be warned; when you first setup your new/2nd amp to your speaker, it may sound crappy. Often then not, we will immediately point this to mismatch. Before you ever say the doom word, please make sure the rest of your attaching components are decent as well. Power cord, speaker cable, interconnect, proper stand or firm standing of the speaker and good contact. Also a 1 week run-in... minimum.

Good Luck.

adrian4454 wrote:Hi Noob,
3K isnt much if your even spec in the cables. If you are really aiming for sound at this price point, I do suggest the AudioGD integrated amp or China good quality tube amp. Very good components use. Not really sure about the sound. But you can PM Chua55; he may able set you up for an audition. I have feeling these equipments have great potential. This could only be the way to get the best value for your money.

Of course, many will suggest 2nd hand goods, there isnt anything wrong with this one. But then again there is always risk in the equipment failing you in many way, if you are technical and keen on practicals, this can be another option other than buying new.

Speaker cable, there is no recommendation; you need to try it... the best speaker cable may not give you the sound that you want. At least, you should be using a decent one when you audit or pair it with your speaker. Not the supermarket type. You can only find a good matching pair, later one when the rest of the system settle down.

Be warned; when you first setup your new/2nd amp to your speaker, it may sound crappy. Often then not, we will immediately point this to mismatch. Before you ever say the doom word, please make sure the rest of your attaching components are decent as well. Power cord, speaker cable, interconnect, proper stand or firm standing of the speaker and good contact. Also a 1 week run-in... minimum.

Good Luck.

Hey, thanks for the information mate.
Is Chua55 you mentioned a hi fi dealer/trader???

Thanks

Noobskate wrote:

Hey, thanks for the information mate.
Is Chua55 you mentioned a hi fi dealer/trader???

Thanks

Maybe Chua55 is just like the old chinese saying: "pretending to be a pig in order to catch a tiger".

mugenfoo wrote:

Noobskate wrote:

Hey, thanks for the information mate.
Is Chua55 you mentioned a hi fi dealer/trader???

Thanks

Maybe Chua55 is just like the old chinese saying: "pretending to be a pig in order to catch a tiger".

Sound like crouching tiger, hidden dragon to me...haha
btw...looking forward to know this person.