yes.....and he brough along a AR CD6 to try

oh man....this cdp sounded way better than my CD5

Looking at the Valhalla 2 XLR Interconnects. The prices are (drum roll):
V2 1 mtr - 23k
V2 1.5 mtr - 26k
V2 2 mtr - 30k

Phew!!!

Any recommendation for budget interconnect cables and speaker cables? Was thinking about DH labs.. was qouted around 550 for both interconnect and speaker cables.

What kind of system r we talking abt here? No point recommending you any cables unless we know what equipment you r gonna pair it with.

Woops my bad, for now I haven't finalized on the speaker. Its either gonna be the B&W 625 s2 or q-acoustic concept 20. Paired with a marantz pm-6005 amp and marantz 6005 cd player.

B&W 625 S2? Never heard of it so I can't make any judgment on it.
Junsuke, are you inquiring about cables or speakers? (Or both?)
Best advice I can give you is to audition both and get the one that you like.
If you require more professional advice, call Alvin at Perfect Hifi
He'll probably try to sell you the entire Valhalla 2 range but don't let that offend you.
He'll probably try to sell you the Sonus Faber speakers as well.
But then again, he does has quite a few used speakers for sale which might be better than the ones you chose.
A used Sonus Faber in good condition is way better than a brand new B&W 625 or Q-A Concept 20.

This post has been edited by GI Jie: Jul 24 2014, 02:28 AM

Ahh i'm generally inquiring of decent budget speaker cables and interconnect . Well since i'm gonna be spending around 6K+ for the whole set of speaker +marantz amp and cd player, it wouldn't make sense to go for interconnect or speaker cables which are too low of a grade. So i was looking at some brands in which the cables are of a decent performance, but not too pricey as well (budget constraint). So far, i came across QED cables as well as DH Lab cables which for both speaker and interconnect would cost me around rm 500-600 in total. These are still within my budget. Just wondering would there be other brands that could fit my budget. Will also keep your suggestion for the sonus faber in mind. Will go to amcorp mall and have a look in perfect hifi.

This post has been edited by junsuke: Jul 24 2014, 02:39 AM

i'll consider the 1.5 meter or 2 meter.....min 1.5meter....
some how the bass extension is better with 1.5m to 2meter

and because usually you want to have some space between the cd and amp.....so a slightly longer cable will be good

i think the price is reasonable giving transparent reference is around the same range, and that is not the top of the range...just the entry of the reference

and V2 in my opinion sounds better

since you already have the V2 speaker cables....its better to use V2 interconnects

junsuke.....there's no right or wrong to any setup.....shopping around for good deals is a good idea
if you do not mind second hand stuffs, you can browse both lowyat garage sale and hifi4sale

with a budget of 6k there are decent setups out there with a wow factor

let me give you an example; i used to have an older set which i gave it to my father-in-law.....yeah....FOC....but its not a very expensive set

amp: Audiolabs 8000A MKII (60watts x 2 into 8ohms)....bought from used market: RM1000 about 5 years back. this amp is still musical and affordable for it's class. am in love with audiolabs 8000 series and in fact i'm bidding for a complete used set, cd transport, dac, pre and power....just for the nostalgia and perhaps into my new study room later

cd player: Marantz CD6000OSE....bought from used market for RM600 about 2 years ago. replaced the transport....can't remember how much. very good cd player. musical, powerful output, smooth sounding and detailed.

speaker: Usher S520 bookshelves....entry level bargain price at 1k brand new....smallish chili padi speakers in my opinion....since my F-I-L is naturally in his 60s', naturally he is a fan of Elvis and the golden era songs....sounds great....i used to use this in my study room and i play from pop to jazz, classical to chinese instruments and all sorts of other music.....albeit it is nothing compared to my current system....but for starters they are just a great pair. Fast sounding, produces decent low bass even with a 5" mids, smooth highs

interconnects: Transparent The Link....entry level from Transparent Cables....bought at rm200 for a used pair. natural good interconnects. brand new should be rm450 or so.

speaker cables: Chord Carnival Silverscreen......i chose this cable because the system was abit of laidback....therefore a slight silver mixture into the cable gives abit more excitement.....bought used at RM300 for a 8 feet pair of bi-wired

speaker stands: 24" high solid wood stands for rm400 a pair

all in rm3.5k......

now...i can't really say what combos are good out there.....but with your budget there are alot of items which you can find

amps: marantz, NAD, china made tube amps, cambridge audio, used amps like audiolabs just to name a few

same goes for cd player

cables (both interconnects and rca, in random order): wireworld, chord, supra, transparent, nordost, QED....typically almost all cable companies have entry level cables. If you are looking for my opinion..... Gotham, Vandamme and Hisago would be my favourite for affordable cables. For Gothams and Vandamme, you can look for bro Black Octagon in the garage sales.....bought a couple of cables from him......and i'm using it currently

happy hunting

I actually thought of spending only 15k for the speaker cables.
Now I am spending the price of a Guarneri for both the interconnects and the speaker cables.
I think I just (willingly) got suckered big time.

I also just figured something out. If I am getting those Passlabs monoblocks, this means that I will need 3 sets of interconnects...
1 preamp to 2 poweramps = 2 interconnects. 1 source to 1 preamp = 1 interconnect. Total = 3 interconnects.
26K X 3 = 78K. Sheeeeeetttt.

If I change to those Valhalla power sockets as well, this means that I'll require 4 of those.
Lagi Sheeeeeeetttttttt.

This post has been edited by GI Jie: Jul 24 2014, 11:49 PM

Hushymushy, one thing I meant to ask you...which do you think is better? Pure Class A amps or Class AB? Alvin says that pure class a amps are a wee bit slower than the class ab. Any truth in that?

Thought of getting those Passlabs XS monsters (Pure Class A) but Alvin says to go for Goldmund Telos 350+ instead. Cheaper than the Passlabs XS and programmable too. There is actually a USB connection to a laptop which can adjust the Amplitude, Phase and Delay of the amp.

Heard about your room...my commiserations. Either that or Alvin is suckering you into letting him redo it. My advice is to let it be. ~50k, was it? That amount will transform your equipment.

anybody knows where i can get quality bookshelf speakers in KL? i know places like amcorp selling speakers, but those look like very high end speakers. i don't have a fixed budget yet because i want to audition what i can find locally. i strictly want bookshelf speakers because i'm strictly using it for my pc. no subwoofer if it's possible. no place to put it. passive or active both ok.

and later when i do have a choice, should i import it or buy locally? i know local can get better warranty and all, but usually, quality stuff lasts more than their warranties, thus importing would be fine to cut cost(maybe)

thanks for the info


This post has been edited by graphidz: Jul 25 2014, 12:15 AM

Class A is musical....but I agree with Alvin that its slower compared to class AB

Goldmund??? yeah.....he has lend me his demo unit once.....almost didn't return it to him.....

that sucker....what else has he not told you?

regarding your monoblocks and preamp....you only need 2 pairs of interconnects
1 pair from your cd to preamp

the other pair from your preamp to monoblock....monoblock mar....where got L & R input per monoblock?
should be single in only

about my room......yeah the material is something that's going to cost me the arm and leg
i'll probably stick with my current design now...if i redo it....its going to cost me double the price....which is crazy
i think the room wont be that crappy

This post has been edited by hushymushy: Jul 25 2014, 09:51 AM

you can consider speakers like KEF X300A wireless or Dynaudio Xeo 4

both allow wireless, USB and bluetooth connection
smallish monsters
no need additional amplifiers, sounds great and accepts all sorts of connectivity

reduced need for DAC, cables and amps.

i don't need any wireless because that only adds unnecessary cost(for me).
anything around $200 to $300? should have put a price range in the beginning lol

eerrrr don't hv any suggestion for that

seriously? i think i've found plenty that are well regarded at that price. probably you guys are just too high end for me. better ask somewhere else. thanks anyway

oh and here are some of those that i found :
audioengine a2 and a5
fostex pm0.4
adam speakers(don't remember which model)

my only exposure at this price range last time was altec lansing ACS45.1 and 48.1.....and that was 15years ago.
my rm200 to rm300 system was in the early 90s......

i have gone beyond that level of sound system and just never look back at this range....

and since i'm not hunting anything at this range.....i don't do any research on it.

so if you found well regarded stuffs at that price range and something u like hearing....then buy it....

Wah...kena cha tou kuat kuat ler...

sorry if i offended you. dunno what happened to me.
but as i said, you guys are to high end already. should have made a separate thread.