Richer Sounds Deal Opinion
Discussion
Hey Audiophiles /
Richer sounds have a inflation busting deal for a starter separates system: Denon DP-29F Turntable & Cambridge Audio AXA25 amp with Wharfedale Diamond 9.0.
I’ve still got an old cd player and tuner in the attic the 90s / which I’m guessing / hoping will still work.
Does anyone have any of the above who can give an opinion or can decipher the specs to tell if they’re decent or not?
I’m severely budget limited but having been ill throughout Christmas I’m wanting to treat myself.
Richer sounds have a inflation busting deal for a starter separates system: Denon DP-29F Turntable & Cambridge Audio AXA25 amp with Wharfedale Diamond 9.0.
I’ve still got an old cd player and tuner in the attic the 90s / which I’m guessing / hoping will still work.
Does anyone have any of the above who can give an opinion or can decipher the specs to tell if they’re decent or not?
I’m severely budget limited but having been ill throughout Christmas I’m wanting to treat myself.
The amp and speakers are fine budget models and turn in a good performance. The turntable is a cheap, generic Chinese OEM model (don’t be fooled by the Denon name!).
It shouldn’t ruin your records or anything like that, and will probably sound pleasant enough, but it’s the weak point in the system. If you only have a handful of records that you’d like to play occasionally, then it’ll be fine but if you have a decent number of precious albums in good condition, you ideally want something a bit better.
It shouldn’t ruin your records or anything like that, and will probably sound pleasant enough, but it’s the weak point in the system. If you only have a handful of records that you’d like to play occasionally, then it’ll be fine but if you have a decent number of precious albums in good condition, you ideally want something a bit better.
Jakey54 said:
Hey Audiophiles /
Richer sounds have a inflation busting deal for a starter separates system: Denon DP-29F Turntable & Cambridge Audio AXA25 amp with Wharfedale Diamond 9.0.
I’ve still got an old cd player and tuner in the attic the 90s / which I’m guessing / hoping will still work.
Does anyone have any of the above who can give an opinion or can decipher the specs to tell if they’re decent or not?
I’m severely budget limited but having been ill throughout Christmas I’m wanting to treat myself.
I think that would be a brilliant starter system although as mentioned elsewhere, perhaps the TT might be the weak link. Richer sounds have a inflation busting deal for a starter separates system: Denon DP-29F Turntable & Cambridge Audio AXA25 amp with Wharfedale Diamond 9.0.
I’ve still got an old cd player and tuner in the attic the 90s / which I’m guessing / hoping will still work.
Does anyone have any of the above who can give an opinion or can decipher the specs to tell if they’re decent or not?
I’m severely budget limited but having been ill throughout Christmas I’m wanting to treat myself.
Let us know how you get on.
The turntable is real bottom end fodder and barely a step up from a Crossley type record player.
The Wharfedale 9.0 speakers are truly pint sized, and lack bass (any kind of bass) as they were originally intended as rear surround speakers in a budget surround system - they are hopeless as main speakers - I've owned then in the past so speak from experience.
The Cambridge amp is the only decent part of that system.
A better option would be that same amp but with Wharfdale 9.1 speakers, and a better turntable (Pro-Ject Primary E) and a suitable phono preamp.
Whilst this would probably cost a £100 or so more - you would have a vastly superior system.
BTW - what have have Richer sounds done to their website? It looks as though they have handed development over to a child...
The Wharfedale 9.0 speakers are truly pint sized, and lack bass (any kind of bass) as they were originally intended as rear surround speakers in a budget surround system - they are hopeless as main speakers - I've owned then in the past so speak from experience.
The Cambridge amp is the only decent part of that system.
A better option would be that same amp but with Wharfdale 9.1 speakers, and a better turntable (Pro-Ject Primary E) and a suitable phono preamp.
Whilst this would probably cost a £100 or so more - you would have a vastly superior system.
BTW - what have have Richer sounds done to their website? It looks as though they have handed development over to a child...
The Denon turntable isn't quite the horror story others here are making out. Yes, it's a basic TT. But then again, the current RS selling price for it as a standalone item is £99. What do you want, the world on a stick? In Currys they'll charge you £119 for the same thing.
What we have here is the old Audio Technica AT-LP60 before the model change to series II where there are options for BT and USB. That AT-LP60 has been the go-to deck for people starting in vinyl who wanted decent sound on a budget, but they didn't want to mess around with manual cueing and lifting the arm off at the end of a side. The basic 60/F29 is a fully-auto design. You push buttons and the arm moves for you.
Compared to the Crossley-type suitcase record players the construction is far more solid. It may look similar, but that's because the design requires something that needs almost zero set-up out of the box. There's no faffing around with counterweights and anti-skate devices. Would a TT with a fully manual arm sound better? Yes, absolutely. And with that it'll cost you 2.5-3X the amount. The Pro-Ject Primary E (£149 on a current offer) plus a Pro-Ject Phono Box MM (£69) is the bare minimum spend in a fully manual TT to get vinyl playing if that's the route you have wanted to take. But that's £210 on the current deal or £270 based on regular pricing.
The Denon uses a proper diamond-tipped moving magnet cartridge & stylus rather than the cheap ceramic used in the cheaper players. The cartridge itself will take a variety of tip profiles from the basic conical stylus to the more esoteric elliptical and Shibata profiles.
https://snvinyl.co.uk/Denon-DP29F-Shibata-Stylus-f...
Personally I think they'd be overkill in this TT, but it shows you that the cartridge body isn't a throwaway P-o-S.
The combined deal itself is very good.
TT - £99 / £119
Amp - £199 / £249
Speakers - £59 / £79
Total £357 / £447 - but you pay £299.
The only way to get up and running cheaper without sacrificing quality would be to buy s/h gear. That's fine if you know what you're doing, but it can open a can of worms if you don't.
I can understand folk getting snooty over the TT. Yes, there are better choices, but nothing new that's substantially better at under £180. If you're serious about music then you'll replace the TT at some point in the future, but for now you'll have some fun it it won't kill your records.
What we have here is the old Audio Technica AT-LP60 before the model change to series II where there are options for BT and USB. That AT-LP60 has been the go-to deck for people starting in vinyl who wanted decent sound on a budget, but they didn't want to mess around with manual cueing and lifting the arm off at the end of a side. The basic 60/F29 is a fully-auto design. You push buttons and the arm moves for you.
Compared to the Crossley-type suitcase record players the construction is far more solid. It may look similar, but that's because the design requires something that needs almost zero set-up out of the box. There's no faffing around with counterweights and anti-skate devices. Would a TT with a fully manual arm sound better? Yes, absolutely. And with that it'll cost you 2.5-3X the amount. The Pro-Ject Primary E (£149 on a current offer) plus a Pro-Ject Phono Box MM (£69) is the bare minimum spend in a fully manual TT to get vinyl playing if that's the route you have wanted to take. But that's £210 on the current deal or £270 based on regular pricing.
The Denon uses a proper diamond-tipped moving magnet cartridge & stylus rather than the cheap ceramic used in the cheaper players. The cartridge itself will take a variety of tip profiles from the basic conical stylus to the more esoteric elliptical and Shibata profiles.
https://snvinyl.co.uk/Denon-DP29F-Shibata-Stylus-f...
Personally I think they'd be overkill in this TT, but it shows you that the cartridge body isn't a throwaway P-o-S.
The combined deal itself is very good.
TT - £99 / £119
Amp - £199 / £249
Speakers - £59 / £79
Total £357 / £447 - but you pay £299.
The only way to get up and running cheaper without sacrificing quality would be to buy s/h gear. That's fine if you know what you're doing, but it can open a can of worms if you don't.
I can understand folk getting snooty over the TT. Yes, there are better choices, but nothing new that's substantially better at under £180. If you're serious about music then you'll replace the TT at some point in the future, but for now you'll have some fun it it won't kill your records.
Thanks for everyone’s help and apologies for the update.
I went for it…I also went into the loft and found goodies I’d long since forgotten about.
So I’ve tried it and I’ve been impressed. I also found a “goodmans” amp in the loft and JVC bookshelf speakers - and a separate CD player so I’ll be trying different combos.
Denon and Cambridge Audio were always aspirational names when I was a teen and I am pleased however I do think my old goodmans amp sounds slightly better. The only problem with that is it crackles really badly when you adjust the volume. Don’t touch the knob (snigger*) and it it’s fine - but adjust the volume and it crackles - so I may simply try blasting it with a cleaner or even just air and see what effect that has.
Thanks for all the help - I’ve got a tonne of old CDs and less than 10 vinyl and so yeah, I feel this maybe the start of a slippery slope.
I went for it…I also went into the loft and found goodies I’d long since forgotten about.
So I’ve tried it and I’ve been impressed. I also found a “goodmans” amp in the loft and JVC bookshelf speakers - and a separate CD player so I’ll be trying different combos.
Denon and Cambridge Audio were always aspirational names when I was a teen and I am pleased however I do think my old goodmans amp sounds slightly better. The only problem with that is it crackles really badly when you adjust the volume. Don’t touch the knob (snigger*) and it it’s fine - but adjust the volume and it crackles - so I may simply try blasting it with a cleaner or even just air and see what effect that has.
Thanks for all the help - I’ve got a tonne of old CDs and less than 10 vinyl and so yeah, I feel this maybe the start of a slippery slope.
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