Music System

[Emil]

I need to replace my existing Sony music system FHB1000 used for about 13 years. To me it was a pretty good system when I bought it after comparing with other integrated systems of that time. 95 Watts RMS per channel with two way 6.5" woofer and dome tweeter. 55Hz-18 KHz.

At present I continue to use the amplifier and speakers of that system driven from a cheap enough LG DVD player.

I somehow like the sound of the system and was looking for someone who can pull out the amplifier part of the existing box and put it in a new box to drive the same old speakers. But I don't think it will happen. I have to get rid of the present box because it has a audio CD player, dual cassette and tuner that have seen their end of life.

My options are -

1. Buy a Norge or some similar amp to drive the present speakers and replace speakers with better b/s or f/s a few years later. (Wharfdale Diamonds perhaps)

2. Buy a MX5021

Although the MX5021 has been praised a lot by many, I will be using it in the living room, not as a PC speaker but mainly for music (80% +) and a little bit with a set-top box or DVD player for movies/TV. Will the MX5021 be loud enough for my room which is around 17'x10' with a open window dominating the entire opposite wall?

Should I be considering the logitech Z2300 as well?

I rarely ever opened up the volume of my present system to 12 o'clock, mainly staying at around 10 o'clock.

I do favour bass a bit. Style of music is 70s-80s pop, rock and roll, country and western, little bit of ballads. No metal, no techno, no cRap.

I would have loved to spend a lot on the stuff but my wife would consider it a complete waste of precious resource.

All kinds of advice welcome except suggestions to spend 6 figure numbers.

 

[Crazy_Eddy]

Go with option 1.

The MX5021 is by no means a substitute (though it would work out to be half the cost).

They are near field speakers so they're not too usable in a larger room.

The newer batches exhibit a bit of cost cutting as well and I find the midrange very recessed (not sure if this is a characteristic of near-field speakers or just a side-effect of the cost cutting in the crossover) - not a good thing for vocals if you plan to watch TV on it.

If you like the existing sound, why not carry on with your existing setup of driving the system via an external DVD player?

 

[Emil]

Go with option 1.
The MX5021 is by no means a substitute (though it would work out to be half the cost).
They are near field speakers so they're not too usable in a larger room.
The newer batches exhibit a bit of cost cutting as well and I find the midrange very recessed (not sure if this is a characteristic of near-field speakers or just a side-effect of the cost cutting in the crossover) - not a good thing for vocals if you plan to watch TV on it.

If you like the existing sound, why not carry on with your existing setup of driving the system via an external DVD player?

Thanks a ton Eddy. I was mulling over the option in your final paragraph. The reason I was against it is because the box is 75% unused in the sense that I only use the amp and not the radio, cassette and CD systems. Ideally, I wanted to house it in a smaller, sleeker enclosure.
Actually I used to design and build amps over 25 years ago. I do not have the infrastructure to do that anymore. In fact I do not even own a soldering iron and multimeter in the last few decades.
But I am keen to go back to it now. Another thing is we have a wedding coming up at home later this year.
So taking all this together, I will go with your suggestion of continuing with the present setup till this year end. Then I will go and identify a decent amplifier kit and modify its design to the extent I can use the same PCB.
With my limited infrastructure, I may not be able to rehouse the amplifier of my present system in a new box but I will give that a try first too.
Thanks once more for your response.

 

[Party Monger]

Sorry for OT, one small question, can normal computer speakers be used with dvd players?

And can normal sony speakers be used with computers?

 

[gmano]

Sorry for OT, one small question, can normal computer speakers be used with dvd players?

And can normal sony speakers be used with computers?

Simple answer would be yes.

Computer speakers can used with the DVD players as they are active speakers.

Normal sony speakers can be used with computers, you might need an amplifier as they are passive speakers. You can use the AUX mode in your sony audio system and make use of the amp in it

 

[sarang]

EDIT:Gmano beat me to that.

Sorry for OT, one small question, can normal computer speakers be used with dvd players?
And can normal sony speakers be used with computers?

1. Yes.

2. Depends, If the speakers are active then yes, if they are passive you'll need an amp to drive those speakers.

Computer->Amplifier->Speaker

If the sony is part of a typical Sony Hifi box then use the line-in on the HiFi unit to connect to comp.
@OP: The Norge option is fair enough. Look for other indian brands available in your city as well. Prefer brands manufactured in your city as these people are generally nice enough to get your system tuned for your specific tastes. (Mr. Shyam Bajaj of Norge does this and enthusiastically at that)

 

[Emil]

@OP: The Norge option is fair enough. Look for other indian brands available in your city as well. Prefer brands manufactured in your city as these people are generally nice enough to get your system tuned for your specific tastes. (Mr. Shyam Bajaj of Norge does this and enthusiastically at that)

There is another Bajaj called Dilip whose place is close to where I stay. I have met this guy a few years back and heard some of his products albeit in a poor open air location.
I will also be checking out with him.
DNM Audio for your reference.