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Need help from UK members

gladiator335

gladiator335

MRTI
Calling UK members. My daughter's friend...:scratch2: OK, let's face it - boyfriend...decided to get a small stereo system (:thmbsp:).
Budget is between 250 and 300 pounds for the turntable and amplifier.
Speakers will come later.
Obviously he's not gonna get anything brand new and he is not "audio-savvy" enough to let him buy used equipment unsupervised..
So may be somebody in London area can help him (at least with a good advice)?
I'll really appreciate it!
 
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Well, I'm about 30 miles out, but I work in central London. :D

I'd advise going into a Richer Sounds branch as they have some killer deals on old stock and ex-demo gear. I once got a Toshiba DVD player for £15, reduced from £150. The salespeople there are generally knowledgeable and honest, and will make cuts if you buy more than one thing.

Otherwise, it's a bit limited as UK charity shops aren't allowed to sell electrical goods, unlike Goodwill in the US. There are pawn shops (Cash Converters) but they're generally very overpriced and the gear there can be dodgy as all they do to test it is switch it on. You can be lucky though, and if a piece has been sitting out for some time they'll haggle with you. In the London area there's loads of these shops!

The Gumtree website is good too, sort of like Craigslist...that never took of over here. Usual caveats apply, but the London section is full of stuff.
 
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Yeah, I looked up Craigslist in London.. looks like bunch of commercials for relatively high end stuff with sky-high prices..unlike here.
Gumtree looks interesting..Thanks for the info!
 
Forgot about the British Heart Foundation charity shops, whose larger branches are allowed to sell electricals. It's mainly smelly fridges and BPC all-in-ones though...

The AdTrader classifieds paper can be good, although its circulation is getting less and less. They do have a website though.
 
You should have a look into vintage turntables, new ones that are near decent will consume that entire budget...

Just had a look at the Richer sounds site, each store has SO many sweet deals...
A Tangent cdp for 20 quid, Dali bookshelfs for 150, An Onkyo amp for 80, Mordaunt Short bookshelfs for 180, Tannoy bookshelfs for 80..

But, dig into it yourself...
http://www.richersounds.com/clearance/08

(edit; PM sent :) )
 
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Some of the charity shops do sell electrical goods although it would require some patience to ever find any decent hi-fi stuff. I did get my Rotel RP-850 turntable from a charity shop for £30, in immaculate condition it just needed a new belt, and a Yamaha amp for £15. At that time they also had a Project Debut II for £60.

This week I also saw some KEF floorstanding speakers for £100, which, although not an absolute bargain still must be good speakers for that price.
 
The problem is that this guy is a not much into stereo (at least not much yet) and I don't think it's a good idea to let him buy used stuff on his own.
 
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