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$5000 - $6000 for new Stereo System?

11K views 97 replies 37 participants last post by  AtlantaAllen 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

If you had 5 to 6 thousand dollars to build a music only sound system in 2016, what would you get? I'm looking to buy an integrated amp, a pair of bookshelf or tower speakers, a subwoofer, a CD player, and a turntable. I know the sky's the limit when it comes to good audio, but I'm hoping I could get something decent without having to put a second mortgage on my house.

My listening space is not ideal. I have a living room/open kitchen/ dining area that is roughly 19 by 19 feet.
 
#3 ·
I don't make suggestions, but you said what would "you" buy, and by "2016" I assume you mean "new", so ... for myself, I would buy Revel F208, a Yamaha 701 integrated amp (I can't hear the difference between amps in blind tests ... so this is powerful enough to put out 101db at my listening position (way more than I listen at) and Yamaha has a reputation for reliability), and a cheap laptop with optical out to serve the tracks. That should come in right around $6K.

I gave up vinyl over 25 years ago and CD's are a nuisance, so even though I may still buy them occasionally, I rip it so I can have all my music in one place. And no subwoofer required for the F208 (-3db/34Hz).
 
#4 ·
Maybe you don't want anything too large in a room that size just due to space considerations.

The Revel's above retail for $5k/pair. SmittyJS are these available at a substantial discount? I suggest the OP look at Salk Sound Towers at about $2K/pair. A great speaker at that price. The Yamaha above sounds like a great choice. It has a built in DAC as well. I second the thought about not needing a CD player. Burn your CD's lossless to a laptop running JRiver or similar as the media player. I did this a few months ago and my CD player has sat idle since.

I for one am still a fan of vinyl. I will not get into the always contentious debate about digital vs analog but good TT's with decent cartridges are well under $1000.00. You may also want a separate phono preamp for best results. Look at Music Hall.
 
#6 ·
The Revel's above retail for $5k/pair. SmittyJS are these available at a substantial discount?
No, but he did say up to $6K total, and I always place the importance of the speakers far above anything else. That's enough for the F208s, an amp and laptop, but not enough for a turntable too. I'm not sure if he already has vinyl (then why buy another TT) or just looking to get into it. In keeping with the OP's asking what "you" would buy ... well ... I wouldn't, but that's my personal preference.

Regardless of one's vinyl views, even vinyl aficionados will admit you can easily get into a $$$ merry-go-round with cartridges like many of us do with speakers because cartridges definitely do have a sonic character. And then if you think you need an expensive TT because of whatever reason, well, that'll take another big bite out of the all-important speaker budget.
 
#5 ·
Room influence and placement of the speakers can have a huge impact on performance. With your budget, it may be important to spend some of the money on room treatments to eliminate some first reflections and/or furniture so that you can rearrange the room to better place the speakers. If you can share a diagram of the room and where you imagine the speakers going that would help.

Subwoofers are also greatly impacted by placement and room interaction. Often it can be important to EQ the sub, and if the goal is to have good bass performance through a wider seating area than a single listening position, dual subs are often important.

While certainly it is worth investing in a good turntable and cartridge/needle, more expensive amplification or CD player may bring minimal sound quality benefits (if any), so don't focus your budget there. Meanwhile, audio/video receivers have bass management which give you more control over subwoofer integration and other features that can help speaker sound (such as level settings and distance for controlling timing). I would recommend a Denon or Marantz AVR as they have Audyssey MultEQ which can be used to smooth the in room speaker performance and EQ the sub. Right now, there is a great deal on the Denon X4200W for $800 (they are closing out last years model) which has MultEQ XT32, their best room EQ. I'd take it over an integrated amp.
 
#18 ·
Room influence and placement of the speakers can have a huge impact on performance. With your budget, it may be important to spend some of the money on room treatments to eliminate some first reflections and/or furniture so that you can rearrange the room to better place the speakers. If you can share a diagram of the room and where you imagine the speakers going that would help.
As you can see from my room diagram, I have a less than ideal space. The wall I want to put my speakers against contain two glass french doors. On the opposite end of my room is an open staircase. While I plan to do most of my dedicated listening on the couch, I like the idea of being able to fill the whole area with good sound. It seems like a highly directional speaker would not work for me.

Given my space, I'm wondering if a Parasound Halo Integrated Amp, Kef LS50 speakers, and a subwoofer or two would work.
 

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#7 ·
Class A, I figure in the future, I would get some sort of media server to play digital files.

SmittyJS, I don't necessarily have to have new, made in 2016 equipment. The Revel F208 looks amazing. I'll have to find a place in Southern California to check them out.

MSchott, I've heard about the Salk Song Towers. I need to find a place where I can audition them.

cel4145, I've been looking at the Outlaw RR2150 and the Parasound Halo Integrated amps. They both offer bass management. I hadn't considered an A/V receiver, but it's certainly worth thinking about.
 
#9 ·
I hadn't considered an A/V receiver, but it's certainly worth thinking about.
I use a receiver as a pre into a separate amp; the parametric equalizer is awesome to help out with peaks and nulls in the room. Bass management is also a plus.

Is this system just for you, or do you plan to have a sofa or something so others can share the music? That might affect your decision to consider planar speakers. What kind of music would you say you listen to most frequently?
 
#13 ·
My 2.1 music system was about $5,000 and doesn't play crazy loud but sounds amazing. You'd have to substitute the Bluetooth dac for a turntable though...Nad c326bee amp, Teac cdp650 CD/USB player, Arcam rBlink Bluetooth dac, Bryston Mini T speakers, Energy esw-c8 subwoofer.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Keep in mind this is $6000 for a SYSTEM, not for a pair of speakers.

Next, you might want a Subwoofer, but you don't need one. That would be $500 to $1000 that could be put in other places.

Here is how I break down a system, though this is not absolute, it simply establishes perspective and a starting point.

1x to 1.5x = Turntable
1x = Network Player
1x = CD Player
1x = Amp/Receiver
2x = Speakers

For the moment we will skip the Sub and Network Player.

1x to 1.5x = Turntable
1x = CD Player
1x = Amp/Receiver
2x = Speakers


That means roughly 5x to 5.5x, which when divided into $6000 yields = $6000 / 5 = $1200 or $6000 / 5.5 = $1090.

Again this is to lend perspective to the budget, when it comes down to buying adjust this based on your personal preferences and the equipment you find.

So -

$1000 to $1200 = Turntable
$1200 = CD Player
$1200 = Amp/Receiver
$2400 = Speakers
-------------------------------
$5800 to $6000 = TOTAL


That makes for some pretty good equipment.

That makes for some pretty good equipment. Again, once you start looking at actual equipment, you can adjust the individual components up or down to suit your personal taste.

For a turntable, as an example, the Music Hall 5.3 = $999 -

http://www.needledoctor.com/Music-Hall-MMF-5-3-Turntable?sc=2&category=351

Several alternatives in this price range from Project, Rega, and many others.

Although if you only have a casual passing interest in Vinyl Records, you can drop that down into the $400 to $600 range.

Next, do you want the equipment to match? That is would you get an amp from one brand and a CD Player from another?

The Yamaha AS801 100w/ch Amp with DSD Capable DACs - $899 -

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_022AS801S/Yamaha-A-S801-Silver.html?tp=34948

Alternatives -

Cambridge CXA-80, 80w/ch = $999
Marantz PM8005, 70w/ch = $1199
Yamaha AS1000, 90w/ch = $1299


CD Player - Yamaha CDS700 - $799 -

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_022CD700B/Yamaha-CD-S700.html?tp=197

Alternates -

Cambridge Audio CD Transport = $499
Marantz SA8005 CD/SACD Player = $1199
Yamaha CD-S1000 CD Player = $1299


As far as Speakers, that is going to be determined by the size and nature of your space. In a smaller space, perhaps Bookshelf/Subwoofer would be a better choice. For myself, I'm always starting with Floorstanding speakers.

If you can raise your budget to about $2000 to $2500, you can get a Parasound Halo Amp that has built in Electronic Bass Management for both the Sub and Front speakers. ~$2000 will get you the Parasound P5 Pre-Amp and the Parasound A23 125w/ch Power Amp. ~$2500 will get you the Parasound Integrated amps with improved DSD DACs and 160w/ch.

This is one of those areas where personal priorities can adjust the budget, if you see yourself with a Sub and Floorstanding speakers in the future, and this system is based around a Stereo Amp. They you are very likely to need either an amp with bass management or a Pre-Amp/Power-Amp system to which you can apply an external Bass Management system. But it is like squeezing a ballon, if it goes up in one place, then it has to go down in another.

For the moment, I will concentrate on Floorstanding roughly in the range of $2500/pair.

Monitor Audio Silver 8 (2x6.5", 4 ohms) - $999 EACH - (various finishes)

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_893SLVR8R/Monitor-Audio-Silver-8-Rosenut.html?tp=185

Monitor Audio Silver 10 (2x8", 4 ohms) - $1249 EACH -

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MRSS10&variation=EWAL

Sonas Faber Chameleon T (2x7") - $999 EACH -

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_968CMT/Sonus-Faber-Chameleon-T.html?tp=185

Martin Logan Motions 60XT (2x8") - $1499 EACH - ($1599 each in Dark Cherry) -


http://www.crutchfield.com/p_839M60XTGB/MartinLogan-Motion-60XT-Gloss-Black.html?tp=185

Klipsh Reference RF-7-II (2x10") - $1099 EACH -

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_714RF7IIC/Klipsch-Reference-RF-7-II-Cherry.html?tp=185

This is more to indicate the possibilities within the price range, rather than to make recommendations.

If we put a random system together, it looks like this -

$_999/ea = Music Hall 5.3 Turntable
$_799/ea = Yamaha CDS700 CD Player
$_899/ea = Yamaha AS801 Amp, 100w/ch, DAC
$2498/pr = Monitor Audio Silver 10 (2x8")
------------------------------------
$5195 = Total


Alternate -

$_500/ea = unspecified Turntable
$_500/ea = unspecified CD Player
$2000/pr = Parasound P5 + Parasond A23 (125w/ch) Pre-Amp/Power-Amp
$2500/pr = Monitor Audio Silver 10 (2x8") Speakers
----------------------------
$5500 = Total

That leaves your roughly $500 unspent that you can use on the turntable and/or CD Player.

OR ....

$_500/ea = unspecified Turntable
$_500/ea = unspecified CD Player
$2500/pr = Parasound Halo Integrated Amp, 160w/ch, DSD DAC, Bass Management
$2500/pr = Monitor Audio Silver 10 (2x8") Speakers
----------------------------
$6000 = Total


Notice I've deviated quite a bit from my original formula and break down. But this is how it goes, you adjust based on your priorities and the equipment you find.

Again, I'm trying to give you some sense of what is possible within your stated budget. The specific equipment you choose is more personal and for you to decide. I'm giving perspective.

Myself, I think a more basic Turntable and CD Player in exchange for the Parasound Amps is a good trade off. But it is down to priorities. If you are very serious about vinyl collecting, then perhaps it is worth it to you to spend between $750 and $1500 on a turntable. By Very Serious I mean 500 albums or more. If you don't foresee collecting more than 500 (~5 feet) albums, I would recommend a turntable more in the $400 to $700 range.

There are those who say once you step off the bargain basement floor, there isn't much difference in the sound of CD Players, so get a good one, but don't go overboard. ...or so they say.

Equally, if this music system will also be used to watch TV, then the OPPO 105D ($1200) Universal BluRay Player with external access to the DAC, basic Audio and Video Streaming, and universal Disc capability, is an appealing draw.

If you want to add good quality Audio Network/Internet Streaming capability, that will run between $500 and $1500. Though the $500 Bluesound NODE-2 should serve the needs of most people.

That should, as I hopefully intend, lend some perspective on the possibilities within the stated budget.

Steve/bluewizard
 
#15 · (Edited)
Not enough information

Define "music"? There is a huge difference between pop music, EDM and classical music at orchestra levels! Don't kid yourself, modern music goes down into the 20's which is true subwoofer territory--this won't change either. A lot of older music did not go too deep but as time went by...the tunings kept dropping.

I have a music only "2.2" system in my garage--two subs provide flat response to the high 20's and with garage gain, I'm good to the mid-low 20's. (tuned port to 24Hz)

The fun part is when you get actual response down to the low 20's and hear chaos that erupts in a room. You might not notice it with records but the CDs you plan on using will give your bass system a workout if you listen to any higher SPL or really dynamic music.

How loud do you listen? Background music? Low level or concert levels? Do you want the system to give you realistic concert or orchestra sound pressure levels with low distortion?

Don't get wrapped around the axle with amps/CD players etc. If you want some cache', get a studio Denon or Teac CD player for $150 to $300...done! The amp depends on the efficiency of your speakers, type of speakers used (low impedance or 8 ohm) and your sound pressure levels.

Make sure whatever amp/receiver/intergrated amp you choose has the ability to use more modern forms of music formats. For a fun woodworking project, I concerted a 1973 stereo console thing to more modern but retro looking electronics. Small knob Shure mixer for the pre-amp to feed powered studio monitors where the speakers used to be. Stuffed an AT turntable with USB into the cabinet and also wired it for an optional subwoofer if/when he decided he wanted one.

A year passed and the guy recorded all his father's record collection, he added a subwoofer and generally pulls the powered studio monitors out of the cabinet and place them on top of the cabinet for better sound. The record player still looks cool in the retro console but he uses his phone to connect to the knob mixer. Flexibility is always key. I think the AT turntable was around $250 and he really likes it--for that few times he actually plays a record if someone asks.

Say at max 2 grand for the CD player/record player/amp combo. For three grand, you could go with a pair of RBH i12 subs which can be tuned for max output above 25Hz or block a port for more extension for EDM/Classical. That sub runs $500 each so you have $2K for the speaker pair.

What speakers? Not enough information! Run dual subs and it will take the load off the mains and besides much better sound and control in your room--it allows for smaller speakers which gives even more flexibility to their location in your room. If you want a rock concert in your room--then everything changes again. The 12's go to JTR 18's and here come the Crown amps--depends on what you desire.

All I can say is don't waste money on the sources much, go after the speakers and room acoustics along with placement and measurement gear to get the best sound. Your budget could be 200 thousand bucks and it won't sound right if you ignore the room, acoustics and placement.

Good luck!
 
#17 ·
Not enough information

Define "music"? There is a huge difference between pop music, EDM and classical music at orchestra levels! Don't kid yourself, modern music goes down into the 20's which is true subwoofer territory--this won't change either. A lot of older music did not go too deep but as time went by...the tunings kept dropping.

I have a music only "2.2" system in my garage--two subs provide flat response to the high 20's and with garage gain, I'm good to the mid-low 20's. (tuned port to 24Hz)

The fun part is when you get actual response down to the low 20's and hear chaos that erupts in a room. You might not notice it with records but the CDs you plan on using will give your bass system a workout if you listen to any higher SPL or really dynamic music.

How loud do you listen? Background music? Low level or concert levels? Do you want the system to give you realistic concert or orchestra sound pressure levels with low distortion?
I love all types of music: Jazz, Classical, Bluegrass, Country, Indian Classical, Electronic, and Rock. I suppose I mostly listen to Rock and Roll/Prog/Hippie Stuff: Pavement, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Phish, Grateful Dead.

As a film and tv editor, I rely on my ears to make a living, so I usually listen at moderate levels, but every now and then, I like to play punk rock music as loud as possible.
 
#16 ·
1. Parasound Halo Integrated Amp
2. Paradigm Seismic 110 sub with built in PBK sub EQ room correction
3a. Used Paradigm Signature S1 V3 bookshelf speakers
OR
3b. Salk Veracity HT1 bookshelf speakers OR
3c. Used Paradigm Inspiration bookshelf speakers
4. Existing CD/DVD/BD player with digital out connected to Parasound digital input.

Discounts can be had on #1 and #2 and of course anything used to fit in budget.
 
#24 · (Edited)
You might want to consider buying some used gears.
For your room size you can get compact floorstanders without a sub.
The following are just my suggestions or recommendations :
Speakers : B&W CM10 tower speakers (compact). They retail for $4k/pair new but you can find them used easily for less than $3k/pair. I've seen quite a few of them being offered as used pairs on Audiogon or ebay or some other sites. These are great sounding speakers for the money.
You will not need a subwoofer with these speakers. They go pretty deep and the bass is well extended and well defined and controlled bass. I had these speakers until recently I've just upgraded to the B&W 802 D3 speakers. I've also upgraded my amp.
Actually, I've recently just saw these speakers being offered on Audiogon used for $3k and you can make an offer for $2600/pair. Don't know if they are still available. Highly recommended.
Revel Performa F206 tower speakers. These are smaller version of the Revel F208. The F206 has smaller woofers than the F208. Great sounding speakers for the money. They received so many outstanding reviews from both professional reviewers and users. Highly recommended. A lot of people preferred these over the B&W CM10. You will not need a sub with these speakers.
They retail for $3500/pair new but you can find them used for $2500/pair or less.
I've seen quite a few of used pair being offered on Audiogon and other various sites.
The Revel F206 is more suitable for your room size than the F208. Or the B&W CM10 is even little bit smaller than the Revel F206 in cabinet size.
Integrated amps : Parasound Halo integrated. This is a nice sounding unit. It has a good onboard DAC.
Heard nothing but excellent reviews from either pro reviewers or users. This amp will drive either the Revel F206 or the B&W CM10 effortlessly and with ease. Highly recommended.
Rotel RA-1592 integrated amp. This unit just came out less than two months ago and it retails for the same price as the Parasound Halo integrated for $2500 new. This Rotel has good quality onboard DAC.
Highly recommended. The Rotel RA-1592 has a bit more power than the Parasound Halo integrated.
Both the Rotel and the Parasound Halo will drive either the B&W or the Revel with ease.
The Rotel sounded different from the Parasound. I found the Rotel to be more on the warm side and the Parasound more precise and analytical. I would pair the Rotel with the B&W CM10 and the Parasound with the Revel. The Rotel is known to have great synergy with B&W speakers. They are meant to be paired together.
CD players : Oppo bdp 103 universal disc player. I would use the Oppo as a digital disc or cd transport only and connect the Oppo via spdif (coaxial digital audio cable) to either the Rotel RA-1592 or the Parasound Halo integrated amps as both these units have better quality sounding DAC than the Oppo bdp 103.
The Oppo bdp 103 retails only for $500 new and it is a great sounding transport for the money. I can't think of any better disc or cd transport for around $500 than the Oppo bdp 103. Connect the Oppo via coaxial digital audio cable (spdif) to either the Rotel RA-1592 or the Parasound Halo integrated so that way you are using the DAC in either the Rotel or the Parasound Halo integrated amps.
You can also find it used sonewhere for cheaper.
Cambridge Audio cd transport. It retails for $500 new. This is also a good cd transport for the money.

Those are just my suggestions / recommendations that will fall more or less within your budget but unfortunately it cannot account for a turntable player plus a phono preamp. You can build your system based on a digital source first, and you can add the TT and a good phono preamp later on down the road.
Hope this helps. Let us know what you decide on.
 
#60 · (Edited)
I was wondering why I never see this name here :), as an owner of Sphinx v2, its is a beautiful amp.
 

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#26 ·
I've been researching an almost duplicate system, just a little bit higher on the budget.
Here's my recommendation:
Yamaha A-S801 Integrated Amp $999 (you should be able to get this for $750 - $800)
Tannoy Revolution XT 8F (~ $2,000 / pr)
SVS SB-1000 ($500)
OPPO BDP-103 $500 (4k player coming soon at same price, but since video isn't the plan, why wait)
Rega RP3 TT $900 (w/cart)

Total: $4,600 - $5,300
 
#27 ·
#28 · (Edited)
I'm in the same boat.

I own a pair of Salk HT-2TL's and love them. When we were shopping for a new projector we listened to a few higher end Paradigm's and speakers under the price of the Salk's, about 1K less for a pair.

The Raal tweeters beat out anything we heard. 1K is not a small amount of money but if you are going to get heavy use out of them have not heard anything better yet for the money.

Those are in our finished basement and I'm looking at a 2 channel system for upstairs. We want it for music quality as much as a center/discussion piece in the room. We'll be going with a tube amp because of the display piece of it.

Getting another set of HT-2TL's would put me over my budget considering I already have a system downstairs. We were going to get ahold of Jim this week and go listen to the Song 3's.

We demo'd the SST's and that was our original purchase plan but as soon as he hooked up the HT-2TL's my wife wanted those instead.

We'll see if the Song 3's split the different between the SST and the HT-2TL's.

The advantage of living less than 10 miles from Jim's shop.

Figuring 3K for speakers that leaves me another 2-3 thousand for an amp and something to play it all on. All our music is on a server, we convert CD's and buy a lot of hires all FLAC.

Going to add vinyl too, again partly as a display piece.

Only thing we are set on is buying something from Jim. Not many purchases where we have been totally satisfied with something each and every day we use them. The finish work is impeccable although I do wish for a bit more on the design side. Only thing I have where we have a 'safe zone' setup around the speakers :)

They have not a single mark, not even a micro scratch from dusting.

Plus the resale value. From what I gather most owners take the same care we do of ours and Jim works with owners to sell their speakers to get them into a new pair. Value's from what I see go up high as 85 percent after a few years of ownership.

Lastly the lack of a need for a sub, this is with the HT's but everyone asks me where the subs are, none needed.
 
#31 · (Edited)
I'm in a similar situation and have been doing some research.

Parasound Integrated $2500, KEF LS50 $1500, SVS SB2000 $700, + CD player/etc

Or
Parasound Integrated $2500, Monitor Audio Silver 8 $2000, or Focal Aria 936: $3999.

Oh, and if you really need a CD player, don't spend more than 50$ on it. Use its digital output and put the CD player saving on a better integrated amp DAC, which your whole system will benefit from.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Well, here is what I would get:

Yamaha A-S801 Integrated Amplifier w/nice built-in DAC - $900
Yamaha CD-S700 Compact Disc Player - $800
Monitor Audio Silver 10 Towers - $2500 pr.
No sub needed with these 8" speakers - $0
PRO-JECT - Debut Carbon DC Turntable - $400
Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge is included with PRO-JECT Turntable - $0

Total = $4,600

You still have money left over for decent cables such as Audioquest Forest Series, vinyl accessories to take care of your album collection and a audio cabinet. Spend rest of your budget getting your vinyl / CD collection started.

John
 
#40 · (Edited)
Well, here is what I would get:

Yamaha A-S801 Integrated Amplifier w/nice built-in DAC - $900
Yamaha CD-S700 Compact Disc Player - $800
Monitor Audio Silver 10 Towers - $2500 pr.
No sub needed with these 10" speakers - $0
PRO-JECT - Debut Carbon DC Turntable - $400
Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge is included with PRO-JECT Turntable - $0

Total = $4,600 ...

John
That is indeed a nice system, though in light of what has been said, the Original Poster could consider the Yamaha CDS300 for $300 and dump the rest into Network Streaming, which would run about $500.

We can only suggest possibilities, it is up to the Original Poster to adjust his priorities to meet his personal needs and his circumstances. But I just can't see anyone crying over the system as you laid it out. Everything hits a pretty high standard of quality.

Though the Monitor Audio Silver 10 actually have 2x8" bass drivers, but your point about bass still stands. These are powerful speakers. The speakers will hit a solid 30hz which is more than enough for a Music based system.

Steve/bluewizard
 
#33 ·
Not trying to be argumentative or anything, but why would you spend $800 on a CD player? Buy a $35 Sony. Save $765 and get a better integrated amp with DAC and connect it to the Sony's digital out. You get better sound from any digital source (CD/TV/smart device/PC/gaming console) that way rather than better sound from CD only.
 
#34 · (Edited)
Well, following the OP's question as to what would you buy with a $5000 - $6000 budget for a MUSIC system, this is what I would do. A $35 Sony DVD player will NOT function as nicely as a $800 dedicated CD player. The DVD player is also much slower to perform each function as well. Finally, a $35 DVD player will not have a high quality DAC built in. It will be sub-par at best. Also, analog connections tend to sound better in a music system. A nice dedicated CD player would have a much better DAC than a cheap DVD player. I for one would not use digital connections on a music system. If your going to do that you might as well buy a AVR and run everything via HDMI.

Again, this is what I would do. It may not be what everyone else would do. A $35 DVD player might work well in a budget system in the $300 - $500 range however.
 
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#37 · (Edited)
Guys, why argue about what I posted? Please stay on topic and respond to what the OP is asking...not me. I simply replied to what the OP has asked which was..."If you had 5 to 6 thousand dollars to build a music only sound system in 2016, what would you get?" Why get your panties in a bunch over my post? If you wish to be constructive in this thread list what YOU would do to built a $5000 - $6000 system. That is what the OP is asking.

Let the flaming begin...

John
 
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#38 ·
One aspect to anything brought into and displayed in ones home is aesthetics. There is nothing wrong with speakers being both pleasing to the ear and looking good while doing so. There is also nothing wrong with making your dollar go further by buying on the used market. What do you think of these from Avalon Acoustics. These speakers were 10K when new and now easily fit within your price point and will definitely make a statement at home.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Avalon-Acou...835074?hash=item1a1b663e02:g:xqEAAOSwgmJX0vJI
 
#42 · (Edited)
Since others have mentioned it, I would bring up this system again -

$_500/ea = unspecified Turntable
$_500/ea = unspecified CD Player
$2500/pr = Parasound Halo Integrated Amp, 160w/ch, DSD DAC, Bass Management
$2500/pr = Monitor Audio Silver 10 (2x8") Speakers
----------------------------
$6000 = Total

You can get the Yamaha CDS300 CD Player for $300, which would leave you more money for accessories or it could be put into the turntable. Though $500 will buy you a pretty decent turntable (Project Carbon Debut w/ Ortofon 2M Red, Denon DP300 with Ortofon 2M Red, and others).

At a pretty massive $2500 with 160w/ch, the Parasound Integrated is a pretty impressive amp with built-in DACs and Bass Management. $2500 is a lot of money, but that is a lot of amp.

Depending on how the final system breaks down, $2500/pr to $3000/pr will buy you some pretty nice speakers.

So, it is really about shifting priorities. You have to set yours. The Yamaha AS801 is a decent amp for a modest $900. And that leaves you more money for other aspects, but how good do you really need the Turntable or the CD Player to be? There really are very nice turntables in roughly the $500 range, and the Yamaha CDS300 for $300 is a pretty decent CD Player. That leaves you more money for the Amp and Speakers.

Again, you have to set your own priorities, and balance the system as you see fit.

EDITED:

Up at the top of the page Shangri La suggested the Parasound Integrated combined with the KEF LS50 and the SVS SB200 Sub, that would be an impressive system and is worth considering. The KEF LS50 are crisp and crystal clear, and the Sub combined with the Bass Management of the Parasound would blend the Front and Sub perfectly.

That's not the path I would go, I prefer Floorstanding, but no doubt that suggestion would make a great system.

Steve/bluewizard
 
#45 ·
+1

Thanks to advancements in electronics from the telecom industry, that Teac has much better specs than any CD player at any price 25 years ago. The good thing is our ears have not evolved as fast as the tech so going higher in price nets looks, perceived quality or other factors not tied to performance.

It all depends on what you want, if it is performance above all else--put the money in speakers, subwoofers, DSP processing, REW and measurement gear and go to town. Room treatments help also--if performance is your goal.

Do you want live sound levels such as an orchestra? If so, the speakers will be quite large to get the efficiency required to reach those levels. Simple science applies there, be aware that as your mains gain peak SPL levels at low distortion, your subs will start to strain and they have very large amounts of distortion when pushed. 10 to 40 percent levels which makes the 0.01% VS 0.008% distortion audiophile battles a moot point.

To me, a stereo system over $5K should have low distortion, great sound quality, deep bass extension and SPL capability like you are "there" at the performance. Blowing half your budget on an amp won't do it, the CD player, phono or whatever just sucks away the money that will provide the low distortion SPL you are trying to attain.

Blow $250 in a CD player, $400 on a turntable and $1,000 or less on the amp with bass processing. The mini DSP runs around $150 for the balanced version to get your bass response correct across one to four subwoofers. Throw in a $100 microphone, add REW to your laptop and you can tweak away for months if you like.

That leaves you $3 to $4K for speakers and subwoofers. This only applies if sound quality is your goal, if you want style--then to get the same performance it will cost you much, much more or can't be attained if size is an issue.

Good luck with your quest.
 
#46 ·
There are two schools of thought on Source Devices. One is that you dump all your money into the source because if you don't capture it there, then you don't capture it at all.

The other school of thought, the one I projected, says you balance your sources and make them roughly in the same price range as the amp, and dump all your remaining money into speakers, because it is the speakers that you will ultimately hear.

For a student on a starvation/desperation budget, sure a $35 DVD Player might be fine. But we have $6000 to spend, really no need to cheap out on the CD Player.

In concept I get what you are saying. The gains from moving up to a more expensive CD Player are small, but you have to adjust what you spend based on your personal priorities.

And there are other aspects to a Player. For example when I was looking of a budget CD Player, I looked at one of the TEAC low end models, but the reviews said that the CD Player was slow to responded to the Remote which people found very annoying. For example, they might press the button to eject the CD, but the CD Player doesn't respond, so the press it several more times. When the Player finally catches up, the tray goes in and out three or four times.

A CD Player is more than a DAC, it is a Transport, DAC, perhaps a DSP, and the analog pre-amp circuits. The quality of the analog part can effect the sound. More expensive low noise Op-Amps can produce better sound than low cost high noise Op-Amps. There is the complexity of the design, feature, and quality of the analog out.

If we assume the Transport (reader) is not flawed, then you are right, a perfect list of Digital Number stream out, but what happens to those numbers matters. I don't think the DAC in a $35 DVD Player holds up the ESS Sabre DACs found in most high end equipment.

But, while we disagree on the details, we do agree on the concept. The Original Poster needs to set his own priorities, and balance the system according to his wants and needs. I communicated with someone who had a Yamaha CDS300 CD Player with the Yamaha AS801 amp, he was very pleased with the CD Player for the price. He did not feel it was out of place in his system.

The OP has been offered variations of two very good systems, one based around the Yamaha AS801 and another based around the very considerable Parasound Integrated. Either one would make a good system. It is just down to the OP setting his priorities. You can have your priorities and I can have mine, but it is the OP's priorities that matter.

Myself, in the same place, I would get a basic CD Player, a basic but good Turntable, and dump a bit pile of money into the Parasound Integrated, and a roughly equal amount into speakers. That deviates considerable from how I first broke down the system, but that initial break down only serves as a starting point. The OP, or anyone else, can deviate all they want based on the equipment they find and their personal priorities.

But with $6000 to spend, it seem too much of a deviation to get a $35 DVD Player.

Although there are many other variations, listed below would be a pretty exceptional system -

$_400/ea = Project Debut Carbon with Ortofon 2M Red Turntable
$_300/ea = Yamaha CDS300 CD Player
$2500/ea = Parasound Integrated Amp (160w/ch, DAC, Bass Management)
$2500/pr = Monitor Audio Silver 10 (2x8") Floorstanding speaker (or other similar speakers)
--------------------------------
$5700 = Total


As an alternative -

$_600/ea = Project Debut Carbon Elite Turntable w/ Ortofon 2M Red
$_300/ea = Yamaha CDS300 CD Player
$_900/ea = Yamaha AS801, 100w/ch, DAC Amp
$4000/pr = speakers of choice
-----------------------------------
$5800 = Total


Two very sweet systems that come in under Budget.

Steve/bluewizard
 
#47 · (Edited)
If the low end Teac you are talking about is the cdp-650, I've never had a single issue with it, hopefully the luck continues. I did have a Yamaha player a long time ago that didn't work properly after about 2 years with seldom use. Everyone's experiences are different I guess. I'm pretty sure I read several reviews before I bought my Teac, always do, so I hope you're talking about an even lower model. I want to hear even more items with the ESS Sabre DAC's. I do really like Burr-Brown though, have them in my Arcam rBlink, Teac CD player, and in my Focal XS2.1 computer speakers.
 
#54 ·
For the Turntable I would check out the Musical Fidelity Round Table. Music Direct has it at $299 regular price $1000. Has an AT-95E cart. Replace it w/a 2M Blue and it will be in the $500 budget. Also check out Wyred 4 Sound mINT Integrated. They are currently having a Black Friday sale. The price is about equal to the AS-801. Also for a better phono look into Lounge Audio. Much better than the standard Yamaha phono. :)
 
#55 · (Edited)
Thanks for the tip. I just bought one. Might be great x-mas gift. This one will go in my budget system, but if it's any good, I'll get another for grandson. Music Direct has a 'demo' Nomad for $599 which would be a great table for the price. Probably not even a demo, but a loss leader.

Btw, in re the cart, try to find something other than the Ortofon Blue. That is a very detail, neutral cart, but boy is it noisy. I have a Blue and will try it, but will likely get another cart.

We were ABing back and forth last night between three SACDs that sound just as good as the vinyl (the Opus 3 Cyndee Peters, the Yamamoto, Midnight Sugar on Three Blind Mice, and Jazz at the Pawnshop) and a couple direct to disk Sheffield, Harry James (back up analog 2-track used for the digital). What's cool, that's rarely the case, are that these are the same level (hand held meter) without having to do anything. He's 22 so high end hearing better than mine and over time I've taught him what to listen for with these speakers so we're way beyond his initial comment of "why isn't there anything coming out of the speakers?"

Up to about 90db where noise intrudes with the analog (tube phono stage with tube rush) he thought it indistinguishable other than the triangle on the Cyndee Peters with the advantage the CD. I finally got off of my butt and played with VTA a bit and got it to where it was equal. I taped over the screen on the Hegel so he couldn't tell which was playing. I can't see it when playing without getting up to go look at it, but I knew he could. Now given that these are ESLs I sat behind him.

I switched back and forth on about ten sec intervals without saying anything that I was switching nor could he see me and he didn't know I'd switched. Then I started telling him when I switched, but I didn't know which I was listening to either. He refused to play along and pick because he said he could hear no difference at all. Of course these particular LPs are completely free of ticks or pops, which would be a dead giveaway. I did notice for the first time on the Harry James 'Still Harry' that soundstage was just slightly wider on one of them with the trumpets and coronets about a foot wider than the other. Once I explained the positioning of the trumpet, he could hear that it was about a foot further to the right in the right side of the soundstage. I know, cheating ... power of suggestion, but it was clearly in a slightly different spot. And it was the LP, after I peeled the tape back and looked. You can't tell at all from the Hegel remote what you have it on. The readout is only on the screen on the front of the Hegel with nothing on the remote other up / down and around. I can't see the screen with glasses off, but obviously can't at all with electrical tape covering it. If you turn it up past about 90db then I can hear tube rush between cuts.

Anyway, I think I have created another fan of vinyl. Now, he talks a lot so he'll tell all of his friends. He's buying records already with nothing to play them on. I have to fix that.
 
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