What audio system do you have, or plan on getting?

Started by Bonehelm, May 24, 2007, 08:52:55 AM

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petrarch

Quote from: johndoe21ro on September 09, 2012, 01:40:56 PM


Looks impressive! You may achieve better results with some room treatments--from the picture it looks like you have bare corners in your room.

You can check my system and a picture of it in my signature.
//p
The music collection.
The hi-fi system: Esoteric X-03SE -> Pathos Logos -> Analysis Audio Amphitryon.
A view of the whole

johndoe21ro

#902
Quote from: petrarch on September 09, 2012, 01:57:23 PM
Looks impressive! You may achieve better results with some room treatments--from the picture it looks like you have bare corners in your room.

You can check my system and a picture of it in my signature.

I do have 'almost' bare corners in the room but I believe my bass to be very fast and well controlled. The loudspeakers are placed well inside of the front and lateral walls (the perspective in the photos might not do justice to the real world distances - I believe I used some wide angle lense). The lack of toe-in between the loudspeakers might also help this. :)

@ Petrarch. You might benefit from covering those windows. Glass is a terrible reflective material. And the scene and layering might also benefit from this. The room is also pretty empty and resonances could be overwhelming. I used to have a Squeezebox Classic some years ago. Used it with the Weiss interlinked by digital cable. I presume you are using it with the Esoteric DAC. It might limit its qualities. Mine ate some transparency and some prat so I got rid of the SB. Now I'm very pleased with my MacBook.

The new erato

Having this on loan for a possible purchase:



YBA Passion 400 Pre Amplifier

DavidW

I'm thinking about in the next few months buying new speakers.  My old ones were damaged, but still work.

Anyway I think that I'm willing to expand my budget.  I spent $300 on the pair of towers that I'm using.  I'm willing to make my budget $1000 this time around.  Whether it still be floor standing or bookshelfs + speaker stands, what do you all recommend?

If you have advice about auditioning speakers, please provide that as well.

I'm looking for neutral with a great sound stage for a medium sized (apartment sized) living room.

Any thoughts?

johndoe21ro

#905
Quote from: DavidW on September 09, 2012, 02:23:56 PM
I'm thinking about in the next few months buying new speakers.  My old ones were damaged, but still work.

Anyway I think that I'm willing to expand my budget.  I spent $300 on the pair of towers that I'm using.  I'm willing to make my budget $1000 this time around.  Whether it still be floor standing or bookshelfs + speaker stands, what do you all recommend?

If you have advice about auditioning speakers, please provide that as well.

I'm looking for neutral with a great sound stage for a medium sized (apartment sized) living room.

Any thoughts?

Try Dynaudio, Elac, Vienna Acoustics, Usher (maybe Thiel, Nola...). Bookshelfs or standmounts are more cost effective (entry-level standfloors cost more or same as mid-level standmounts). You get some extra sound with mid-level range and less bass but it might be worth it. For 1k $ go with the second hand market. Try audiogon.com.

http://app.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-usher-audio-cp-6311-loudspeakers-2012-09-05-speakers-75207
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/monitors-dynaudio-contour-1-3-mkii-cherry-finish-2012-08-27-speakers-22201
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-vienna-acoustics-bach-grand-loudspeakers-2012-08-24-speakers-06824
I have listened to all of them. Enough resolution, some speed, nice timbral qualities, some transparency, nice dynamics, acceptable imaging. The Dyn's have a lot of bass and are very neutral. The Usher's are a little on the warm side. Carefull matching with amp, source and cables are a must for all. :)

John Copeland

Quote from: Scots John on January 24, 2012, 08:10:24 AM
My setup is as humble as hell can be humble.  These are the components I use to listen to music.  Not swanky and costs less than £100.  That is not to say that when I can afford to, I will not hesitate to upgrade to something to the tune of five grand.  But not at this time...so this does just fine.




Bollocks.  I'm giving music up now.   :'(

petrarch

#907
Quote from: johndoe21ro on September 09, 2012, 02:15:48 PM
@ Petrarch. You might benefit from covering those windows. Glass is a terrible reflective material. And the scene and layering might also benefit from this. The room is also pretty empty and resonances could be overwhelming. I used to have a Squeezebox Classic some years ago. Used it with the Weiss interlinked by digital cable. I presume you are using it with the Esoteric DAC. It might limit its qualities. Mine ate some transparency and some prat so I got rid of the SB. Now I'm very pleased with my MacBook.

I haven't found that many issues with resonances or reflections from the windows--layering and soundstage is quite good, with depths of 30-40 ft, and the tone of the instruments and voices is quite engaging. That said, the room is by no means perfect; in a proper room, these speakers are some of the best I have ever heard. The room should really be seen as just another component in the system, and that is why I plan on having a dedicated, treated and well-dimensioned room for the system when we have our own place.

I only use the Squeezebox for the music I have on the computer and it isn't my main source. I am still an avid buyer of CDs, and for those I use the Esoteric.
//p
The music collection.
The hi-fi system: Esoteric X-03SE -> Pathos Logos -> Analysis Audio Amphitryon.
A view of the whole

petrarch

//p
The music collection.
The hi-fi system: Esoteric X-03SE -> Pathos Logos -> Analysis Audio Amphitryon.
A view of the whole

johndoe21ro

Quote from: petrarch on September 09, 2012, 02:44:24 PM
I haven't found that many issues with resonances or reflections from the windows--layering and soundstage is quite good, with depths of 30-40 ft, and the tone of the instruments and voices is quite engaging. That said, the room is by no means perfect; in a proper room, these speakers are some of the best I have ever heard. The room should really be seen as just another component in the system, and that is why I plan on having a dedicated, treated and well-dimensioned room for the system when we have our own place.

I only use the Squeezebox for the music I have on the computer and it isn't my main source. I am still an avid buyer of CDs, and for those I use the Esoteric.

Very true. Unfortunately rooms are somtimes pretty complicated components. Mine isn't perfect either. I have a very tall room (3 meters) and I have some resonances when some tenors reach high C's. Other than that, nothing really bothers me. I stuffed all the shelves with books, got a pretty 'fat' rug, and all my windows (3) are covered by thick curtains. ;D
Good luck with your dedicated room. For me it's a little late so I'll just say night-night.

Coopmv

Quote from: The new erato on September 09, 2012, 02:23:09 PM
Having this on loan for a possible purchase:



YBA Passion 400 Pre Amplifier

I heard YBA was bought by a Chinese company.  Is that true?

Coopmv

Quote from: Scots John on September 09, 2012, 02:42:44 PM
Bollocks.  I'm giving music up now.   :'(

I honestly do not think the level of your enjoyment of your music collection is directly proportional to the total cost of your audio system ...

Ataraxia

Quote from: Coopmv on September 09, 2012, 03:04:57 PM
I honestly do not think the level of your enjoyment of your music collection is directly proportional to the total cost of your audio system ...

Word.

bigshot

It's taken me thirty years to finally be in the position to do a proper listening and screening room.



I've got a Mac Mini server driving a 1080p projection system with 5:1 sound. The 10 foot screen comes down from behind the front beam. 30 TB of online protected storage. Yamaha Amp, Sony bluray, combination of JBL towers and custom 70s cabinet speakers with Klipsch bookshelves in the rear. My sub is a top of the line Sunfire. The sound system roars. The best I've ever had, and I've been working at it for thirty years.

The trick I've learned is that the speakers and how they're placed in the room are all that really matters. Careful equalization too. Amps and players don't contribute much to sound quality. Even inexpensive ones sound great if the speakers are good and set up well.

Todd

Quote from: DavidW on September 09, 2012, 02:23:56 PMI'm looking for neutral with a great sound stage for a medium sized (apartment sized) living room.  Any thoughts?


New: Monitor Audio, B&W, Focal, Philharmonic Audio Philharmonitor.  Maybe think of some of the kits out there.  Madisound sells Zaph Audio speaker designs, among others.  John Krutke, the man behind Zaph, is a measurements first and last kind of guy, and some of his designs are both affordable and use high end drivers (eg, ScanSpeak Revelators, Seas Prestige, etc).  His site is most informative, as well.  Seas kits are also available, including designs that use their Excel drivers, which are some of the best on the market.  I've come to the conclusion, after buying two pairs of Salk Sound speakers, that most speaker brands are rip-offs.  If you can swing custom, consider it.  (Salk Sound, Philharmonic Audio, Selah, Tyler Acoustics.) 

Used: The same brands listed above, just moving up the price scale.  The Vienna Acoustics Bach mentioned before are very good.  I had a pair for a couple years, but had to sell them because they are too warm.  Look at Audiogon at the price range you want, there are tons of options.

(I have a pair of Joseph Audio RM22s Mk IIs I am willing to part with for a song - $700-ish.  Just sayin'.) 
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

John Copeland

Quote from: Coopmv on September 09, 2012, 03:04:57 PM
I honestly do not think the level of your enjoyment of your music collection is directly proportional to the total cost of your audio system ...

Splendid.  I feel much better about this now!  :D   
I will leave this particular thread and never return until I progress to audio hardware that reflects my nursery 'audiophile-ness.'   Some people are on a different level here, I'll come back when I get there, which I probably will, but it will be some time...   :P

***runs away to buy a tape recorder***

Dancing Divertimentian

Quote from: DavidW on September 09, 2012, 02:23:56 PM
I'm looking for neutral with a great sound stage for a medium sized (apartment sized) living room.

I had the same requirements years ago when looking for speakers. I found that high performance bookshelves with these exact characteristics weren't so easy to find.

Auditioning as many as I could was the only way to go. I even managed to swing a couple of home demos, which really helped. Ultimately I ruled out B&W (although the 705's and 805's were quite impressive), Monitor, Sonus Faber, Linn, KEF, and any number of speakers whose names I forget.

I also did some research (mostly reading hi-fi mags with quality online archives of reviews) and found a dealer in my area who carried Revel speakers. At the time he didn't have any Revel bookshelves on hand but the floor-standers he demo'd for me sounded so open, full, and wide-ranging I gambled and bought the bookshelves. It was a good gamble as these "bookshelves" totally out-performed all the others for range and depth. And neutral is the name of the game with the Revels.

Unfortunately this was all about eight years ago and the industry has obviously made many inroads since then but if I were in the market again Revel would be my first stop.

Anyway, just my two cents...


Veit Bach-a baker who found his greatest pleasure in a little cittern which he took with him even into the mill and played while the grinding was going on. In this way he had a chance to have the rhythm drilled into him. And this was the beginning of a musical inclination in his descendants. JS Bach

johndoe21ro

#917
Quote from: bigshot on September 09, 2012, 03:09:26 PM
It's taken me thirty years to finally be in the position to do a proper listening and screening room.



I've got a Mac Mini server driving a 1080p projection system with 5:1 sound. The 10 foot screen comes down from behind the front beam. 30 TB of online protected storage. Yamaha Amp, Sony bluray, combination of JBL towers and custom 70s cabinet speakers with Klipsch bookshelves in the rear. My sub is a top of the line Sunfire. The sound system roars. The best I've ever had, and I've been working at it for thirty years.

The trick I've learned is that the speakers and how they're placed in the room are all that really matters. Careful equalization too. Amps and players don't contribute much to sound quality. Even inexpensive ones sound great if the speakers are good and set up well.

Amplifiers, players, loudspeakers, cables, the room, and even the AC matter a lot. Equalization? :o I want to hear the exact information on the audio support whether it's a vinyl, a CD/DVD-A/SACD or a hi-res file. This is what fidelity is all about. I don't want to hear a pumped up bass, a lowered treble... Just the recording itself. True hi-fi components, audiophile grade components don't have any switches for bass, treble of mids. This is also valid for software. Experience depends strictly upon the best system you've heard (quality/price wise). You know how they say: you can only get better if your opponent betters you.

@ Scots John - Music is not to be given up no matter what your hi-fi. You definitely enjoy music more if you're an ignorant who doesn't give a damn on what the music sounds like. If the music touches you as much as it should, nothing else ever matters (no offense - ignorant doesn't have a bad connotation in the phrase above). Audiophilia is a messy hobby. Classical music, opera, jazz definitely sound better on an audiophile system but if you are a perfectionist (and audiophiles are perfectionists), you always tend to push the limits farther and farther. That robbs you a part of the pleasure of listening. You become more analytical (about the system) when the only thing that should matter is the music. I have difficulties in enjoying music on a sub-level hi-fi system. Once you get accustomed to resolution, speed, transparency, control, neutrality, imaging, tonality and so on and so forth, things only get worse..  ;D It's like getting out of a Porsche and getting in a Datsun. So sit back and enjoy the music. Music is an art. With a magnifying glass you might focus too much on the cracks in the painting. Coopmv is right: the level of the enjoyment of your music collection is not directly proportional to the total cost of your audio system ...:)

@ Todd - I wouldn't say that Vienna Acoustics Bach are warm. Of course this is just my opinion. I think the rest of the system made them sound like that. As I said before, mathing is critical and you can only judge a component in a certain system. There is an overall character but from my point of view Vienna Acoustics loudspeakers are not warm.

@ Dancing Divertimentian - Revels are often displayed in shows with Jeff Rowland amplification and source. From what I read and heard Revels sound pretty nice but I doubt their price fits David's budget.

@ DavidW - The best thing you can do is take a trip to a few audiophile dealers and listen to the same music on a few systems. Although inexperienced your ear should tell you what you should consider buying. Second hand market should definitely be an option though.

@ Coopmv - Yes, YBA belongs to Shanling although I doubt they interfere too much in their products. At least I hope so. I had the honor to listen to a YBA system (YBA Passion 1000, Meridian 808 Signature CD Player, Raidho Eben X-3, Roksan Radius 5, Audio Technica AT-F3 II, Roksan DX 2, Audioquest cabling) and everything sounded just like it should. Hope the french will hold tight on their position. ;D

The new erato

Quote from: Coopmv on September 09, 2012, 03:01:55 PM
I heard YBA was bought by a Chinese company.  Is that true?
That is true. Though this was built while they still were French.

The new erato

I now play a Sony SCD-XA5400ES SACD player 



as well as a Wadia 402 CD player



through the YBA and into one of these:



a Conrad-Johnson MV 2500

and into a pair of these:



Dali Euphonia MS 5.

And i do agree that speakers and room are the defining factors for a HiFi set up, though obviously all active components matter.