Sprout 100 ? NAD D 3020 ? Vidar ? Stellar S300

[DancingSea]

2 hours ago, gmgraves said:

Your source is inadequate. Use a computer and buy an inexpensive DAC, say a Schiit Modi connect them via USB. Believe me it will be better than an iPhone seven ways to sundown! Now the Amp.

Of the amps you mention, I'd go with the Schiit Freya/Vidar combo. But don't overlook a mail-order company called Emotiva. They have an integrated amp (with a built-in FM tuner, a built-in DAC and phono preamp and control amp, 50 Watt/channel power amp) called theTA-100 that sells for only US$399! It's entry level "high-end" gear and sounds pretty good. It's a good place to start and with your computer and a USB cable to the unit,  you have everything you need. Just add speakers!

 

https://emotiva.com/collections/pre-amps/products/ta-100

 

Emotiva gear is also available from Amazon. 

 

It’s worth noting that Paul McGowan, co owner/ founder of PS Audio, has an elaborate all Emotiva home theatre system. 

 

Emotiva makes good stuff!

[GUTB]

15 minutes ago, DancingSea said:

 

It’s worth noting that Paul McGowan, co owner/ founder of PS Audio, has an elaborate all Emotiva home theatre system. 

 

Emotiva makes good stuff!

 

They make crap. To a home theatre enthusiast that just needs power, sharp highs and thudding lows Emotiva is pretty good without spending big $$$ on luxury brand names like say, Anthem. To an audiophile though they make junk. I wouldn’t even consider Emotiva entry-level.

 

When I was visiting the Emotiva room at AXPONA I overheard the rep giving someone a spiel about how Emotiva is being taken seriously as a high end manufacturer without the price tag or something to that effect. The reason why they aren’t taken seriously by audiophiles is because when I tried thier BasX class A/B amp (forget the model) it was the WORST amp I’ve ever heard, second only to the old ICEPower Teac integrated (which is truly unlistenable). My thought process when buying it was "how bad can a big modern linear class a/b really be?" Everyone knows "you get what you pay for" but I suppose hope springs eternal...

 

I think Emotiva’s model is take the lowest end parts available in the Chinese supply chain and stamp them together.

[RMMN]

8 hours ago, DancingSea said:

It’s worth noting that Paul McGowan, co owner/ founder of PS Audio, has an elaborate all Emotiva home theatre system. 

 

Emotiva makes good stuff!

Wow, how interesting!!! thanks for letting us know @DancingSea!

Emotiva’s BasX line - CES 2017: 

 

 

[RMMN]

I’m going to demo some Magnepan 0.7 speakers at a dealer today. Would these be a good choice if I went with the Vidar?

[RMMN]

8 hours ago, GUTB said:

They make crap. To a home theatre enthusiast that just needs power, sharp highs and thudding lows Emotiva is pretty good without spending big $$$ on luxury brand names like say, Anthem. To an audiophile though they make junk. I wouldn’t even consider Emotiva entry-level.

 

As @DancingSea mentioned, Paul McGowan has a post where he says good things about them for high-count-channel home theatre use:

https://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/nice-rack/

[DancingSea]

11 hours ago, GUTB said:

 

They make crap. To a home theatre enthusiast that just needs power, sharp highs and thudding lows Emotiva is pretty good without spending big $$$ on luxury brand names like say, Anthem. To an audiophile though they make junk. I wouldn’t even consider Emotiva entry-level.

 

When I was visiting the Emotiva room at AXPONA I overheard the rep giving someone a spiel about how Emotiva is being taken seriously as a high end manufacturer without the price tag or something to that effect. The reason why they aren’t taken seriously by audiophiles is because when I tried thier BasX class A/B amp (forget the model) it was the WORST amp I’ve ever heard, second only to the old ICEPower Teac integrated (which is truly unlistenable). My thought process when buying it was "how bad can a big modern linear class a/b really be?" Everyone knows "you get what you pay for" but I suppose hope springs eternal...

 

I think Emotiva’s model is take the lowest end parts available in the Chinese supply chain and stamp them together.

 

I love ❤️ you too ?

 

The OP has a budget. Just trying to encourage him in the new hobby. I have a very Audiophile buddy who is very particular and he owns giant emotiva monoblocks which he loves. They are part of a $20K+ system. 

 

We don’t want to grouch the OP away, now do we ??

[GUTB]

28 minutes ago, DancingSea said:

 

I love ❤️ you too ?

 

The OP has a budget. Just trying to encourage him in the new hobby. I have a very Audiophile buddy who is very particular and he owns giant emotiva monoblocks which he loves. They are part of a $20K+ system. 

 

We don’t want to grouch the OP away, now do we ??

 

Pushing junk isn’t the way either.

[DancingSea]

45 minutes ago, GUTB said:

 

Pushing junk isn’t the way either.

 

In my humble opinion, and you are certainly entitled to your own, Emotiva is not junk.  It may not be top of the line, but junk is way to strong. 

 

If its junk to you, so be it!

[PeterG]

5 hours ago, RMMN said:

I’m going to demo some Magnepan 0.7 speakers at a dealer today. Would these be a good choice if I went with the Vidar?

 

One thing I'm (almost) sure we can all agree upon--if you are buying speakers and an amp at approximately the same time, you really should choose them simultaneously, or choose the speakers first, then pick an amp to match.  (There's more variance in performance and character across speakers, so you do not want your choice constrained by the amp.)  The dealer should have good suggestions on matching.

 

Also, if you end up buying speakers first, then other components from different sources, make sure to take the amps home for a 2-3 day demo before deciding.  I say 2-3 days, because your first instinct on listening may prove wrong over extended listening.

 

Have fun!

[MarkS]

5 hours ago, RMMN said:

I’m going to demo some Magnepan 0.7 speakers at a dealer today. Would these be a good choice if I went with the Vidar?

 

Awesome speakers, but they do need power. Also, they don’t play super loud; so Stones and Zepplin would not be ideal, but Jazz, female vocalist and smaller rock sound awesome with the 0.7’s. I think the 0.7’s are among a handful of true audiophile steals. A well integrated (small) subwoofer or 2 can also help the 0.7’s once you get the right amp. A lot of people run the 0.7’s with Macintosh, but I’m not a big Mac fan. Not sure about the Vidar. 

[Ralf11]

5 hours ago, RMMN said:

I’m going to demo some Magnepan 0.7 speakers at a dealer today. Would these be a good choice if I went with the Vidar?

 

Yes, Maggies are always a good choice.  Try to set them out 3 ft. from a wall in your room.

 

The key is to use an amp that has good current delivery into a 4 ohm load.  They will lack low bass but outperform most speakers within 2x or 3x their price in the treble and mids.

[GUTB]

Planars and electrostats are nowhere to be seen at audio shows which are dominated by box speakers. Why is that?

[Ralf11]

they want to impress people like you

[GUTB]

8 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

they want to impress people like you

 

Why can’t they impress audiophiles with Magnepans?

[gmgraves]

7 hours ago, RMMN said:

I’m going to demo some Magnepan 0.7 speakers at a dealer today. Would these be a good choice if I went with the Vidar?

 

I have a pair of .7s (although I'm not using them and have promised them to a buyer) and they are excellent and punch way above their weight! They are clean, very low distortion, wide frequency response, and very detailed. The only caveat I have for somebody contemplating the purchase of a pair is that even though they are spec'd at 45 Hz to 22KHz ± 3dB, they don't have what I would consider very satisfying bass. Don't get me wrong, what bass they do have is pretty peerless. Tight, fast, articulate they just sound like they peter-out quickly below 45 Hz, that's all. You could buy now and enjoy excellent music reproduction, and add a subwoofer (or two) later on. With a good sub, they would be hard to beat at any price. They would be a perfect match for the Vidar or the Emotiva TA-100. 

[mav52]

41 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Planars and electrostats are nowhere to be seen at audio shows which are dominated by box speakers. Why is that?

There you go again, writing crap without facts.   nowhere to be seen

FYI 2018 Axpona, Magnepan room 506 and Martin Logan ( Prosperity  room, room 404 and 670 .    Why don't you research before you spout off on so many false facts.  Why is that ?

[zugisland]

IMHO EMotiva is a great starting point for anyone looking for entry level equipment that gives you great bang for the bucks..i have the emotiva xmc1 using it for multi channel movies and also as a 2.0 pre amp for my dac and monos..i also have the xpa 5 ch amp and it is a fantastic value to outfit a 7.2 system even though i do use non emo mono for stereo music listening.. 

[gmgraves]

2 hours ago, DancingSea said:

 

In my humble opinion, and you are certainly entitled to your own, Emotiva is not junk.  It may not be top of the line, but junk is way to strong. 

 

If its junk to you, so be it!

GUTB is a price snob! Pay him no mind when he goes on like this. I have placed TA-100s in several non-audiophile friends' systems and they have all been delighted. They sound incredibly good especially for the price. In one case, the Emotiva replaced a high-dollar (but older) Musical Fidelity integrated that died and the guy who bought fell in love with it. He said it was so much better than the Marantz in every way, that he went back a listened to some of his CD collection way into the night marveling at how much more detailed the Emotiva was than his high-dollar (but dead) Musical Fidelity. Is it as good as, say a Schiit Freya/Vidar? No it isn't. It hasn't the power nor ultimately the "Fi" but it is better than most entry level "High-end" equipment and is certainly better than any mid-fi stuff. It's what the world needs. Good audio at average Joe prices.  

[GUTB]

18 minutes ago, mav52 said:

There you go again, writing crap without facts.   nowhere to be seen

FYI 2018 Axpona, Magnepan room 506 and Martin Logan ( Prosperity  room, room 404 and 670 .    Why don't you research before you spout off on so many false facts.  Why is that ?

 

There were what, 160 rooms at AXPONA and almost all of them featured box speakers. Why is it that you’re much more likely to see a YG, Magico, Wilson or Focal at these shows?

[Ralf11]

24 minutes ago, mav52 said:

There you go again, writing crap without facts.   nowhere to be seen

FYI 2018 Axpona, Magnepan room 506 and Martin Logan ( Prosperity  room, room 404 and 670 .    Why don't you research before you spout off on so many false facts.  Why is that ?

 

it appears that the GUTBot is based on a very limited AI system with no research or analysis capabilities

[GUTB]

2 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

 

it appears that the GUTBot is based on a very limited AI system with no research or analysis capabilities

 

What was your favorite room at AXPONA? Did you hear any Magnepans there?

[gmgraves]

15 hours ago, GUTB said:

 

They make crap. To a home theatre enthusiast that just needs power, sharp highs and thudding lows Emotiva is pretty good without spending big $$$ on luxury brand names like say, Anthem. To an audiophile though they make junk. I wouldn’t even consider Emotiva entry-level.

 

When I was visiting the Emotiva room at AXPONA I overheard the rep giving someone a spiel about how Emotiva is being taken seriously as a high end manufacturer without the price tag or something to that effect. The reason why they aren’t taken seriously by audiophiles is because when I tried thier BasX class A/B amp (forget the model) it was the WORST amp I’ve ever heard, second only to the old ICEPower Teac integrated (which is truly unlistenable). My thought process when buying it was "how bad can a big modern linear class a/b really be?" Everyone knows "you get what you pay for" but I suppose hope springs eternal...

 

I think Emotiva’s model is take the lowest end parts available in the Chinese supply chain and stamp them together.

See, my experiences with Emotiva is entirely different from yours. I have recommended Emotiva to a number of Newbie acquaintances, friends, and co-workers. All have praised me for my recommendations, citing that they had no idea that they could get so much good sound for so little wampum. One co-worker bought their XSP-1 Differential preamp ($1200) and their 550 WPC XPA-DR2 differential power amp ($1600) and loves them both. He replaced a pair of McIntosh MC-60 power amps and a McIntosh C-11 preamp (both of which he sold) and replaced them with the Emotiva gear. He got so much for his Mc gear ($4500) that it more than paid for his new Emotiva Solid State stuff ($2800). He's as happy as a puppy with two peters! And like I said, I've recommended several TA-100 integrated to happy listeners.   

[mav52]

13 minutes ago, GUTB said:

 

There were what, 160 rooms at AXPONA and almost all of them featured box speakers. Why is it that you’re much more likely to see a YG, Magico, Wilson or Focal at these shows?

It doesn't matter how many rooms   What you said ' nowhere to be seen "  which means you are wrong  

 

 

[gmgraves]

12 minutes ago, GUTB said:

 

There were what, 160 rooms at AXPONA and almost all of them featured box speakers. Why is it that you’re much more likely to see a YG, Magico, Wilson or Focal at these shows?

That's simple. Box speakers are trivial to make. A little furniture-grade carpentry skill, a few formulas and drivers sourced from any number of raw speaker builders (many will even make drivers to your own specifications) and Voila! you have box speaker product. OTOH, building an isodynamic speaker like the Magnepans or electrostatics such as the Martin-Logans or the Sound Labs requires serious manufacturing facilities and specialized (and expensive) equipment to fabricate the panels! Of course there are going to be more box speaker makers than bipolar planar-type speaker manufacturers!

Another reason, perhaps, is that not everyone's decor can accommodate a pair of Maggies or M-Ls or Sound Lab speakers. They tend to be large, monolithic and take-up a lot of room and can be placement fussy. I also understand that for all of those reasons, they have a pretty low WAF. 

Anyway, none of those things have anything to do with SQ. I'll guarantee that a pair of Magnapan MG-.7s outperform many other kinds of speakers costing many times their $1500 price tag. The entry level Martin Logan ElectroMotion ESL ($2500) is one of the best sounding speakers at any price!  

[GUTB]

14 minutes ago, mav52 said:

It doesn't matter how many rooms   What you said ' nowhere to be seen "  which means you are wrong  

 

 

 

I’m neurotypical. Less than 1% of the show had those speakers so nowhere is a suitable hyperbole.