Advice on all-in-one system for my daughter: Peachtree or what?

[sockpit]

Hi folks,

 

My daughter is graduating from college and moving into a small 2 bedroom home (that's not mine, yeah!), and I'd like to get her something decent sounding for under $500.

 

She's not an audiophile, but I want decent sound for her.  She'll likely put it under a flat screen TV and use it for TV sound.  Also needs to be able to reliably stream Spotify Premium to it (preferably via Spotify Connect, so far as dad is concerned, rather than Bluetooth).  Unlikely to develop a vinyl fetish.  Dead simple is best, plus decent quality manufacturer.

 

I own the original Peachtree Deep Blue (a rather powerful and well built bluetooth speaker); it's decent sound and deal at $350 for listening to music while cooking, entertaining, etc.  I'm thinking about getting it's successor the Deep Blue Sky (wifi instead of Bluetooth), on sale now for $349, for her.  I also see that Peachtree has some powered speakers (incl. internal DAC and bluetooth capacity) that are also very versatile, models M24 and M25, $399 and $449 respectively.  Maybe these would give her better stereo separation and perhaps better overall sound?  

 

Can anyone speak to this issue with some experience of the Peachtree products?

 

Can anyone steer me in a better direction for a dead simple all-around solution under $500 that solves the the TV and Spotify needs?  I know active speakers are popular with some.  I don't think I'd be interested in them if they had proprietary software that tried to bypass the Spotify app, which is excellent.  KEF are too pricey and I've heard their software sucks.  

 

Anyway, what would you do with $500, given what I've said.

 

Thanks!

[Ralf11]

yes, M25 in wood (most women will like that better than black), but note the rear firing port may not be perfect if set close to the wall

 

or complicate things by looking at Elacs, KEFs, Audioengine, etc.

[beerandmusic]

Not sure exactly what you mean by an all-in-one?

 

why not just get an AVR?  Today's AVR's support streaming, and a lot more functionality.

 

nvm..i just googled Deep Blue Sky, and see you are looking for speakers built iin as well....

so you want streamer/dac and speakers in one.

 

I would get something that was alexa enabled too...she would like that.

[sockpit]

By all in one I mean something like the Deep Blue 3 (bluetooth) or Sky (wi-fi) or a set of powered speakers with significant connectivity (like the M series).  It should be plug and play and dead simple.  I suppose I could get a PS Audio Sprout, plus some Elacs, but that would probably run me close to a grand.

 

The Peachtree speakers look interesting.  Anyone heard the M24 or M25?

 

I did find the endorsement below from @The Computer Audiophile at the Peachtree website, so they can't be too bad.  Chris, might you have an opinion on their powered speakers vs. the latest Deep Blue?  You've likely heard them both.  Either way, Peachtree wins     400 watts in a single box vs. 50 watts in two small desktop monitors?  thx.

 

"The Peachtree Audio M24…finally an inexpensive, good performing speaker without needless limitations. The M24 is one of those rare, flexible, and good sounding components that every music aficionado should have around the house or the office. Add to cart!" 

- Chris Connaker Computer Audiophile

 

 

[sockpit]

Bump.  How would you spend $500.

 

Klipsch?  AudioEngine?  Any owners out there of inexpensive powered speakers?

[Ajax]

22 hours ago, sockpit said:

Hi folks,

 

My daughter is graduating from college and moving into a small 2 bedroom home (that's not mine, yeah!), and I'd like to get her something decent sounding for under $500.

 

She's not an audiophile, but I want decent sound for her.  She'll likely put it under a flat screen TV and use it for TV sound.  Also needs to be able to reliably stream Spotify Premium to it (preferably via Spotify Connect, so far as dad is concerned, rather than Bluetooth).  Unlikely to develop a vinyl fetish.  Dead simple is best, plus decent quality manufacturer.

 

I own the original Peachtree Deep Blue (a rather powerful and well built bluetooth speaker); it's decent sound and deal at $350 for listening to music while cooking, entertaining, etc.  I'm thinking about getting it's successor the Deep Blue Sky (wifi instead of Bluetooth), on sale now for $349, for her.  I also see that Peachtree has some powered speakers (incl. internal DAC and bluetooth capacity) that are also very versatile, models M24 and M25, $399 and $449 respectively.  Maybe these would give her better stereo separation and perhaps better overall sound?  

 

Can anyone speak to this issue with some experience of the Peachtree products?

 

Can anyone steer me in a better direction for a dead simple all-around solution under $500 that solves the the TV and Spotify needs?  I know active speakers are popular with some.  I don't think I'd be interested in them if they had proprietary software that tried to bypass the Spotify app, which is excellent.  KEF are too pricey and I've heard their software sucks.  

 

Anyway, what would you do with $500, given what I've said.

 

Thanks!

Hi Sockpit,

 

I have a pair of Yamaha NX N 500 that will do everything you want and more. They are powered with built in wifi and Spotify connect, so your daughter can stream directly using the Spotify app on her phone. They come in all white so look very stylish. Great sound with lots of RCA and digital inputs. We have them connected to the TV in our bedroom via the optical input.

 

Cost is $569 on Amazon, so very close to your budget, but could find them cheaper if you shop around during Black Friday deals.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-NX-N500BL-Bookshelf-Monitor-Speaker/dp/B01760FAFQ

 

Chris reviewed them here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ralf11]

my advice is based on:

1. if she puts them next to a wall, then rear firing ports may not be the best thing to use (and it sounds like she will put them there)

2. wood looks nice (often esp. important to those lacking a Y chromosome)

 

and 3. AudioEngine has some refurbs up on their site right now

 

so, I might go with the AudioEngine A5 or similar (IIRC, they will not allow returns on refurbs tho)

 

I expect she will be very happy with anything you choose.

[sockpit]

thanks @Ajax  Will check them out!  I found the peachtree M25s for $269, which is hard to beat for the price.

[Ajax]

2 hours ago, sockpit said:

thanks @Ajax  Will check them out!  I found the peachtree M25s for $269, which is hard to beat for the price.

 

Hi Sockpit,

 

The unit first listed in Australia for around A$1,000 and is now selling for A$675, being US$470. I am therefore sure you could get it at that price with some Google leg work. I bought mine second hand at a pawn shop and only paid A$400 being US$300, which is obviously a bargain for what the unit offers. It really is a very versatile bit of gear that sounds great and is ideal for a small apartment or bedroom.

 

Here is a quote from a 6moons review extolling its virtues:

 

"The NX-N500 speaker is something of a technological Trojan horse. It looks petite and demure but sports some heavy-duty drivers, quality bi-amplification, a ridiculous level of network capability and a premium ESS Sabre DAC. On top of all that is some major software to access a vast digital musiverse. That makes these small mini monitors a near complete audio system. All an owner needs to add is a wireless (or wired) source to make music. Think next-generation mini system with macro ability. Should I repeat that the asking price is $1099.95 the pair?

 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/yamaha2/1.html

[beerandmusic]

3 hours ago, Ajax said:

Hi Sockpit,

 

I have a pair of Yamaha NX N 500 that will do everything you want and more. They are powered with built in wifi and Spotify connect, so your daughter can stream directly using the Spotify app on her phone. They come in all white so look very stylish. Great sound with lots of RCA and digital inputs. We have them connected to the TV in our bedroom via the optical input.

 

Cost is $569 on Amazon, so very close to your budget, but could find them cheaper if you shop around during Black Friday deals.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-NX-N500BL-Bookshelf-Monitor-Speaker/dp/B01760FAFQ

 

Chris reviewed them here.

 

 

1 hour ago, Ajax said:

 

Hi Sockpit,

 

The unit first listed in Australia for around A$1,000 and is now selling for A$675, being US$470. I am therefore sure you could get it at that price with some Google leg work. I bought mine second hand at a pawn shop and only paid A$400 being US$300, which is obviously a bargain for what the unit offers. It really is a very versatile bit of gear that sounds great and is ideal for a small apartment or bedroom.

 

Here is a quote from a 6moons review extolling its virtues:

 

"The NX-N500 speaker is something of a technological Trojan horse. It looks petite and demure but sports some heavy-duty drivers, quality bi-amplification, a ridiculous level of network capability and a premium ESS Sabre DAC. On top of all that is some major software to access a vast digital musiverse. That makes these small mini monitors a near complete audio system. All an owner needs to add is a wireless (or wired) source to make music. Think next-generation mini system with macro ability. Should I repeat that the asking price is $1099.95 the pair?

 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/yamaha2/1.html

 

 

  +1 I see these speakers work with alexa too!  She will enjoy  that....get her the alexa show to go along with it so you can video conference with your daughter so she knows you are always there.....i bought a pair and do video conference with out daughter regularly....love it...best gift ever!!

 

And we use the alexa show daily for tons of things!!  Couldn't imagine life without it anymore.

 

 

[GUTB]

Well, if I was going to spend $500 on someone who doesn't value audio I'd probably just put that amount towards getting them a nice UltraHD TV, a smartphone or something.

 

But if it has to be a AIO type unit, why not those AudioEngine speakers with Spotify support?

[sockpit]

On 11/22/2018 at 3:08 PM, Ajax said:

 

Hi Sockpit,

 

The unit first listed in Australia for around A$1,000 and is now selling for A$675, being US$470. I am therefore sure you could get it at that price with some Google leg work. I bought mine second hand at a pawn shop and only paid A$400 being US$300, which is obviously a bargain for what the unit offers. It really is a very versatile bit of gear that sounds great and is ideal for a small apartment or bedroom.

 

Here is a quote from a 6moons review extolling its virtues:

 

"The NX-N500 speaker is something of a technological Trojan horse. It looks petite and demure but sports some heavy-duty drivers, quality bi-amplification, a ridiculous level of network capability and a premium ESS Sabre DAC. On top of all that is some major software to access a vast digital musiverse. That makes these small mini monitors a near complete audio system. All an owner needs to add is a wireless (or wired) source to make music. Think next-generation mini system with macro ability. Should I repeat that the asking price is $1099.95 the pair?

 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/yamaha2/1.html

Ordered a pair for $349 (refurbished) at “accesories4less.com”.  They seem legit despite the cheesy name.  Paid with PayPal in case they’re not.  Sale may end soon if anyone else in US wants a pair . . .

 

Thanks @Ajax for the recommendation!!!   If they beat my 10k system, I’ll be miffed!  ?

[greyscale]

KEF LS50w onsale $1999.00. Till Dec. 31. Simple with great sound.

[crenca]

On 11/22/2018 at 8:28 AM, sockpit said:

Bump.  How would you spend $500.

 

Klipsch?  AudioEngine?  Any owners out there of inexpensive powered speakers?

 

I have the mid level all-in-one Sonos's throughout the house.  Even Roon sees them.  My wife and daughter use them more than I do.  The sound quality is "ok", though more than enough for their casual/background music use case scenarios.  The one I put on the pool deck is able to push more SPL than I had a right to expect of it.  

 

I don't have any experience with the Peachtree all-in-ones so I can't compare, but when I have heard the AudioEngine's at shows/dealers they did not seem to be a significant upgrade/downgrade on the Sonons as far as sound quality.

 

I would say for a situation like your daughters, two on either side of the TV (though I think this would be $600, not $500) would be an easy (very easy) to setup/maintain solution that would have better than average SQ with excellent streaming options...

[sockpit]

Full disclosure:

 

1) I ended up buying the Peachtree M25s for my daughter for just under $300 delivered. I’ve since inferred that peachtree is discontinuing them.  Perhaps they are getting out of speaker business?  In any case they arrived, and here is the report, via text messaging, of course: “Wow. the speakers are so good. Holy cow.”  “Top Gear never sounded better.”  (She’s a few weeks shy of being able to call herself an engineer.) “Tracy Chapman, too.”  (Maybe there’s hope.)

 

2) I read about the Yamahas and found them for $358 delivered and couldn’t resist trying them myself for that price. They arrive Wednesday. When my wife asks why, I’ll tell her they’re her Xmas present. . .?

 

[Ajax]

Hi Sockpit,

 

Great minds think alike - I gave my wife a pair as well. They are in our main bedroom and sit either side of the TV. She listens to the radio via the TuneIn App on her phone, whereas I use the Spotify connect feature. The TV is connected via optical.

 

They are a little bit fiddly to set up (so I have taken the liberty to attach the manual to this blog), but once connected to your WiFi they are very user friendly. Easiest way to set them up is to follow the manual by clicking on the link below,  and use Yamaha's Musicast App from your smartphone.  Make sure you upgrade the firmware.

 

Yamaha NX-N500 Active Speakers.pdf

 

Pls let me know what you and your wife think of them - IMO they are a complete music system with excellent connectivity for a range of sources (USB, Bluetooth, Airplay, etc) sound great, compact and look good ..... so at $350 they are a bargain. 

 

 

[beerandmusic]

The yamaha NX-N500 you just bought also support musiccast....

set them up with alexa ..so you can turn them on, skip songs, adjust volume, play playlist, etc from voice!

 

 

 

[sockpit]

On 12/3/2018 at 2:20 AM, Ajax said:

Hi Sockpit,

 

Great minds think alike - I gave my wife a pair as well. They are in our main bedroom and sit either side of the TV. She listens to the radio via the TuneIn App on her phone, whereas I use the Spotify connect feature. The TV is connected via optical.

 

They are a little bit fiddly to set up (so I have taken the liberty to attach the manual to this blog), but once connected to your WiFi they are very user friendly. Easiest way to set them up is to follow the manual by clicking on the link below,  and use Yamaha's Musicast App from your smartphone.  Make sure you upgrade the firmware.

 

Yamaha NX-N500 Active Speakers.pdf

 

Pls let me know what you and your wife think of them - IMO they are a complete music system with excellent connectivity for a range of sources (USB, Bluetooth, Airplay, etc) sound great, compact and look good ..... so at $350 they are a bargain. 

 

 

@Ajax

 

Indeed, having some difficulty.  The unit shipped without the antenna.  I went out and bought one—a 2.4Ghz one anyway.  I connected everything , following manual carefully, but all I get is a blinking orange light, which the manual says indicates the right speaker isn’t hooked up, but it is.  The remote doesn’t seem to turn them on or get past flashing Amber.

 

so far, I’m stuck.  

 

 

[sockpit]

Cancel that   @Ajax, I got them running, updated, plus MusicCast working.  These are brilliant.  It’s too early to judge sound carefully , but they do sound very good for $350 USD

 

thanks again for the great tip!

[Ajax]

3 hours ago, sockpit said:

Cancel that   @Ajax, I got them running, updated, plus MusicCast working.  These are brilliant.  It’s too early to judge sound carefully , but they do sound very good for $350 USD

 

thanks again for the great tip!

 

Yeah, I also had problems getting them connected to the wifi, however, once connected I found them really user friendly. Remember there are multiple other ways besides wifi (airplay) of connecting different sources, such as usb, optical, ethernet, bluetooth & 3.5mm analogue. It can also be connected to digital radio stations using the remote with a preset system (P 20 of the manual) and also incorporates "Alexa" as Beer has pointed out above.

 

I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the sound quality as each driver has its own amp and the unit incorporates an ESS Sabre DAC that will process PCM up to 24/192 and DSD up to 128. I think it sounds seriously good for the money .... also the specs in the back of the manual read well. A hifi bargain.

 

IMO it is the perfect second system for a bedroom, home office, kitchen, small apartment etc. I much prefer it to say a standalone "bluetooth" speaker. 

 

Have fun and enjoy the music!

[sockpit]

9 hours ago, Ajax said:

 

Yeah, I also had problems getting them connected to the wifi, however, once connected I found them really user friendly. Remember there are multiple other ways besides wifi (airplay) of connecting different sources, such as usb, optical, ethernet, bluetooth & 3.5mm analogue. It can also be connected to digital radio stations using the remote with a preset system (P 20 of the manual) and also incorporates "Alexa" as Beer has pointed out above.

 

I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the sound quality as each driver has its own amp and the unit incorporates an ESS Sabre DAC that will process PCM up to 24/192 and DSD up to 128. I think it sounds seriously good for the money .... also the specs in the back of the manual read well. A hifi bargain.

 

IMO it is the perfect second system for a bedroom, home office, kitchen, small apartment etc. I much prefer it to say a standalone "bluetooth" speaker. 

 

Have fun and enjoy the music!

After a few hours playing around: They are 1) very well-built; 2) incredibly flexible (if they had a sub out, I'd consider them as a very high quality rig for a small room or office; 3) once connection is made, they work flawlessly through Quobuz or Spotify (and my wife can stream Spotify Connect from her phone); most importantly, they sound fantastic at 1/27th the price of my big rig, which is quite modest itself in the scheme of audiophildom.  Especially near field, in a small space, one wonders if it's worth 27 time the price and all the boxes (LPS's, DAC, Amp, etc etc). Oh, and the internet radio feature let's me tune into Bayern 3 in seconds to keep my German going.

 

I haven't tried streaming Qobuz via a uRendu and LPS-1 plugged into the USB, but I imagine that  would be the ultimate test next to my big rig.  I did compare them side-by-side at midnight streaming Qobuz, and my big rig won out (thank goodness) for richness and low-end (no surprise).  But in some respects the Yamaha's really shine in the mids and highs, and I noticed things I hadn't on the big rig!  In the end, they are sufficiently different in their presentation as to not warrant such comparisons. But I tend to buy and keep gear forever so I couldn't resist seeing how close the Yamaha's might get.

 

Anyway, am very pleased with this steal of a deal.  Accessories4less has order the missing antenna too.  Cheers.

[beerandmusic]

1 hour ago, sockpit said:

After a few hours playing around: They are 1) very well-built; 2) incredibly flexible (if they had a sub out, I'd consider them as a very high quality rig for a small room or office; 3) once connection is made, they work flawlessly through Quobuz or Spotify (and my wife can stream Spotify Connect from her phone); most importantly, they sound fantastic at 1/27th the price of my big rig, which is quite modest itself in the scheme of audiophildom.  Especially near field, in a small space, one wonders if it's worth 27 time the price and all the boxes (LPS's, DAC, Amp, etc etc). Oh, and the internet radio feature let's me tune into Bayern 3 in seconds to keep my German going.

 

I haven't tried streaming Qobuz via a uRendu and LPS-1 plugged into the USB, but I imagine that  would be the ultimate test next to my big rig.  I did compare them side-by-side at midnight streaming Qobuz, and my big rig won out (thank goodness) for richness and low-end (no surprise).  But in some respects the Yamaha's really shine in the mids and highs, and I noticed things I hadn't on the big rig!  In the end, they are sufficiently different in their presentation as to not warrant such comparisons. But I tend to buy and keep gear forever so I couldn't resist seeing how close the Yamaha's might get.

 

Anyway, am very pleased with this steal of a deal.  Accessories4less has order the missing antenna too.  Cheers.

a lot of subs have line in and line out so you could still connect to sub for more bass...you said you got musiccast working....how does that work?

[sockpit]

Musicast is a very intuitive and reliable app so far.  Way more than I need with this single Yamaha pair.  Meant for multi room stuff, not my cup of tea.

 

With no line out I don’t know how I could manage a sub, although they seem to do Bluetooth out, and for all I know Yamaha or someone else sells a decent compatible little sub that could work in the right environment.

 

I’ve put them in my great room or a while to test out the wife factor.  Sound is a bit thin for the room size, however I can pull a chair up near field and they sound great with very little room interaction issues.  I imagine they are best in a study or at the office.  But that’s where my better system is right now.  Could swap, but everyone is happier when I listen in my study with door closed.

[sockpit]

This would do the trick, if I wanted to invest further in this little system.

 

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/speaker_systems/musiccast_sub_100/index.html

[beerandmusic]

2 hours ago, sockpit said:

 

 

With no line out I don’t know how I could manage a sub,

 

 

speakers don't need a line out....you go to sub first and line out on sub to the speakers.