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Stereo Setup. Need Recommendations.


PaperbackWriter

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New to the audiophile world. Just have a few questions about the system I'd like to purchase.

My budget would be $1,000. I could go as high as $1500 if it is something worthwhile.

I am looking for a stereo setup using bookshelf speakers. It would be used for a room that is 11X18.

I would mainly be using this system for listening to music. I would be about 5-8 feet away from the speakers. I would like to play these through my computer since that is where the bulk of my music collection is ripped. I read that I may need a DAC for this, but was alos reading that KEF does a good job without one. So not sure what to believe. I mainly listen to Rock/Folk and Indie bands.

I do not currently own any equipment. I was looking at this receiver and was looking at a ton of speakers like KEF, B&W, ELAC and Polk. (Would this receiver pair well with any of these speakers?) There are so many and I would just like to narrow it down. I live in the Memphis area and there are not too many shops around that sell high end speakers or at least any that did not pop up in my Google search where I could go try out and listen.

I would like to buy new as well. Thanks for any advice you can give me.

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At that budget I would get active speakers such as Adam, Air Pulse, Neumann, Genelec...I think more bang for buck until your budget goes up.

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I'm going to suggest something really radical here. Buy two Sonos Five.

 

Yes, most of us on the forums would say you should buy an integrated amplifier with a DAC that you hook up to your computer and then drive the speakers of your choice. Or maybe an integrated amplifier with a DAC & streamer so you can send music from your computer to drive the speakers. But with your budget, that's a lot of components to buy. Moreover, that's not including all the cables and setup you need to make. Moreover, without knowing your room acoustics, it is possible that you may want digital room correction to get the best sound out of your system.

 

Sure, Sonos Five may be "consumer" products but they sound very good and you can wave your phone around to get some decent digital room correction should your home need it. As long as your Wi-Fi is stable, they should work very well.

 

And when you're ready to spend more money, you can always move the Sonos Five to a different room.

 

Now, if your long-term plan is to buy a $1000-1500 system now and then over the next 10-20 years, slowly upgrade to a better and better system, then I would consider getting separate components.

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3 hours ago, PaperbackWriter said:

New to the audiophile world. Just have a few questions about the system I'd like to purchase.

My budget would be $1,000. I could go as high as $1500 if it is something worthwhile.

I am looking for a stereo setup using bookshelf speakers. It would be used for a room that is 11X18.

I would mainly be using this system for listening to music. I would be about 5-8 feet away from the speakers. I would like to play these through my computer since that is where the bulk of my music collection is ripped. I read that I may need a DAC for this, but was alos reading that KEF does a good job without one. So not sure what to believe. I mainly listen to Rock/Folk and Indie bands.

I do not currently own any equipment. I was looking at this receiver and was looking at a ton of speakers like KEF, B&W, ELAC and Polk. (Would this receiver pair well with any of these speakers?) There are so many and I would just like to narrow it down. I live in the Memphis area and there are not too many shops around that sell high end speakers or at least any that did not pop up in my Google search where I could go try out and listen.

I would like to buy new as well. Thanks for any advice you can give me.

Safest bet for a beginner system would be to buy Schiit for DAC and integrated amplifier

Regards,

Dave

 

Audio system

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I'm with Dave--the Sony and Sonos are not audiophile products.  The money you'll be paying them for wireless capabilities and marketing will be money they did not spend on getting you the best sound. 

 

Schiit is excellent for DAC, and you definitely need a DAC.  But I don't think Schiit has an amp within your $1500 total budget.  I would go with an NAD D 3020 for a DAC/amp combo, or even better would be a Schiit DAC and an NAD C316BCC.  I think this will leave enough for B&W 600 Series bookshelf speakers.  My first audiophile system was similar to this recommendation--I was stunned how much better it sounded than mass market components it replaced.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

 

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I think for @PaperbackWriter, one thing to keep in mind is that when you said you plan to play music from your computer, most of the people above are assuming that you’re going to physically connect your computer to the stereo because that’s how most of us in this forum has our system setup. Whereas, I’m guessing you actually want to wirelessly (or wired) play music from your computer on your lap or in another room and just select the music you want to play using your phone to play on your stereo.

The point is that every component adds cost to the system. If you directly hook up the computer to the stereo, you only need DAC, preamp, amp, speakers (some or all can be integrated into one component) but if you want to wirelessly or wired remotely play music from the computer in one position to the main stereo, you’ll also need streamer, DAC, preamp, amp, speakers. As you can see, the more components you have, the more you have to divide your $1000 into each components. 

 

So as some people suggested, you can buy an active speakers (Audioengine, Adam, Genelec) which may or may not have a DAC built-in and then directly connect your computer to them. Or you can buy a streamer (e.g. Audioengine B-Fi) + active speakers. And I guess that may give you more bang for the buck compared to Sonos although you won’t have digital room correction. And you won’t have a lot more upgrade options in the future.

 

Alternatively, you can buy separate components like Schiit (which I’m not the biggest fan). So as suggested, you could say buy a streamer + integrated DAC+amp (e.g. NAD C328 as previously suggested) + passive speakers (e.g. ELAC) and you’ll have a lot more upgrade options in the future.

 

If you can’t try and listen locally, one of my friends who lives in Rochester, Minnesota likes to buy online from AudioAdvisor as you can call them for some advice and their return policy is decent.

 

 

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I appreciate all the recommendations. Maybe I confused some with my OP, but am looking to set up a wired system from my PC and not wireless. I conducted alittle more research and found two speaker models that I really like, even though they are above my price point. The two I like are Goldenear BRX and Dynaudio Evoke 10s. I would like to hear what you guys think about these speakers. Also, what type of integrated amplifier should I use? I would like to keep it at $1,000 or less for the amp, but could go more if it really makes a difference. Again, thanks for the help. 

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Just to clarify, wired means your pc is in the same room connected to the stereo to play the music. As opposed to a streamer is wired via Ethernet to your router and your computer is wired via Ethernet via a router. 
 

If your budget is now $2600 total, I would then suggest NAD C368 and you can just take your PC’s optical or coaxial output and connect it directly to the NAD. You could also pay for the BluOS module and just stream to it. I’ve listened to the GoldenEar BRX and it’s fantastic and punches way above its price. And I’ve also listened to the NAD too and it’s excellent for the price. 

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2 hours ago, PaperbackWriter said:

I appreciate all the recommendations. Maybe I confused some with my OP, but am looking to set up a wired system from my PC and not wireless. I conducted alittle more research and found two speaker models that I really like, even though they are above my price point. The two I like are Goldenear BRX and Dynaudio Evoke 10s. I would like to hear what you guys think about these speakers. Also, what type of integrated amplifier should I use? I would like to keep it at $1,000 or less for the amp, but could go more if it really makes a difference. Again, thanks for the help. 

Both really good speakers. You should try and audition them at a dealer if possible (both have dealer networks, I don't know if any are near you). You will probably find you prefer one over the other.  There isn't a right answer, it's whatever appeals to you more.

 

The dealer can also recommend a suitable amp. If his amp prices are too high, come back when you pick a speaker and I'm sure you can get some specific recommendations here. NAD was mentioned. They make some very good equipment in your price range. They also make some integrated amp/dacs that would mean all you'd need to do is add one box to your speakers and connect the PC to the integrated.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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sorry double post

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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18 minutes ago, davide256 said:

Its hard to get best sound from an off the shelf PC doing USB out. Better to stream to a less "noisy" device for USB out.

I concur. Or just the fan noise of the PC can ruin the nice sound. But sometimes the mind needs to discover things for itself.

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3 hours ago, PaperbackWriter said:

I appreciate all the recommendations. Maybe I confused some with my OP, but am looking to set up a wired system from my PC and not wireless. I conducted alittle more research and found two speaker models that I really like, even though they are above my price point. The two I like are Goldenear BRX and Dynaudio Evoke 10s. I would like to hear what you guys think about these speakers. Also, what type of integrated amplifier should I use? I would like to keep it at $1,000 or less for the amp, but could go more if it really makes a difference. Again, thanks for the help. 

 

Great!  I have not heard either of the speakers, but both are excellent audiophile brands.  Of course, I applaud your decision to be wired.

 

I'm sticking with my previous recommendations on NAD integrated amps--they are hard to beat for $1000 or less.  Although when you say "what type of integrated", I am a bit confused.

 

When you say you could spend more if it really makes a difference--if you go with the good audiophile brands under discussion, it will make a difference in sound quality, assuming you are not adding features (which can drive up the price with no change in sound quality).  But I think you're off to a good start here with Goldenear, Dynaudio, NAD, Schiit--you'll get very good sound for the money, and you can upgrade down the road if the bug keeps biting you

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4 hours ago, R1200CL said:

@PaperbackWriter

Buy a BLUESOUND POWERNODE (N330), and just add speakers 😀

 

….and maybe a sub.

But that would use scarce dollars on the streamer that already exists in the PC and multiroom which will not be used...

 

At the entry level, it's critical to avoid extra features

 

I love the sub idea for a future upgrade when more cash becomes available--REL T5i or T7i

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9 hours ago, PeterG said:

But that would use scarce dollars on the streamer that already exists in the PC and multiroom which will not be used...

As others has said, you may not get the best SQ using an USB cable from a PC to a DAC / Reciever.

 

A NAD (class D) may be a good alternative. Or optional with separate Schiit DAC. But it’s probably a more expensive solution. 
 

You may also find some inspiration on https://darko.audio site. 

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