The Final Hi-Fi

[newguy]

 

Folks --

 

My dad, who is dying of cancer, is moving into an assisted living facility. Tonight, he asked me to get him a "hi-fi."

 

He listens to classical music, and has been quite proficient with computers -- although, alas, his proficiency is now slipping. Meanwhile, I simply don't know what's out there that combines simplicity-of-use with high quality. (Bose is simple, I know, but, to my ears, sounds ghastly.)

 

As a rule, I have little patience with newbies who parachute onto expert forums and expect others to do their work for them. Alas, I don't have an enormous amount of time to satisfy this wish and so I ask for your understanding. Thanks to any and all able to point me in the right direction.

 

[flatmap]

Welcome, newguy.

 

Would your Dad enjoy listening through headphones, or do you envision speakers? Or both? If speakers, in terms of space considerations, will these be on desktop, or can they be out on stands in the room?

 

Since you've come here, you are apparently thinking of a computer based system. I use a laptop as the basis for my digital system and this form factor is very space efficient. Of course it can be paired with a mouse if your dad (like my dad) does not like the track pad.

 

Do you already have expertise with primarily mac or pc? Since I gather that you'll be the support person, you probably want to choose accordingly. If you're inclined to Mac and iTunes, you can use the nice remote control app on iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.

 

iTunes is not, sonically, the best music player software, but many people find that it quite user friendly. I do. It is not the world's greatest with handling all the metadata you'd prefer to have for classical music... but one can make this work. I'm not sure that any music player handles this aspect very well -- but maybe others can chime in on this.

 

[newguy]

 

Thanks. Speakers, definitely. He uses PC, although he's expressed interest in an iPad. Can that be used as the controller/storage-streaming device (as opposed to a PC or Mac)?

 

I'm thinking I might get him a decent pair of speakers -- like the AudioEngine 5's -- and a solid USB DAC, like something from Musical Fidelity. Just impulses, at the moment. In this post, I've pretty much exhausted the limits of my "expertise."

 

[Paul R]

I would put iTunes, loaded with every bit of music I own, on a Mac or PC, feed it through a nice DAC into a NAD C326BEE Amp, and attach a pair of PSB Imagine B's to it. I would give him an iPad running REMOTE to control the music and browse the web with, etc.

 

I wish I could do that for my Dad.

 

-Paul

 

 

[newguy]

Very helpful, Paul, thanks. So, you can use the iPad as a remote to control iTunes on the PC? Is that via an iPad app of some sort?

 

Also, do you have suggestion for the DAC? Or are they more-or-less interchangeable?

 

 

 

EDIT: I found the app:

 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/remote/id284417350?mt=8

 

[Paul R]

Yes, there is an excellent application (free) from Apple, called REMOTE. It works very well on an iPad, allowing the user to browse covert art and such and tap to play a song.

 

Also on the iPad, the iPOD application will allow you to play any songs on the iTunes library though the iPad. Great for headphones.

 

You can also playback any video you have in the iTunes library on the iPad, as well as Netflix and so forth, if there is any interest in that.

 

How much do you want to spend on the Dac? A $1000 Benchmark or Rega DAC will make it sound super. But a $149 Music Streamer II will sound pretty good too.

 

Basically, the more you spend, the better the sound is going to be. An Arcam rDac or DacMagic might be a good compromise (both in the $500 range.)

 

 

[Akapod]

Can you give us a sense of how much money you would like to spend (and whether that includes the computer itself)?

 

[wappinghigh]

Sorry to here about your dad. But simplicity is what you want. Thinking ahead, things might get hard for him to use if he get's sicker or has to go through unpleasant treatment or whatever. Nobody want's this... but that is the reality unfortunately...

 

So ease of use should be the priority.

 

With that in mind I wouldn't bother with a PC or computer. I would put everything onto an ipod. Get a simple doc set up (like a Denon micro stereo with doc) and a set of headphones.

 

When he want's to listen in silence (he may need to do this being close to other residents) he can use his headphones. If not, then he can plug into the doc.

 

Either way the ipod interface works the same. The ipod is the simplest music library solution for you dad. Even my 101 year old grandmother can use one

 

[newguy]

 

 

I'll spend whatever I have to. As a practical matter, my ceiling would be about $1750, not including the computer.

 

[Akapod]

And Apple still makes the iPod Classic, $250 for 160 GB of storage. You could then pair it with something like the Peachtree Musicbox ds4.5 ($1000) and be done with it. Simpler (and cheaper) still would be a one-piece Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air system ($600).

 

If 160 GB won't do the trick, you might consider connecting the computer to the Peachtree Nova (much beloved in this forum, and a great value at $1200) and a solid set of speakers. Budget permitting, the Sonus Faber Toy Speakers ($1000) are a great match.

 

[Akapod]

... I would recommend the iPod Classic, the Peachtree Musicbox ds4.5 and a pair of the Bose On-Ear Headphones ($160).

 

This would give your father a really decent stereo for his apartment, as well as a portable system for $1400-ish. It would be incredibly easy to use (and you can hook up a computer to the Musicbox via USB if you'd like.)

 

[newguy]

 

 

Yes, simplicity is key. The thing is, I know he'll find headphones cumbersome, so speakers would be the way to go.

 

One simple setup might involve iPod (or, really, an iPad, since that will be much easier to navigate) and a pair of AudioEngine 5s (as you may know, the AEs have an iPod dock built in. I own a pair of AE 5s myself and like them, with reservations.

 

The other thing, though, is this: I like the idea of the iPad not being tethered to anything (like a dock). Really, when we're talking about simplicity of use, we're talking about the interface, right?

 

 

[newguy]

 

 

Peachtree is interesting! I'll investigate further. Thanks.

 

[Bones13]

iPod/iPad/Mac Laptop du jour, using Airplay through the new B&W Zepplin.

 

Simplicity.

 

Of course any computer to serve it up to a USB Dac feeding active speakers. With passive speakers, one of the newer mini multifunction integrated amps with either an iPod doc, or integral DAC might be a more HiFi alternative. The iDecco line comes to mind.

 

[Paul R]

I would mod my recommendation a bit then:

 

PC/Mac

NAD C316BEE - $350

iPAD - $650 (or use as iPOD, as suggested in another post)

PSB Alpha B1 - $280

Grado S60 HP - $100

-------------------

$1380

 

That leaves about $370 for a nice DAC.

Music Streamer II - $149 (USB Only, small, very very nice sound for the money)

 

I'd put the rest into upgrading the speakers myself, depending upon how much space he has available. The Alpha B1s have an amazing sound for the price, and are very easy to place. You can hang them on the wall surrounding a television and they will sound good. They of course, sound better on a $100 pair of stands, but they sound good even in less than optimal positions.

 

 

Hope that helps a bit. Of course, if you have to buy music, or he wants a turntable or whatever, you need to adjust things around. The iPad is the single most flexible unit, as it can, easily, be used as an iPod too, with a $100 pair of grados, or even hooked directly up to the amp with a cable.

 

-Paul

 

 

 

[DaveLew]

Go with the Bose SoundDock. It's simple, it's sound is fine, it's convenient and it's remote control makes it ideal for someone who's mobility will be increasingly difficult, and most important it requires a much configuration and maintenance as an electric fan. Fill an iPod with as much music as you can, at 160 GB and a reasonable compression resolution he can have thousands of hours of music at his fingertips that he can control even when he’s bedridden.

 

 

 

 

[newguy]

 

 

 

Perhaps you're right. My problem with the Bose is that it sounds so damn tinny (the aforementioned earphones are terrific, though.)

 

My Dad was a bit of an audiophile way back when (40+ years ago), so there's a part of me that wants to honor that ... although, yeah, one must be practical.

 

 

 

[newguy]

 

 

Thanks, again, Paul. I'm going to try to see if I can swing your original suggestion, though.

 

So long as I can rig it for intuitive remote management via the iPad, I want to get him the best I can afford, even if it's overkill.

 

God knows it's the least I can do for him.

 

So grateful to everyone for weighing in. It means more than I can say ...

 

[Akapod]

The Bose can't be beat for simplicity, but I think it can be matched with the B&W Zeppelin Air (mentioned earlier by Bones13), which (to my ears) offers a significant sonic improvement. It also supports Airplay, which would allow you to stream music from an iPad/iPod Touch (but not an iPod Classic). The Bose SoundDock does not yet support Airplay.

 

Here's a recent review of the Zeppelin Air from MacWorld.

 

[Akapod]

I have the AudioEngine A5s in my bedroom, and I am happy with them but with (as you say) reservations. They are a fantastic value, but there's not a lot of definition to them (which makes them great for a muddled acoustic environment like a bedroom). If you have the budget, I think you can do much better.

 

Also, if you are thinking of connecting a computer directly to the A5s, that means you will be relying on the computer's built-in DAC, which isn't very good. Getting a good DAC is about the easiest way to improve the quality of computer-based music. (I note that Peachtree will be introducing a stand-alone DAC (no amp) called the DAC*IT for $450, and which was discussed in this thread.)

 

I think your idea of using an iPad to control the system makes a ton of sense. Once it's set up (which is not hard to do), it's really pretty stable. I use mine all the time. You could also use an iPod Touch to do the same thing, though the smaller size might make if more difficult for older fingers to maneuver.

 

As for the headphones, I intended for those to be in addition to the stereo system. If you're already already getting an iPad/iPod, you should consider upgrading from the standard headphones Apple provides. I hate earbuds, and find the Bose headphones to have a "big cans"-like sound without actually being that big. If your father wouldn't use headphones pretty much at all, then you should certainly forego this.

 

 

 

[bikemig]

Along these lines, the Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin Air might be a good choice. Besides pairing well with an ipod, it is also capable of airplay. I think a set-up that can play music wirelessly is a good choice because there are a number of really good classical stations available that stream via the internet: NPR stations in the US, all sorts of great stations outside the US, and streaming classical from Pandora. Pandora, for example, will give you hours of non-interrupted classical music. Plus you can use the B & W Zeppelin air as a speaker for a laptop and play whatever music you have on the computer plus anything via the net you might want to listen to. Whatever set-up you choose, I think that the ability of play classical music streams from the internet will be very helpful.

 

[wdomeika]

I'm sure the music you bring to your father will wonderful medicine.

 

Cheers,

 

Bill

 

[DaveLew]

Not to be too morbid, but I went through this with my mother a couple of years back. Maybe not now, but over time he'll have more trouble with the size and weight of an iPad than you can imagine. Bose+ 1000 of albums on an iPod + a small remote that he can manage till the last would be my choice.

 

[newguy]

I'll definitely check out the Bose and the BW ... and, insofar as the weight of the iPod v. iPad is concerned, wise words borne of hard experience, I'm sure. I'll keep it in mind.

 

Thank you again, everybody, for being so generous with your time and ideas ...

 

-- Peter

 

[Old Listener]

> Tonight, he asked me to get him a "hi-fi."

 

Your post gives no indication whether your dad would need an audiophile grade system to happy.

 

> He listens to classical music, and has been quite proficient with computers -- although, alas, his proficiency is now slipping.

 

Not all solutions work well for classical music. Here are some requirements:

 

- both Composer and Performer are important. Most players only allow for a single Artist to tag a music file. You need to browse for music in a multiple step process. The most common browsing sequence for me is selecting the Composer, then the Work, then the Artist.

 

- Playing while albums (CDs or LPs) is less important for classical music. You want to pick a performance of a work and play all the movements in the right order.

 

- Classical works are often stored as multiple tracks on a CD or LP. You want the music to be played just as it would have been on the CD or LP. If there was a gap between tracks, you want that gap preserved. If there was no gap in CD playback, you want no gap when you play the music files.

 

- Fancy DJ/radio effects like fading out at the end of a track or mixing the end of one track with the beginning of the next are an abomination for classical music.

 

---- questions

Would your dad be listening to music he already owns as LPs, cassettes or CDs? If so, getting the content of his collection into music files (ripping the CDs) will take time and effort. You'll probably have to do that job. You'll want to pick a player that will provide a simple interface that works for classical music. An iPod with lots of storage might be a practical solution. (I put a subset of my classical collection on an 80GB iPod and can supply tips on setting up his classical music collection for us eon an iPod.)

 

Would your dad like to listen to a radio-like streaming source? This is more passive than picking the music you want to hear from your own collection. Sirius satellite radio, Pandora or some other paid service that has one or more classical channels might fit your dad's needs. The key would be to pick a packaged system that plays the service you select.

 

You might be able to find a solution that supports both playing his music collection and listening to a streaming source. The he can see what fits his inclination. Over time, passive listening might become the most practical playback method.

 

For listening to his music collection, here is a simple practical solution:

 

iPod - ? $

Audioengine 5 powered speakers - $ 350

Audioengine W2 wireless adapter (from iPod to speakers) - $ 99

 

For listening to streaming services, Bose might have something useful. There are simple radios for playing music from the Sirius service.

 

I have avoided a computer based solution. Such a solution could certainly play your dad's music collection and play from a streaming service. It might be a good solution for a few years for your dad but too complex for the following period.

 

Small laptop - $ 500

Audioengine A5s - $ 350

AW1 wireless DAC (wireless connection from laptop to speakers) - $ 150

 

Bill