Let's just say...

[michaelhigh]

I'm ready for a new system, something that isn't a mix of home stereo and pro audio. I'm after a dedicated 2 channel rig with CD's on PC, Squeezebox, and AM/FM/HD tuner as sources, DAC, amp (any combination of pre/power, receiver, or integrated) and speakers (stereo and sub) for back end, the basic anti-vintage rig. That said, I'm considering the new Yamaha components, and I'm here to learn all about lossless and DAC's. I have MediaMonkey and 300+ CD-to-flac rips. Any speakers that are low power/high efficiency price winners, anyone? I want to only spend $400 average per component per month till I have a reasonably complete rig without anybody's used sloppy seconds. I want to open some boxes and mail in some warranty cards. So, used is out. I have various systems of mixed format mumbojumbo, I want an all-new and more modern-type rig this time around. I need individual suggestions for the main components, in the most minimal-type setup. This is really to prove to myself that the audio industry hasn't been sitting on its collective ass for the last 40 years. I'm ready to hear music like never before with better source quality, modern streaming capability, and no-frills sonic quality. I have various ideas, I have no idea how the synergy will happen but I'm really getting a cool list of possibles to consider. Now if only I can find out how and if they'll play together nice, or if I can get better advice from anyone here. Let's GET IT ON!!!:eek:

[michaelhigh]

Here are some early contenders: Squeezebox Duet (server/internet radio), Audiosource 5's (powered speakers), Sony XDRF1-HD AM/FM/HD tuner (highly recommended), Yamaha A-S500/T-S500 integrated/tuner, Beresford TC-7520 "Caiman" DAC, that's about all I got right now. Can't wait for the Brit contingent to pipe up, I need the international flavor. What's better at the $400 USD per unit price point? Thanks all. :lol:

[Batty]

Have a look at a Rotel RA-04 integrated amp only 40watts and at around 250 quid new,is in your budget, even has a phono stage, but no remote.

[Stratmangler]

Squeezebox Touch will play 24/96 natively - Duet will not (24/48 max).
The Touch also has better S/PDIF than the Duet.

[Alex_UK]

What about something that could cut down on the number of boxes and is generating a lot of buzz? The Audiolab 8200 CD - (CD Player and DAC combined) or the 82000 CDQ (CD Player, DAC and pre-amp combined?)

Couple of threads on here to check out:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7859
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7287

And some info from the company at www.audiolab.co.uk

But before going too far, not sure if there is a 110v version or US distribution? I do think this will be a massively successful line of products, though, relative to the massively shrinking customer base...

EDIT: "Yes" re US distribution according to their website, not much info on the new 8200 range though.

[DSJR]

I'm told that the quality of streaming radio czan be better than FM, but this is in the UK, where severe compression and "brick walling" is the order of the day.

Have a look at some active speakers too as, if budget is tight, this would save you a load of money and probably sound better too ;).

[Welder]

Michaelhigh

You’ve certainly got lots of kit. Having had “lots of kit” myself not that long ago and having recently had a major clear out and transferred to file based audio I can’t recommend it highly enough.
AoS, as you have probably noticed, has its fair share of vintage eye candy loving audiophiles.
I have no doubt that there are some great sounding systems in amongst all those shiny boxes.
My point is, does one need all that kit to provide a satisfactory music listening experience?
My belief is that at a certain point the tweaking, the upgrades give such a marginal difference/improvement (?) in sound for the expense and trouble it just isn’t worth it.
There are always going to be those who are prepared to go to great lengths to squeeze every last drop of performance out of their wallets and kit but I have always had a sneaking suspicion that some of these audiophiles are exactly that rather than music lovers.

The bad news is not much has happened within the Hi Fi industry in the past 40 years.
A good amp from the 70’s say is still a good amp today; the basic design of an amplifier hasn’t really changed be it valve or solid state.

Imo the only major change in this time period has been choice of source; the most recent being file based audio. Despite what the analogue enthusiast may claim, you can get excellent sound from file based audio and in theory the possibility of surpassing any source that relies on mechanical transport and/or links in the chain is there.

I think at $400 per component, a lot is going to depend on how many components you want to include.
Looking at your gallery pics I think you may be hard pushed to get satisfactory audio at that price point particularly if you include source (laptop, streamer, PC) in this.
I would certainly have a listen to the HRT 11+ and if it ever gets here, the HRT HD which is on its way apparently.
I would also have a listen to the Quad 12L actives.
The Lio-8 from metric might be a contender given it looks like you “do” music. It would also give you active crossover control.
A lot is going to depend on how you want to source your audio.

[michaelhigh]

Michaelhigh

You’ve certainly got lots of kit. Having had “lots of kit” myself not that long ago and having recently had a major clear out and transferred to file based audio I can’t recommend it highly enough.
AoS, as you have probably noticed, has its fair share of vintage eye candy loving audiophiles.
I have no doubt that there are some great sounding systems in amongst all those shiny boxes.
My point is, does one need all that kit to provide a satisfactory music listening experience?
My belief is that at a certain point the tweaking, the upgrades give such a marginal difference/improvement (?) in sound for the expense and trouble it just isn’t worth it.
There are always going to be those who are prepared to go to great lengths to squeeze every last drop of performance out of their wallets and kit but I have always had a sneaking suspicion that some of these audiophiles are exactly that rather than music lovers.

The bad news is not much has happened within the Hi Fi industry in the past 40 years.
A good amp from the 70’s say is still a good amp today; the basic design of an amplifier hasn’t really changed be it valve or solid state.

Imo the only major change in this time period has been choice of source; the most recent being file based audio. Despite what the analogue enthusiast may claim, you can get excellent sound from file based audio and in theory the possibility of surpassing any source that relies on mechanical transport and/or links in the chain is there.

I think at $400 per component, a lot is going to depend on how many components you want to include.
Looking at your gallery pics I think you may be hard pushed to get satisfactory audio at that price point particularly if you include source (laptop, streamer, PC) in this.
I would certainly have a listen to the HRT 11+ and if it ever gets here, the HRT HD which is on its way apparently.
I would also have a listen to the Quad 12L actives.
The Lio-8 from metric might be a contender given it looks like you “do” music. It would also give you active crossover control.
A lot is going to depend on how you want to source your audio.

Welder, I am studying your commments. You have made some observations, I have read your posts to the "Art of Sound" thread (pretty cheeky, as y'all say), and, given your frame of reference as a former vinyl devotee and systemologist, I very much appreciate your input. It's hard to convey this without caps and underlining, I can rely on my command of the language and reiteration to drive my point across, hopefully. All valid points made in your reply posts, well-taken, all. With the British perspective I can get a better bead on my choices, and I look forward to lots more input from the vastly talented and geared-up folks here. As I stated elsewhere, I'm used to the repartee of a bunch of hoosiers here in the US. The politeness factor is refreshing here and much appreciated. The level of communication is really welcome, as I, too, hate conversing with someone who has to be told to pull the earplugs out, shut off the cell phone, and come back to reality when I need to get a simple confirmation from them. Looking forward to delving in here and capturing the essence of what this site is all about. Way, hey, eh?

[michaelhigh]

Squeezebox Touch will play 24/96 natively - Duet will not (24/48 max).
The Touch also has better S/PDIF than the Duet.

Thanks, big big overlooked point.

[Stratmangler]

Thanks, big big overlooked point.

You're welcome.

So, Touch as source.

I've had excellent results using a Beresford Caiman DAC as a preamp - it has variable outputs and an analog volume control on the front.
http://www.beresford.me/PP/CAIMAN_PLUS.html

You could use this to front a HLLY T Amp-90.
http://www.hllyelectronics.com/product_info.php?products_id=113

Speakers - you could try some of the Mark Audio drivers and have a look at building some speakers from Planet10 http://www.planet10-hifi.com/ - look at the box plan for the MarKen 10
The MA drivers are one of the few full range drive units that I've heard that really are full range.

[Ali Tait]

Read my mind there Chris!
Michael,I'd definately recommend the Touch,being a recent adopter myself.A great piece of kit which sounds great on it's own,good enough in fact to use this way while you save up for a decent dac if you wish.

As for dacs,the Caimen is indeed very good,probably unbeatable for the money, but there are better dacs out there.I use a tweaked Audio Note Dac Zero,which with no disrespect to Stan,is comfortably better than the Caiman (yes I've heard both in my system) It does cost significantly more though,and coincidentally,there is a member here selling off new and ex demo AN gear,so I'd grab one while you can! All you need do is change the Wima coupling caps for something nice,say AN copper in oils,and you have a fantastic sounding dac for not a lot of money with which to play 24/96 files from the Touch.

I'd agree with that amp choice too,if it's the best bang for you're buck you are after,the Hlly T-amp 90 is a great sounding amp,unbelievably so for the money.I found it very valve-like in many respects,but with very tight and deep bass,so kind of the best of both worlds.This can be further improved with the use of a good preamp. All this kit is small too,so can easily be tucked away.

Speakers are difficult to recommend given they are so room dependant,but if you are happy to do a little diy,the Planet 10 stuff is indeed very good as Chris says.

[Welder]

Michaelhigh.
You read my posts in other threads! :eek:Ffs, you’re not supposed to do that mate; might get to believing I’m like my dog, antisocial and a bit lefty ;)
On a more serious note; file based audio is as fraught with Hi Fi mysticism and controversy as any other format. For me at least, it is a lot about convenience, but I have horrid realities to deal with and I want easy access to music and easy dusting :rolleyes: not having some women to clean up after me :lol:
However, while I’m sure others here have “better” systems, any quality I may have lost in transferring to file from Vinyl hasn’t been missed and in all honesty, I do listen to more music now than I did with either CD or Vinyl and that’s the point isn’t it……listening to music.
A lot depends on how you listen to your music; you got the full on “sesh” listeners like yer man Marco there; no problems there, I bet his kit sounds gorgeous.
I have music on most of the time; net Radio, mood dependant playlists and of course, I do do the “sesh” bit when circumstances permit.
Whatever route you choose for your particular style of listening here at AoS someone will let you know what they think about it and there are loads of well informed contributors here with a wealth of experience and needless to say, very strong views.
The difference here compared to a lot of other Hi Fi forums I’ve visited is most are polite and generally very friendly and the bragging is minimal…….apart from Marco of course but we make allowances given its his house :lolsign:

[michaelhigh]

You're welcome.

So, Touch as source.

I've had excellent results using a Beresford Caiman DAC as a preamp - it has variable outputs and an analog volume control on the front.
http://www.beresford.me/PP/CAIMAN_PLUS.html

You could use this to front a HLLY T Amp-90.
http://www.hllyelectronics.com/product_info.php?products_id=113

Speakers - you could try some of the Mark Audio drivers and have a look at building some speakers from Planet10 http://www.planet10-hifi.com/ - look at the box plan for the MarKen 10
The MA drivers are one of the few full range drive units that I've heard that really are full range.

Frugalhorn looks cool, I've yet to audition fullrangers. Not too shy to try. By the way, who's touting the new/demo Audio Note gear that was mentioned? Thanks.

[michaelhigh]

Read my mind there Chris!
Michael,I'd definately recommend the Touch,being a recent adopter myself.A great piece of kit which sounds great on it's own,good enough in fact to use this way while you save up for a decent dac if you wish.

As for dacs,the Caimen is indeed very good,probably unbeatable for the money, but there are better dacs out there.I use a tweaked Audio Note Dac Zero,which with no disrespect to Stan,is comfortably better than the Caiman (yes I've heard both in my system) It does cost significantly more though,and coincidentally,there is a member here selling off new and ex demo AN gear,so I'd grab one while you can! All you need do is change the Wima coupling caps for something nice,say AN copper in oils,and you have a fantastic sounding dac for not a lot of money with which to play 24/96 files from the Touch.

I'd agree with that amp choice too,if it's the best bang for you're buck you are after,the Hlly T-amp 90 is a great sounding amp,unbelievably so for the money.I found it very valve-like in many respects,but with very tight and deep bass,so kind of the best of both worlds.This can be further improved with the use of a good preamp. All this kit is small too,so can easily be tucked away.

Speakers are difficult to recommend given they are so room dependant,but if you are happy to do a little diy,the Planet 10 stuff is indeed very good as Chris says.

HLLY looks and probably sounds great, I am anxious to make purchases! I hope I'm not too much so. For me there's nothing like a good, strong recommend to set me going. I bought a Tech 21 RBI/BBE 482i combination for my bass rig on suggestion and I rock bass with them, unbelievably so. Planet 10 is interesting, too many choices! Before long I'll have a small version of my current system! HELP...:lol:

[Stratmangler]

I heard the new Castle Knight2 speakers yesterday, and they sound very nice.
Peter Comeau has certainly breathed some magic into this speaker.
You may well be able to audition some on your side of the pond - IAG (who seem to own most of the names of British audio) are a big outfit, so I can see attempts being made to expand their sales territories.

[Ali Tait]

Frugalhorn looks cool, I've yet to audition fullrangers. Not too shy to try. By the way, who's touting the new/demo Audio Note gear that was mentioned? Thanks.

Have a look here-
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7420

[michaelhigh]

Have a look here-
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7420

Thanks Ali, you are the greatest!:lol:

[Ali Tait]

Welcome!

[michaelhigh]

Thanks Ali, you are the greatest!:lol:

A little boxing joke (very little)...:lol:

[Ikemen]

I am sure I remember Stan himself discussing the volume control as being digital, and even his argument for why it was not analogue (cost been the main reason I believe).

Unless that changed in the + version.

[Stratmangler]

I am sure I remember Stan himself discussing the volume control as being digital, and even his argument for why it was not analogue (cost been the main reason I believe).

Unless that changed in the + version.

You have a good imagination.

It's analogue, and always has been.

[Ali Tait]

A little boxing joke (very little)...:lol:
:lolsign: