+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 15

Thread: New system opinion: Rotel 1572, Thorens 203, Focal Dome Flax, Sonos Connect

  1. #1
    Join Date: Aug 2018

    Location: Santa Barbara

    Posts: 86
    I'm Daniel.

    Default New system opinion: Rotel 1572, Thorens 203, Focal Dome Flax, Sonos Connect

    I am putting together a new system, and am looking for feedback on options and whether components are reasonably balanced or mismatched. I am looking at a ballpark of US$5K range system, but am not sweating a couple hundreds here or there.

    Purpose is for audio-only (no AV), at conversation level (no window rattling), of various genres from medieveal chants to punk, with emphasis on natural representation of sound. It is in a home office, not a "listening room" and I do not consider any "room treatments". Input form turntable, CD, digital, and web. Room is about 4000 cubic feet (20x20x10') with wood floors, a bunch of books, no couch or other soft furniture.

    I have a Furman line conditioner and Marantz 6600 CD player to be connected with digital-out to integrated amp.

    Integrated amp. Leaning towards Rotel 1572, also considered NAD 388 and Parasound HINT6, the latter is possibly "too good" considering the rest, and costs almost twice as much.
    Turntable. Looking at Thorens 203. Standard Thorens cartridge seems very low end (conical 20-20kHz). Thinking of getting Ortofon blue, maybe even Ortofon bronze, but wonder about bronze being excessive given amp and speakers. Opinions? Does the 203 have hight adjustable feet? I will set it on a natural stone mantle piece, so rock solid, but not 100% flat. Thorens also mentions that there is a minimum distance from TT to amp, but does not say how much. I plan on putting components on left of mantle, TT on right, but more or less adjacent. OK or problem?
    Speakers. I want wall mounted speakers with a sub. I am leaning towards Focal Dome Flax. Someone also recommended Bowers & Wilkins AW1, but seems inferior because of lower frequency range (50-22k vs 80-28k on the Focals), and the problem of decay on the rubber in the rear wobble thing. Anything else to consider?
    Sub: I have a Paradigm PDR8 (29-150Hz), but may look for an upgrade. The Focal sub has rather poor frequency range (I think down to 40Hz) and I wonder about soundquality over wireless. Any suggestions?
    Sonos connect. Not much to debate there. Use straight digital out to the integrated amp.
    Cables: have some Tributaries blue (2006 vintage, I believe). Good enough for the above, or upgrade to what?

    I am also looking for wet record cleaning options. Simple/manual is fine.

    Thanks for the collective wisdom!

  2. #2
    Join Date: Apr 2015

    Location: Central Virginia

    Posts: 1,736
    I'm Russell.

    Default New system opinion: Rotel 1572, Thorens 203, Focal Dome Flax, Sonos Connect

    20x20 is a pretty good space! I’m not sure why you want wall mounted speakers, wall mounted is not usually associated with high end. But Focal and B&W are both good names, known for quality and performance.

    If you are going to run a sub woofer, does the bass of the main speakers really matter? Your sub will most likely be crossing over around 100Hz or higher? I am not familiar with a wireless sub, but don’t see why it can’t work?

    The record player sounds nice enough, and an Ortofon Blue is a very nice moving magnet cartridge, not a bad start. You may find it completely satisfying.

    As long as the cables you’ve got are satisfactory, there’s no need to buy anything better right now. That can be looked into after the system is up and running. Choosing the right cables can be system dependent and time consuming. So it’s best to wait. And if you’re satisfied, it can wait a while.

    There are many nice wet vac record cleaning machines. I opted for the Pro-Ject VCS, it works very well. There are several threads in this group about them, and there are many who swear by many different machines, they really do add a new dimension to vinyl playback.

    Sounds like you’re on the right track. I look forward to reports of your progress! And a few photos would be nice. Good luck with it!

    Russell

  3. #3
    Join Date: Aug 2018

    Location: Santa Barbara

    Posts: 86
    I'm Daniel.

    Default

    Thanks for the feedback alphaGT/Russell.

    Re wall mounted speakers, I've got a long butcher block countertop with a couple of microscopes on it, on which I do microphotography. Accordingly, I do not want the speakers sitting on the countertop introducing vibrations and impairing the images. That's why I want to go wall mounted. The alternative would be speakers behind me, but that does not seem right.

    I am not in the market for truly "high end" equipment. I do not even contemplate room treatments, nor am I in a dedicated listening room. It is a sweet home office, where I spend a lot of time in, imaging and writing my new books, and want to make it as agreeable as possible. I play as an amateur viola d'amore on gut strings and with clip-in bow, so can hear some of the musical subtleties. That's why hooking up speakers to a computer is not an option, but rather entry-level high-end (no need to quibble about the threshold here). OTOH, putting a 100K of equipment in that room would be unjustifiable.

    We are on the same page re irrelevance of bass in wall speakers if a sub is used. I am less concerned about bass reproduction on the wall mounted units, but rather clarity and natural reproduction, possibly high frequency range, in the $500-1000/pair range (plus sub). So it will be a 2 wall mounted plus 1 sub (= 2.1, I think) arrangement. Any recommendation for a decent sub for the Focals on a Rotel 1572?

    Re cartridge on 203, would you think the bronze would be overkill, or could add quality given amp/speakers? I have seen the 203/blue combo for sale, and have seen one review mentioning bronze and even black combo. I am just lost whether bronze/black could even be noted on a Rotel 1572 with Focal speakers.

    Thanks for the pointer re the ProJect VCS. I thought it was just a vacuum (no fluid) but looks into it once more, and there is a fluid step. My first "serious" TT was a ProJect 6 in ~1997, so have a soft spot for them. Looks more appealing than the apparently loud 40kHz ultrasonics, and the more expensive 68kHz ultrasonic options.

    Thanks for the wait-and-see recommendation re cables. Can certainly do that :-)

  4. #4
    Join Date: Sep 2009

    Location: west mids, UK

    Posts: 3,261
    I'm Phil.

    Default

    the rotel 1572 is a fine amp , beautifully built , heard it several times and almost had one for a second system . would worry too much about expensive cables , spend the money on better speakers . currently using speaker cables costing about 30 pounds from van damme in a system that sounds sensational
    ou might slip, you might slide, you might
    Stumble and fall by the road side
    But don't you ever let nobody drag your spirit down
    Remember you're walking up to heaven

    Don't let nobody turn you around
    … Walk with the rich, walk with the poor
    Learn from everyone, that's what life is for
    And don't you let nobody drag your spirit down

    Eric Bibb

  5. #5
    Join Date: Aug 2018

    Location: Santa Barbara

    Posts: 86
    I'm Daniel.

    Default

    Hi Phil,

    Thanks for taking the time. What speakers would you suggest?
    Re speaker cables, 30 pounds for what length? Or which version of Van Damme cables? They have a lot of different kinds. Current plan is to use a 4x 12 gauge cable and wire it 2+2 for plus and minus.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Sep 2009

    Location: west mids, UK

    Posts: 3,261
    I'm Phil.

    Default

    this is the speaker cable

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Van-Damme...UAAOSwo5lbEXol

    easily terminated with decent plugs

    there are a lot of wall mounted speakers i am sure but can`t really advise on that too much

    few ideas here

    http://www.audioshark.org/speakers-1...ker-11114.html
    ou might slip, you might slide, you might
    Stumble and fall by the road side
    But don't you ever let nobody drag your spirit down
    Remember you're walking up to heaven

    Don't let nobody turn you around
    … Walk with the rich, walk with the poor
    Learn from everyone, that's what life is for
    And don't you let nobody drag your spirit down

    Eric Bibb

  7. #7
    Join Date: Apr 2015

    Location: Central Virginia

    Posts: 1,736
    I'm Russell.

    Default

    Don’t be so quick to dismiss speakers behind you. Visit a salon, or a friend with a decent stereo and set around the room and listen. Setting with your back to the speakers isn’t all that bad really. Your plan for wall mounted is fine, but it does limit your choices. And also, you don’t want to set too close to your speakers, ideally you want to be as far away from them as they are apart. Maybe more. Just something to think on.

    I’ve got floor standing speakers in my 16x16 room, so I don’t need a sub. There are so many subs out there these days it would be hard to make a recommendation, audition a few. Bass is something that is so subjective, your needs will be unique.

    Russell

  8. #8
    Join Date: Aug 2018

    Location: Santa Barbara

    Posts: 86
    I'm Daniel.

    Default

    Hi Russel,

    thanks for the geometry indications. That is actually quite helpful. With the original idea of wall mounted speakers, the speakers would be almost in line with my head (about 10' left right, but only 3-4 feet from front-back). I can see with rear speakers from behind, and sitting in front of wall, there will be a lot of reflection from wall, so sound won't be rear-only. Then the 10' side to side and about 10' back-front would make a better triangle. I do have floor (and bookshelf) space behind me and that will open up a lot of possibilities. Running speaker cables will get a bit more involved, but is doable.

    mancaveStereo.jpg

    Above is a floor plan of the room. Yellow oval is my typical sitting position, looking out to the window by "15.75". Pink is Int Amp etc. green is TT on mantle piece of Fire Place FP. Blue might be places where I can put floor standing speakers. Delta cabinets are only 48" high, so not full size. As I mentioned before, not a high-end listening room, but nice office. Then I may even be able to do full frequency range floor speakers, and forego the sub. Or elevated bookshelf speakers, and sub in B of Bookshelves position.

    Too many options! At the same time exciting and infuriating.

  9. #9
    Join Date: Aug 2018

    Location: Santa Barbara

    Posts: 86
    I'm Daniel.

    Default

    Hi Phil,

    thanks for the links. For speakers I am getting more and more confused. The other wall mounted options are not that appealing. First thought I might put speakers on little shelves, but Russel's comment on not dismissing rear speakers does make quite a bit of sense. I have a hard time figuring out what would work well for audio-only with Rotel 1572 in a 20x20x10' room.

    - Rotel partners with Bowers & Wilkins. B&W 707 may be an option, a bit on upper range of price spectrum, and considered overpriced by reviewers, who rather suggest the 705, but those are out of bounds budget wise ($2.5K).
    - Focal Chorus 705 or 706. 705 should do because bass will be taken care of by sub, but wonder whether 705 is too small for 4000 cubic feet room.
    - Focal Aria 906 look the same specs wise, but are twice as much, on upper limit of my budget, and not sure it would be noticeable in that room.
    [- The Focal Dome Flax get good review as rear 5.1 AV speakers, but are getting poor review for 2.1 audio. So getting away from them again.]
    - KEF Q 350 look interesting, also available in white with white front, which is a plus optically. They seem to be solid all-round speakers, which may well be a good place to start.

    Haven't started to look at floor standing speakers, yet another variable. In German it would be "Die Qual der Wahl" [the torment of choice] or I may hum along do Devo's "Freedom of Choice". Or X-mal Deutschland's "Qual". Have both on vinyl!

  10. #10
    Join Date: Sep 2009

    Location: west mids, UK

    Posts: 3,261
    I'm Phil.

    Default

    would not a sub introduce vibrations to your workbench ?

    be better just to get decent speakers like some of those suggested
    ou might slip, you might slide, you might
    Stumble and fall by the road side
    But don't you ever let nobody drag your spirit down
    Remember you're walking up to heaven

    Don't let nobody turn you around
    … Walk with the rich, walk with the poor
    Learn from everyone, that's what life is for
    And don't you let nobody drag your spirit down

    Eric Bibb

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •