Further to my hello in the welcome session, after almost 30 years of looking at my record collection without having a system to play it on....I'm looking to take the plunge and would very much appreciate any guidance/suggestions you care to give.
In Canadian Funds I have allocated $8-10,000.
I am by no means an expert in the audiophile field......quite the opposite really....so I've relied pretty heavily on reviews/best ratings/opinions of others on the assumption they know a heck of a lot more than I do....and then used that to do my own further DD.
Initially I was only thinking about a system so that I could play my albums again.
I was leaning towards:
Rega Planar 3/Elys 2 turntable
Rega Elex-R amp,
and either Dali Oberon 5 or Q Acoustics 3050i floor standers
I have had some difficulty identifying Canadian locations to purchase the above (specifically Q Acoustics)
I have a few hundred CD's and over 6 terabytes of music (Flac) on external hard drives so now I`m thinking that while I still really want a nice system for my albums (definitely vinyl will always be my preference)......having access especially to my digital catalogue and I guess access to high quality music streaming services would make sense too.
So I am now looking to buy a system that would serve both.
Rega Planar 3/Elys 2 turntable
Cambridge Audio CXA81 Amp ( if I understand correctly this would help serve the digital aspect, but I believe I would need a pre amp for the phono)
Rega Fono MM MK3
and again...and either Dali Oberon 5 or Q Acoustics 3050i floor standers
If my math is correct.....this would be a few grand under max budget. Doesn`t address a CD player and I honestly have no clue just what I need to be able to play Flac files from a hard drive or bluetooth or use a streaming service.
Speaker wise I picked floor standers mainly because I always thought they look impressive....versus stand mounts
There were lots of comments in my reading about the importance of pairing your equipment appropriately. Not exactly sure how you go about doing that.....so choices made above reflected opinions of others that felt components worked well together.
As mentioned, I have quite a variety of musical tastes. For the most part all I really want is a system that sounds good, that I can listen to probably more often at low to medium volumes.....but I can kick in to higher gear once in a while. (I have a tendency to crank Neil Young)
In terms of my location... My house is a 4 level split - quite open concept with 14 foot ceilings in the open areas. (both main floor and basement) Thinking of setting it up on the main floor but I just finished renovating the basement and installed shelving for my albums, all my old rock concert posters etc.....so it would look very cool down there too.
Hmmmmm....maybe I need to buy two systems LOL.
Anyway, I would sure appreciate some input here. Am I on a right track....way off base.....have no idea what I`m talking about........should just stick to my 8 track player.
Much appreciated Steven