A stereo System for listenig to Indian Music with PC as a source.

jagdish_p

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At last I decided to take the plunge.
I need confirmation / suggestions for improvement on my proposed purchase.
My requirement: A stereo system for listening to Indian Classical and Film songs from MP3s. (I know that many purists will squirm at my choice of the audio source will switch to CDs / FLAC files at a later date if I feel the need)

Proposed set up:

All MP3s stored on my Lap top.
Streaming: Popcorn hour NMT. (I need this for streaming Video to TV also)
DAC: Cambridge Audio DAC magic
Stereo Amplifier: Azur 550 A or 650 A
Speakers: Mirage Omni 550

My queries:


1) Can I skip buying the DAC for now - Do the Azur amplifiers accept digital signals / have an USB port? Alternatively the Popcorn NMT has a Stereo Analog Audio output. Does it mean that the NMT is capable of DAC? If so will this suffice?
2) I liked the Omni directional sound of the Mirage speakers compared to Jamo 606 or Wharfdale 9.6. I would like some feedback on this choice.
3) I do not have dedicated room and will be using the living room (20 feet X 18 feet). I like low volumes. Is there any advantage of buying 650 A over 550 A?

Thanks to all for sharing your knowledge and making this such an excellent forum.
PS: I am an absolute newbie; please correct me if I made any blunders in the above selection.
 
Jagdish, I see nothing wrong with your choice of components. Any specific reason for the Mirage speakers or is it that you are getting them from the US at a better rate?

Rest assured you would soon be moving away from MP3s shortly after you start listening to songs on your system.:)
 
1) Can I skip buying the DAC for now - Do the Azur amplifiers accept digital signals / have an USB port? Alternatively the Popcorn NMT has a Stereo Analog Audio output. Does it mean that the NMT is capable of DAC? If so will this suffice?

The Azur 550 and 650 accept only analogue signals. They do not accept any digital signals. The Popcorn hour does seem to output analogue stereo audio. So i suspect it may have a DAC inside. I am not very sure of the quality. The NMT is more like a digital player, and one would expect an external unit to do the DAC conversion.

Considering these two, it may make sense to get a DAC unit also.

3) I do not have dedicated room and will be using the living room (20 feet X 18 feet). I like low volumes. Is there any advantage of buying 650 A over 550 A?

Other than an additional 15 watts per channel I do not see any other great advantage with the 650. In any case I would say go for the 650 if the price difference is no too much.

Cheers
 
hk 3490 @ approx 30k has digital inputs, as well as FM. Though lot of people here hate JBL, it would be a good idea to have a listen.
 
Thank you all for the responses. Now I will be able to go ahead with an assurance that I am not making any fundamental mistakes.
To the specific question by thevortex on why Mirage? - I liked the Omni directional sound stage of these speakers better then the Bidirectional/ unidirectional speakers. ( I listened to wharfdales,Jamo,Onkyo,Sony,JBL). However I am buying the cheaper discontinued series Omni 550. These are being sold at Reliance Digital at around 40 K a pair. The currently in production series of floor standers are too expensive.
However I am not sure of this decision as I do not see any user reviews /feedback on these speakers. See below link for specs.
Mirage OMNI 550 CH Single Omnipolar floorstanding speaker Omnipolar technology at Vanns.com | details
Any more feed backs on my choice of speakers are welcome.



anm:- Regarding your suggestion of hk 3490. I find it very difficult to compare different amplifiers given the fact that different dealers give auditions with their own favorite brand speakers. So here I went by Venkats suggestion given in an earlier thread indicating that Cambridge Audio and NAD design their systems more for true music reproduction.
 
hk 3490 @ approx 30k has digital inputs, as well as FM. Though lot of people here hate JBL, it would be a good idea to have a listen.
That is what i was about to suggest!!!:eek:hyeah::eek:hyeah::eek:hyeah:
Anant aapne mere mooh ki baat cheen li!
Anyway Harmon 3490too have Subwoofer out , Pre out N power in & Rated 120 WPC @ 20 hz to 20 khz @ 0,07 Thd!

This is possibly a very few 2 channel amps with digital Input !

HK is sid to be overprised in India but again see which 2 Channel amp offers Digital Inputs, Sub Out ,On Board Tuner ,Remote & 120 W Rms Power @ 30 K!
 
At 40K I would listen to a pair of Jamo C405s. They are wonderful speakers with fine balance and warmth. Plus they are floorstanders. If you are after bookshelves you can do fairly well with that kind of budget.
 
Hi Vortex,
Thank you.
Why do you rate Jamo C 405s better then Mirage Omni 505s?
Were you able to listen to both of them or is your recommendation based on your usage of C 405s?

The technical specs for both speakers are almost same. Both are Floor standers with 2 X 6.5 and 1X1 drivers. In fact Mirage is better with a sensitivity rating of 90 dB 8 Ohms vs Jamo C405 at 89 dB 6 Ohms. Frequency range is also wider for Mirage Omni 550- 35 Hz to 20 K Hz vs Jamo C 405 40 Hz to 20 KHz.
 
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