Advice for a good music system

thenalirama

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
4
Points
0
Location
Hyderabad
Hi All,

I'm a newbie here. Searching in internet about some music systems I found lot of information in this forum. So thought of posting here so that experts can guide me correctly.

Need:
1. I'm primarily interested in songs (not movies / games) so I believe a stereo music system would be right choice for me vs. a home theatre setup.
2. Our room is 14' x 11'.
3. I'm looking for sound quality comparable to what I hear from my KOSS Portapro headphones.
4. Costing less than Rs. 20K

Please let me know your suggestions on if my assumption in the first point is correct or not and your advice on what to consider.

From what I searched Norge millennium speakers with Norge 1000 Amp looks good. Your comments on this or other comparable setup is much appreciated.

Also though a bit deviated from my requirements one of my colleague is selling a Sony home theatre HT-DDW5000 Model 2010 for Rs. 27000. Please share your comments on how good the deal and the set is for listening to music.

Thanks and Regards,
K V Chandra Kumar
 
yes a stereo setup would be best. i believe your best bet would be wharfedale diamond bookshelf speakers. a decent branded amp to match it. wharfedales pair pretty well with most amps
 
Stereo will be perfect for you. However, headphone vs speakers is a different experience altogether. While I like headphone sound, I prefer speaker sound due to soundstaging.
Whether you will like it or no is difficult to predict. A lot of tiny details which are much easily audible on headphone may not be heard so well, especially on low end system.

I feel that music is being played in my head when i listen to headphones vs music being played in front of me with regular speakers.

In your budget,
Norge and DNM are good options for amplifiers

Audioengine A5 could be a good option (has 2 speakers with built in amplifier)

You can also look for used marantz 6003/5003amps at around 12 -14k for amplifier.

People here have used a simple amp like Topping TP 2020, available for 4k but speaker maching and considerations of room size are imporrtnat as the output is just 10watts.

To get good speakers around 10k can be difficult unless you look at used market. I liked Norge Millenium MKII , being sold for 12k (new). wharf 9.1/10.1 will be around that range but I didn't like them much.

Contact Sean desilva on the forum. He has DSE floor standing speakers for less than 10k and he is very happy with them.

Important thing, don't overlook your source. If you already have a laptop/netbook/PC, use it as source and use something like Nuforce U DAC (for laptop) or Asus Xonar DX(if desktop). That will be the cheapest but decent source of good music.

Happy hunting :)

Forgot to add.
If your main use is music, do not think about the Sony HT system AT ALL. If you can spend 27k in total, Keep 20k for your amp+speakers as planned and get the best sound card to use with your PC in 7k. That will be much much better for music than most of teh HT systems in that range.
 
Last edited:
Today I bought Pace 2045 stereo integrated amp by DNM. 45watt RMS/ch. Price 6.2k after discount. Superb sound. People may feel that I am exaggerating but I find it at least as good as my Marantz pm 6002 (whose MRP was 20k+). Excellent details. Try it. It is a no frills amp. It does nothing but amplification. Does not even have remote. Will start a new thread later with my impressions after comparing to Denon PMA 510ae and Marantz PM 6002.
 
One thing I want to add to what jaudere said - A Topping amp + speaker option in the 20k range allows you to spend more money on your speaker when compared to a Marantz amp + speaker. This allows you to spend a bit more on the component that would probably give you the best bang for the buck in this price range.

Additionally, spending so little on the amp (which in itself is amazing value for money) allows you to upgrade only the amp later if you so desire, thus giving you a much better upgrade path than most other options. There is a big Topping thread that has lots of recommendations on speakers. Having said that, many people in this forum have not even felt the need to upgrade the amp and have instead upgraded the speaker, so it comes down to personal choice.

However, the Topping will not do very well if you want a lot of punch. So, its largely up to the kind of music you listen to and at what volumes and how big your room is.
 
+1 to what Asliarun says. I am gradually coming to conclusion that the importance of various components in a system is 1) good source and source material most important 2) speakers and last 3) decent amplifier. This Pace 2045 was absolute eye opener for me. Again in amplification many times people go for far more powerful amp than they actually require. So I would say, one should go for quality amp of 20-30 watts rather than low end amp of 80 watts for your kind of room size. Of course your speakers should be sensitive enough to give good output with low wattage. My speakers are 97db/watt. As a result, i do not go beyond 9 o'clock position of volume dial on my 45w/c amps (both Maranz and Pace). So your break up could be 5-7k for amp + 13k-15k for speakers+ 7k for source ( you will get decent source in this budget if you already have PC and go soundcard way)
 
A mass market DVDp + Topping TP20 amp + JBL Control 1 speakers .... below 20K ..... tried and tested solution for near-audiophile sound quality!

Yes, placement of the JBL speakers is 'the' key in here. Go thru the Topping thread in the Forum in full ....... a lot of explanations have been provided in there.
 
I have the following setup: Topping TP 20 amp + Cambridge Audio S30 speakers + Nuforce uDac. Source is a laptop.

This cost around 15K and is a total VFM setup. I would recommend it for your requirements. Topping has often been complained to not have enough low end bass, but I think the problem is more of the speakers and source than the Topping amp itself. In the above setup I find plenty of bass. If I simply connect the line-out of laptop to the Topping then I don't get enough bass. But with the Dac in between, the sound quality improves tremendously.
 
Hi All,

Thank you very much for all the suggestions!

@ jaudere: Your split up suggestion seems good. I have read your other article about the Pace 2045 amp and also the Topping TP one as suggested by sumeshj and asliarun (the 15K setup in Play it clear blog). Can you please suggest good speakers (in 13K - 15K) for Pace 2045?


@ experts again :):

Now would like to know some comparisons on the suggested ones.

Amp: Topping T20; Pace 2045; Norge 1000;
Speakers: Cambridge Audio S30; JBL Control 1 Speakers; Norge Millenium;
I understand that the prices of these are not directly comparable but would like to know if going for the pricy one is worth it.

or

Amp + Speaker: Audioengine A5

Source: Nuforce uDac; Asus Xonar DX
I have both desktop and laptop so if both are equally good would prefer uDac. However if Xonar would perform better would like to go far it. So would like to know your comments on the same.


And any recommendation on good showroom / dealer in Hyderabad? Reliance digital doesn't have much option. I'm planning to try chroma, Bajaj elecs, etc. But would like to know about some recommended dealers so that I could try out the suggested setups as well.

Thanks in advance!
 
1) Norge 1000 (in fact even Norge 2060 will do) with Millenium MKII; Very good. I have personally heard.

2) If you have any inclination to DIY, then open baffles (I just love them). They should do well with any of the three amps that you have chosen. They will come in 10k including everything.

Personally I have never heard Toppin/CA S30. I do not like sound of JBL control1.It is bit too bright and weak on bass (given the size that is acceptable).

Before you think of Xonar, read Sonosphere's thread. Even with high end card, he needed something more and did some op amps swaps. all USB DACs will give you good flexibility. They can be used with Laptop as well as desktops.
 
Join WhatsApp group to get HiFiMART.com Offers & Deals delivered to your smartphone!
Back
Top