confused Novice: audio 80%, movies 20%

[cheeky569]

confused Novice: audio 80%, movies 20%, NAD or yamaha

dear all

the forums a bit confusing hence may seem a bit of a repeat to the regulars.

am plng of buying a music cum HT setup.

gettng the following advice from my dealer:

Amp:
NAD T754

Or Yamaha RX V 465

Speakers: PSB
Tower Columns - image T45
Centre Speaker: Alpha C1
Surround Speakers - 2 nos : Alpha B1
Subwoofer: Series 5i

Cables of wireworld - Luna series

this package is for approx Rs 1.6 lakhs. If i buy the yamaha amp then price will be about 20k less. Also been told NAD amp is only 5 channel setup and doesnt hv the hi tech THX and other jargonisitic features

Other possible speaker brand options:

Jamo / Morduant Short /B&W

other amp availability options are : Arcam /Roksan/ marantz amps.

it seems anyone i speak to everybody is adding on something new and its a never ending loop.


My total budget is around 1.2 to 1.5 lakhs max

what is the BEST combo i can do from the above amps -

maximum audio listening: about 80-85% of time. So floor standing speakers a DEFINITIVE YES and a separate subwoofer.

Movie viewing on weekends: 15% of time

Room size: 20 ft by 15 ft

cheers
vc

 

[skumar]

Welcome to HFV. Take it easy, you will get lots of help.

To set the scene:
- It's a decent budget that you have and it's definitely a +. Being in Blre is another + and you can audition a lot of models.
- The more time and effort you spend in the decision making process, the more value you will get out of your money and also the more you will enjoy your equipment in the long run.

You can also consider an Yamaha 663/863 or Marantz 5003 AVR with all the latest HD decoders. You may want to narrow down on the AVR first and then audition the short-listed speakers with your AVR. Keep aside 10% of your budget for cables and ICs.

 

[cheeky569]

thanks cranky

if i was to stick to stereo which amps/speakers would u recommend

 

[cheeky569]

dear kumar

thanks for the advice. my thought is when i may be going overseas for some work start getting the stuff in one at a time

the area of travel would be jakarta/ singapore etc - so could think about other brands too

 

[thevortex]

Two speakers along with a subwoofer would be the way I would recommend as well. If only because your usage is skewed heavily in favour of music rather than movies.

In Bangalore, Ushers need to be auditioned. As far as speakers are concerned, you could look at PSB, Monitor Audio, EPOS and Acoustic Energy. For integrated amp options you have NAD, Marantz, Cambridge Audio etc.

All the best.

 

[vishanv]

B&W & Mordaunt Short could be good choice for music but will occupy most of your planned budget and leave very little for AVR. If you have the patience, best solution would be to get a great 2.0 set up now and expand to a full fledged surround system as you go.

Also include Monitor Audio and Paradigm in the speaker list.

 

[unleash_me]

Re: confused Novice: audio 80%, movies 20%, NAD or yamaha

maximum audio listening: about 80-85% of time. So floor standing speakers a DEFINITIVE YES and a separate subwoofer.

Movie viewing on weekends: 15% of time

You have decent space to start with. So going with FS is a good idea. With your specific requirements, I couldn't agree more with cranky's suggestion.

imo, try the Peachtree Nova and Dali Ikon 6 for stereo setup for time being. Ikons are high sensitive speakers and Nova can easily drive them. It can double as a good USB DAC and a nice headphone amp as well. Plus, especially for you, the Nova has HT bypass, so you can utilize this feature when you build your HT by adding an AVR and rest of package to complete the setup and around.

I believe Peachtree and Dali are available with Sridhar of ARN, Bangalore.


Alternatively you can pick up any amp of your choice and add an avr with pre-outs to help retain the int amp for 2channel duties and 3.1 of the avr for HT work.
Cheers.

 

[Asit]

Hi Cheeky,

If it's really 80% music and 20% movies, I think you should seriously consider Cranky's and Unleash_me's (or even theVortex's with the sub) suggestion.

I also do the same as do some others like square_wave in this forum. We have only 2 channel system and watch movies on that. Of course for most movie-lovers that is a serious compromise.

I have watched movies like the Dark Night and Quantum of Solace in my system. If you have good speakers, you would not be too unsatisfied with a 2 channel system while watching movies and you would be very satisfied with your music.

In addition to the speakers suggested, You could also look at reasonably sensitive floorstanders (around 90 db) like the Monitor Audio RS6 and Quad 22L. I do not have a lot of data on the 22L, but others would suggest if they are appropriate for the job. A lot of reasonably powerful 2 channel amplifiers would drive these speakers quite comfortably.

Regards.

 

[hemantwaghe]

Buddy u got a good budget now why not 2 systems???
a) Have a seprate system like CD ,2 channel amp and dedicated 2 very good towers ,you can add a pc with sound card and lot of flac
b) Dedicated Video rig -like LCD+ HDMI DVD+ AVR+ 5.1 or 7.1 speakers

Now yours is 20% movies you can have a decent HTIB like Onkyo 5105 which will not more than 40-50 K

Use rest of budget for 2 channel heaven

Can you tell
1) What is your current equipment like LCD,DVD CD and other?
2) You want to buy CD? I feel you should if yoi do not have
3) Open to PC based Music? Or laptop based? Think of sheer conveneince you get ...as I feel a lot of Indian spend heavily on initial hardware and then save money on software..

Have acess to US? want to experement with high res formats like SACD & DVD-A?

Finally the type of music you listen?

Happy Journey!hyeah:hyeah:

 

[Raghav]

If one uses RS6 / 22L / B&W 684 etc. for music is he really going to enjoy movies on Onkyo HTiB. Would he rather not use the stereo speakers for movies? Just a pair of the above would beat 5.1 of Onkyo.

I feel you can avoid buying 2 products - stereo amp & a budget AVR.
Instead go for a good AVR which is also reputed for musicality like Marantz 6003 or Denon 2310 or Pioneer Elite.

Raghav

Buddy u got a good budget now why not 2 systems???
a) Have a seprate system like CD ,2 channel amp and dedicated 2 very good towers ,you can add a pc with sound card and lot of flac
b) Dedicated Video rig -like LCD+ HDMI DVD+ AVR+ 5.1 or 7.1 speakers

Now yours is 20% movies you can have a decent HTIB like Onkyo 5105 which will not more than 40-50 K

Use rest of budget for 2 channel heaven

 

[vinod_david]

I hardly watch any movie in DVD, monthly twice may be or even one. Man my Oppo is gathering dust. But, I've connected my MA RS6 to Aux of my int. amp for any movie duty through 2-channel, and am really impressed by the sound RS6 churns out. But, that's me, a die-hard movie buff would never compromise unless its an AVR.

So, if OP is really into music, do consider int. amp doing duty of AVR.

 

[KHK]

For 80% music, a 5.1 is a strict no-no.

For a 20x15 room, I recommend FS to a 2.1 system.

I suggest...
MA RS6 for around 60k (best speakers in the 50-80k range)
NAD/Marantz/CA amp for 40k
CA DacMagic for 20k

 

[cheeky569]

thanks guys - seem to be getting a drift of things

between an integrated amp and a pre-amp/power amp combo what would u recommend..

am hopefully going to singapore/jakarta in a month or two so may explore those markets for picking up the amps.

whats your take on the b&w speakers vs ushers vs monitors vs quads if one was to shortlist.

also wat are the things i need to see in them?

 

[cheeky569]

dear hemant

thanks for the advice. given all the feedback am reconsidering the HT aspect. think will focus on making the 2.1 setup work.


digital music: not too keen on it due to loss of audio in MP3.. maybe will look at it a year or so later. there was a reco of peachtree nova fr that - i might do that a bit later.

DVD : i

i had a 9 year old setup cosmic amp CO 100 + telome cubes + sony DVD player which i gave to parents last year and been saving up fr a upgrade ) so in my trips to jakarta and maybe singapore i intend to build up the system over the next few months.

TV: am heading for a w series sony. but not a current priority

 

[vinod_david]

between an integrated amp and a pre-amp/power amp combo what would u recommend..

Definitely pre/power combo for excellent sound, if budget permits.

whats your take on the b&w speakers vs ushers vs monitors vs quads if one was to shortlist.

All the above speakers are excellent to mindblowing for stereo. If they are BS and the budget is <40k, my order of preference would be -

1. B&W.
2. MA.
3. Ushers.
4. Quads.

 

[cheeky569]

thanks - am thinking to look at floor standing..what would they be costing like..

 

[vinod_david]

thanks - am thinking to look at floor standing..what would they be costing like..

Hi:

Yes, FS are the way to go, in that you don't have to change your speakers for a very long time.

For your budget my suggestion would be the outgoing MA RS6, which you might get for around 55-60k or if you want to wait till end of September, you can get the new MA RX6, around 80k. Very good speakers.

Amp would be a NAD 355/Marantz PM 7003/CA 840A V2.

 

[unleash_me]

....between an integrated amp and a pre-amp/power amp combo what would u recommend.....whats your take on the b&w speakers vs ushers vs monitors vs quads if one was to shortlist.

Imo, at any pricepoint, an integrated amp is better than its pre/power sibling. Substantial difference could be achieved only when you increase the budget, pay double and get two boxes. Also, it would be a good idea not to go blindly by speaker brands. There are multiple series of speaker lines for the above mentioned brands and there would more than one bettering another. You cant possibly compare the RS6 to 685 or 801D to BR2.

If your amp budget is around 1L, there are good integrated amps like Primare I30 or Arcam A38 and similarly there are pre/power combos like Quad 99/909. Which one is better? That's your call. All are good in their own ways. This has been discussed at length in many threads here.

Decide your budget and make a shortlist accordingly. Audition as much as possible with your own collection of music. Bangalore is a nice place with lots of helpful dealers.

All the best.

 

[psychotropic]

hey cheeky,

i have an alternative to what the others are proposing. I am an avid movie watcher, but I find that cheap HTIBs offer fairly enjoyable sound for movies, while being crap for music, so one option you could seriously consider (since your movie usage is pretty low) is somehting like the Yamaha YHT-195 (22k or so?) to use for movies, so it gives you all the surround sound effects (and contrary to the others here, and speaking purely as a matter of personal preference, i think the surround sound effects, especially in a film where the 5.1 work is done well, adds a whole new dimension to the movie watching experience, and would IMHO be more satisfying than a higher quality 2 channel setup for movies).

With that 22-25k (you can even spend more as per your preference) disposed of for the movies, you can spend the rest of your budget, which is 1.3-1.4 lakhs on a stereo setup just for music. You can place both in the same room.

 

[skumar]

OP, you may also want to consider the audience of the movies. At the extreme end, if your family members are all interested in watching movies and only you listen to music, why deprive them of a proper HT setup?

Apart from the above, you may want to listen to the same 2.0 speakers thru a St.Amp and an AVR and then decide. I am sure there will be a difference in audio quality of both the configurations, but is it something that you would feel worth to outweigh a Stereo setup relative to a HT setup?