hi shaizada,
the room = 35 feet into 18 feet with ceiling 12 feet tapering to 9 feet at end.
cost = all components = not including room and room treatments
cost of power cables = absolute minimum
maximum attention = source (digital) and amplification (class A)
$4000= 2 Lakh INR (200,000) and $100,000 = 50 Lakh INR (50,00,000)
regds, suri
My friend,
I'm going to do a system that I would like and keep for myself in your budget. A fantastic amp doesn't have to be pure Class A. Thats just the normal notion. Remember, we are chasing a fantastic sound, not specs. Tubes have too much distortion that way, yet we enjoy and love their sound....why? The reason is it is even order distortion that is pleasant to our ears.
Anyhow, I'm just pointing these things out as you seem to have set a paradigm on how much everything should cost sources, amps, cabling etc. I am challenging exactly that mindset and suggesting purely based on sound and my own listening experience.
Anyhow, here are things I would do in that price range:
Source:
I would use the computer as a source and get a DAC.
Option 1:
PICO Dac from Headamp electronics $350 new. Haven't heard anything up to $1000 that could touch this. It up converts internally to 24bit/96Khz but only accepts 16bit/44.1 or 48 Khz. Also does this using I2S which is a very jitter immune protocol for the DAC chip. It is actually the native format the DAC understands. Forget the technical mumbo jumbo...that is what I would pic.
Option 2:
Lavry DA10 DAC $750 Used. One of the best DACs I have heard all the way up to $5k. One of the best bang for the buck DACs. There are others from Ayre, Wavelength, Empirical Audio, Benchmark, Stello, Grace, Apogee.....long story short....the Lavry is the best sounding version to my ears and listening taste.
There is a Lavry DA11 but that adds USB and costs about $1480 new. Haven't seen a used on yet. It sounds just like the DA10, but adds a few features such as PiC and a few other things. Who cares....the sound is the same. Use an optical output from the computer into the Lavry...Done.
AMP:
Manley Stingray EL84 about $1250 used. Fantastic amp switcheable between Ultralinear and Triode modes. About 50 watts and more than needed.
OR another amp that I love
Almarro 205a MKii about $750 used. Need to do a few mods and it totally sings! Change coupling caps to ampohm (about $40), get some furutech fuses (3 fuses at $150) and a pair of Mullards EL84 later on (about $400). One of the best sounding amps I've owned and heard in SET. It's only 5 watts but the sound......god!
Speakers:
Omega Super 6 Alnico: $1450 new
Best bang for the buck and not ashamed by speakers costing all the way up to $20k speakers is hands down, the Omega speakers that I use and love.
Single driver, no crossover and a sound/tonality that anyone will fall in love with. Range is from $625 to $3000 (plus subwoofer for $1000). Get the best one you can....I got the Super 8 with Alnico magnets with dual deephemps subwoofers. You get the Super 8 used for about $1600. Add a subwoofer later on for about $800 used. Done! One of the best sounds you can live with for life.
There are thousands of other speakers, but I expect a lot for my listening taste. Price no bar, I love the sound of the Omegas. The soundstage, the feel...god. Falling in love with the sound of a speaker is no easy feat after tasting (read owning) B&W800D (patterned with Classe Omega Monoblocks), Usher Be20, Marten Design Coltranes, Wilson Alexandria X2 (with VTL Seigfried Reference Monoblocks) and MBL 101e (with MBL 9011 monoblocks).
Anyhow, forget about what I've owned and listened to extensively. This is about finding your taste. I love my Omegas and I can guarantee you will love them as well if your tastes align even a little bit with mine.
Cabling:
I use Furutech offerings. They sell cable by the foot as well. That is what I would buy for everything...power, speaker, interconnects and just build them myself. That would be more than enough and the OCC copper they make and use is some of the best in the world. It even sounded better than the Jena Labs Pathfinder cables I used to own which also are copper based. I heard the Jena Dreamdancer cables and ultimately went with the Furutech Audio Reference III. I know what cable is used in the Audio Reference III, so you an buy that in bulk. Total in cabling will be about $1000 for power, signal and speaker plus RCA ends, AC plugs and speaker spades.
TOTAL roughly is about: $4500 to $5000.
The combination of the Almarro and the Omega speakers better setups in sound quality up to $15k systems I've heard. It's all about the synergy
You asked my opinion....you have it right there. That should keep you busy for a while
Later on, tweak things like a proper equipment racks, vibration control and room acoustics. Remember, to me, room acoustics is about 65% of the sound. The system components have a lesser importance. Treat the room properly first otherwise you won't even get 75% of the performance of the components. Again....my experience and not something I read about or learnt through word of mouth.