Good stereo sound system under 35/40K

[Harshal77]

Hey Good afternoon guys !!!! I am Harshal from mumbai. I am graphic designer by profession. I love music/movies. Made some shortfilms on my ideas. Currently working in Mobile Advertising Company based in mumbai.

I don't have much technical knowledge about hifi sound system, whatever I have its because of this forum and you people out there. For quite a long time I am reading random stuff on amplifiers, speakers but never posted this is my first post.

Let me thank all people here for their knowledgeable posts becuase of those posts I have taken a desicon not to go for home theater but to build a stereo system because I am music person.

I need help to build good stereo sound system under 35/40K.

I watch lot of movies but dont need homethater system for that, I am Big fan of A.R.Rahman I used creative ep 630 earphones for listening. I love to explore his music, love to findout little hiddne sound in his music. I mostly buy his audio CDs and the convert it into flac or waves.My music collection is not only restricted to rahman but I am open to all kind of good music be it in any language .

So friends please suggest me how do I start.

Which Amplifier? Speakers? CD player? My budget is max 40K

Please suggest some good instruments. Where can I get a demo of music system? Is there any shop/place which will help me to choose right machine.

Regards and Thanks.

 

[efernand1]

Hi

There are a lot of dealers in Mumbai where you can audition systems and decide basis performance and budget....

With the given budget, you could possible look at Norge Bookshelf speakers and entry level Cambridge Audio or Norge or Marantz amps....CD players will depend on which brand etc.....audition and decide...you may require to increase your budget ...also depends on how big is your listening area....

 

[greenhorn]

technically you can get decent sound for far less, if you are willing to take a few risks and can buy online. with a T amp, and a USB DAC, you'll be able to free up some more money in your budget to buy some really nice speakers or save some money

 

[Harshal77]

Thank you guys efernand1 and greenhorn for your reply.
@greenhorn can you please explain what is T amp? Is it used for car audio? Thanks

 

[tuff]

T amps are highly efficient amplifiers that have been around for a while but never caught up with the audiophile community.But the latest incarnations seem to be catching up with a few people on a low budget giving the best bang for the buck.
here is an example Topping TP22 TK2050 Class T Digital Mini Amplifier: Amazon.in: Electronics
They are much cheaper if you get them from Chinese sites. Some threads already exist on it that you may want to look into.
They can be used with reasonably efficient speakers and quiet a few people are happy with it.
Do look into buying used gear in this forum.
Look at these http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owner/64686-boston-acoustics-a26-1-month-old-13-5k.html
These are good deals(No affiliation with the seller). try and audition other speakers too and see what bakes your cookies.

 

[Harshal77]

@tuff wow ! looks intresting !:yahoo:

 

[arunkvivek]

A few more options to confuse you further:

1. Active Speaker/Monitors (like Presonus Eyris 5) ~25K + DAC/Network player (like Acoustic Portrait/ ) ~ 20K
2. Good Bookshelves (Dali Zensor 3) ~ 30K + Digital amplifiers as suggested by FM (HIFIMEDIY/ Topping/ Breeze TPA 3116) imported.
3. Used Bookshelves (~20K) + Marantz PM5005 on sale in hifimart
4. Used Bookshelves (~20K) + used amps (~10K) + used (~10k)

Please allocate some budget for Interconnects (3K) + speaker cables (2k) if you are going for bookshelves.

Please provide your listening room's dimension as some speakers might be an overkill in case of smaller dimensions.

 

[elangoas]

Which Amplifier?

If you are ready to buy without auditioning, you can consider one of these.. These are fully Digital amplifiers and are different from the one's that you get in the market..

SMSL Q5 Pro - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/SMS..._1&btsid=36cf9ef4-f2e0-4f3a-ba70-5cfa8940d214

FX-Audio D802 - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/FX-..._1&btsid=82065d98-06f5-42b9-b622-6362cd570c14

These are not aval in india yet.. I have been using the SMSL Q5 Pro for the last 3 months and they are very good and an other FM who own's FX Audio D802..

Don't let their size deceive you, they are far more powerful than they look.. Depending on the features, choose one of them.

You will need to import them to India.. You may (or) may not be charged duty (2K) depending on the value..

So for <= 10K, you get a stereo amplifier, since most of your content is FLAC/WAV, i assume you would play them using PC/Laptop..

Other than the USB inputs for PC, there are digital optical and co-axial connection on these amplifiers.. So you can route the STB too and other component.

Speakers?

Sonodyne, is running a discount sale on some products... You can consider Sonus 1501 BS for 11.5K on hifimart.com This is the most affordable bookshelf speaker. - Sonodyne Sonus 1501 V3 Bookshelf Loudspeaker (Pair)

If you want even less, you have a BS from hifimart.com for 7 - 8K.. Bookshelf/Monitor : OEM SE 420 Speaker Black finish (PAIR)

Of the two, i would suggest OEM SE 420 SPEAKER as they more efficient (91db) than Sonodyne BS 1501 (86db)

CD player?

Since you have digital content, you can skip this..

My budget is max 40K

So far about half your budget, you are done with a decent system.. If you got some budget left, may be you can think of adding a sub..

 

[Harshal77]

Thanks elangoas !!!! This is huge help towards my request !!!

 

[amit_s]

You can also try
Vana Player Vana Player: Amazon.in: Electronics

This has got production in India so you will not have pay import duty. I haven't tried but there are lot of reviews on net for this approach.

 

[drkrack]

For AR Rahman fan ; add a subwoofer to the setup, (He uses lots of low freq and ambient sounds in his music) the SMSL Q5 has a dedicated sub out - use it.

Go for best possible speakers in your budget, don't compromise on that. Since you are saving almost 30k, buy Wharfedale diamond 225, Polk RTI a3, Dali Zensor 3 in that range. I'd suggest to invest 70:30 for Speakers:Amp for a person on budget.

If you go with Bostons A26 you can add a subwoofer in the config.
Go for sealed smaller Subs like this one, which will be sufficient for music. It should be cheaper offline I think.

http://www.amazon.in/gp/aw/d/B000OV...+subwoofer&dpPl=1&dpID=51j7m9X-j-L&ref=plSrch

 

[Harshal77]

Hey drkrack...Thats a great thought !!! Now I am getting clearer picture about my audio system...Thanks lot guys !!! :lol::yahoo:

 

[efernand1]

Great

Once it is in place, please share your reviews and thoughts around the same which will help other members and new members in future to get guidance....

Also, if you are open to China made sleek amps, you can visit Lamington Road (Grant Road East) where there are such IC / Transistor based amplifiers available....during my college days, i used to make DIY amps buying kits from there.....

 

[rpanand25]

@drkrack
I think that is a ported one Yamaha sw012. Can you suggest sealed one for music below 25000?

 

[sureshkn]

If you are experimental then you can try Raspberry Pi + DAC + Amp. Spend rest of the money in good speakers.

DAC : Piano DAC.
Amp : Volt.

Both from Allo. They ship from Bangalore. Value for money.

https://www.allo.com/sparky/index-audio.html

 

[Harshal77]

Hey Friends, I got Lot of suggestions, advices...it was great.

I auditioned few models. tht was marantz MCR511, PM5005, denon, yamaha (I forgot model nos.) I liked Marantz both models with Boston Acoustics book shelf speakers A26.
I auditioned Wharfedale Diamond 220 and Dali bookshelf too on yamaha amplifier . (both was awesome but pricey for me)

Now I have to deiced what to buy.
marantz MCR511 + boston A26 = 45k
marantz PM5005 + boston A26 = 37k approx.
but I have to buy cd player for usb and Bluetooth features

which one will be good choice. both are slightly higher than my budget. (which was 35k)
or should I wait and buy only amplifier now and save some good amount for speakers?

Call me strange but..I love that knobs on amplifiers for volume, bass, treble instead all controls only in mobile app. I wish PM5005 had gotten usb slot I would have def. gone for that.

 

[apk]

Hi there,

Can I make a suggestion which is a bit different......

Your budget is a bit tight - though it does not mean that you cannot get anything suitable. Since you are starting out in Audio, I am not going to suggest that you increase your budget. Get the best you can in your budget for the time being to get started. You can always upgrade over time in a few years.

One of the big problems in India is the lack of opportunities to mix and match amplifier-speaker combinations and hear these before taking a call. This is especially true if you budget is on the lower side. Hence, why not take this factor out of the equation and look for a good pair of powered(active) speakers. Then you only have to worry about source - and if you are willing to go digital, especially with something like a Raspberry Pi3 + digi+(DAC) + External Hard disk (for storage, or use a PC/Laptop), you can get a good system for your budget. Something like an Audioengine A2+ (there are many other active speaker options if you explore) can be a good starting point for you.

Best,
apk

 

[raj_mj]

Now I have to deiced what to buy.
marantz MCR511 + boston A26 = 45k
marantz PM5005 + boston A26 = 37k approx.
but I have to buy cd player for usb and Bluetooth features

A FM and nice gentleman from Pune has BA26 on sale (almost new). check this thread http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owner/64686-boston-acoustics-a26-1-month-old-13-5k.html
This might help you have more budget for AVR/Amp as the case may be

 

[apbinu]

if major of your audio play is from Bluetooth then better to get a Logitech Bluetooth audio adpt / Sony SBH20 which can be connected to Marantz PM which won't cost you more than 1500/- else you need to go with t dedicated CD player. However non comes with builtin bluetooth.

Looking at the combo price which you have mentioned, could you please split the price? because i feel you might be paying more for speakers/amp.

 

[Harshal77]

@raj_mj Thanks buddy for this!!