Good stereo system for 45k or under

[dhindia]

This will be my first step towards building a good stereo system. I have a Bose sound dock at home but the quality is not great. I enjoy instrumental, rock and hindi music. Would appreciate how I go about this. I am open to spending 10k more if there is a big jump in the quality.

also - i have heard that the quality of music being played makes a big difference. my collection is mostly of mp3 music. where can i get high quality hindi music?

i am based in bangalore

thanks again for all the help

 

[efernand1]

Hi,

If you are looking at a stereo setup, you need then to look for good stereo amps which will deliver the actual performance one would like to listen and enjoy...see the below link as a caution for amps of today

AV Receiver and Amplifier Power Ratings Trends: How and Why Wattage Ratings are Manipulated | Audioholics

As per my experience, Cambridge Audio, Marantz and NAD are good manufacturers who ensure quality, build and performance which appeals to users like us.

There are tons of reviews and videos over the internet to help you to shortlist or perhaps decide on the system you would go in for....end of the day it all depends what appeals to you and your wallet....go an d try out demos where possible.

All my music / movie / concert content is from a lot of available websites who host the worst or ultimate high quality files...if your laptop or computer has a good antivirus...please then tread cautiously over the net as there are chances during the download of files...you may just get a malware or virus...

Hope this helps

Hope this helps.

 

[dhindia]

thanks. would u know where i can get some demo's in bangalore? is there a hifi store / dealer in bangalore

 

[vkirti]

Hi,

as you have specified your price band upfront, I would suggest that you look at Norge or sonodyne for amp, speakers and combine it with a dedicated audio CD player. You should have a reasonably good system it you keep it simple. Would suggest that you have a look at the reviews for both of these posted on HFV. Best of luck in your endeavor.

 

[efernand1]

Hi dhindia

A simple google search would yield some results of possible dealers in Bangalore....there are quite a number of dealers in Bangalore.....some FMs have even mentioned about the same in other posts.


HiFi Mart is selling the Marantz integrated PN 5004 amp + Boston Acoustics Soundware XS 2.1 speakers combo deal for 33k.....

Hope this helps...

 

[afj]

at that budget you should go for bookshelves imo. speakers to look at are wharfedale diamonds. kef q series are good but may be out of budget. bose 301's also are good speakers. for amps you can go with yamaha, onkyo, norge... once you choose the speakers then you can match it with a suitable amp

 

[dhindia]

Thanks so much for the responses. I have been doing some extensive research over the forums and google on the weekend and appreciate your help with this. I will check the dealers in Bangalore - Music Ranch is one but not sure if they have Marantz.

Also - this will be my step 1 towards building a quality system - am starting with a stereo system but am hoping that i will keep building towards a HT system by adding an AV receiver etc. and additional speakers. if this is not the right approach - please let me know.

 

[afj]

if its mainly music youre listening to then i suggest you stick with a stereo setup. much better sound quality at the given budget

 

[dhindia]

ok - that makes sense.

also - what is a good place to get good quality music? pardon my ignorance but have searched and not able to find out a website etc. and am told that MP3 is junk

 

[efernand1]

Hi dhindia

See the following link..if you purchase a Marantz CD player as combo deal with Marantz Stereo amp..you will get 2.1 speakers free....

Marantz PM5004 + Marantz CD5004 Stereo System

Like this there are other good combo deals...Marantz as a brand has never failed in music so if you want to purchase a Marantz AVR, go for it...it will give you the same audiophilers music experience which I am enjoying....you can buy a pair of Cambridge Audio SX 50s bookshelf speakers for starters and enjoy...slowly you can then later build your home theatre as time passes by....again my friend,,its your decision...

 

[dhindia]

thank you so much for your responses. i plan to visit demo's this week and will post what i plan to buy before i buy.

 

[elangoas]

This will be my first step towards building a good stereo system. I have a Bose sound dock at home but the quality is not great. I enjoy instrumental, rock and hindi music. Would appreciate how I go about this. I am open to spending 10k more if there is a big jump in the quality.

also - i have heard that the quality of music being played makes a big difference. my collection is mostly of mp3 music. where can i get high quality hindi music?

i am based in bangalore

thanks again for all the help

45 ~ 50K is a very good budget for stereo combo,...

If you don't have a good collection of original CD's, there is no point spending on a CD player + Stereo amp combo...

what mobile phone/tab (if you have one) do you use ? The reason, i ask is, you can consider an stereo amplifier with network function.... You can just play it from your mobile... No need of any hardware like CD player....

I have some FLAC/WAV/MP3 material on my mobile & play it to my AVR thru wi-fi & they play perfectly fine

I would like to suggest you Onkyo TX 8050 / Yamaha R N 500 modern stereo receivers with network ability...

Just a touch of your mobile/tab, you will run your stereo setup....

Let us know if you like this idea....

 

[afj]

for the set up you will be listening on, a good quality mp3 will be fine. you would ideally be looking at a minimum of 1mb per minute of music - thats at a minimum. or you could narrow it down by ripped speed - 320kpbs is ideal

 

[dhindia]

i like the idea of playing from the phone but am concerned about the quality of music. i have an iphone, ipod

 

[afj]

i like the idea of playing from the phone but am concerned about the quality of music. i have an iphone, ipod

the dac of the phone isnt good at all. you will not get good quality sound on a decent set up. even if you have a good quality file on your phone it will now sound good if you connect it through the audio out. your option will be to connect it through an apple tv through wifi, which will in turn connect to a dac or an amp with an inbuilt dac

 

[elangoas]

i like the idea of playing from the phone but am concerned about the quality of music. i have an iphone, ipod

So great...Try calling up Onkyo in your city & find out if they have this Model TX 8050 on demo...If they have, I would suggest you to carry your i phone/ipad there, connect it to the front USB port, & listen to them.... THen share your feedback with us...

the dac of the phone isnt good at all. you will not get good quality sound on a decent set up. even if you have a good quality file on your phone it will now sound good if you connect it through the audio out. your option will be to connect it through an apple tv through wifi, which will in turn connect to a dac or an amp with an inbuilt dac

You can play from the iphone using 2 options... 1) Thru front USB {this is also Digital connections} 2) Wireless...

You can play from the ipod using the USB cable to the receiver from USB port....

Using android phones, you just have to download the app from the play store for the respective brand.... Connect to the home network on the phone & you go playing them...

I play FLAC/WAV from my Android mobile to my Onkyo AVR wirelessly.. it plays without a glitch....

 

[dhindia]

ok - i am confused. what is the difference between the marantz amp and the onkyo network receiver mentioned? can the marantz amp not play from the phone / usb / does not act as a media player? i was thinking of going the marantz amp route but am thinking again.

what speakers go well with the onkyo? i will go to forum this saturday and they have onkyo there

 

[dheerajin]

My suggestion would be to visit showrooms of the set-ups directly to have a real life experience, then you can search the same setup here in Hi-Fi.
As per your budget go to sonodyne demo room in your city first, then others..
its a whole world of gamble out there..if you change the cable..sound will get changed..so belive on your ears first..

cheers

dheeraj

 

[techboy]

Aktimate Mini+ or Adam Audio A3X. These setups will compete with traditional hifi at 1.5-2x the price.

 

[elangoas]

ok - i am confused. what is the difference between the marantz amp and the onkyo network receiver mentioned? can the marantz amp not play from the phone / usb / does not act as a media player? i was thinking of going the marantz amp route but am thinking again.

what speakers go well with the onkyo? i will go to forum this saturday and they have onkyo there

Lemme enlighten you here... Hope you were referring to the Marantz PM 5004..

This is a traditional stereo amplifier which doesn't have digital inputs, DAC & USB port which is good if you have a dedicated CD player and a good collection CD's....

Onkyo TX 8050 is a modern stereo amplifier which has digital inputs, DAC, USB input & network functions (with ethernet port)... This is good if most of your content is Digital (Either on phone/Tab in MP3/WAV/FLAC formats).... Here you don't need to have a dedicated CD player if you will be playing the songs from mobile/tab thru home network....

The flexibility that onkyo TX 8050 offers over Marantz PM 5004 is that

1) you will need to connect the Onkyo with an Ethernet cable to home network and cans start playing iphone/tab in your hand...

2) connect your iphone/ipod directly to your Onkyo 8050 with its front USB port...