In pursuit of an dream...

[ipsanand]

Hi Gurus,

This is my first post here on HiFiVision - have been a member since some time, and track the threads on and off (and get hopelessly confused).

I have had a lifelong aspiration - to set up a room in my house where i can listen to the music i like, the way i like.... And this post is in endeavor to get to that..

I have over the past year taken inspiration from the posts on this forum, and auditioned equipment like the wharfadale diamond series, borrowed AV receivers from friends and experimented at home, but was never able to realize the sound experienced at the showrooms at home, hence falling short of purchasing anything.

This time around - i want to make an honest attempt to realize my aspiration. And need your help to finalize on hardware for my dream setup....

Some datapoints below:

- I am based out of Dwarka, New Delhi. Last time i tried, many of the brands suggest over the forum were not available in Delhi. Will appreciate recommendations for products which could be auditioned and sourced locally

- My initial focus is on music, would like to restrict my purchases to 2 front speakers + amp/receiver (& maybe a sub) as of present. However, would want my system to be scalable to be later upgraded to an HT (who would not aspire that..? ;-))

- My music tastes are eclectic.. Sample of my music preferences provided below:
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Kailash Kher, Ghulam Ali, Dire Straits, Norah Jones, Hip Hop, Miles Davis, John Denver, Van Morrison, Harry Belafonte, Bhangra, Sufi, Indian Classical, Dylan

- I prefer sound which is easy to listen to (should not be bright), with vocal reproduction which can do justice to the voices of Ghulam Ali, Rahat et al, and bass which is mellow and deep (but not like a thump)

- I would like to own the best in class system, however money is limited. Don't want to specify a budget since that will always be exceeded. Am okay to build up a system step by step

Can you guys recommend me setup? It will be great if you could recommend stuff which is available (and can be sampled conveniently) in Delhi....

Hope this time around my dream won't remain an unfulfilled one..!

Irwin

 

[longshanks]

Hi Gurus,
but was never able to realize the sound experienced at the showrooms at home, hence falling short of purchasing anything.

It is almost imposable to get a listening room or demo room experience out of a normal home living room, however if are willing to get your room treated acoustically then you might even get better sound than in a demo room, but for that you may have to spend quite a lot of money and also acquire expert analysis and suggestions.

Also, AV receivers+ Speakers= not good for music so that is something you want to strike off right away.

since you live in Delhi i will suggest you visit a few dealers who sell and have a demo of stereo setups , take the music you like with you and this will give you a fair idea of what kind of speaker and amp combo you may prefer. Post your impressions here after auditioning so people here can have a little understanding of what kind of sound you might like before they start to give you their valuable suggestions.

 

[pdhanwada]

It is very important you create a budget. Then go after fulfilling your dream. I would say if you like to listen to music, Get Preamp/Amp with front Two speakers. That should do for now. As and when you get money on hand you can keep upgrading.

Put most money on Speakers, then it would be Amp and preamp.

The improvements in the Audio world is unlimited. Budget drives the show.

 

[SuhasG]

- My initial focus is on music, would like to restrict my purchases to 2 front speakers + amp/receiver (& maybe a sub) as of present.



- Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Kailash Kher, Ghulam Ali, Dire Straits, Norah Jones, Hip Hop, Miles Davis, John Denver, Van Morrison, Harry Belafonte, Bhangra, Sufi, Indian Classical, Dylan

- I prefer sound which is easy to listen to (should not be bright), with vocal reproduction which can do justice to the voices of Ghulam Ali, Rahat et al, and bass which is mellow and deep (but not like a thump)

- I would like to own the best in class system, however money is limited.

Given your music interests , budget and that you are in New Delhi........


Look no further ... call Viren of LYRITA , fix up an audition ,listen to the range of Valve based products products Viren is offering along with his Single Driver speakers ... Add an entry level Marantz CD player, you will be all set!

At this stage don't get carried away by those fancy (Zillion dollar!) Interconnects, Speaker cables and Power cords etc. Go for something simple try cables offered by Viren , I am sure this kit will serve you much better than much talked 'firangi' brands .


Hope this helps

 

[stevieboy]

Hi Ipsanand,

I'd second SuhasG's suggestion. Since you're in Delhi, drop in at Viren's place have a listen some banana cake if he has it on hand and you should find some soul and emotion in the music you play. I'd suggest the 2A3 amp over the russian 6C33C amp he has considering your tastes, and if he has the 45 tubes listen to both. Don't worry too much bout tube amps. There's no maintenance and all I've done in bout 4 years is dust them regularly. Viren will tell you more or if you have anything you'd like to know do ask I'd be happy to make an extended post with answers for you.

Regards

 

[iaudio]

Hi Gurus,

This is my first post here on HiFiVision - have been a member since some time, and track the threads on and off (and get hopelessly confused).

I have had a lifelong aspiration - to set up a room in my house where i can listen to the music i like, the way i like.... And this post is in endeavor to get to that..

I have over the past year taken inspiration from the posts on this forum, and auditioned equipment like the wharfadale diamond series, borrowed AV receivers from friends and experimented at home, but was never able to realize the sound experienced at the showrooms at home, hence falling short of purchasing anything.

This time around - i want to make an honest attempt to realize my aspiration. And need your help to finalize on hardware for my dream setup....

Some datapoints below:

- I am based out of Dwarka, New Delhi. Last time i tried, many of the brands suggest over the forum were not available in Delhi. Will appreciate recommendations for products which could be auditioned and sourced locally

- My initial focus is on music, would like to restrict my purchases to 2 front speakers + amp/receiver (& maybe a sub) as of present. However, would want my system to be scalable to be later upgraded to an HT (who would not aspire that..? ;-))

- My music tastes are eclectic.. Sample of my music preferences provided below:
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Kailash Kher, Ghulam Ali, Dire Straits, Norah Jones, Hip Hop, Miles Davis, John Denver, Van Morrison, Harry Belafonte, Bhangra, Sufi, Indian Classical, Dylan

- I prefer sound which is easy to listen to (should not be bright), with vocal reproduction which can do justice to the voices of Ghulam Ali, Rahat et al, and bass which is mellow and deep (but not like a thump)

- I would like to own the best in class system, however money is limited. Don't want to specify a budget since that will always be exceeded. Am okay to build up a system step by step

Can you guys recommend me setup? It will be great if you could recommend stuff which is available (and can be sampled conveniently) in Delhi....

Hope this time around my dream won't remain an unfulfilled one..!

Irwin

The highlighted part of the post makes me suggest you to pay a visit to Viren of Lyrita audio.
You could even try a Topping tp20 with Lyrita Harmony Ones, great combo.
But a stereo amp is what you should be looking preferably.Else check out the AVRs from Marantz, CA,Nad etc

 

[Rem]

As the others have suggested you can try out lyrita.

My suggestion since you like the vocals (mids) I would suggest you to audition the Mordaunt Short Mezzo & Aviano range as well as the Epos M12i speakers.

The address for auditioning the speakers are given below

Fx Entertainment - Flagship Store
40/46, C R Park
New Delhi
India
110019
Telephone: +91 11 40507113 - 40507114
Email: [email protected] - [email protected]
Web: FXe | Custom Made Audio & Home Theatre Solutions


Rhythm Corner
E - 3, South Extension Market Part 2
New Delhi
India
Contact Person: Mr. Puneet Mirchandani - +91 9810016701
Telephone: +91 11 26252669, 26253986
Web: www.rhythmcorner.com


For Epos contact Decibel from Chennai you can get the Delhi contact from them. You can check out PSB too.

| decibel - the art of sound | Home Theatre, Hi-Fi, Custom Installation, High End Audio, Multi Zone Installers Chennai, India

 

[ipsanand]

Thanks folks for your responses - helps immensely...

rajapraveen80: Will limit my search to stereo systems only (exclude AVRs as of present). Just one question, when i audition, i will be actually sampling a player + amp + speaker combo. So how to rate these components individually? Won't speaker's output be dependent on the amp + source used?

Also, what kind of source should i carry along (CD, mp3??)?

pdhanwada: Sensible advise I will fix a budget. Is 50k good enought? BTW, what's a pre-amp?

SuhasG, iaudio & stevieboy: Thank you - i will surely visit Viren

Rem: thanks for the contacts - helps immensely. AFAIK, Fx has opened up a shop in one of the Gurgaon malls as well. Will sample their fare their...

Keep you guys posted.

 

[afj]

based on what your listening habits are and what you want the nad amp sounds perfect. slightly rolled off highs, full vocals and though the bass is big its a little distant so as to not get in the way. pair that with a neutral speaker and you'll have something that will suit your needs. im not sure what your budget is but perhaps the monitor audio silver series (either bookshelves or floorstanders) with a suitable nad amp.

if you want to upgrade to surround sound then i would suggest revolving your system around a marantz av receiver

 

[ipsanand]

Am back from my first round of auditions. Took along 2 CDs of my tastes along (Hindi Movies Sufi Music, Ghulam Ali, Norah Jones, John Denver, Doors, Dire Straits, Dylan).

First stop was Fx at CR Park. These guys are the India distributors of CA and MS, but did not stock enough speakers for a decent audition!

They started the audition with the CA 340 Amp with the Aviano 6. Highs were pronounced (sthing which i don't like), and the amp seemed under-powered for the speakers. Changing the Amp to the CA 550 did make the sound louder, but was really not to my liking.

We moved to bookshelves when i told them that my room size will be max 14x14, and that my total budget was 50K.

They demoed the entry level MSs (i think it's the Avant series), but the sound was too tiny for my liking. I asked for a demo of the Aviano 1, and 2, but both were not in stock :-( Tried the mezzo, but due to it's characteristic tweeter, the sound was too pronounced towards the treble for my liking.

Summary: None of the auditions was satisfactory. Still have to audition the Avant bookshelves, have been told to go to their Gurgaon showroom which has these speakers available for demo.

Next, went to Lyrita (Viren), and the experience in one word was - AMAZING..!!! This is how i have always wanted my sound to be - mellow, harmonized (not discrete), focus on vocals, and sweet bass. Every song on the CD's we carried shone out - sounded like a masterpiece. The demo was done on the A2C amps and the Harmony ones. Was a perfect match..!

However, some concerns remain:
- Out of our budget (the a2c + harmony ones is way over 80K excluding the cdp)
- maintenance and durability (expecially with our 6 month kid roaming free in our house)
- To fit budget, was recommeded the low end amp by Viren, but he did not have one ready for audition. Need to go back and audition it when it's ready in a couple of weeks
- To fit budget, maybe i could pair the amp with commercial market speakers. But not sure if the sound experience will remain the same. Anyone around who's successfully paired the amps with a 3rd party speaker?

Finally, today headed to Bass n Treble (it's just a km from my house) and auditioned the following:

- Quad 11L2 will a Marantz 4001 amp - the sound stage was detailed, but a bit bright to my liking
- Monitor Audio BR2 with Marantz 4001 - good. Maybe not as detailed at higher volumes, but the balance between the mid, highs and lows was to my liking
- Monitor Audio BR2 with Marantz 6003 - sound came out even better, was better detailed. Closest to the tube amp from amongst the units i'd auditioned.
- Wharf 9.2 with Marantz 6003 - in between Quad and BR2 on brightness. Still prefered the BR2 to the 9.2

Based on my impressions above, preferences as of today is as follows (keeping aside budget):
- Viren's 2A3 with Harmony Ones
- Marantz 6003 paired with MA BR2s

Any suggestions you guys could provide on further products i should audition?
How's Viren's low end amp?
Is it possible to pair his amps with market speakers to deliver the same sound quality?
Which other bookshelves/amps should i audition considering my music tastes?

Also, i have been suggested to skip buying the CDP was of now to stick to my budget of 50K. Is this a good suggestion? How can i restrict my budget to this figure, without compramizing on the sound...

As you guys can decipher from above, i have moved ahead in my journey, but a good set of questions/decisions remain..

Appreciate advice.

Irwin

 

[ipsanand]

Guys... Responses pls...

 

[longshanks]

my total budget was 50K.
k :-( Tried the mezzo, but due to it's characteristic tweeter, the sound was too pronounced towards the treble for my liking.

I felt the exact same way when i listened to few mordaunt short speakers here in chennai.

In that budget you should try the paradigm mini monitor and since these are high efficiency speakers they work well powered chip amps or even Class A/b integrated ones.

You should also try RB-51 0r RB-81 by klipsch and this will also work well with low powered amplifiers.

 

[stevieboy]

Hi Irwin,

Good to know you liked Viren's stuff. It did seem like the perfect fit for your tastes. If budget is a constraint you could either look at:

combo 1:
The 2A3 SET amp with mordaunt short ms902is, the bookshelf speakers or is it ms901s? I had listened to these speakers with Viren's earlier el84 push pull amp and it was a sweet combo. You'd get pretty much most of the sound you heard at a lower cost. The speakers cost bout 14k or thereabouts.

combo 2:
The el84 SET amp with the harmony one's

combo 3:
The el84 SET amp with the mordaunt short ms902is.

Viren offers a trade in program so you can upgrade your amp later on. Check with him on that.

Regards

 

[afj]

hi irwin
is your budget of 50k for both speakers and amp or just speakers. if its only speakers then check out the monitor audio rx2 silver series bookshelves. if its for speakers and amp audition the usher bookshelves. i think the model is s520. apparently above all others in sound quality in its price range

 

[subrata]

Hi!

i have become a member about two hours ago and have been checking the threads. My need is similar and hence continuing the discussion here.

I have a similar dream. I stay in gurgaon and my av room size is 20ftX12ft.

My tastes are similar --ecclectic- deep and sweet bass.(definitely not the thumping type). want clarity for mid range as well.

I stay in gurgaon and delhi is convenient too.

I am looking at a HT setup. which includes separate amp for music and av receiver for movies. My involvement with music is higher than with movies.

I also want to go for projection system and not LCD/LED (with 5.1 arrangement)

For accoustics, i want to go for fabric panelling (with rock wool) of 3 walls with false celiiling . fourth wall has a window with good view, which i don't want to compromise. somebody advised me to go for accoustically treated curtains (foam & cotton stiched together) for the 4th wall.

I have done my rounds with fxe & cinebels, and auditioned MS, Cambridge, dalli B&W and jamo with denon amp.


I want an expert opinion from gurus. Especially when i am a novice in this area.

I have a decent budget by my standards (not specifying the figure as there is no end to it). However, i want to pay optimum price . i get a feeling that when i share my plan with dealer they start quoting huge premiums. (i am not too sure though). I am willing to pay optimum price.


My questions are following :--

a) What should be ideal combo for 2.1 system---given my room size

b) What combination should i look for the movie

c) Any source where i can expect right price for products in delhi/NCR?

d) Any source who can meet my accoustics need at right price? (Again the word accoustics attracts a lot of premium. When i say wall panelling it turns out reasonable. pls advise)

e) Who is viren?Can you please share his contact details?

Grateful if you can advise and educate if my approach is right?

 

[subrata]

Hi!

Can i get viren's contact details? I too have a similar dream

Good to know you liked Viren's stuff. It did seem like the perfect fit for your tastes. If budget is a constraint you could either look at:

combo 1:
The 2A3 SET amp with mordaunt short ms902is, the bookshelf speakers or is it ms901s? I had listened to these speakers with Viren's earlier el84 push pull amp and it was a sweet combo. You'd get pretty much most of the sound you heard at a lower cost. The speakers cost bout 14k or thereabouts.

combo 2:
The el84 SET amp with the harmony one's

combo 3:
The el84 SET amp with the mordaunt short ms902is.

Viren offers a trade in program so you can upgrade your amp later on. Check with him on that.

Regards[/QUOTE]

 

[stevieboy]

Hi Subrata,

Viren is a gentleman living in Delhi making audio equipment like tube SET amps and single driver speakers. Simply search from the links at the top for 'viren' and you should get some of his posts, click or right click on the name 'viren' at the left of the post and you should be an option 'send a pm', do that and he should respond to you. He makes music gear though, not 5.1 systems.

Regards
steve

 

[GeorgeO]

Viren's site is Lyrita Audio, you can easily find it.

Irwin/Subrata-I suggest you do a bit of reading and understand what drives combinations of speakers and amps a little bit. Low powered amps/high sensitivity speakers, etc. Understand that a low powered amp will not drive a low sensitivity speaker system well.

 

[stevieboy]

Ha! Silly me. completely forgot - Lyrita Audio

 

[afj]

hey subrata
for that kind of sound the monitor audio and nad combo is excellent. full and forward mids, sweet highs that are definitely not harsh, good bass but distant so its not in your face. you dont need a 2.1 - just a 2.0 will do. check out the monitor audio rx2 and nad combo