Need help in setting up HIFI system : 80-90K budget

[Kumar442244]

If you want to go for branded stuff, you might split that budget into 4:3:2:1 for bookshelf speakers:stereo amp:dac:cables

Hello Saikat thx for the suggestions. Really helpful.
Thx elangoas for the detailed information. Much appreciated.

@siakat/elangoas/FM,

While cursorily browsing, came across Cambridge audio CXA60 which is priced at 63k on Amazon.in.

This is a 60wpc device with Integrated dac and powered sub out.

Need few suggestions, hope fm wud be helpful.

- will 60wpc be able to power the speaks that i am considering (Dali z3/elac b6/KEF Q100)effectively?
- what wud powered sub mean?
- this device at 63k is a bit stretch of a budget for me, cud anyone plz suggest an amp with similar config (integrated dac and 2.1) at a lower price?
- is this amp price quote decent at 63k?

Kindly advise.

 

[elangoas]

While cursorily browsing, came across Cambridge audio CXA60 which is priced at 63k on Amazon.in.

This is a 60wpc device with Integrated dac and powered sub out.

This will eat your full budget and with remaining, you may not be able to get a BS and subwoofer..

Need few suggestions, hope fm wud be helpful.

- will 60wpc be able to power the speaks that i am considering (Dali z3/elac b6/KEF Q100)effectively?

Should be sufficient..

- what wud powered sub mean?

Powered/Active subs are the same which have its own amplifier inbuilt.

- this device at 63k is a bit stretch of a budget for me, cud anyone plz suggest an amp with similar config (integrated dac and 2.1) at a lower price?

Marantz M-CR511 Melody Stream This is a decent 2.1 Amplifier..Try to add speakers of good sensitivity

- is this amp price quote decent at 63k?

Try to get in touch with dealer/distributor of Cambridge Audio in India and cross check the prices..

But, have you decided whether you would like to settle with 2.1 (or) 5.1 ?

 

[Kumar442244]

But, have you decided whether you would like to settle with 2.1 (or) 5.1 ?

Hello elangoas,

I am profoundly confused here.

As u are aware that my most of the usage will be music, what wud u as an experienced enthusiast suggest?

-The marantz m-cr511 that u suggested, not sure if it has a built in dac and a sub out?
-Can it be added to an avr (pre out) later wen I wish to upgrade?
- As far as budget is concerned, I can stretch another 10k and set the top line to 105-110k.
- at this budget I have few combination in mind. Need ur expert opinion on the same:-
1) The AVR way:-
marantz nr1506/Denon x1200 -- Dali zensor 3 -- Polk psw125/wharfedale sw150-- ~10k for cable and connectors -- surround and center to added later.
2) the amp way:-
Plz suggest an amp with integrated dac and sub out which can later be connected to avr -- Dali z3 -- Polk psw125/ wharfedale sw150--10k for cable and connectors.

Kindly extend ur expert opinion.

 

[sivasarjun]

Spend the most on speakers as they have the most impact on the sound. Add a no frill integrated amplifier and a budget dac. Roughly 60% for the speakers, 20 and 20 for amp and dac. Avoid fancy cables and interconnects.

 

[grunthos]

Hello elangoas,

I am profoundly confused here.

As u are aware that my most of the usage will be music, what wud u as an experienced enthusiast suggest?

-The marantz m-cr511 that u suggested, not sure if it has a built in dac and a sub out?
-Can it be added to an avr (pre out) later wen I wish to upgrade?

Kindly extend ur expert opinion.

When you say most of your usage will be music, the first reaction everyone here will have is "go for stereo"

However consider realistically
- Would this be connected to your primary TV ? Then your video consumption will be higher than what you estimate
- some AVR models can play music quite well (despite what purists say) - the Marantz AVRs, Cambridge Audio AVRs (frightfully expensive), Yamaha Aventage series, Pioneer LX series etc
But stereo amplifiers cannot do video at all
- If you have quite a few devices (or want to keep option open for more devices) like a DTH box, a HTPC/media player, a PS3/Xbox, a Chromecast and other devices you can think of, AVR should your choice as it is designed to be a hub for all HDMI/audio connections.
Stereo amplifier can only take audio connections (that too analog). So then you will have to connect video via HDMI to TV and separate audio cable to amplifier.
- AVRs all have inbuilt DACs, with again Marantz, CA having better than others. Only a few entry level stereo amplifiers have inbuilt DACs, so cost of DAC will be an extra

What I am trying to say is that realistically, the AVR is better suited for your first system as it can do everything you need from it

Once you develop an ear for good sound, you can then buy an additional stereo amplifier, using them with same set of front speakers or buying new speakers for a pure audio setup

 

[elangoas]

Plz suggest an amp with integrated dac and sub out which can later be connected to avr -- Dali z3 -- Polk psw125/ wharfedale sw150--10k for cable and connectors.

Please go thru some threads in the forum to gather inputs..

 

[saikatbiswas82]

When you say most of your usage will be music, the first reaction everyone here will have is "go for stereo"

However consider realistically
- Would this be connected to your primary TV ? Then your video consumption will be higher than what you estimate
- some AVR models can play music quite well (despite what purists say) - the Marantz AVRs, Cambridge Audio AVRs (frightfully expensive), Yamaha Aventage series, Pioneer LX series etc
But stereo amplifiers cannot do video at all
- If you have quite a few devices (or want to keep option open for more devices) like a DTH box, a HTPC/media player, a PS3/Xbox, a Chromecast and other devices you can think of, AVR should your choice as it is designed to be a hub for all HDMI/audio connections.
Stereo amplifier can only take audio connections (that too analog). So then you will have to connect video via HDMI to TV and separate audio cable to amplifier.
- AVRs all have inbuilt DACs, with again Marantz, CA having better than others. Only a few entry level stereo amplifiers have inbuilt DACs, so cost of DAC will be an extra

What I am trying to say is that realistically, the AVR is better suited for your first system as it can do everything you need from it

Once you develop an ear for good sound, you can then buy an additional stereo amplifier, using them with same set of front speakers or buying new speakers for a pure audio setup

I second that.

In fact I started my journey with Yamaha Aventage A810 AVR and MA BX2 speakers. Later on after listening to stereo amplifiers, I came to know that AVRs cannot match a dedicated stereo amplifier or a dedicated DAC when SQ is concerned.

BTW, for stereo I use my DIY class A AmpCamp and it sounds lot better than my Yamaha AVR (even when the AVR in pure direct mode).

 

[Kumar442244]

Hello fms,

Thx for all the input. Much appreciated.

Final consideration:-
Denon x1200 : priced at 45k
Dali z3 : 29k
Dali z5 : 49k
Velodyne impact 12: 30k

Will decide upon fs or bs for Dali depending upon budget.

Can anyone plz advice if the price quoted is the best that I can get in Bangalore.

Also, wud marantz sr5006 price at ~42k go better with Dali setup as compared to denon AVRs.(planning to add Dali vocal in couple of months)

Unable to get the demo for wharfedale 9.1 in Bangalore. Any comments on wharf 9.1 in comparison to Dali z3?

Also, since I am planning to go with Dali, will certainly consider dali ef12 subs. Any idea on its price range and performance?

Kindly advise.

Need to seal the deal this weekend. :yahoo:

 

[drkrack]

Hello fms,

Thx for all the input. Much appreciated.

Final consideration:-
Denon x1200 : priced at 45k
Dali z3 : 29k
Dali z5 : 49k
Velodyne impact 12: 30k

Will decide upon fs or bs for Dali depending upon budget.

Can anyone plz advice if the price quoted is the best that I can get in Bangalore.

Also, wud marantz sr5006 price at ~42k go better with Dali setup as compared to denon AVRs.(planning to add Dali vocal in couple of months)

Unable to get the demo for wharfedale 9.1 in Bangalore. Any comments on wharf 9.1 in comparison to Dali z3?

Also, since I am planning to go with Dali, will certainly consider dali ef12 subs. Any idea on its price range and performance?

Kindly advise.

Need to seal the deal this weekend. :yahoo:

Good, finally some clarity - you have gone over your initial budget by 20-30k at least . (blame it on the forum).

Wharfs sound more british, are less bright compared to Dali, you'd prefer them for longer listening hours. Listen to them before you finalize on anything ; if possible.

Marantz is marginally better suited with Dalis, but Marantz overall sounds much better than denon especially for Music. You can get Denon X2200w (grey market) at your budget.

Velodyne would be a much better Subwoofer if you can get Impact 12 at 30k, it is good for both music and Movies , where is it available at 30k?

 

[Kumar442244]

Good, finally some clarity - you have gone over your initial budget by 20-30k at least . (blame it on the forum).

Wharfs sound more british, are less bright compared to Dali, you'd prefer them for longer listening hours. Listen to them before you finalize on anything ; if possible.

Marantz is marginally better suited with Dalis, but Marantz overall sounds much better than denon especially for Music. You can get Denon X2200w (grey market) at your budget.

Velodyne would be a much better Subwoofer if you can get Impact 12 at 30k, it is good for both music and Movies , where is it available at 30k?

Budget extension was inevitable.. :lol:
Getting Impact 12 at 33K with negotiation at HTstore bangalore. Just comfirmed today that they have gone out of stock.

However they still have Impact 10 in stock.

Have not auditioned Impact 10 yet.

Any one having experience with Velodyne impact 10? Please advice.

Would it be better to go for impact 10 or wait till 12 is in stock?

Heard from the few FMs that impact 12 is now discontinued by brand. not sure if its true.

 

[efernand1]

Hi

For AVRs, Marantz is one of the top winners across all their models.....strongly recommended.....see For Sale by Owner or Hi Fi ads for pre owned models which may fit your budget.......

Pioneer AVRs the LX series is good....expensive!

Denon is only good for Stereo Amps (PMA series) and AVRs which are models 2xxx and beyond series...

Marantz Stereo amps are good too...check their models...Hifi Mart seems to have some good offers....on overall pricing.....

For my elder brother, I arranged the PM7005 for around 59k which includes shipping and warranty....he is too happy with the SQ and performance.....

Subwoofers, TAGA seems to be a happening budget option models are SW 10 and TSW 200. I was able to get 20% off on stated mrp when HiFi Mart was offering for 5% and now they seem to be offering it for 23% but out of stock....

 

[Kumar442244]

Hello Members,

About to order marantz NR1607 from amazon.uk.

In a fix, please help with quick response.

Can you please suggest the electric power configuration that it needs to have here in india as compared to UK.

The Back of the AVR in india shows 120V where as UK model shows 230V.

have couple of doubts around this. Please help with expert advice:-

- Should that be a problem with the volts difference?
- Is there any way by which this difference can be compensated?
- Should there be any compromise on the sound quality part?

Kindly advice

 

[saikatbiswas82]

Any electronics sold in uk will work flawlessly in India without any issues (or without any voltage converters). Please make sure the sockets are universal.

But before buying, please make sure that the device is intended for UK use only.

Sent from a handheld device. Some typos may creep in

 

[Kumar442244]

Hello fm,

I am considering Dali e12f sub.

Can any one throw some light on its performance?

Auditioned e9f and focal cub 2 yesterday, not impressed with focal, but Dali e9 was certainly impressive. Couldn't audition e12 as not available for demo.

Any e12 user, please put forward ur comments.

Current setup : marantz nr1607, Dali zensor 3.

Also what wud b the best sub at 40-45 k range.
Have Polk dsw550i in consideration as well, although unable to audition.

Plz share ur valued suggestions