Need Suggestions to build first system . Budget ~ 80k

[doppelganger]

Hello All,

I am new to this field and would like to build my first stereo system. My requirements/constraints are as follow.

Budget:- budget around 80K(INR) [Primarily for Speakers + AMP]
Music taste:- Rock, Soft rock, Pop, jazz, occasionally Indian Classical, Bollywood (Old and New)
Room size:- 10x12 ft. Its a study room. I will be using it with laptop.
Tile flooring, One bed, One three door metal cupboard. I will be placing my speakers on dedicated speaker stand (not included in above budget)

Speakers:
Based on various online reviews I am inclined to buy Elac B5.2 and Elac B6.2 as soundstage and imaging along with clarity matters to me. But I am open for suggestions.
I have considered following options
1. JBL Stage A130
2. DALI Spektor 1 or 2
3. Q Acoustics 3020i

Questions:
1) Let me know how these speakers compares with ELAC 5.2/6.2.
2) One of my friend suggested me to opt for Studio Monitors i.e. YAMAHA HS5 (~35k). Since above speakers costs more or less same, I am more inclined towards passive speakers. Do you think Studio Monitors will be better choice over ELAC ?
3) I have not come across any critical reviews on Mission (LX II MK II/LX 3 MKII) & FYNE (F 300i) Speakers. Appreciate if you can give any idea.

Amplifiers:
Primary Source: Apple Music on (Windows PC + Android App using Bluetooth) + Youtube Music Occasionally. I understand that for some options additional DAC is required. I will stretch my budget in case I go for that.
This is most confusing area for me. I am new into this hobby hence don't want to spend too much. But at the same time looking for best compatibility with ELAC speakers. Max Budget is ~ 55K.
I have considered following options.
1) Chi Fi -- Thought process: It seems Chinese products will allow me to build system at lesser cost with flexibility to replace components in future. But I am not sure whether they will be able to get best out of speakers.
a) SMSL AO300
b) FOSSI AUDIO V3
c) AIYIMA T09 Pro
d) TOPPING - PA5
3) Traditional Brands:
a) Denon PMA 600NE
b) Marantz PM6007
4) AV Receivers : Considering ~ 55K price bracket, I can see that following AVRs also fit in my budget and they cover additional use case of connecting system to TV. Note: I am looking at this system to enhance TV audio. Not considering full Cinema Experience e.g. 5.1 or Dolby. But if they provide good compatibility with speakers then why not !
a) Denon X250BT
b) Denon X550BT
c) Marantz NR1510
d) Marantz NR1200
e) Marantz NR1711

I am open to all the suggestions and I am not in any hurry to buy. Thanks in advance.

 

[sivag08]

I am owning a Denon X250BT coupled with Taga harmony 606 as 5.0 and bought the sub with Mission's MS 200, and i dont regret the decision!..

it all costed me (including the setup, wires etc) about INR 96k in Jan 2022.

Breakdown:
a. AVR, bought from a retailer - 40k
b. Taga 606: as a 5.0 speaker package - 34.2k from amazon
c. Mission MS 200 as the sub - 16.5k from Hifimart

I primarily use it for watching OTT content in dolby digital 5.1 (note the AVR doesnt suppprt Atmos) and for music also, it sounds really good.

 

[fLUX]

If you don't want to go for a full blown 5.1 system eventually then focus on setting up a 2.0/2.1 system with dedicated integrated amplifier & bookshelf speakers. You can hook the TV to a stereo system via the digital outputs on tv( usually optical) .

I would recommend to go audition as many systems as possible so you can come to a conclusion by yourself on what suits you best.


Personally of the lot my favorite was Qacoustics , lot of used concept 20 floated till date in the market & were very capable speakers. They paired very well with Marantz PM series amps & were decent out of a Aiyima A07 too. Concept 20 used is about 30k odd & Marantz PM6006 also is about 28-30k used , if you get this combo you are set for a good time.

 

[doppelganger]

I am owning a Denon X250BT coupled with Taga harmony 606 as 5.0 and bought the sub with Mission's MS 200, and i dont regret the decision!..

it all costed me (including the setup, wires etc) about INR 96k in Jan 2022.

Breakdown:
a. AVR, bought from a retailer - 40k
b. Taga 606: as a 5.0 speaker package - 34.2k from amazon
c. Mission MS 200 as the sub - 16.5k from Hifimart

I primarily use it for watching OTT content in dolby digital 5.1 (note the AVR doesnt suppprt Atmos) and for music also, it sounds really good.

Thanks for the response. I have not considered Taga as of now. But will surely look into this.

In last one month, I have been collecting lot of information on this topic and that made me revisit choices available and budget as well.

As of now I have kept Class-D Amplifier list on the shelf and started considering traditional Class A/B amplifier options.

Amplifiers
1) Marantz Stereo 70s
2) Cambridge Audio AXR 100
3) Marantz 6007

Speakers:
1) DALI Oberon 3
2) HECO Arora 300
3) Monitor Audio Bronze 100

At the moment, I am planning to audition above combinations in next one month. I am based out of Pune and not many dealers around (at least I know) and whoever is around, they have very limited options for audition (None of the above speakers is available for audition in Pune). Most of the dealers who are offering auditions are based out of Mumbai hence I will be making frequent visits to Mumbai in next month.

For HECO Arora 300 and MA Bronze 100, I am bit skeptical as most of the reviewers are saying they are on slightly forward slide.

 

[doppelganger]

If you don't want to go for a full blown 5.1 system eventually then focus on setting up a 2.0/2.1 system with dedicated integrated amplifier & bookshelf speakers. You can hook the TV to a stereo system via the digital outputs on tv( usually optical) .

I would recommend to go audition as many systems as possible so you can come to a conclusion by yourself on what suits you best.


Personally of the lot my favorite was Qacoustics , lot of used concept 20 floated till date in the market & were very capable speakers. They paired very well with Marantz PM series amps & were decent out of a Aiyima A07 too. Concept 20 used is about 30k odd & Marantz PM6006 also is about 28-30k used , if you get this combo you are set for a good time.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I am planning to go for multiple audition in coming month. May I know where I can get access to 'Used' market. I tried to search on OLX, FB Marketplace etc but none of the classifieds are inspiring confidence. I am based out of Pune so any suggestions are welcome.

 

[argho]

For the sort of music that you listen to, I would urge you to audition Dali + Marantz combos.

For example : Marantz PM6007 + Dali Oberon 1s + Wiim Mini

This will give you a high quality entry into audiophile heaven

 

[MountainPath]

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I am planning to go for multiple audition in coming month. May I know where I can get access to 'Used' market. I tried to search on OLX, FB Marketplace etc but none of the classifieds are inspiring confidence. I am based out of Pune so any suggestions are welcome.

I would suggest auditioning Norge and Telome at the least, among Indian brands when you are in Mumbai. Their amplifiers will easily fit into your budget, and you will get more powerful (and good) amplifiers for the same or lesser amount. You will also have direct access to the manufacturers, be able to consult them when required, often have a better warranty, etc.

Edit: Regarding active studio monitors, the cost may be lesser for you because you will not need a separate amplifier. Since you are using a computer, studio monitors make sense, and a wide variety of really good ones are available well within your budget. You can invest in a decent DAC/preamp as required.

 

[Dinesh Menon]

I would suggest auditioning Norge and Telome at the least, among Indian brands when you are in Mumbai. Their amplifiers will easily fit into your budget, and you will get more powerful (and good) amplifiers for the same or lesser amount. You will also have direct access to the manufacturers, be able to consult them when required, often have a better warranty, etc.

Edit: Regarding active studio monitors, the cost may be lesser for you because you will not need a separate amplifier. Since you are using a computer, studio monitors make sense, and a wide variety of really good ones are available well within your budget. You can invest in a decent DAC/preamp as required.

Sir, have you experienced Telome amps.?
Never read about them in our forum.

 

[rwnano]

Where are you located doppelganger?

 

[MountainPath]

Sir, have you experienced Telome amps.?
Never read about them in our forum.

Hi Dinesh, I had actually come across them on threads on this forum, like this.

I have heard that they are good from others, but I have not heard anything from Telome myself (auditioning only seems to be possible in Mumbai), only Norge, which is good for the price. However I suggested auditioning them since they are budget friendly and accessible for the OP if he travels to Mumbai, and powerful (their 100 wpc is 31.5k and the 200 wpc is 38k).

 

[Dinesh Menon]

Hi Dinesh, I had actually come across them on threads on this forum, like this.

I have heard that they are good from others, but I have not heard anything from Telome myself (auditioning only seems to be possible in Mumbai), only Norge, which is good for the price. However I suggested auditioning them since they are budget friendly and accessible for the OP if he travels to Mumbai, and powerful (their 100 wpc is 31.5k and the 200 wpc is 38k).

Thanks for the information, I went through that thread. Telome website says, they make upscale amps and speakers.
You are right, auditioning them is better.

 

[ketansethi1987]

Where are you located doppelganger?

Pune

 

[doppelganger]

For the sort of music that you listen to, I would urge you to audition Dali + Marantz combos.

For example : Marantz PM6007 + Dali Oberon 1s + Wiim Mini

This will give you a high quality entry into audiophile heaven

Thanks. This exact combination, I am planning to audition.

 

[doppelganger]

Where are you located doppelganger?

I am based out of Pune.

 

[doppelganger]

Hi Dinesh, I had actually come across them on threads on this forum, like this.

I have heard that they are good from others, but I have not heard anything from Telome myself (auditioning only seems to be possible in Mumbai), only Norge, which is good for the price. However I suggested auditioning them since they are budget friendly and accessible for the OP if he travels to Mumbai, and powerful (their 100 wpc is 31.5k and the 200 wpc is 38k).

Thanks for pointing this out. That's interesting. I always thought they are into high end products hence never went down that route.

 

[Prateek-Epitome]

Hello All,

I am new to this field and would like to build my first stereo system. My requirements/constraints are as follow.

Budget:- budget around 80K(INR) [Primarily for Speakers + AMP]
Music taste:- Rock, Soft rock, Pop, jazz, occasionally Indian Classical, Bollywood (Old and New)
Room size:- 10x12 ft. Its a study room. I will be using it with laptop.
Tile flooring, One bed, One three door metal cupboard. I will be placing my speakers on dedicated speaker stand (not included in above budget)

Speakers:
Based on various online reviews I am inclined to buy Elac B5.2 and Elac B6.2 as soundstage and imaging along with clarity matters to me. But I am open for suggestions.
I have considered following options
1. JBL Stage A130
2. DALI Spektor 1 or 2
3. Q Acoustics 3020i

Questions:
1) Let me know how these speakers compares with ELAC 5.2/6.2.
2) One of my friend suggested me to opt for Studio Monitors i.e. YAMAHA HS5 (~35k). Since above speakers costs more or less same, I am more inclined towards passive speakers. Do you think Studio Monitors will be better choice over ELAC ?
3) I have not come across any critical reviews on Mission (LX II MK II/LX 3 MKII) & FYNE (F 300i) Speakers. Appreciate if you can give any idea.

Amplifiers:
Primary Source: Apple Music on (Windows PC + Android App using Bluetooth) + Youtube Music Occasionally. I understand that for some options additional DAC is required. I will stretch my budget in case I go for that.
This is most confusing area for me. I am new into this hobby hence don't want to spend too much. But at the same time looking for best compatibility with ELAC speakers. Max Budget is ~ 55K.
I have considered following options.
1) Chi Fi -- Thought process: It seems Chinese products will allow me to build system at lesser cost with flexibility to replace components in future. But I am not sure whether they will be able to get best out of speakers.
a) SMSL AO300
b) FOSSI AUDIO V3
c) AIYIMA T09 Pro
d) TOPPING - PA5
3) Traditional Brands:
a) Denon PMA 600NE
b) Marantz PM6007
4) AV Receivers : Considering ~ 55K price bracket, I can see that following AVRs also fit in my budget and they cover additional use case of connecting system to TV. Note: I am looking at this system to enhance TV audio. Not considering full Cinema Experience e.g. 5.1 or Dolby. But if they provide good compatibility with speakers then why not !
a) Denon X250BT
b) Denon X550BT
c) Marantz NR1510
d) Marantz NR1200
e) Marantz NR1711

I am open to all the suggestions and I am not in any hurry to buy. Thanks in advance.

Dali & Qacoustics speakers can be harsh. Your best bet will be Elac Speakers.

 

[chillumphile]

Dali & Qacoustics speakers can be harsh. Your best bet will be Elac Speakers.

Elac speakers run best with decent power.

 

[sivakumars]

Hello @doppelganger

All the best for your new setup. I have been researching for some time to setup a bed room stereo setup. After carefully considering the cost and upgrade options in the future, I came up with the below plan. You can always exchange components as per your taste, but you can consider the approach itself.

My budget is almost closer to you and my primary source is Apple Music from an Iphone 7 3.5 mm jack to RCA and Youtube. Later I'll add streamer and DAC.

First I'm planning to get good pair of bookshelves, narrowed down to QAcoustics 3030i.

For amp, im gonna go with less costly but lot of value for money Fosi Audio v3 around 7.5 k. It has enough power and very decently placed when compared to costly integrated amplifiers as per Amir's tech review. This amplifier allows you to add Pre amp and DAC in the future as your budget allows still you don't have to waste any money for now.

Initially, I'll use iphone 7's internal DAC. I compared lot of options and finalised to use this. I did A/B testing with lot of sources and different low cost DAC options without buying a dedicated one. Apple music and iphone 7 DAC outperformed the below:
Sources tried: spotify and amazon music and local FLAC and ALAC files
DAC's: Mac book pro 2019, Samsung mobiles and tablet, chromecast device DAC, amazon echo

When you go for Pre amp, the Fosi audio can be used as your power amp as it delivers clean power of 75W + 75W.

Happy listening.

 

[ajuvignesh]

Thanks for the response. I have not considered Taga as of now. But will surely look into this.

In last one month, I have been collecting lot of information on this topic and that made me revisit choices available and budget as well.

As of now I have kept Class-D Amplifier list on the shelf and started considering traditional Class A/B amplifier options.

Amplifiers
1) Marantz Stereo 70s
2) Cambridge Audio AXR 100
3) Marantz 6007

Speakers:
1) DALI Oberon 3
2) HECO Arora 300
3) Monitor Audio Bronze 100

At the moment, I am planning to audition above combinations in next one month. I am based out of Pune and not many dealers around (at least I know) and whoever is around, they have very limited options for audition (None of the above speakers is available for audition in Pune). Most of the dealers who are offering auditions are based out of Mumbai hence I will be making frequent visits to Mumbai in next month.

For HECO Arora 300 and MA Bronze 100, I am bit skeptical as most of the reviewers are saying they are on slightly forward slide.

AXR 100 is good. What is even better is Rega Brio at HIFIMART. It is such a good amp for discounted price. It is compared against audiolab 6000a. or you can get audiolab itself. Rega is punchy which will be good for rock music.
All the best.