Mayank Shah
Well-Known Member
Listen to 80% heavy metal/rock (English & Indian) and 20% to everything else. Setup will be in the living room (only space with official access). The living space is approx 23 x 16 x 11 (height), the listening area would be approx 15 x 15 (upper side) as the rest is taken up by dining space and balcony.
Currently, I have the NAD 356 driving Polk Audio Rti A7 and its time to gift them to my "budding baby audiophile" nephew. Can't wait to see the joy in his eyes.
Planning to get some basic living room renovation done in the near future, so prefer to have the new setup beforehand for measurements, wiring, placement etc., and possibly some minimalist room treatment if required. Not that I felt any need for that now as both FS have plenty of breathing space and I am very happy with the SQ. So I won't be losing any sleep over room acoustics. Of course, some treatment could help, but I am fine with that.
All your suggestions will certainly help in filtering all the crazy ideas running in my mind now. A rack setup (preferred) with a Pre out option for a sub is necessary. Not an exorbitant or a ridiculous budget but a controlled one with due consideration for the deserving gear. Then again, the pathetic situation of ridiculous prices and hard choices in India can never be emphasised enough. Given my regular and long travels, time spent listening at home, I do not see any reason to upgrade after this, (I can see all the smiles and the shake of the heads) hence looking for something which will be enjoyable for a long time.
Current inclinations and thoughts not in any particular order, preference or combination are:-
Emotiva XSP-1 (Preamp)
Emotiva XPA 5 Gen 3 (5ch power amp)
Audiolab 8200 CDQ (CD player + Ess Sabre DAC+ Pre)
Audiolab M-PWR (2ch power amp, power, versatility?)
Roksan Kandy K3 amp (Integrated, pre-out)
Anthem PVA-5 (5ch power amp)
Rotel RB - 1582 MkII (Integrated, No pre-out! overkill?)
Rotel A14 (Integrated, DAC, Pre-out, Bluetooth, Phono MM, LAN port?)
Emotiva BasX A - 700 (7 ch Power amp - 110W x 8 Ohms x 2ch driven)
Cambridge Audio Azur 851W ( XD 2 ch Power amp bridgeable, overkill?)
Cambridge Audio Azur 851A ( Integrated, Pre-out)
Cambridge Audio CXA80 (Dual mono 2ch amp, DAC, pre-out)
Marantz MM 7025 (2 ch Power amp, no 4 Ohms spec)
Marantz PM 8006 (Integrated, Pre-out, 4 ohms)
Arcam P429 (4ch amp, Class G, individual channel trim, bridgeable, overkill?)
Primare I32 NOS (Integrated, 4 Ohms, pricey)
Monitor Audio Bronze 6 FS (8 ohms - 90 dB)
Dynaudio Emit 30 FS (4 Ohms - 86 dB)
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-800F (8 Ohms - 98 dB)
Polk Audio Rti A9 (8 Ohms - 90 dB)
Taga Harmony Platinum F-120 FS (6 Ohms - 93 dB, V.2 or V.3 ?)
Emotiva Airmotiv T2 FS (4 Ohms - 91dB)
Dali Zensor 7 (6 Ohms - 90 dB)
Wharfdale Reva 4 (8 Ohms - 88 dB)
The above speaker list is seemingly short and there could be many many more suitable FS/BS, but these are the ones I am reasonably familiar with most, except the Dynaudios which I understand are finicky about the amp.
I love the Dali's as I have them rigged up in a 5.1 setup driven by a Yamaha AVR in the bedroom.
Rti A7 may not be the connoisseur's choice, but it has raw power and chest thumping slam so well suited for metal/rock and most other genres. Hence Rti A9 with a more musical amp should fill a very large room with beautiful sonic ease.
Taga Harmony FS look very promising, difficult to audition but the build, looks and price cannot be ignored.
Airmotiv T2 in an all Emotiva setup should be good, need to feel of their signature. Fellow FM dr.vinayaka, who has the T1 gave me very positive assurance already.
I had heard the CA and monitor audio B6 briefly a few years back and had liked it very much.
An all Emotiva setup is hard to beat for the quality and price.
4 BS in 4 corners + 1 sub will sound and look classy and unobtrusive. Putting the cost of 4 stands into a better FS has to be considered.
2 Audiolab monoblocks with the 3 in 1 CDQ + a TT is a minimalist setup with raw power and sleek looks.
Roksan amp with Klipsch is sweet. Need to check it out more. Easy to audition in Chennai. (Cinebels Chennai refused Roksan amp home demo). If they would have soundedbetter different than my NAD (due respect), then I probably wouldn't be posting this and I simply refuse to take my Rti A7 there.
Cambridge Audio with MA Bronze 6 is a time tested match.
Havent heard the Wharfdales yet.
I will not need many channels as of now but gives me some flexibility to add an extra pair of speakers later (contradictory to what I said earlier, I know) and simply because we love to have all the extra headroom we can get. I do play real loud occasionally because I love it and it pisses the neighbours off.
I know that almost all the gear mentioned would be overkill for my space, but want to get the maximum power and options I can have the courage to invest today, because who knows about tomorrow.
A lot of other factors yet to be considered are all your inputs, inter-compatibility specs wise, availability for audition and price. Appreciate your time in taking a look at this rant. Eagerly looking forward to all your inputs. Thanks in advance.
Currently, I have the NAD 356 driving Polk Audio Rti A7 and its time to gift them to my "budding baby audiophile" nephew. Can't wait to see the joy in his eyes.
Planning to get some basic living room renovation done in the near future, so prefer to have the new setup beforehand for measurements, wiring, placement etc., and possibly some minimalist room treatment if required. Not that I felt any need for that now as both FS have plenty of breathing space and I am very happy with the SQ. So I won't be losing any sleep over room acoustics. Of course, some treatment could help, but I am fine with that.
All your suggestions will certainly help in filtering all the crazy ideas running in my mind now. A rack setup (preferred) with a Pre out option for a sub is necessary. Not an exorbitant or a ridiculous budget but a controlled one with due consideration for the deserving gear. Then again, the pathetic situation of ridiculous prices and hard choices in India can never be emphasised enough. Given my regular and long travels, time spent listening at home, I do not see any reason to upgrade after this, (I can see all the smiles and the shake of the heads) hence looking for something which will be enjoyable for a long time.
Current inclinations and thoughts not in any particular order, preference or combination are:-
Emotiva XSP-1 (Preamp)
Emotiva XPA 5 Gen 3 (5ch power amp)
Audiolab 8200 CDQ (CD player + Ess Sabre DAC+ Pre)
Audiolab M-PWR (2ch power amp, power, versatility?)
Roksan Kandy K3 amp (Integrated, pre-out)
Anthem PVA-5 (5ch power amp)
Rotel RB - 1582 MkII (Integrated, No pre-out! overkill?)
Rotel A14 (Integrated, DAC, Pre-out, Bluetooth, Phono MM, LAN port?)
Emotiva BasX A - 700 (7 ch Power amp - 110W x 8 Ohms x 2ch driven)
Cambridge Audio Azur 851W ( XD 2 ch Power amp bridgeable, overkill?)
Cambridge Audio Azur 851A ( Integrated, Pre-out)
Cambridge Audio CXA80 (Dual mono 2ch amp, DAC, pre-out)
Marantz MM 7025 (2 ch Power amp, no 4 Ohms spec)
Marantz PM 8006 (Integrated, Pre-out, 4 ohms)
Arcam P429 (4ch amp, Class G, individual channel trim, bridgeable, overkill?)
Primare I32 NOS (Integrated, 4 Ohms, pricey)
Monitor Audio Bronze 6 FS (8 ohms - 90 dB)
Dynaudio Emit 30 FS (4 Ohms - 86 dB)
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-800F (8 Ohms - 98 dB)
Polk Audio Rti A9 (8 Ohms - 90 dB)
Taga Harmony Platinum F-120 FS (6 Ohms - 93 dB, V.2 or V.3 ?)
Emotiva Airmotiv T2 FS (4 Ohms - 91dB)
Dali Zensor 7 (6 Ohms - 90 dB)
Wharfdale Reva 4 (8 Ohms - 88 dB)
The above speaker list is seemingly short and there could be many many more suitable FS/BS, but these are the ones I am reasonably familiar with most, except the Dynaudios which I understand are finicky about the amp.
I love the Dali's as I have them rigged up in a 5.1 setup driven by a Yamaha AVR in the bedroom.
Rti A7 may not be the connoisseur's choice, but it has raw power and chest thumping slam so well suited for metal/rock and most other genres. Hence Rti A9 with a more musical amp should fill a very large room with beautiful sonic ease.
Taga Harmony FS look very promising, difficult to audition but the build, looks and price cannot be ignored.
Airmotiv T2 in an all Emotiva setup should be good, need to feel of their signature. Fellow FM dr.vinayaka, who has the T1 gave me very positive assurance already.
I had heard the CA and monitor audio B6 briefly a few years back and had liked it very much.
An all Emotiva setup is hard to beat for the quality and price.
4 BS in 4 corners + 1 sub will sound and look classy and unobtrusive. Putting the cost of 4 stands into a better FS has to be considered.
2 Audiolab monoblocks with the 3 in 1 CDQ + a TT is a minimalist setup with raw power and sleek looks.
Roksan amp with Klipsch is sweet. Need to check it out more. Easy to audition in Chennai. (Cinebels Chennai refused Roksan amp home demo). If they would have sounded
Cambridge Audio with MA Bronze 6 is a time tested match.
Havent heard the Wharfdales yet.
I will not need many channels as of now but gives me some flexibility to add an extra pair of speakers later (contradictory to what I said earlier, I know) and simply because we love to have all the extra headroom we can get. I do play real loud occasionally because I love it and it pisses the neighbours off.
I know that almost all the gear mentioned would be overkill for my space, but want to get the maximum power and options I can have the courage to invest today, because who knows about tomorrow.
A lot of other factors yet to be considered are all your inputs, inter-compatibility specs wise, availability for audition and price. Appreciate your time in taking a look at this rant. Eagerly looking forward to all your inputs. Thanks in advance.
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