Stereo system for about Rs 1.5 lakh?

[oyeindia]

Hi:

A friend wants to buy his first quality stereo. He'd prefer full-range tower speakers, and his current thinking is to pick up a good amp and the Arcam rDAC to feed them.

He wants a system that sounds as close to mine as possible (Cyrus 8vs2/CD8/Monitor Silver RS6).

Would appreciate any advice on this. I did point him to the current Marantz PM5004/CD5004 + Quad towers offer, but he'd rather buy a better amp and speakers and skip the CDP for now.

TIA.

 

[kaushik]

i seriously doubt this type of threads

"Stereo in 1.5lakh"

"speakers in 90K"

Really ?? do newcomers spend such funds on audio ?
Ok newbie has money..but how real is that a newbie will allocate such sum
for new venture

(Most of)These thread are the threads that motivate buyers in 20 -40K range ...loaded by the sellers.

How many of people agree?????

 

[anm]

you can give your system to him and upgrade yours

 

[anm]

Gurgaon and Noida - ppl have too much money dude. This is lower side budget. Well to do ppl start with 40-50 lakh budget - and there are just too many people with deep pockets here.

 

[binoymehra]

You can suggest him to look at good actives like Genelec 8030/8040 , Dynaudio BM6A . Using one of these with Arcam dac would give ur friend a more live and tuneful presentation of music . To get a good Floor stander and amp along with Arcam Rdac with in 1.5 lacs will otherwise be a difficult proposition.

 

[hifiashok]

since u r local, hav u considered LyritaAudio, esp. since u mention 'full range'? of course, sound signature would be very different.

 

[Bluu]

Your friend should probably look in the used market since his requirement cannot be fulfilled in a budget of 1.5L. The rDac alone is ~30K. Add a good amp which will be at least 75K and you're left with nothing for speakers. Unless he is willing to explore some beautiful bookshelves like the Be-718 or Dynaudio.

Heck, even with those bookshelves, 1.5L seems not enough.

 

[raj]

i seriously doubt this type of threads

"Stereo in 1.5lakh"

"speakers in 90K"

Really ?? do newcomers spend such funds on audio ?
Ok newbie has money..but how real is that a newbie will allocate such sum
for new venture

(Most of)These thread are the threads that motivate buyers in 20 -40K range ...loaded by the sellers.

How many of people agree?????

Don't know what you mean by this. But I normally take these questions at face value. Instead of throwing the money at the first big brand name the one hears about, someone wants to invest in quality components and seems to rely on more experienced people. This is the smart way of buying anything. So, why not appreciate it?

 

[captrajesh]

Don't know what you mean by this. But I normally take these questions at face value. Instead of throwing the money at the first big brand name the one hears about, someone wants to invest in quality components and seems to rely on more experienced people. This is the smart way of buying anything. So, why not appreciate it?

I think I know where Kaushik is coming from. I'll put it like this. When one embarking on one's audio journey, it is not very dissimilar to embarking on a journey of education. One has to necessarily start learning the alphabet, words, sentences and only then can one think of going further in reading (leave alone understanding) the contents. It would be waste of resources to give an Ipad to a 2 year old kid. He might even (or rather most probably) break it.

 

[hifiashok]

cuts both ways, actually. one spends the time and resources that other people's experiences could have helped avoiding. in the bargain, one starts at a level much higher than in the trial and error model, though trial and error has its own set of take aways. consequently, more time for enjoyment and higher learning. one does not insist a kid studies in candle light only so he appreciates electricity.

take a case of a say b'ton player. should he start with a wooden racquet, move up to a wood and steel and only then come to the advanced carbon/graphite Yonex versions, only so he goes through the drudgery?

 

[captrajesh]

cuts both ways, actually. one spends the time and resources that other people's experiences could have helped avoiding. in the bargain, one starts at a level much higher than in the trial and error model, though trial and error has its own set of take aways. consequently, more time for enjoyment and higher learning. one does not insist a kid studies in candle light only so he appreciates electricity.

take a case of a say b'ton player. should he start with a wooden racquet, move up to a wood and steel and only then come to the advanced carbon/graphite Yonex versions, only so he goes through the drudgery?

The issue is complex enough to rely on one's own experience than rely on that of others'. The only shortcut could be that one has access to other peoples' resources so he takes his time to listen to each one of them for sometime to form an opinion of his own but this is seldom possible.

In case of Badminton player, the upgrade is simply in the order of what has been put across, sadly not the case with audio; it is more complex; don't you agree?

 

[ajayk]

In many cases (as happened with me), knowing whom to contact in the city for what speakers, what are the general prices and what should be considered for ones budget is easier said than done without some starting advice from the "been there done that" folks.

That being said, its safer to start with an entry level maruti than go for a bmw and not appreciate the nuances for which you paid all that money.

-Ajay

 

[dee_dee]

That being said, its safer to start with an entry level maruti than go for a bmw and not appreciate the nuances for which you paid all that money.

But if you are in the market to buy your first car, and have a decent budget, you would rather buy a Honda City, than a Nano right?

My belief is that a 1.5 lac system is like a mid-size sedan in the audio world.

 

[captrajesh]

My belief is that a 1.5 lac system is like a mid-size sedan in the audio world.

You not off mark. Depends on one's perspective and how deep one's pockets are.

 

[thatguy]

But if you are in the market to buy your first car, and have a decent budget, you would rather buy a Honda City, than a Nano right?

My belief is that a 1.5 lac system is like a mid-size sedan in the audio world.

Since you brought the automobile analogy ... When I see a Honda city, the first word that comes to mind is 'boring'. I see it as a utility vehicle for someone who wants to get around, not for someone who is interested in automobiles. At least Nano's uniqueness gives it some character.

Many of us on this board actually enjoy experiment with different equipment, if only to explore the possibilities. We spend considerable amount of time researching equipment and learning about how they work. Good sound is always the goal but the process of finding it is equally important.

The equivalent car guy would be someone who has half dozen cars in the garage, some of them more than a few decades old. But all well maintained and running. He would probably prefer spending his weekend in the garage than going out

But yes, I don't expect the same attitude from everyone who comes to the board. It doesn't look like OP's friend is particularly interested in audio. He is probably looking for something equivalent of 'City'. A quick and safe way to get the job done without having to spend time/energy.

Though I would sooner let my friend buy my underwear than choose my audio equipment

 

[oyeindia]

To those of you that chipped in with useful advice, thanks.

To the seriously enlightened who "doubt these type of threads", thanks again.

All I can say is that when I first started buying gear, all the advice people gave me was instructive. I checked out several different options before deciding on the gear I own. That was a few years ago and in another country, and I have not really kept up with current systems and prices. I'm happy with what I have, and will not upgrade till something breaks.

What I was hoping for was what a couple of members posted, and one dealer PM'd - some ideas for systems that my friend can audition and explore.

 

[oyeindia]

The equivalent car guy would be someone who has half dozen cars in the garage, some of them more than a few decades old. But all well maintained and running. He would probably prefer spending his weekend in the garage than going out

But yes, I don't expect the same attitude from everyone who comes to the board. It doesn't look like OP's friend is particularly interested in audio.

To continue with the car analogy, I'm not particularly interested in cars. For me, they're just transportation. However, if I'm picking up a new car, I wouldn't pick up an auto and then start fiddling around till I got to a car that suits my requirements. I'd ask my friends, whose opinions I trust, what they think suits my needs and work on selecting a car from there.

That's what my friend did. Since I haven't had the need to buy any equipment (other than the DAC) for about 5 years, I thought I'd ask here. Apologies to the ones who "doubt these threads".

 

[oyeindia]

you can give your system to him and upgrade yours

Thanks, but I'm perfectly happy with mine and don't want to upgrade. Now how many of you can say that?

 

[aku]

Apologies to the ones who "doubt these threads".

Well, though the thread seems to have been seriously sidetracked, since an rDAC has been mentioned, why don't someone give suggestions for a matching amp in the 60k range , leaving another 60k for a floorstander? I think that should give u a decent system....hope you're still open to suggestion...and I hope you do get some help from the experienced posters....

 

[oyeindia]

Well, though the thread seems to have been seriously sidetracked, since an rDAC has been mentioned, why don't someone give suggestions for a matching amp in the 60k range , leaving another 60k for a floorstander? I think that should give u a decent system....hope you're still open to suggestion...and I hope you do get some help from the experienced posters....

Yes, of course I am still open to suggestions. The help from experienced posters is why I am here in the first place!