Validate my stereo RS500 setup plan.

[anandshankart]

Hi all,

The Dream :
I am looking for a stereo setup targetted at more than 50 percent listening to indian classical, little bit of rock and a lot of acostic version songs.... I am going for this setup so i can appreciate acoustic recordings.... Like the ones like hotel california , rehmans mtv unplugged to ilayarajas and hariharans live performances

*Clarification*
Should i decide and audition which speakers i like and then decide on the stereo amplifier/avr?
I am leaning towards rs500/300 amp which i might audition first with my fav set of songs.
Id like to make sure i go about this the right way. Read on for other info on my plans and usage.


Budget :
25k(max) for amp + 10 to 20k for Bookshelf speakers. Don't mind saving up and buying a little more on speakers if its really upto my expectations

Place:
Kelambakkam, Chennai, India dont mind driving any place in chennai to audition something that might blow my mind.

Room size : (my bedroom)
10x10
-
Source :
Mostly from my laptop via 3.5 mm cables or Ipad(will probably get Belkin's bluetooth reciever to pair) or nexus 4

Music Selection :
* ARR , Yuvan, Ilayaraja Songs
* unplugged HD version songs off youtube like the ones by "Boyce Avenue", "Shankar tucker"(Huge Fan BTW!!!)
* Unplugged MTV songs may be....
* English Pop songs sometimes too
* Listen to radio (probably feed it through 3.5mm to banana split cables to the amp)

Plan:
To get Amp with bookshelves to have a bareminimal setup.
I have a hm50 studio headphones by audio technica. I think with this setup ill be able to unlock its true potential.

Other Clarification:
Lets say i get the above mentioned setup, am i missing any of the prerequisites? Like do i require a DAC to feed proper sound to the amp?

If i say i am going to provide input from a laptop / phone/ipad via good audio connectors to the amp, would it be good enough? If this setup end up giving some All in one speaker package like the ones we get from Sony and Creative for like 5k, then it makes no sense i guess

Please validate my thoughts and clarify.

Thanks,
Anand

 

[anandshankart]

Also if someone can point me to some places in chennai where i can listen and trial out yamaha and denon amps withsome decent speakers....

I know of a yamaha store in nungambakkam near loyolla college. Seems like there is a profx showroom in spencers plaza. Any other suggestions?

 

[elangoas]

Does your laptop have HDMI output? I think you iPad should be able to send the signal digitally your amplifier...

The reason i ask is because, you can consider @ any entry level AVR.... Which will have HDMI port & an USB port that will allow your ipad connectivity thru digital...

If you gonna listen to you tube videos, the audio quality will not be the best....

BTW what kind of music files would you be laying for ARR, illayaraja ?

 

[Audio_Freek]

Hi Welcome to the Forum


IMHO, The Source File would share 40% for audio quality and other 60% Relays on the Amplification and Speakers.

A good OST\FLAC\WAV some MP3-320 kbps Will fine with entry level system.

You going to play the music from Digital medium, Hence never to add a DAC in the Loop.
First chose the Speakers and pair them with right amp. For your Budget Norge and Sonodyne combo should work well.

If you could wait, for another month , then probably you could get some discounts for Sonodyne products.

If you are interested on Used products ,probably we have few gems in FOR SALE section too.

If you ask me, Just start with Used one's for first set-up(Would be cheap too). learn\study what you exactly want and what can exactly give (This is temporary until you bitten by Upgrade Bug) and later to that get your dream set-up.

N.S: As you have 10*10 Room, Book shelf speakers would be fine and good,Dont go for FS.

Just my Single Penny.

All the best for your purchase, awaiting for your New thread in "MY AV set-up"

 

[anandshankart]

Does your laptop have HDMI output? I think you iPad should be able to send the signal digitally your amplifier...

The reason i ask is because, you can consider @ any entry level AVR.... Which will have HDMI port & an USB port that will allow your ipad connectivity thru digital...

If you gonna listen to you tube videos, the audio quality will not be the best....

BTW what kind of music files would you be laying for ARR, illayaraja ?

Yes laptop has hdmi output.

1. Yeah i am considering as300 since it would have forward compatinility and wont limit me in future in terms of upgradability

2. I am leaning more towards amp since would give me better quality for the same buck as avr. The only problem and limiting thing is that i have to connect using normal 3.5mm to mono cable into the amp but can have a work around with belkin bluetooth receiver.

Hope i am making sense here.

 

[anandshankart]

Hi Welcome to the Forum


IMHO, The Source File would share 40% for audio quality and other 60% Relays on the Amplification and Speakers.

A good OST\FLAC\WAV some MP3-320 kbps Will fine with entry level system.

You going to play the music from Digital medium, Hence never to add a DAC in the Loop.
First chose the Speakers and pair them with right amp. For your Budget Norge and Sonodyne combo should work well.

If you could wait, for another month , then probably you could get some discounts for Sonodyne products.

If you are interested on Used products ,probably we have few gems in FOR SALE section too.

If you ask me, Just start with Used one's for first set-up(Would be cheap too). learn\study what you exactly want and what can exactly give (This is temporary until you bitten by Upgrade Bug) and later to that get your dream set-up.

N.S: As you have 10*10 Room, Book shelf speakers would be fine and good,Dont go for FS.

Just my Single Penny.

All the best for your purchase, awaiting for your New thread in "MY AV set-up"

Thanks for helping me out!

QUICK QUESTION
Do you think i should select the speakers and THEN decide avr/stereo amp?

To answer your questions...
1. Yes just started collecting some original cd collection and mp3 flacs. But majority which are the old songs are in mp3 128kbps . And while i am aware it will be very average performance , at least the recent ones i listen to will be much better.

2. My audio technica studio monitor headphones will now meet its match .

3. Yes since its a 10by 10 i have space constraints. Could not agre more with you. Will buy only bookshelves.

 

[elangoas]

Yes laptop has hdmi output.

1. Yeah i am considering as300 since it would have forward compatinility and wont limit me in future in terms of upgradability

2. I am leaning more towards amp since would give me better quality for the same buck as avr. The only problem and limiting thing is that i have to connect using normal 3.5mm to mono cable into the amp but can have a work around with belkin bluetooth receiver.

Hope i am making sense here.

Let me enlighten you here..... If you intend to use your 3.5mm output from both your Laptop / iPad to connect to your stereo amp, the DAC (Digital to Analog conversion) happens in Laptop/Ipad and will be amplified thru your stereo amplifier...

Sound quality is also dependent on DAC which in your case happend to be laptop/ipad which will have inferior DAC than an AVR's DAC...

If you consider AVR, then the signal (MP3/FLac/Wav) from your laptop can be send to the AVR digitally without modifying... AVR have DAC inside which are better than your laptop/ipad's DAC...

Again i think your ipad should be able to send the signal digitally to the AVR's USB port... This way signal is not degraded & processed with good DAC

So obviously your sound output is going to be good... Hope i am clear & didn't confuse you...

Moreover if you buy AVR this can double up to be your HT system in future...

A stereo amplifier is good when you have dedicated CD player (or) standalone DAC....

Just my thoughts based on how you would be using your components...

 

[shibashis]

It seems music is your first preference than movies, that being the case best to go with an amplifier rather than an AVR. If you have not had experience with a moderately good quality amplifier then what you get from entry level AVRs will sound great, but if you have had the opportunity to listen to a dedicated amplifier for even one day then you will not think of an AVR for music, not the entry level ones for sure at least. Go with an amplifier and used speakers as suggested by others, or with Sonodyne speakers as a start, you will not be disappointed.

The points other are making about a DAC is very important and can not be overestimated. I do not know what laptop you have, but unless it is a very high end one the onboard sound card that it has will fall short by some length compared to dedicated DACs. I used my iPod touch as a source for my music for quite a long time, and it sounded so so much better than the Dell Inspiron. Similarly now I am using just a paltry Asus Xonar U3 USB sound card as a DAC and it has kept me happy for the time being, the DAC is in my opinion hugely important for a true stereo setup. You will notice great differences in detailing, body of music and sound stage. Also the importance of the quality of source can not be underestimated, make sure your music is no less than 320kbps if it is in mp3s, which most likely it is.

Last point, you mentioned Nexus 4 in the mix. Do not consider that for your music setup, I have the Nexus, while for the price paid it is the greatest true android experience, listening to music on it is not the best idea. You should compare it with the iPad, iPad will win hands down.

 

[vijaykarthik123]

Yamaha, KILPSCH can be auditioned @ JAMO @ Egmore.

 

[vijaykarthik123]

Also you can check Anthem AVR @ The Grand Cinema, Kodambakkam

 

[ujjwaana]

Also you can check Anthem AVR @ The Grand Cinema, Kodambakkam

He is looking for a Budget 'Stereo' setup. Anthem is premium brand and AVRs are mostly not good for pure stereo listening, unless you go for the very higher end models from each one's Stable.

I would agree with others to go for used market. There are loads of decent Speakers, Amps from yesteryears up for sale on this forum, Olx, Quickr etc. Do your research, and pickup the complete setup if the sound and price feels good for you.
Start from the Speakers instead of Amp - even I was doing the same mistake. Perhaps the Speakers-Amp synergy is more better starting point, but starting from an Amp (a common tendency due more identifiable and distinct features in Amp compared to all 'Subjective' features in Speakers which sometimes makes more difference).
One more thing, keep more money for the Speaker than Amp - usually you may add more electronics in the chain like DAC (which i suggest you to plan anyway), Speakers are more of less a longer serving item.