What are my options for a DECENT music system

[quickboy]

To start with, this is what I'am looking to replace, If I do sound a little old, That is because I have suffered 45 years on this globe

1. SONY TA-AX44 integrated stereo amplifier
2. Audio-source EQ-100 hardware 10x2 band graphic equalizer
3. An AKAI turntable ( LABEL GONE, DONT REMEMBER THE MODEL)
4. A SANSUI T-909 AM/FM tuner
5. A Pioneer CTW-208R (Well just got it, was searching for a tape deck after the Technics RS-B11W simply worn out all its small wheels inside)

SInce I'am planning to spend some money on music after 27 years , I need a good reliable system, Took a look at every SONY and Phillips showroom around first, Phillips have nothing compared to their own systems of the past, All so called Home theaters, with DVD/BD players only, No line in out and other input/output, same with SONY too, SONY website in Europe and U.S showing some stereo receivers, Then there are A/V receivers from SONY, ONKYO, PIONEER, YAMAHA, driving some, laughingly small speakers, which claim 120/110/100 watts etc (@6ohms with 1-10% THD), since I will be using these mainly for music listening, These seem to be overkill or no-value for money, Also none of these really sound sweet enough to replace the SONY TA-AX44 AND SS-S440 speaker combo, Do these so called SUB-WOOFERS, sold at thousands can actually make some good bass?, from what I heard so far, These are not very convincing at all.

Pioneer has a decent 45wx2 (proper 20-20000HX) amps like A-209R, no digital input, Badly want to use the full potential of a denon CD-PLAYER lying around, Have some YANNI and HARIPRASAD Chaurasia CDS, Now working fine through RCAs, want to try out through SPDIF

Onkyo has a good spec amp called A-5VL (Only on their website, not even available anywhere, it seems like that), It is exactly what I'am looking for, Anyone knows where and how much?

Power consumption figures are more than 200 watts for most Home theatres, well much more than what they can output from two speakers, LOL, means if I simply use these amps for three-four hours they will cost me one unit of electricity, Hmmmm ie a lot of money, so mostly these are not for constant use for sure,

excellent specs exist for HARMAN KORDAN MAS-100 and Onkyo CS-1045 music systems, Also ONKYO website says the stereo receiver R-1045 in these systems are sold separately, Anyone knows what is the cost for these babies? and where are they available


One system ( even though it eats up 250w of electricity) and a lot of features, (ie what they call the useless stuff they pack ), A Yamaha RX-V367 and coupled with some Speakers called POLK-AUDIO RM-6750 (never used those), it sounds good , Not much BASS, but great manners in mid and normal listening, Again it is a video processor (not a stereo), I really don't watch DVDS and Blue-rays. (I hate too many movies)

AN ONKYO + JAMO combo which can do all these asks for 300+ watts, Well heats more too, Since I live in Kerala, I don't need too many room heaters for sure,

The question is , what options do I have for a stereo amplifier.

Requirements are simple,

1. it should give me 45w x2 nominal, with neat stereo imaging,

2. must have spdif optical and co-axial inputs to connect my Satellite receiver, ( lot radio and music channels available on my C-BAND dish, Need to connect the optical out and listen through my amp, they do sound better than FM for sure)

3. Need to have a PHONO (MM) input and a couple of other line in, plus a tuner and tape loop

Brand is no concern, so far as it works fine , AVOID SO called HIGH-ENDS, (Better use the power saved to water my fields,That saves the earth and reduces global warming LOL), My SONY uses about 87W to power two pairs of 45W (nominal) speakers, with very good sound, If the technology has improved in the last 25+ years, There must be amps that can do the same , at least with similar power requirements.

I still use the 1970s, BONEYM music played from my turntable (NIGHT FLIGHT TO VENUS and By the rivers of Babylone), to check the clarity of music and performance of the system, Also Chiquitita from ABBA seems to be perfect for testing,

So I'am looking for some suggestions, May be someone here might have seen something else in these lines and possibly help me

THANKS in advance

 

[avidyarthy]

My .... my ......

What a coincidence! Also had (have) your amp + speaker combo since 1988. My Sony amp started misbehaving, so replaced it with a Norge 1000.

Well, last year did a total revamp on my music /HT set up. Added a Pioneer 519 AVR which takes in digital inputs from a new Pioneer DVDp. The AVR also accepts analogue signals from a TT and Sony cassette deck.

The Pioneer AVR plays movies and music in the main HT room and also has a 'zone 2' which feeds music (any source) to a second room. It is in the 2nd room, I have placed my vintage Sony SS S440 speakers. 'Zone 2' is a merely unpowered output. So, have added the Norge 1000 amp here. In a nutshell, all amplification in the 2nd room is catered to from the Norge 1000 amp.

Other than the above, have yet another music system placed in my living room. A look at my signature would tell you all.

Do let me know if you require any other inputs .... prices etc or any confusions.

AND .... why quick'boy' ... when you too are pushing 45 summers???

http://www.hifivision.com/my-audio-video-setup/1167-showcase-your-audio-video-setup-here-92.html

 

[iaudio]

Quickboy, amidst the requirements and experiences that you have elaborately penned, you have not mentioned the budget you are looking to spend for the set up!

What about an HK Stereo Reciever like the 3490 or likes? Since you need digital input you will have to opt for either a reciever( stereo, as you dont use it for movies) or a pretty high end integrated amp( which has digital inputs) or cd player( which you already have).

And yes sir, Welcome to the forum. Swagatham.

 

[quickboy]

Quickboy, amidst the requirements and experiences that you have elaborately penned, you have not mentioned the budget you are looking to spend for the set up!

What about an HK Stereo Reciever like the 3490 or likes? Since you need digital input you will have to opt for either a reciever( stereo, as you dont use it for movies) or a pretty high end integrated amp( which has digital inputs) or cd player( which you already have).

And yes sir, Welcome to the forum. Swagatham.

budget wont be a big problem , So long as I get a nice durable piece, Watts and Woofers don't matter, I want something which has all inputs and plays cool. Actually looking for a long tern investment, Another thought is to to go for an amplifier like Pioneer A-209R and add some good D/A converter, Any D/A converter available for around RS.15K ?

I'am really looking for something like an ONKYO A-5VL, may be a perfect replacement, That seems to be available in US and U.K markets only

 

[quickboy]

I think I have narrowed down to two models

1, YAMAHA RX-V367 with POLK-AUDIO RM-6750 speakers

2. YAMAHA YHT-294 package,

Second one is preffered as I did not like the look of those POLK audios, secondly they tell me if I go for the polk combo, warranty is given by polk audio and not YAMAHA , So better stick with the same company, In most likely hood I will bekeeping those sorround speakers in the box and connect My SONYs and a pair of old Sansui speakers lying around, SSince all speakers are rated at 20-100 watts or 50-100 watts My speakers will be sufficient or even better, Let me just forget the sub-woofer, and route the audio to front , Just use the centre speakers from YAMAHA , That is the plan , Will let you know how it is , in a few days

 

[Rem]

Have you looked at Cambridge Audio, NAD, Denon and the likes quickboy

 

[iaudio]

If music is your priority, go for a stereo integrated amp like nad 326/marantz pm6003/cambridge audio 550, alongwith a dac like beresford caiman.

 

[quickboy]

Have you looked at Cambridge Audio, NAD, Denon and the likes quickboy

I did have a Denon a few years back , It had a stereo tuner / cd and a pair of speakers, well sounded nice, The trouble started after I got missing , freeze and crackling in CD, I could not get it serviced and finally sold it of for a pittance, So keeping away from everything which does not provide a service centre within say 100kms from My home, Found a YAMAHA dealer, so that is why this decision is made

 

[Rem]

I dont know where you live quickboy but cambridge Audio has a dealer in Kochi who could provide you with the service as well if somethg happens. CA products are generally reliable and is used by many members here cant say the same with NAD.


Dealers / Cambridge Audio

Iaudio might be able to provide you with more help with the dealer since he is from cochin.

 

[iaudio]

Both Hifilinks as well as Decibels deal in CA here in Kochi.

 

[quickboy]

I checked out a few cambridge audio amps,

Azur 550A amplifier
Power Output: 60 Watts (into 8 Ohms)
Max. Power Consumption: 500W


Azur 650A amplifier
Power Output: 75 Watts (into 8 Ohms)
Max. Power Consumption: 600W

Well I wont say these circuits are good, Very inefficient electronics, For someone like me who keeps playing My music systems in the background at home and office, This kind of inefficiency is impossible to bear, Just think of it, See the second AMP, It can output 300W consuming 600w, so half of electricity is wasted, or converted to heat, Not a practical thing to do in an era of global warming concerns, First one is more waste as it outputs only 120w consuming 500w, Also even their pre-amps cannot input SPDIF signals
Wasting electricity is a crime against your environment and society for sure.

 

[avidyarthy]

hmmmmm ... then you are a right candidate for Class T amps. Go in for a Topping TP 20.

For details on it .... search for the Toppings thread by Psychotropic. Very lean and mean amp it is .... costs 4 k landed .... "fantastic" music output @ less than 14 W. One only has to match the amp with the right impedance (8 ohm) and high sensitivity (@ 90 dB) speakers.

All the above ... a source, amp and speakers can be had for @ 15 k ... all told. This can easily take on ...... a lot of possibilities discussed.

 

[iaudio]

avidyarthy, I would have suggested that to him but for the lack of multiple input options let alone provision to accept digital inputs.

 

[Rem]

You need greener amps which in itself is a rare thg and you want the companies service center to be closer to home which would be even rarer.

I suggested those particular makes not because of their green credentials but in general they are thought to be better than yamaha's budget range.

 

[avidyarthy]

avidyarthy, I would have suggested that to him but for the lack of multiple input options let alone provision to accept digital inputs.

RCA splitter can take care of that.

 

[quickboy]

What can I make out of these specs, Can anyone say what spec of stereo speakers will match this one (I will use 8 ohms speakers)


Rated Output Power (FTC) (North American)

All channels: 50 watts minimum continuous power per channel, 8 ohm loads, 2 channels driven from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with a maximum total harmonic distortion of 0.08 %

Rated Output Power (IEC) (European and Australian) 2 ch 90 W at 4 ohms, 1 kHz, 1 ch driven Maximum Output Power (JEITA) (Asian) 90 W at 4 ohms, 1 kHz, 2 ch driven

Dynamic Power

North American: 135 W + 135 W (2 ?) 105 W + 105 W (4 ?) 70 W + 70 W (8 ?)

European and Australian:110 W + 110 W (2 ?) 90 W + 90 W (4 ?) 55 W + 55 W (8 ?)


Also can someone point out the difference of the North American Power and European /Australian/Asian power,

 

[quickboy]

Finally I have decided on the receiver, I'am going for a YAMAHA RX-V 467 (from Dubai), I think it has plenty of options and two analogue outs, plus two optical in + one co-axial, four HDMI 1.4A ( 3in +1out), User manual and FAQ says it can support a TAPE loop too, with some backdoor method described on the site, Nothing straightforward, but I think workable solution

The hunt now is for speakers, Well can someone point out,

what exactly is the difference between Wharfdale CRYSTAL and Vardus series?

Which will be better?. For a room 18x22, Mostly playing FM radio, Cassettes and Lps, sometimes there is a possibility of playing a few movies too, maybe once in two months , Any suggestions from learned members and experts here please