What do i need?-Requirement Audio stereo music only

[neo]

Hic Hic Im gidy with all the tech talk already.
Coming back to magma's questions.
I feel that for your budget you are better of buying a bookshelf. Even though you might have to compromise a bit on the low freq.
Magma in you car would you start with a good set of spks & then add a woofer? or get ordinary spks & a woofer? Just so that you can say that you are playing the full frequency range, but what about accuracy & tonality?
I hope what Im getting at.
Cheers.

 

[arj]

p.s : is there anyone here who uses only bookshelves for audio and does not miss a sub

Magma, I use a pair Of Merlin TSMs (Down to 44Hz at 3dB) in a dedicated 11X14 room. I do have a sub (It is a MJ acoustic Ref 100 clone) I dont really need to use it for most music (Rock/Jazz/Vocals/Film). the only time I hook it on is usually if i put any organ music or test discs
But a good sub can add a lot more to onse ejoyment but at a price.. a Good Sub is very expensive. the Rels for music etc start at 50K and ideally you need 2 .

tatther than buying one of those 10-20K subs you are better of investing in a better bookshelf. with the righ amps they can give enough thump.

 

[magma]

@venkat
sir
thank you so much for your inputs.the links were immenseley helpful
(they kept me glued to my laptop more than my wife would like!)
As you have suggested i will audition a few brands and get back to you all.

i always do carry my test cds whenever i go to an electronics/audio store

@flaker and marsilians
guys! i need to meet you fellows!! count me in for the beer session too someday(i dont drink but man can i eat!)
loved your tech talk

i do strongly agree that music is to be heard and felt.the sub has always been important to me.refer my first post where i have mentioned that i do like to listen to the entire spectrum.
that last guitar string must be felt

neo
you were spot on about my car
i did choose the best speakers i could afford.
later on i added the sub


arj
50k for a sub
man i dont have the luxury of spending that kind of money on a sub.(and if my wife sees this post im gonna be banned from this forum as well!)

i will be auditioning jamo and warefdale over the weekendwill post my inputs.

i have changed my mind reagurding florstanders.
one reason is that they would look too big for my room/not fit in well
the other reason is well....sub is a sub .i think i would upgrade one day to a sub(the more i loiter around you people/this forum the faster it will be!

my requirement now is
good bookshelf speakers (i know good ones arent cheap but all i have is 15-18k whatever i get i will take).please advice ones with decent bass considering the absence of sub

since i plan to upgrade to a sub later, what is your advice on amp/receiver?

should i now look for a stereo receiver with a sub pre out ( i think most have it nway)
OR
do i still look at an integrated amp to which i can connect my bookshelves as well as a sub?
is this possible? how do i look for such an integrated amp? ( i mean what am i looking for when i read the specs, ? )

please do help me shortlist at least 3 models of bookshleves i should audition to start my journey(budge as mentioned 15k-18k MAX)

thank you to all
lookin forward to your inputs

 

[arj]

For the budget you are considering you should seriously consider Sonodyne Or Norge as well.. they are supposedly quite VFM. Wharfedale is also supposedly good at entry level, although from what i have aheard from folks Jamos are more suted for HT at the entry level.

If you are not hellbent on New equipment you may get better used equipment in this forum, although you may have to wait and watch !

 

[neo]

Hey! Magama.

I would suggest you get a good intgrated amp & not a receiver. You can add a decent Fm tuner to it. For the kind of sound you like i think Camridge Audio should be your ticket. The i guess should be 540 but i'm not aware of the price, i'm sure someone on this forum will let you know.

The spk's can be Wharfdale D9 series, Tannoy Mercury custom F1 etc.

All the best.
Cheers.

 

[persiflage]

Magma,

As the cliche goes, system matching is everything; so do make sure you have a fair idea what the rest of your system is going to be, even if you do buy components piecemeal due to budgetary contraints.

Do consider buying pre-owned; much better quality for your money.

If I may ask, what is the overall budget? (Amp + speakers + stands)?

Persiflage

 

[magma]

respected members

some unanswered questions ( i await replies)

1. Would a mp3 disc or i pod with mp3's (340kbps) sound better using a receiver or a stereo integrated amp or it does not matter?(its gonna sound crap nway!)
i ask this question owing to the fact that im confused if the receivers(or is it the cdp's) have some DAC that would help the reproduction of mp3

i remember reading a fellow member gopi who bought an external DAC to connect to his dvd player so he could achive better from mp3 cds

if the above is a fact what is advisable for me considering the fact that i will be using my ipod(with mp3) as source for some time?


2. i like my music a little(not as much as jbl speakers though) forward/upfront
sounding rather than laid back.

i have shortlisted a few speakers please do guide me considering the above

requirments ( budget 35k speakers+amp/reciever, 2.0 setup only - no sub,music-classic rock ,room size 12*16apprx)

i have shortlisted following (owing purely to budget constraints.)
i hope to narrow down the list once i audition.
Also looking forward to your help in narrowing down this list


Speakers (please note im not too sure of pricing please do correct me
bookshelves
Wharfedale 9.2 or (12.5k-13k)
PSB's Alpha B1s, (15k)
Mordount Short Avant 902i(11-12k)- a review says these are good but lack in bass . is this true?
monitor audio br2(17-18.5k)
kef iq series
tannoy mercury custom F1(16k)

floor standers (these are the only floorstanders i can look at owing to budget,that too if my prices are not way off!)

Wharfedale Diamond 8.3 (17,000)
Mission M33i (17,500)
warfdale diamond 9.5 (these are 20-22k if im correct and if i get these i will have to get the norge gold 1000 amplifier to stay in budget)
Jamo 606 ((these are 23k if im correct and if i get these i will have to get the norge gold 1000 amplifier to stay in budget)
Jamo 406 ( 12k)


please do help e narrow down the speakers
i believe we solve the amplifier choices once the speakers are a bit narrowed down

looking forward to your responses

 

[moserw]

respected members

some unanswered questions ( i await replies)

1. Would a mp3 disc or i pod with mp3's (340kbps) sound better using a receiver or a stereo integrated amp or it does not matter?(its gonna sound crap nway!)
i ask this question owing to the fact that im confused if the receivers(or is it the cdp's) have some DAC that would help the reproduction of mp3

i remember reading a fellow member gopi who bought an external DAC to connect to his dvd player so he could achive better from mp3 cds

if the above is a fact what is advisable for me considering the fact that i will be using my ipod(with mp3) as source for some time?

Do you already have an AVR? In the above scenario DAC is the best option to improve SQ. Audiophiles will probably kill me for saying this, but I have heard mp3s sound as good as the original Audio CD with a Bryston DAC.

2. i like my music a little(not as much as jbl speakers though) forward/upfront
sounding rather than laid back.

i have shortlisted a few speakers please do guide me considering the above

requirments ( budget 35k speakers+amp/reciever, 2.0 setup only - no sub,music-classic rock ,room size 12*16apprx)

i have shortlisted following (owing purely to budget constraints.)
i hope to narrow down the list once i audition.
Also looking forward to your help in narrowing down this list


Speakers (please note im not too sure of pricing please do correct me
bookshelves
Wharfedale 9.2 or (12.5k-13k)
PSB's Alpha B1s, (15k)
Mordount Short Avant 902i(11-12k)- a review says these are good but lack in bass . is this true?
monitor audio br2(17-18.5k)
kef iq series
tannoy mercury custom F1(16k)

floor standers (these are the only floorstanders i can look at owing to budget,that too if my prices are not way off!)

Wharfedale Diamond 8.3 (17,000)
Mission M33i (17,500)
warfdale diamond 9.5 (these are 20-22k if im correct and if i get these i will have to get the norge gold 1000 amplifier to stay in budget)
Jamo 606 ((these are 23k if im correct and if i get these i will have to get the norge gold 1000 amplifier to stay in budget)
Jamo 406 ( 12k)


please do help e narrow down the speakers
i believe we solve the amplifier choices once the speakers are a bit narrowed down

looking forward to your responses

If you are not planning on going for a sub then you will need something like Wharfedale Diamond 9.6 (not sure of cost). Other Wharfedale's like 9.5 would be good too, but will not give that much bass output. In my view 2.1 is always better than 2.0 even for stereo music so getting a sub would be a better option.

Finally my own thoughts here - Don't compromise especially due to budgetary constraints. Its better to put off purchasing equipment for sometime till you have more finances and can get what you really want instead of compromising or going for something with a "fixed" budget. Let me tell you (as will others on this forum) that all of us have overshot our budget when setting up our HT systems or even our Hi-Fi systems. Especially it will be painful when you have money later on but are stuck with something that you purchased with a limited/fixed budget. Yeah you might upgrade later on, but why waste money on something intermediary then?

Anyways to sum up. If you already have an AVR then DAC is the route to go to improve SQ especially for mp3s. For speakers I would recommend Wharfedale followed by Tannoy and KEF for your requirements. I would not recommend Jamo, and have not heard Mordaunt-Short Avant or Monitor Audio so I cannot talk about them.

 

[magma]

as all audio forums - initial budgets never work out!
the more i read the more im convinced about what moserw says

"Finally my own thoughts here - Don't compromise especially due to budgetary constraints. Its better to put off purchasing equipment for sometime till you have more finances and can get what you really want instead of compromising or going for something with a "fixed" budget. Let me tell you (as will others on this forum) that all of us have overshot our budget when setting up our HT systems or even our Hi-Fi systems. Especially it will be painful when you have money later on but are stuck with something that you purchased with a limited/fixed budget. Yeah you might upgrade later on, but why waste money on something intermediary then?"

 

[magma]

Anyways to sum up. If you already have an AVR then DAC is the route to go to improve SQ especially for mp3s. .

i have not understood this statement
you mean to say if i already have an AVR or plan on buying an AVR i would require an external DAC for my mp3 source?
if thats correct

then my question is
when would i NOT require a DAC (if my source id gonna be an ipod with mp3's)

 

[marsilians]

1. Would a mp3 disc or i pod with mp3's (340kbps) sound better using a receiver or a stereo integrated amp or it does not matter?(its gonna sound crap nway!)
i ask this question owing to the fact that im confused if the receivers(or is it the cdp's) have some DAC that would help the reproduction of mp3

The AVR provides what is called as Digital Signal Processing fields (Jazz, Townhall, concert are the names that the manufacturers provide) that will change (read distort sometimes) the source. This audio circuitry will convert the input signal into the setting you specify in the AVR.

So a source could sound better as also it may sound worse. Its for you to decide which DSP you like. Most people use Dolby Digital PL-II music or DTS-Neo Music in their AVRs.

Go online to yamaha.com and pull up any AVRs user manual (pdf format) and read about the DSP fields to get an idea.

 

[moserw]

i have not understood this statement
you mean to say if i already have an AVR or plan on buying an AVR i would require an external DAC for my mp3 source?
if thats correct

then my question is
when would i NOT require a DAC (if my source id gonna be an ipod with mp3's)

magma,

A DAC will improve SQ. It is however not necessary or required or essential per se. It purely depends on what you want and how much you want to spend to improve SQ. I only meant if you already have an AVR then invest in a DAC instead of another AVR or a stereo amp as the DAC will give more bang for your buck.

You can initially play music via your iPod and see if you like the sound of it. If you are happy then leave it alone. If you want to improve then audition/check out with friends some DACs or even borrow and connect to your setup to see how much of a difference it will make. A good DAC even with an iPod/DVDP etc. will give very good SQ.

 

[neo]

Magama! Go & audition a few spks & see what you like. You would be in a better position to ask & understand stuff.

I would go the integrated amp route rather than a receiver. As i've mentioned earlier th CA 540 or the marantz 6002 should be your choice of amp.

First sort out the spk & amp, then worry about the front end or you'll keep on geting confused.

 

[arj]

You can initially play music via your iPod and see if you like the sound of it. If you are happy then leave it alone. If you want to improve then audition/check out with friends some DACs or even borrow and connect to your setup to see how much of a difference it will make. A good DAC even with an iPod/DVDP etc. will give very good SQ.

Not sure if I agree with the above ! Ipods do not have a Digital out . unless you buy something like a Wadia Doc for it !

Magma, regarding a separate DAC. MP3s are also PCM data hence any dac will treat it the same as a regular audio file although the resolution is much lower. but yes a good DAC can make that also sound better than an inadequate one.

regarding your questions

1. Would a mp3 disc or i pod with mp3's (340kbps) sound better using a receiver or a stereo integrated amp or it does not matter?(its gonna sound crap nway!)
....

if the above is a fact what is advisable for me considering the fact that i will be using my ipod(with mp3) as source for some time?


2. i like my music a little(not as much as jbl speakers though) forward/upfront
sounding rather than laid back.

No. for an Ipod, you dont need a separate DAC. just connect the analogue out to the stereo reciever. you do get a cable by apple that splits the headphone out into 2 separate RCA outlets for left and right. A stereo receiver is basically a tuner + an Int amp. so the model with a better INt amp will make it sound better . for the same budget most Int amps should be better..


From your list on speakers ..(they are all good and your own mileage will vary) my suggestions is, Monitor Audio/PSB or the Wharfedale booshelves.

Couple it with any if the entry level NAD/Rotel/Marantz or Cambridge audio int amps and you have a good system.

The cd player itself is a very important component..buy the ipod output IMHO might be better than most entry level DVDps. so you should be ok. but do check out the output with a decdicated cdp so you can get an idea of an possible upgrade in the future

 

[magma]

Magama! Go & audition a few spks & see what you like. You would be in a better position to ask & understand stuff.

I would go the integrated amp route rather than a receiver. As i've mentioned earlier th CA 540 or the marantz 6002 should be your choice of amp.

First sort out the spk & amp, then worry about the front end or you'll keep on geting confused.

thanks neo
this is EXACTLY what i intend to do.(however the doubt below will tell you why i was worried about the front end!)

also guys. i do know what i DAC is and how the ipod connects to it or how it would connect to a receiver/stero amp
my only doubt was - is there a receiver with an inbuilt DAC to handle mp3's
i guess not! (was too noobish to know!)

i need some help about where i can audition the following in mumbai

i know PSB and NAD is avaible at lakozy

Jamo is probably availble at a place at waterfield road in bandra(whats the name of the place?)

warefdale is at tardeo AC market at designer audio if im not mistaken

i would lke to know where i can audition

Monitor audio

Kef

Tannoy

Audio engine A5 (interested forbedroom)-also what is its price( bill and grey market-if one exists


Also i would like to know what Pro Fx stocks in Atria Mall Mumbai Worli


please do help

 

[magma]

sirs'
i have an offer to buy

NAD DVD Player cum AV Receiver L 70 ( year of purchase 2003-reason for sale unused)

please could you help me with a fair price to offer the seller.

how would this fit into my scheme if im looking for a budget system 70% audio
other than the fact it has a built in cd player how would buying this compare with buying a NEW denon 1507/yam 463/marantz 301?

please help

 

[neo]

KEF at Pro Fx, Atria mall worli.
Monitor audio at Bommarang, Juhu, Nr prithvi theatre
Tannoy you check with Alliance4 No-contact Mr.Kadam 022-26203830,09930813708.

For Nad why don't you ask B&T.

 

[magma]

hello all

please do help me with the following

Question1
i would like to know the problems/costs if any, associated with getting a pair of speakers (bookshelf)from london (via realtives that come to mumbai frequently)
i have heard that if you carry a bill to show the items are less than 20000rs in value one is not liable to pay any duties etc?
is this true ? and will it apply to even british passport holders entering mumbai?

i am able to purchase tannoy f1 custom./warfedale 9.2 at 105 GBP.
would it be VFM in this case to buy them as stated above?

Question 2
Have any of you auditioned a warfedale 8.4?
i am able to purchase this in mumbai for 15k .(maybe a 1k discount)
is buying this speaker advisable ? i have liked how the 9.2 sounds however i am not able to audition the 8.4
please do give your opinions- 8.4 or 9.2/Tannoy/PSB alpha B1.

 

[venkatcr]

Question1
i would like to know the problems/costs if any, associated with getting a pair of speakers (bookshelf)from london (via realtives that come to mumbai frequently) i have heard that if you carry a bill to show the items are less than 20000rs in value one is not liable to pay any duties etc?
is this true ? and will it apply to even british passport holders entering mumbai?

The rules are the same for everyone. The customs may look kindly to a person with a foreign passport. I brought a pair of bookshelves all the way from the US without any hassle. I don't think they will even bother to ask for duty on a pair of bookshelf speakers.

The 9.2 will be packed as a pair and they can be checked in. If there are two people travelling, then it should be easy.

i am able to purchase tannoy f1 custom./warfedale 9.2 at 105 GBP. would it be VFM in this case to buy them as stated above?

At 105, you will get the pair at around 10K. They are certainly good VFM if you don't have to pay anything more.

Question 2
Have any of you auditioned a warfedale 8.4? i am able to purchase this in mumbai for 15k .(maybe a 1k discount) is buying this speaker advisable ? i have liked how the 9.2 sounds however i am not able to audition the 8.4
please do give your opinions- 8.4 or 9.2/Tannoy/PSB alpha B1.

Between the 8.4 and the 9.2, I would suggest you go with the 9.2.

Between the 9.2 and the Alpha B1s ..... now that is difficult to answer. Both are good speakers, and the new Alpha B1s are even better than their earlier predecessors. I can think of the following points off hand:

1. The 9.2 will be easier to drive and have a larger soundstage.
2. The 9.2s may have a very tiny advantage in terms of handling low frequencies.
3. The B1s will have a better crossover, and deliver more clarity, particularly between low and mid frequencies.

All these are nit picking. You should listen to the B1s also.

Cheers

 

[marsilians]

hello all


Question 2
Have any of you auditioned a warfedale 8.4?
i am able to purchase this in mumbai for 15k .(maybe a 1k discount)
is buying this speaker advisable ? i have liked how the 9.2 sounds however i am not able to audition the 8.4
please do give your opinions- 8.4 or 9.2/Tannoy/PSB alpha B1.

Hi magma,

I have auditioned both the 8.4 and 9.2 however at different times. I did the 8.4 around 2005 if I recall correctly.

Some things I am recalling from then on : (I was not making notes at the time so this is purely going by memory - so take at whatever value).

The build was OK and even then it was considered budget floorstanders. After listening to a few others Wharf's after that I can say that they have the distinct English sound though they soundstage may not have been that huge. This is not a con but given the materials used in the build process and the cost of manuf it was decent.

The primary thing about thsi brand I have noticed is the placement of speakers - they sound noticeably different at differnet positions (moving forwards/sideways away from walls and so on).

They are a good VFM if you get them. The 9.2 sound a bit better I think but again there is nothing against the 8.4 that should make one drop it off their list if they have it on.

Sorry this note may sound vague but its been many years since I listened to them.