DAB tuner plus Spotify streaming set up

[Vanderhorst]

Afternoon all,

First post on here so apologies for being misinformed or sounding naive.

I've wanted to build my own hi-fi system for a while, having owned compact set ups in the past. Like many now, the majority of my music is held electronically - that is on spotify or in electronic format on my PC/laptop. I'm looking to build a system that can play this music via wifi or Bluetooth, via a decent amp, such a a Cambridge Audio system (a brand I know via friends/family). Preferably the amp would be able to power decent floorstanding speakers, and potentially more than 1 pair (if I wanted to have another in a seperate room).

Now an added complication. I'd also like the ability to recieve and play back DAB radio via the system (mainly to placate the other half who enjoys listening to radio), so assuming whatever amp I need would have to have a DAC in it for the best quality playback and that I would need a seperate DAB reciever. Furthermore, sometime in the future, i'd like to have the option of adding a CD and/or turntable to the wider system.

Having done some extensive Googling, i'm pretty flumoxed as to what set up I should go with. The CA Minx looks interesting but I dont think it has the power i'll need for the future (to run other attachements or a second pair of power hungry floor standing speakers).

Has anyone got any bright ideas? Would something like a CA-Bluetooth enabled AMP (with connections and power to run two pairs of floorstanding speakers) with a CA or similar Bluetooth reciever, and then a seperate DAB system on top, work? Or can you get a CA amp with a built in bluetooth reciever, and then add a DAB radio module on top?

Again, apologies for the bone questions - just keen to get the right set up first time around!

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

First of all welcome to the forum,the size of your budget and room would be a useful piece of knowledge for us to know how best to help You achieve your goal.Not all Floorstanding speakers are as power hungry as you might think and Cambridge audio isn't the only brand out there.

 

[tino]

How about a Revo SuperSystem?

Does everything you asked for in one box.

And the reviews are good e.g. http://www.whathifi.com/revo/supersystem/review

 

[Vanderhorst]

Thanks for the replies.

Answering the questions in order:

Budget is variable. I'm of the opinion that spending more now means i'm more likely to get better quality for the future, and i am also not averse to adding components further down the line and to build the kit up over time. I've also got access to some reasonable speakers which I can use to tie me over if i need to wait and get those at a later date, and spend more on the amp/other units now. So I could stretch to £500-600 if needed to start with and then add speakers later.

Room size at the moment is approx 8m*6m, but very high ceilings. However, i'm keen to build something for the future for if and when i upsize, plus have the ability to have seperate speakers in different rooms.

I've considered an all in one (i looked closely at the Naim Qu-ub) but on balance i think i'd prefer seperate units and speakers.

As a side note, i've heard from a few people that the Google Chromecast Audio is a useful little tool for hooking up a non-wifi/bluetooth compatible amp and throwing your Spotify etc. songs on via that. Anyone had any expereince here?

Thanks

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

It sounds as though a good all in one system might suit your needs...with amp,radio and streaming capabilities.You could go down the budget route but I reckon you'll just be waiting for the next upgrade to come along if you do that and a never ending succession of box swapping (I've been there)and you end up losing money in the process.This will probably sound a bit biased but Naim have a great selection of all in one units from the unitiqute up to the superuniti with great upgrade potential and good Sound quality,also linn have a couple of products I'm not overly familiar with, the Cambridge audio minx is probably a fine unit but I think you might find it wanting when it comes time to upgrade your speakers and fill that room with the kind of sound and authority that a system from a level or two above can manage.As for everything audio...the proof is in the listening and you should really try and make a list of the products your interested in and build up a good rapour with your dealer,then try to arrange a home demo of them.

 

[tino]

Yamaha MCR-N670D or MCR-N870D.

Or an AV amp with DAB e.g. Yamaha RX-V481D

 

[davedotco]

Given that whatever you buy will be 'networked' to receive Spotify, have you considered using internet radio instead of Dab?

Once set up with a group of favourite stations it will opperate much like Dab, but will allow you a much wider choice of components.

For excellent functionality, check out the Yamaha R-N500, an 80 + 80 watt receiver that does pretty much everything (bar Bluetooth, but Bluetooth adaptors are cheap) and are currently available, in the UK at least for significantly less than £300.

Try and find a dealer who has it and try it with a handful of different speakers.

 

[Vanderhorst]

Thanks for all the replies. From the looks of it an all in one systems sounds my best bet (all in one minus the speakers that is).

Will any of the above have the ability to power decent floorstanding speakers? For some reason i'm quite set on getting a pair but if I need to temper my aspirations then please let me know. I also think that perhaps wanting to have 2 pairs of speakers run off it might be an ask to far, so i may have to settle for one.

Re DAB vs Internet radio, I was originally of the same opinion, but if for some reason my internet was to go down (unlikely I know in this modern world) then DAB felt a more resiliant option.

On the AV amps, am I likely to trade off sound quality for the visual components? The Yamaha RE V481 AV option with the DAB looks very interesting and seems to have the power i'd need.

Or perhaps i wont even notice the difference between and AV amp and a pure audio amp (espeially in the budget I am working with)? Whilst I am musical I probably dont need/wont recognise the subtle differences in tones etc.!!!

 

[Vanderhorst]

Thanks for all the replies. From the looks of it an all in one systems sounds my best bet (all in one minus the speakers that is).

Will any of the above have the ability to power decent floorstanding speakers? For some reason i'm quite set on getting a pair but if I need to temper my aspirations then please let me know. I also think that perhaps wanting to have 2 pairs of speakers run off it might be an ask to far, so i may have to settle for one.

Re DAB vs Internet radio, I was originally of the same opinion, but if for some reason my internet was to go down (unlikely I know in this modern world) then DAB felt a more resiliant option.

On the AV amps, am I likely to trade off sound quality for the visual components? The Yamaha RE V481 AV option with the DAB looks very interesting and seems to have the power i'd need.

Or perhaps i wont even notice the difference between and AV amp and a pure audio amp (espeially in the budget I am working with)? Whilst I am musical I probably dont need/wont recognise the subtle differences in tones etc.!!!

 

[Vanderhorst]

I think i'm getting closer to a solution.

CA Minx - like the brand but is 40W enough of a punch, as per previous comments?

Onkyo TX 8150 - respected brand and seems to do what I need - anyone got any thoughts?

Trying not to add Yamaha to the mix but perhaps I ought to be?

 

[TomSawyer]

When asked a question like this, I'm always reminded of:

Powerful, good sound quality, cheap - you can have any two but not all three!

Of course, there are options that come closer than others, but to be honest, to get the functionality you want for around £500 - £600, without speakers, you are looking at a small all in one or a relatively low budget streamer/amp pair. To put it into context, the cheapest streamer/amp pairing from Cambridge Audio would be around £1200 without speakers (CXN/CXA60).

If you really want DAB and want to stay within your budget, the Marantz MCR611 does everything you want, will drive a pair of floorstanders reasonably well, has two sets of speaker posts for multi-room use and doesn't sound half bad. It can be bought from places like Superfi or Peter Tyson as a bundle with speakers for even better value.

If you want to go spearates, a budget streamer and amp from Yamaha, Marantz or Pioneer would allow you to do most of what you want (I think you'd be limited to internet radio rather than DAB though). Something like the NA6005/PM6005 from Marantz. If you can stretch your budget, then many more options become available.

 

[Leeps]

I also think that perhaps wanting to have 2 pairs of speakers run off it might be an ask to far, so i may have to settle for one.

If you want to look at multi-room in the future, then I'd consider using a brand that's set-up for multi-room at the core of your system.

Sonos, Bluesound and Yamaha (with their 'Music Cast' system) all offer a suite of products that can provide a source to your main system AND all-in-one products for other rooms.

How about this: for your main system, a Sonos Connect or Bluesound Node as your main source (which would give you Spotify, Internet Radio and streaming from a local source) and a traditional integrated amp of your choice? Using the Sonos or Bluesound as the source then opens up a wider set of amps you can look at. Ultimately, the amp/speaker combo is really important to get the sound that you like, so it might be worth demonstrating amp/speaker combos now to see what you like the sound of, even if you don't intend to buy the speakers straight away.

Sonos, Bluesound and Yamaha Music-Cast can be app-controlled in each room. So you can have the Sonos Connect or Bluesound Node in your main room and something like a Sonos Play 1, or Play 5 or a Bluesound Pulse in a second room, playing either the same music or different music to your main room. This might be easier in practice than running speaker cable from room to room.

Also, Bluesound have recently introduced their 2nd generation of products, so their first generation Node and Powernode are bargains at the moment if you can find them on Ebay and might help stretch your budget a little further.

Sonos offer the Connect (which is an unamplified source so you'd need to add an integrated amp to this) or a Sonos Connect:Amp which has a built in amp, but is not going to rival the quality or features of a separate amplifier. Similarly Bluesound offer the Node (an unamplified source) or the Powernode (with a built-in amp), but the Powernode will have fewer connections and may not rival the quality of a separate amplifier.

Yamaha offer a wide range of amplifiers, all-in-one speakers and active speakers (NX-N500) that fit into their multi-room Music-Cast system, which can be app-controlled rather like Sonos and Bluesound equivalents. I would have recommended the NX-N500 as your main system as it just comes in your budget and offers all the funtionality you would need (Spotify Connect, internet radio, amp and speakers) but it might struggle in your large room, so the other options I mentioned above might be better. Check out the Yamaha WXC-50 £299 equivalent to the Sonos Connect, or the WXA-50 £399 that includes amplification.

 

[Leeps]

Just noticed that the Yamaha WXC-50 acts as a full pre-amp too, so all you need to add is a power amplifier or active speakers. It looks like a really well thought out bit of kit for the money. You could always look for used power amps to pair with it, but this does limit your demo options.

So how about this as a system option:

Yamaha WXC-50 £300 (Spotify, internet radio, Airplay, Bluetooth, pre-amp and multi-room app control)

Cambridge 651W £300 from Richer Sounds (clearance item originally £700) - a 100 wpc power amplifier that will happily drive most speakers out there.

 

[Deleted member 160668]

I have an Arcam rBlink Bluetooth receiver which is plugged into my Linn system. This allows me to stream Spotify at extreme 320kb/s level which I have to say sounds amazing. I've done CD vs Bluetooth same song comparisons where start songs at same time then flip between inputs. There is such a negligible difference when compared to a CD. I am very very pleased with its performance.

Worth a thought as can attach to anything.

 

[Deleted member 160668]

To add to previous comment...

i then control everything from my phone, and for Radio there are multiple apps to choose from.