In which pricerange do I get most bang for the buck? (New setup)

[lindsayt]

Troels Gravesen speaks a lot of sense on his website.

 

[Freddy58]

How long is a piece of string?

Usually about the same length as the average basic domestic hifi interconnect cable.

But it's probably best to avoid string altogether and use wireless ethernet.

JC

I had a piece of string once, that was about 30-40cm long.it was very useful on many occasions.

:rofl:

 

[Ajani]

Hello.

Yesterday when I came home and turned on my amp - it died. To be honest, the +10 years old pioneer had deserved the retirement for some time already. It was paired up with a set of bose speakers and a subwoofer - not a setup which I have been too thrilled about (got it from a friend 2nd hand)

So, now I am looking for a new setup. I am interested in finding out in which pricerange I get the most for the money. I don't want to buy a setup too cheap and become disapointed, but I also don't have unlimited funds.

So, in which pricerange do I get most for the money when it comes to speakers? Note that I only ask about the speakers since it seems to me, that it is wiser to find the speakers I want and afterwards match them with an amp that gives the sound I want.

As a second note I wont write any budget since I don't find that relevant when it comes to my question about most bang for the buck

About the listening room: It will be standing in a room around 14-17 m2.

Kind regards

IMO, the best bang for the buck will always be at the cheaper price ranges, simply because it is far easier to exceed your performance expectations at a lower price than at a high one... Put it this way: You may be amazed that a speaker that only cost $200 sounds as good as it does... But the odds of you being amazed that a speaker ONLY costs $200,000, considering its sound quality, is very very very low. As the price goes up you will tend to expect a lot more of the product...

So if you want bang for your buck look at cheaper options.

That said: I don't recommend shopping based on bang for your buck. You may very well spend $1K on a system rather than $2K, because you were amazed at how much of the more expensive system's performance was captured at just half the price. However, you may find that you only admire the $1K system rather than really love it. In which case you will constantly wonder "what if?", rather than just enjoying your new purchase.

I'm not suggesting to throw as much money as you can afford at a setup, but only to make sure that you find one that really meets your sonic expectations, rather than one that impresses mainly because of how relatively cheap it is....

 

[EvPa]

Dear Stephan,

Really sorry for not replying sooner, I was doing a bit of business travel these past few days...

Have you demo'ed both the nuPro and the ARTist series?

I own a pair of ARTist 6s at home and listened to nuPro A-300s for a few hours while at a friend's house in Münich back in January.

When I look on the specs on the ARTist 6, they only go down to 48 Hz which could worry me a bit since I would like to avoid a subwoofer

While I have the ARTist 6s connected through a Sub7 (ADAM Audio's smallest subwoofer), there is not that much difference during normal music listening, it mostly serves while watching TV and movies (on that note, a lot of TV programmes have way too much bass in their soundtrack).

For TV-viewing purposes, my satellite set-top box is connected directly to the Sub7 via RCA cables, the Sub7 is then connected to the ARTist 6s via XLR microphone cables; other sources (PC, PS3, SONOS Connect) are connected to the Sub7 via XLR microphone cables through a Matrix Mini-i Pro.

What's nice with that sub is that you can instantly switch it off (as well as disable the satellite filter) with a simple cheap footswitch so you can easily compare the sound with or without it.

Of course an ARTist6 setup without a subwoofer is not ideal for pipe organ stuff (which I do enjoy).

I am not too familiar with all the terms yet so correct me if I understand it wrongly, but as I interpret it, I won't get the most detailed sound image where you would be able to "follow" the sound moving around you.

I did not notice this while I listed to the A-300 (with a wide range of musical styles), though maybe the reviewer has higher standards than I do.

A pair of Silver 1 goes for 560£ in Denmark where I can get nuPro 300 for 920 £ and the ARTist 6 for 910 £. So, if taken into consideration, that I would need an amp for the Silver 1 (or silver 2) speakers, I think that the price would be around the same among the 3 options listed above. When it comes to this matchup, where would I get the most for the money?

nuPro A-300, you won't need a separate DAC or preamp (unlike with the ARTist 6) and it comes with a nice remote.

Best regards

 

[davedotco]

So far, I would like to thank for all the response. This is not me shutting down the thread though. It is just often forgotten to show your appriciation on forums like this

I see a lot of you are pointing out active speakers. I may be stuck in a tradition trap, but active speakers aren't the first speakers that come into my mind when I thought about a new setup. In generel I see a lot of talk about active speakers on whathifi, but I havn't been able to find much information elswhere on the internet.

So, I am not rejecting the idea about active speakers though I may admit I am a bit skeptical about the idea. I am from Denmark and since there are so few of us danish people, it can be difficult to find a big hifi store to test things --> especially with recommended products that may not be available in Denmark. Another thing, is it possible to have active speakers hooked up to several sources at the same time so changing between sound coming from fx the telly or the computer goes rather smooth?

Until now my own considerations have been pointed toward passive speakers, so I will just make a note about that;

The brands I have been looking at so far are mainly Dali, Monitor Audio and B&W. I tend to lean towards Monitor Audio but I see a lot of positive response to both Dali and B&W as well. Maybe even more than what I have read about MA. Also if I compare the review from WhatHifi. So, am I wrong when it comes to MA? Do you, in generel, get more for your money when buying Dali or B&W when you compare the quality. I do know that sound is subjective but in some way I guess the quality of the components and such should indicate if it is a ripoff or not. I guess noone of you would pay 10.000£ for a set used Dali Concept 6 speakers.

The reason I think I lean towards MA may have something to do with the store where I have heard them. The room has without doubt been more optimized for listening than at the other store. The MA's have therefore been more impressive to me since I have been able to hear a lot of details and the sound image have been very clear.

The other store selling B&W and Dali havn't really had a dedicated listening room and just played it as they stood in the store. Compared with the experince from the store dealing MA, I havn't been nearly as impressed there. So, once again. Have I been given a bad impression of Dali and B&W compared to MA?

The models I have been looking at so far have been the BX-serie (BX2 or BX5), Silver 1, 2 or 6, Dali Ikon 1, 2 or 5, B&Ws new 685 serie.

I would like to highlight once again, though a big part of my post involves passive speakers, that this is merely due to lacking knowledge about active speakers and that I would like to know more about these as well. Especially when it comes to versus passive speakers and the sound differences.

Hi Stephan, your basic requirement is pretty much identical to my own and a year or two back I spent some time looking into this.

I am used to a pretty good system so I found most of the usual budget options, many of them recommended on here to be totally unsatisfactory. For a combination of dac, amplifier and speakers (which is what you need) I found decent options could be found for around £1500-2000.

For your (and mine) requirements the ADM9 is an excellent choice, partly because everything is integrated in the speaker cabinets and you dispense with expensive casework and interconnects. I fully appreciate that being in Denmark makes this rather difficult but you should do some research.

For £1250 all in the ADMs offer a very elegant and high performing system that suits you requirements to a T, only downsides being that you may want (not need, for music anyway) a subwoofer and upgrading is extremely limited.

If you choose to go down the coventional component system route then I strongly recomend that you go with the dealer who seems most interested in helping you. Buying the complete system from one dealer gives you the option of changing things that yo don't like or don't work once you get them home.

For what it is worth, of the speakers you mention, I much prefer the Dali.

 

[Stephan A]

If I lived in Denmark I would buy the 'Ellam Flex' 3-way floorstanders that Troels Gravesen is selling.

Thank you for your suggestion. I am not having doubt about the quality of the speaker but they are a bit too much for my simple needs. It would be a shame for me to buy such pair of speakers and not getting to enjoy them fully when someone els could

 

[Stephan A]

Hello EvPa.

Thank you for taking your time to get back to me

I own a pair of ARTist 6s at home and listened to nuPro A-300s for a few hours while at a friend's house in Münich back in January.

I would very much like to hear more about your experience with the nuPro A-300 compared to both your ADAM ARTist6 and also passive speakers if you have any to share on that matter as well.

Where do you find the difference? And how do you find the nuPro speaker sounding? Is it only an active speaker with a deep bass or is the sound also open with a nice soundstage? Are there some elements lacking or some areas where you could wish improvement?

I did not notice this while I listed to the A-300 (with a wide range of musical styles), though maybe the reviewer has higher standards than I do.

As a side note to what I have already written. The Dali Ikon and MA RX1s openness and degree of detail have impressed me. Have you heard these speakers before and would you be able to compare them with the nuPro A-300?

nuPro A-300, you won't need a separate DAC or preamp (unlike with the ARTist 6) and it comes with a nice remote.

Best regards

So, with the ARTist6 I would need a preamp and an airport express? With the nuPro A-300 (or 200), I would only need the airport express? And with a passive system, I would need a DAC, amp and airport express next to the speakers of course?

Is that correctly understood if I want to use my laptop/iphone/stationary as my source?

Another question. I can see that the nuPro serie comes in 3 different sizes. My listening room is not any bigger than 15m2 with 2,5 meter to the ceiling at most and around 3,5 x 4 m approximately. Would the A-200 be the better size for my room or is the A-300 the way to go? I, of course, want the speaker to be able to fill the room with sweet music, but I also find no reason to overdo it

NB: I have updated the first post in this thread.

I have put together a possible setup (second hand) with a pair of passice MA RX 1 + Yamaha A-S500 + Cambridge DacMagic + Airport Express which sums up to 630 £.

Would this be a good bang for the buck, or would the amp need more power? And compared to the nuPro 200/300 - where do I get the richest sound. A question I don't think I have asked before (where I have only asked about the best bang for the buck - correct me if I am wrong)

Kind regards

I do know that I quote EvPa, but please feel free, everyone, to comment if you have words to share regarding my questions.

 

[SpursGator]

If I lived in Denmark I would buy the 'Ellam Flex' 3-way floorstanders that Troels Gravesen is selling.

Thank you for your suggestion. I am not having doubt about the quality of the speaker but they are a bit too much for my simple needs. It would be a shame for me to buy such pair of speakers and not getting to enjoy them fully when someone els could

Yeah fair enough. They are a lot of speaker. Wish I could buy them but it would be a 15 hour drive to pick them up. :-(

FWIW, I agree with DDC - among the brands you mention I like Dali the best.

 

[Nintendologist]

No easy answer to this one, apart from I'd stress a demo at a good independant HiFi retailer to initially narrow down the speakers/equipment you like, and then maybe a home demo for a short period (few days) to make sure it all works in your room.

There are too many variables to say what will work for you and your circumstances. I've had friends bring together 2nd hand equipment bought through forums and auction sites that sounds truly wonderful. Playing devil's advocate, I've also got friends who believe their iPod docking speaker is as good as a my "big HiFi" as they call it..

I agree with you - IMO start with speakers and work backwards. Don't forget good cables and interconnects (these can make a system sound much better than a more expensive but poorly linked setup). And if you can, set a budget. I know you said you don't want to work with one, but it's worth putting a stake in the ground and aiming around it, otherwise a 50k system will be the one that *should* sound better than a £500

Overall, see it as an exciting adventure towards listening to more music in the future!