New audio set-up - advice needed

[admin_exported]

Hi Everyone,

I am looking for a new audio setup to connect my iPhone, PC, Xbox and PS3 to. I currently have a set of Logitech 2.1 speakers which were fine until I purchased a set of Klipsch x10is. After hearing the audio quality of the Klipsch earphones I cannot bear to listen to music out of the speakers anymore so I have decided to get the earphone sound quality out of a pair of speakers.

I have my CD library ripped to FLAC and a growing collection of music downloaded from the iTunes store so I play the most of my music from my PC. Obviously the setup will be used for gaming and films (I got old DVDs and my new purchases are in BLU-Ray or from the iTunes store). My music collection has a bit of everything in it but I’d most often play music from the Alternative genre. I also use Spotify premium as my iPhone can’t hold my entire music collection and I enjoy the radio function (if this matters).

My budget is £700 but I would be willing to bump that bit if I was getting the kind of quality I can listen to everyday for years and not get disappointed.

The first thing I have been wondering is if I should get the Sony STR-DH810 or the Yamaha A-S500. It will be primarily used for audio and at the start a stereo speaker setup. I have been thinking of eventually upgrading to a 5.1/7.1 setup but that may never happen (depends on how happy I am with speaker pair at the start and if my habits move more towards movies and games). What I want to know is the Sound quality of the Yamaha worth the extra money vs the Sony (also considering the features I will lose if I get the Yamaha)? Maybe I should spend more and get something different?

The next thing I was wondering is about the speakers. As I said I will just have 2 at the start and maybe stick with two if they are good. I was thinking of getting the Klipsch RB-51 II or the RB-61 II. The room the speakers will be in is small/medium sized. Has anyone any experience with these or are there better speakers for my money/ speakers which will work better with the amp? As I said the speakers will have to cover music/movies and games.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Anonymous]

Was £700 your budget for both speakers and amp? If so, definetly hit up the used market. Pick up something like an Arcam A85 with Monitor Audio RS6's. Could probably do that for £500 or not much more and you'd be more than happy with this setup. If you prefer an flatter, thinner sound, perhaps a Naim Nait 5i with some B&W 602 s3's.

Alternatively if you can go a bit higher money-wise, an Arcam A18 (sales on these just now) and some Monitor Audio RX1's would be teriffic. Audition this if you can, it's an impeccable setup.

 

[Anonymous]

£700 would be for both the speakers and the amp. Do you think I should spend more on the speakers or on the amp? Perhaps equal amounts on both? I have been dealing with computer speakers at £100 and complete off the shelf hifi systems at £200-£300 so anything is an upgrade!

The Arcam A18 and Monitor Audio RX1 setup would be ~£400 more than the Arcam A85 with Monitor Audio RS6's. Would I be getting a setup which sounds slightly better for a good chunk more money or a setup the sounds a whole lot better for a good chunk more money?

What would the bass be like on either of these? Have you ever heard any of Klipsch's speakers?

The nearest store that would do this equipment is ~40 miles away so I wanna know what I should be looking for before I go!

 

[ear]

check some videos of rf 52 and F1 synergy from klipsch...I got my mind set on some F1 but here in portugal no luck wither in getting them

 

[the record spot]

Don't skimp on either. You need a good amp to drive and control the speaker, so perhaps go for a relatively equal balance between the two (give or take a few quid). I tend to go for a slightly greater spend on the amp than speakers, though others have a different opinion. For vinyl though, spend most on the source. For digital sources, you can arguably (and we have here, often), spend less and often by quite some margin.

 

[ear]

see some videos of rf52 and f1synergy speakers.synergy is the entry level from klipsch and to me they sound amazing

 

[Anonymous]

What kind of music do you generally listen to?

Are you interested in floor standing speakers or stand mount or both?

You also ideally need to budget for speaker cable.

IMO going 2nd hand would be the best bet; more bang for your buck!

The Arcam A85 & Monitor Audio RS6 set up would be brilliant; better than the Arcam A18 and RX1speakers IMO. The Arcam A18 is a thin/soft sounding amp IMO.

I'd say the likes of Arcam, NAD, Rotel, Cyrus & Roksan amps would be a good start. B&W, Monitor Audio, Dynaudio, Acoustic Energy & Quad would be good speakers to aim for

 

[Craig M.]

i would try to find some 2nd hand avi adm9.1s on ebay/wherever. these active speakers include a pre amp and dac, so almost a complete system. they sound a lot like decent headphones.

they have 2 optical inputs, so any source with an optical out will work, they also have a set of rca analogue inputs. they sound infinitely better then anything price comparable. they are the biggest bargain in hifi, imo.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry for dragging this thread back up but I'm still on the hunt for a hifi setup as I was delayed. I went ahead and got a CA dacmagic, MA BX2 and some QED XT400 cables.... which leaves an amp.

Here is what I've been looking at:

Arcam A85

ROTEL RA-1062

Yamaha AS500 or AS700 (I can get the AS700 for nearly the same price)

CA 650A

Marantz PM6003 or PM6004

I can try out the newer amps but can't get my hands on the older ones. I would love to hear your opinion on them.

The A85 vs RA-1062 seems to have come up a few times on the forum with the general consensus that the A85 has no emotion? I assume these two will be better than any of the others I have listed?

You can also pick up a Marantz PM6003 refurbished with a one year warrenty for ~£180 which sounds like a real bargain to me.