New System to Play Music and TV Sound

[emptage]

Firstly I am not certain if I am posting this in the right forum but I had to start somewhere.

My current system is a Naim 5i amp with a Naim CD 5i CD player and Kef Q300 speakers on Super Dreadnought stands. I also have a very old Hitachi tuner which is used occasionally. I play CDs, music files, mostly flac, stored on my computer and streamed through my system with Sonos, and Amazon music. I expect the CDs to reduce and most of my listening will be from my music files and Amazon.

I am planning on re-organising my living room and replacing my ancient 32" Sony non smart TV with a new smart model.

If possible I would like to take the opportunity to ditch my existing system and replace it with something which as well as playing my music will also connect to my TV sound. I would like to house it in the same cabinet as the new TV will sit on and which will also contain my Virgin box and Humax box. I would like to speakers to also sit on the cabinet if possible, either side of the TV.

My budget for the new system is £1000 - £1200 although I don't have to spend all of that

All suggestions gratefully received

 

[twinkletoes]

Firstly I am not certain if I am posting this in the right forum but I had to start somewhere.

My current system is a Naim 5i amp with a Naim CD 5i CD player and Kef Q300 speakers on Super Dreadnought stands. I also have a very old Hitachi tuner which is used occasionally. I play CDs, music files, mostly flac, stored on my computer and streamed through my system with Sonos, and Amazon music. I expect the CDs to reduce and most of my listening will be from my music files and Amazon.

I am planning on re-organising my living room and replacing my ancient 32" Sony non smart TV with a new smart model.

If possible I would like to take the opportunity to ditch my existing system and replace it with something which as well as playing my music will also connect to my TV sound. I would like to house it in the same cabinet as the new TV will sit on and which will also contain my Virgin box and Humax box. I would like to speakers to also sit on the cabinet if possible, either side of the TV.

My budget for the new system is £1000 - £1200 although I don't have to spend all of that

All suggestions gratefully received

No need to get rid of what you have just get your self a blue sound node 2i 202q version (this has and hdmi port.) and then you can stream through as well. Getting rid if you Sonos (box?). This will offer better quality of sound for you. Blue Sound sound is around 500 quid or so.

but if you want to get something different altogether there are many options. From sound bars to surround sound. Sony and Sonos having some very compelling options

I don’t really know your listening habits but I generally think your going to find hard to replace what you have for 1200 quid sound quality wise. Your going to have to except a compromise of some sort

 

[shadders]

If possible I would like to take the opportunity to ditch my existing system and replace it with something which as well as playing my music will also connect to my TV sound. I would like to house it in the same cabinet as the new TV will sit on and which will also contain my Virgin box and Humax box. I would like to speakers to also sit on the cabinet if possible, either side of the TV.

Hi,
I assume you are looking to sell your Naim gear ?, or just the amplifier ? or other ?

I don’t really know your listening habits but I generally think your going to find hard to replace what you have for 1200 quid sound quality wise. Your going to have to except a compromise of some sort

Wouldn't the Blusound Powernode 2 be more than adequate here as a substitue to the Naim amplifier and can be placed in the cabinet etc. ?

Regards,
Shadders.

 

[Captain Haddock]

I just bought a Bluesound Powernode and I am very satisfied with the sound. It sounded better than my NAD D7050 amplifier. I kept the same speakers. They sound also better. The soundstage is very good.
You can connect your new TV via eARC.
You have many different streaming channels to choose from.
I was very happy with it.

 

[emptage]

Many thanks for the replies so far, very helpful

I have not made a firm decision about whether to keep the Naim amp or not, it depends what the alternatives are.

I want to retain the ability to play CDs, either with the Naim or having a music streamer with a built in CD player, if such a thing exists.

I really would want to lose the speaker stands so wold want a quality pair of speakers which could sit either side of the TV on the cabinet is possible.

The existing HiFi system is located in a cabinet the other end of a long, narrow living room to where the TV cabinet will be so there is no possibility of hard wiring anything to anything which remains in the HIFI cabinet. The room is 26ft long and 11ft wide.

How much would I need to spend to get a comparable system to the one I have now.

Sorry to be so vague about this.

 

[Captain Haddock]

You could digitize your cd collection. This will save you much space. (We lived on a boat where space is scarce. A new book in meant another book out.) You could put the files on a portable disk (1 or 2 TB) and connect this to the Powernode. It will give you access to your cd collection in the app.
This way your cd-player can be removed and sold.
Apart from your own collection there are many high quality music streaming apps to choose from. Also internet radio stations.
As I like to see what the album looks like I have an iPad with the Bluesound app on a stand that shows the covers of the music that is being played.
I can control the Powernode either from the iPad or from my Phone.
The Powernode itself has also the necessary controls. There are 5 presets on the top of the Powernode that you can program at will. There you can adjust the volume and skip forward or backwards. On or off.

As I said, you can hook up your new TV via eARC. This way you have the sound of your TV or DVD player direct on your speakers and you don't need a soundbar.

The only thing you need is a pair of speakers. Almost all speakers can be handled well by the Powernode and the sound will be surprisingly good. You might add a subwoofer if you like. There is a connection for a sub and you can adjust the crossover in the app.
You can either keep the speakers you have (try them first) or buy new speakers that fit your budget and needs.

By the way, I am speaking of the Powernode N330 (year 2021). The sound is better than the Powernode 2i.

 

[Captain Haddock]

May be too much pushing but I like to present a fine and informative review of the Powernode.

View: https://youtu.be/NdCgCFtf5fg

 

[emptage]

Having looked at it again my budget is clearly insufficient so I will increase that. Before I can decide my total budget I need to understand what of my existing system I need to keep. I didn't realise that some music streamers, such as would also need an amp and some would not.

Part of the objective is to improve the sound quality, changing the speakers will help here, as well as reduce the number of units I need to connect. I have decided to forget CDs and concentrate on streaming the music I hold on my PC and a streaming service such as Amazon. The question is do I keep my old Naim amp and simply add a streamer, or lose the amp and buy an integrated amp and streamer. Which will give me the best sound quality and flexibility when it comes to sources. My revised budget is £3000 if I keep my Naim amp or £3300 if I don't. This needs to cover streamer and new small speakers.

Any other advice and suggestions

 

[rainsoothe]

Having looked at it again my budget is clearly insufficient so I will increase that. Before I can decide my total budget I need to understand what of my existing system I need to keep. I didn't realise that some music streamers, such as would also need an amp and some would not.

Part of the objective is to improve the sound quality, changing the speakers will help here, as well as reduce the number of units I need to connect. I have decided to forget CDs and concentrate on streaming the music I hold on my PC and a streaming service such as Amazon. The question is do I keep my old Naim amp and simply add a streamer, or lose the amp and buy an integrated amp and streamer. Which will give me the best sound quality and flexibility when it comes to sources. My revised budget is £3000 if I keep my Naim amp or £3300 if I don't. This needs to cover streamer and new small speakers.

Any other advice and suggestions

Hi - no matter how much you spend, if you keep the speakers on the console, you'll neuter it completely. Are you sure you can't accomodate stands or floorstanders? (maybe small ones that can be placed somewhat close to wall).

Otherwise, I'd keep the Naim boxes to be honest, and invest in a streamer + speakers. Bluesound Node is a great place to start, since it has an above average user interface, and you can add a dac later if you feel it's lacking, and you can throw the rest of your budgy into speakers - if they MUST be on a shelf, maybe look into bbc type monitors, like Falcon Acoustics / Graham Audio Chartwell / Rogers / Harbeth P3esr / Spendor A1, that kind of stuff. Those won't do bass, but they have midranges to die for.

If you can accomodate larger stuff, check out LKH Model 5, Martin Logan Motion 20, Spendor A2 and... to be fair, the world's your oyster.

Try to go and audition for yourself, and let your ears decide (after a home demo, preferably).

 

[emptage]

Hi - no matter how much you spend, if you keep the speakers on the console, you'll neuter it completely. Are you sure you can't accomodate stands or floorstanders? (maybe small ones that can be placed somewhat close to wall).

Otherwise, I'd keep the Naim boxes to be honest, and invest in a streamer + speakers. Bluesound Node is a great place to start, since it has an above average user interface, and you can add a dac later if you feel it's lacking, and you can throw the rest of your budgy into speakers - if they MUST be on a shelf, maybe look into bbc type monitors, like Falcon Acoustics / Graham Audio Chartwell / Rogers / Harbeth P3esr / Spendor A1, that kind of stuff. Those won't do bass, but they have midranges to die for.

If you can accomodate larger stuff, check out LKH Model 5, Martin Logan Motion 20, Spendor A2 and... to be fair, the world's your oyster.

Try to go and audition for yourself, and let your ears decide (after a home demo, preferably).

Thanks Rainsoothe

I could have smaller stands as long as they are smaller than my Super Dreadnoughts which are 60cm x23cm x26cm.

It seems my plan to have the sound, TV, PC files, Streaming services and devices, all coming from one set of speakers is not going to work because of the narrowness of the room, just under 11 ft wide by 26 ft long, think portacabin. I also wanted to reduce the number of different units I have to connect. Currently the speakers are at the other end of the room, where the existing amp, cd player and tuner are located, and facing lengthways.

I think I will have to revert to the original plan of having a soundbar for the TV

 

[twinkletoes]

Hi,
I assume you are looking to sell your Naim gear ?, or just the amplifier ? or other ?

Wouldn't the Blusound Powernode 2 be more than adequate here as a substitue to the Naim amplifier and can be placed in the cabinet etc. ?

Regards,
Shadders.

I don’t think so no, seeing as the naim is “dumb” amp everything has been spent on the typology inside and not other necessities. It will sound vastly superior imo.

It depends what the op is looking for.

I know wouldn’t sell an amp that has no reason not to last a life time and can augmented with a “ smart” box for very little outlay.

 

[emptage]

Thanks for all the responses, I have found them very helpful. I have decided to temporarily suspend my plan to try to integrate the HiFi system with TV sound and instead buy a soundbar for the TV and also try to improve my existing HiFi system, that will be the subject of a separate post