[flavo]

I'm not sure if I should be doing this here or not. But since I'm going to be buying a set of GR speakers and know little to nothing about hifi I was hoping this was a good place to start. Of all the threads I have been reading in hifi forums. The folks in this section seem to be genuinely helpful and friendly. That's probably the final reason why I decided on these speakers over anyone else.

 I haven't fully decided on which MTM I will get. Started out intent on the X-MTM. Now I am thinking I will go with the N3. As it's at the top of my budget and I don't want to regret getting a lesser speaker.
I have about $1200 to build this for just the components. I was originally thinking the ClassD'audio DIY http://classdaudio.com/amplifier-kits/cda-254s-kit.html as it's gotten a lot + reviews in the cheap and cheerful section, although it is on the older side. I was going to mate that with a diy nelson pass buffer.
It was suggested to me that as I will be feeding these speakers off of my Ipod/flac that I get the Grant fidelity tube/dac11 as the pre instead http://shop.grantfidelity.com/Grant-Fidelity-TubeDAC-11-D-A-Converter.html

Then I saw the MP 301 http://www.ebay.com/itm/MP-301-MK3-2013-6L6-EL34-KT66-KT88-Mini-Tube-Amplifier-with-Headphone-Output-/291118084782?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item43c7fd72ae and I thought of mating that to a dac as well instead.  Maybe the maverick that didn't get as warm a review as the G/F tubedac?


So to recap, this is a 2 speaker system used for music off an ipod with a budget of about $1200. And the purchaser knows pretty much nothing about hifi with no friends that have anything I can listen to get an idea.

I just don't want to send out a bunch of money and find out the next day that I should have gotten XYZ.


Thanks so much!

[Early B.]

There's no way you're gonna find a better deal than this:  http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/amplifiers/products/a100

...especially if you want a small footprint.

[jimdgoulding]

Once you get your components together, go here to get a proper idea about in room speaker set up so your sound will be linear and your speakers will be able to reproduce a soundstage:  http://www.cardas.com/

[mlundy57]

The N3's would be a very good choice. One nice thing is that if your budget won't allow for a fully upgraded crossover off the bat you can start with the stock crossover then later upgrade for just the cost of the crossover components.

I finished building a pair of N3's at the end of February. They sounded fantastic out of the gate but are getting better the more they break in. My wife likes them so well she wants me to finish building a multichannel HT system with the N series speakers. 

Mike

[flavo]

That emotive miniX is stated as "a fixed-level amp or as a standalone "integrated" amplifier".
Does that mean I can use a preamp with it? I know youre not supposed to with an integrated. But I don't know what a fixed level amp is.

I can't imagine my wife being excited about building another set of speakers after these. We shall see though. 

[virtue]

A bit self-serving to suggest it, but worth mentioning this very limited time offer.

Audience THE ONE
Virtue ONE.3
(basic cables/monoprice - free)

http://store.virtueaudio.com/product-p/combo-vaone.3-theone-1.htm

I'll be out for the next 2 days but read up on THE ONE speakers.  They really sound unreal with my little amp and you can buy a subwoofer cheaply to pick up the bottom octave.

It's a very attractive, "no compromise" solution that is just at your price point.

[srb]

That emotive miniX is stated as "a fixed-level amp or as a standalone "integrated" amplifier".
Does that mean I can use a preamp with it? I know youre not supposed to with an integrated. But I don't know what a fixed level amp is.

I think they just mean you can set the volume control to a fixed level if you plan to control volume with your source.

As far as I can tell there is no internal switch or jumper to bypass the volume control, so if you use it with a preamp you would be sending the signal also through the miniX's volume control.  Normally you would set the miniX volume control to maximum as the max position on most resistive volume controls usually has the most linearity and closest channel matching with the least effect on the signal.

However, if the gain on the preamp you use is too high, then you might need to attenuate the miniX volume control to have a finer usable adjustment range with more degrees of travel on the preamp's volume control.

Steve

[Danny Richie]

I'll be out for the next 2 days but read up on THE ONE speakers.  They really sound unreal with my little amp and you can buy a subwoofer cheaply to pick up the bottom octave.

Our customers are already way past those with our LGK 1.0 kit.    But the Virtue amp would be great with them.

[virtue]

Does Rueben or anyone else sell finished LGK speakers?  I would volunteer to audition them side-by-side with THE ONEs.  My friend is a composer and we could do a double-blind comparison.

[Danny Richie]

Does Rueben or anyone else sell finished LGK speakers?  I would volunteer to audition them side-by-side with THE ONEs.  My friend is a composer and we could do a double-blind comparison.

I sell kits. 

If you want you can send some of the ONE's over and I'll test and measure them for you.

[persisting1]

I sell kits. 

If you want you can send some of the ONE's over and I'll test and measure them for you.

I'd like to see measurements! 

[Jim Griffin]

I'll say upfront that I haven't heard the Audience The One speakers but I did have a chance to hear the Audience ClairAudient Loudspeaker 1+1 speakers.  The 1+1 speakers are essentially the Audience One units in a slightly larger enclosure which has passive radiators to enhance the bass performance.  The One retails for $1000 while the 1+1 model goes for $1800 per pair.  You can see them at:  http://www.audience-av.com/loudspeakers/index.html

While the Audience speakers have excellent finish and look very nice, they have a very low performance to cost ratio in my opinion.  Danny's N3  speakers at the kit price of about $500 will kill the Audience units in every performance spec you wish to consider.   

For a small but powerful and cool running amplifier consider the Topping TP60 which costs less than $210.  The TP60 have a 7 x 12 inches footprint.  No external power supply is needed with the TP60.  See details at: http://www.parts-express.com/topping-tp60-tripath-ta2022-50wpc-(80wpc-4-ohm)-mini-amplifier--310-326

If you wish to add a DAC with preamplifier capability to the mix, consider the EmotivaPro Stealth DC-1 at $500.  The DC-1 will take just about any digital or analog source you can envision and adds a killer remote control to the mix.  The DC-1 have a footprint of 8 x 9 inches so it is small enough to fit your requirements.    Details at:  http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/processors/products/stealth-dc-2

These components with the N3 would total about $1200 and would be a top notch system.

[Danny Richie]

Thanks Jim. 

[mlundy57]

I couldn't agree more about the N3s (just look at my avatar) 

Another preamp option for the same $500 would be an OPPO 103. This may sound strange but the 103 can function as both an upscaling  BluRay player and a DAC via network streaming, an attached USB hard drive, or direct commection if your computer has HDMI out . The 103 can play HD audio files up to 192/24 and DSD64.  One thing to be aware of is that while the 103 multiple inputs (HDMI, coaxial, SPDIF, and USB A) it does not have a USB B input.

Also, in addition to the HDMI output the 103 has 7.1 analog outputs and can function as a preamp with justifiable speaker setup parameters such as speaker size, distance, volume levels and crossover points and remote volume control.

This allows the 103 to be connected to an AVR and allow the AVR to control everything or to work as a preamp with the 103 providing the control.

The upside is that for $500 you get both high definition audio and video. But if you do not intend to watch movies this may not matter.

Mike

[flavo]

Thanks to all of the comments. I removed the size need from the original post. My plan has changed and I no longer need to have a small footprint. I still like the idea of one though. That emotiva dc1 looks like it might be a good purchase for me. I really like the idea of having the remote.
Right now the plan is to get the emotiva miniX amp and the x-statiks. I will be running it for now off of my iphone and probably a pureI20 dock.

As far as the DACs go. Can anyone explain why they are so expensive and how much money should I really be pluniking down for one? Also any thoughts on the grant fidelity tube dac? No one has commented on it. Is it not the best as far as dacs go? Im pretty clueless on them. I have not done any real research yet. Rather Ive been focusing on the speakers/pre/amp stuff.
I just like the idea of that one because I can choose to use the tubes or not. 

[corndog71]

A really nice dac for the money is the V90-DAC by Musical Fidelity.  I have the previous version V-DAC Mk II and it sounds terrific.  If you don't want to spend a lot but still want quality then this is a no-brainer.

[JLM]

DAC's expensive? 

The technology is constantly on the move, so quality per dollar has been quickly improving. 

There's a lot to learn about them: upsampling, oversampling, PCM, DSD, DXD, bit sizes (1, 16, 24, 32), and sampling frequencies (44.1 - nearly infinity).  But basically CD quality (otherwise known as Redbook) is 16 bit/44,100 Hz sampling and is the bottom audiophile PCM standard (MP3, etc. are lower to save disc space).  Anything above that is called Hi-Res.  DSD is a spin off from Sony's old SACD standard and is the latest/greatest version of Hi-Res.  It comes in a variety of sampling rates too and of course takes more disc space than CD quality too.

Opinions vary, but most recommend budgeting about 10% of your system cost for a DAC.  The Dragonfly is currently $100 and is quite decent.  The Schiit Loki (DSD) is $150 but only does DSD (software can convert PCM to DSD). Full blown DAC's that do all PCM and DSD varieties start at $850.  You can also find combination DAC/pre-amp/headphone amps starting at $500 (PCM) or $1600 (PCM/DSD).

[Early B.]

As far as the DACs go. Can anyone explain why they are so expensive and how much money should I really be pluniking down for one?

Simple -- the more expensive ones are likely to sound better due to higher build quality and features. The DAC I really want costs over $2,000 and weighs as much as some amps. My friend brought it over my house and it sounded significantly better than than my $800 DAC from the same manufacturer. If you want a good tube DAC, check out the Lampizator, but prepare to spend several grand.

[Captainhemo]

Also any thoughts on the grant fidelity tube dac? No one has commented on it. Is it not the best as far as dacs go? Im pretty clueless on them. I have not done any real research yet. Rather Ive been focusing on the speakers/pre/amp stuff.
I just like the idea of that one because I can choose to use the tubes or not.

I've been more than happy with my GF TubeDac 11 It's very versitile and sounds great.  Capable of 192/24  via  Coax/Optical and  I believe 96/24 via the USB input( probably double check the USB capabilities) all PCM.  It also has   2 analog inputs so you can  use it with analog  devices as a tube buffer .  It has 3  outputs controlled by the volume pot ( tube out, lien out, and headphone  out on the  front panel) as well as a  direct DAC out ( fixed 2.0V).  No remote  on this  though, something to be aware of if you want to use it as a passive pre.
Little  beefs....  I wish it had a power switch on the front panel,  it is on the  rear.  Also, some folks mention the "click"   when the  DAC locks into a digital signal and then when it unlocks  once the CD or other digital soucre finishes playing.  I noticed it  a bit at first but   no longer .

It has great reviews and  there are some threads  on it over in the GF forum
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=164

-jay

[gmurray618]

I have about $1200 to build this for just the components. I was originally thinking the ClassD'audio DIY http://classdaudio.com/amplifier-kits/cda-254s-kit.html as it's gotten a lot + reviews in the cheap and cheerful section, although it is on the older side. I was going to mate that with a diy nelson pass buffer.

I built an F5 amp by Nelson Pass and love it.  I did not find the build particularly difficult and got all the help I could ask for from the author of this build log – He was incredibly generous with his time and very helpful (similar to people on this site).

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/pass-labs/181552-b1-preamp-build-thread.html

He also has a build thread for the B1 preamp that you mentioned.  I think this may be my next project (when I get the time and money      after I finish the speaker project I started a year ago  )

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/pass-labs/181552-b1-preamp-build-thread.html

The site store on that site has some very nice chassis and PCB for the amps and power supplies.


Hope this helps,
George