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kirch · « **Reply #1 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 02:26 pm »

My best advice is to tell your friend to run screaming. Now!

crossroadazn · « **Reply #2 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 03:14 pm »

I would get an integrated-amp from Jolida, NAD C325 BEE and Cambridge Audio $200-$275. For speakers: Energy C-3, Aperion, NHT, PSB etc..~$200 and DVD/CD player like Toshiba SD-3950/3960. Total around $500 for an acceptional music system. Cheers.

bikes and beats · « **Reply #3 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 04:08 pm »

Go used!
I think a good pair of used speakers is a great deal. I've seen Infinity Kappa 6's go for ~$150 and Sony ES receivers go for about the same on Ebay. My whole bedroom system would get about $450 on Ebay and that's why I'm not selling it!
Best!

bundee1 · « **Reply #4 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 04:29 pm »

My advice would be to buy 1 piece he can build his system around and upgrade later as funds allow. Maybe a good used amp like the ONIX SP3 for $450 and those $40 Best Buy Insignia speakers with an Ipod or a cheap dvd player as a source? $550 total.

acresm22 · « **Reply #5 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 05:09 pm »

And now to make things even more confusing for you....; )

I would recommend either the Sonic Impact Super-T amp ($150 or so) or that new lil' Tripath amp that Six Moons recently reviewed...the Trends Audio Tripath amp ($130). For the source, go to Costco or Target and pick up a cheap Toshiba or Sony DVD player.

That will leave about $300 (assuming the budget is $500 for the whole system) for speakers. Because the little Tripath amps are low powered, he'll need something pretty efficient. If you or he are handy with a saw, you could make some great single-driver speakers using Fostex drivers (plenty of plans available on the net). Or you could look for a used pair of Klipsch Heresies, though those might go a bit north of $300.

For cabling, go cheap....get a pair of RCA DT3A 3-ft. interconnects, and make some speaker cables using solid core OFC (again, plenty of tips on the net).

D.

Soundbitten · « **Reply #6 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 06:16 pm »

Tell him to forget the system and keep his marital bliss . It's worth so much more .

robert1325 · « **Reply #7 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 06:17 pm »

Hi,

I recently got the trends ta-10 for 130 bucks, and it's really really impressive! I've had a cambridge 640a and a more expensive mid-Fi SS amp , this little box beats the heck out of both amps ! Very musical !

For speakers I'm not sure, maybe some cheap Axioms or B&Ws? I ordered the Hawthorne Silver Iris Coax's for about 300 bucks including shipping , they are very efficient so will go plenty loud with the trend. But my current 90db/8ohm mini monitors are fine with the trend.

Source I reccomend using a mp3 player or some old CDP for now and get something better later.

Robert

Wayner · « **Reply #8 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 07:03 pm »

Frank often has used AVA equipment for sale on his website. I would try to pick up a used amp and pre-amp from him. As far as speakers, I've picked up a couple of pairs of Dynaco A25XL's for very reasonable price. These are great speakers even though they are 40+ years old and would match perfectly with AVA hifi. Unfortunately, I think the $500 dollar budjet is not realistic.

W

Canyoneagle · « **Reply #9 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 07:04 pm »

I'd also encourage that he check out the tripath amps (Super-T or TA-10). IMO hard to beat for the money.
For speakers, some used single drivers
Some Omegas:
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1171570956
Some other Fostex-based Single drivers:
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1173570182
These may be at (or beyond) the budget limit:
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1173851568
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1172991722

Or some DIY open baffles

Source wise, how about a used iPod Nano or basic CD transport?

Start with basic cables to keep within the budget

Another option is a used high-end mini system (Denon, Yamaha or Onkyo)

Best of luck!

Warmly,
Michael

shep · « **Reply #10 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 08:53 pm »

Another Trend t-10 owner. It's great! (since when did the price go from 99$ to 130$???)

Brett Buck · « **Reply #11 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 09:06 pm »

Quote from: Wayner on 14 Jan 2007, 07:03 pm

Frank often has used AVA equipment for sale on his website. I would try to pick up a used amp and pre-amp from him. Unfortunately, I think the $500 dollar budjet is not realistic.

   Agreed, as long as you only consider something that can be expanded and built up over time, no way is $500 going to be enough. The best bet would be to expand the budget to the $1500-$2000 range, in which case you can put together a system 95% as good as anything anyone has, using AVA parts. Everybody may disagree, but I would put a fair bit of my money into the electronics (preamp and amp) and not so much into speakers. Frank has some used equipment on his site at very good prices.

   Decent speakers can be had for very reasonable prices on eBay - for instance, I have seen older B&W DM601s for under $300 a pair. Get that, and a cheap ($100ish) powered subwoofer (Polk, etc). Set it up correctly and it will be PLENTY good enough to fill in the low end. I would opt for small, high-quality speakers over bigger, lower-quality speakers. The cheapie Polk (and similar low-quality) subwoofer isn't very good, but if you chop it off at 50 hz or so it won't have all that much work to do. Just use any inexpensive CD player (even a $30 portable) - a costly CD player will not be significantly better, certainly not enough to break the budget.

   If you do this plan you won't be limited if you want to expand in the future, but with this as a starting point you will quickly start reaching the point of diminishing returns. You will be able to keep the same preamp and amp forever since there isn't anything significantly better no matter how much money you spend.

   If you are really limited to $500, then, and this will sound crazy in this context, but you might consider the Tivoli Model 2 radio (stereo version of the model 1). I have been exceedingly impressed with this little guy. It has its limitations on the frequency response but it's very musical and easy to listen to. And it's very inexpensive for the quality of sound, FAR better than boomboxes and FAR better for the money than the Bose WAVE (which, to my ear, is downright irritating to listen to). Add a portable CD player connected to the mini-plug input and you are set. Amazingly enough, the stereo imaging is quite remarkably good, too. Then save up for a better, expandable, system.

   If you have to spend the entire $500, or just want a semi-expandable system, cheap speakers from eBay (same as option one), and the little $125 8-watt tube amp hit sold by Tube Depot and others, will work fine. Add a portable CD player and/or an iPod and you are all set. It's potentially better than the Tivoli radio but not that much.

   I have had all of these type systems at one time or another, and was happy with the cost/quality ratio. Certainly a lot of people spend a lot more on things that sound A LOT worse. I occasionally build various kits (vellemann, Bottlehead (SET, ay carumba)) for people and get to listen to a lot of various HiFi systems with all sorts of weird and aggregiously expensive "salon" speakers-of-the-week. and the little Tivoli radio is sometimes a lot more listenable

   Brett

WEEZ · « **Reply #12 on:** 14 Jan 2007, 11:01 pm »

My advice would be to tell your friend to save until he has at least $1500 to invest- if he's got $500...he's a third of the way there.

chadh · « **Reply #13 on:** 15 Jan 2007, 01:59 am »

I can't believe that people are suggesting not to bother! For $500, huge numbers of people will buy some trashy thing off the shelf at Best Buy: there are enough suggestions here to indicate that one can do a whole lot better than that for the money. Why wouldn't you encourage someone to do that if he was even vaguely interested?

Would the friend ever consider headphones listening? For $500, you could certainly get a really nice headphone set up (especially if you were prepared to use a computer as source). The Dared MP5 is available for $400 new, and will act as USB DAC and amp. Then he could pick up a pair of Senn HD580s for around $125 new (they're being phased out) or a pair of AKG K501s for $100 new (if they can still be found, as they've been discontinued). That's $500-525 for what should be a NICE system, as long as he can use an existing computer as a source. If he needs a source, I bet he can pick up a reasonble but low priced CD player plus a used headphone amp for less than $400 (check head-fi.com).

Otherwise, the sonic impact super-t amp for around $140 seems like it is an obvious inclusion in a super-cheap system. It will give him amplification and a volume control, and leave your friend with $360 for a source and speakers. A small pair of decent monitors cound be had for cheap if your friend went the second-hand route. And then careful selection of source could get him pretty decent sound quality for not many dollars (are the Panasonics the ones that people found pretty amazingly good for $100 new not long ago?). Need stands for the montors? Try some cinder blocks with some fabric over them. All of this stuff can be done cheaply: and if it doesn't yield MUCH better results that off-the-shelf Best Buy systems, then I would suggest we are ll fooling ourselves with all of our purchases.

In fact, if you and/or your friend is interested, I could offer you a 20w NAD integrated (model 310) that's about 8 or 9 years old, plus a pair of KEF q-15 (I think they're q-15) monitors with concentric drivers for not a lot of money. Say...hmm...$200 plus shipping (subject to my wife's approval). But I suspect that might not be as much fun as going shopping for new goodies.

Chad

JLM · « **Reply #14 on:** 15 Jan 2007, 03:14 am »

Trend TA-10 5 wpc amp, $100.

Oppo 970 universal player, $150.

Fostex FE127E extended range drivers from Madisound, $75/pair.

PartsExpress pre-built/finished cabinets, about $150/pair.

$25 for miscellaneous bits and pieces.

cdorval1 · « **Reply #15 on:** 15 Jan 2007, 03:20 am »

Otis,

Good of you to help your friend out. Lots of folks are where he is. $500 is a standard price point to start from. It's not going to be high-end, but he can take a huge and satisfying step up from boombox--it's great that he wants to.

I think you're right to think of a good used receiver like the HK you mention and a pair of good, fairly modest speakers. There are lots of good used speaker choices, like the Dynaco A25s or some Bostons or Polks--it's best to recommend speakers YOU like.

A few years ago I bought an office system that included an old NAD 7240 receiver ($170 on ebay) and a pair of Boston A40s ($60 on ebay). I also got an old NAD CD player, but your friend might just want to hook up to his DVD player, or buy an inexpensive new one (if it has a digital coax output he could upgrade the DAC later).

Last year I moved out of my office and gave the system to a friend, who has since bought B&W 601s (about $400). They sound very good in the system, and he's using the Bostons as remotes in another room--the NAD has provision for two sets of speakers.

Good luck to you and your friend. Let us know how it goes.

Craig

Zero · « **Reply #16 on:** 15 Jan 2007, 03:51 am »

First, congratulations to your friend for making the decision to invest money into a higher quality stereo system. Your scenario is a classic one seen time and time again in this hobby; a friend looking to step into better sound, but lacks the fundamental knowledge to piece together one for himself, and is further bogged down but a budget that wouldn’t be enough to cover the cables in many audiophiles systems. Here’s what I’d recommend.

Determine where this system can go and what his priorities are. Does he want something that is plug/play with low maintenance? How important are cosmetics? How much space does he have? Once you get an affirmative answer, selecting the right components will be much easier.

Just to toss around idea’s, here is what I would throw out;

Get him into a stereo receiver. Receivers are typically jam packed with flexibility and include a tuner. It’s a great nearly all-in-one solution that is practical for most people that aren’t finicky audiophiles. My personal recommendation would be the recent vintage HK 3470/3475 or the current HK 3480. The 3480 stereo receiver can be had for under $200 on ebay directly from Harman international. The 3470/3475 show up used every once in awhile in the $150 range. While neither receiver offers exceptional high resolution – they are very powerful and have a warm sound that captures the very fundamentals of the music. I currently use the HK 3470 as a back-up receiver and I could ruffle some SERIOUS feathers here if I were to openly state the famous separates it has replaced. Both carry pre-outs for a sub, a phono-stage for a turn-table, tape, and plenty of inputs for various sources. I believe the 3480 also has digital inputs.

If he does not have a digital source, the Oppo digital seems to be the current go-do player in the range. I have little experience with players at this arena so I rest good faith into the words of others who do.

So far you’ve got solid pieces that are reliable, flexible, sound great, look great, and are kind on the wallet. Now for the big one, the speakers;

The process of selecting speakers is a very personal one. As usual, our preferences vary. The two immediate choices that spring to mind are; a used pair of vintage Polk Audio Monitor 7A’s (can be had for around $120-160 used in great condition) or a pair of B-stock Onix XLS monitors from av123.com. The XLS are award-winning speakers that will also carry with them a five year warranty. Polk Audio still stocks the parts for the Monitor series so your friend will have no need to fear going the vintage route through their products

At this point I believe I have you at, or ever so slightly above budget with a VERY capable system that will be capable of delivering the musical goods – no matter what he listens to (rock, reggae, jazz, classical, etc). It will have the power to jam out, the speakers will have the range to satisfy all but the lower octaves, it will be flexible enough for additions later, and can accept damn near every common source available. While I’ve thrown in my general recommendations / favorites for this scenario – the important thing is to do some more legwork to see what he can and cannot work with. In the end, I feel he is going to be one very happy camper. Good luck!

Toka · « **Reply #17 on:** 15 Jan 2007, 03:13 pm »

I'll second the receiver idea...I'm partial to vintage Yamaha myself, but many will do. I did a similar project for a friend of mine recently, and we put together a Yamaha CR-1020 receiver (mint, plus restoration work by the best Yammie tech on the globe), Polk Monitor 5JR+ speakers, a Denon DP-37F turntable, and a Yamaha CD-changer ('new' B-stock), all for just a hair above $500. Both he and his wife love it, and once they get some cash I'm sending them to Frank.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #18 on:** 15 Jan 2007, 03:49 pm »

The XLS speakers suggested are a great find at the price.

I second a Yamaha receiver - variable loudness can be your friend, depending on the room, source material, and preference for sound balance etc.

In time, your friend will learn what he likes more, and at that time can try to justify the increased $$ required to realize that path!

acresm22 · « **Reply #19 on:** 15 Jan 2007, 04:34 pm »

Hey Otis,

Make sure you post something on AC about you and your friend's final purchase. After all those suggestions, it will be interesteing to see which way you guys finally go ; )

D.