New member looking to assemble a reasonably priced forever system.

stmess · « **on:** 2 Mar 2016, 01:15 am »

Hello,
I am a new member living in north Idaho.
I have gone through too much audio equipment over the years and at my age can no longer afford the revolving door. I have been guilty of using music to listen to my equipment and am transitioning back to using my hi-fi to enjoy music more.
I was surfing the web for speakers and a pair for sale led me to this site.
I look forward to perusing the various areas for posting.
Thanks,
Steve

JerryM · « **Reply #1 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 01:17 am »

Welcome to AudioCircle, Steve.

Phil A · « **Reply #2 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 01:23 am »

Welcome to AC!

Guy 13 · « **Reply #3 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 02:18 am »

A warm welcome to AudioCircle Mr. Steve

Guy 13

smk · « **Reply #4 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 03:12 am »

Welcome, stmess.

You've come to the right place.

I think what you want is a 'balanced' system. You're never done 'upgrading.'

brooklyn · « **Reply #5 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 05:31 am »

dB Cooper · « **Reply #6 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 05:50 am »

Good to have you on board.

TrungT · « **Reply #7 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 11:46 am »

Welcome to AC

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #8 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 12:09 pm »

Quote from: stmess on 2 Mar 2016, 01:15 am

Hello,
I am a new member living in north Idaho.
I have gone through too much audio equipment over the years and at my age can no longer afford the revolving door. I have been guilty of using music to listen to my equipment and am transitioning back to using my hi-fi to enjoy music more.
I was surfing the web for speakers and a pair for sale led me to this site.
I look forward to perusing the various areas for posting.
Thanks,
Steve

I suggest a small tube amp and a hi sensitivity speaker.
As you live in a cold area a tube amp will heat your room.
Avoid under 95dB speakers, favor the ones over 98dB.
http://images.klipsch.com/RB81_635042118972920000.pdf

JLM · « **Reply #9 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 12:58 pm »

So what are your audio goals?

What musical genres do you primarily listen to?

What is your listening space like?

And of course, what is your budget?

Warning, this group is really good at pushing your budget and their quirks onto you.

roscoe65 · « **Reply #10 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 03:27 pm »

I'm guilty of my own biases, but if I were starting from scratch, my objectives would be a) avoiding bottlenecks, and b) upgrade ability. If everything I owned were to be destroyed in a fire and I needed to start over and I had to buy new, this is what I would buy:

1. Omega Super 3 XRS, veneer - $1,500
2. Decware Super Zen Triode - $1,000
3. Schiit Bifrost - $ 400
4. Cables - $ 100

We've now spent a total of $3,000 and have a system better than 99.95% of everyone on the planet. The speakers and amp will easily accommodate upgrades and from my experience will no bottleneck any other improvements. The Schiit DAC can be upgraded as funds allow. Cables can be upgraded (though the Japanese favorite Belden 9497 remains cheap at less than $2.00 per foot) and an Omega subwoofer (up to $1,800) can further push the envelope. This system starts at $3,000, and can probably be upgraded to $7-8,000 (depending on DAC) and remain a world-class system.

However, I'm shall we say, frugal. I rarely buy anything new and almost never at retail. The exception being my new Dennis Had Inspire amp and preamp. The cost to doing this is either flexibility of time (waiting for bargains to come up) or flexibility in equipment. Sometimes you don't find what you are looking for but find something almost as good, equally good, or better. I was looking for a 2A3 or 45 amp and ended up with a fantastic 421A amp.

Guy 13 · « **Reply #11 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 03:39 pm »

Quote from: roscoe65 on 2 Mar 2016, 03:27 pm

I'm guilty of my own biases, but if I were starting from scratch, my objectives would be a) avoiding bottlenecks, and b) upgrade ability. If everything I owned were to be destroyed in a fire and I needed to start over and I had to buy new, this is what I would buy:

1. Omega Super 3 XRS, veneer - $1,500
2. Decware Super Zen Triode - $1,000
3. Schiit Bifrost - $ 400
4. Cables - $ 100

We've now spent a total of $3,000 and have a system better than 99.95% of everyone on the planet. The speakers and amp will easily accommodate upgrades and from my experience will no bottleneck any other improvements. The Schiit DAC can be upgraded as funds allow. Cables can be upgraded (though the Japanese favorite Belden 9497 remains cheap at less than $2.00 per foot) and an Omega subwoofer (up to $1,800) can further push the envelope. This system starts at $3,000, and can probably be upgraded to $7-8,000 (depending on DAC) and remain a world-class system.

However, I'm shall we say, frugal. I rarely buy anything new and almost never at retail. The exception being my new Dennis Had Inspire amp and preamp. The cost to doing this is either flexibility of time (waiting for bargains to come up) or flexibility in equipment. Sometimes you don't find what you are looking for but find something almost as good, equally good, or better. I was looking for a 2A3 or 45 amp and ended up with a fantastic 421A amp.

Hi roscoe65,
I agree with the above suggestions.
I own already the Omega, well Open Baffle Dipole 7F,
I own the Decware (SE84C+) and I have the (Good) speakers wire and Interconnects
and I might buy the Schiit Bifrost when I get back on planet Vietnam.
For me, that system is the best since I started spending money on audio stuff
about 50 years ago.

Guy 13

ArthurDent · « **Reply #12 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 04:07 pm »

Greetings & Welcome to AC stmess (steve)

roscoeiii · « **Reply #13 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 04:28 pm »

Quote from: JLM on 2 Mar 2016, 12:58 pm

So what are your audio goals?

What musical genres do you primarily listen to?

What is your listening space like?

And of course, what is your budget?

Warning, this group is really good at pushing your budget and their quirks onto you.

+100

There are many directions you can go, and which you choose will depend a lot on your personal preferences. What aspect of sound reproduction is most important to you? What can't you live without?

For some that will be bass, for others soundstaging, in some cases it is every last bit of detail, and others want a sound that is not fatiguing.

Many great options out there, but it depends what you are looking for. On this site you will find planar speaker fans, Open Baffle (OB) fans, high efficiency fans (like the Omega post above), and fans (and builders) of more conventional box speaker designs (such as Salk, Vapor, Odyssey and Daedelous). All these designs have their merits and their own shortcomings.

And we need to know what "reasonably priced" means to you.

If you are able, it might be worth travelling to an audio show like AXPONA, RMAF or Newport Beach to have a listen to as much as possible for yourself if you are feeling unsure of what type of direction you want to pursue.

S Clark · « **Reply #14 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 04:31 pm »

If you can do a bit of building and soldering, you can really cut your cost.

GR-Research X-Statik kit... around $375-400 including wood (I'm convinced nothing can touch this at this price)

Member Folsom has an amp board that sounds is on the edge of high end for $30 + another $50 for parts
Batteries and charger for power or power supply... $100

Chinese tube preamp kit... $35

Your choice of a zillion cheap dacs for another $300 or a dragonfly for $150. Use your computer for a source.

For $750-800 you are playing at a very nice level.

Best of luck, and welcome to AC.

roscoe65 · « **Reply #15 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 05:15 pm »

Quote from: roscoeiii on 2 Mar 2016, 04:28 pm

If you are able, it might be worth travelling to an audio show like AXPONA, RMAF or Newport Beach to have a listen to as much as possible for yourself if you are feeling unsure of what type of direction you want to pursue.

This is an incredibly good point. Those of us who have been in this hobby for a while (about 30 years for me personally) remember when we could visit a few different shops to listen to a variety of equipment. These days much equipment is purchased over the Internet based on reputation only. And the nature of the hobby is that it takes place in the privacy of our own homes, resulting in a comparatively solitary hobby. I'm just outside NYC and plan to attend RMAF this October. For a total cost of less than $1,000 it allows me the opportunity to hear a ton of great gear under good conditions and talk with other hobbyists and manufacturers. The price is far less than taking a loss on buying ans selling equipment that doesn't work out for me.

There is an analogy in golf: we can spend thousands of dollars on new clubs in the hope of improving our game, or spend a few hundred dollars on lessons. The latter will more to improve both our score and our enjoyment of the game.

JLM · « **Reply #16 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 05:30 pm »

I find audio shows to be good for vetoing stuff that doesn't float your boat. It's really hard to do any critical listening under show conditions. Home auditions are always best. If you go, shoot for the last day (Sunday) to avoid crowds and all the setup problems that presenters seem to continually have. Plus some vendors offer discounts to avoid shipping costs/hassles.

I'd look for speakers first, then work backwards along the signal path.

In your case, looking for a whole system, synergy will be critical, so I'd try reading up on what gear goes with what.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #17 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 05:39 pm »

A trip to an audio show would cost more than many good equipments due airfare, hotel and food etc.

roscoeiii · « **Reply #18 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 05:51 pm »

Quote from: JLM on 2 Mar 2016, 05:30 pm

I'd look for speakers first, then work backwards along the signal path.

In your case, looking for a whole system, synergy will be critical, so I'd try reading up on what gear goes with what.

YES. +1 to this too.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #19 on:** 2 Mar 2016, 05:52 pm »

Quote from: JLM on 2 Mar 2016, 05:30 pm

I find audio shows to be good for vetoing stuff that doesn't float your boat. It's really hard to do any critical listening under show conditions. Home auditions are always best. If you go, shoot for the last day (Sunday) to avoid crowds and all the setup problems that presenters seem to continually have. Plus some vendors offer discounts to avoid shipping costs/hassles.

Good strategy as long as you...

Do some triage Friday or Saturday, so you have a "shortlist", and/or...
Have a pretty good idea of what is there/what you want, and/or...
Go early, especially if you are planning on auditioning much. My observation is that on Sundays, many vendors are ready to GTFO after having their tires kicked by the likes of me all weekend and start the breakdown and packing process well before closing time (and who can blame them after all). If the item you wanted to hear is boxed up when you wander in at 11, it may be "Sorry, Charlie."

Do you have a budget in mind, stmess? We AC'ers can easily help you spend it...

And whereabouts do you live, people here know where the shows are.