First off, buy used. Look for mint condition gear, this is where you can really maximize your money.
The peachtree nova SE's are excellent bang for your buck. They sound great, look great, and offer the convenience of built in DAC (a good one), and numerous inputs, including optional bluetooth. A used 125SE, since they've been discontinued, may be available for around a grand, the 65's probably closer to $500.
In terms of speakers, a nice compliment would be Totem Rainmakers. Used pair probably around $600. So, the 65 and Rainmakers should bring you in on budget, and would certainly be a nice system to show off. Both come in cherry finish, and have a low profile aesthetic. I love good gear, but i don't necessarily want to clutter my living room with it. This is a very good, user friendly, low profile system that is very sharp. I have a 125se i am looking to part with, i simply dont use it anymore, though i will not give it away because they're too nice. it is mint. Email me if you're interested. |
so here's my biased opinion that will fly in the face of all these posts. go to audio nirvana site and order the biggest full range drivers you can afford and build some open baffles using their free plans, wont be more than $150 for the wood and stain/paint. with this set up you wont need more than 8 -10 watts max. this means you can get a small well made amp for a lot less money. even a toping t chip amp will do the trick for less than 70$. with the savings you can invest in a quality dac/cdp. i went this route and it is amazing sound for the buck. i have been using a cheap chinese tube amp at 10wpc and it is killer. as good as my old paradigms with nad gear and much less costly. the plus is that you cn customize your speaker color to your choosing and late can even have some cabinets built if you want that option. full range drivers with a small tube amp have a great sound |
Nice! I had some 2ce's and I've also owned peachtree gear. You put together a nice little system on the cheap (if $1500 is cheap)! Congrats, I think you'll be pleased |
I also owned these speakers as well as 2ce. You made a significantly good choice given your budget. John Rutan of Audio Connection in Verona, NJ is perhaps, the most knowledgeable Vandersteen dealer still in business. If you ever do need Vandersteen advice you should give him a call...and of course purchase from him if you are able.
i have no connection to Mr. Rutan, except as a happy customer who values his knowledge. Rutan is one of the "good guys" in audio; he will never send you down the wrong path. Best, Rob
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I had the original model 2Cs. My pair was made in the late 70s. I bought new in 86 and played and enjoyed them for about ten years. A very good full range speaker. The foam surrounds did go out in mine however they can be replaced. The ‘skirt' surrounding the drivers can be slid to get access to the drivers if you ever need to inspect. Flip speakers upside dow and work from the bottom. Your pair are newer and may have different surrounds. Richard Vandersteen also can upgrade the 2Cs. |
Update: I have listened to many monitor and floor standing full range speakers. I listened to the goldenear Aon 2 & 3. Also totem rainmakers, some Martin Logans, and several others.
I really loved the sound of a recent model Vandersteen 2C (I think 2Ce). They're too expensive, but I found a used mint condition pair of 1980s 2C speakers on Craigslist for $450 - was told this was the first 2C speaker made. They sounded excellent at the sellers house on a low power amp. I should have my peachtree amp in a couple days - can't wait to turn them on.
If I have to do some surgery on it down the road, it'll be a good learning experience. For the price I loved the value of this deal. |
Runnin, though I believe the difference between a $1800 and $1500 system to be marginal, upgrading ones speaker budget from $500 to $800 opens up many possibilities toward improvement, especially on the used market. |
I am confident that once I heard then I would agree that the F5s are a great speaker for the money, however I find it hard to believe I would find them to be the ‘best under 2K easily’. |
Elac Uni-Fi F5, they will be the best speaker under 2k pair easily. Andrew Jones is a genius. Elac rules!
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I am very impressed with my vintage Marantz 1060 integrated amp I picked up on the bay for around 350 including walnut case. Sounds much better than my Denon 5.1 AVR. I've read reviews comparing it favorably to the Peachtree. There are many among us who feel that some vintage models may rival or exceed modern equipment especially in similar price ranges.
Dragonfly DAC. Polk RTi A5 speakers. Music Hall mmf 2.2. Modern Polks don't get much attention in forums, but I like mine at 350 each. |
The difference in sound qualities of an 1800 system and a 1500 one is probably not worth the 300 though. |
there are dozens of very good speakers in your price range |
fortunately/unfortunately there are dozens of very good speakers in your price range...
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I loved the bach Grand but was disappointed in the Haydn Grand, they were bland to me. A great deal is a pair of Quad 21L that was just posted. The Haydn Grand seems to sell for very little less than the Bach Grand |
The GoldenEar speakers do interest me. I know of a local dealer where I can test them at the least, and I plan to.
I also see a couple pairs of Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers here on audiogon for sale. Does anyone have experience with those? |
The chances that a dealer is going to let someone demo speakers at home is pretty slim these days, let's try to be realistic here. |
I agree with @soix that you should get a local audio dealer to let you audition the speakers in your home rather than take your amp to their spaces. The thought being that YOUR SPACE will determine the sound you get out of your speaker/amp combo much more accurately than their space. You mentioned you're in a smaller room. I think that will help quite a bit with the concerns mentioned in this thread about under-powering your speakers. A smaller room is easier to load and will provide some natural gain ( https://trueaudio.com/st_spcs1.htm) as well as placing you closer to the speakers when listening. Naturally you'll want to up your amp game at some point, as the additional power will afford you more headroom, manifesting as more dynamic sound and added transparency, but you have plenty of time. The audiophile pursuit is an ongoing journey, and you've got decades of tweaking ahead of you. |
There are a couple of excellent stand-mount speakers that are a stretch on your budget ($798/pair for one model, $998 for the other), which sound like (I've heard 'em) small floorstanders. During demonstrations listeners start looking around for a subwoofer. They're the GoldenEar Aon 2 and Aon 3. They use a folded ribbon tweeter for very smooth and extended treble, excellent quality mid/woofers (with cast baskets and phase plugs for more even distribution throughout the room), passive radiators that extend the bass and dynamics, and non-parallel sides to reduce cabinet resonances. They are very easy to listen to on a wide variety of music, would mate well with your PeachTree, and fill your listening space without straining. Best of all, they're well-distributed. If you can get to a Best Buy/Magnolia, you can probably audition them live. I'm not sure who all their authorized dealers are, but here's their Dealer Locator. Comprehensive Stereophile review of the Aon 2 here. Let's not forget, however, that the Andrew Jones-designed Elac Debut F5 Floorstanders are available within your original budget. OTOH, either Aon will give you 4-5 dB more loudness for the same power input according to both mfrs' stated specs. |
Congrats on a nice little integrated. As you are probably aware this will limit your speaker choices somewhat given the amps' power output into 8 and 4 Ohms. I agree you should take your amp with you to the dealer (or even better, have the dealer loan them to you for a few days), especially if you're looking at speakers like Totem and B&W that may not completely open up with only 65W on tap. I'd highly recommend listening to Silverline Minuet Supreme Plus as the designer engineered it to work well with lower powered and tubed amps. They're very nicely detailed without being bright and image like deamons. If you up your budget a little bit there's a pair of Preludes for sale here that will get you into the floor standing realm with similar sonic characteristics and more lower end extension and impact. Used Reference 3a DeCapos would also be a great speaker to try given your amp and preferences. Best of luck. |
Congrats on your Peachtree! If you can’t home demo speakers you might take the Peach to dealers for speaker audition. |
I have accepted I will increase the budget a bit. |
So you've got 600 or less for speakers, after spending 900 for the integrated amp. Perhaps those encouraging this purchase could advise. I expect they'll advise you to up your budget. |
I just purchased the Peachtree Nova65SE direct from Peachtree. The consensus on this thread made it an easy choice. It was $799 and the peachtree bluetooth receiver for $99.
I have done a lot of research, and created a short list of bookshelf/monitor speakers:
-Ascend Acoustic Sierra 1
-Totem Rainmaker
-Sonus Faber Concertino
-B&W CM1
I will have to try and listen to some to make my decision. I will mention that I prefer brighter speakers to more 'neutral' speakers. |
I agree with you on your thoughts regarding monitors (bookshelves). I also have a smaller room and though my budget is now greater than yours, it wasn’t always so. I still use monitors and am considering implementing subs. Quality bass costs! As an aside, there is a Cambridge Audio 640a for sale on AG for $230 to include shipping. Seems like a great deal. I think it would serve well given your budget and allow for the dollars you wish to spend on speakers. You would need a separate DAC however. To me that is no big deal, within a $1500 budget there are many, new and used, that would fit.
Regarding speakers, I remain in belief that my suggestion that you might purchase an amplifier, DAC and other source components that are fitting to a $1500 system and a modest pair of speakers allowing you to enjoy your system while exploring the speaker market. You could take your amplifier when auditioning speakers.
My recommendations in no way are intended to degrade the other fine opinions offered. Just many ways to an end. Enjoy the journey.
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Speakers = Paradigm Active 20 (rarely come up for sale) - ~$700
DAC = Arcam irDAC - $600
Preamp = Schiit Sys passive - $60 (no remote)
Bluetooth = Satechi Bluetooth Audio Receiver - $40
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Peachtree is a very good choice. If you are now leaning toward bookshelf speakers, the Gallo CL-2's previously mentioned are an amazing speaker. The list price is $1200 and Underwood is having a close-out sale here on Audiogon.
Google reviews of these speakers. I bought some floorstanders. |
Bookshelves can always be put on stands if that'll work for you. A sub can always be added later...
I got a Polk sub at the local Habitat for Humanity for peanuts. A little 'cosmetics' (clean/sandpaper/semi-gloss black spraypaint)...up, up, and Away! Well, down, down, and Away...*L*
A pair of perfect Infinity towers (smaller versions, don't remember the model) passed through there not long ago. Tempted, wasn't in the market, and spouse would've handed me my heads (both of them).... Used, not abused, and 1/2 of what they were worth. Worth a troll if you've got the time to be a 'regular' there...
Just a thought...*S* |
if you choose the D5, Peachtree used to make a matching subwoofer. I have the D4 and the 8 inch sub - quite good. They also made a 10 inch sub
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+1 on the Peachtree Nova recommendation. For speakers, you should also strongly consider the Peachtree D5 bookshelf speakers. Really decent bass, very good looking, and very underrated IMO. They are $799, but are an additional $100 off if you buy a Peachtree integrated amp at the same time. |
I think the triangle speakers for sale on here would sound great with Peachtree gear. Two pair for sale on here in your budget. I just heard some floorstanders at a friends house and they are killer for the money. Very easy to drive which is a huge plus.
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Thanks a lot. I think I am leaning toward the Peachtree amp with integrated DAC, and a pair of monitors/bookshelves. My reasoning is that is that for the price, I can afford higher quality components, at the expense of some bass. However bookshelves may be enough bass once I try them out. I can also save money and purchase a sub of similar quality down the road. |
Use your iPhone for personal mobile only. Use your 'puter as a source for steamcasters who play your preferences. Unless you're in a large city, your options 'on the air' are going to be limited even then. (I don't, and local FM bites...NPR is the only 'local' worth paying any attention to...).
Your 'puter will give you massive storage, that's obvious. But also EQ, recording, and other potential 'opportunities' for whatever might suit your desires, needs, 'boat floaters', etc.
The options and opinions above more or less seem 'sound' to moi'. Keep as much as possible of your budget available for speakers, 'cause that's where the 'rubber hits the road' ultimately. And keep in mind that your 'starter system' is a 'moving target', subject to change, at will, subject to budget. 'Audiophiles' have this marked tendency to change equipment perhaps not as often as socks, but on a random time frame subject to...well, the 'closeness breeds contempt' factor seems to fit in there sometimes....
You WILL engage in the above. It's part of the DNA of the hobby. Enjoy yourself. And don't forget to Play Loud. But don't break you lease...unless that seems necessary. ;) |
Without question,the Jones Designed new Elac.towers for $600 and respectable.
Schiit Bifrost dac, wired for sound jntegrated. From a computer or lap top
DB power amp for ripping cds to computer, Jrivers music for your music library
Operate WiFi through your iPhone ipad, or droid ,Kimber PBJ interconnects
And 8 speaker cables . Or buy a few things used. You can always go up in quality
Later. |
I highly recommend the B&W 685 S2's - at $700, they are hard to beat, and I auditioned several more expensive pairs.
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No need for applogies all good!
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@chrshanl37 My apologies; I didn't see that you had recommended active speakers, also. ADAMs are great. I have four pairs and one single in my house, believe it or not. |
I put together a system for a friend using Spica TC50 speakers (with good, but generic 28" stands) and an Audio Refinement integrated. These have been out of production for a while and are both great sound and good value especially is a moderate sized room. Altogether they should cost no more than approx 8-900usd leaving a lot leftover for sources, cables, furniture, etc. |
ccolby I agree which is why I suggested the adams. I thought the Nova Pre had balanced out my mistake.
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Pawadalla,
Johnnyb53, gives great advice. My alternative would be:
Musical Paradise integrated tube amp: about $380
Used Tekton M-Lore Speakers 95db/38hz/8ohm: $450
Used Sony S9000ES SACD/DVD/CD player as Transport: $295
Schiit DAC: $350 or
Belden 8402 interconnect: $80
Western Electric WE14 gauge speaker cable: $60
Best of luck, Rob
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All replies so far have recommended using passive speakers. Passive speakers connect a single external amp (which you supply) to a passive high-current crossover which is connected to the drivers.
I suggest an alternate approach. You should consider spending as much of your $1500 as possible on a pair of active speakers and the remainder on a DAC with volume control. Active speakers have a line-level crossover and a dedicated built-in amp connected to each driver. Although it is possible to build a good system using passive speakers, the technical advantages of active speakers are well documented, and recording engineers use active speakers almost exclusively. There are many options for active speakers at this price point.
Most active speakers take a balanced input (ubiquitous in pro equipment), so you'll want to look at DACs with balanced outputs. It is possible to find balanced DACs with volume control for $300 or less brand new from pro companies. Most of those will also include a headphone amp.
I suspect you'll get the most value from your money if you go down this road. |
The best quality for the $ is to avoid buying retail.
Right now I'm listening to $400 full range RCA MI-12480 Alnico (read about this, they don't use such powerful magnets anywhere near this price point if you buy retail anymore) drivers in a DIY wood open baffle. They sound far better than my $3,000 Monitor Audio GS 20s.
I would pair this to a vintage tube amp that you can buy for about $400. Something like a Fisher EL84.
Then buy a pre-owned but recent model DAC.
Save a few hundred for room acoustic treatment panels from Stillpoints or GIK. These will make a TREMENDOUS difference to the sound. I would start with these first. GIK will tell you what you need. You can use 5D Planner to create a free rendering of your room.
So so your budget could be something like this:
$200 panels
$400 speakers
$400 amp
$500 DAC |
While most of us can put together a really satisfying system with a budget price to performance ratio, a beginner seldom does this on his first try. For that reason, an integrated USB-capable DAC/integrated amp is a good start. It eliminates cables between the DAC and line stage, and between the line stage and the power stage. There is also less clutter and more integrated operation. And this is at no sacrifice (and possible gain) in sound considering the budget.
The OP seems to lean toward small floorstanders, and I think that’s a good idea. Floorstanders don’t need stands, which add substantially to the cost at this budget. Floorstanders are also more efficient, fill a space more easily, have more dynamic range, and bass extension
This is the OP’s first stab at a quality audio system. I think getting new equipment with a warranty and return period is preferable to a distance purchase of used equipment of unknown age and condition. Sure, many of us know how to put together a used or pawnshop system for a low price, but most of us learned by doing. My first stereo was a new store-bought Altec-Lansing compact, with a receiver and turntable in a single enclosure and a pair of matching speakers.
I got a lot of enjoyment out of that system, but within 3-4 years I’d moved up to a Tandberg reel-to-reel with excellent phono stage, SAE line stage and amp, direct drive turntable with top-line Grado cartridge, and time-aligned floorstanding speakers. I got 11 years of good times out of that second system.
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just realized those Totems may be in need of repair for that price. Worth looking into though, seems like a very good price, and the seller is not sure if there is a problem or not. |
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How do the dacs in the nova pre and the nova 65 se differ in their ability to handle higher sample rates? They are both asynchronous usb dacs.
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Those are some good suggestions too. Personally I favor new DACs because USB DAC technology continues to develop rapidly along with decoding of higher sampling rates available at lower prices. |
Great suggestions. Thank you. |
The peachtree gear sounds pretty good I had the original Nova and liked it better than some other entry level integrateds. Having the on board dac is a nice feature as well. If I were going to build a system in that price range I would look into a used Nova pre and pair it with some active monitors from Adam.
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There are a couple of overachieving floorstanding speakers that have hit the market recently, which could leave you more money for the amp, DAC (or amp/DAC) and cabling. The two speakers are the new Elac Debut F5, available for $560/pair (also available at Amazon) and the Infinity Primus P363, currently available for $300/pair. The Elac Debut F5 review here. Infinity Primus P363 review here. You'd have $940 to $1200 left over for electronics and cabling. This would translate into better D/A conversion, more musical electronics, dynamic range, and more complete signal transfer. There are several integrated amps these days with a built-in DAC. I nominate the Peachtree Nova 65SE. Peachtree has been making DAC-based integrated amps longer than just about anybody. I have heard their products and they are clean, fast, and musical. The Nova puts out 65 wpc into 8 ohms and 95 watts into 4 ohms. The unit weighs over 20 lbs., indicating a heftier power supply which generally translates into a fuller, more robust sound. List price is $999, but Amazon currently has it for $799. The integrated DAC/amp also saves you cabling money. You can get a Belkin Gold USB cable, which is a value leader at a very low price, and then treat yourself to some nicer speaker cables, making sure more of that upstream goodness makes its way to the speakers. |
Research the Gallo CL-2 speakers (being closed out here on A'Gon for <$400/pair) and the PS Audio Sprout integrated amplifier (sold direct for $500).
You would need 20"-24" speaker stands for the Gallo's, but they should be fine without a sub.
The Sprout has both Bluetooth function and a DAC.
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