Apartment Dweller's Paradise - The Ideal 2 ch. system?

I've been thinking about this issue in part for my desktop system. I built my own 2-way monitors, but the little digital amp I bought is seriously underpowered, plus it's really inconvenient to switch cables for headphones vs. speakers.

So I'm bidding on e-bay for a Parasound Zpre and Zamp. With luck I'll spend around $200 for both, and end up with a 45w/ch rig. The Zpre may be overkill, but I have a logitech touch that is gathering dust. Would be nice to have music here that didn't require the PC to be on.

Also noted, the latest Zpre has a dedicated sub-woofer output. Pretty sweet for a high-end mini sat/sub system.

Best,

E

Hi Guys,

I know the ideal situation is to move to the wilderness and build your own home with a separate home theater and music room, and most of the reviews in Stereophile seem to pretend that is the only consumer of good audio gear.

The purpose of this thread however is to explore gear that is much more friendly to modest spaces and systems. Perhaps not just in modest homes/apartments but also offices.

Let's try to keep the focus on good gear for smaller spaces and budgets please.

Best,


Erik

@Skanda

Great to hear, what did you end up buying??

Erik

Chubaka,

Actually, this is a very good point! I mean, Parasound DOES make very nice things, but their Z series gear in particular is IDEAL for the starter 2-way system. :)

I highly recommend it. Their little ZDac V2 is the better of some $2k gear.

Please keep things in balance, part of the goal of this is affordability. If you can buy a $100k stereo system, I doubt you are living in a small apartment.

Man, you guys have a lot of rent money. :)

The Magico M1S really is at the very top of physical size I would be able to keep in my apartment.

Best,

E

Oh, I like the Audio Notes!

Also like the Seas A26 kit a great deal.

Best,

E

@zavato I think EVERY audiophile should own a pair. :)

Hi @seikosha

Thanks!! I ask because I think very few of us who know about high efficiency speakers also know about small one's. :) So talking about specific brands really helps illustrate this strange new world for us.

Best,

E

@seikosha 

Please name a few high-efficiency speakers which would fit in a modest living room for us!

E

What about their total footprint though for the maggies? I mean, don't they need a lot of floor space in front and behind?

I'm waiting on someone to bring up small, horn loaded speakers like say the Hsu satellites:

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/hb-1.html

or some of the Klipsch models.

Or skip subs altogether. :)

Personally I like Arcam integrateds and Monitor Audio bookshelves.