I second the KEF LS50W's. Spent 5+ years using different combinations of speakers and amps and when the LS50's landed in my apartment my search was over. Gonna sell a lot of my stuff now.
Apartment Dweller's Paradise - The Ideal 2 ch. system?
We've had really great threads on Audiogon so far, so I'd like to keep the ball rolling.
One subject rarely covered enough in the music world are systems that are specifically for apartment dweller's. These systems are more modest in size and cost. Dolby Atmos? Forget-about-it!
How would you put together a system, under $10k, soup to nuts?
One subject rarely covered enough in the music world are systems that are specifically for apartment dweller's. These systems are more modest in size and cost. Dolby Atmos? Forget-about-it!
How would you put together a system, under $10k, soup to nuts?
80 responses Add your response
OMG Erik, I wish I had $10K to put together a system! My systems, and I've been at this for about 30 years are always super musical and always way less then $10K. I'm a giantkiller type of guy, and love to put budget components together that slay the ultra expensive gear or at least can go toe to toe with much more expensive gear. For me, I could happily live with the following and feel like I'm not missing out on anything: 1. Jeff Korneff 45 or 45 int - $2K-2500 2. Naim cd 3.5, Proceed PCD-2 or Rega Planet cd player - $3-500 3. 3 head cassette deck (HK, Aiwa F990 or Nak) - $3-500 4. Rega 25 TT - $7-800 5. Omega single driver speakers - $1K 6. Analog tuner like a Tandberg or Sansui TU717, etc - $2-400 Alternatively, a 2A3, 300B or a Berning EA230 with Music Reference pre, Magus or Counterpoint 5.1 or 3.1 preamp or perhaps cj MV50 and PV5 or push pull 6bq5 tube int up to $1K with ProAc super tablettes, Response 1's, Epos ES14's or Rogers, etc - lots of choices here, but for $1000-1500, I could do some serious amplification in a tube int or SS amp and tube preamp A Thorens, classic Yamaha or Kenwood TT would do as well..... I could easily live on a $5K system and use the other 5K on nicer furniture too.....I left out IC's and speaker wire in these scenarios. |
The various Audio Note speakers are quite good at delivering satisfying sound at relatively low volume levels, which is a big plus in an apartment. I would also suggest looking at ProAc speakers for the same reason. The old BBC monitors, such as the LS3/5a and the other similar models are good candidates too. Modern versions are still being made by the likes of Graham Speakers and Stirling Audio. Many of the DeVore models also sound pretty good at lower volume levels. If you have the room to allow for the speakers being out in the room, dipole speakers are particularly good at concentrating the sound in the listening area and thereby reduce the volume leaking elsewhere. I found a dramatic difference in sound leaking to other rooms when I went from Martin Logan hybrid electrostatics to conventional dynamic speakers. |
| Post removed |
Regarding high efficiency speakers... Audio Note AN-J or AN-K are small stand mounts that can be placed against a wall. Zu makes small floor standers such as the Soul. I have a bedroom system built around a pair of Celestion SL700s; if you are patient, they can be found used for 1000usd and although not high efficiency are outstanding. BBC monitor equivalents are another option. Many possibilities |
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. |