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Building a Magnepan System, Please Help...

Hello everyone,

I am going to be shortly building an audio system, my first high end set up ever. I have decided on Magneplanar 1.7 speakers. The reason is that everything I have read seems to indicate that they are the best deal in audiophile speakers and the sound signature appeals to me. But since I have never built a high end sound sytem before, I need some help in picking components that match up well with the Magnepan speakers.

I am on a budget here. I want to get the best quality I can for the lowest price. I will even get the Magnepan speakers used if I can find them. I would like to be up and running for somewhere in the $3000 range but I can stretch that if need be.

I have all but decided on an Emotiva amp as they seem like a good deal and others have said they match up well and have enough power to drive these speakers.

So lets start out with saying that I bought a used but good condition Magneplanar 1.7 speakers for under $1500.

Then I bought an Emotiva XPA2 for around $700.

What else do I need to have a good startin system?

I have no intention of buying a subwoofer at this time. Maybe I'll add that later.

Do I need a pre amp to pair with the XPA2? I don't know too much about high end audio. What is the precise function of a pre amp and do I need one? Please recommend one for this set up.

As for the source, I would like to get into vinyl but I will hold off on that for the present. But bear in mind that I would like to be able to incorporate a record player into this system without much trouble in the future.

Instead of purchasing a high end CD player or SACD player, I though it would make sense to get a high end DAC for a computer source like a laptop so I can store my audio on my computer.

Can you recommend a good DAC that would be not too expensive but good enough to get the most out of the rest of the components I have selected?

So far I have, Magneplanar 1.7 speakers, Emotiva XPA2, maybe a pre amp and a DAC for running digital audio from a computer source. Not counting the cables to hook everything up, this is basically what I need right?

One final question. Should I also get a power conditioner to protect my components from surges and also to "clean" the power from my home outlets? I don't want to spend this much money and have my components damaged. If I should get one, please recommend one that is inexpensive.

Thanks for the help.
jrodefeld

Showing 1 response by jrodefeld

jrodefeld OP
3 posts
 
I appreciate the responses. I am curious about those that encourage me to listen to all these components before buying them.

There are two things about this. First, I don't know how it is feasible to be able to test this equipment before buying it. If I buy some products new, certainly I could have a window where I could return them if I didn't like them. But for a novide audiophile, how would I even have the experience to be able to tell how "good" something is in relation to other high end products? And I would think in many cases it would take longer than the traditional return period to really "break in" the speakers and get accustomed to the sound.

I really don't know of a good way to listen to the Magnepan speakers without buying them. Could you tell me why some people "hate" them? They sound quite appealing to me and I can't imagine not being happy with them.

I mean, my budget is pretty tight so its not like I have a TON of options regarding the components I can buy.

I think it might be reasonable to get a basic system up and running, become comfortable with it, and then in six months to a year or more, I could easily trade the DAC or Amp for something else if I wanted to tweak the sound signature.

As to the person recommending I go for used 3.6's, I can't do that at this time. I don't have the ability to stretch to $2500 to $3000 for speakers at this time.

I would like some more suggestions on the best DAC to get. I will probably get this first. I have some headphones (Hifiman HE-400) which don't have any good source to listen from, so I would like to be able to use them with a good quality DAC in the meantime.

I would prefer not to spend much more than $500. And of course I want it to be good enough to power the 1.7's to their full potential. I wouldn't want it to be the weak link in the system.

Any more specifics on DAC recommendations?
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