Thanks, Tobias! Will post back after receiving the speakers... Can't wait! |
Thanks for your responses so far!
I will definitely ask around and see if I can get some listening time on some others' systems.
Toddnkaya, thanks for the tip on the Usher and Oppo stuff... I'll take a look.
Tobias, do you think that a better initial purchase would be a piece of upstream gear? I suppose either way I'm starting from scratch... :)
Thanks again! |
Toddnkaya-
Sorry, I forgot to give you my room dimensions... It is 19' x 13'. The ceiling is vaulted and asymmetric... And yes, I do currently have a lot of CDs.
Thanks- |
A lot of great info here. I really appreciate the insight!
Just a couple of minor clarifications- By 'classic' albums I actually just meant classic in terms of 'classic pieces of work.' Sorry I wasn't more clear. The music I like to listen to the most is Jazz, Jazz/Fusion, Funk, and Rock. I do enjoy classical but don't listen to it as regularly.
Minorl, unfortunately the room is already complete from a construction perspective. At this point we are just furnishing the room and in the process I am trying to plan for incorporating a system for audio and video. Any new wiring will have to be run through walls, etc. However, I will share your post with our handyman and see what he thinks we can do.
Reubent, you are correct. I am in the Nashville area. Thanks for the forum tip! I will definitely check out the Nashville Audio Society and see if I can get connected with some folks. It would be awesome if I could get to hear some different systems in town and gain some more knowledge.
Now I'm going to look up some of the brands and models that some of you have mentioned and see if anything is at a local dealer that I can hear...
In the meantime, anyone have any advice on what to look for when shopping for turntables? :D |
Thanks, Tobias, I guess you could say my digital sources are quite lacking, as well... :) I only have a Sony RDR-GX315 DVD/CD player and an XBOX 360 at this point.
If you don't mind my asking, I want to make sure I understand what audiophiles are referring to when they talk about 'monitors'... What are the differences between 'monitors' and 'speakers'? Coming from a recording studio background, studio monitors are traditionally what I record with, most of them designed to be as flat and transparent as possible in an effort to most accurately monitor what is going to recording medium. When I see 'monitors' advertised or talked about in the audiophile world, are they referring to something a little different? Sorry if it's a stupid question, but I don't really know the difference. |
Oh wow, you guys have basically written a comprehensive buyer's guide as a reply to my original post! Thanks so much for all the insight!!! This is exactly what I need. Now that I've had a couple of days to digest some of this info, if you'll indulge me I'd love to share some more of my objectives with you to see what you think. (BTW Rok2id and Musicpod, I did read the '10 Snafus' thread in its entirety and it was very enlightening. Thanks for the tip!)
Here's some of what I had posted in response to some other questions in another forum; hopefully it helps to further define my goals for you:
The listening room will be our 'bonus room', which is roughly a 13'x19' rectangle with an asymmetrical vaulted ceiling. the system would be placed against one of the long walls. In other words, I'll be listening from the 'short' side of the room. We have an l-shaped sectional basically placed in the the center of the room. The distance from the seating position to the wall is approximately 8.5', so I'm assuming I'd be about 7' away from the speakers when listening. There are windows on the right side and rear of the room. The left side of the room is open to the staircases leading to the downstairs and bedrooms. Floor is carpeted, and the walls have no acoustic treatment.
The room will also be used to watch movies, HOWEVER I'm not as concerned as much with an audiophile-quality movie experience. My priority is on music, and that's where i want most of my investment to go. We have a little Logitech wireless surround system with tiny speakers and a sub that we can keep setup for watching movies that is small enough to stay out of the way... At least, that's my thinking for now.
As for musical genres, I'll mostly be listening to jazz, jazz/fusion, funk, rock, and classic r&b... I would love to ultimately listen to vinyl on this system, but as I'm going to have to build this over time I'm fine with listening to cd's for now. I'd at least like to have a way to get them sounding better, and my understanding is that a good DAC would help accomplish this...
My short term budget is about $2k. My 'medium-term' budget is $5k. Beyond that, we'll have to see how things develop and how much I end up enjoying this hobby. :) I'm basically starting from scratch. The only components I have are an old Yamaha RX-V690 A/V receiver, a Sony RDR-GX315 DVD/CD player, an XBOX 360, and a pair of Bose 301 bookshelf speakers. :green:
Up to now my plan has been to start with a nice pair of speakers, because at least I'd have something temporary to play through them, even if I won't hear their true potential until upgrading source... However, I'm open to whatever feedback y'all can provide. I'm leaning in the direction of floor-standing speakers, as I'd like to not have to use a sub and also I'm ignorantly assuming that they might contribute more to the experience I described.
As far as aspects that I yearn for, I'm looking for a listening experience that has me feeling like I'm actually 'inside' the music. That's the best way I can think to describe it. I want to feel like I'm listening from 'the inside-out', if that makes any sense at all. The last time I felt that way was when I listened to an old mono recording of Coltrane on vinyl on a friend's smaller-sized audiophile system at a healthy volume. It was incredible.
Thanks again for all of your help!!! BTW, I'm in the Nashville, TN area. |
Ghosthouse, unfortunately I have no idea what he had. It was back in 2000 when I heard the system, and I don't even know how to get in touch with that guy. All I remember is that he was using monitor speakers and had his turntable set up on something that looked like a glorified inner tube. :D
Toddnkaya, I just spent some time reading about the Partial Eclipses and they sound really really nice. I'll try and see if there is a new or used set anywhere close to me; would love to be able to hear them.
There is a used pair of LSA LS2's somewhat local to me and also a pair of Revel F12's. Both are in my price range. Do any of you have any experience with either of those speakers? I think I'd like to check them out to start hearing the differences between different models... |
Thanks again for all of the fantastic insight. It is all very much appreciated, and all points have been well-taken, including all component and speaker suggestions. At this point, I really need to start listening to some things and find out what I like. Since the LSA2's and the Revel's are local, I think I'm going to take my Yamaha receiver with me and go listen to them first.
Another random thought: A couple of folks I've been talking to suggested I maybe check out a 'vintage' receiver, such as the Marantz 2250 or 2270... Is gear like that already way out of date as far as sound quality goes, or does it still 'stack up' in terms of musicality and warmth? |
Thanks, Tobias. That makes total sense. I will continue to check out the integrated amp suggestions made here thus far. |
Hey everyone-
Thanks for the most recent feedback. Over the last week, I had a chance to audition several pairs of speakers here in town and learned more of what I was looking for... It really is interesting how different some of the manufacturer's philosophies are when it comes to speaker 'tuning'. Ultimately after much listening and even more research, I ended up making an offer on an Audiogoner's pair of used Salk Songtower QWT's and am having them shipped. So, hopefully by next week my speaker void will be filled and then I can at least start listening to music in the room while I take some time to check out some integrated amplifiers. Also got to speak to the head of the Nashville Audio Society and am going to get plugged into their local network here. |
Hello again, audio friends. Ugh... Unfortunately my foray into this new hobby has not begun too well. The SongTowers I purchased were damaged during shipping, and now I am in the middle of a complicated claims process with FedEx. Needless to say, I am really disappointed. Although the speakers were not completely destroyed, they suffered multiple 'wounds' in the form of dents and chipping off of the finish. Having spent a considerable amount of money on them, I'm not interested in keeping a damaged pair, so it looks like I'll be starting over again once I get my money returned. On a positive note, they do sound pretty good in spite of their looks. :) Really, really frustrating, but there's nothing more I can do at this point. Stay tuned... |
Hey everyone-
Well, I'm back. It took about 6 weeks but my saga had a happy ending. I'm not sure what ultimately happened with the seller and the FedEx claim, but he was cool enough to send me all of my money back while he continued to try and work things out with FedEx.
So... over the last few weeks I ended up starting my speaker search completely over. I had a chance to audition many more speakers locally and ended up purchasing a pair of Goldenear Triton Two Towers last night. I am absolutely thrilled with these speakers. Admittedly they were outside of my initial intended budget but I feel the extra investment was well worth it. The Tritons with their built-in subs, have absolutely fantastic low-end and and an overall character that is exactly what I was looking for. I'm right now just powering them temporarily with my older Yamaha A/V receiver but they still sound great to me, even in this limited configuration.
I also found a fantastic deal on a couple of older Yamaha power amps recently, and had to pick them up. One is a PC1002, which I am now using to power an old pair of Yamaha NS10Ms in my recording studio. The other is a mammoth PC2002M, which I am hoping to integrate into my hi-fi system. I've read a lot about these amps and there are evidently some folks out there using these in their systems with success. Do any of you have any experience with either of these amps, particularly the PC2002M? I would love to find a complementary preamp for this and use it in my system if it made sense. It's 240w/ch at 8 ohms and dead quiet... Would it be a decent choice for 2ch at home? If so, what would be some good preamps to consider? I'm leaning towards a tube pre but am open to others. My budget is under $1000 if possible. Another option that's been made available to me recently was a killer deal on a new Yamaha AS-2000 integrated for a grand. Obviously if I went that route I wouldnt be using the PC2002M.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Man, am I glad this claims mess is over! It's so nice to be enjoying music again! :) |
