components vs integrated vs "lifestyle solutions"


Elegant Simplicity.

I am coming to love that phrase.

A few months ago, I bought a Peachtree Decco for my office. $650 delivered, used, here off Audigon.

It is no longer in my office. It’s in my living room. It’s the centerpiece of my audio experience. All my sources are now connected to it. I have 4 neon green stickies with blue lettering to remind me which source component is connected to which input. Right now I’m listening to a CD ripped onto the hard drive of my Olive Musica, which is then connected to the Decco which is driving a $500 pair of speakers. And I am smiling ear to ear. Hi-Fi was never this elegant before. And did it really sound this good?

I’ve disconnected everything else, and I now have $15K of gear sitting idle - including an Arcam AV8 (with optional phono board), a Cary Cinema 11 (I’ve already boxed it up and am entertaining offers), a Bel Canto evo4 gen II amplifier, and a pair of Gallo Ref 3.1 speakers.

I am ready to make an even deeper plunge. I am thinking of a Outlaw RR2150 (dump all the wires and the surround BS and go retro analog), a Music Hall Trio (would need a phono pre-amp), an Arcam Solo Movie (would still need a phono pre-amp), or perhaps a Musical Fidelity KW250s (good-bye surround, hello 2-channel nirvana?).

Would love to hear from other adiophiles who have gone down this path.

My needs are simple: I listen to CD’s (and have ripped my entire collection to the hard drive of my Olive Musica), I listen to an occasional LP, and I watch movies (Oppo 983 video to my Sony HD TV and then audio 4-channel anolog out – no sub, no center). I have no Tivo, no iPod, and no MP3’s. I’m tired of all the wires and the buttons and the remotes and I am ready for elegant simplicity.
designdude
Wow! I'm going to have to check out that unit, looks like a great little one box solution. I am also sick of the huge hot amps and giant wires, I've had it.

I don't think however the Outlaw receiver is going to replace 15K worth of front end gear. I own one and it sounds good for the money but far from what the good stuff sounds like.
Similar thoughts

I had the surround sound bug, and had setup every room with a tv in my house with surround sound receivers. They've all now been replaced with integrated amps where the amp selection was partially driven by the paucity of knobs/selectors.

All i want is source selection, mute, volume and on/off. ...preferably with a real indication of what source i'm listening too - is that too much to ask?

Geez all the higher end pieces have either a very indicative "1", "2", "3".

some say that and "B" for the balanced input. Ayre uses a goofy pictogram - what the heck is that?

Many still have tape monitor knobs - why?

Anyway.. i'm definitely feeling your simplicity move.

happy listening
I tried to buy an Outlaw RR2150 and didn't feel that it was "all that" and sent it back. For that slot in your system I nominate the Onkyo A-9555 integrated amp instead. I'll find out starting Tuesday when mine gets delivered, but I suspect at $450-475 it'll far eclipse the musicality of the $649 RR2150.
If it works for you, why not?

That Peachtree looks very nice!

I've eyeballed the MF unit.

There are a lot of very nice integrated pieces these days. Separate components can be tricky to match properly and also take up more room. A good integrated piece will likely sound better than poorly matched separates. Spending a lot of money on separates alone does not guarantee synergy.
Yup, I've owned several $50K systems over the years and have found myself enjoying my 400xi, Resolution 2 speakers and SACD standard MKIII front end more than anything I've ever had. Lowered expectations combined with lower cost may have something to do with it as well. But the simplicity and purity are compelling:)