The setup I had before my current one consisted of a Yamaha S301 integrated, some Polk Monitor 7s I’ve had since new in 1989, a Sunfire True Super Jr sub, and a MacBook Pro for streaming and digital library. I think it cost a total of $2000 or so. It sounded really good for what it was. I could likely enjoy something costing much less choosing the right components.
How cheap can you go and still be happy with the sound?
I would think many guys on this forum are spoilt by the gear they have and never listen anymore on cheap rigs.
I was listening recently on my younger daughter’s PC audio rig and got reminded again of how good it sounds. There is a fairly high level of clarity, detail, tonal balance and great bass in this rig.
- Yamaha HS8 powered monitors: $700 to $800
- Yamaha WXC-50 MusicCast streamer+dac+preamp: $450, often found on A4L for around $300
- Audioquest Powerquest PQ3 (was around $200 or so)
IMO, this would qualify as a high quality (sonically) charity price hifi rig for any younger or older person w.r.t small room nearfield or midfield listening.
What is the cheapest rig that has brought you happiness these days?
69 responses Add your response
Wow. Does this ring any bells?
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Wharfedale Diamond 225 - $300 (more low-end extension) or Sony SSCS 5 $198 (more airy bigger soundstage) Fosi v3 w/ 32 volt SMPS - $72 Wiim Pro Plus - $220 Mica Awg 14 speak cable $25 RCA cable - World Best cable Mogami 2964 - $27 Total: $644 plus tax (w/ Wharfedale); $542 plus tax (w/ Sony). No PC please. |
Over the last fifty years each upgrade has represented an improvement over the last. First for my main system, then I added a separate headphone system and upgraded it slowly as well. I guess it would be really hard to go backwards at all. I have put an enormous effort into making them better and better. |
I put together a top notch ear monitor setup using existing iphone and Roon streaming software for <$200. Cost goes up from there for other applications depending mainly on room size and other more subjective considerations. Multiple source devices will also up the cost accordingly. I have <$3k invested in my family room system which I suspect is one that most people might be able to live with. I’ve managed to bring down the cost of my "reference" system by several K in recent years but still way more than any of these.
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I am a Linn fan with multiple active room corrected systems….put a jbl bar 700 in my new guest house. For $/650 easy peasy good sound with no wires at all on rears so can take out on porch for evening stereo. Also have quad outdoor speakers definitive technology on the dock powered by Yamaha and sounds good. Getting old helps but the original is still exceptional |
@inna I totally understand that..., but, frankly or somehow, i either managed to lower my expectations on scale, etc while sitting nearfield.....or maybe, it has to do with the fact that an enormous amount of recordings to this day can be traced back to some Yamaha monitor....not too sure, but, it sounded quite good/was enjoyable for charity price. |
@inna I usually agree with or at least acknowledge your contributions, but this seems a bit out of touch. $10-$15K minimum for "good" sound? Nah. My system now’s total cost is about $4500 and sounds much better than my previous $12K system. But on a more important note, I’m also blissfully happy listening to music in my classroom system played on a Craigslist-bought Technics SL-B30 ($45) with a new AT85 cartridge ($39) and belt ($12) played through a Schiit Mani ($99) into AudioEngine A5+ speakers (also CL - $129). |
Let us presume that this is an enthusiast forum and a lot of us have some ’over the top’ gear. On the topic of speakers, my observation has been that one needs a huge room and has to be listening at rocketship level spls to truly "get their money’s worth" with the flagship speakers, for example...Infinity IRS, the big Schweikerts, Borresen or even my former TAD Reference, etc. Otherwise, their potential just feels unused. At rocketship level spls on dense tracks, they can continue to retain their composure and fidelity levels. But, I certainly don’t wanna go deaf and I’ve never had the type of ceiling heights, etc that do them justice. For example, i always felt that PS Audio’s ’reference room’ was too small for those big infinity speakers. Another example, there is a guy on YouTube sitting around with 'over the top' flagship gear (you know who) in a repurposed garage with his back right next to the wall (facepalm). After scaling down with the ’below flagship’ level, their potential feels maximized with the rooms i have and spl levels I listen at (On that note, i still probably listen louder than most guys on this forum). |
+1 @inna we spend to get better sound within our budgets. |
Assembling a great sounding system with a big budget shouldn’t be that hard. Synergy between components and the room matters but at 5 figures and up you are probably going to get some decent sound even if you throw darts to pick the components. Building a satisfying system with a modest budget is a much greater challenge |
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I can & do enjoy good music on anything I hear it on. What’s really interesting is that the nuance & details I’ve come to notice & appreciate on the good systems I’ve had over the years get somehow imprinted in my brain & I seem to sort of fill them in when listening in my car or at my business but probably aren’t truly there. Maybe part of it is that we see what we want to see & hear what we want to hear??
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Love this prompt- I feel like an aardvark here. Instead of having one system I try to perfect, throwing all my resources at it, I have several that explore different approaches based on where I live, work, and what mood I'm in. I don't like buying new- I find there's no joy in unboxing. Experimenting with vintage gear is more fun- I learn a lot more about engineer's creativity over the years that way. At home, in my living room, it's all about vinyl, Quad ESL's and their small, incredible sweetspot. This is not a budget system, in terms of time, money and effort. And it's rewarding, even as it encourages listening to the the system as much as to the music. But now, at my cabin in the woods over the summer, I recently went the other direction in an extreme way- Bose 901 IV's ($300) and an old Creek amp ($100), hooked up to an ipod, and a thrift-store Phillips belt-drive ($10) and Audio Technica cartridge ($50). The system is on a screen porch, but with a very reflective short wall of wood behind the speakers that enables the direct-reflecting principle of the 901's to work. My taste out here runs more to dub and other rhythmically propulsive genres, and I find that despite the Creek's low output this system really rocks out, and the extreme sense of space that's a "special effect" of these speakers is a ton of fun with the music I want to hear out here. Plus, it sounds like it should anywhere in - or out!- of the room. Depending on who you are, there is a lot of happiness possible below $500 . . . |
i have a basement system consisting of polk model 10s ($200), an integra dtm 5.3 receiver ($100) and an integra dps 5.5 cdp ($50ish), and recently added a wiim mini streamer ($60)--all prices used. sounds excellent. i also have a garage system consisting of jbl hls 610s (great budget speaker), a sherwood rx4100 receiver (remarkably clean-sounding cheapo) and an integra cdc 3.4 changer, all of which totaled <$150. also sounds purty darn good. i also have some kilobuck gear, but i often find it somehow more rewarding to put together the uber-budget stuff. |
I can be happy listening to the radio in my car. When I mow the lawn, I wear some $27 ear buds Bluetoothed to my phone and I’m happy. I have an old boombox in the garage and it makes me happy. I have some ancient Yamaha two-way speakers plugged into an equally ancient receiver that’s plugged into the Sound card on my computer And it makes me happy. I have a newer boombox that goes outside when we’re out there entertaining and it makes me happy. I also have a rig inside that I listen to most of the time and it makes me happy. try to keep music in my life as much as I can, because IT makes me happy! |
And we wonder why the word "audiophile" has a pejorative connotation. This is just a tad elitist. One can "love audio" at any price point...there is no minimum buy-in to the club. To answer the OP,. I've bought audio gear for my kids, and listened to various (factory) car stereos, and thought the sounds was "pretty good" and enjoyable. Happy to have something to listen to, enjoyed plenty. That said, I still have issues when someone puts on satellite music - the compression is so clear. Not as bad with MP3s streaming at reasonable quality - 320 kbps. My higher end stuff is more fun to tweak and play with, but I think basic music enjoyment can be had with any gear where some quality effort is made by the mfr. |
My first really good HiFi system limited by my budget back in 1977 was a Marantz 2270 receiver ($389 new), an Empire 698 TT ($375 new), MicroAcoustics 2002E cartridge ($100 new) and Infinity Monitor 1A speakers ($450 store demo’s). A very enjoyable system! Some months later I replaced the 2270 with an AGI 511 preamp ($430) and GAS Son of Ampzilla ($420) - both bought new at the store with the Infinity speakers. That was the start of my upgrade quest. Though if I had stopped there I would still be happy today! |
@inna ...This is more along the lines of why i started this thread. In my case, i've never been able to enjoy the sound coming directly out of a phone DAC....with some dragonfly or similar dongle...maybe. I am no longer able to enjoy music in a car. The noise floor is just too high. I recall being able to enjoy music in a car once upon a time. But, there are a handful of things around a 1000ish dollar budget i am still able to appreciate when i hear it.
@mahler123 +500... I ended up spending an arm and a leg on the former before i knew enough to build the latter. I think most guys who've already spent an arm and a leg tend to stay there and probably never investigate any modest gear (pricewise) thereafter, unless if it was for a secondary rig or something. I can think of a few reasons why. |
The question was, "How cheap can you go and still be happy with the sound?" Well, I can listen on my ~$20K system at home or I can listen to a $200 JBL Charge3 Bluetooth speaker when I’m grilling steaks. I can still be happy with the sound from each and enjoy music. I’m not EXPECTING the cheap Bluetooth speaker to do more than what it does. Still sounds better than a small transistor AM/FM radio, which is what got me into music in the late 1960s. |
I am not an audiophile (neither the ears nor the funds) so I can enjoy various mixes from used components (craigslist, goodwill) - Celestion F3, Hafler DH-200, CA 540p, Dual 506, etc. under a $150 each - my latest finds. (And I have an equal number of non-functioning gear unfortunately - I don’t always get that lucky) Could I spend 15K if I was "forced" - probably, but I dropped such an ambitious goal from my bucket list. (But if I were near a bluetooth portable speaker, I would genuinely want to use it as a football) |
For all those saying that you need at least 10K as an entrance fee to good sound, just keep saving and you’ll get to this range. https://futureaudiophile.com/how-many-audiophile-whales-are-there-really/ |
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@curiousjim I wish i could....unable to get past the cabin noise floor (feels jarring now). I used to go on road trips (not fly) just to enjoy music on the road. The spouse was wondering why we were listening to podcasts and guys yappin on youtube instead of music on the last trip. |
@simao, there are lot more 'unawakened' audiophiles in the real world imo/ime. A percentage is probably not born that way, he is made that way from exposure. My insurance guy stopped by the house out of curiosity last year. He listened to some stuff and said something along the lines of.... "Shhhii, can't get back to the stuff at home now"...(I suppose he had some multi-room sonos type of whatever). After i sent him home with some stuff i had in storage, my insurance rates have gone down this year
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I’m like curious Jim. I can enjoy music anywhere, from almost any source. I think engineers have figured out a way to get decent sound on many products. The cheapest solution that I am currently enjoying are a pair of Bluetooth speakers I found on the morningsave.com site. The speakers were about $50, as I recall, and I bought a pair for myself and two other pair to give as Christmas gifts. The sound is not bad for what they are, and I like the feature where they glow in 6 different colors, which can be set to one color, or set to cycle through all the colors, or set to pulse with the music. I find it convenient to take them out on my rear deck or front porch, or anywhere I choose, grab a few cold ones and rock out. The volume could be greater but otherwise I have no complaints. I find that young people today value portability and low fuss, as well as lower price, over the expensive stationary gear us oldsters tend to prefer. The gifts were well-received by the younger people I gave them to — one guy thanked me, saying the lighted speakers enhanced his getting laid. Lol, excellent! P.S. I looked to see if I could buy more. Morning Save doesn’t have them anymore. I found them on Amazon for almost $200! Whoa! |
I really like my living room setup, intended for casual but satisfying listening that has minimal visual/esthetic impact. It uses a Teac A-H01 class D integrated amp, Magnepan MMGW speakers, Martin Logan 300 sub and — wait for it — Apple AirPort Express as source. Total price probably around $800, since I shopped pretty hard at the time and got some good deals. The electronics are small and can hide under the TV. The speakers are wall-mounted and I ordered them in a linen cloth cover that blends in with the walls. You get that sweet Maggie midrange and let the sub provide the bass. I will just add that if you told me I could only have a pair of cheap bookshelf speakers, Wharfedale’s Diamond series, even the tiniest model, sound pretty darn good. It’s all about synergy, both kit and the room. |
Knowing what I know now, I could probably live sub $1k. I recently subbed out my Modwright PH9.0 with a vintage Moth Audio phono stage ($200) and it sounds pretty good! I also picked up a Dual 1218 for $60. I put a V15 typeII on it. Add a decent receiver and I could be happy. I think though, you have to experience really good first, so at least you have a baseline; you have to know what minimum makes you happy. |
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