Remeber, a $50k system sounds crapy in a room with bad accoustics (almost all rooms have bad acoustics) and a $1k system can sound beautifull in an acousticaly treaded room. To begin with, you have to study your room acoustics, take into account the type of system you want and consider advise on what acoustic treatment you need; then buy whatever you consider an appropiate system for you and you will be thanking me for the rest of your life!
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?
