I have to downsize big time, any ideas on integrated amps and smaller 3 way speakers
I have to downsize my system quite dramatically. My current system is Well-Tempered Versalex TT with Dynavector DV XX-2 MKII cart, Oppo BDP-105D, Auralic Vega G2 Streamer/Dac, Esoteric C-03 Pre, Sanders Magtech amp with up-graded caps and Monitor Audio PL300 Mk 1 Speakers. I have been thinking I need to downgrade the TT although I love the sound and I will probably go to an Integrated. Been looking at the Accuphase E-270 or 370. Speakers I like are the Sonus Faber Sonetto V or something similar. I need to be careful with those pesky back waves of Kenjit fame but otherwise I am open to ideas. This will be my last investment in gear as I have cancer and only a couple of years left. I will also need to simplify things for my wife. Just some rough ideas that have worked for some of you would be appreciated. I have no real affinity with any brand although I am very partial to my Auralic DAC. Thanks in advance folks.
Very sad to hear your story, but a two-year prognosis at least offers *some* hope. Even if medicine has done all it can do, spontaneous regressions/remissions do happen. They’re rare of course, but not non-existent. Either way I wish you all the very best.
In terms of the actual question, I did the same thing a couple of years back. Very willingly in my case though, as I was simply tired of owning a monstrous system.
After a god-awful lot of auditioning here, there and everywhere I now listen to a Luxman L-550AXII and a pair of Tannoy Legacy Eatons. As far as I’m concerned it’s a perfect pairing and I’m happier with the sound here than I’ve ever been. Depending on the size of the room you might want to look at the Eatons two bigger brothers, Cheviot and Arden. That said the Eatons can fill a much larger space than the 30m2 room I use them in.
To my ears the Luxman is simply sublime and it has an abundance of power in terms of what either of the Legacy models require. I also considered and auditioned the 590AXII, but as didn’t find it to sound any better I decided against it. Equally excellent of course and no doubt better than the 550AXII on more demanding loads, but only a pointless extra expense in my case.
Whatever you end up with, here’s hoping your down-size will do for you what mine did for me!
The best amplifier I have ever heard is an integrated by Engstrom & Engstrom called Arne. It's 300b based and puts out 20W (but can power surprising variety of speakers). Its available for demo in NYC. You will hear things you have never heard before. Best of wishes for your recovery, cancer is no longer terminal like it used to be, hopefully you beat like many others have, no matter what they say.
shamus2211OP Hi everyone, thanks once again. I am still working through the list. A dealer I know from another city to mine has offered a 45% discount off a Bryston B153 Integrated
So sorry to hear about your dilemma. May I suggest that you enjoy your system as long as you can and do not underestimate your family's ability to handle the rest at a later time, perhaps with some astute advice from you. We never know what gifts may be most treasured after we move ahead. Some of my parents 1940 and 1950s vinyl is still among my fondest memories, especially Harry Belafonte. (also, although I'll never admit it in public Alan Sherman and Mitch Miller. Don't tell)
F cancer! Both my parents survived it and are in remission. Attitude and positivity is everything!! My best to you!
Regarding integrateds, sorry if I missed budget but in the $2k range, I auditioned Rega Elex R and Bel Canto C5i on Maggie LRS (the new budget model), and overall I preferred the Rega. Bel Canto had better clarity but I was more drawn in emotionally by the Rega, which had a fullness and grit and depth that I appreciated more. Good luck and keep fighting
Very sorry to hear about your cancer, and hope you can prove your doctors wrong.
I'm going to suggest something else to consider, though whether you want to go this route is, of course, a personal choice. But it certainly offers a much more simplified setup.
I haven't done a thorough audition, but I was impressed after listening for a bit to the new Bowers and Wilkins Formation Duo active speakers at my local dealer's showroom. They go surprisingly low for a two way monitor (frequency response is listed as 25Hz-33kHz) and sounded very nice when I heard them. If you add the Formation Audio hub the only other thing you would need would be a phono preamp.
This isn't something I would move to from my current setup, but I have recommended that others I know that prefer a simpler setup take a look at it. If you'd prefer to stick with a conventional integrated amp and passive speakers others on here have offered very good suggestions.
Hi everyone, thanks once again. I am still working through the list. A dealer I know from another city to mine has offered a 45% discount off a Bryston B153 Integrated, ex shop demo. Thoughts on this please before I drive 6 hours on a wild goose chase. Speakers that may match, is it fussy about speakers? Cheers
Eff the naysayers! I was diagnosed with SCLC 4.5 years ago I’ve been in remission since. I was diagnosed a year later with an Adrenal carcinoma ..beat that one too. It’s all about catching it early having great Drs. and a great Hospital and having a positive attitude!
I did the same thing you are contemplating sold off my stuff went smaller. Then I got better and started to put a new system together. If your Drs. Are giving you two years, that’s a life time in Cancer Research. Stay positive, eat right, rest, exercise. You’ll be around in 5 years!!
I love my office system and enjoy/use it more than my Wilson, Classe room. The small system contains: Devialet Expert 200 mounted on the wall SONUS FABER OLYMPICA I Rel S2 sub
I've always eyed the Audience 2+2s myself with interest. With a good tube integrated - e.g. VAC or Rogers or perhaps Melody, etc - they should be fabulous. I know for sure that the Audience Ones are great with a Peachtree hybrid integrated in a smaller space. There are at least two solid reviews of the Audiences - one by Dick Olsher inthe Absolute Sound and another on the Dagogo site.
If you really want to downsize and still have top quality, world class sound you should have a look at Devialet Expert Pro 220. It's AD class hybrid int amp (Analog Digital Hybrid - class A acting as preamplifier/driving stage and D class providing power in the output stage) . Apart from great DAC it also has a really good highly configurable (MM/MC) phono stage so you don't have to drop the TT. As for the speaker I think you should have a go with already mentioned above Boenicke W8. They are really tiny floorstanders with a huge sound. And yes, they literally disappear in the room. All the best mate.
So I just sold my KEF Reference 3's and am thinking of KEF LS-50W and some subs and just running SONOS. I'm probably going to sell my Bryston mono's and all the wires and go with something much smaller and lighter, and which doesn't make heat or use as much electricity.
Wow, I am quite overwhelmed. Forgetting hifi gear for a moment, thanks to all for their kind wishes, it has been very heartening indeed, What a great bunch of people you all are.
As for the advice and recommendations, I am very thankful for all the ideas proposed and being the type of person I am, I have begun to research all recommendations before making and decisions. I just hope I don't run out of time!!! :-) I will keep you posted and ask questions as needed. Thanks once again and warm regards Sean
I am sorry to hear about your cancer, I hope you get better.
For downsizing I would either go with an integrated with built-in streamer or an active speaker and then a separate streamer.
The first type could be a Hegel H390 or H590 or an Ayre. I just heard an Ayre with Boenicke W5 that sounded great and looked awesome. The W8 or W11 are floorstanders if that sköts you better.
The other type could be be Dutch&Dutch speakers or Kii Three and then just a streamer. I have heard the Naim NDX 2 but that might be overkill.
@shamus2211 I can't make recommendations but I do want to wish you the very best in the months and years ahead. Enjoy your music and may it sooth your heart.
You take care too rar1, My Omega Modern Compact Alnico Monitors are being built as we speak. That's what got me looking into lower powered all in ones like the Simaudio. I'm tired of all the boxes, wires and such. The ACE even has a streamer built in which the reviews say just simply works great. Phono, pre out for sub or other amp....pretty much all you need.
My heart goes out to you guys, we'll all meet up on the other side. Tim
Very sorry. Facing similar crap. Messed up knowing that I will most likely pre-decease my wife.
Keep it very simple with a small footprint, something that can fit on top of a dresser. It should be remote control accessible. It should be very enjoyable. You want a system that can physically follow you and how you will be accommodated.
Rega Brio amplifier and Rega Apollo CD player. Bookshelf speakers. My favorites are the Omega Super 7 mkII or Omega Compact Alnico Monitors. There are dozens that will fit the bill. Pick the ones you like. Consider a tuner or streamer.
Sean so sorry to hear of this. We will keep you in our prayers!
RE the audio stuff; I can’t recommend the Luxman 509X highly enough. It has tons of power, is relatively lightweight (65 pounds), is beautifully made, runs cool (don’t stuff inside a cabinet though), sounds way better than many of the more costly separates I compared it to, and has a very good resale value; The SQ is just superb. A joy to own, to use, and most important, to amplify your favorite recordings.
Synergy to Speakers; Try to steer clear of speakers that have reputation as "bright", "forward", "dry", "sterile"; unless your high frequency hearing isn’t what it used to be (not a knock, will happen to us all) too much frustration trying to tune upstream stuff to make those sing;
Good synergy with Luxman: Sonus Faber, Dynaudio, Harbeth;
I’m sure there are a lot more out there but I think getting the amp/speaker combo right is important; The source stuff will be like changing stylus give or take; I’d keep your Auralic or move to a Lumin; If wanting a dedicated DAC a PS Audio DSD DAC is really hard to beat under 10K;
If it were me and simplifying/ ease of use up there in terms of system requirements, i’d go: Lumin D2 Streamer/DAC or Aurender A10 Luxman 509X Sonus Faber Sonnetto (or Dynaudio Contour 30) Speaker Cables: Analysis Plus Oval 8 Interconnect: Analysis Plus Apex USB if going with outboard DAC: Wireworld (pick one they are all good) Integrated power cable: Cardas Beyond Clear Digital power cables: Analysis Plus Power 10
A wrinkle: Hegel H590 (all you would need would be streamer source, like a PC with Roon Core) Speakers and cables: as above.
Sorry to hear about the cancer. I was not sure if it is cool to post the next sentence, but I decided to do so. If you have Brain cancer make sure your docs know about Gammatile,
https://www.gtmedtech.com/
Smaller 3 way floor standers that work in small rooms, something I have been researching and demoing for the past year.
1) Paradigm Persona 3F 2) Vivid Kaya 45 (they have a unique design to handle back wave) 3) Focal Kanta 2 4) Vandersteen Treo CT 5) TAD ME1 (3 way monitor sounds amazing with Luxman) 6) Harbeth Super HL5+ 7) KEF Reference 1 (3 way monitor) 8) Yamaha NS 5000
All of these speakers I listed I have heard, except the Yamaha. They all sounded great to my ears. The Yamaha is the one I hope to like the best but it also has a lot of bass which could be an issue for a small space. I am looking to get the Persona 9H for a much bigger room in the future so I discounted the 3F from consideration for the small room.
BTW - for your RJ45 based streamer take a look at the new EtherREGEN that is supposed to filter noise on Ethernet.
The two I have heard and thought highly of were the Vinnie Rossi and the Hegel 390. Both have DACs. Speaker-wise if you need smaller I would find a deal on a used pair of Joseph Pulsars.Maybe $4k.
Sorry to hear about your health. I wish you the best of luck. I currently have an almost all Rega system. Rega Brio integrated amp and DAC. Both are small footprint units. I also have the Rega monitors RX1. I am very pleased with the sound. It doesn't matter if I connect a CD transport or heos streamer. Both sound great. The amp also has a great phono input. I hope this helps. Best of luck.
The Arcam SA20 is a fine performer and a real value if you like a more natural and tonally rich sound. It's not for someone who wants to shake the room, but since you're downsizing I can recommend it with no hesitation. For a little more power, room correction and a MM/MC phono stage, you can move up to the new Arcam SA30. I own the SA20 and use its internal DAC and MM phono stage. Very happy with the decision.
If you wish to keep things very stripped down and small, yet very high end, you may wish to consider a Mytek Manhattan/Brooklyn DAC/Pre. They’re top-of-the-line DACs which include a fine phono stage, and then pair them with active speakers. Myself, I’d lean towards PSI professional monitors. https://www.psiaudio.swiss/ They are completely analog yet as accurate and transparent as any speaker built, balanced inputs (only), and several models are small yet sacrifice nothing except a bit of bass. The A215-M is a svelte floorstander if that’s your preference. But there are other actives that are as good.
Depending upon price point you are targeting I would go Pass, Vinnie Rossi, or Graphon... or Luxman. So yes, I concur with those above. Best bang for the buck is the Vinnie Rossi.
Wish you the best on your health issues and don't (always) count on what they tell you. I have two close friends/family members who were given a similar prognosis several years ago and they are still fine and enjoying life.
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and wish you the best
The Vinnie Rossi L2i-SE is another great all in one solution which includes a DAC.
The Luxman SS integrated amps are also a great solution, but you need an outboard DAC.
If you want to simplify your turntable the new Technics 1200, or an AMG Giro are both good solutions in terms of ease of use and size at different price points.
I think you should consider keeping your speakers
Innuos Zen mini mk3 Music Server could replace the Oppo BDP-105D and Auralic Vega G2 Streamer/Dac
Years ago I downsized from an all Pass Labs Aleph system to a Pathos Classic One MKIII integrated and have been very happy with it as the base for my system. Keep the faith with your heath issues and enjoy the music.
Thanks builder3, appreciate your reply. How could I have overlooked the Luxman range, Beautifully built, good components and great sound. They are on my list. Thanks again and kind regards, Sean
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