If you had to start all over again in this day and age
So, with the advent of different technology, sources and platforms these days, if you had to build your home stereo system all over again, what would you purchase to listen to music that brings you satisfaction?
How much of what you have would you keep, change or throw all out and start over again?
Just did this process after downsizing. I sold my Passlabs X-250 and am selling my AR Ref 1...couldn’t fit these components in a new BDR cabinet and couldn’t expose the new grand baby to the heat!. I chose the Gold Note IS-1000 Deluxe which is in my opinion a beautiful piece with integrated amp, phono stage, upgraded DAC, and excellent streaming capability. I am very happy with the level of performance and versatility. I kept my Vienna Acoustic Mahler speakers, and Teres Audio turntable rig. I love my vinyl but am not opposed to entering the hi-Rez streaming world either...
Of course, there would be something to listen to. A nice Walkman with decent earphones and $100-200 Bluetooth speaker. iPod Touch for Internet radio. Which is what I mostly use these days anyway. All the music I have fits on microSD card. In Walkman and in the car.
Interesting question to ponder. Life is a journey and I like my current system. I also have all the music I have ever bought - vinyl, tape, CD and digital with the exception of albums stolen while in college. Streaming is awesome and a great way to get exposed to different music by other music lovers...
I would do what Kren0006 suggested. I'm almost to retirement, and I just got my first streamer and HI res streaming service. Now I wonder why I waited so long! I can get music however I want it: Playlists, albums, genres, etc. Half your money on speakers, half on the rest. ...ish...
Started from scratch again, building my fifth system in 60 years. To enjoy great music, I started with a pair of ACT SRC50's-active, and PS Audio electronics from the regenerator (great), direct stream DAC, direct stream transport, BHK preamp (Amprex inside) and excellent interconnects by Vertre. It's a simple system, not one that fills the room with hardware, and totally enjoyable. Next step is a Innous Zenith MkIII, and maybe a pair of REL subs. I have used a myriad of great equipment in the past and I think I have bettered all of it. BTW, I got out of vinyl because of the constant tinkering and "tics". Took too much time away from listening to great music.
Hegel 390 Magnepan 1.7s, Fritz 2 Ways, or powered Elac Navis with a preamp/streamer/Dac. Innuos Streamer Kimber Cables Dedicated Power No LPs, Cds or DVDs All in for $10k.
OMG - what would I change in 2020 vs. what I listened to 10, 20 or 30 years ago? That is too easy - streaming is the future - I have been using a LUMIN D1 for 5 years. This gave me access to new sources of music beyond my ‘ear drums’ could ever dream of!!! Music is the reason for this hobby! Tidal Hi Fi with MQA is the best. Solid state integrated amps solve multiple problems (I am a Krell guy), Speakers are personal taste and room dependent - a Maggie guy for 30 years. Just bring enough power and enjoy the music!! You want more bass - add a Maggie bass panel and bi-amp it. Just upgraded to the LUMIN T2 - OMG - the sound stage - the detail - the vocals are amazing!
I second alucard19.....I would never change what I now have! I absolutely cherish all my forms of media, lp's, CD's and of course my cassettes! I have a musical fidelity dac which sounds fine to me for my streaming, but mainly used for my CD player and audiolab transport. I have lifetime speakers in my Tannoys....and of course my venerable wharfie 225's. Still using my 1983 Aiwa three head cassette deck! So no changing anything for me for a long time.... .
I wouldn't change anything very happy with my collection of old and newer equipment, I also do not plan on going into streaming, I'm old school I like to own my audio albums/cd's and even cassettes.
If I were doing it all over again I would totally skip CD and all digital, as digital is a bottomless pit of wasted time and effort and money. I would also skip the phono stage and go straight to the strain gauge. That’s the big technology that wasn’t even there in the beginning.
I would, if I could, get a Schroeder arm. But if not then I would have Ledermann make me his Schroeder designed arm. This I would put on the Onkk Cue turntable. These are all new technologies, or else so massively improved and refined they might as well be new.
You didn’t mention budget but if there is one then I would use my same rack only with some cool improvements. Otherwise this being sort of fantasy then I would figure out some way to cajole BDR into making me a turntable rack and amp stand.
Tube integrateds still are and probably always will be the way to go, and so I would have Dave Thompson build me a Raven Reflection MkII. Speaker tech has improved and today it would have to be Tekton. Moabs on a budget, otherwise Ulfberhts. Either way the DBA is totally the technology for state of the art bass.
That just leaves wire, and tweaks. Ted has been the leader in wire technology for like 30 years and running. His newest is always the best, usually even for the money, but money definitely is a factor. If we take all the money not thrown away on digital it would buy some pretty nice SR wire, HFT, ECT, and PHT too, of course. All new tech undreamed of 30 years ago.
So far, so good. Now we get to the meat of it. Which unfortunately only a very few of us comprehend. Even then... But the whole point of the OP is
with the advent of different technology,
which is frustrating as can be. Because the answer were I to give it is a major trigger, so I won’t. So there.
I'd go with smaller main speakers. I'd have at least 4 subwoofers, maybe 6. I'd go with Class D amps. I'd own no vinyl or cd's....streaming only. I'd keep my tube preamp. I'd spend more money on a DAC. I'd own a 10 inch reel-to-reel just for show....as audio art. I'd own a late model Oracle Delphi turntable just for show...as audio art.
Nearly 40yrs an audiophile and I wouldn't change a thing with the budget I've had over the years. I ha e what I think sounds best for my taste, room, music, and the money. I think a better question would be: if cost was no object what would you change (room stays same)?
Not too long at all Kren. I know noting of streaming. Don't know what to buy or where to start. Speaking of hobbies, one of mine was photography. It took me 30 years to get into digital. One trip to Alaska and 700 shots later, I never looked back. I'm hoping streaming would be kind of the same thing. Unfortunately, I am not a "music listener". I am a component listener which is way bad. It was different when I could listen to just about anything I wanted and took stuff home from the stores but it's where I picked up this bad habit of listening to "equipment". Hence my trepidation getting into streaming.
OP, I can identify in some ways with leery to digital streaming, because one year ago I was there, albeit for different reasons.
I’m into a lot of different things but I guess as I look back I have about five primary hobbies that recurringly dominate segments of my life. Usually one or two are obsessively active and the other three are sidelined but will re-emerge eventually, typically in near obsessive fashion until I lose interest and cycle to the next...
Music and hifi is one of the five, but as I mentioned was kinda dormant for most of last 18-20 yrs since my last big purchase of 2 ch and HT at that time.
Today, music/Hifi is dominating my attention span for the last year since I upgraded, like it hasn’t since I was a kid.
I started thinking about why that was, and concluded that for me it is all about quote-unquote unlimited access to music and variety. Why do I say that? The only other time I was this enthralled in music and gear was way back in the 80s as a kid. Columbia House and the other one (forget name now - started with B I think) offering 12 albums for a penny! Wow!
All of a sudden, not only did I have 25 new albums which exponentially broadened my music view, but concurrently so did all of my friends, so between us it was virtually unlimited music in our world as we swapped and traded, and it led to massive (its all relative) investments in gear for home and eventually car, all because of the music awakening that wouldn’t otherwise have been possible.
Fast forward 15 years to having some money and buying first hi-end system in 2000 and playing the cds I had and it was good, but it died out fairly soon to be replaced by the other hobbies vying for my attention. I never got into the Napster file sharing and detest headphones/buds so never owned an iPod.
Well to wrap up a story that’s already too long, enter digital hi quality streaming and its 1985 all over again for me with limitless access to any and seemingly all music, and I’ve dropped the other hobbies for last year and plowing all of my $ into getting three separate systems up so I always have access to it.
I didn’t have the huge tranche of LPs or CDs or even digital download files so streaming was an easy decision for me a year ago, and it has been awesome.
stereo5. Funny you say that. I used to sell audio equipment for years and never liked Mc stuff. I had it in the stores simply because many people loved their sound. I always thought Mark Levinson was hyped up stuff as well.
Now, house sounds "change". It did for ARC and I should probably listen to a McIntosh 2275 of late
Kren, you have more cajones than me far as this streaming stuff goes. I asked the question to see if people were finding satisfaction with streaming as this seems to be the upcoming wave. I also recall how they said cd's were gonna be dead 10 years ago.
I'm a chicken to move toward streaming. It took me years to get a cd player. To me an audio system is still about a tt, a player and a good ole single ended.
You've trimmed yours down to what many are saying to do. Streamer/dac, integrated...done. I'm afraid to lose those "shimmering highs" however.
I would gave gone all in on McIntosh instead of wasting thousands upon thousands of dollars constantly upgrading. While McIntosh is not for everyone, to me it is the Holy Grail of electronics.
@roberjerman, I still have my Sleeping Beauty along with the Goliath head amp from my all GAS system from the seventies, it's what got me into moving coils and never looked back from that point on. Enjoy the music
Did exactly that one year ago, starting from scratch after a 20 year dormancy in audio. Decided to go digital streaming only as to sources with streamer/dac, with a SS integrated amp, floorstanders and sub in main system. Did the same in secondary and third systems except used bookshelves and sub for bedroom and at work office. I’m probably done for another 10-15 years. Except I will look into room treatments in a year or two for the main system.
My system is so good for me now the only changes I'd make: Upgrade my subwoofers, Upgrade my speaker cable for better bi-wire and take the plunge for streaming with a decent front-end and server. That's it.
A pair of Quad 57's, a Futterman H3 OTL amp, an RGR 4 preamp, an Ariston RD11 TT/FR29 arm/ADC headshell/Sleeping Beauty mc cartridge/Bellari SUT for LP playback. For CD's a Marantz 67. And surprise! This is what I have on hand! No need to crank up the old Time Machine!
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