Looking for a good system for my apartment. Any advise?


I have a medium sized living room. Any ideas for this fledgling audiophile?
I'm looking for a decent turn table, amp, speakers and a cd player. Money IS an object so if there is anything you can recommend that won't break the bank but still offer a nice sonic experience (We love classical, jazz and the Grateful Dead).
Thank you.
fojomo
fojomo

Showing 3 responses by b_limo

Integrated amps to consider:
-Belles Aria
-Ayre AX7e
-Schiit Ragnarok
-Rogue Sphinx

DACs to consider:
-MHDT Orchid
-Audio Mirror Tubadour
-Schiit Gungir Multibit
-Schiit Bifrost Multibit

CD Transports to consider:
-Cambridge Audio CXC
-Audiolab CDT6000
Cables to consider:
-Blue Jeans
-Signal Cable
-Analysis Plus

Streamer to consider:
-Bluesound Node2i

-Speakers to consider
-Wharfedale Linton
-Wharfedale Evo

Completely different option...

-KEF LS50W 2 (Metas)
-phono preamp + turntable
-CD TRANSPORT (Audiolab / Cambridge Audio
-SUBS (REL, Rythmik, SVS)

Anyway you  cut it though, $5k is on the low end to get a nice system together if you are trying to do 3 different sources... cd, streaming, turntable.

I’d almost recommend spending that same $5k on cables, stands, a few acoustic panels, speakers, preamp and amp, dac, and either a transport or streamer.  THEN later on I’d add a turntable, THEN whichever I didn’t buy first, the transport or streamer.

You could do things in phases.  If you got the Belles Aria for instance, you could use the on board phono stage until you were ready to buy something that would be a substantial upgrade.



Ok, to ammend my last post, I’d buy used. I forgot to mention that...

I saw a pair of Lintons withstands for $850 awhile back. A Belles Aria can be had for $1400, same with an Ayre AX7e. Both are very high quality units and are rated at 60 and 75 watts respectively. You can get a Schiit Bifrost Multibit for $500 or a Schiit Gungir Multibit for $800. I’d pair it with a Bluesound node 2i ($450 refurbed) and a used Cambridge CXC for $400.

Thats $3150, lets round up to $3300. Then I’d spend around $200 on cables from Blue Jeans.
The Belles Aria has a great Headphone Amp and supposedly has a nice phono pre as well. My Aria streaming Amazon HD through my Gungir Multibit into my Periodic Audio BE’s sounds fantastic! Listening to my headphones is no longer a downgrade.
@fojomo, if your setup is directly between your speakers, 8-10 feet is usually good for speaker cables. I like the locking bananas that blue jeans cold welds to their cables.  Highly recommend them.  I had these at one point!

Signal Cable Silver Resolution is a step up.  May want to check them out as well.  I had these after the blue jeans.

I can recommend Cullen Cables as well.  My set-up uses all Cullen Cable powercords and Analysis Plus cables.

I’d take the Ragnarok!  The headphone amp is really great.  Later when you get some cans, the Ragnarok will power any headphones really well.  If you get the fully loaded Ragnarok, it comes with a dac, phono stage, headphone amp...  covers many bases.  They offer a 15 day trial as well.