Your ears served you well all these years, and so in retirement you want to reward them with a lifetime sentence of abysmal low rent digital? Man talk about robbing the pension fund! If I was your ears, I would go on strike. Refuse to work. Don't laugh. They just might.
My ears are ready to retire!
After many many years of owning great audiophile gear, my ears are ready to retireš. I am in the process of downsizing my home and my audio equipments. I am now looking for a simple, enjoyable, good sounding and maybe all in one system to play mostly digital music. Any recommendations will be very much appreciated.Ā
69 responses Add your response
You say all in one, do you mean speakers too OP? I'm a Mac guy, They have desktop units. How about this. https://www.crutchfield.com/S-h6POyratNNN/p_958RS200/McIntosh-RS200.html?XVINQ=GLX&awkw=82254542... When I get there (and I am), weight and fishing through wires isn't something I want to be doing. Have my colostomy bag drop off behind 50,000.00 worth of gear. I ain't gonna be able to talk the cleaning person in to that one..:-) All may fail on this ol body, BUT as long as I can see the light is on the silly thing, I'll stick around.. I'll be just like the RCA terrier setting there listening to my master, speaking through the old Edison TT, come home, ALL IS WELL.. Enjoy... Regards |
These from Ferguson Hill are fabulous. FH007. I have two sets, one connected to the TV, the other in the office. The accuracy of the wide range horns is spooky. Ā https://www.fergusonhill.co.uk Before buying my first set I range the number on the website and it was the designer himself who picked up the phone. Always a good sign.Ā Review:Ā https://www.fergusonhill.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/HiFi-Pig-Review-May-2016-copy.pdf |
Are you sure about this ? Jensen Portable CD Music System with Cassette Deck & FM Stereo Radio (kohls.com) |
Astonishing the disrespect some posters show on this forum. The OP specifically asks about a simpler system for listening to digital. Two of the first three responders have the gall to tell him what an idiot he is for making his decision. @russ69Ā and @millercarbonĀ we already know how you feel but your words are totally disrespectful to the OP. Didnāt your mother teach you if you canāt say something nice then STFU? Matt |
"...Didnāt your mother teach you if you canāt say something nice then STFU?..." Yes she did. Being retired and at one time downsizing the advice I gave was the best advice I could give (sometimes good advice is not what you want to hear but it's still good advice). My advice was in no way disrespectful nor did I tell him he was an idiot, it was offering hope and perhaps a different way to look at things. Sorry it didn't meet your standards.Ā Ā Ā |
@russ69Ā - OP said, āI am now looking for a simple, enjoyable, good sounding and maybe all in one system to play mostly digital music. Any recommendations will be very much appreciatedā and you tell him, ādownsizing is a mistakeā. How in any manner is your advice in keeping with what the OP asked or helpful to them? Ā Heās very specific about what advice he is looking for and you tell him heās making a mistake. How is that not disrespectful? Matt |
"...and you tell him, ādownsizing is a mistake ...How is that not disrespectful..." Well Matt, I am mostly here to share my experience with others with the hope they find what I say is useful. I gave my honest advice as to the way I might tackle the question/problem and that was to state that maybe an integrated amp and a pair of loudspeakers might be one way to go as did some others. Perhaps I am too blunt and I could have explained in detail that I at one time had tried to downsize and I was extremely disappointed in the result and perhaps someone else could learn from my experience and not make the same mistake I made. I spoke plainly, as I often do, but my only hope is the OP will at a minimum think about what I have offered or just dismiss my idea if it isn't useful for his situation. That's enough thread jacking for tonight, I'll move on...Ā Ā |
Iād suggest you log onto the ASR website, in order to help guide you to your next point(s) of reference: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php Very cleansing, gets you back to a rational approach to musical enjoyment. |
a minority opinion here, coming from somebody who dislikes the bose corporation. that said, i was surprised at how neutral and actually GOOD the bose SR-1 cinemate system sounds [with every kind of music] in every room i've tried it in. it uses semi-automated room correction to tailor its sound for the local environment. it is a compact soundbar unit with a wireless compact bass bin that must be placed in the general vicinity of the soundbar [or else the bass becomes localizable due to a relatively high crossover point and perhaps a bit of odd-order harmonic distortion] but properly dialed in, [with the right recordings] can fool the ear into believing the whole front section of the room is nothing but sound. you can sit or stand anywhere and the instrumental locations stay put at any listening position. it does not shriek or boom if adjusted correctly, and is possibly the best sound most folks [outside of the rarified 1% environ$ of audiogon]. the bass is usable down to the low 30s, the trebles are smooth enough, no peakiness. they don't make 'em anymore so if you want to try one, ebay is where it's at.Ā |
+1 on the Kef LS50 Wireless II suggestion. If you want the bass the KEF KC62 Subwoofer or any small sub with a wireless option will help cut the cable clutter. Please pay no attention to the arrogant suggestions to invest more into HiFi gear that your (as with us all) ever diminishing hearing is unable to take advantage of anyway. If you haven't already invested in Roon, it might be a good option to manage your digital collection and Tidal/Qobuz streaming. |
"down sizing my home"Ā Does this mean from a 10x16 listening room to a 10x16 studio apartment?Ā My divorce made that happen to me. Looking at the system in your profile.Ā Ā Appears to be a good system. I would keep it.Ā All paid for!Ā Make them work in the new space.Ā Trim down by selling the vinyl reproduction components and the Magnepans.Ā Keep the Digital stuff, Intergrated amp and Fynes. Sorry to tell you "Once an Audiophile, Always an Audiophile".Ā Can't make your ears "retire". I thought I could get by with the FM off my smartphone and my computer speakers to listen to NPR. Talk radio!Ā Nope.Ā I thought I could get by with an old Luxman intergrated, B&W bookshelf speakers and my dvd player to play cds.Ā Nope. I found there are limits to what my Ears will accept of lowering my audio standards.Ā I had to spends more than I wanted to compromisingly satisfy it.Ā Ā You already have that system.Ā Make it work.Ā And be okay with the compromises.Ā It still will be a darn good system. |
Hello, Before this turns into a 1000 post thread can you give exact details? room size type of music what hour keeping book shelf or floor stand speakers close to wall or in the room tube/ SS/ or a mix used with tv or just music color of products and the final cost $$$. Right now Iām at a Amazon Echo $100 Their was a good post about detailing the questions in the past.Ā NAD M33 with Revel B126 and matching subs $13000. Blue sound built in. There is a new usb card and HDMI card options if you want video switching. Runs cool and speakers are beautiful.Ā Hegel series in charcoal or flat white with a Lumin or less expensive BlueSound Node option with KEF LS50 Meta and the new sub that is 12āx 12āx 12ā that goes down to 20hz in its sleep. The KEFs and BlueSound can be ordered in black or white. Starting at $6500 with Hegel20. If you are in the Chicagoland area I go to my Local store:Ā https://holmaudio.com/ They can ship. If not please find your local brick and mortar store. I hope this helped to start the journey.Ā |
I agree with cakyol A āLoudnessā fletcher munson automatic filter boosting bass and highs progressively only at low volumes would be a great feature to have, for any ears actually. For me, at low volumes, it preserves involvement with the music. Most modern equipment, say that very interesting McIntosh unit, other choices, do not incorporate āloudnessā. Chase RLC-1 Remote Line Controller has āloudnessā built-in It would not work with modern wireless, however any source via RCA cables could go to it first just for itās automatic loudness feature, then to your system, whatever you buy, IF it has an RCA input option This one is sold, but it shows it well https://reverb.com/item/12411621-chase-rlc-1-remote-line-controller They pop up on eBay, none listed now, it can easily be added later if one shows up. |
Hello, CAKYOL suggested tone control. If you need this I suggest the Parasound Hint6. Fully loaded integrated amp. It has a basic phono stage and the remote lets you turn on and off the sub. Great for apartment living. You still need a streamer- BlueSound Node or Lumin. And speakers. Another option is DALI speakers. Very, Very good for the money. Oberon 7s speakers. Total cost without a sub is around $5000 plus tax. It has a built in crossover for the sub. I still say the KEF kc62 sub since it is so small. $1500 for the sub.Ā https://holmaudio.com/ |
Sorry for some of the ridiculous comments people made regarding your question but if you read this forum much it will not come as much of a surprise.Ā Sounds like a Roon subscription with either a Tidal or Qobuz source might be the best. I have no idea what the best sounding, simplified system is these days but I think you can get by with one box-integrated,DAC, Streamer, storage? . Add a 2 way pair of speakers and you are done. Maybe even wireless. Supposed to be getting better these days.Ā Please keep us posted with what you decide to buy. We are all on the same path. |
...just to muddy up the conversation..... Here's one commentary about why some prefer tubes vs. SS.... https://www.wired.com/story/the-brains-background-noise-may-be-meaningful-after-all/?bxid=5c49090a24... When you get to mid-article, there's a reference to a study on 'vacuum tube noise'; later a reference to nVidia (the software company) taking an interest in the research.... That, and the reference to audio begins to make this individual wonder if tube 'noise' rubs some the Right Way as opposed to SS gear.... You may prefer tubes because you can't help it psycophisilogically...conversely, SS.... The same may apply to 'sources'....you don't like streaming/CDs'/anything digital because it rubs your brain the 'wrong way', much like your cat. *L*Ā I like that concept....You like what you like because you're wired that way from a DNA kink....as opposed to being 'anti-progress'...*L* "We can make an app for that..." *LOL* |
I asked @analoguefan for more details before because Iād really like to help if I can, but thereās still nothing and Iām not going to waste my time making recommendations that may be totally off the mark because we have absolutely no parameters to go by. Ā Maybe you could see your way to at least sharing your budget, or is even that a national secret? |
@innaĀ ...One could call it/that 'cross-grading'; adaptation to a new set of variables.Ā Keep the TT, the cart(s), the CD, the streamer...whatever supplies ones' input....and, of course, an outstanding computer. (I'm not a Mac fan, but to each....) Driver development and variations on the theme have been underway for awhile now.Ā The LS50s' are addressing a number of the limitations of the 'radiating element' of a speaker, which has happened in the past. The port is purported to have some novel features, but the design is still a 'polished' ducted port phase inverter cabinet. Time and market will decide if it's a hit or a miss. ;) The price is attractive for a 'high-end' smaller unit anyway... (I'd opt for the sub, but that's just me....I like the 'tactile nature' of bass...) Have you experienced them?Ā The +2 suggests a Yes... |