Recommendations for HiFi Listening Room
Newbie here. Wife and I are looking to turn our Great Room into a listening room. It’s roughly 21’X’19 and has a cathedral ceiling that is 11’ tall at the wall and 20’ tall at the apex. Spoke to a good hifi dealer in the area who made the following recommendations/proposal and I’m curious if this group may have any input for getting maximum bang for my buck. Basically, with a budget around 35k (or thereabouts) would you buy something similar or are there any components you’d add or swap out?
Paradigm Persona 3F
McIntosh MA8950
Pro-Ject Xtension 9 w/ Ortofon Black Cartridge
Sony ES DSD Music Server (this one concerns me a touch in that it appears to be an 8 yr old product line).
Thanks so much in advance for your collective expertise. My wife isn’t going to let me drop money into this for another 15 years so I need to get it right the first time.
If it matters, our musical taste is quite varied: classical, jazz, classic rock, alternative, hip hop. My mother complained in my youth that if i had 10 bucks I would just buy a CD with it. She is still right.
fwiw i personally agree with @spenav over @grislybutter regarding speaker selection should be done first op’s budget as stated is 35k ... not putting together a budget system done well the op doesn't need to choose 1 between a great set of speakers vs a great amp... both well within reach |
suggestions: get recommendations from 2-3 other decent high end hifi dealers for equipment - be sure to get them to come see your room, and suggest treatments if needed - equipment proposals should reflect the room in which they will be used, and the best dealers don’t just sell components, they deliver superb sound in the customer’s room the equipment suggestions made by the one dealer is suspect imho... sony server, mac ss amp with autoformer, paradigm speakers... none would be in my top 8-10 candidates for great all around sound in a reasonable room for your stated budget hear as many speakers as you can, get a sense of what type of sound you like (sharply detailed crystal clear ... or warmer less detailed more natural ... snappy with rhythmic bass, and so on) of the brands mentioned, i personally would lean towards vandersteen, sonus faber, magnepan (understand the special placement demands of this special speaker), potentially harbeths devores proacs in your price range ... i personally favor sound that is not hyper detailed, with some warmth and body, especially in presenting vocals, solid but unobtrusive bass - this to me is much more listenable over long stretches, sounds great with many kinds of music, sounds more like real (acoustic) musical performance then electronics follow from speaker chosen |
