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Want to enhance my Audio system, need suggestions

I am a budget audio guy and currently have following two systems. My room size is 17ft x 14 ft x 8ft and I sit roughly ten feet from speakers.

System1: Harbeth P3ESR + Exposure 2010S2 + Oppo dvd player (this system is used for good quality recorded material)

System2: Tekton 4.5single driver monitors + Dayens Ampino/Miniwatt N3 + DacMagic + Oppo dvd player (mostly used for poorly recorded material and movies)

And I am planning to change the above to either of the following combinations.

Combination1:
System1: Harbeth P3ESR/Usher Be-718 monitors + Exposure 2010S2 + Oppo dvd player (placing the speakers on TV table, roughly 4 ft apart. If this sounds too bad then I don’t mind leaving them on stands)
System2: Omega Super6 XRS/Hoyt-Bedford Type2 floor standers + Dayens Ampino/Miniwatt N3 + DacMagic + Oppo dvd player

Combination2:
System1: Omega Super6/Hoyt-Bedford Type1 monitors + Dayens Ampino/Miniwatt N3 + DacMagic + Oppo (placing the speakers on to TV table, roughly 4 ft apart)
System2: Usher Dancer Mini 1/V 602/ProAc D-18 floor standers + Exposure 2010S2 + Oppo player

Which of the above combinations you guys would recommend. Ideally I want to have one of my systems with good midrange and other system with big and punchy sound.

I mostly listen to Rock, blues, East Asian (Indian) instrumental and East Asian (Indian) songs from 50s, 60s and 70s. All the East Asian material is very poorly recorded and I can’t change that fact nor I can change my music tastes just because of the recording quality!

I know that I should audition myself to see which one suits my requirements. But for above combinations, there is little scope for auditioning where I live.
Any suggestions and comments are highly welcome!
rktxyz
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
I threw the sub suggestion out there because you said you wanted to try speakers with a "big and punchy sound" twice.

A sub doesn't have to be cranked up and shake the walls and floors. They actually have volume/level adjustments. They shouldn't be louder than the rest of the system IMO. What they'll do is fill in the rest of the frequency response, and give the Harbeths a bit of a break from trying to reproduce the lower end of their frequency response. A great sub dialed in and set up right can transform a system. Not an easy task at all, but it can be done. It doesn't have to be set any louder than a full size tower speaker would sound.

I'm not saying a sub would be the best bet nor the easiest. Depending on how your speakers are interacting with the room and what you're looking for sonically, it may be a better immediate upgrade than a CDP.

As far as CDPs, it really depends on what you're looking for sonically and budget wise. Have you considered a DAC and using your Oppo as a transport? A DAC can sound just as good, and it'll give you the flexibility of digital inputs. There are a lot of great DACs out there at a lot of different price points.
tabl10s's avatar
tabl10s
1,075 posts
 
Viagra.
steady339's avatar
steady339
6 posts
 
I agree with Kbarkamian about either adding a good subwoofer, an external DAC or both to your system. Adding a subwoofer would help to give a fuller, more extended sound to the bass for Rock music and adding an outstanding external DAC could upgrade the sound of both Rock and Eastern music in your system. I also have a monitor system--Paradigm S1 V.3, with Eastern Electric MiniMax Plus DAC and Energy Veritas Sub. This combination is giving me a very satisfying and accurate sound on a wide range of recordings and music styles.
roscoeiii's avatar
roscoeiii
1,155 posts
 
And if you are considering a sub in an apt building, something like the Auralex Subdude can do a great job of making it less audible for your neighbors. I also agree, that a sub isn't just for booming bass, but rather a good sub fills things out nicely at most any volume level.
inna
7,296 posts
 
I said what I did about sub because I know that there would be a tendency to listen at higher volume. I was not talking about integrating sub and speakers.
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