Music /Listening Room - Starting from scratch

[Mike V]

Hello much more knowledgeable Audiophiles!

With my kids grown up and out of the house, I am converting my upstairs game room into a multi-purpose room, but focused on listening to stereo (2-channel) music. I want to go old school with Klipsch Heresy IIIs, I think. I will be placing a large screen TV on the wall, and plan on using my stereo speakers as L/R channels and either a conventional center speaker or a third Heresy III as center channel. I do not need big bass-thumping (like in modern electronica music) so I do not think I want a subwoofer, and no surround (I already have a media room for that, with projector). I am also learning to play the drums at an advanced age of 56, and plan on taking video lessons using the TV on the wall, and I might have a bass player and guitar player friend or two over when I don't suck real bad on the drums (maybe in 1-2 years with lot of practice?).

I want a minimalist set up - not a lot of clutter. My oldest daughter is an architect in Philadelphia and is designing the room for me, and she is keen on learning how too design music rooms. I want to spec out all the equipment with dimensions first, so I will hand that over to her so she can fit everything into the design. It is a fairly big room with lots of weird corners, and I am thinking cork flooring with a center carpet. A friend suggested using a heavy sound blanket as curtains at the opening, to isolate the noise from the rest of the house. I am thinking a two person chair / recliner for the center of the room for listening - we will also watch TV there, too.

I will be listening to rock, blues, jazz, classical and bluegrass. I have a few hundred vinyl LPs that have not been played in 30 years - half of them were played only once (I used to make tapes and listen to them) and I am looking forward to getting a new turntable.

I am open to all kinds of expert technical advice and opinions. I know everyone says you should have a budget, but I am more interested in setting this room up nicely, rather than limiting myself with a budget. This does not mean I am not a careful spender. For instance, I am really set on Klipsch Heritage line, and I could be talked into bigger (and much more expensive speaker choice, if I need more power to fill the room), but it would take lots of convincing. I know speakers are the most important part, but I paying for Cornwall IIIs would make me uncomfortable (LOL), and I am not going for a big-speaker setup. I do not think I will be buying tube amps, and I hear the Heresy IIIs are smoother to the ear than the previous versions. I really have no idea what kind of amp/receiver I should get to go with my speaker choice - I have an old Carver 6200 sitting around unused, but I doubt that would match up well, but I am really clueless on this topic.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[MrBoat]

Hello much more knowledgeable Audiophiles!

With my kids grown up and out of the house, I am converting my upstairs game room into a multi-purpose room, but focused on listening to stereo (2-channel) music. I want to go old school with Klipsch Heresy IIIs, I think. I will be placing a large screen TV on the wall, and plan on using my stereo speakers as L/R channels and either a conventional center speaker or a third Heresy III as center channel. I do not need big bass-thumping (like in modern electronica music) so I do not think I want a subwoofer, and no surround (I already have a media room for that, with projector). I am also learning to play the drums at an advanced age of 56, and plan on taking video lessons using the TV on the wall, and I might have a bass player and guitar player friend or two over when I don't suck real bad on the drums (maybe in 1-2 years with lot of practice?).

I want a minimalist set up - not a lot of clutter. My oldest daughter is an architect in Philadelphia and is designing the room for me, and she is keen on learning how too design music rooms. I want to spec out all the equipment with dimensions first, so I will hand that over to her so she can fit everything into the design. It is a fairly big room with lots of weird corners, and I am thinking cork flooring with a center carpet. A friend suggested using a heavy sound blanket as curtains at the opening, to isolate the noise from the rest of the house. I am thinking a two person chair / recliner for the center of the room for listening - we will also watch TV there, too.

I will be listening to rock, blues, jazz, classical and bluegrass. I have a few hundred vinyl LPs that have not been played in 30 years - half of them were played only once (I used to make tapes and listen to them) and I am looking forward to getting a new turntable.

I am open to all kinds of expert technical advice and opinions. I know everyone says you should have a budget, but I am more interested in setting this room up nicely, rather than limiting myself with a budget. This does not mean I am not a careful spender. For instance, I am really set on Klipsch Heritage line, and I could be talked into bigger (and much more expensive speaker choice, if I need more power to fill the room), but it would take lots of convincing. I know speakers are the most important part, but I paying for Cornwall IIIs would make me uncomfortable (LOL), and I am not going for a big-speaker setup. I do not think I will be buying tube amps, and I hear the Heresy IIIs are smoother to the ear than the previous versions. I really have no idea what kind of amp/receiver I should get to go with my speaker choice - I have an old Carver 6200 sitting around unused, but I doubt that would match up well, but I am really clueless on this topic.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!

I have heard those speakers and almost bought a perfect used pair from a friend of mine. They were brutes when auditioned in my smallish room and I was only using a 35 watt HK (that I still have) receiver to power them with because it was the closest amp to the top of the all thing audio closet. Anyhow, he moved to Seattle, and left the speakers at his parents and when I went to pick them up, his dad gave me a hard time about what I was paying (I didn't make the price) for them, then said he couldn't get to them right then and I lost interest and not wanting to get involved with someone else's family politics.

I imagine those would actually work in your room based on old school minimalist setup and I remember the ones that were here having plenty of mid bass punch to them. The kit speakers I ended up building well after that, were in part decided upon from hearing those speakers in this room. That slam from the kick drums from those big woofers was something I was after, and the 12" Eminence Delta Pro drivers in my speakers remind me of those in the Heresys.

Others here will likely give you better, more updated information about speaker choices for that particular room, but all I can say is I like those speakers a lot, at the risk of exposing my tin ear with regard to modern audio. Although, you could get more finesse out of them and more low end from your system by adding subwoofers and some EQ at some point. The Carver amp is more than adequate to drive the Heresy III speakers to get you started. Connectivity with other modern devices (pre-outs for said subwoofers) is what would be that receiver's real limitations.

Other than that, my only advice would be to add some furniture other than just centrally located, two person chair.

 

[Mike V]

I have heard those speakers and almost bought a perfect used pair from a friend of mine. They were brutes when auditioned in my smallish room and I was only using a 35 watt HK (that I still have) receiver to power them with because it was the closest amp to the top of the all thing audio closet. Anyhow, he moved to Seattle, and left the speakers at his parents and when I went to pick them up, his dad gave me a hard time about what I was paying (I didn't make the price) for them, then said he couldn't get to them right then and I lost interest and not wanting to get involved with someone else's family politics.

I imagine those would actually work in your room based on old school minimalist setup and I remember the ones that were here having plenty of mid bass punch to them. The kit speakers I ended up building well after that, were in part decided upon from hearing those speakers in this room. That slam from the kick drums from those big woofers was something I was after, and the 12" Eminence Delta Pro drivers in my speakers remind me of those in the Heresys.

Others here will likely give you better, more updated information about speaker choices for that particular room, but all I can say is I like those speakers a lot, at the risk of exposing my tin ear with regard to modern audio. Although, you could get more finesse out of them and more low end from your system by adding subwoofers and some EQ at some point. The Carver amp is more than adequate to drive the Heresy III speakers to get you started. Connectivity with other modern devices (pre-outs for said subwoofers) is what would be that receiver's real limitations.

Other than that, my only advice would be to add some furniture other than just centrally located, two person chair.

Thanks for your input! We will have other furniture - I did not state everything in my initial message, but I plan on making this a multi-functional room, so all furniture must be light and easy to move. My wife will have scrap-book parties so we will wheel in tables, etc. My architect daughter is apparently very aware of wall treatments for improving the sound in the room, as she brought that idea up to me - I think I will keep the walls mostly bare, listen to my set up, and optimize from that point. I would like to invite more than one friend up to the room after BBQs, etc., to listen to music. I agree with your assessment on the Carver Amp - the outputs, or lack of them, are too "old school," and I am thinking of giving it away or using it down the road in a remote location.

 

[Mike V]

On the Klipsch forum (just reading previous posts) many say to get Forte III instead of the Heresy III, seemingly for the better bass response. So this begs the question - if it turns out I am disappointed in the lower end of the bass output of the Heresy III's, would a decent subwoofer restore that lower end adequately?

 

[MrBoat]

On the Klipsch forum (just reading previous posts) many say to get Forte III instead of the Heresy III, seemingly for the better bass response. So this begs the question - if it turns out I am disappointed in the lower end of the bass output of the Heresy III's, would a decent subwoofer restore that lower end adequately?

Yes. A subwoofer would cover the bottom end better than if the speakers had the low end capability anyway. Especially considering the Heresy series is optimized for the mid bass/midrange and you would be doing them a favor by using a subwoofer. Many speakers that are available now are optimized as such and meant to be used with a subwoofer.

There are likely hundreds of options that are better than the Heresy, or the Forte but if you are determined to use them, then they can be made to work. Between the two, I would choose the one that had the best mid range/hi range clarity and use a sub for the rest regardless.

I like larger speakers for a certain tonal ambient presence that resides in larger, paper cones. I notice the difference even at lower volumes. I have both larger and smaller speakers in my room that I switch back and forth to regularly. I don't have a lot of time or patience for measurements and it's one of those things that would trigger some OCD, especially if it could not be corrected easily, or cause me to spend a bunch more money with fixing it.

 

[2channel lover]

@Mike V

Congrats!...I'm in a similar boat except I won't be taking up a musical instrument...

I know someone that has a pair of vintage LaScala IIs...my dream speaker as a kid was the Klipschorn.

I'm waiting for a pair of Salks to cap my A/V redo...Song3-A...I'm running 5.2.4, but mostly use it as a 2ch or multichannel music...the subs in 2 ch really makes the music sound more live like once they are dialed in.

For the Heresy III...I'd be tempted to run them 2.0 with the type music you like. See how you like it...there might be some sub companies offering free shipping both ways so you can get an in-home trial.

Good luck...I had a lot of fun building my new system...AH is good resource...my LCR speakers are still yet to be completed, but I'm already digging into my old tunes every night.

 

[mtrycrafts]

...

With my kids grown up and out of the house, I am converting my upstairs game room into a multi-purpose room, but focused on listening to stereo (2-channel) music.

Welcome. Members will have lots of inputs for you.

That is a good milestone. Just don't rush the project. Remodeling once is enough.
You really not interested in multi channel movies?

....
I want a minimalist set up - not a lot of clutter. My oldest daughter is an architect in Philadelphia and is designing the room for me, and she is keen on learning how too design music rooms.

She picked a good career. But, designing music room/s is a specialty where acoustics is prime important and not simple or quick to learn it. There are a number of acoustic books out there but I think it might be too overwhelming for her as this is a very special area.
Yes, she may fit components into that room but there is much more to it.

...I am thinking a two person chair / recliner for the center of the room for listening - we will also watch TV there, too.
...

Two person? Where will the rest of the family and friends sit to watch a good movie, in surround sound?

How large of a TV? If large enough, then it begs for surround sound setup.
Think about it. Now is the time, not after the project is done and need to remodel again.

 

[Mike V]

@Mike V

Congrats!...I'm in a similar boat except I won't be taking up a musical instrument...

I know someone that has a pair of vintage LaScala IIs...my dream speaker as a kid was the Klipschorn.

I'm waiting for a pair of Salks to cap my A/V redo...Song3-A...I'm running 5.2.4, but mostly use it as a 2ch or multichannel music...the subs in 2 ch really makes the music sound more live like once they are dialed in.

For the Heresy III...I'd be tempted to run them 2.0 with the type music you like. See how you like it...there might be some sub companies offering free shipping both ways so you can get an in-home trial.

Good luck...I had a lot of fun building my new system...AH is good resource...my LCR speakers are still yet to be completed, but I'm already digging into my old tunes every night.

Thanks! I am thinking I really want to go 2 channels, as you suggest. I can add a sub later if I am not happy with the bass, but I think I will be fine without it. I will get a center channel for the TV watching, but will not use it listening to music.

Any photos of your system would be appreciated. Like Ricardo Montalban, I want it to look good, too... but sounding good is the #1 goal.

 

[Mike V]

Welcome. Members will have lots of inputs for you.

That is a good milestone. Just don't rush the project. Remodeling once is enough.
You really not interested in multi channel movies?

My goal is to be finished when my daughter arrive for Christmas - that's not too ambitious, is it? I already have a media room with 7.1 surround sound - I am a bit spoiled. I do not have the highest end audio, but I find it good for watching all kinds of movies, and not bad (but not great) for concerts. I just wrote down my components today - Media Room (built 10 years ago - upgraded a few things):

Media room - (11'10"x20'9") 9'ceiling
Sony VPL-VW50 SKU LMPH200
Klipsch R-82II L/R
Klipsch RC-62II center
Definitive PF15TL subwoofer
JBL P520WS L/R and Rear
Sony DA 3200ES rec/ amp
Sony BDP-S5500
110" diagonal screen (Screen Innovations)
Logitech Harmony 900

She picked a good career. But, designing music room/s is a specialty where acoustics is prime important and not simple or quick to learn it. There are a number of acoustic books out there but I think it might be too overwhelming for her as this is a very special area.
Yes, she may fit components into that room but there is much more to it.

My daughter and I are learning together. She is one sharp, hard working young lady, and she has already consulted with an audio expert, and she wants to learn for herself, too. She seems to think that there will be a lot of aging boomers like me wanting to do the same thing, and it might be a good business to become an expert in. I am choosing my speakers first so she can get started with the design. She knows that speaker arrangement is critical, and is asking me all sorts of questions about floor type, carpets, sound panels, etc.

Two person? Where will the rest of the family and friends sit to watch a good movie, in surround sound?

I have a 9 seat media room, with "stadium" reclining seating! Plus, I will have some more chairs for others.

How large of a TV? If large enough, then it begs for surround sound setup.
Think about it. Now is the time, not after the project is done and need to remodel again.

My old Sony projector is a bit dark, and I replace the bulb more often than I should to keep it as bright as it can get - I will probably upgrade it some day. But these new 4K large screens are incredible. I have not decided on 65" of 75". Many of the shows and movies I like are not sound focused, but rather visually focused. I think I will be quite happy with the stereo speakers and a center channel - that I will have to have for TV viewing. I will probably listen to music in this room mostly, and my wife will be mostly watching TV. Trust me, she is not at all interested in a surround sound system.

In the off chance I am terribly disappointed without a 2nd surround sound system, it would not be too much of an effort to put in a few surround speakers, would it? But I seriously doubt I will feel the need.

I appreciate all your questions and comments, and I am learning a lot from this forum and the responses I have received so far! Thanks!

 

[mtrycrafts]

...
My daughter and I are learning together. She is one sharp, hard working young lady, and she has already consulted with an audio expert, and she wants to learn for herself, too. She seems to think that there will be a lot of aging boomers like me wanting to do the same thing, and it might be a good business to become an expert in. I am choosing my speakers first so she can get started with the design. She knows that speaker arrangement is critical, and is asking me all sorts of questions about floor type, carpets, sound panels, etc.

...

Yes, indeed, she is asking the right questions. You may also want to check into an acoustic measuring system to perhaps tune the room and see how it affects the speakers once you select the speakers and in hand.
Need equipment ventilation for sure. Pre wire for what you may think you may want. May eliminate a remodel down the road.
Room isolation is important if you have drums up there. Hard to isolate the low frequencies though.

 

[2channel lover]

Thanks! I am thinking I really want to go 2 channels, as you suggest. I can add a sub later if I am not happy with the bass, but I think I will be fine without it. I will get a center channel for the TV watching, but will not use it listening to music.

Any photos of your system would be appreciated. Like Ricardo Montalban, I want it to look good, too... but sounding good is the #1 goal.

We downsized homes about 4 yrs ago and built this home back in '14...nearly all of the rooms are on the main floor, but there is a bedroom, office, loft and bath upstairs...I was "encouraged" to take the loft space to rebuild my system....I was a little reluctant at first because our big purpose for down sizing was to get the master on the main...doing stairs daily was not in the plans! But I relented and glad I did.

For 30+ yrs 2 ch music was my refuge...we have several other TVs in the home, but the loft is really the only HT type space and my wife likes movies so to entice her to come up on occasion, I made it surround sound system.

I think I read your library has a lot of LPs...that's great. Back in the late 80s I literally gave my collection to a friend...was tired of lugging them around, I just never thought I'd get back into them after CDs hit. Mistake, admittedly I'm a little envious of guys like you that hung on to them, but I'm content with digital which brings me to this point.

Multi-channel audio...SACDs.

Hi Res music is a topic that will always have a percentage of people on the pro and con of it. I'm not going to declare a pro or con only that I'm dabbling into it...a lot of the old jazz that was remastered in hi res multi-channel is simply better than the 2 ch versions.

Some of them are nothing more than separating the bass out to the .1 channel...cleans up the mid bass and mids.

Anyway...there is a pic there of my system...I started from scratch...went a little crazy with amps, but very pleased with everything so far...it runs very cool. The prize of the system...the Oppo 205, a very good machine for music. As mentioned...ordered a pair of Salk Sound speakers and center channel.

 

[Bucknekked]

Hello much more knowledgeable Audiophiles!

I want a minimalist set up - not a lot of clutter.

I will be listening to rock, blues, jazz, classical and bluegrass.

I am open to all kinds of expert technical advice and opinions.

Mike V
a minimalist setup for rock, blues, jazz and the like and open to suggestions.
Wow. an AH member made to order. Welcome to the jungle !

MrBoat has already given you his opinion of the big Klipsch speakers. I will echo those sentiments, both the positive and the negative. On the positive side, in the right room and with the right music, they are wonderful. On the negative side, there are dozens of new speakers today that have better performance and designs. The great thing about audio is that you get to choose and whatever you choose, since you are taking great care in the process, will most likely sound great.

I took a room in my home late last year and made a dedicated music room out of it. I won't bore you with the details other than to say with the advice I received here on the AH, its the best sounding system I have ever owned. The members here helped me pick out the gear and work on my rooms problems. Its sounds fantastic and so will yours with some care and feeding.

One of the only problems I have seen with efforts to design/remodel/build music rooms is going overboard with things that may not bring a lick of improvement to the sound but definitely consume budget. This is coming from someone that goes overboard on just about everything !

Have fun with the project. Have fun looking at all the ideas you will see proposed. There are lots of skilled opinions here.

 

[Bucknekked]

We downsized homes about 4 yrs ago and built this home back in '14...nearly all of the rooms are on the main floor, but there is a bedroom, office, loft and bath upstairs...I was "encouraged" to take the loft space to rebuild my system....I was a little reluctant at first because our big purpose for down sizing was to get the master on the main...doing stairs daily was not in the plans! But I relented and glad I did.

For 30+ yrs 2 ch music was my refuge...we have several other TVs in the home, but the loft is really the only HT type space and my wife likes movies so to entice her to come up on occasion, I made it surround sound system.

I think I read your library has a lot of LPs...that's great. Back in the late 80s I literally gave my collection to a friend...was tired of lugging them around, I just never thought I'd get back into them after CDs hit. Mistake, admittedly I'm a little envious of guys like you that hung on to them, but I'm content with digital which brings me to this point.

Multi-channel audio...SACDs.

Hi Res music is a topic that will always have a percentage of people on the pro and con of it. I'm not going to declare a pro or con only that I'm dabbling into it...a lot of the old jazz that was remastered in hi res multi-channel is simply better than the 2 ch versions.

Some of them are nothing more than separating the bass out to the .1 channel...cleans up the mid bass and mids.

Anyway...there is a pic there of my system...I started from scratch...went a little crazy with amps, but very pleased with everything so far...it runs very cool. The prize of the system...the Oppo 205, a very good machine for music. As mentioned...ordered a pair of Salk Sound speakers and center channel.

2channel lover:
Nice looking stuff ! I bet it sounds as good as it looks. I think that's a great looking system.

 

[Pogre]

Mike V
a minimalist setup for rock, blues, jazz and the like and open to suggestions.
Wow. an AH member made to order. Welcome to the jungle !

MrBoat has already given you his opinion of the big Klipsch speakers. I will echo those sentiments, both the positive and the negative. On the positive side, in the right room and with the right music, they are wonderful. On the negative side, there are dozens of new speakers today that have better performance and designs. The great thing about audio is that you get to choose and whatever you choose, since you are taking great care in the process, will most likely sound great.

I took a room in my home late last year and made a dedicated music room out of it. I won't bore you with the details other than to say with the advice I received here on the AH, its the best sounding system I have ever owned. The members here helped me pick out the gear and work on my rooms problems. Its sounds fantastic and so will yours with some care and feeding.

One of the only problems I have seen with efforts to design/remodel/build music rooms is going overboard with things that may not bring a lick of improvement to the sound but definitely consume budget. This is coming from someone that goes overboard on just about everything !

Have fun with the project. Have fun looking at all the ideas you will see proposed. There are lots of skilled opinions here.

Buck and I both have had great success with the advice given here. His story almost mirrors mine, up to and including me ending up with the best sounding system I've ever owned.

 

[Mike V]

Mike V
a minimalist setup for rock, blues, jazz and the like and open to suggestions.
Wow. an AH member made to order. Welcome to the jungle !

MrBoat has already given you his opinion of the big Klipsch speakers. I will echo those sentiments, both the positive and the negative. On the positive side, in the right room and with the right music, they are wonderful. On the negative side, there are dozens of new speakers today that have better performance and designs. The great thing about audio is that you get to choose and whatever you choose, since you are taking great care in the process, will most likely sound great.

I took a room in my home late last year and made a dedicated music room out of it. I won't bore you with the details other than to say with the advice I received here on the AH, its the best sounding system I have ever owned. The members here helped me pick out the gear and work on my rooms problems. Its sounds fantastic and so will yours with some care and feeding.

One of the only problems I have seen with efforts to design/remodel/build music rooms is going overboard with things that may not bring a lick of improvement to the sound but definitely consume budget. This is coming from someone that goes overboard on just about everything !

Have fun with the project. Have fun looking at all the ideas you will see proposed. There are lots of skilled opinions here.

Buck,

Thanks for your comments. I am looking forward to the whole process. I am going to try to find some Houston dealers to listen to speakers tomorrow. What speakers to you have? What do you like most about them? Is there an easy way for me to see photos of your music room? I need to learn how to fully utilize the tools on this forum.

As far as going overboard - I am thinking I could be very happy with the Klipsch Heresy IIIs, but once I start my search, I am definitely prone to end up buying something more expensive.

 

[Bucknekked]

Buck,

Thanks for your comments. I am looking forward to the whole process. I am going to try to find some Houston dealers to listen to speakers tomorrow. What speakers to you have? What do you like most about them? Is there an easy way for me to see photos of your music room? I need to learn how to fully utilize the tools on this forum.

As far as going overboard - I am thinking I could be very happy with the Klipsch Heresy IIIs, but once I start my search, I am definitely prone to end up buying something more expensive.

Mike V
Listening to things yourself is always a good practice. Its extremely difficult to get a good, neutral listening experience that's not biased by the sales guy or the facility itself. But, its still a great buyer-beware exercize.

I did not include any mention of the equipment I have because none of my stuff fits your budget. I also didn't put in pictures of my room because my room is pretty unique: its a near field listening experience. The whole enchilada is designed around a single listening chair. (its a really nice chair).

My mains (I live and breath 2 channel stereo in this room) are Salk Songtowers. The AH member @Swerd introduced me to them soon after I joined AH. I auditioned a pair owned by a Salk owner here in the Phoenix area and I was convinced I had found nirvana. @2channel lover recently ordered a pair and is awaiting delivery. Salk speakers are made to order. They don't sell off the shelf and they don't sell in stores. Its 100% referrals and they make everything to your specific request. They also get enthusiastic reviews by The Absolute Sound and other publications. There are reviews on the AH I believe too.

I am an unabashed Salk fan-boy after taking delivery and listening to them. Therefore I am wholeheartedly biased. Since they are over your entire budget, I don't want to start off on a bad note with you.

I also put in a new Denon x4200w AVR to power them. That's also over your budget but there are plenty of Denon's and Marantz' and Yamaha that should fit neatly inside and do a great job.

My media server is what provides the tunes. You mentioned having a large vinyl collection so I didn't bring up the media server either as it runs counter to the vinyl direction. One thing that any new music user can do to immediately upgrade the quality of what they hear is to go to a digital format and provide an end to end digital stream that's top notch in quality. I'm not against vinyl, I own a turntable and a small collection of platters. But for sound quality, the average music person will be miles ahead going all digital. There are users like @TLS Guy that have pristine vinyl collections and drop dead great turntables. Those are the exceptions but definitely achievable if you decide on vinyl as the source.

The source (vinyl or digital) isn't nearly as important as the recordings themselves. Sub par recordings will sound even worse on a revealing and well put together system. Instead of hiding flaws, a great system will expose them. So the real trick is to lay your hands on great recordings of music you like and everything gets better instead of worse. Great recordings sound great no matter the medium.

I've written too much already. I can send pictures and all that if you still are interested. I definitely have a minimalist setup in a 2 channel room dedicated for audio. Its just not mainstream.

 

[Mike V]

Mike V
Listening to things yourself is always a good practice. Its extremely difficult to get a good, neutral listening experience that's not biased by the sales guy or the facility itself. But, its still a great buyer-beware exercize.

I did not include any mention of the equipment I have because none of my stuff fits your budget. I also didn't put in pictures of my room because my room is pretty unique: its a near field listening experience. The whole enchilada is designed around a single listening chair. (its a really nice chair).

My mains (I live and breath 2 channel stereo in this room) are Salk Songtowers. The AH member @Swerd introduced me to them soon after I joined AH. I auditioned a pair owned by a Salk owner here in the Phoenix area and I was convinced I had found nirvana. @2channel lover recently ordered a pair and is awaiting delivery. Salk speakers are made to order. They don't sell off the shelf and they don't sell in stores. Its 100% referrals and they make everything to your specific request. They also get enthusiastic reviews by The Absolute Sound and other publications. There are reviews on the AH I believe too.

I am an unabashed Salk fan-boy after taking delivery and listening to them. Therefore I am wholeheartedly biased. Since they are over your entire budget, I don't want to start off on a bad note with you.

I also put in a new Denon x4200w AVR to power them. That's also over your budget but there are plenty of Denon's and Marantz' and Yamaha that should fit neatly inside and do a great job.

My media server is what provides the tunes. You mentioned having a large vinyl collection so I didn't bring up the media server either as it runs counter to the vinyl direction. One thing that any new music user can do to immediately upgrade the quality of what they hear is to go to a digital format and provide an end to end digital stream that's top notch in quality. I'm not against vinyl, I own a turntable and a small collection of platters. But for sound quality, the average music person will be miles ahead going all digital. There are users like @TLS Guy that have pristine vinyl collections and drop dead great turntables. Those are the exceptions but definitely achievable if you decide on vinyl as the source.

The source (vinyl or digital) isn't nearly as important as the recordings themselves. Sub par recordings will sound even worse on a revealing and well put together system. Instead of hiding flaws, a great system will expose them. So the real trick is to lay your hands on great recordings of music you like and everything gets better instead of worse. Great recordings sound great no matter the medium.

I've written too much already. I can send pictures and all that if you still are interested. I definitely have a minimalist setup in a 2 channel room dedicated for audio. Its just not mainstream.

The Songtowers are not outside my budget - I am still forming a budget, but I expect to pay > $2,000 for a pair of speakers, and probably no more than $4-5,000. I consider the speakers the most important part of my listening experience and I want to avoid "upgrade fever" as I listen to these all through my retirement.

I have a fairly large iTunes library, and a lot of CDs - many more than my old vinyl albums - I am just looking forward to playing LPs again after a 25+ year break. BTW, I really have come to hate iTunes and am looking for something much better, but speakers first for now!

Thanks for your input!

 

[2channel lover]

The Songtowers are not outside my budget - I am still forming a budget, but I expect to pay > $2,000 for a pair of speakers, and probably no more than $4-5,000. I consider the speakers the most important part of my listening experience and I want to avoid "upgrade fever" as I listen to these all through my retirement.

I have a fairly large iTunes library, and a lot of CDs - many more than my old vinyl albums - I am just looking forward to playing LPs again after a 25+ year break. BTW, I really have come to hate iTunes and am looking for something much better, but speakers first for now!

Thanks for your input!

MV...that's great to hear.

Obviously speakers have the final carry of the signal that we call music....my objective with the system upgrade...get as close as possible to the live sound whether it be for recording or an audience for the money. I've heard live music in many different venues, large and small. My system of 20 yrs did a pretty good job of delivering on parts of that, but not all.

In my demo phase, I found that speakers in that $2k to $3k range were very good...20 yrs old but I have pretty good speakers now and I felt they were somewhat lateral to most of those.....speakers in the $5k to $6k range seem to check all of the boxes...The Salks I ordered are less than $4k and my expectation is a performance in the same vein or better as those $5 -$6k speakers.

The Philharmonic3...might be the best value you can get under $4k anywhere...they are large imposing speakers so they didn't work for me, but they highly touted drivers and a industry noted crossover artist/designer/engineer Dennis Murphy. One of the AH posters, The Warrior has a pair.

My main point is opening up your speaker budget I think will do wonders for the end result.

I had a loose number in my head for an overall budget, but I'm not likely to do this again anytime soon so I didn't want to make too many SQ compromises I might regret later because my budget was not high enough...I was thinking 50% of my loose number on the speakers which was $7k max...with a lot of time invested here and researching I was able to come in under budget by $1200+...of course I have been spending some of that on some new tunes .

I have 3+k song on itunes and recently shifted everything over to JRiver v23...

Superior management tool, player, pretty smart too...anytime I add to my itunes acct, the files automatically import to JRiver. I've yet to really dive into all the features, but setting up playlists, etc, basic functions I learned on the fly pretty quickly...well worth the fee for the standard one time license.

 

[Bucknekked]

The Songtowers are not outside my budget - I am still forming a budget, but I expect to pay > $2,000 for a pair of speakers, and probably no more than $4-5,000. I consider the speakers the most important part of my listening experience and I want to avoid "upgrade fever" as I listen to these all through my retirement.

I have a fairly large iTunes library, and a lot of CDs - many more than my old vinyl albums - I am just looking forward to playing LPs again after a 25+ year break. BTW, I really have come to hate iTunes and am looking for something much better, but speakers first for now!

Thanks for your input!

good to know. with a budget in that range, you should be able to put together outstanding sound. I must have mixed up the budget idea with another new OP on the same topic that had a $500 budget for speakers. I apologize. A mind is a terrible to thing to waste.

And with a digital collection to drive it, it will be easy to use as well. I am a long term iTunes user. I go through periods of love-n-hate. "Better" is tough in the digital realm but there are many choices thankfully. There are users of just about every digital media platform in use today on the AH. If you hate iTunes the good news is there are 1/2 dozen choices at your fingertips to replace it.

 

[Mitchibo]

good to know. with a budget in that range, you should be able to put together outstanding sound. I must have mixed up the budget idea with another new OP on the same topic that had a $500 budget for speakers. I apologize. A mind is a terrible to thing to waste.

And with a digital collection to drive it, it will be easy to use as well. I am a long term iTunes user. I go through periods of love-n-hate. "Better" is tough in the digital realm but there are many choices thankfully. There are users of just about every digital media platform in use today on the AH. If you hate iTunes the good news is there are 1/2 dozen choices at your fingertips to replace it.

iTunes library is fine it's the dang compression that sucks. If I were Apple ID offer a service to get higher Rez for each and every tune. I'd pay more. I bet they could make a billion more to add to their trillions. I use HD tracks but they're library is pretty small. More jazz than anything else.

I just looked at the Philharmonic speakers and they are large. The top line measures 72 inches high. A tad bit imposing.

I have Heresey IIIs but I also benefit having four subs to fill out things. Worst case scenario is to demo the Heresey and send them back if it isn't your cup of tea. Hassle, yes. A custom made Salk designed for your room would be a good way to go too.