First Audiophyte System

[shawngt2]

Hi Everyone, First Post,

I'm looking for a good 2.0 system with a 2 channel amp (tube or something of great quality) for under $2,000 if possible. Any recommendations for bookshelf and amp to power this system?

 

[RUNN1NG EMOT10N]

What is a 2.0 system? Sorry if that's a dumb question.

 

[sholling]

Hi Everyone, First Post,

I'm looking for a good 2.0 system with a 2 channel amp (tube or something of great quality) for under $2,000 if possible. Any recommendations for bookshelf and amp to power this system?

There is no reason to go tube because modern AVRs generally do a better job. You could build a system around a pair of Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 NRT bookshelves (~$1200/pr) and an Onkyo TX-8050 stereo receiver and have lots of change in your pocket. Or you could go with an Outlaw Audio RR2150 receiver and have no change. But, I think the smarter move is to drive them off an AVR like a Denon AVR-2113ci so that you can add a subwoofer later. An AVR brings bass management and the possibility of future expansion to the party.

If you want to start with a decent 2.1 system for $2K. Start with a pair of Ascend Acoustic CMT-340 SE for $600, assuming a room smaller than 3000cuft add a Hsu Research VTF-2 for another $600 (or a VTF-3 for $100 more), and drive it all off the Denon linked above.

What is a 2.0 system? Sorry if that's a dumb question.

It's not a dumb question. A 2.0 system is a 2 speaker stereo system running without a subwoofer. Adding a sub brings it up to 2.1, the .1 being the designation for a single subwoofer. A 2.2 system would be two speakers and two subwoofers.

 

[jcunwired]

Great advice above. I too recommend an AVR for the reasons stated, I currently use a Denon 2313 (I have zone 2 requirements).

Another great speaker to consider is the Philharmonic Audio Philharmonitors. While I own Philharmonic towers, the monitors get great reviews and the company's speaker performance IMO are much better than their asking price (Dennis, please ignore ).

 

[shawngt2]

Sholling,

Thank you very much for the advice. I will look deeper into the bookshelves. I guess what I didn't get across is I'm trying to find a compact minimalist amplifier with no bells and whistles. I was looking at headphone amps at one time (particularly Wu Audio WA7) and would love it if I could get either something compact like this or a very compact solid state amp. I don't want any HDMI management system or anything complicated. Ideally something designed particularly to take input and output to 2.0 or 2.1 channels the purest and most natural sounding way! Also, amp to match the speakers and not be designed for use with much more powerful speakers than I will use. Like 50-75 Watts would probably be decent for bookshelves I think.

Cheers

 

[ImcLoud]

Welcome..
I tend to go the other way, I don't like to use an AVR for music, I like to try and keep the audio path as direct as possible, there is nothing wrong with using an avr, but I like the KISS method (keep it simple stupid). If it were me for $2000 I would go...

B-Stock Items: Ascend Direct bstock sierra 1's in piano black for $790
SB12-NSD - SVS $650 will match the ascends and very music capable fast sealed sub
XDA-2 USB DAC/Digital Preamp/Headphone Amp | Emotiva Audio Corporation | Emotiva Audio | High-end audio components for audiophiles and videophiles, spanning 2-channel music systems, as well as 5.1 and 7.1 home theaters. Products include multichannel if you are going all digital and not putting a turntable get bstock for $299
UPA-200 | 125W x 2 | Emotiva Audio | High-end audio components for audiophiles and videophiles, spanning 2-channel music systems, as well as 5.1 and 7.1 home theaters. Products include multichannel amplifiers, stereo amplifiers, and monoblock amplifi get bstock for $270
that puts you a little over budget, you can save $150 by going with this sub SB-1000 - SVS which is also really nice but not gloss black.... also if you are just plugging your ipod into the system you can go with an integrated amp like the dayton apa150 Dayton Audio APA150 150W Power Amplifier 300-812 which has its own volume control, I plug my ipods headphones rite into mine and it sounds great, that is a great amp for the money, and it is just that much more direct {although the dac does a great job...}

I don't think you are going to find a better sound than the ascends with the sealed svs 12 and emotiva amp and dac for around $2000, definitely not out of an avr... IMO and experience of course...

Stay away from tubes for a first system, the old saying is "if they are not breaking in, they are breaking down" and the cheapest tube amp I would consider is the Jolida which is going to be around $1000 and only give you 20-40 watts, I have one for ambiance and it costs around $1200 and for $200 more I could have bought an XPR2 that puts out 1200 watts and sounds much better and will last much longer....

 

[shawngt2]

Thank you so much for all the great advice. I really love the Dayton Audio APA150 because the small form factor is perfect, although the price is alarmingly cheap! I'm looking for something like this with possibility of USB and full 32/192 sample compatibility (does it matter?). I don't mind going over budget it the system is rock solid reliable and the type of system I can use for 20 years and still enjoy the amazing quality of sound. Are there any competitors products that compete with the APA150? I will be running lossless audio through my macbook pro.

I currently plug my ipod into a bose SR1 sound bar and it's pretty staticy because I'm using a cheap RCA to mini cable. I'm looking for the real mccoy mini system!

 

[sholling]

Sholling,

Thank you very much for the advice. I will look deeper into the bookshelves. I guess what I didn't get across is I'm trying to find a compact minimalist amplifier with no bells and whistles. I was looking at headphone amps at one time (particularly Wu Audio WA7) and would love it if I could get either something compact like this or a very compact solid state amp. I don't want any HDMI management system or anything complicated. Ideally something designed particularly to take input and output to 2.0 or 2.1 channels the purest and most natural sounding way! Also, amp to match the speakers and not be designed for use with much more powerful speakers than I will use. Like 50-75 Watts would probably be decent for bookshelves I think.

Cheers

Things have changed since the 1980s and the fact is that a minimalist amplifier brings no-zip-zero sonic advantages over a modern AVR, absolutely nothing positive that you can hear. All it does is fulfill a fetish for minimalism at the cost of handcuffing your speakers, because none of the additional features and extra power of an AVR detract in the slightest from the audio quality. Less is not more with an amplifier, in fact pushing an under powered amp to its limits is going to hurt the audio quality and risk damage to your speakers. If your desire is to limit yourself and handcuff your speakers then so be it, it's your system. Just bear in mind that bookshelves tend to be a bit power hungry and those Sierra-1s can easily make use of 100 or 150w - especially if you aren't shifting power gobbling bass to a powered subwoofer and integrating a subwoofer without the bass management capability of an AV receiver is an unnecessary pain in the butt.

I didn't catch what source you're using for the music. If it's a computer and a full featured AVR is a no-go then I'd look into powered monitors and a sub. Integrating the sub will be a pain but it can be done.

Good luck.

 

[markw]

A mini-cable won't produce staticy sound unless it's broken. Also, you might want to consider the advice being offered here. You seem to be reading too much and falling for the hype and not comprehending the basics to begin with.

Personally, I've lways found NAD integrateds to be the center of great "basic" system.

 

[shawngt2]

Right, Understood. I think I am really interested in the suggested powered speakers. I stumbled upon KEF X300a and given my basic requirement (DAC, accuracy, room fill, simplicity, significantly better than BOSE Cinemate 1 SR connected via RCA/Minijack) would this be a good buy or is there a better alternative? There is also AudioEngines, but I think KEF is better, no? I know everyone's ear is different and this answer is subjective, but I'm asking about the overall quality and general consensus. Speakers would most likely be mounted on wall mounted shelves.

All my specific needs are above and would like optimal solution. Looking for recommendations based on this.

I want to avoid receiver and separate speakers speakers, unless it's like the Dayton Audio APA150s in form factor or less.

 

[tmurnin]

If you're really just looking for a higher end iPod/laptop speaker system, then the Kefs are a good solution, albeit a bit pricey. The AudioEngine A5s combined with their DAC also sound fantastic and Cambridge Audio's system recently got a pretty good review on this site. you can also find a good sounding unit from Sonos if you have a need for multi-room solutions. Given what your objective seems to be, i would stay away from an AVR.

 

[GranteedEV]

Hi Everyone, First Post,

I'm looking for a good 2.0 system with a 2 channel amp (tube or something of great quality) for under $2,000 if possible. Any recommendations for bookshelf and amp to power this system?

While there's nothing "wrong" with tubes, they are a poor investment overall in my personal opinion, at least on a budget. They're horribly inefficent, often have issues with complex speaker loads (although that depends on the amp design) and generally overpriced.

My suggestion is to consider $1600 on a pair of soundfield audio monitor 2s, along with a crown XLS1500.

Them KEF LS50s also seem like a fantastic choice.

One last option to consider would be the Salk WOW1s.