sound system for Beethoven's 9th Symphony

[wooden]

Hi Everyone.

I'm sorry to bother you.

I was wondering what you would suggest for a sound system for people who listen to Beethoven's 9th Symphony everyday, just that one piece of music. Suggestions as to a recording are welcome as well. We also have no problem buying used, if that would be the smart route.

Thank you very much in any event.

 

[fuzz092888]

So you're only going to listen to that one piece of music over and over again?

Just kidding and welcome to the site. So, why this one piece of music? Are you looking for a 2.0/2.1 system that will play classical music really well? What kind of budget do you have for this? Do you need electronics as well? What size is your room?

 

[walter duque]

Hi Everyone.

I'm sorry to bother you.

I was wondering what you would suggest for a sound system for people who listen to Beethoven's 9th Symphony everyday, just that one piece of music. Suggestions as to a recording are welcome as well. We also have no problem buying used, if that would be the smart route.

Thank you very much in any event.

The only speakers that come to mind are the Phil 3's Philharmonic Audio
I don't know your budged, but in my opinion there is nothing under 10k that could even come close to these. BTW I do not own them, but one day I will. These are top notch speakers, quality trough out and build with love.

 

[wooden]

I did make myself sound like Alex in Clockwork Orange! I use it to keep my mother optimistic. I have it on when I'm cooking for her (I'm a cook, and she's disabled and elderly, so Beethoven when he wrote it is quite special to her). The living room is 11 feet by 19 feet, but I don't know what 2.0 and 2.1 are. I did buy her the Sangean WR-2 WH HiFi AM/FM-RDS Table-Top Radio for $119 US dollars; I expect to pay more for the sound system and recording, of course.

Thank you again for the laugh. No ultra-violence involved, I promise.

 

[wooden]

walter, thank you so much!

Those look wonderful!

 

[fuzz092888]

The Phil 3's are a great choice. I have them and they're the one's Walter has heard. 2.0 means 2 speakers, 2.1 means 2 speakers and a subwoofer.

 

[markw]

I've found my Magnapan 1.6s (replaced by 1.7s) always did a bang up job, particularly on the vocals and choral finale.

they do require some commitment as far as amps and room size and placement go, though.

 

[psbfan9]

Hi wooden, welcome to the forum. 2.0 refers to a left and right main speaker. 2.1 refers to the front left and right speakers with the addition of a sub woofer which adds extended bass the the 'mains' (the 2.0) may not be able to reproduce.
What is your budget? There are so many options that without you giving us your budget you may get some recommendations that are not attainable. Also, are you interested in a tower/floor standing speaker or a smaller bookshelf speaker.
For instance, the Philharmonic 3's are $3300.00 a pair plus shipping.

 

[ImcLoud]

Depends on what you want to spend, I imagine your mother doesn't listen at very loud levels, and wont be very critical of the sound quality, my grand father used to love to listen to his old Italian albums, on his old scratchy record player, when my uncle replaced it with a new {back then} system that sounded much better and cleaner he was upset about it, and wanted his old system back..

You can get something very nice for $500 or so...

CBM-170 SE High Performance Bookshelf Loudspeaker
Dayton Audio APA150 150W Power Amplifier 844632061523 | eBay
Amazon.com : Mediabridge - 3.5mm Male To (2) RCA Stereo Audio Cable - (6 Feet) - Step Down Design accommodates iPhone, iTouch, SmartPhones & MP3 cases : Stereo Jack Cables : Electronics
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and a pair of these Amazon.com: Silverback Speaker Wire by Sewell, OFC, 12 AWG, 259 Strand Count, 3 ft Terminated: Electronics
total cost under $600 and will sound very good...

And you could add a pair of these Dayton Audio SUB-800 8" 80 Watt Powered Subwoofer 300-627 and fmod - Parts Express Ships Fast and Ships Free with 2 of these Amazon.com : Mediabridge CYA-1M2F-P Ultra Series - RCA Y Adapter - 1-Male to 2-Female for Digital Audio or Subwoofer : Subwoofer Cables : Electronics and a set of these Amazon.com: Mediabridge Ultra Series Subwoofer Cable - ( 15 Feet ) - Dual Shielded with RCA to RCA Gold Plated Pro Grade Connectors: Electronics that will give you a lot more low end and free up some power for your mids and highs...

 

[wooden]

psbfan9, thank you. I think the Philharmonic 3 might have bypassed the logical part of my brain. I follow mid-century modern furniture at Design Addict, where I've seen very beautiful vintage audio equipment, but I never saw anything like that. I loved the Magnapan 1.7 just as much. The price would be worth it to me for either just partly because of aesthetics.

The tower/floor standing speaker would be fine, and I'm going to look at ImcLoud's suggestions (you were right: that budget is more realistic for me).

Thank you very much.

 

[fuzz092888]

What is your budget though, you still haven't really said unless I missed it.

There's the Philharmonitor for $850 including shipping.

 

[wooden]

fuzz092888, thank you again. I save up for used mid-century modern furniture and have spent as much as the Philharmonic 3 for one piece. Its price sounded reasonable. I'll research its life span and resale value.

I'm very thankful to know about it. It looks like the ideal sound system even if I can't afford it.

 

[fuzz092888]

fuzz092888, thank you again. I save up for used mid-century modern furniture and have spent as much as the Philharmonic 3 for one piece. Its price sounded reasonable. I'll research its life span and resale value.

I'm very thankful to know about it. It looks like the ideal sound system even if I can't afford it.

Not that there aren't other great options out there, but I personally like the open back midrange of the Philharmonic line. The Phil slims are a bit cheaper at $2700 and will take up less space to boot. You have to remember that for the price you're getting excellent parts and handmade cabinets where you can pick any of the standard veneers for the price or pick any veneer you could want for a modest increase in price.

The philharmonitors are cheaper at $850 including shipping and will give you a ton of performance for the price.

As to the life span, any speaker will last as long or longer than the owner as long as they are taken care of. Played within their limits and not abused and the Phils (or any other speaker) will last 20+ years.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I am going to run from this thread before TLS Guy finds it and how most budget system could not possible reproduce classical music realistically...

To be honest - seek the Man out and hear his suggestions.

 

[Swerd]

Beethoven's 9th is very challenging for home audio systems to play back without showing some kind of weakness. There are huge changes in dynamic range, from very soft to thundering loud. And there are all those voices in the chorus. Just like looking at images of faces on a TV, it is often easier to detect weakness in speakers when we hear human voices on audio speakers. Beethoven's 9th has over 100 voices singing en mass.

The Philharmonic 3 speakers would be a very good choice for this music.

As you can see at ArkivMusic, there are many recordings available of this symphony. You could do worse than simply choosing their recommendation (on the right) . I got that one and its an excellent performance and recording. TLS Guy agrees.

 

[3db]

Audition the PSB ImagineT2 as well. Received excellent reviews from all of the audio review mags and sites.

Imagine T2 Tower - PSB Speakers

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

So you're only going to listen to that one piece of music over and over again?

Weird, huh?

I do have all nine of Bethoven's symphonies in a DVD-Audio collection.

But these days, for classical music, I just listen to Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone album over and over and over gain.

 

[3db]

I did make myself sound like Alex in Clockwork Orange! I use it to keep my mother optimistic. I have it on when I'm cooking for her (I'm a cook, and she's disabled and elderly, so Beethoven when he wrote it is quite special to her). The living room is 11 feet by 19 feet, but I don't know what 2.0 and 2.1 are. I did buy her the Sangean WR-2 WH HiFi AM/FM-RDS Table-Top Radio for $119 US dollars; I expect to pay more for the sound system and recording, of course.

Thank you again for the laugh. No ultra-violence involved, I promise.

If she's strong enough, try and take her to a live performance of it. No sound system in the world regardless of price will give you the affect of this piece live. I heard it live for the first time in my life at the age of 51 (having it played it many many times on vinyl and CD) and my jaw dropped. It truly is one of the most magnificent pieces of music ever written.

 

[wooden]

I just wanted to thank you all so much.