2 channel setup questions

[Brandtson]

Hey guys

Putting together a 2 channel stereo for a 10x12 room. I have nothing at this point so I'd need

Floor standing speakers
Sub
Receiver/amp etc
Turntable

I listen to all kinds of music and need to be able to stream music from my iPad or plug it in directly to the receiver.

I've listened to dynaudio, monitor audio, and sonus faber. Really like dynaudio x34. Also considering aperion and salk but obviously can't listen to them.

Budget is around 3500.

Thanks!

 

[PENG]

Your room is relatively small so if you are going to get a sub anyway, take a look of bookshelves such as the KEF LS50 too. I have them in a much larger room and with sub they sound better than my much larger KEF R900 floor standing speakers. I just can't see how a pair of Dynaudio or Sonus Faber can sound better for less than 2.5 to 3K, understand that you need another 1K or 1.5K for the receiver/amp and turntable.

 

[TheWarrior]

With a budget such as that, try breaking it down; $1k for speakers, $1k for receiver, $1k for sub, $500 for turntable. Shop well and squeeze your pennies to find some sales as you still need cables. But thats as simple as I can make it!

Speakers, all I can say is read some reviews! The less than $1k market is completely saturated, you could potentially find such a deal that a disc player would be in your budget as well.

Receivers, I am biased, for good reason, and recommend Denon or Yamaha almost exclusively. I also just checked, amazon has some outrageous deals on Marantz receivers as well!

Sub, I'd turn to our Internet Direct friends. SVS, Rhythmik and HSU all make equally well built products. You cannot go wrong with any of them. Pick the best sub you can afford, and because you are looking for music only, I'd suggest a sealed subwoofer. The down low 20hz reproduction is reserved for movie SFX and the deepest of pipe organ recordings, and will not give you the clarity or punch you need just a little higher up.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

1.5k speakers and 1.5k in electronics is a terrible choice.
To get most bang for your (i assume) euro, you should aim for 70-80% in speakers (including sub)
Bookshelves and sub are your best bet. Marantz and denon are brands to go to, but don't overdo. Slightly older model should be sufficient for your purposes. Jim Salk makes some of best speakers.
Another great speakers are Philharmonic audio and Ascend acoustics. For sub - hsu, Rythmic, reaction audio and svs. Some migh add PowerSound to this short list, but i wouldn't

 

[JohnnieB]

You should go with speakers that sound good to YOU. That said, I agree with the bookshelf recommendation. I run towers, but thats just my flavor. A sub makes towers redundant. Here's a quick setup that IMO is worth a look on that budget.

http://www.rythmikaudio.com/E15.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamrn500bl/yamaha-r-n500-stereo-receiver-with-networking-and-airplay/1.html

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRM1/srm1.html

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/pro-ject-debut-carbon-dc

Bookshelves, sub, receiver and turntable. All in gloss black, well except for the receiver. Enough left over for cables. Check monoprice for those.
Now if you are in Europe, well these suggestions may not work due to shipping costs.
Have fun shopping and Welcome to the forum.

 

[zieglj01]

I've listened to dynaudio, monitor audio, and sonus faber. Really like dynaudio x34. Also considering aperion and salk but obviously can't listen to them.

Budget is around 3500.

Your off to a good start - however as stated, bookshelves and a sub can
work in your room.

Saturday Audio has the Monitor Audio Gold GX50 bookshelf speakers on
sale - did you listen to the Gold series?
http://www.saturdayaudio.com/monitor_specials.htm

Also check into some KEF - above their Q series. Plus some Wharfedale
above their Diamond series.

Check into Rythmik Audio and HSU for some subs
http://www.rythmikaudio.com/LV12R.html

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-2mk4.html

I would keep the receiver budget under $700 - speakers make the biggest
difference in sound.
Outlaw Audio will have bass management
http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/rr2150.html

 

[Brandtson]

Thanks everyone. Hadn't thought about bookshelves. Almost pulled the trigger on a pair of Tekton m lores before I saw the responses.

 

[Brandtson]

Kef r300 vs ascend Sierra. Would I notice a huge upgrade in sound for the price difference between the two?

 

[zieglj01]

Kef r300 vs ascend Sierra. Would I notice a huge upgrade in sound for the price difference between the two?

If you are going to look at the KEF R300 - then as far as the Ascend,
I would look at the Sierra-2 series.
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRM2/srm2.html

 

[JohnnieB]

I have never heard any of the KEF line so I can't speculate. They get good reviews and the brand seems to be well received on most forums, including here.
I think they are a different animal from the Ascends and really you would need to hear both for yourself to make the most informed decision. I'm really not sure if anyone on this forum has heard them both, especially in an A/B comparison. If so, let's hope they catch the thread and offer their take between the two.
We are also talking two very different price points. Perhaps the Sierra 2 would be something to consider if you were expanding the budget. I can tell you from experience, the RAAL tweeter is simply amazing. To my ears, it is one of the most capable tweeters I have ever heard without sounding harsh, bright or edgy.

 

[PENG]

I have heard all of the R series and own the 900, but also the LS50 and can tell you the LS50 plus sub is better than the 900 towers. I have also compared the LS50 side by side with a pair of Revel that costs almost 4X more and aside from bass the LS50 sounds better. That's just me, others could have drawn the opposite conclusions.

Different speakers sound different and the differences are easily heard, my reference that influences my preference is unamplified live music and that seems to make it easier for me to make my choice. Personal preference, compounding with the fact that speakers sound very different in different rooms, makes it difficult to choose correctly. My suggestion is, read a lot of reviews, make up a sort list and then spend a lot of time auditioning. ID brands allow you to listen to the products in your own room but not everyone wants to do multiple ordering, packing, unpacking and shipping.

 

[Shakey]

I have 2 different amplifiers, they both are 2 channel and they are in my cabinet side by side. When I want to switch from one to the other, I have to get into the cabinet to swap the speaker wires from one to the other. I was wondering if I could run short speaker wires from the speaker terminals from one amp to the speaker terminals to the other amp (in a sense of leaving them connected together at the terminals) so that I wouldn't have to keep swapping the wires. I am hoping that this will work instead of running separate speaker wires out of both amps to the speakers. I just don't know if doing this would damage the amps, I WOULD NOT HAVE BOTH AMPS POWERED ON AT THE SAME TIME.

 

[JohnnieB]

Hi Shakey.
Do not do this.
I believe you would only achieve a shunt, especially if both amps were on. Get a switch to go from one to the other.
This is also off topic for the thread, you should start a new thread.

 

[Brandtson]

I've decided to give the ascend sierra 2 a shot. Ordered a
Pro ject debut carbon and will probably get a refurbished yamaha r n500 from accessories for less. Will decide after I get everything if I need a sub?

 

[shadyJ]

The Sierra 2s look great. The LS50s are amazing too. I would definitely get a sub. It will make a big difference. If you don't listen to stuff very loud, you could settle with a sealed 12" sub. If you like punchy bass, get a 15" sub. I would be looking at Hsu Research, Rythmik, and Reaction Audio for subs.

 

[Brandtson]

The Sierra 2s look great. The LS50s are amazing too. I would definitely get a sub. It will make a big difference. If you don't listen to stuff very loud, you could settle with a sealed 12" sub. If you like punchy bass, get a 15" sub. I would be looking at Hsu Research, Rythmik, and Reaction Audio for subs.

Thanks! I like punchy base and I listen loud! Rythmiks look nice. Crazy they are near the price of the sierra 2.

 

[zieglj01]

I've decided to give the ascend sierra 2 a shot.

A nice way to start - enjoy the adventure.

 

[shadyJ]

I have heard Hsu's new VTF3 mk5 recently, that is an amazing sub for less then $900 shipped, if you want to save some money. Very nice sound quality and huge output. From Rythmik, I would be looking at a E15 or FVX15. Also take a look at Reaction Audio Gamma 18 or Gamma 15.

 

[Brandtson]

I have heard Hsu's new VTF3 mk5 recently, that is an amazing sub for less then $900 shipped, if you want to save some money. Very nice sound quality and huge output. From Rythmik, I would be looking at a E15 or FVX15. Also take a look at Reaction Audio Gamma 18 or Gamma 15.

Thanks! That's very helpful.

 

[hankki]

I've decided to give the ascend sierra 2 a shot. Ordered a
Pro ject debut carbon and will probably get a refurbished yamaha r n500 from accessories for less. Will decide after I get everything if I need a sub?

Hello Brandtson,
I have the ProJect debut carbon dc with ortofon 2M red and the yamaha r-n500 playing through B&W 686 S2 and I am very satisfied. I also have the yamaha wifi adapter so I can stream music from my computer and play spotify directly from the Ipad, if you have ethernet close you can plug in directly without the need for the adapter. The Ipad app have some problem connecting to the receiver at times but power off-on will usually help, works much better with Ipad Air 2 than the old Ipad 2.

EDIT: removed info on a speaker since you already ordered