$6,000 Recommended Two-Channel Stereo System

[shadyJ]

JBL LSR 6332, very nice! They can be had for a bit less than $3300 too.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It's all about knowing whom and where to get your components.

For my hard-earned $6K cash, I would get a pair of RBH SX-T2 (MSRP $7500, but deals can be had for much less) plus the Denon X4000 (MSRP $1300, deals much less).

And I would still have enough cash for a $100 BD player as a source, although I wouldn't need one. I actually have 2 BD players and 2 universal players I don't even use since I stream my music these days.

 

[haraldo]

Referring to my previous comments, there is a gazillion of world class products out there that never gets mentioned in AH, seems like it's only a short-list of products that gets mentioned over and over again, or is the products that you have available in US so limited...
All the following brands provide world-class products, but are hardly/never mentioned...... Wilson Benesch, System Audio, Dynaudio, VAF, Audio Physic, Audiovector, Krix, Respons Audio, Dali, MJ Acoustics, Bladelius, Primare, Devialet, Nuforce, Von Schweikert, Piega, Elac, T+A, AKG, Sonus Faber, Electrocompaniet, Lyngdorf, Densen, Michell, Pro-ject, Rega, Thorens, Audiolab, Audio Pro, Apogee, Equinox Audio, Duntech, Opera Loudspeakers ....

What did Sony do when they announced SACD way back, they fully relied on speakers from VAF.... VAF speakers have been reviewed with an end statement of having the best bass in the world....

to me, AH is at best an interesting read, but the severe limitation of what's actually being written about here makes it of limited practical value... but this is just my opinion and how I look upon things.....

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Referring to my previous comments, there is a gazillion of world class products out there that never gets mentioned in AH, seems like it's only a short-list of products that gets mentioned over and over again, or is the products that you have available in US so limited...
All the following brands provide world-class products, but are never mentioned...... Wilson Benesch, System Audio, Dynaudio, VAF, Audio Physic, Audiovector, Krix, Respons Audio, Dali, MJ Acoustics, Bladelius, Primare, Devialet, Von Schweikert, Piega, Elac, T+A, AKG, Sonus Faber, Electrocompaniet, Lyngdorf, Densen, Michell Pro-ject, Rega, Thorens, Audiolab, Audio Pro, Apogee, Equinox Audio, Opera Loudspeakers ....

What did Sony do when they announced SACD way back, they fully relied on speakers from VAF.... VAF speakers have been reviewed with an end statement of having the best bass in the world....

to me, AH is at best an interesting read, but the severe limitation of what's actually being written about here makes it of limited practical value, but this is just my opinion.....

I think if AH becomes another Stereophile or HTM/SVM, then AH could cover a million brands.

But AH just doesn't have the funds or resources to cover a million brands.

 

[cpp]

I think if AH becomes another Stereophile or HTM/SVM, then AH could cover a million brands.

But AH just doesn't have the funds or resources to cover a million brands.

true but we can only dream if AH only could

In the end I think it comes down to who do you trust. I think Gene tells it like it is, not saying JA doesn't but Gene is pretty spot on with his reviews/test.

 

[gene]

Referring to my previous comments, there is a gazillion of world class products out there that never gets mentioned in AH, seems like it's only a short-list of products that gets mentioned over and over again, or is the products that you have available in US so limited...
All the following brands provide world-class products, but are hardly/never mentioned...... Wilson Benesch, System Audio, Dynaudio, VAF, Audio Physic, Audiovector, Krix, Respons Audio, Dali, MJ Acoustics, Bladelius, Primare, Devialet, Nuforce, Von Schweikert, Piega, Elac, T+A, AKG, Sonus Faber, Electrocompaniet, Lyngdorf, Densen, Michell, Pro-ject, Rega, Thorens, Audiolab, Audio Pro, Apogee, Equinox Audio, Duntech, Opera Loudspeakers ....

What did Sony do when they announced SACD way back, they fully relied on speakers from VAF.... VAF speakers have been reviewed with an end statement of having the best bass in the world....

to me, AH is at best an interesting read, but the severe limitation of what's actually being written about here makes it of limited practical value... but this is just my opinion and how I look upon things.....

It doesn't matter that Audioholics has the largest readership in the industry dwarfing magazines like Stereophile. We aren't backed by a multimillion dollar magazine publisher.

We use our limited resources to work with brands that respect the online magazine model. Many of the brands you mentioned are still in dial up mentality and very clueless on the much larger audience they are missing online.

However we do have reviews and coverage of some of the brands on your list which is easily found if you do a search on our site. We have several reviews of Dali and Dynaudio for example. We've been online for 15 years so there's a lot of content on the site.

 

[haraldo]

Sounds like I'm very unhappy with AH, well I'm not
Gene, you're doing an incredibly good job, it's just that it's so darn many good products out there.... (So what I see as some of the best products are just not mentioned in AH and probably never will)

The one criticism I do have is that it is my understanding that AH seem to claim that you tell the truth and the whole truth, well I think that you really don't... you just scratch the surface of what's out there.... (Again, this is just MY OPINION)

And, so your job is almost impossible, due to the myriad of fantastic products around....

 

[gene]

Sounds like I'm very unhappy with AH, well I'm not
Gene, you're doing an incredibly good job, it's just that it's so darn many good products out there.... (So what I see as some of the best products are just not mentioned in AH and probably never will)

The one criticism I do have is that it is my understanding that AH seem to claim that you tell the truth and the whole truth, well I think that you really don't... you just scratch the surface of what's out there.... (Again, this is just MY OPINION)

And, so your job is almost impossible, due to the myriad of fantastic products around....

I understand and wish we could cover all of the products but we have to make decisions to cover the stuff that is most commonly available to our demographic of readership. I don't push us into the high end market too often b/c so much of our readership, especially on the forums scoff at expensive gear. Review a $4k sub and within the first post someone will pop in and say you can get an HSU or SVS for 1/4th the price. Review a $20k/pair of speakers and someone will come in and say they are "similarly good" to a pair of Infinity Primus. That kind of stuff turns off the high end brands which is why they often stick with print as it is perceived as a more prestigious readership even if they only reach 1/100th the Audience of Audioholics.

 

[haraldo]

It seems to me that you guys generally write articles that's written in a way that it seems like US and Canada is the world, and there is nothing outside of that and if you had any idea how that pisses me off......... Just recently, you suggested to make a list of companies that sell speakers online direct, you were actually missing quite a few high quality speaker companies that provide Internet direct services, to me that's not being really honest.... unless you make it specifically clear that it's not a complete list....

Maybe you just have very different goals in the US, you just want rigs that play loud, with the most bass extension possible, the least power compression. but does that make you enjoy the music at all? That doesn't necessarily make it for me..... I came home one day from auditioning a $400k rig.... to my modest system, enjoying the music even more at home.... maybe the guys at Harbeth, and others that make similar 'BBC type' monitors do have a point... it's about musical pleasure.... not about what can play the loudest.... musical pleasure cannot be measured if you ask me.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I just now tend to shy away from the discussions about amps, speakers, subs... whatever, because it always seem to end up with the notion of... what can play the loudest, what has the least power compression, which sub has the most extension.....

Some of us don't believe in that. We have to keep the balance.

Some of us have come to the conclusion that whatever sounds good is good.

 

[haraldo]

Some of us don't believe in that. We have to keep the balance.

Some of us have come to the conclusion that whatever sounds good is good.

I agree with you and it doesn't contradict my statements

 

[rojo]

But, without being able to hear every system in person, what way is better than measurements of extreme capabilities for predicting how gear will sound and what it can tolerate in your home? Feelings? Fluffy adjectives?

 

[gene]

It seems to me that you guys generally write articles that's written in a way that it seems like US and Canada is the world, and there is nothing outside of that and if you had any idea how that pisses me off......... Just recently, you suggested to make a list of companies that sell speakers online direct, you were actually missing quite a few high quality speaker companies that provide Internet direct services, to me that's not being really honest.... unless you make it specifically clear that it's not a complete list....

Maybe you just have very different goals in the US, you just want rigs that play loud, with the most bass extension possible, the least power compression. but does that make you enjoy the music at all? That doesn't necessarily make it for me..... I came home one day from auditioning a $400k rig.... to my modest system, enjoying the music even more at home.... maybe the guys at Harbeth, and others that make similar 'BBC type' monitors do have a point... it's about musical pleasure.... not about what can play the loudest.... musical pleasure cannot be measured if you ask me.

Wow if the fact that we provide a venue of well written educated articles FREE of service to you pisses you off then you need to possibly take up a more peaceful hobby. US + Canada is our majority demographic and to quote Captain Spock, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...or the one".

Some of the esoteric European companies either have no distribution in the USA, or are not very internet savvy or just in general are very hard to reach to arrange reviews.

I suggest you look at European based websites like AVForums.com or Whathifi.com if you want to see more coverage of those products.

Not sure about your comments regarding loudness. We attempt to test every product in a similar and fair manner so you can decide what is right for you. Just b/c an amplifier can output 1000 watts vs one that can only output 100 watts doesn't make the latter sound bad just like a car with 500hp vs 200hp doesn't make the lower HP car drive poorly. It all depends on your needs and desires.

 

[haraldo]

Well it's really simple Gene, you'r target is US only...... then make it clear that you don't do anything else......

 

[haraldo]

I suggest you look at European based websites

I read this that you're only targeting US consumer market, yes?

Other sites like Stereophile, Audiostream, Analog Planet are global oriented, and they also visit events like Munich Hi-End fair (the biggest audio event if I understand it correctly) so why don't you visit events outside of the US? like the above mentioned magazines ....
To me now, it's not clear what is your target... do you want to pursue the truth within audio.... is that the truth only within US, or is it in a global domain ... what is your target?
Are you really only interested in US consumers?, but then you should make it clear.... I think that you don't really make this very clear at all.....
Well, maybe I just want too much... or maybe your're just not really researching enough what's going on in the world outside of your fishpond...

So maybe the AH users will have to follow your advice Gene to look at other sites if they really want to find out what's going on there in the broad audio world... to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed with you guys now.... or you're just to narrow minded

An example: Wherever I turn, wherever I look, there's a bunchload of Danish world class speaker companies, This seem to be imminent to anyone out there, except to you guys.... Open your eyes !
Stereophile consistently write about exceedingly hi-performing speakers from brands like: Dynaudio, Gamut, Gryphon, Raidho, Dali, Hørning Hybrid Systems, but you seem to be stuck in the same brands, over and over and over again...

From another point of view, do you really like music at all.... Tom Andry once wrote: "Ah, listening evaluation - my least favorite portion of an amp review"

 

[TheWarrior]

Um, I think your attempt to make a suggestion/request to get Audioholics coverage outside North America has been clouded by some deep animosity you hold. We love Scandinavian and Norwegian drivers, they are featured in most of the high end offerings Audioholics tests. But its also a lot more expensive to ship entire crates across the Atlantic to have Americans test them, when there is barely any distribution for those makes!

 

[rojo]

Yeah, I'd love to see some German Maestro speakers reviewed; but since they aren't sold in the U.S., I doubt they'll make it over for review. I'm sure it's not a refusal to include European speakers that makes AH North-American-centric. There's no outright obstinacy or superiority going on here. It all comes down to money. As Gene said, AH isn't backed by a print magazine company, funds are limited, and worldwide product selection just isn't practical.

From another point of view, do you really like music at all....

Do you honestly think this is likely? Don't get so carried away venting your frustrations that you lose sight of your more valid points. We're all friends here, aren't we?

 

[Plexmulti9]

I read this that you're only targeting US consumer market, yes?

Other sites like Stereophile, Audiostream, Analog Planet are global oriented, and they also visit events like Munich Hi-End fair (the biggest audio event if I understand it correctly) so why don't you visit events outside of the US? like the above mentioned magazines ....
To me now, it's not clear what is your target... do you want to pursue the truth within audio.... is that the truth only within US, or is it in a global domain ... what is your target?
Are you really only interested in US consumers?, but then you should make it clear.... I think that you don't really make this very clear at all.....
Well, maybe I just want too much... or maybe your're just not really researching enough what's going on in the world outside of your fishpond...

So maybe the AH users will have to follow your advice Gene to look at other sites if they really want to find out what's going on there in the broad audio world... to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed with you guys now.... or you're just to narrow minded

An example: Wherever I turn, wherever I look, there's a bunchload of Danish world class speaker companies, This seem to be imminent to anyone out there, except to you guys.... Open your eyes !
Stereophile consistently write about exceedingly hi-performing speakers from brands like: Dynaudio, Gamut, Gryphon, Raidho, Dali, Hørning Hybrid Systems, but you seem to be stuck in the same brands, over and over and over again...

From another point of view, do you really like music at all.... Tom Andry once wrote: "Ah, listening evaluation - my least favorite portion of an amp review"

You probably want to consider apologizing right about... NOW.....

Here was Gene wrote, which you - for whatever angry reason - took just a snippet of and tried to make him look like a jerk, which he wasn't being. He was trying to help point you to sites that might interest you:

Some of the esoteric European companies either have no distribution in the USA, or are not very internet savvy or just in general are very hard to reach to arrange reviews.

I suggest you look at European based websites like AVForums.com or Whathifi.com if you want to see more coverage of those products.

He was suggesting that, because it's hard for AH to actually get a lot of products that are almost strictly available overseas and have limited distribution, that for those types of articles you look at those websites. Now, at this point, if he came on here after your rants and told you to go "flip off" properly, I wouldn't blame him.

2ndly, his main point was that the huge majority of AH readers are from North America and, therefore, AH is going to present articles on products that are available to North America. To argue against such would be asinine.

 

[Steve81]

I read this that you're only targeting US consumer market, yes?

Not at all. Equipment reviews are only one facet of Audioholics; in the grand scheme of things, it's not even the most important facet. Pursuing the truth in audio is about educating the consumer, which means that far and away the most important section of this site is the AV Research area. Are those articles targeting just the US market? Of course not.

Is the equipment we review US-centric. Sure. That's just the facts of geography and demographics. I'd also note that the door swings both ways. Why would a manufacturer focused on the European market bother to send equipment to be reviewed at a US based website read mostly by people in North America? The simple answer: they don't. Of course, if Gene wants to pay to send me on a European vacation to visit Munich and look at speakers, I'd be open to the idea

 

[Carl Gurnicz]

So is a nakamichi TA4A still considered a competitor ? I like the sound so I purchased a 2nd one on Ebay that a 73 yr old retired tech went through ,He does this on the side. I am thinking since they both work off the same remote that I would try to bi amp my paradigm 11s with them. I was told I could have audio quest make me up a Y cord so I could connect the cd player to both inputs. The guy at magnolia said I shouldn't do that because one amp might be 4 watts off or some crap like that;and if I were satisfied with the power why not leave it alone? But I am not into it for power I am thinking it would be a cleaner clearer sound. So I am still hoping someone from this site will help with my interconnect dilemma. I have audio quest that are acting up but I got them in 94 so belden blue jean, silver serpent from Better Cables/ or go back to audioquest? Is shorter better than longer for interconnects? Anyways' Thanks
Dobie