I have wanted to upgrade my system for several years. I had pretty much settled on a McIntosh MA6900 (or C45 & MC7270) paired w/ a pair of used Focal 836Ws, Salk Veracity HT2-TLs, or maybe Revel F206s, among others, which I planned to purchase piecemeal. After a couple of years looking, I got close on a few components but sadly, none were within my budget. A few days ago, I ran across a deal I couldn’t pass up on a pair of Klipsch Heresy IIIs in mint condition, so I purchased them. Now I am reevaluating my component choices. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that after having purchased my new Heresy IIIs, I cannot afford to spend ~$3K on components.
My budget is around $1,500.00, but less is always better. Usage is ~70% music/30% home theater. I want to start with a 2-channel SS system. The ability to expand to 5.1 or at least the ability to add a sub in the future would be desirable. I want to be able to connect a separate DAC (if not integral), my TV, CD/Blu-Ray, Tuner (if not integral, I have a great Kenwood KT-7500) and maybe a music server like the Wyred4Sound MS-1. However, I don’t understand how to correctly connect all this crap together if I have components that do not have provisions for all this. Previously, I had an Oppo BDP-93, but it went TU. Presumably, I could have used it as a pre, of sorts, but I’d have to get a new one and I’d like to stay away from anything made in China, so I’m not sure how to proceed. I also want to avoid complicated, on screen, menus. I guess I want an old-school system with modern abilities, if that makes any sense at all. Obviously, it would be easier if I had a pre-amp/amp or an integrated that accommodated all of this, but that doesn’t seem likely.
Given my blasted budget constraints, I am currently considering the following used components:
Integrated
Yamaha A-S2100
Bel Canto eVo2i (not sure about Bel canto’s other integrateds like the C5i)
Wyred4Sound STI500
*Separates
Adcom GFA 5800, 555 or 535
ATI AT602
*I have no idea what preamps would pair well with these amps and meet my qualifications. I don’t know much about pre-amps, but Adcom has a few models that are processors as well. I do know a bit about the McIntosh C45 & C220, but those exceed my budget.
At this point, I think the best option is the Yamaha A-S2100, as I have read that Yamaha and the Heresy III pair very well. I’m just not sure how to add the connectivity I want to the A-S2100 + I’d need to purchase a separate DAC. I also think Adcom would be a great choice, which would come in under budget. I did find a Bel Canto S300iD (w/ built-in DAC) for a pretty decent price.
I have read several other threads regarding amp selections for the Klipsch Heresy IIIs, but there was virtually no info on pre-amps.
Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.