A bedroom music system at about 50K

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vanga123

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Hi,

I'm planning to buy a music system for my bedroom to replace my 20+ year old Sony mini hifi system from my student days. My music genre of interest are primarily Carnatic Classical (both vocal & instrumental), Hindustani and Western classical (primarily instrumental). The music source is mostly streaming services, Apple Music (AAC or MP3 format), Amazone Prime (MP3), Primephonic (in FLAC format for western classical ), and YouTube from my iOS devices. Since my bedroom space is limited, I was thinking of getting a Bose SoundTouch Series 4, within my planned budget of 50K. But, I realised that Bose has stopped that series and currently has only Home Speaker 500, which didn't fit my requirements. Personally, I didn't like its sound performance either.

I am now considering to set up an amp+speaker system instead of looking for readymade options. The following are my requirements:

1. Ease of play: Ability to wirelessly stream all common formats of music, including FLAC. I understand that Airplay enabled amplifiers makes this job easier without much quality loss.
2. Headphone jack & Radio: Since most of my engaged music listening happens at night, it's preferable if I can connect my Senheisser HD599 to avoid disturbance to others.
3. Radio: FM/AM tuner functionality is preferable as old time radio is still a family favourite.
4. Sound quality & Soundstage: They system should have a reasonably good balanced sound quality & clarity across the frequency range and a good soundstage to bring the best out of western classical orchestras. I prefer playing music at moderate volumes.

My planned budget is about 50K, but I'm willing to extend the same for another 10-20K if it makes a big difference in sound quality & presence at the end of the day.

I received a suggestion to go for a Yamaha rn803 with Bose 301 book shelf speakers at about 75K. Since this was above my originally planned budget, I thought of getting some more expert opinions in this matter before finalising my choice.

Any suggestions in this matter will be greatly appreciated. Since I'm a novice in this field, it'll be good if I can also get some pointers on reliable sources from where I can purchase the suggested models.

Thanking you in advance,
Dileep
 
vanga123 said:
Hi,

I'm planning to buy a music system for my bedroom to replace my 20+ year old Sony mini hifi system from my student days. My music genre of interest are primarily Carnatic Classical (both vocal & instrumental), Hindustani and Western classical (primarily instrumental). The music source is mostly streaming services, Apple Music (AAC or MP3 format), Amazone Prime (MP3), Primephonic (in FLAC format for western classical ), and YouTube from my iOS devices. Since my bedroom space is limited, I was thinking of getting a Bose SoundTouch Series 4, within my planned budget of 50K. But, I realised that Bose has stopped that series and currently has only Home Speaker 500, which didn't fit my requirements. Personally, I didn't like its sound performance either.

I am now considering to set up an amp+speaker system instead of looking for readymade options. The following are my requirements:

1. Ease of play: Ability to wirelessly stream all common formats of music, including FLAC. I understand that Airplay enabled amplifiers makes this job easier without much quality loss.
2. Headphone jack & Radio: Since most of my engaged music listening happens at night, it's preferable if I can connect my Senheisser HD599 to avoid disturbance to others.
3. Radio: FM/AM tuner functionality is preferable as old time radio is still a family favourite.
4. Sound quality & Soundstage: They system should have a reasonably good balanced sound quality & clarity across the frequency range and a good soundstage to bring the best out of western classical orchestras. I prefer playing music at moderate volumes.

My planned budget is about 50K, but I'm willing to extend the same for another 10-20K if it makes a big difference in sound quality & presence at the end of the day.

I received a suggestion to go for a Yamaha rn803 with Bose 301 book shelf speakers at about 75K. Since this was above my originally planned budget, I thought of getting some more expert opinions in this matter before finalising my choice.

Any suggestions in this matter will be greatly appreciated. Since I'm a novice in this field, it'll be good if I can also get some pointers on reliable sources from where I can purchase the suggested models.

Thanking you in advance,
Dileep
Click to expand...
Why to go for Bose?
Better option is elac or JBL bookshelf speakers with Yamaha Amplifier
 
You can either go for Yamaha amplifier with streaming capability or think about buying marantz amplifier and WD speakers ( Dali and q acoustic also pair well with marantz) and add a streamer . It will be beyond your specified budget if you buy new rigs . But if you are ok with pre owned stuff then you can stay within your budget.
Regards
 
You can even check IndiqAudio Platinum Mishra Bookshelf.There is a post by @Prodigy where he did a A/B Comparison between platinum Mishra's, elacs and Polk bookshelf...+1 for the Yamaha amplifier with streaming capabilities...You can have an very good audition of the speakers and they can custom make based on your requirement...Check thier website for more details..

A face-off between ELAC B6.2, Polk S15, INDIQAUDIO Gold Mishra, and Platinum Mishra and a peek into their Custom L&R.

Post picking up the Platinum Achal Towers, Platinum Saptak Power amp, and Yamaha WXC 50, My 2-channel requirement was over and I was looking at upgrading speakers on my HT setup. My current HT Set Up is quite basic and don't have anything fancy. I have the Elac Debut B6.2 as LR and Polk’s S15...
www.hifivision.com www.hifivision.com
 
Last edited:
That's a lovely budget for a stereo setup. Check out the Rega amp on sale.

SOLD - Withdrawn from sale - REGA Brio-Integrated stereo amplifier (Price changed)

Temporarily withdrawn from the sale. (Price reduced) Ownership history: 1st Exp Price: INR 52K 48K Location: Bengaluru Purchase date: Jul 21, 2020 Working condition: 10/10 Cosmetic Condition: 10/10 Under warranty: Yes Purchased from: Tusker audio - Bengaluru Original Packaging: Available...
www.hifivision.com www.hifivision.com

Hook up the polks on sale too and it should be a really good setup.

SOLD - [SOLD][Price Reduced] Polk Audio T50 Tower speakers

Hi, I want to sell my less than 2months old tower speakers, Polk Audio T50. The itch for upgrade is not letting me settle with these speakers, hence this post for sale. These speakers are sounding alright in my stereo setup. They are reviewed on par with the well acclaimed Pioneer AJ FS...
www.hifivision.com www.hifivision.com

You could also go for book shelves from Polk rti, dali, etc.

MaSh
 
Thanks for all your suggestions. This thread has opened up an entire, interesting field for me to read and appreciate. After reading various threads in this forum (and some very good suggestions that I received as PM), I'm now afraid if I can set up a proper stereo amp + 2 speaker system in my bed room. It is a small room of 12*14 size and the only possible place in that room, where I can arrange the set up is a full size tea table (3 feet) in one corner, where I had kept my old system. Since room acoustics can play a good role in sound quality, now I am thinking if it will be good idea to go with an active speaker set up that may be more suitable for a small room. Any suggestions in this regard will be highly appreciated. Also, any suggestion on possible audition places in Bangalore also will be of great help.
 
If you are already invested in apple ecosystem then you can also try homepods in stereo pair but that would not have options for headphones or tuner.
 
That's a great budget.
- In actives, you might be restricted with what you can stream wirelessly. But great option from a space point of view.
- For passive, cheaper options than the Yamaha 803 but with all options like radio, BT streaming etc. are Yamaha 202, 303 (602 will leave less money for speakers). Have heard all three and they are fine. That leaves multiple options for speakers and a full ranger might really fit the space, look good and sound excellent in that space.
 
Based on my reading so far and suggestions from the forum, I'm planning to do the audition of the following systems, which may tick most of my requirements.

1. Yamaha RN series amplifiers (303 and 602), which has airplay built in along with Elac 5/6, Wharfdale 11.1 or 11. 2, Castle Knight 2 or IndiqAudio Platinum Mishra. Thanks for all your suggestions. I believe that any of these will satisfy most of my current & near future requirements both in terms of sound and aesthetics. I see that the online price of these amplifiers ranges from 30-45K and that of speakers ranges from 24K-45K. So, I assume that I'll be able to settle for about 65-75K overall. If I can keep the speakers at both ends of my cot (may not be the ideal set up for listening experience), I can even consider some floor standing speakers. Since I don't play music very loud, I'm assuming the room will tolerate the bass.

2. I don't see too many studio monitors in India that has airplay built in. Since iOS does not support AptX, I'm now not very keen on spending money on a dedicated streamer. One option that I came across is to use an Airplay built pre-amplifier (e.g., Yamanha WXA-50) along with studio monitors (e.g, JBL 300 series). Since it is unlikely that I will be upgrading to pre-amp+amp+speaker systems, I'm not sure if this set will give me any additional benefit long terms. I see that the price of WXA-50 is about 35K and the monitors are in the range of 25-40K per pair. From an overall cost perspective, this will also help me to settle at about 70K.

I would like to audition these combinations to take a decision. Any suggestions in Bangalore where I can do the audition of these combinations and potentially purchase if any of these are fitting my bill?

With best regards,
Dileep
 
Yogesh said:
Get Yamaha RN 602. It ticks most boxes in your requirement and budget.

Get Platinum Mishra/QA/Elac/Wharfedale BS after Audition.
Click to expand...
+1 from me. You can even look for the WXA50. Has a lot of streaming features like Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Airplay, NAS Compatible, Internet Radio (Has good selection of RC’s both Desi & International), Bluetooth and so on.
For speakers, check out the one suggested by FM @Yogesh . This will come within your budget too & may be +\- 5 to 8k.
 
where do you intend to place the
vanga123 said:
View attachment 53204View attachment 53205
Click to expand...
Thanks for the pic!.. Do you intend to place the speakers bedside next to the headrest or the curtain side? curtain side would be good.
would you be able to place it on the wall opposite to the bed without hindering the movement ? If yes, then that would be good as well. I dont think you have a Main Listening Position to which the system can be tuned to. Three possibilities
  1. speakers are behind you
  2. Speakers are to your left
  3. you have back to the wall close to rear wall reflections.
In any case, it would not be getting you the magic of stereo - imaging and sound stage. I just want you reset the expectations before the spend.
From what i (hastily) conclude, I doubt if you would be able to get the best out of hifi speakers in the current room. I am not suggesting that they would sound bad but you wouldn't get best performance out of it.
The reason being lack of space behind the speakers for the imaging to happen. This is a compromise that many have to contend with in a bedroom system. If you are ok with it, then spend the big bucks. The rush to acquire a hifi system would take you down the path of regret if the conditions are not conducive. If I were you, I would go for entry level gears as I think I would be spending very little time in ideal conditions.
I might be admonished but going for a Marshall or a good sound bar would suffice. I would rather invest on headphones where I can get better value in this room.
.
.
.

if you continue to read this comment, then you are still bent on hifi gears and I would suggest the following:
  1. Given that the room is small, it will have a lot of bass gain. I would suggest going for Frugel Horns which are weak on bass and work well in small rooms. They are extremely musical. There are a couple of DIYs floating in the forum. you can post a wanted ad to check availability. you can also buy used FS52 speakers if available.
  2. Wall mounting bookshelves will not have sound stage but best for real estate management. Save a 3k-5K for diffusers if you are going to put the speakers opposite to the cot.
  3. If you dont want to do a ensemble electronics assembly, i would suggest going for https://hifimart.com/product/marantz-m-cr612-true-hifi-network-system/ This would increase your budget but would have all the bells and whistles of one-box solution.
  4. if you want to stay jugaad, go for chi-fi amps (SMSL q5 pro or Topping) /used integrated amplifiers and leave out the wifi connectivity for sometime. Build some cash and add a streamer or RPI based DAC solutions to address connectivity.
All the best for gear hunting!!!
 
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