stereo setup under 50000

[soumik]

I have been searching the forum posts for last few days, but this is my 1st post. Also, this will be my 1st venture into the hifi world. I mostly listen to my music on headphone (soundmagic es10 and sennheiser hd202). But I have decided to move onto bookshelf speakers now.

My source will be primarily laptop via FiiO Q1 USB DAC/Headphone amp. And room size will be 12x14.

Current budget is 50,000 for a pair of bookshelf speaker and a stereo amp. In case I really enjoy HiFi audio, I'll consider upgrading.

What I am confused about is whether I should spend more on the speaker or on the amp? I see many well reviewed speakers in 20-30k range. But I can only find a handful amps - Yamaha r-s202, denon pma502, some norge, marantz pm5004 in this range. Most have very limited wattage.

is it a good idea to buy a good speaker (q accoustic 2020i, wharfedale diamond 220, dali zensor 1 etc.) and cheap amp like r-s202?

Or should I go the otherway around? buy a better amp (30-40k) and pair with a cheaper speaker (10-20k).?

Which is likely to last longer - the speaker or the amp?

any help will be welcome.

also, yamaha r-s202 being the cheapest amp I can find, it will be great if someone can share personal experience with it.

 

[balajeem]

Hi,

Here are my views :

1. Norge + Wharfedale combo - I am sure many in the forum would vouch for it. there are other good speakers such as QAcoustics 2020i that my also pair well with Norge. Norge - good watts/ch - in general , minus - no remote.
Norge is very good value for money amp to start with.

2. Don't worry much on the watts/ch unless you are going to move this set to a different room that's bigger in size. Sensitivity of speaker matters - high sensitive ones can be driven by lower watt/ch amps - in fact speakers spec can mention what's the amp power required. If your listening levels are decent enough and not very high, then bookshelves will be ok, but if your aim is floorstander then you should have good watts/ch.

3. If you are in doubt, go for used ones - in fact PM8003 marantz is put up for sale - you can see that. Not just that you can see many stereo amps coming for sale - you may want to wait for your brand if you are specific to any.

 

[rraghuram]

Imho, the current Marantz amps (5/6/7/8 xxx) are hard to beat for the sound quality, all things considered. Not a fan boy, just a general opinion.

If you want to future proof yourself with BlueTooth, wifi, Ethernet connectivity, them look at Cambridge Audio, Yamaha and Quad.

Speakers that play well with Marantz amps are Polk RTi series , wharfedale diamonds (my gear ), Boston Acoustics A25/26, Dali Zensor series, q Acoustics etc...
Throw in good quality cables and you are looking at ~50k brand new.

Go the used route and save yourself some money.

Cheers.

 

[sandeepmohan]

I would put most of the dough on the speaker.

A buddy based in Bangalore is selling his Yamaha HS-8 studio monitors, Yamaha Mixer and Sound Foundation stands to go with the speaker for around 45k. It has been well cared. Let me know if you are keen and I shall hook you two up. The system is excellent and it is a configuration I recommended to him when he ventured out to buy his first sound system.

As they are studio monitors, they come with an inbuilt amplifier.

 

[music4mhell]

Any studio monitors from Presonus/Mackie/Yamaha will do good job.

 

[raja_mastana]

How about JBL LSR 305s (active speakers) and Lsr 310s (subwoofer)

 

[apk]

No hard and fast rule here, but at your budget, it makes more sense to spend a bit more on the speakers, since the additional investment on the speaker will be more worthwhile.

A split of around 30K on the speakers, and around 20K on the amplifier will be a good starting point. Try purchasing the speaker first - then you can carry this around for amplifier auditions. Go the used market route (in case you are open to this) for more value.

Also plan on spending 2-3K on interconnects and speaker cables. DAC is a good, VFM brand to start with.

best,
apk

 

[soumik]

Hi,

Here are my views :

1. Norge + Wharfedale combo - I am sure many in the forum would vouch for it. there are other good speakers such as QAcoustics 2020i that my also pair well with Norge. Norge - good watts/ch - in general , minus - no remote.
Norge is very good value for money amp to start with.

2. Don't worry much on the watts/ch unless you are going to move this set to a different room that's bigger in size. Sensitivity of speaker matters - high sensitive ones can be driven by lower watt/ch amps - in fact speakers spec can mention what's the amp power required. If your listening levels are decent enough and not very high, then bookshelves will be ok, but if your aim is floorstander then you should have good watts/ch.

3. If you are in doubt, go for used ones - in fact PM8003 marantz is put up for sale - you can see that. Not just that you can see many stereo amps coming for sale - you may want to wait for your brand if you are specific to any.

Thanks a ton for suggestions. Norge price seems very attractive. But it seems difficult to audition in delhi. But if nothing else works out I may blindly go for it. In case I do not like it that much will consider upgrade in 2 years time or wait for good used deal.

 

[soumik]

Imho, the current Marantz amps (5/6/7/8 xxx) are hard to beat for the sound quality, all things considered. Not a fan boy, just a general opinion.

If you want to future proof yourself with BlueTooth, wifi, Ethernet connectivity, them look at Cambridge Audio, Yamaha and Quad.

Speakers that play well with Marantz amps are Polk RTi series , wharfedale diamonds (my gear ), Boston Acoustics A25/26, Dali Zensor series, q Acoustics etc...
Throw in good quality cables and you are looking at ~50k brand new.

Go the used route and save yourself some money.

Cheers.

Thanks. This indeed is very helpful. Have you heard entry level marantz like PM500x/PM600x? Any thing above will be beyond my budget.
Also, if I later add a SW for occasional movie, will these low wattage amp be able to drive that?

yamaha seems to be most budget friendly r-s202, r-n402, r-s500x etc. But there is hardly any review.

 

[soumik]

I have already received lot of guidance here and it gives me a good starting point in my search. Thank you all.

One thing that worries me is that my room may not be very audio friendly. I mean the speaker positioning may not be ideal. And also for the time being I plan to place them on a TV unit. So, if a speaker needs perfect positioning that may not be suitable for me.

Similarly, A speaker/amp that is forgiving about the quality of source/music will be better for me. Any suggestion on this will be very helpful.

This is specially worrying since I won't be able to know this by auditioning also.

 

[soumik]

No hard and fast rule here, but at your budget, it makes more sense to spend a bit more on the speakers, since the additional investment on the speaker will be more worthwhile.

A split of around 30K on the speakers, and around 20K on the amplifier will be a good starting point. Try purchasing the speaker first - then you can carry this around for amplifier auditions. Go the used market route (in case you are open to this) for more value.

Also plan on spending 2-3K on interconnects and speaker cables. DAC is a good, VFM brand to start with.

best,
apk

Thanks. This is very helpful indeed. As a 1st purchase, I am mainly looking at buying new staff. But new amp for 20k seems difficult - norge, yamaha entry, cambridge audio topaz. I'll first audition some yamaha entry and see how I like it. Else I have to consider stretching my budget to 60k.

 

[akstorm]

Wattage is a very misunderstood term.

Lets take one combo out of your list. The Marantz 5004 paired with Warfdale diamond 220. The marantz is capable of 35W at 8 ohms and Warfdale recomends 25-100W amplifier. Now looking at those numbers you would think that the amp will just be able to drive the speakers but thats not true. From pesonal experience(I own the exact pair) i have never went past 50% volume on the amp, beyond that point it gets uncomfertably loud. Also mathematically - for the same setup at 10W power you gain 10dB, so that is about 96dB(86dB efficiency for these speakers). Now there are a lot of other things going on here but assuming you place the speakers close to a wall and sit somewhere between 8-10 feet from the speakers, you are still looking at around 92-94 dB of sound pressure. To put that in to perspective that is slightly less than the sound levels in night clubs/Discos. I am a noob as well so don't quote me at all this but stop worrying about power and get yourself the combo you like.

Also please let us know what kind of music you like to listen to - that way people can suggest or rule out certain combos/speakers from all the things out there.

Hope it helps.

 

[tuff]

I have already received lot of guidance here and it gives me a good starting point in my search. Thank you all.

One thing that worries me is that my room may not be very audio friendly. I mean the speaker positioning may not be ideal. And also for the time being I plan to place them on a TV unit. So, if a speaker needs perfect positioning that may not be suitable for me.

Similarly, A speaker/amp that is forgiving about the quality of source/music will be better for me. Any suggestion on this will be very helpful.

This is specially worrying since I won't be able to know this by auditioning also.

Bang on the point. Glad you are aware of the effect room acoustics have on the listening experience. No matter what amp speakers you get ,if they are not positioned accordingly, Its a complete waste of money. Room boom is a nightmare everyone has to deal with when it comes to get quality audio.
You might want to post a picture of the room where you intend to place the speakers, That will help to get some inputs from other forum users as I am sure everyone has had these problems at some point.
Also depends on what source , music you listen to will help.Good luck.

 

[apk]

Thanks. This is very helpful indeed. As a 1st purchase, I am mainly looking at buying new staff. But new amp for 20k seems difficult - norge, yamaha entry, cambridge audio topaz. I'll first audition some yamaha entry and see how I like it. Else I have to consider stretching my budget to 60k.

Hi,
I know that as a first buy, you may have reservations around buying used. However, you may be able to get very lightly used products for a very good price and within your budget if you explore this route.

As an example, here is one ad that is right on your budget (have no affiliation to the buyer)
http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owne...sr-5008-marantz-ud-5007-wharfedale-220-a.html

Similarly, if you wait around for a bit, good offers for speakers/amplifiers do keep coming up. Would suggest that you look for deals in the NCR region, and visit the FMs for an audition

Not saying that used is the only option - however, if you come across anything used in your region, do try and get an audition.

best,
apk

P.S - I had picked up my system used from Delhi in 2009, and it is still going strong! So I am a big proponent of buying used. I did audition before buying.

 

[akstorm]

Hi,
I know that as a first buy, you may have reservations around buying used. However, you may be able to get very lightly used products for a very good price and within your budget if you explore this route.

As an example, here is one ad that is right on your budget (have no affiliation to the buyer)
http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owne...sr-5008-marantz-ud-5007-wharfedale-220-a.html

Similarly, if you wait around for a bit, good offers for speakers/amplifiers do keep coming up. Would suggest that you look for deals in the NCR region, and visit the FMs for an audition

Not saying that used is the only option - however, if you come across anything used in your region, do try and get an audition.

best,
apk

P.S - I had picked up my system used from Delhi in 2009, and it is still going strong! So I am a big proponent of buying used. I did audition before buying.

+1 to apk

I would also suggest to atleast have a look. Even i did not want to buy used when i first set up my system but the value I got out of a used system and also the chance it gave me to experiment as i was not investing a huge amount led me to buying used speakers and amp from a fellow FM. since then i have added mose things to the system(DAC, Sub) some used some new.

 

[Naturelover]

Buying used is a great way to save money. Much of my gear is pre owned. You need to take a little care to see the seller's reputation. Local would probably be best.

 

[apk]

Buying used is a great way to save money. Much of my gear is pre owned. You need to take a little care to see the seller's reputation. Local would probably be best.

Yes, I completely agree. Local would be the best when buying used. It also gives you a chance to listen to the setup first before taking a call. Also, you can examine the equipment for damages/blemishes etc. As an added advantage, you get to meet a 'fellow' audiophile!

I have purchased from FMs in other cities also, and have had good experiences. In this case, the seller's reputation matters a lot more since you are taking a bit of a risk.

To the OP,
For a slightly different flavour, see if you can audition the Lyrita products from Lyrita Audio. Most of their equipment may be at a higher price point than your budget - but I do remember Viren (the owner of Lyrita Audio) having a speaker called Harmony 2 costing around Rs 25K (this was a few years ago) and an integrated push-pull valve amplifier called Integre (also priced around 25-30K). Not sure if these prices are relevant any more, but since you are in the NCR region, and Viren is based out of Delhi (Sarita Vihar), please do call up and talk to him if he can give you something in your budget. You can get contact details and some info regarding their equipment at their web-site Home.

Again, no affiliation to this company. However, I have heard different Lyrita products over the past 10 odd years, and can vouch for their VFM quotient. Viren is a gem of a person to deal with, and will definitely help you out if he has products in your budget.

Best,
apk

 

[drkrack]

Yes, I completely agree. Local would be the best when buying used. It also gives you a chance to listen to the setup first before taking a call. Also, you can examine the equipment for damages/blemishes etc. As an added advantage, you get to meet a 'fellow' audiophile!



I have purchased from FMs in other cities also, and have had good experiences. In this case, the seller's reputation matters a lot more since you are taking a bit of a risk.



To the OP,

For a slightly different flavour, see if you can audition the Lyrita products from Lyrita Audio. Most of their equipment may be at a higher price point than your budget - but I do remember Viren (the owner of Lyrita Audio) having a speaker called Harmony 2 costing around Rs 25K (this was a few years ago) and an integrated push-pull valve amplifier called Integre (also priced around 25-30K). Not sure if these prices are relevant any more, but since you are in the NCR region, and Viren is based out of Delhi (Sarita Vihar), please do call up and talk to him if he can give you something in your budget. You can get contact details and some info regarding their equipment at their web-site Home.



Again, no affiliation to this company. However, I have heard different Lyrita products over the past 10 odd years, and can vouch for their VFM quotient. Viren is a gem of a person to deal with, and will definitely help you out if he has products in your budget.



Best,

apk

I visited Viren from Lyrita Audio last month, cheapest bookshelf with 10" bass driver is around 55k (pre GST price).
He has a horn fllorstanders costing 1.6L.
The bookshelf speakers were appropriate for the price point but the horn fllorstanders were quite outstanding. Everything about Viren, his hospitality and his hifi - is about its Warmth. They're very warm speakers, hovering around bright depending upon the room acoustics. They're highly efficient speakers at 99db and any amp could easily drive them. In fact the tube amp was just 8W power but never we had to increase it beyond 50%. The bass was less precise or rather bit different ( Especially for the horn fllorstanders) than any of the speakers I've heard. The demo room (his house) was totally untreated so the same speakers( Which were brilliant for the price offered) may do wonders if the acoustics are taken care of. I felt the bookshelf speakers were more conservative sounding and a great bargain for the price.

I checked tube preamp and integrated around 40k mark, they sounded pretty clean with very good high and midrange. Lack of remote was one of my concerns.

Lack of premium finish may be a concern for many as most of it is handmade but worth a listen anyway. I will search for his pricing booklet and share it here for others to decide.

 

[rraghuram]

Thanks. This indeed is very helpful. Have you heard entry level marantz like PM500x/PM600x?

Hey! I have Marantz PM5004 + CD5004 + Diamond 9.1. Smooth, lovely, fatigue-free sound mostly. Vocals & instruments are utterly beautiful on the Diamond 9.1 speakers. With Tone controls (Bass/Treble) on the amp I can shape music the way I want it. Rock/metal especially. Sorted.

Guess what, I bought all components blind. Just web reviews to guide me (Thank you Robert J Reina :clapping. Safe choices. Auditions don't do it for me. I get stressed out, but that's just me :lol:.

Norge enjoys a good rep on this forum, though I have no experience with the brand.

If you are budget constrained, go used or get one of the cheaper options like Norge. You won't lose much. Spend a bit more on speakers. Most budget spks are easy to drive with sensitivity ranging from 84db to 90db. Any moderately specced amp should be able to drive them.

Don't stress yourself out too much over this. List down available choices/prices and start working through it.

Peace.

 

[afj]

if you can up your budget a bit, the acoustic portrait swara amp is really good. punches much above its weight. you can pair with the wharfedale 220 speakers