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June 26, 2008 - 9:49am
#1
I need your opinion on this setup
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That should be very nice for almost any music.
Dave
i actually never thought about building a system based on the kind of music i listen to mostly. is that something you guys recommend? what should i base my choices on? dynamic range? usual mastering levels for that certain kind of music?
i'm mainly into experimental, noise and electroacoustics, but sometimes need to rock out to some good ol' punk/trash stuff.
so should i build a system according to that rather than a good all around system?
Generally you start with your budget and then build a good all around system within that framework. If you do any "shading" toward a musical preference, do it in the speaker selection. "Noise and electroacoustics" is not my baillywick, but I assume it involves synthesized sounds, which usually means some truly deep bass. If that's true, then a good subwoofer may be important to you, or greatly expand the budget to get larger floorstanding speakers. Please understand that a sub for music is going to be much more accurate than those for gaming, all of which seem to be very unmusical, IME.
While not into "electroacoustic" music, I've got several recordings with lots of synthesizers. The low notes from synth are some of the most challenging to reproduce. I think I recall that you listed AKG cans as part of your proposed rig. I own and love my AKG K701s; however, for really deep bass it's hard to beat Ulitimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pros. They'll knock your socks off with deep, deep bass and crystalline highs. They're wonderful cans AND they work with iPods/iPhones/etc. They're true reference quality in a small package. (Sorry to stretch your budget again).
Dave
Hi!
Nice choices (i'm a proud Brio3 owner). The only "adjustments" to this setup should be in the CDP and headamp section. In my opinion you should consider the new entry level NAD c515bee cd player, of course if you can tolerate a single disc player (considering the TT that shouldn't be a problem). It sounds quite nice and it's in your price bracket.
The Rega headphone amp is not so good considering it's price. You could go tube or solid state for that money. Browse some threads on headphone dedicated forums and you'll find an answer.
Hope this helped.
thanks for the tip on the headamp. i choose the rega one only because i'm grabbing the brio and thought they'd pair nicely together. i'll browse around and see what other choice i have.
as for the CD player, i really want a jukebox solution. i'm tired of seeing all those jewel cases floating around. i didn't find any hi-fi jukebox solution though. i know the Sony will probably break down in pieces within a year and sound like crap, but it's pretty cheap and i mainly listen to vinyl. my girlfriend is the one that still likes the CDs..
thanks for the input!
Rotel make the best CD changer that I've every heard, check out the Rotel RCC1055. Another option would be a music server, either purchasing one or building one with an old coputer that is laying around.
Didn't McIntosh have a CD changer? I remember reading something about that a while back.
They certainly they did, and it was great sounding. Better than the Rotel. However it's been out of production for years and it was based on a very faulty Nakimichi mechanism. Those Nakimichi changer transports are nothing but trouble. Nak refuses to support them with spare parts so if Mac isn't already out of spare transports when they are they will no longer be able to service them. Nak has been out of those changer mechanisms for years and has be completely useless.
The most elegant "jukebox" solution would be Squeezebox 3 with a quality budget DAC. You can't get easier than that.
all those changers and digital solutions are all fine and dandy guys, but i'm looking for a real jukebox solution. meaning being able to cram 400cds physically into one box.
wait, while typing the previous paragraph i just realized how stupid of a solution this is..
cause i could just spend a week ripping all my cds and use something like the squeezebox. it will prove more practical in the long run i'm sure, plus i'll finally get to listen to all the crappy mp3s i've been collecting for years..
i might just get a normal cd player for when the girlfriend really wants to hear that arcade fire CD for the 600th time and buy a nice digital solution for all my soon-to-be ripped cds and all my soon-to-hurt-my-ears extra-low-bitrate mp3s.
i'll post a revised version of my setup soon.
thanks guys, great call!
Heh heh.
You might be interested in this essay by John Atkinson regarding digital files and sound quality.
very nice article! i am already sold on the lossless files, don't worry. i'm just stuck with about 5000 mp3 albums from the OiNK (R.I.P.) days that i can't just trash! cause you know.. so much clicking was involved in getting them..
they're all over 192kbps, but cymbals still sound like crap.
i'll rip my cds using FLAC for sure.