Audiophiles - could use your help/suggestions!

paul34 · 11-04-07, 08:26

I've been trying to look at some audiophile forums found via Google, and I'm finding it a little difficult to really "learn" what is going on in the same way I learned detailing from Autopia. It seems those places are full of people who already know - no room for newbies like myself.

Anyway, what I want to do is:

A very high quality stereo setup with subwoofer aimed towards music playback.

Although the speakers I use right now with my computer are pretty good, they obviously don't hold a candle to a full-size system or what I'm sure a dedicated amp and some quality bookshelf or full-size speakers plus subwoofer could do.

I listen to mostly rock, although there is pop, retro hip-hop/rap, and even very few modern rap/hip hop once in a while. Also, lots of classical and "hybrid" type genres - like Arcade Fire, Radiohead (such as their new In Rainbows album), etc.

I do watch the occasional movie (on my PC, of course), and definitely can't forget TV shows! Definitely once 24 and Lost come back into season! My Lord of the Rings set has brought my current subwoofer to its knees in the battle scenes, and especially in those scenes centering on the naz-goul and such.

Also, and here's the stickler

I have a budget of maybe $300-$350

I know its definitely low for my requirements

. But I'd like to go as good as possible given the price range.

This will be hooked to my Audigy 2 sound card on my PC. I may "upgrade" to a X-Fi in the future, but this is really about the system outside the sound card.

Although a loud system is nice, what I really want is faithful reproduction of many of the details of music that are often lost with most speakers; especially when it comes to bass. I've tried those "THX-certified" PC speakers, and they all are bad, especially with regards to their subwoofers. Just sound like booming, droning bass boxes. Useless!

I need bass that can hit hard, but can stay "tight" and can actually differentiate between different bass notes rather than just "droning" on ad infinitum. Those of you who listen to rock, classical, sophisticated pop and hip-hop, etc, can all appreciate this requirement.

So, help anyone? I know a bunch of you are audiophiles!

Thanks!

DJ_JonnyV · 11-04-07, 08:47

You have a budget for 2 speakers, 1 subwoofer and 1 stereo receiver of $300-$350? If so, that's going to be a bit of a tough taks, my friend. First you would need to find a stereo receiver with a sub pre-out on it. These can be hard to find and are usually only found in higher level stereo receivers. You might want to look for an older surround sound receiver on ebay or audiogon.com on the cheap from the likes of Marantz, Pioneer Elite, Denon, Yamaha, NAD, or the like. These all already have a sub preout, then you could just run it in 2 channel mode. Then, I would recommed trying to find some used speakers as well. Do you have any size restrictions on speakers? Do you need florrstanders/bookshelves, etc.? You could also look for some used towers with bass exentsiond down to about 30 Hz. This would still give you plenty of low-end without needing a sub right away. You could add a sub down the line. Also, for bookshelves and full range speakers, check some of the online only speaker retaiers, such as SVS, HSU, Axiom, Aperion, and a few others out there. Again, look for good quality used gear. I would recommed going $100-$150 on the receiver and then $200-$250 on speakers. Don't forget to add some extra for cables and speaker wires.

paul34 · 11-04-07, 08:49

Thanks. Yea, I know the budget is definitely tough all right.

Hmm, what do you think of elemental design's home audio solutions? Specifically, their bookshelf speakers?

PrinzII · 11-04-07, 10:10

Your best bet would be a home theater in a box. For the price range you want, you would have to go to CC or Best Buy and look at Sony, JVC, RCA, or other brands. When you shop, take your material with you to test so you can make a determination.

94BlkStang · 11-04-07, 10:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul34

Thanks. Yea, I know the budget is definitely tough all right.

Hmm, what do you think of elemental design's home audio solutions? Specifically, their bookshelf speakers?

look at craigsist for some good used equipement. I was able to pick up and few year old Onkyo Dolby Digital receiver for $60.00 and a pair of NHT Super One speakers for $50.00. You should be able to put together a nice system close to your budget by buying used.

DJ_JonnyV · 11-05-07, 06:44

94BlkStang has the ticket here!!! Just be patient, shop around, and you'll get some much better gear than you would think. Deals pop up all the time with this stuff. No offense, PrinzII, but I would stay away from HTiBs. At a certain point, and it doesn't take long, they just don't sound very good.

todd@bsaw · 11-05-07, 07:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul34

A very high quality stereo setup with subwoofer aimed towards music playback.

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul34

I have a budget of maybe $300-$350

Sorry. That's not possible.

paul34 · 11-05-07, 07:19

What's the minimum cost of entry? $25,000? $250,000?

DJ_JonnyV · 11-06-07, 08:00

I kind of had the same reaction as Todd above, but as others have pointed out, keep your eyes peeled for good used equipment. It's hard to put a price tag on it. I've seen $5K surround systems mop the floor with $10K surround sound systems. You could spend $300 and get something that sounds high quality, you just might have to wait and find the right deals though. It's all relative to what sounds good to you, especially with the speakers. You might have to make some compromises due to your budget, but just don't buy those HTiB jobs.

JustinDetail · 11-06-07, 08:56

Audiophile and $300?!?! lol bud, sorry but Audiophile's like my Dad have $60K+ in a stereo. You can't get anything decent for less than a couple grand. Look into used Denon, Klipsch, Definitive, Yamaha, etc and you might get a decent setup for a grand....not audiophile worthy though hehe.

PrinzII · 11-06-07, 11:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ_JonnyV

94BlkStang has the ticket here!!! Just be patient, shop around, and you'll get some much better gear than you would think. Deals pop up all the time with this stuff. No offense, PrinzII, but I would stay away from HTiBs. At a certain point, and it doesn't take long, they just don't sound very good.

None taken, but my point is that you get what you pay for at times. Finding used equipment is one option but what kind of guarantee will you have if something goes wrong? For me, that is a huge concern.

the other pc · 11-06-07, 11:30

Like some of the other guys said, I believe that in your price range your best bet is used gear. There’s a lot of nice stuff out there and a lot of good stereo gear comes up cheap because of people wanting to upgrade to multi-channel surround systems.

Also, don’t fall prey to the “I need a subwoofer” paradigm. (No pun or offense intended there Paradigm Electronics, Inc. fans.

)

The mass-market industry’s tendency to put tiny speakers in tiny boxes (especially the computer sound portion of the industry) sort of forces them to have separate woofer boxes. Then, everybody calls the crappy little 6” woofers “subwoofers.”

The reality of the physics is that a 6” driver in its own box doesn’t make any more bass than a 6” driver in a regular speaker box with a tweeter and mid. And two 6” woofers in two boxes can make more bass than one in its own box.

By not paying for a third box and amp channel your cash goes towards a better performing stereo setup.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t jump on a sat/sub setup if a killer deal comes your way. But more likely than not, your best bang for the buck will be a good stereo pair.

PC.