My Sister loves to come over to listen to my system but when i try to explain it to her [she asked!] her eyes glaze over...
I have a nice pair of mint Red Rose R3 [the man!] speakers that i would love to put together an all in one system for her moderate budget!! Amp, Preamp, dac, cd player, possible streaming , phono outlet .
She's an Analog gal but , with the right component, might venture into digital down the road. Not anything complicated, just push a few buttons and sit back...:-)
Thanks to all who respond and i will then look each up...
Well, to make things as simple as possible I would recommend an integrated amp just to simplify the box count and not have to teach here turn on/turn off sequencing. Look for an integrated amp in your price range with a built in phono stage, and maybe even a built in dac.
Those speakers are fairly inefficient, so probably best to stay with SS integrated amp with at least 100 wpc. I don't know what your price range is, but maybe something like the NAD C-390DD would work.
In all honesty most women don't care to much for the sound and want fewer the cables the better. My mom, sister's and wife all nod when I ask between speakers, that sounds good. I would just buy her a good sound bar, only if she isn't the typical woman, then an integrated would be the way to go.
I agree, an integrated is the way to go. The Parasound Halo integrated would include a DAC and phono and can easily drive the Red Rose R3. Just add a $35 chromecast streamer and she's good to go. You can find one used for about $1700 and new for $2500.
Treebeard, the Halo is excellent there is another even more integrated solution.
The Micromega M100 $4,500.00 is about the most perfect product you could ask for:
1: 100 watt high current class A/B amplifier 2: Fantastic built in Dac 3: Fantastic built in Phono stage 4: Built in streamer 5: Decent control app 6: Optional room correction module.
The Micromega sounds amazing, one of the best sounding integrated amplifiers on our floor, we sell Naim, Parasound Halo, NAD, Anthem, Electrocompaniet and a few others.
The Micromega sounds quite a bit better than the Halo, and you have one excellent slim and elegant product, you won't have to have any external streamer either.
The other option is the new Nad C 368 or the C 388, these are quite surprising, Good amp, streaming card with Blue Sound, and a built in phono.
Even for an analog girl the ability to stream digital is a big plus.
Doesn’t want complicated but a Vinyl girl. That makes no sense. Vinyl is not plug and play. A PC with a Tidal streaming account and a pair of active speakers directly connected is much simpler.
Not knowing what her idea of a 'modest budget' is makes this difficult. She might consider the Yamaha A-SX01 line of integrated amplifiers. They run for ~$350 for the 301 to ~$800 for the 801 at retail price, often are discounted however. They have built in DAC and phonostage, subwoofer output, and are considered very good products. Of course there are other options as well. A full service integrated and a CD player would be all she would need. Onyko make a budget CD player, can be found online <$200 that had coax and optical output, could be run either analog or digital into a integrated with built in DAC.
For around $2500 you can get an all in one world class speaker system and all you need is a source signal , either digital or analog. Of course you would not use those Red Rose speakers, still its a incredible sound! And it dosent get any simpler. imo.
I can suggest without a doubt. Conrad Johnson CA150/160SE or CA200 control amps are an amazing buy. Sound is as Reviewers say. Look it up. Price is right for gently used control amp/ all in one.
MESCH hit the nail on the head I believe. The Yamaha A-S801 is as complete an integrated is there( and nice looking in silver) is with nice reviews as well. I have said Onkyo cd player I bought as a "back up" a few months ago, it's still in service. Yes, I'll replace it eventually but I'm not sweating spending the extra $$ right now. The Parasound is also a fine choice at a bit higher price point. Worse case scenario there are the Bose all in one type setups. They are about as fool proof as it's gets, can't vouch for the sound though..
How about making it much simpler? A pair of Sonos Play 1s and a tablet. Then when/if she gets really psyched, you could move her up to a system that would take her on a new journey of discovery? And if this happens, the Sonos can be moved to the kitchen or office or wherever.
Audiotroy, there is a fine line between offering help and blatant business opportunism. It seems you have a problem with that distinction and your tactics are becoming a distraction.
Can I suggest a Cambridge Audio CX A60? I have owned two amplifiers from CA (Azur 550 and 840) and liked them well. I think Cambridge Audio is a great place to start the HiFi journey. Have not tried just this model, but it seems like a good solution for anyone who wants the most possible features in the same box, with good quality and nice price. Connect a Chromecast audio to the built-in DAC, and you're ready to stream from your favorite digital device. https://www.whathifi.com/cambridge-audio/cxa60/review
A pair of PLAY3 and a sub would be an amazing setup for her. I have the same setup in my study and the sound is very gratifying. I don’t think you can find anything close that sound as good as this setup in a $1200 range. And it’s all wireless and controlled through smartphone or a tablet.
who's to say that your sister wouldn't be happy with a system costing well under $1000.00? One of the best buys out there are second hand home theater receivers. They tumble in price and can be had cheap! I see a lot of Onykos and Yamahas for sale for less than $200.00. Myself and a friend of mine were listening to my system some years back. We were extolling the many virtues of it when my sister came into the room. Her opinion was that it sounded like her car stereo! My point is; why spend more than necessary if the listener is happy with a very modest system? Joe
Would you care to put together a complete system with digital streaming, a pair of speakers and a sub under $1200? And don’t forget the IC’s, speaker wires, power strip and rack.
BTW, have you actually heard a SONOS system?
And please don’t haste yourself with a rebuttal reply. Try n visualize these two system in a room. We are speaking of opposite gender that normally appreciates clean appearance, simplicity and good sound.
Naim unitiqute. Has amp, preamp, DAC, streaming, phono, and an app to control it. 30wpc. I have one for sale on my local craigslist I’ll be happy to help you get if you want to go that route. Currently listed for $775. I’m in DC area.
lalitk, Yes, your recommendation is likely most suitable (minus the subwoofer perhaps). As I tell my wife "it doesn't cost anything to discuss it before spending the money". My suggestion is the only one of its type here, making it valid. And, it's easily the best bang for the buck. Aesthetics are certainly a concern. It's good to make note of that. Hopefully, all of our input will result in a nice little system for the lady.
Those are very nice speakers, so assuming that your sister has been around your system and has good ears, but isn't an audiophile... there are a lot of good integrated amps out there. The speakers are 87db 4 ohm, so you will need something with a decent power supply and a minimum of 60 watts or so @ 4 ohms. Here are my thoughts off the top of my head, keeping in the Audiophile tradition. Audio Refinement Complete Classe Cap 101/Cap 151 Arcam Delta 290 Arcam 10 I'm sure that there is a Cambridge out there Rega Brio 2 (if it'll handle 4 ohms) Old Krell (KAV 300/400) Ton of stuff under $1000 that will do a good job. I'd look at something like an IFI Dac or Schiit Modi Multibit Dac or Audioquest Dragonfly red/black any of these would give her outstanding computer audio. She would be ready to go with a very satisfying system I hope this helps, Tim
Have you looked at the Cary Aios? I heard it last year and was surprised at how good it sounds. I wasn't expecting it to be any better than your typical receiver but it's quite a bit better than that and it seemed to have a lot of convenience features.
check Electrocompaniet EC Living. It is all in one AB class amp, speakers, streamer, USB player, Optical and SPDIF input, DAC, Internet radio... which can be controlled via mobile phone. It can easily fit your budget and is very convenient for use. No speaker cables or interconnects are required. Everything goes wireless. Not to mention that this system is not only designed, but as well assembled and made in Norway, so quality is not an issue. I found this system fantastic for simplicity of usage and quality of sound, and everyone who heard it on demonstration had nothing else but words of praise for it.
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