2. speakers
  3. 1382891827

starting from scratch ...new system

Dear Audiophiles:
I’m new to hi fi and looking for some advice about a system.
My room is a finished basement, about 11 by 16, with 6.5 foot ceilings. There is a carpet on the floor, and the room has some funny angles to it, so I need something that isn’t too fussy. I am thinking mini-monitor. I would like to be able to play CDs and am also thinking of getting my first turntable. For this reason, I have been thinking of a Rega system, since their turntables (even entry level) seem excellent. I play a lot of jazz but also rock, pop, blues, and country.

Since I am starting from scratch, I could really go many different directions. My budget for the whole system is around 5-6 k. I wonder if forum members have any ideas for me about possible system configurations? Here are some things I have been thinking about:

-Rega Brio R, Rega Apollo R, Rega Rp1, with Harbeth P3esr

-I am also intrigued by the KEF LS50. Is this too much speaker for the size of my room? Would it work well with the above components, or would it need more power? If so, I have thought about running the Kefs with a Rega Elicit R (paired with Apollo R and Rp1). Or switching to the Musical Fidelity M3i? Or would the KEFs run better with Naim amplification? If so, which Naim would pair best, and does this mean I need an external phono stage? (The Rega Rp1 is “plug and play” but I still don’t even know what this means.)

-Does anyone yet have any experience with the new Dynaudio Excite x14?

Any ideas most appreciated! If this was your room, what would you do?
mc
mcanaday
cdente
109 posts
 
Oppo 105 (preamp, USB dac) $1200
W4S Mamp monoblocks $1800
Spatial Trilogy T2 speakers $2400
Spatial Quantum Field speaker cables ($500)
Pair of balanced IC for the last $100

$6k total. Performance that will far exceed your expectations for a "budget" system.
cdente
109 posts
 
Sorry. I meant W4S MPre ($1100) not Oppo 105 as you will need analog inputs for a turntable. You will need to take a step down in amplification to fund a turntable under the setup I proposed.
yyzsantabarbara
647 posts
 
I have the KEF LS50 and I really love it for near field listening but I think I would not like it as much at a distance. I know a few people that have questioned me on this statement. I listen to the KEF's on average 5 hours a day at my desk and I will say again, it is awesome. I use a Parasound Halo A23 amp with the KEF.

I have my Thiel SCS4's in different room with similar dimensions as your room (though higher ceiling). I have some big Bryston 4B-SST amps on these small stand mounts. There is better bass on the Thiels over the LS50 and the base adds a lot to the sound.

The Thiel and KEF have the same type of driver design for the tweeter and mid-range. The price diff is about $500 more for a new Thiel. I recommend the Thiel with some good solid state amplification. I tried the Parasound A23 on them and they were not as good as the more powerful Bryston.

BTW - the SCS4 did not garner the best reviews 50/50 but I think it is a very good speaker for the price.
jburidan
672 posts
 
Tannoy Revolution DC6, especially the Signature model. There was a pair listed on Echo Audio this weekend.
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
BA A 26 ***** whathif UK review
More to discover