Building a 2.1 Home audio system?

Question

Hi everyone. Here's the thing. I have 4000 euros and want to set-up a home stereo system with a subwoofer (so basically a 2.1 system). Can someone please give me some possible combinations of devices!!!!!

I need:
1) CD player
2) Power amp
3) Passive speakers
4) Active sub-woofer
5) Cables for connecting the lot

I want the devices to be of high quality and brand names!!!
Thanks in advance for any help

P.S. 4,000.00 EUR = 2,862.95 GBP or 5,866.57 USD

Answer 1

I really appreciate questions like yours. These questions are the main reason why I'm a member here on Y!A. Here are my suggestions from my 25+ years of being an audiophile, and more than 11 years as an audio professional...

1) Arcam CD192 (very musical) $1,699 USD

2) Arcam A90 (integrated amp -very musical) £795

3) Silverline Audio Prelude (very musical and near full range but small size) $1,200/pr. USD

4) Hsu VTF-2 Mk3 (I own one -'nuff said) $499 USD

5) MUSIC Timbre (gold alloy -expensive, but prices are widely flexible -just ask) $800-$2,400 USD

And there's tons of choices on the used high-end audio market, and the best place I know of online is AudiogoN.

If I can be of further assistance, please don't hesitate to e-mail me, and I will be glad to help you build your system the way you want. That's my job and my hobby as well.

Happy listening!
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Answer 2

That's a pretty good setup, esp. the quad core. One thing you might want to consider, however, is buying a cheap/used windows XP, and holding off on the new super computer, until 2010, when Windows 7 comes out. Vista is 12% slower then XP, even with 3 or 4 gigs of RAM as opposed to 2. Windows 7 will be a lot faster, and will have more bells and whistles; it's kinda a perfected version of Vista. Still, if you need the new computer now (trust me, I know how that can be) what you have there will be a pretty good system. Expensive, but worth it if you intend to use it a lot.

Answer 3

Hi. If you are serious about high fidelity music reproduction you don't need a subwoofer.Buy better speakers with the money. Have you thought about vinyl . Records played back on one of todays modern Turntables leave CD for dead !
eBay sells thousands .many never played. I have both versions of Hot August Night and the LP just obliterates the CD version. Anyway just a thought. One of the best CD Players is made by Jolida. The JD 100A [$900USD.].It uses tubes in its circuitry to give you a "warm " sound. I can thoroughly recommend the Shenda Music Envoy Tube Stereo Pre-Amplifier.[$839. usd] Absolutely Stunning .I bought this component just recently. It also has a dedicated phono input for moving magnet and moving coil cartridges with adjustments for cartridge load resistance and capacitance. Beautiful sweet rich warm sound. You don't have to match it with a tube Power Amp. Power Amps to consider are Arcam. Mission.Quad (i have a Quad-very sweet).Musical Fidelity, Nair, Rotel, Audio Lab.

Loudspeakers are a personal choice. You really have to listen to find the ones you can live with. Never rely on another person's opinion ,although they mean well, it is too risky.I have a pair of British Rogers Studio One Loudspeakers i purchased in 1984 and they are still going strong.Some of the best speakers are British made.Check out B&W,Linn,Mission ,Mordaunt-Short,Naim,Proac,Spendor,Tannoy,Wharfedale,Energy ,Krell,Paradigm Theil.

I have used many cables and interconnects over the years and the ones i have now are very satisfying. For speaker cable i have found Van Den Hul to be one of the best.They come with various lengths and have heavy duty gold plated spade lugs and banana connectors fitted and insulated against oxidisation. For the interconnects i use the British made Cable Talk Interconnects.

Something to keep in mind when putting a stereo system to-gether is to understand the basic rules of what the system does and does not do.In a music system,the recorded information is retrieved from the software(Records,Compact Discs, Tape ,Tuner ,etc.),converted to an electrical signal,and sent to the electronics.The electronics produce a larger copy of that signal,and then send it to the speakers.The speakers convert the signal into the sound that you hear. Information is passed down a chain, from one component to the next,and in only this direction. The most important fundamental is that nothing in the chain can improve upon what is sent to it.And,like a chain, all the "links"are equally important.

Say you bought the following components,that would leave about $2,800 USD for speakers and cables.I firmly believe that you have to listen to speakers before you buy.,and remember ,the speakers are not more or less important than the other components but are of equal importance.
Hope this helps. Contact me if you have any questions.I am only too pleased to do what i can.

JOLIDA JD 100A CD PLAYER.
http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/jolida-jd100_e.html


SHENDA MUSIC ENVOY TUBE PREAMPLIFIER.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Shenda-Music-Envoy-Tube-premplifier-New-Sealed-in-Box_W0QQitemZ170137362275QQcmdZViewItem


AUDIO LAB 8000P STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER
http://www.hifigear.co.uk/site/scripts/product_browse.php?product_id=1064&category_id=375

........OR........

ROTEL RB 991 STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER.
http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/899rotel/

Answer 4

4k Euros is a serious money for a stereo - go to your local Hi-End dealer and listen. Do not listen to these Denon/Yamaha/Onkyo advices - go and listen some real stereo systems - from hi-end manufacturers.
Rotel, Primaire, Rega (probably the best value for the money), Adcom, Arcam, etc - electronics. For speakers - NHT, Monitor Audio, Revel F12.
If you are too lazy to go and hear for yourself - read some professional reviews - www.stereophile.com, absolute sound, etc....
Using US pricing, I would get:
CD players - Rega Planet ($1000)
Rega Saturn ($2300), Primare 30.2
Integrated amps - Rega, Primare, Adcom, Arcam, Audio Electronics (tubes)
Speakers: Revel F12 - best speaker for $1500! NHT Classic 3
Sub - Velodyne, REL, HSU
Nordost wires

Answer 5

WITH THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE TO SPEND, YOU COULD DO SO MUCH BETTER THAN A 2.1 SURROUND. IF YOU WANT TO GO WITH 2.1 SURROUND, GO WITH A DENNON RECEIVER. THE BASE DENNON RECIEVER IS A 5.1 BUT IS CAPABLE OF DOWNGRADING TO A 2.1 IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT. THIS GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO UPGRADE TO AT A MINIMUM OF 5.1. THAT SHOULD RUN YOU JUST $200-$300 US. ALL DENNON RECEIVERS HAVE BUILT-IN AMPLIFIERS SO THAT IS YOUR SOLUTION FOR THE POWER AMP. SPEAKERS, YOU CAN SPEND AS MUCH AS YOU WANT ON THEM, OBVIOUSLY THE WAY TO GET THE BEST SOUND IS TO HAVE GREAT SPEAKERS. WITH NO AMP IN YOUR SPEAKERS, YOU WOULD WANT TO GO WITH BOSTON ACOUSTICS. IT'S A FANTASTIC SPEAKER BUT I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE EUROPEAN MARKET FOR SPEAKERS, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THEY'RE WORLDWIDE. THEY MAKE ALL SPEAKERS, EVERY TYPE AND MODEL SUCH AS FLOOR STANDING TOWERS, BOOK SHELF SPEAKERS, WALL MOUNTS, SO THAT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IN YOUR SPEAKERS APPEARANCE. FOR A GREAT CD PLAYER, YOU ARE GOING TO GET THE SAME QUALITY SOUND OUT OF A $100 CD PLAYER OR A $3,000.00 CD PLAYER, AGAIN THE SOUND QUALITY WILL DEPEND ON YOUR SPEAKERS. THE BEST BRAND FOR A CD PLAYER WOULD BE WHAT YOU CHOOSE FOR YOUR SYSTEM. ALWAYS REMEMBER TO TRY AND KEEP THE SAME BRAND FOR YOUR COMPONENTS. RECEIVER AND CD PLAYER SHOULD BE THE SAME BRAND. IF YOU GO WITH DENNON, GET A DENNON CD PLAYER/DVD PLAYER. WITH YOUR SPEAKERS, RECOMMENDING BOSTON ACOUSTICS BECAUSE DENNON DOESN'T MAKE SPEAKERS, GO WITH THEM FOR YOUR ACTIVE SUB-WOOFER AS WELL. THE ONLY REASON YOU WOULD NEED A POWER AMP IS IF YOU ARE GETTING MASSIVE SIZED SPEAKERS. DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE ROOM, I WOULD GO WITH A 10" OR 12" ENCLOSED SUB-WOOFER. THE CABLES YOU WOULD NEED ARE SPEAKER WIRE, BUT DEPENDING ON HOW MANY METERS YOU WOULD NEED, DEPENDS ON HOW BIG YOUR AREA IS. THE CABLES FROM THE RECIEVER TO THE CD PLAYER YOU CAN USE A DIGITAL COAX CABLE/OR FIBER OPTIC CABLE. YOU COULD EASILY HOOK THIS SYSTEM UP TO A DVD PLAYER AND TV TO WATCH MOVIES IF YOU WANTED AS WELL. YOU DON'T NEED ANY OTHER CABLES IF THIS IS SPECIFICALLY FOR AUDIO CAPABILITES. I THINK THAT PRETTY MUCH DOES IT! PLEASE REFERENCE THE BELOW SITES FOR FURTHER HELP OR INFORMATION. GOOD LUCK AND I HOPE THIS HELPED! :)