Please help - Starting from scratch - Source, amps and Speakers

rosenshine -- Tue, 01/26/2010 - 08:31

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Dear all,

I am kind of re-calibrating myself and should be considered a beginner in this space. I guess I know what I want atleast – A “Music system” and not a Home theatre or an AVR of the likes.
Robert, I have really liked your comments and would look forward to them.

I am into music – period: Started with Classic rock, 80s, Alternatives of today, Blues, Jazz and now have suddenly developed a taste for Symphonies and probably Fusion.
I tend to get a bit finicky notes and strings and cords and even if it’s a song that I like the best, I cant hear it unless I hear it good. Variation in notes from a smartass singer tend to infuriate immensely…

So I don’t know what I am BUT I do know that when I hear music that I like, my eyes shrink and there is a silly smile on my face as if I am sold and end up getting ripped apart by a “sales guy” ;-); but I guess since I cant fight myself, I can live with it as long as I get sold to something that I can stick around to.
Also, I would prefer to retain my possession for longer than other people can – can attribute that to family upbringing so in short wont get stupid “bored”

Having said the above, I carry a budget of USD $2000 (INR = 100,000) for starters and hope to start building on top of that.
To start with I am looking for a Source (CD Player), Amp and Speakers.

I have listened to the following combos:

CA 640A + Mordaunt-Short Avant series (In my budget)
Harman/Kardon 3490 + Revel M22, F12 (Crossing the line)
Marantz PM8003 + Jamo C605, S606 (Can accommodate)
Going for a Rotel RA05/06 + B&W 684, 683 (Can accommodate)

Phew, so sorry to overwhelm, but I guess I have liked the Revel the best, cant say about B&W yet.
Questions
1)       Are B&W serious speakers or its more of a “Status Symbol” thingy?
2)       How are Revels as I cant get to find much review on them
3)       Jamo and MS confuses me – suggestions?
4)       Finally – any suggestions I can go and try?

Many many thanks in advance for all your folks efforts who spend time reading into this.

MTFBWU...Shekhar

Robert Harley -- Tue, 01/26/2010 - 10:56

Revel makes great loudspeakers, but as you've discovered, are more expensive than the other brands you are considering. I recently heard the previous generation of Rotel integrated amp and CD player driving B&W 685s (the entire system is right in your price range) and I was amazed at how great this system sounded.

rosenshine -- Fri, 01/29/2010 - 04:20

Dear Robert,
Thrilled to see your response; guess having spent almost 2 whole weeks on this website and reading through endless articles you attained a celebrity stature in my mind ;-) - am serious and the reason why i looked forward to your response so much.
And i must say you took the words right out of mouth with Revel - guess for the first time in my life, i have consciously felt the sound to be better or distinct from those speakers versus anyother - again, am a starter up!!

Can you highlight some websites or knowledge articles which detail on the Amplifier and Speaker selection criteria; I want to read and understand the specs published for equipment. I am a techy guy - A Telecommunications and security consultant and count highly on the Datasheets before i proceed to cover all corners.

The day i posted this comment, i went and listened to Rotel RA-06 and 684s - the sound was decent but due to some reason, my mind kept going back to the Revel. and more on the Floor standers which comprise my entire budget of USD $2k.
But, i also listened to the bookshelves and they sounded very nice; any criteria where one should go with the Floorstanders over the bookshelves?
I must say the Revel Floorstanders - Concerta F12 had more control over the sound coming out of them; cant explain my thoughts but with a momentum is how it sounded like whereas all else were just nice speakers!! whatever that means :-)

Please guide me here if i am being overambitious with my music here specially given the fact that I never stuck to one kind of music the past 15 years; these days its all symphonies - just right off the blue and perhaps one day, it may be R&B - that's the contrast I am talking about.

with best....Shekhar

Fly and High...
SM

James Robertson(jamo1) (not verified) -- Thu, 01/28/2010 - 19:11

You can go and try Creek , Arcam, Cambridge Audio, Atoll , for amps and CD players, would also look at Quad 22l2, Paradigm studio 60/100, Epos16i, Klipsch RF63 for speakers. (these will have quite a variety of sound, personal taste and room acoustics will come into play). I may be completely off base on the prices but these are some good products, there are of course tons more. These are the first to mind products that I would tell a freind about. You may want to look at tubes, there seems to be lots of chinese made tube products out that sound pretty darn good. Jolida, Grant Fidelity, Prima luna, Yaqin, Cayin( I have owned jolida, grant fidelity and prima luna products and still own the grant fidelity RITA 880, and for that matter either own or have owned most of the other products mentioned above as well)
Good Luck

rosenshine -- Fri, 01/29/2010 - 05:01

Overwhelmed there James, Thanks a lot for providing a "friend" type suggestions.
I would certainly look out for the brands you mentioned but being in New Delhi, India, where i live, the options goes more towards so called "well-knowned brands" of common people use - the showy business and all that.

Havent heard of Tubes though but would look out on the net for them; again, thanks much.

Casual Viewer -- Thu, 01/28/2010 - 19:53

why don't you put your music on your PC, buy a usb dac and plug that into an integrated amp and speakers? that way you get CD's and FM radio in one package (with Internet connection). the dac/pc will probably sound better than any cd player you could buy at your price range. you need to be comfortable using a pc though. at the very least, know how to use windows explorer to transfer files around or the finder in MAC. be aware it is NOT plug and play and may take some research on how to set up everything for the best sound.

rosenshine -- Fri, 01/29/2010 - 04:08

Hey buddy, thank you very much and as much as I have been with computers for the past 10 years gaining expertise in Data and security networks (am a technology consultant) I must damit that i was never aware of USB/DAC!!!! and to your suggestion i would say Voila!!!, i guess i can now perhaps spend more money on the speakers and the amp veruss a fortune buster CD players.
Thanks so much again; a quick one though; any ideas on which DAC can one go for and some good ones? would appreciate your help there.

This is more practical for me as most of my music is on my PC and ofcrouse CDs too but i guess we can always transfer that over and play via the DAC.

Casual Viewer -- Fri, 01/29/2010 - 22:59

Check out:

http://www.avguide.com/blog/first-look-peachtree-audio-nova-hybrid-integ...