Interests > Hobbies
Home Audio - Looking for guidance
FunkyZero:
Ok, well I was an audio addict a few decades ago and I have the hearing loss to prove it. After spending way too much money on the hobby, marriage and kids finally broke me of the habit. I've resorted to listening to a factory stereo in my car.. ack.
Fast forward 25 years... I was digitizing my entire media collection, movies, CD's and stumbled across a stack of my old DCC and MFSL discs. That's all it took; now I have the bug again.
My problem is I don't even know where to begin with home audio gear.
So, I thought I'd throw something out there and see if anyone has pointers on gear. I'm unwilling to post on the audiophile forums, they are mostly a pretentious bunch and get too hung up on the "purity" of their hobby. Most of them are quite arrogant too so I'm not comfortable I'll get good advice that won't have a 10,000+ dollar price tag attached.
My total budget will be around 1500 bucks, so I have to be willing to make compromises, but I obviously want the best I can get for the buck. I would rather buy used gear and get more mileage out of my money so...
I'm starting my hunt trying to figure out a decent amplifier/loudspeaker combination. I won't be doing any video or anything like that, ever. Initially, I will be using all digital sources, CD and digital media, then eventually, as time and patience allow, get back into vinyl a little bit too.
I'm in a 12 x 16 room with a low dropped (grid and tiles) ceiling, 6 1/2ft. Heavy carpeting and the walls are pretty busy with framed items, doors, etc. It is my basement office so there is a lot of furniture and things too, very little open space.
Anyway, I don't even know if I want to do 4 channels, or 3 with a modest sub so I'd really like to hear suggestions from people who have experience with any particular gear that they were impressed with. I'd like to keep the amp/speaker combination as close to 1,000 as I can so that's sort of my target. I like pretty warm sound, but decent tube amps are past my budget threshold right now. Due to hearing loss, I also usually need loudspeakers that are slightly brighter than what most people prefer; I have trouble picking up high frequency.
It would be great to hear from any closet hobbyists here. Thanks for reading!
ExGeeEye:
The following will be of absolutely no help to you except perhaps as a source of amusement or feelings of smug superiority. if you need neither...skip it :)
I was raised in a household that began with a monaural record player similar to what you may be old enough to remember from the AV department of your elementary school-- a box, a lid, a thing that spins at various speeds and a tone-arm with a 95-cent "needle".
We graduated to a GE Wildcat STEREO! in 1970... which served until 1982 when it was replaced with a SEARS! stereo that needed its own shelf and floor space for the detached speakers and don't play it so LOUD! That one is still in operation.
So what do I use myself?
I have a little record player with tinny speakers whose primary function is to convert the records played on it into MP3s, which I then listen to on my phone or with a car stereo attachment. I can also plug them in on a thumbdrive to my RCA 5.1 "home theater" setup (which my wife and I call "the stereo").
Also, CDs...played on the computer (ripped to MP3) or on the blu-ray player through "the stereo."
Spending $1500 in order to listen to music...hmmm...nope, got other priorities :)
Good luck!
FunkyZero:
--- Quote from: ExGeeEye on August 15, 2016, 02:37:57 PM ---The following will be of absolutely no help to you except perhaps as a source of amusement or feelings of smug superiority. if you need neither...skip it :)
I was raised in a household that began with a monaural record player similar to what you may be old enough to remember from the AV department of your elementary school-- a box, a lid, a thing that spins at various speeds and a tone-arm with a 95-cent "needle".
We graduated to a GE Wildcat STEREO! in 1970... which served until 1982 when it was replaced with a SEARS! stereo that needed its own shelf and floor space for the detached speakers and don't play it so LOUD! That one is still in operation.
So what do I use myself?
I have a little record player with tinny speakers whose primary function is to convert the records played on it into MP3s, which I then listen to on my phone or with a car stereo attachment. I can also plug them in on a thumbdrive to my RCA 5.1 "home theater" setup (which my wife and I call "the stereo").
Also, CDs...played on the computer (ripped to MP3) or on the blu-ray player through "the stereo."
Spending $1500 in order to listen to music...hmmm...nope, got other priorities :)
Good luck!
--- End quote ---
Maybe it's my obsessive tendencies kicking in, but you would do yourself a lot more justice if you got a decent turntable with a high-end cartridge for doing your conversions. Nothing (seriously) sounds better than properly ripped vinyl copies. Depending on the recording, I generally prefer the vinyl rips. You could probably setup such a rig via USB for under 200 bucks and if your discs are in good shape, you could preserve that forever.
catsmtrods:
Just cause, I recently stumbled onto a pristine set of JBL L100's How cool? I am looking for a vintage Marantz to accompany them.
ExGeeEye:
--- Quote from: FunkyZero on August 15, 2016, 03:13:51 PM ---Maybe it's my obsessive tendencies kicking in, but you would do yourself a lot more justice if you got a decent turntable with a high-end cartridge for doing your conversions. Nothing (seriously) sounds better than properly ripped vinyl copies. Depending on the recording, I generally prefer the vinyl rips. You could probably setup such a rig via USB for under 200 bucks and if your discs are in good shape, you could preserve that forever.
--- End quote ---
See, here's where it all breaks down; I read that and my first, last and only thought is-- "but I already have stuff that works! I could use $200 for something I don't have."
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