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Complete newbie needing guidance/purchase advice

Hi folks-

First of all, let me apologize in advance for a lengthy post. I'm a brand new forum member after recently being introduced to this site by an acquaintance who heard I was looking for sound advice... As my thread title states, I'm completely ignorant when it comes to the audiophile world, but I really want to start building a system and learn something in the process. A little background on me: I've been making a living as a recording artist and studio musician for almost 20 years, but my career choice as a music-maker has somehow ironically detached me from the simple pleasure of just sitting and _listening_ to music for the sheer enjoyment of it. My wife and I are currently in the process of remodeling our bonus room into a media room, and one of my objectives is to at the very least turn it into a space where I can do some critical listening.

I currently don't have anything decent... Just some old Bose bookshelf speakers and a Yamaha surround receiver. The closest thing to 'something decent' that I own are a pair of Etymotic ER-4S headphones coupled with a Headroom headphone amplifier.

The big limiting factor is my budget. Given that fact, maybe I have no business posting here... I will probably need to build this piece-by-piece over time, so I'm content with having to stretch the process out. I'm not concerned with having to have the 'best' of anything; I would just really like to make listening to music an engaging and emotional experience for me like it was for me many years ago.

Would a speaker purchase be a good place to start? I was perusing the Audiogon classifieds today and saw that there is actually a pair of DK Designs LSA-2's for sale local to me. The asking price is at the top of my speaker budget, a little over a grand, which I realize is probably 'chump change' in the audiophile world. However, I've read some reviews and they seem mostly positive. Would be super-convenient to be able to find something nice that was used and local, but as I said before, I'm completely new to this. Another related question: Is it better to go with floor-standing speakers, or can decent sound also be accomplished with bookshelf speakers combined with a subwoofer?

Also, what are the other 'basic' components that would need to be purchased? The only other thing I know I'd love to have would be a decent turntable; I'd love to be able to go and purchase some of my favorite classic albums to listen to once again. Do I need a separate preamp and power amp combination? Are there any 'receivers' that do a decent job of covering both tasks?

Any other feedback or direction you experts could throw my way would be greatly appreciated... Thanks in advance!
renaissanceman9
toddnkaya
493 posts
 
You can get great speakers for $350 or less. I would look into Usher 520's. Factory direct, or used. I have heard great things about these speakers. There are many people here who are humble and knowledgeable and will help you on you way. I also enjoy the folks over on another site called AudioCircle too. Online mags are good resource as well,and fun! Tone audio, Enjoythemusic,Positive Feedback, 6Moons etc...
How big is the room? Do you own cd's?
I like the Oppo 980h cd player for pretty great sound under $150
Best of luck on your new journey!
Todd
renaissanceman9 OP
14 posts
 
Thanks for your responses so far!

I will definitely ask around and see if I can get some listening time on some others' systems.

Toddnkaya, thanks for the tip on the Usher and Oppo stuff... I'll take a look.

Tobias, do you think that a better initial purchase would be a piece of upstream gear? I suppose either way I'm starting from scratch... :)

Thanks again!
renaissanceman9 OP
14 posts
 
Toddnkaya-

Sorry, I forgot to give you my room dimensions... It is 19' x 13'. The ceiling is vaulted and asymmetric... And yes, I do currently have a lot of CDs.

Thanks-
reubent
7,005 posts
 
Rm9,

Welcome to the forum!

You might be well served by listing some important things such as total budget, primary types of music you like, size of room and choice of source components you will be using. This will help with any specific recommendations.

OK, since you mentioned the LSA-2s, I looked to see where a set was for sale and I see there is only one pair and they are near Nashville. So, it you happen to be near Nashville, there is a Nashville "Club" forum here at AudiogoN. I just checked it out and there is also a Nashville Audiophile Society that has just started in the area. Check out the Nashville Club forum page here and you'll see a link to the Nashville Audiophile Society. Reach out to some locals via the club forum and/or the Society. Of couse, if my detective skills were wrong, and you are not near Nashville, just look for a "club" in your area on the club forum here.

Our local "club" (not Nashville) is very informal, but the 3-4 yearly get-togethers are great fun!

Since you mentioned listening to classical specifically and mentioned getting speakers first, I would recommend that you at least investigate Vandersteen 2 and Magnepan 1.6/1.7 speakers. I don't own them, but have heard both. Many fans of classical love those two speakers and they are great values on the used market. There is also a similar, but cheaper and smaller, sibling in each of those two manufacturers lineups. The Vandys and Magnepans are also hugely popular, so you can nearly always find them for sale here and you can also nearly always flip them here if you don't love them. BTW, They will both require quite a bit of space behind them and they aren't necessarily pretty speakers. Best suited for dedicated listening rooms IMHO.

OK, that's my first long winded cut at your question. Enjoy the hunt and let us know how it turns out.

Enjoy,

TIC
ejlif's avatar
ejlif
1,375 posts
 
I would spend that 1000 bucks on an integrated amp. My experience has been that without a decent amp you will not get decent sound. Something like a Naim 5i or creek destiny will be a solid backbone for a system you build. You could go with speakers but personally I would go integrated forget the separates not good on a budget. The magic happens in the amplification that is my experience.
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