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newbie 1st post 2 channel reccomendations.

hey guys:
putting together a 2 channel system for the bedroom, wife and kids took over MY downstairs theater and banished me to the bedroom. at first distraught, i was relegated to ht forum surfing and arrived here. since i had been mainly using the theater for listening to music anyway, i eagerly surfed the auidiogon waves all hours of the evening. a few days ago,the warden (my wife) gave me permission ( am i p-whipped or what) to put together a stereo system in the bedroom. i have home theater experience but have never put together 2 channel system and know nothing about tubes but will soon be enlightened
a little info:
room size: 18'x14'3" with 8' ceiling (flat)would prefer speakers on long side of room cannot be more than 2.5' from front wall lot's of room from side walls, bed in middle of room but can be rearranged.
musical preferences: classical all types, jazz, pink floyd, eagles, elton john
budget: 4k not including accessories
system: intergrated amp or seperates, cd or sacd or universal player, monitor speakers with possible later addition of sub.
mostly moderate occasionally loud listening levels

i have access to almost anything since i live relatively close to la and san diego but everything is also 1-2 hours away. therefore, all help in narrowing down options is appreciated. i have set up an audition of proac studio 100 with jolida jd502b integrated amp and jd 100 cd player next week. will possibly audition thiels on monday. also looking at taylo ref monitors and classe', plinius and possibly bryston. may later use this in new theater so may chuck budget and purchase good multi channel amp eg. BAT vk6200 or bryston or something similiar.
all input will be greatly appreciated including equipment and room setup/speaker placement suggestions. basically, tell me anything you want because the kids just got a bunch of dvd's and i'll be here all night.
i know this encompasses alot so just do your best.

aloha keith
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atagi OP
98 posts
 
wrote my last response above last night before i went to bed, but didn't post until i woke up. so the only thing i read before the post was rnm's original informative reply. i'm really astounded by the number of quick responses and thanks to all. by the way, what is PRAT?

i'm aware that there are several camps e.g. source vs. speaker, tube vs. ss, etc. and will look into all options, as i'm not in any rush.

will definitely post after audition, in the mean time just looking for a few product suggestions to be thrown my way to research. are there any widely regarded manufacturers to be sure to check out.

natnic: this will be a totally seperate set up from my ht. but thanks for suggesting using the ht. i guess that i can use the ht to help with in home auditions. my ht is polk lsi 15 mains, b&k avr 507 receiver and phillips 963sa dvd/sacd player. i am happy with this except that bass is loose and muddy, sounds over driven at higher volumes (not even reference), 2d soundstage, weak imaging, and speakers too noticable (easy to localize). i'm quite happy with the tone/timbre in general although brass seems to be distorted and orchestral music sounds homogeonized, but at the same time lacks coherence. hope this makes sense. never described my impressions of sound before.
jsawhitlock
302 posts
 
Von Schweikert VR-2 speakers $2000 new, Classe CP-47.5 Pre amp $600 used, Classe CA-200 amp $800 used and Audio Research CD-1 600 used. Here is an example of a nice $4000 system. I would put half the money in speakers and the rest in components with your budget!
Check the VR-2 out as they will run with the best in the $2000 bracket. Happy Listening!
rnm4
308 posts
 
PRAT = Pace, Rhythm, and Timing. British gear -- like Naim and Linn -- are famous for it. This is an emphasis that contrasts with that on soundstaging, timbre, "air". If you think about it, live music, unless you are sitting way too close, rarely presents much of a soundstage. Not thhat perfect reproduction of live music is a viable aim, but this does show that soundstage is an audio, and not primarily musical, artifact. (HT is a very different matter in this regard).

IMHO, you shouldn't spend more than 25% on speakers -- about 45% on source, 25% on amplification, and 5% on interconnects, isolation, etc. Also, at the level of $ you can spend, I think it would be a mistake to emphasize wattage. Just make sure the speakers you get are reasonably efficient and easily driven. And definitely consider used gear. You'll save huge $.

RNM
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atagi OP
98 posts
 
hi guys;
went to pasadena today and auditioned the dynaudio audience 52 with rotel rdv 995 dvd player and rx1050 receiver. overall, i was quite impressed with this system versus my current system listed above. i would have liked to have demo'ed the dynaudio's at home with the b&k but they don't allow this. sound was alot cleaner and tighter especially in the bass. much more musical, i didn't feel that the trombones in berlioz's symphonie fantastique were a foot away from my ear. i was able to lose myself a couple of times even though street noise could be easily heard in the listening room. piano almost sounded real, the notes seemed to hang on as long as possible. they didn't want to leave. vocals were easily located although multiple voices seemed scruched a little.
spent 2 hours there mostly talking to vince the sales guy about music and gear. i learned alot. he is an audiophile in the truest sense, this guy loves music. he made me want to go home and listen all night. to him, music is a spiritual experience and i think a little bit rubbed off on me today, thank you vince. didn't push anything at me and spent those hours with me knowing that i wasn't going to buy anything today and was planning to audition for several months.
overall, i say today was an excellent first audition for the new system. didn't get to listen to much music but what i learned was worth alot more. i have had several bad experiences recently at the brick and mortar stores but it's guys like vince that keep them alive.

aloha keith
ffontan
66 posts
 
Atagi

I'm somewhat of a newbie to this hobby too, but I've gotten to audition some gear.

I hear you on the Polk LSi15s. I think the problem you have with them(the loose bass) is that, they need an amplifier with (REALLY)high current capability, and a high damping factor to excersize control over them; and most receivers are not very happy driving them. Try moving them around too, play with position...

I have a Perreaux Radiance R200i integrated amp, and took it to the Polk LSi dealer close to me. The guy couldn't believe how good these speakers sounded when driven by my amp, and how different it was when they were being driven by a receiver(even a really good one like your B&K, well he was actually using the top of the line Pioneer Elite which is competitive with your B&K).

In general these speakers are really good, but they do like a lot of power.

Another thing is, I do agree with some posters here, selecting a good source. Recently I've been auditioning CD Players and had the chance to audition a Linn Ikemi, side by side with an Arcam FMJ CD33. While it comes down to personal preference, I had no trouble noticing differences right away, and thinking the Ikemi was more to my liking. Anyway sources do make a difference.

I do believe things should be somewhat balanced, but in the end, the only person that has to like it is you. So it really doesn't matter if you spend 80% of your budget on speakers and the rest on electronics, or vice-versa, as long as you are happy with your selections.
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