Starting from scratch and seeking advice as to how to proceed...
Dear fellow Audiogoners,
After residing abroad for a number of years, we are moving back to the U.S soon, and I am taking this opportunity to sell all of my current modest gear before we leave this country, to start again from scratch as we settle into a new home in the Washington D.C area.
a) My current gear (total purchase value = $5.000, as some of the gear was acquired second hand):- Peachtree Audio Nova 125 integrated- Buchardt S300 MK2 stand mount speakers- Magnepan MMG- OPPO BD93 Universal player- Bluesound Node 2i streamer
- SMSL SU8 V2 DAC
- SVS SB12NSD sub- Bluejeans/Audioquest cables throughout
I have a brand new, still in the box, ProJect Debut Carbon Esprit DC turntable with a Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge but it is in 220V version, so I don't know if I can use it in the U.S...(can anyone tell me if I can use it in the US?)
b) Listening room: will most probably be integrated into a living/dining/family/TV room to start with -- As we move back after several years abroad, we will start with a modest two room apartment/townhouse for the first year or so, in order to take our time and learn the market anew before embarking on the purchase of a more permanent, larger home.
I do plan to add essential room treatments, starting with oriental rugs on the floor, pictures and frames on the walls, boosted by a few specific sound enhancing wall/corner absorbers... (not sure what exactly I'll need, depending on the actual room I guess, my reading on the subject, and YOUR advice).
This means that I get to go through this lovely process twice! At first, a smaller, more modest system with a limited number of pieces (integrated + DAC/Streamer + speakers + turntable/CD), something that can easily be integrated in the multi use room, yet, that will provide better sound quality than my current setup, which is OK by me, but nothing transcendental.
c) My music tastes and medium: I listen to Modern and vocal Jazz, classic rock, some pop, world music, alternative rock, and classical. In short, my tastes are eclectic and sources multiple and of varying quality (Spotify, Qobuz, CDs, around 300 old LPs accumulated over the past three decades, internet radio, poor quality files, YouTube..). I listen at normal volume (not too soft, not too loud), but sometimes need to crank it up when we have guests...
My questions:
In general, what is the ideal order in which I would purchase my new/used gear: speakers? amplifier? Source? DAC? etc.
How to best match components with each other...? and the rooms they will be installed in?
It would be nice to have a setup that we can use for both two channel and home theater use...(cable TV & movies)
System A (temporary gear, or foundational pieces on which I can built up later, when we eventually move to a bigger place, hopefully with a dedicated listening room...).
My budget for the first "foundation" system is around US$ 5.000, perhaps a little more, if it results in substantial SQ improvement.
I am OK with good used gear... such as ones found here!
There you have it! I tried to provide as much information as possible so as to allow you all to target your advice and suggestions.
When I get there, I will take some time to go and listen to recommended gear at pertinent stores in the D.C area and/or member's homes, should I be invited...
Thanks in advance for your informed advice, I am not so much interested in actual brands and models of specific gear, but rather on proper/optimal system building rules, while taking into account my specifics.
Regards,
jlr261
