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Helping a friend build a new system

A good family friend has recently retired and is looking to build a system for his home office. He used to own a nice sound system some 25 years ago but hasn't been actively pursuing the hobby. He was visiting my home a few weeks ago and I guess listening to my system must have inspired him to finally build a new one. He asked me to help set up a new system (new to him, he's willing to buy used). I asked him a bunch of questions to find out what he wants and how much he is willing to spend. His responses are summarized below:

1. Budget -- since he's retired he wants to keep the total system budget to around $7-8K (including cables)
2. Components Needed -- bookshelf speakers, integrated amp, cables. He already has a CD player which would do for now, but he might get into streaming later on. He owns a few hundred CDs.
3. Room size -- around 10x12 with 10 foot ceilings. Fully carpeted with some furniture.  
4. Music genres -- jazz, blues, vocals (he's a big fan of Frank Sinatra, Chet Baker, Billy Holiday, etc.), and R&B
5. Listening preferences -- he is looking for an 'intimate' and cozy experience and wants to try tube amps with high sensitivity bookshelf speakers. He mostly listens at a moderate volume and can be sensitive to high frequencies.

He also mentioned that he has some hearing loss since he's in his early 60s and suffers from a mild case of tinnitus. I'm not sure if this plays a role in the choice of components but I thought it's worth mentioning just in case.

I will really appreciate it if you guys can provide some pointers. Please remember that he is retired so $8k is absolutely the max he can do. System synergy is important. And, please no Tekton or class D recommendations. He really wants to try some affordable tube gear as a starting point.

128x128arafiq
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,681 posts
 
He has already pulled the trigger on the VTL I-85. I am a little concerned about the supposedly horrendous customer service from this company though. Well, it is done now ... too late at this point. 

@avitacom --
Its sound is very similar to a good solid state amp except in lower frequencies where it is inferior to a good solid state amp.
I talked to a couple of folks who have owned the newer version of the IT-85 and their impressions were just the opposite, i.e. tube-like sound in the upper frequencies and midrange (holographic, big, lush, etc.), but better bass than most tube amps due to its healthy wattage. Is it possible that VTL has made improvements in the new model? Anyways, it goes to show how everyone hears differently based on system synergies and listening habits. The good news is that as he continues his speaker search, I will get to try it out in my main and secondary systems in the meantime. I can compare it to other amps I have in the house -- Qualiton a50i and Moonriver 404. I recently sold the Blackhawk but it has not been that long (3 weeks) so hopefully I can do some comparisons albeit not side by side.



arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,681 posts
 
So top speaker contenders at this point ...

1. Fritz Carrera BE 
2. Spendor 4/5 
3. Harbeth P3ESR or M30.1

My friend has been reading about Klipsch Heritage line and is interested in Heresy IVs. Personally, I have never been impressed with Klipsch, but then again I have never heard them in my own system. Considering his goals, i.e. an intimate and cozy experience, close to front wall, etc., do you guys think Heresy's play in the same league as the top contenders in the list?
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
To your last question: no.

Of the three, can't got wrong with any, but Fritz offers best bang for the money (aka price/performance quotient).
avitacom
90 posts
 
My VTL ST85 is probably 12+ years old as I bought it used.  So the new, integrated VTL may well have a different sound.  During the 10 years I’ve owned it I’ve gone through three or four quads of power tubes and I believe this is related to the large amount of power these amps produce.  For comparison, a Dynaco 70 produces 35 watts/ch with the same power tube complement.  I would advise your friend to learn to bias the power tubes himself and do this frequently.
avitacom
90 posts
 
I was using the VTL driving tweeters in a bi-amped system until I swapped it for a Carver 275 and I much prefer the sound of the Carver and the maintenence, relatively speaking, of the latter, is zero.
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