2. best-of
  3. 1106279582

Best Value System

A lot of stuff has been written about how great this or that piece of hifi gear was and we are all familiar with such talk. Yes, we can talk about THE very best system available but how many can afford that very best system?
So, I think we should talk about the best value systems available. Yes, there are many such systems as well and maybe you good folks out there can make some suggestions so that the not so experienced players like me can benefit.
Even though I am relatively inexperienced, I am not new to hifi. I have listened to systems ranging from a couple of thousand to about a hundred K.
After going through this humbling experience, I found what I thought was my best value system and that is:
Any reasonable quality cdp with a volume control and this can be had for less than $1000 used. You can then run it straight to the ATC SCM 100 ASL (New $14000, used-between 8-10K. You only need 1 pr of interconnect. So, for between 10-15K, you can have a world class system. From there on you can slowly upgrade the front end (and maybe, add a supratek pre) You can spend many times more and you may not even get this sound quality.
I hope this doesn't bore you. After all, I believe this forum is all about value.
Enjoy.
thf
bonigv
19 posts
 
Mind boggling !!.

You all have lots of money to spend. I admire this dedication to perfection. Till rcently I did not even know 80% of the things that are talked about here. Well now I know a little bit. I recently spent $500 on a HK 3480 Stereo receiver +2 Klipsch SB-2 Bookshelf speakers. Extremely happy with what I am hearing out of them. Will be in 7th heaven if I can rip all my CDs, store it in HDD, and play it out with the same audio quality. Am working on that with a budget of $500.

The numbers that are talked around here are bone chilling. I do not think I will ever have that kind of money to spend on Music.

Are you all very very rich people ? (I guess so, very knowledgeable too !!), How do you all make your money.

Very curious.

Thanks
Boni
stehno
1,453 posts
 
Shadorne, if that's what the 'pragmatic professional' is suggesting, then perhaps it's time to seek out another more realistic professional who just may be slightly more knowledgeable.

Most of those suggestions by the 'pragmatic professional' are simply non-sensical.

-IMO
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
I cant believe that an amp was called the most important peice, its the speakers, and the room they are in being treated, then the actual CDP, Tuner, and so on next is your amp after that get into isolation, cables, and finally power. What the hell good is an amp if everything else is wrong? The speakers have to come first because they dictate what the room is going to need to sound its best. After that is correct it can be NAD, or Krell, or Levinson or any number of SS or Tube units. The amp will simply do what it is supposed to do and if you dont do other things first you are simply Amplifing the problem.
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
Boni, actually, it's not advertised, but this site is also for those who are beneficiaries of large estates. Nothing under $1m. So, this is all of our way of letting loose a bit, since it's very taxing managing the accounts/holdings which support our leisurely lifestyle.
Some of the members of our illustrious club are quite modest. They don't list the actual components they own. You need to learn the code which will reveal the truth about their systems.
For instance, if an audiogon member lists his amp as a Rotel, you can be sure it is actually a Jeff Roland. Or, if you see a pair of Polk speakers, the owner actually has Wilson X2's. Owners will even post pictures of their lower class friend's systems or pics from ebay, so as to disguise their disgustingly ostentatious systems.
It's all a matter of discression and taste.
Oh, and watch out for the pretenders. When you do see a picture of a humongous system and specialty rooms, these are all rented spaces and equipment. They pay a fee to bring the equipment home, put up treatments, and set up the equipment so pictures can be taken. In this way it appears they have super-sytems. NO ONE really does that kind of thing in real life.
bonigv
19 posts
 
Sir,

You are very funny :-)

Boni
More to discover