'Complete' modern system for $1000


_note: forum.audiogon.com seems to be organized around ’separates’, where there’s no current ’integrated’ room for discussions like this. Taking my chances posting here - citizenry/forum mod can ignore/remove my post if it offends anyone._

In ongoing conquest to hifi every room in the house except bathrooms, I’m assembling a ’complete’, modern hifi system for $1000. No ’save your money and get ______’ or ’spend a little more on _______’ ... already did that for other rooms.

Modern means, well, modern: technology, materials, sources, connectivity & delivery, etc. My ’complete’ means it plays hifi music. It also means no phono or CDP.

Inspiration: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1213-a-feature-rich-fully-modern-hi-fi-system-you-c...

Requirements/spec:

- amp <= all-in-one amp/dac best for me. _Must_ have headphone stage competent for Sennheiser HD650. Ethernet-in and sub-out highly desirable.
- dac <= prefer all-in-one but will do separates if optimal for inputs & still within budget
- speakers^ <= will consider active monitors & skip amp ... but then I won’t get any replies in this room ; )
- stands to get speaker axis up to 48" <= room has variable-height listening

sources: flac on NAS via UPnP/DLNA, Qobuz/Tidal, Spotify 320kbps
room: 20 x 15 x 8

Permutations I’m thinking about’:

- amp/dac all-in-one + passive speakers
- amp + dac + passive speakers
- DAC + active monitors

^ : already got sub to add to system if needed
’ : all include Chromecast Audio - because at $35 it’s a no-brainer for what you get


Thanks for considering, all helpful and sincere feedback appreciated.
usery
Best would to get a A/V receiver, but factory refurb so you can spend around as much as an Onkyo A-9010 but get more for your dollar. The Denon X1400 is $300 shipped from Accessories4Less. Doesn’t matter that you’d only be doing 2.1, it’s hard to beat such a deal.  
  
$500 for a Monitor Audio Bronze 2.  
  
$200 for a Dayton sub-1500 from PartsExpress. Or, the cheaper sub-1200 if you can’t fit the 1500 or don’t want to.  
  
<$75 in cables/wires and stands.
if you don't need a remote, i'd look at a  preamp/dac like  the maverick tubemagic d1 preamp/dac  or cambridge dacmagic plus (both have preouts for a sub); emotiva also makes a dac/preamp with a remote + powered speakers--audioengine and swans come to mind but there's many others.
"...get a A/V receiver"
mzkmxcv - thanks for that, didn’t even consider AVR route. Downside is kinda diluted investment & focus by mass-producers (Denon, Marantz, Yamaha etc) in the hifi elements in such rigs (ie amp and dac components & circuits). AVR footprint/size also a detractor for me.

Tho’ I do have an older Denon AVR in storage. Doesn’t meet my ’modern’ requirement (doesn’t even have HDMI), and I’d have to jank together suboptimal connectivity/input config to make it work for this project. Upside: it’s free, I already have it, and could plow the $$$ savings into speakers.
"...look at maverick, cambridge, emotiva...
Loomis: appreciate those options, esp. Maverick and Cambridge.  Remote desirable but not a deal-breaker. Will take another look at Emotiva too (I have their Airmotiv 4s’s at office ... amazing hifi score a couple years ago), and Swan.

AudioEngine is off the table, due to encounter with shady behavior from owner.
i believe a number of powered speakers such as swan and edifier have remote volume controls--haven't heard the edifier but was impressed with the swan
Denon X1400 is $300 shipped from Accessories4Less
I looked at this feature set, indeed hard to beat for refurb at $300. 

Amp is 80w into 8ohms.  Nice set of inputs incl. rca, optical and ethernet.  DAC circuit for audio-in via network includes TI PCM5100 chip, an older model no longer recommended for new designs (replaced by what-looks-much-better PCM5100A).  But again, $300.