Amplifiers, streamers and confusion. What to buy for 1000€?

[Alb_listens]

Hello everyone,
I am building my first hifi and, reading through various topics, I found several suggestions and considerations about streamers and amps.

What I’ve seen is that, given a “small” budget, it could be wise to get a separated streamer and amp to maximize the investment.

Now, I think I will get a pair of Sonus Faber Lumina II, they seems to be a nice fit for my listening needs (mostly lowish volume in a small room, like 20m^2 at the most). But what to pair them with?

I was thinking about a NAD D 3045 and a streamer, but which one? I read about the Wiim Pro Plus. I will listen mainly from Qobuz, but I’ll connect my turntable too.

Or maybe could be better an all-in-one? What kind of considerations should I do, given the fact that I have a limited amount of gear I could possibly audition?

Thank you and excuse me for the long and confused topic!

 

[staticV3]

How about the upcoming WiiM Amp?

WiiM AMP Stereo Network Amplifier Grey

The WiiM Amp is an amplifier and streamer that's as compact as it is versatile and high-performance! It lets you distribute your music extremely simply via DLNA, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth (bidirectional) or Chromecast.

www.audiophonics.fr

You can stream to it, plug it into your TV, or hook up your turntable, and you can use the built-in PEQ to apply some basic room correction or equal loudness compensation for quiet nighttime listening.

 

[staticV3]

BTW, I would rethink the choice of bookshelf speakers. What little measurements we have of the Lumina II, does not paint a pretty picture:

Sonus Faber Lumina 2 Near-field measurements.

Sonus Faber Lumina 2 Near-field measurements. The speaker was measured on the shelf about 70 cm from the floor but I don't think it has any influence on this type of measurement. My question is how bad is this resonance in the port? (I don't know if I did the measurements correctly to call it...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Alb_listens]

Thanks for the replies!

How about the upcoming WiiM Amp?

WiiM AMP Stereo Network Amplifier Grey

The WiiM Amp is an amplifier and streamer that's as compact as it is versatile and high-performance! It lets you distribute your music extremely simply via DLNA, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth (bidirectional) or Chromecast.

www.audiophonics.fr

You can stream to it, plug it into your TV, or hook up your turntable, and you can use the built-in PEQ to apply some basic room correction or equal loudness compensation for quiet nighttime listening.

This looks interesting! I could solve the problem and save quite some money. I can spend a little more if the quality gain is noticeable!

BTW, I would rethink the choice of bookshelf speakers. What little measurements we have of the Lumina II, does not paint a pretty picture:

Sonus Faber Lumina 2 Near-field measurements.

Sonus Faber Lumina 2 Near-field measurements. The speaker was measured on the shelf about 70 cm from the floor but I don't think it has any influence on this type of measurement. My question is how bad is this resonance in the port? (I don't know if I did the measurements correctly to call it...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I saw the post, to be fair it is one of the few speakers I’ve heard and didn’t feel bad at all. What would you suggest in that price range?

 

[MAB]

I use a Wiim to convert a vintage integrated amplifier to streaming. It works great. You can get an external DAC if you want that last iota of raw performance.

 

[staticV3]

What would you suggest in that price range?

What country are you in? And are you looking for bookshelf speakers only, or are floorstanders ok as well? Does the size of the bookshelf speakers matter much?

 

[Alb_listens]

What country are you in? And are you looking for bookshelf speakers only, or are floorstanders ok as well? Does the size of the bookshelf speakers matter much?

Italy!
Yes, I prefer bookshelf, because I do not have the space to accommodate floorstanders
The size is not so important, but maybe not a gigantic pair

 

[staticV3]

Italy!
Yes, I prefer bookshelf, because I do not have the space to accommodate floorstanders
The size is not so important, but maybe not a gigantic pair

For around the same price, you can get the KEF R3 (the original, not the Meta), or the Wharfedale Linton.
Those are the bookshelf speakers that I would look into.

 

[Zek]

I do not have the space to accommodate floorstanders

Floorstanders occupy the same space as bookshelf speakers with matching stands.

 

[Alb_listens]

Floorstanders occupy the same space as bookshelf speakers with matching stands.

But I will place them on… a bookshelf

 

[Chrispy]

But I will place them on… a bookshelf

Not always a great location....got a pic?

 

[Alb_listens]

For around the same price, you can get the KEF R3 (the original, not the Meta), or the Wharfedale Linton.
Those are the bookshelf speakers that I would look into.

Kef R3 are on the radar too, but I cannot try them at the moment.

Not always a great location....got a pic?

I know, I will provide it tomorrow!

 

[staticV3]

Kef R3 are on the radar too, but I cannot try them at the moment.

The Wharfedale is probably too big, considering the size of your room

Wharfedale Linton vs KEF R3 vs Lumina II

comparesizes.com

 

[Zek]

But I will place them on… a bookshelf

Not the best place to set up the speakers.

 

[Alb_listens]

Not the best place to set up the speakers.

I know, but that is the only place I can put them atm. I can move them while I listen to them with more attention, but then I need to get them of the way.

 

[Chrispy]

I know, but that is the only place I can put them atm. I can move them while I listen to them with more attention, but then I need to get them of the way.

Any current speakers in this room?

 

[Liya]

I would get Wiim Pro Plus and any Genelec or Neumann monitors you can afford.

 

[Galliardist]

BTW, I would rethink the choice of bookshelf speakers. What little measurements we have of the Lumina II, does not paint a pretty picture:

https://www.audioscienceThe review....-faber-lumina-2-near-field-measurements.42647

To be honest, the Lumina may not be such a bad choice in the proposed setup, if the bookshelf concerned is up against a hard wall. It could be designed for that purpose despite the glossy ad pictures showing it in the room. Bass reinforcement would cover that resonance to some extent and it's front ported. While it wouldn't be a normal thing for me to be positive about, in this situation it will improve on a lot of front ported alternatives that are even brighter sounding and awful to look at with a big hole in the front.

I note all those subjective reviews had it in free space, and reported it as bass light, yet they still gave it high marks. Says more about them than the speaker, as always.

The speaker is nominally four ohms and 86dB quoted sensitivity, so it would need a fairly beefy amplifier and decent EQ given that wall reinforcement in small rooms is hit and miss, and to control the treble.

Active monitors from the usual suspects should be even better, but are often designed for wall mounting in space. which leads to the other point to make: putting such speakers on bookshelves such that they are surrounded by books on both sides and with another shelf above, all bets may be off. There were speakers designed for that purpose as well, if you can still find such things, but I can't remember the specifics or brands concerned.

If the bookshelves are the type made out of multiple cubes, and you can't put them on top with some kind of isolation, forget it.

 

[Alb_listens]

[...]

Hi, and thank you for the response!
Yeah, the bookshelf is exactly the cube one BUT I will indeed place the speakers on top.

My only fear with KEF R3 (apart from the 600 euro jump in budget, they sells for 1600 euro) is the fact that I cannot try them. I've heard the Q350 and I wasn't very thrilled about them. Of course I am aware those are different speakers from another league..

Any current speakers in this room?

A JBL Flip 5

 

[staticV3]

Another option with the same price and size as the Lumina would be the Genelec 8030C (Review). Available in white and silver, it may not look too bad in a home environment.

And being active, you could save some money since you do not need an external Amp. You could do WiiM Pro (Plus) with this cable, or WiiM Pro with an SMSL M300 SE for native XLR out.