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

[Alb_listens]

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.

Do you think the new Wiim amp could manage the R3?

 

[Galliardist]

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..


A JBL Flip 5

The KEFs are also not really designed to work in that situation. You have to block the rear port and hope for the best, as it were.
Last year we had someone buy them for a desktop next to walls and windows, and, shall we say, it didn't work out well.

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.

I'd second this option, even if they aren't the prettiest it's a situation where they'll work better than most. If there are problems with the bookshelf the speakers can also be wall mounted 30cm or so up the wall.

 

[Spokis1952]

Building your first hifi can be a maze, right? For Sonus Faber Lumina II, NAD D 3045 could be a good match. Thinking about a Wiim Pro Plus for streaming? That's cool for Qobuz and turntable vibes. All-in-one's an option too, considering limited auditions. Keep it simple and enjoy the tunes!

 

[staticV3]

Do you think the new Wiim amp could manage the R3?

KEF say anything between 15 and 180W is recommended and the WiiM Amp does 100W. I think it would be fine power-wise.

Though as Galliardist pointed out, the R3 may not work very well in an actual bookshelf.

 

[Galliardist]

Building your first hifi can be a maze, right? For Sonus Faber Lumina II, NAD D 3045 could be a good match. Thinking about a Wiim Pro Plus for streaming? That's cool for Qobuz and turntable vibes. All-in-one's an option too, considering limited auditions. Keep it simple and enjoy the tunes!

The Luminas are nominally 4 Ohm speakers, and I'd want to know the minimum impedance before using the D3045. NAD's own specifications:

• Continuous output power into 4 and 8 Ohms
• 60W (ref. 20Hz-20kHz at 0.03% THD, both channels driven)
• THD (20Hz – 20kHz)
• <0.005% (at 1W, 4 and 8 ohms)
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio
• >98dB (A-weighted, 500mV input, ref. 2.828V out in 4 Ohms)
• Clipping power
• >80W (at 1kHz 4 Ohms 0.1% THD)
• IHF dynamic power
• 8 Ohms : 80W
  4 Ohms : 150W
  2 Ohms : 200W
• Peak output current
• >18A (in 1 Ohm, 1ms

I'm uncertain on the suggestion. The amp is rated for peak into 2 Ohms.

 

[Alb_listens]

The Luminas are nominally 4 Ohm speakers, and I'd want to know the minimum impedance before using the D3045. NAD's own specifications:
[...]
I'm uncertain on the suggestion. The amp is rated for peak into 2 Ohms.

What amp would you recommend in this case? Should i focus on a minimum impedance of 4 ohm?

Genelec looks pretty awful, but I have to listen, not look to much. I only worry about upgradeability, maybe a separated setup could be better for this aspect?

 

[VMAT4]

No love for the ELAC DBR62? I thought it measured well here, as well as some less expensive Wharfedales (the Diamond Series speakers).

 

[Galliardist]

What amp would you recommend in this case? Should i focus on a minimum impedance of 4 ohm?

Genelec looks pretty awful, but I have to listen, not look to much. I only worry about upgradeability, maybe a separated setup could be better for this aspect?

I'm not sure what amp in this case - it would be easier if we had the appropriate measurement. If you are looking at buying the Luminas from a store, maybe ask there for a recommendation. A nominal impedence of 4 Ohms implies a lower minimum impedence, but that may be just below, or in the 2Ohm range. For a small room the D3045 is probably OK, but I quoted the specs in case anyone else wants to chime in.

I wouldn't worry too much about upgrading at present. If you want better speakers in the future (for example for a larger room) the next speakers will probably end up needing a more powerful amp anyway.

 

[MKR]

Got my son setup with a pair of Revel F35 and SVS Soundbase. Outstanding performance for the money, I think close to your budget.

F35 | 2 1/2-way Triple 5.25" Floorstanding Loudspeaker

The Concerta2 F35 floorstanding loudspeaker was designed to deliver outstanding accuracy over a remarkably wide frequency range. The 2 1/2-way triple 5.25” floorstanding loudspeaker has the ability to provide performance worthy of the most demanding entertainment systems.

www.revelspeakers.com

Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase

Bring speakers into the future of immersive sound with 300 watts of power, Apple Airplay 2, Chromecast, WiFi, HDMI, and more.

www.svsound.com

 

[staticV3]

@MKR;

Yes, I prefer bookshelf, because I do not have the space to accommodate floorstanders

 

[MKR]

@MKR;

Ah, sorry, missed that, thanks. But the recommend for the SVS still stands

 

[Alb_listens]

In the next days I will go to a physical shop to try out some other equipment.
Has someone an opinion about the new Arcam Radia series? It's getting very good reviews!

 

[Overseas]

Wiim Pro Plus + best ASR measured class D power amp in the budget, that will beat the shit of competition (in the money). Keep it simple.

 

[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?

Hey, what about floorstanders? What would you suggest on the 1500€ (or less?) budget?

Here some I can listen to:
Polk Audio R500
Kef Q750/Q950
Monitor Audio Silver200 7G/ Bronze 200
Wharfedale Evo 4.3
Focal Jm Theva N2
Klipsch R-605F/RP500 F2

 

[TheBatsEar]

The KEFs are also not really designed to work in that situation. You have to block the rear port and hope for the best, as it were.

You could reduce the bass with PEQ. There is no such thing as a speaker to large for a room in my opinion.

There is a "speaker too large for the distance": The distance between the woofer and the tweeter is really large on the Lintons, so i would say you have to sit at least 2m or so away to not perceive two "sources" of sound. That's not the case with R3, i bet it would work fine at 1m or more.

@Alb_listens I think you have to rethink the cost of speakers. These are the prices i paid this year per pair:

Wharfedale Linton 85 + stands, used 650€
KEF Q350, used 330€
KEF LS50, used 500€
KEF LS50 Meta, used 800€
KEF R3, used 700€
Focal Chora 806, new 305€
Elac DBR62, new 280€
Klipsch RP-600M, new 300€
Focal Aria 806, used 310€

I respectfully remind you of Rule #141:

I have a few search alarms on Hifishark for Europe (i'm in Germany) to get used stuff.
I also get alarms for this thread:

(Europe) Master Deals Thread on Audio Product Sales

Hey EU Folks, This is an alternative version of @amirm original Master "deals" (massdrop, ebay, Amazon, etc.) Thread on Audio Product Sales ... But this time specifically focused on deals available for shipping to (most) EU countries. It turns out that I am already an active member on French...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Last thing, you seem to be jumping between different setups. In the end there is no right or wrong, you will enjoy music with all the stuff mentioned in this thread so far. Listening to speakers somewhere didn't help me, i think everything sounds totally different in my room, so why bother.


Here is what i would do in your case, with your budget:

* buy a pair of Focal Chora 806 for less than 500€, or Chora 816 for less than 800€
* buy a MiniDSP Flex 600€ new or maybe used for a bit less
* buy a Fosi V3 with 48v 100€

The Focal Chora 806 is the only pair i tested this year that i regretted selling. The 816 is measured by Amir somewhere with good results. The Chora line has been replaced with Thera or something, so Choras can be bought for a discount.

The MiniDSP Flex will be your digital preamplifer, DAC and DSP. It has analog inputs, digital for TV, USB for a Computer, bluetooth with LDAC for mobiles. Streaming will be done with hardware you already have.

The Fosi V3 is a fine little amp. I used it with the Linton 85 or KEF R3 and couldn't notice a difference to my Yamaha A-S 1200.


Eventually you want to upgrade, this should be your first one:
* Umik1
* Tooles book

The second future upgrade should be a subwoofer.

 

[staticV3]

Hey, what about floorstanders? What would you suggest on the 1500€ (or less?) budget?

The Revel F35 and Emotiva Airmotiv T2+ measure pretty nice.

 

[JiiPee]

I would get a pair of Genelec G Threes in white and Audiophonics Raspdac Mini.
Some people might worry about lack of analog volume control. That's easy to fix by adding something like Schiit Sys in between Raspac and Genelecs.

The Genelec look is something that grows on to You. Especially the white ones look nice on many bookshelf applications. Thing is that when it comes to sound quality in relatively small room, the Raspdac-Genelec combination will be hard to beat, unless You are wiling to pay much more...

 

[Multicore]

Has someone an opinion about the new Arcam Radia series? It's getting very good reviews!

What reviews? Can you share links?

 

[TheBatsEar]

Genelec G Threes in white and Audiophonics Raspdac Mini.

Another great idea. Does that solution support PEQ?

If not, i would consider a Pi Zero2 and a MiniDSP 2x4HD as DAC/DSP. Adding two subs to tackle room issues in the future would be easy.

 

[Alb_listens]

I would get a pair of Genelec G Threes in white and Audiophonics Raspdac Mini.
Some people might worry about lack of analog volume control. That's easy to fix by adding something like Schiit Sys in between Raspac and Genelecs.

The Genelec look is something that grows on to You. Especially the white ones look nice on many bookshelf applications. Thing is that when it comes to sound quality in relatively small room, the Raspdac-Genelec combination will be hard to beat, unless You are wiling to pay much more...

Another great idea. Does that solution support PEQ?

If not, i would consider a Pi Zero2 and a MiniDSP 2x4HD as DAC/DSP. Adding two subs to tackle room issues in the future would be easy.

Since you're suggesting a lot Genelec (some responses before mentioned them too), I think I could really give it a try... the RAW ones look sick too!
I'd prefer a simpler and cleaner way to manage the streamer/DAC than DIY kits