Are you satisfied with your home Audio System?

[Ken1951]

Same answer as last time: Yes. Won't be changing anything until one of the AVRs dies or my trustworthy Adcom 555 Mk1 does.

 

[jayapple]

I used to be a huge stereo HIFI fan, but recently I've been playing around with AVRs. Unlike the last century, AVRs are not just for movies anymore, they're for HIFI, and they have a lot more speakers to give you a better experience. I'm going to build a 5.2 system because I don't want to destroy the ceiling, haha, and I think the power is just right and it won't take up too much space.

 

[ChrisG]

Yep, very happy with my 4.0 system.

Denon AVR 4100W feeding:
Mains - custom designed & built 2.5-way speakers. Seas H1252-08 for midbass, 18Sound NSD1095N for HF. Crossover around 1kHz, lower woofer (near the floor) rolls off around 300Hz. Diaphragms acting as pure pistons throughout the audible range. I don't know if that makes a difference, but it has some audiophile appeal.
Surrounds - SB65WBAC as rear surrounds. One each in a small aluminium project box. A very easy build, and they're fine for bits of ambience/widening the "stereo" experience. I have the levels and delays set so that things can pan from front to rear, and it's a reasonable impression of travelling up the room.

My room is pretty helpful in the LF, so the mains end up flat to 10Hz (anechoic -3dB point is 50Hz). The Denon amp delivers enough power to see the cones move from my listening position.


Sources include a turntable, Spotify direct into the amp, FLACs and WAVs streamed from my NAS, and occasionally I'll connect my mixing desk to have some surround-based fun for my live recordings.

I also use this system for movies, TV, etc.


I spent a long time messing with bi/tri-amped speakers, subwoofers, etc etc. While I don't dispute the technical superiority that's available in that direction (and make use of multi-amping in my PA systems), a pair of good passive speakers + EQ can do an excellent job, and keeps the system easy to use.


Chris

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Yes, but I feel the LS 50 Metas, even with the dual subs, the Dirac DLBC and the ubacch, are still below the Dutch & Dutch 8C]s, Kii's, Kef Blades, Magicos, and even March Sointuvas and Neumann's, and Genelec One's. So the next step is figuring out how to upgrade to one of those endgame speakers.

 

[sprellemannen]

I am completely satisfied with my office setup, my main (living room) setup and now my portable setup. I don't feel the need to improve anything else. I mainly use headphones in my office and the final upgrade there was getting the Sennheiser HD 800 S headphones. I just finished my portable setup with the Hiby R6 Gen 3 DAP.

Amazing headphone.

 

[Verig]

I'm happy. Listening room is my living room so I can have a thick carpet and curtains which help quite a bit. More treatment is not really feasible apart from bookshelves (which are great).
The system is NAD M10 (with Dirac enabled) feeding Usher Minidancers and Elac closed sub. Measures down to 16Hz room response.
i intentionally left the sound a bit forward and "strong" as I like black/death/grind/electronics so I can really blast that stuff. But my wife agrees this is not half bad even with a bit more laid back material and lower levels. So, balanced, but not studio monitor hifi. I'm experienced in that stuff and want my living room to cater for fun. I could get it measure straight but won't do that.

Room for improvement? Well, always. And I know that some day I simply want to try something else for the sake of it. Quality wise I could live with this set forever. (Quite likely going with a large three way next...)

 

[Verig]

Purifi and Dirac have pretty much stopped my perpetual upgrade cycle. The combination of low distortion, ample power, and digital room correction have given me everything I ever wanted.

The only thing more I could ask for is better build quality and materials in my NAD M33. If they made a super masters version with metal everything and top tier parts, I’d pay another $2k for it and never upgrade again.

I very much agree, great stuff. But yeah, if you feel M33 could use better parts I'd like to see your expression handling M10. Oh my that's bad. Technically very nice of course but doesn't really give you that high-end feel. It's a small box so I don't really handle or even look at it... but still.

 

[izeek]

pretty happy with my pedestrian gear. best ive had.
im sure there is better. when i win the lottery, ill find out.
till then, im enjoying what i got.

 

[Lord Magus]

Yes, very much so. It's a pretty new setup so I've been using it for many hours every day for the past weeks. Discovering this site also taught me so much.

 

[TonyJZX]

i have low expectations... i think a $100 tpa 3255 with a decent set of 6.5" bookshelfs does it fine for most of my uses

i'm using one right now

i have a nicer setup but yeah... i feel like as long as i get reasonable bass extension, good vocal clarity and good tonal quality then its close enough

there's too much going on in my life to enjoy that last 1%

to give an analogy... i like driving... but with the amount of traffic and what i am asked to do then what use do i have with say... a manual Porsche 911?

i need to get from A to B, hauling shit from here to there

same with audio

 

[dualazmak]

Yes indeed, please refer to these posts on my project thread.
System maintenance practices, especially periodical (semi-annual in my case) cleaning of all the (accessible) metal-to-metal connectors, are really important, I assume;

- The latest system setup of my DSP-based multichannel multi-SP-driver multi-amplifier fully active audio rig as of August 3, 2023: #774

- VB-Audio MATRIX (VASIO64A setup) as system-wide ASIO and other audio I/O routing center: Replacement for ASIO4ALL and VB-Audio Virtual/HiFi Cables: Part-3_VB Matrix VAIO4 as Windows default audio playback device feeding into system-wide DSP Center "EKIO": #858

- Semi-annual intensive cleaning of all the metal-to-metal connectors/contacts, and complete renewal of all the tin-electroplated copper terminals with heat-shrink insulators: #895

- Renewal of SP cabling boards beside SP systems: #906

 

[timiambeing]

Voted ‘Yes But’ because this is a hobby, if I was ever thinking I couldn’t improve on what I had there would be no point, I could simply listen to my Sonus Bluetooth speaker and forget about it! Of course the measurement boys will tell you there’s no point because once you get a SINAD of (pick a number) then everything will sound the same, but that’s because they don’t listen to their systems, they only measure them… which in itself is a hobby too so live and let live!

 

[CapMan]

Of course the measurement boys will tell you there’s no point because once you get a SINAD of (pick a number) then everything will sound the same, but that’s because they don’t listen to their systems, they only measure them

Keeping everything crossed that the wink denotes irony/sarcasm.

 

[Purité Audio]

Voted ‘Yes But’ because this is a hobby, if I was ever thinking I couldn’t improve on what I had there would be no point, I could simply listen to my Sonus Bluetooth speaker and forget about it! Of course the measurement boys will tell you there’s no point because once you get a SINAD of (pick a number) then everything will sound the same, but that’s because they don’t listen to their systems, they only measure them… which in itself is a hobby too so live and let live!

More than a trifle oversimplified Tim.
Keith

 

[Ken1951]

Keeping everything crossed that the wink denotes irony/sarcasm.

These days I wouldn't want to wager any money on that.

 

[DWPress]

Yes. I keep looking for something that could improve things or add functionality but nothing out there - yet. I need to finish the front wall soffit absorber, center QRD and rearrange the cloud some but then I'd have to take new measurements so happy until I get off my lazy but.

 

[Rednaxela]

I should clarify.. the strikeout were for fun


On my side I don't need to modernize or simplify the system. it is modern (as of 2024 ) and simple: AVR as the center of the system (2-CH and HT) and a DSP to control the subwoofers. Do not see the need and expanse for DLBC when MSO can do it for free (and a lot of research and work ). Is DLBC better than MSO, BTW?



So have I.Have dialed, painfully and slowly to a very high level of satisfaction but I can hear the limitations of my present transducers: LCR (LSR 308) do distort, audibly to me above 90 dB or SPL at the listening position.
The subwoofers, Dayton Audio SUB-1500 make strange , scary sounds when pushed to reproduce above 105 dB below 30 Hz.. They buzz and rattle and distortion is audible then...
The AVR is also rather old... It is a 2017~18 model, that I bough refurbished. not complaining about its performance and not in the camp of "separate sound bette".. but I wouldn't mind something like the Monoprice HTP-1 or for endgame, never to be replaced unless it fails or a Trinnov, yes... If I were to go in those directions, Class D amplifiers.. just because
For speakers, Revel F208 are strongly in consideration. If some Revel Salon 2 were to pass by, at a salacious price...

I do like active, I believe they can be better than passive. I live where there is no distribution or repair/support outlets for anything audiophile. OTOH, I can solder and diagnose and I do have backup amplifiers (Rotel 5-channel and a JBL Pro with 8 channels) ... So passive it will be.


Peace.

Thank you. Sounds like an amazing system! Nicely down-to-earth in terms of component selection and optimised to truly get most out of it. Love it.

I feel I should clarify too a little bit in return.

Yes but.

My setup is a smart TV with Spotify -> optical out into a Behringer DEQ2496 -> optical out into a pair of AVI ADM9.1s, which are volume and remote controlled active speakers.

I’d be curious to know what sort of improvements a pair of 2024 text book performance speakers would bring.

I love my speakers, I’ve had them for almost 15 years and in many ways they mean a lot to me. I’m afraid though they wouldn’t do very well on the ASR test bench. Which sometimes makes me wonder what different, more ASR approved speakers would bring me.

I’d also like to both modernize and simplify my setup even further.

The TV is old and slow, the DEQ is amazing but rather ancient tech too, and the speakers don’t have a display which does compromise the useability a bit. One can learn to volume control by ear, but when there is no sound at all it can be quite a challenge to find out if the volume was turned all the way down, the wrong input was selected or the mute button was pressed, or a combination of the three. Replacing the DEQ with a modern, volume controlled DAC with PEQ and display would solve the latter two issues in one move, without increasing the box count. A new TV is on the wish list too, planned to happen this year.

That said, I have now dialed in my setup to such a high satisfaction level, that I wouldn’t mind if it turned out to be my last one.

It was a long journey with my UMIK and REW to reach this point but I must say I am now more than once amazed by the sound of my simple setup. It’s just three components that do everything - cable TV, video streaming and music streaming*. Every family member can operate it, and in every role it sounds wonderful to me.



*Forgot to mention gaming. There’s a game console attached to the TV with the sound going through the setup too. So maybe that makes a box count of four.

 

[dlovesmusic]

Voted yes. Audio equipment wise was pretty much settled 2 years ago. Main listening room is a dedicated space in the basement that is adequately treated acoustically. Earlier in the year I finally managed to set up a centralized music server pc that streams qobuz and local content into any one of my four systems in different rooms, each has its own audiolense room settings automatically loaded when I select the system for playback. All systems controlled by my iPhone.
So really the setup is complete and not looking for changes anytime soon

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

I'm satisfied and the only thing I would add is a another Dac. I have the SU-1 just want something bigger size and more inputs to look better in my rack.

The SU-1 has USB, OPT and COA, what other inputs do you want?

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

I voted 'No'.
As I'm still with my Sony system, Toshiba Boombox and LG DVD player.
Looking for a proper audio system.
Almost finalized for a stereo format, but then further search and research takes me towards the AVR route.

Why AVR again?