Are you satisfied with your home Audio System?

[Vict0r]

I voted "No."

I just want to kidnap someone that knows what he's doing and only set him free again when my cinema is optimized.

I used to be a happy, carefree camper that just used his built-in TV speakers, but now I'm a speaker-position, dual-sub, room-modes-obsessed, OCD hermit, that still has no idea what he's doing EXACTLY.

 

[Propheticus]

Yeah, but, no but, yeah, but...
Yes I'm happy with my system, but I bought it before I found this wonderful forum. This means I:

• Could have bought different speakers for the same or less money that are(objectively) better.
• Would have laughed at the salesman that 'discounted' me a set of cables that still cost too much for what they are.

The set:

• Denon AVR-4500H receiver (nothing too crazy there)
• B&W 704 S2 Rosenut as LR (There the ...but starts)
• B&W DB4S Rosenut as sub
• Solid Team as surround LR (got them for free via my dad)
• Cables: regular bulk stuff for the surrounds, Audioquest Rocket 33 for the mains, Audioquest Black Lab for the sub.

So yeah, I probably helped the salesman reach his margin targets with those cables. At least they look clean because they're well terminated and sleeved.
While I did not pay full (list)price for the set, the more I read the more I feel I was had. My dad remembered B&W from 'better' times, before the current sound with 2kHz dip and 5-10kHz boosted shelf. On auditioning them I also preferred them over comparatively priced Dali speakers (with a softdome+ribbon tweeter config that was just too harsh/strangely sibilant to my ears).

If I were to go shopping now, I'd include KEF R5, Revel Concerta2 and Focal Aria 926 on my audition list. Just not so many places you can actually audition them. The revels probably would not pass WAF though. In that regard: the finish of the B&W with rosenut veneer is really nice and this helped with acceptance

 

[Blackdevil77]

Yes, but I don’t have a room in my house that could be made adequate to use the gear I have to their fullest. Houses and rooms on Long Island are small unless you’re a multi millionaire

 

[Sgt. Ear Ache]

As far as sound goes, yeah...completely satisfied. I wish I could use it to it's full potential but being in an apartment and maybe a little over-concerned about bothering the neighbors means I don't really ever stretch it out much. I know there's not a lot I could do that would make any real impact from a sound quality perspective.

I satisfy my need to buy toys with relatively cheap bluetooth speakers now lol...

 

[Digital_Thor]

PC-streamer for movies/youtube on Linux mint
FLAC music on NAS with Picoreplayer on Rasberry Pi 3 with Allo digi one
Groundsound DCN28 - 8 channel DSP, with full digitally controlled analog output stages
2 x 3 Groundsound PA3CC (200W 8ohm) for tweeter, midrange and midwoofer.
1 x HPA2 Groundsound class H (800W 8 ohm) for 4 12" 830952 XXLS closed 95 liter subwoofers
Mains - Seas DXT, Dayton RS125 + 2 x SB23NRX - all closed .

Very quiet(silent background), detailed and dynamic. I can really play almost anything from Teisto, Yello, Deadmau to Diane Krall, Doris Day, Sting, without much to worry about. It's clear that sound quality has gone up and down wildly for the last 30 years. But since I started using multi subs and also got better at equalizing my mid-woofers, the perceived sound quality seems to have found some kind of sweet middle ground between typical extremes, that often can be described as "boring" "analytical" or fatiguing - neutral might be a well put word for my system.
But the quest never stops. Maybe a new midrange from SB CAC or Textreme. maybe some new alu woofers and some 15" Dayton HO subswoofer upgrades... never know

 

[Wolf]

TV has changed to a Samsung 55" QLED, and yes- I have several pairs of DIY speakers.

 

[MattHooper]

Thrilled? Amazed? Swooning? Yes.

"Satisfied?"

Well...I don't know if I can ever answer that with an honest "yes." If I'd said at any point that, for instance, "I found the last speaker I'll
ever own" then I was surly wrong. I don't even think that way anymore.

I enjoy different sounding audio gear too much, which makes me aware of all the different options that I may want to try at some point.

 

[bethslave]

With my primary music system yes, though it's quite humble compared to others here. My most recent round of upgrades happened because I decided to start using my turntable again [I have a lot of vinyl that still isn't available in digital formats]. I had a well reviewed Denon mid-range receiver from the 90's and discovered that the phono preamp no longer worked. After reading a lot of reviews I settled on an Onkyo A-9110 to replace it. I expected to hear no significant difference and had to switch back and forth a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining what I did hear. I think I stumbled upon a synergy between the Onkyo and my Advent Legacy IIIs. No other amp I've owned has driven them so competently, especially toward the bass end of the spectrum. The Onkyo is a high current class AB [peaking at 110W/channel] though its continuous power rating is rather modest. The Legacy has a 6/8 Ohm impedance switch, the 'magic' happens in the 6 Ohm position. I also replaced my cheap DAC with a Schiit Modi 3 though as expected I didn't hear any difference with that change. I'm open to changes and improvements but I think I'm at the point where I'd have to spend a lot of time auditioning a lot of gear and spend thousands to get significant improvements. After roughly a year with the Onkyo I'm still regularly astonished at how good that system now sounds.

 

[tmtomh]

I answered Yes, although I think @MattHooper makes a very good point about the specific meaning of "satisfied." I'm certainly content with my audio system: I listen to it 6-7 days a week and it gives me immense pleasure. It is a fairly modest system and I know I could almost certainly improve it. But I am fortunate that 99% of what could be improved is stuff that I would really pick up only when I put in the upgraded equipment - in other words, my current system does very little noticeably wrong. I know that I could get a bit smoother bass, a bit more clarity in certain midrange frequencies, and a bit smoother overall frequency response if I got rid of my passive speakers and EQ and dropped $3-$5k on a first-rate pair of actives with real DSP. Maybe if I'm fortunate enough to retire at an age when my hearing is still nearly as good as it is now (I'm in my early 50s) I will do so at that time. For now, though, my system is quite revealing/accurate-sounding, and I'm never bothered or frustrated by it, even if I know I could make it better. So I think that means I'm satisfied.

 

[Sal1950]

IMO, my system is at the point of being staggerin good.
Only area really open for improvement now is the room.
Plus the fact that I really wish there were more recordings
capable of bringing out the best of my rig.

 

[watchnerd]

What's that, some type of sushi dish ?

Yes, exactly --- and they bend you over the sushi bar when done to collect the rest of the bill.

 

[watchnerd]

Maybe if I'm fortunate enough to retire at an age when my hearing is still nearly as good as it is now (I'm in my early 50s) I will do so at that time.

I'm 51, looking to early retirement in next 2-5 years.

I hadn't thought about the hearing angle...

 

[Tom C]

I’m a yesbutt. There’s more work to do....

 

[Aerith Gainsborough]

As far as sound goes, yeah...completely satisfied. I wish I could use it to it's full potential but being in an apartment and maybe a little over-concerned about bothering the neighbors means I don't really ever stretch it out much. I know there's not a lot I could do that would make any real impact from a sound quality perspective.

I know the feeling, especially since I got my sub. *chuckles*

My system sounds great, the main limiting factor now is SPL capability .... of my neighbor. Next in line would be the room but in a tiny 1 room apartment there is nothing to be done on that front either.

So, I am basically done with my audio journey. Maybe I'll swap my rears out for another pair of Arias to match the fronts but I am still unsure whether that would make an audible difference. Still, they might go out of production soon, so best to grab another pair when they are on offer in November.

The real hunt now is not for technology but for recordings of music I like, that let my system shine.
Hard.... especially in the mutlichannel domain. :/

 

[DSJR]

'No, but...' for me.

Actually, I don't think it's the *system* here that's affecting me as I've heard the same components (different samples I grant you) in a different room with totally different and positive results, so in my case, I'm putting it down to the room (shit) and my ears now (double shit!) Changing the room is a possible option for the future, so herself has asked me not to do anything until a house move is decided - or not... Normal people tell us we're mad to even contemplate relocation, but there ya go - audio system issues for me, other issues for her and escalating property maintenance issues for both of us as I approach retirement age

 

[Katji]

@Sal1950 : Not sure if this works? Try it out.

http://www.hifisentralen.no/forumet/mitt-anlegg-og-billedtra-der/

There are a lot of cool systems there, everything from budget stuff, to mega-buck commercial, and "cost no object" DIY setups.

Not working - page not found. Getting this everywhere:

I tried "Min hi-hi" but... ...not what I'd thought.

Some interesting topics, better than I've seen anywhere else.


translate.google seems not well with Nowegian. Like [anlegg] - which I guess to be [equipment], like Nederlands - on translate.google it translates as [facilities] but in pages it translates it as "plant", like "mitt anlegg"-->"my plant"

 

[Katji]

[...] until a house move is decided - or not... Normal people tell us we're mad to even contemplate relocation, but there ya go - audio system issues for me, other issues for her and escalating property maintenance issues for both of us as I approach retirement age

Yes, do it now - it just gets worse. (The maintenance and the moving.) Rate of decline is not linear. I'm in shit with that now.

 

[davide78]

Yes! But....

Yes! I replaced my vintage Mission speakers with a pair of Elac DBR62, and my system has never sounded soo good as it sounds now

But .... I'm struggling with speaker placement and room EQ. So far I have the best results with the speakers at the "trivial position" either side of the TV and close to the wall. At some point I may get an AVR with better room correction than my current Yamaha. Or maybe a second sub.

 

[RayDunzl]

Ok, it's been another year.

I'm still "satisfied" and haven't changed anything.

Any new voters out there for the poll?

 

[Blackdevil77]

I’m satisfied with my system. It’s my room I’m not satisfied with. It’s too small and the ceilings are too low