Help with first setup - 1000€ budget - small living room

[PLSTR]

Hello! I spent the last couple of weeks reading tons of info online and watching lots of videos of people reviewing Hi-Fi products, but it keeps getting more and more confusing to make a choice.

I've decided to make a post here mostly because I find that the speakers and materials that are suggested here are a bit different from the ones that I read on articles from Hi-Fi websites, and then those are also different from the ones seen on YouTube suggestions, so all of that is getting me crazy!

Here, I see the ELAC DBR62 recommended a lot, along with brands like Genelec, Neumann, Revel, Focal, Selah, JBL, Adam Audio, Dynaudio, etc. being on top of most of the recommended speaker brands within my budget.

But from other websites and from YouTube those aren't usually mentioned and the list I gathered for my setup budget was (the prices are the ones I found in my country/European websites):

• Dali Oberon 1 - 400€
• Q Acoustics 3030i - 385€
• Monitor Audio Bronze 100 - 429€
• Wharfedale 12.2 - 470€
• Wharfedale 11.2 - 500€
• Triangle Borea BR03 - 400€
• KEF Q350 - 400€
• ELAC DEBUT B6.2 - 345€
• ELAC Debut Reference DBR62 - 478€

I'll try to give you all a bit more insight on my specific situation:

I moved to a new home and want to build my first Hi-Fi setup with a 1000€ budget (cables + stands not included, those will be offered to me).

The living room is 16m², the ceiling height is 2,5m and this is how it looks like.
The TV is on the wall above the Hi-Fi furniture. I wanted the bookshelf speakers to be either on top of the Hi-Fi furniture (that has only 1,8m, so the speakers would be like 1,6m apart) or right next to it on top of speaker stands (making the distance between speakers around 1,9-2m but the right speaker is going to be only 0,8-1,1m from the right wall, the one with the window). What's the best option?
Due to the size of the room they can't also be too far from the back wall.

• 90% of my listening is hip-hop/rap music. The other 10% are jazz, classical, etc.
• Would like to be capable to listen to TV/movies on this setup, but don't want it to be optimal for it. My main focus is music.
• It will be mostly digital/streaming. As I said, this is my first system, so I don't have a turntable and don't want to get one now, but I want to have the option to get one in the future and be sure that this setup is capable of having one connected.

Having that in mind the options that I gathered from what I read/listened were:
DAC:
iFi ZEN DAC - 150€ (+ upgrad power supply - iFi power 50€)
NAD DAC 2 - 195€

Amplifier:
Rega Io - 349€
Cambridge AXA35 - 350€
Camnbridge AXA25 - 250€
Marantz PM5005 - 350€
Pioneer A-40AE-K - 307€
Pioneer A-30-S - 258€
YAMAHA A-S201 - 195€
NAD C 316V2 - 369€


Do you think that the better option for me to have is Chromecast Audio + DAC + Amp + Speakers? Or a streamer like Marantz NA6006 or BlueNode 2i + Amp + Speakers (this option might force me to stretch the budget a bit more)? Or any other option?

Thanks in advance to whoever helps me with this subject that's driving me crazy for a couple of weeks!

 

[Zygot]

Do you consider active speakers?
Dali Oberon 1 c
Frequency Range (+/-3 dB) [Hz]39 - 26,000
For that size 39Hz is great achievement.

 

[PLSTR]

Do you consider active speakers?
Dali Oberon 1 c
Frequency Range (+/-3 dB) [Hz]39 - 26,000
For that size 39Hz is great achievement.

Yeah, I considered active speakers. Dali Oberon 1 C are available in my country for 999€ and also the KEF LSX for that exact same price.
Active speakers were a easier way to go, but I've read somewhere that for the money spent on active speakers, usually the passive route provides better sound with the option for improvement later. And as I said on the post, I would like to get a turntable soon (1-2 years), so having a full system already for that would be great.

Do you think that the active option is the better for me?

 

[pokerbarlo]

get the aiyima A07 it scores better Sinad than the amps on your list with a cheap chinese switching power supply 48v 20a to get the whole 150w at 8ohms. topping E30 Dac, Debut reference 6.2 plus a raspberry pi. you will have money left for some acoustical treaments. Then save up for a Minidsp SHD for dirac live. This would be the best entry level set-up. Future upgrades 2 rythmic f12s servo subs since you like hip hop you really need a sub. Or checkout the Rel amps

 

[AMPaul]

just wanted to comment a bit since i was in your position years ago. Given that you listen to hip hop rap a lot i believe you would appreciate some good bassy pair of bookshelves. From what you listed i can confidently recommend the wharfedales. I've lived with them for many years as a starter setup. They are what people call laid back in the upper frequency but don't get fooled by that, they still sound pretty crisp. On the other hand they are quite forgiving (especially the 11.2) with placement. I had mine 2 m apart and 6 inches from back wall. They created a good image when you tow them in a bit and that would also compensate for the rolled off highs making them sound crisper to your ears. What i also suggest for a coherent sound image between them is to not be afraid to have them placed in asymmetric positions. I know it sounds weird but i have my bookshelves on stands in asymmetric position due tot he fact that the chamber is not fully symmetrical. The 11.2s are front ported and i believe you should look at front ported to begin with.

As for the amp- i heard good things of the Marantz - especially paired with more laid back sounding speakers. Now you can use a streamer if you want (i do think bluenode is way overprices) but you could also look at something like the Ifi Zen Blue -all the digital you need. Don't get fooled by all this marketing and hype around more expensive stuff. The total system will sound marvelous to your ears and fits your budget perfectly. From there on you have a very good starter system and you will learn what you actually want to have (or call it upgrade if you want) in the future.

 

[Razorhelm]

Do you have a measurement mic? A umik-1 is about 100€ but measuring then eqing with REW and something like equaliser APO will hugely improve the sound of your system. I think it's worth taking some money out of your budget for that.

 

[Mal]

... I've read somewhere that for the money spent on active speakers, usually the passive route provides better sound ...

You can easily read the opposite somewhere else! For instance, in Darko's video review of the KEF LSX he says you would find it incredibly difficult to find a passive system that's better for the same price.

 

[Mal]

get the aiyima A07 it scores better Sinad than the amps on your list with a cheap chinese switching power supply 48v 20a to get the whole 150w at 8ohms. topping E30 Dac, Debut reference 6.2 plus a raspberry pi. you will have money left for some acoustical treaments. Then save up for a Minidsp SHD for dirac live. This would be the best entry level set-up. Future upgrades 2 rythmic f12s servo subs since you like hip hop you really need a sub. Or checkout the Rel amps

Have you compared this set up to KEF LSX? Is Debut reference 6.2 really better than the other speakers on the OP list?

 

[ZolaIII]

If you want to go with separates please consider mid range Yamaha amplifiers.
Keep in consideration they are picky regarding speakers and not really designed for lo impedance (high current loads, disregarding of dumping factor) so things that get deep to 3 Ohm's like KEF's won't be a good pair with them.
The A-S500 fits the bill (for speakers + amplifier only) with let's say DBR62.
However I would definitely recommend that you see if you can get a R-N803 which is above your budget and not so easy to catch (disconnected recently and about 800€). Reason is simple. You will definitely want a subwoofer (even more with your music preferences) and manageable centralised control for entire system (including sub of course).
I have R-N402D which ain't bad (lower dumping factor and no sub out only recorder out) and QA Q3030i (not bad bat relatively hard to menage because of size regarding stands and back port that needs a lot of clearance and a dumper). A-S500 have sub out and basic menagment but lacks streaming and MusicCast app. With R-N range you can go without external DAC and in any case you don't need a top performing one. The integrated one's are fine as long as you stream content to it or use Toslink.
Of course use of comprehensive DSP and measurement mic (for PEQ and room correction) is more than important which for the beginning you can use with some software player (I use JRiver).
Try to buy just an amplifier and speakers for now, than save for a sub and UMIK.
Best regards and have a nice time.