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Most Cost Efficient Most Well Reviewed 2.1 Set Up w/ Separates

Doodski

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That is something class D amps won’t do.
The class D amps generally come with higher wattage ratings for ~the same expense so things kind of balance out that way.

Not to forget about a 5 year warranty.
Rotel comes with a 5 year warranty? The Rotel A12 is a very nice unit and ticks many good checkboxes. What did they expense you for one of those?
 

ToriCatcher

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I was once told to never wake a sleeping baby. I think I will be safer with the SVS's 300W vs the Monolith's 500W.



Sorry, I edited my response minutes afterwards when I found out about the Topping DX3 Pro+. It seems to be the most cost effective option since it will pair nicely with the Topping PA5 and gives me BT all for $200.
Just note dx3+ has no balanced out, and pa5 no unbalanced in.
 

Slayer

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I was once told to never wake a sleeping baby. I think I will be safer with the SVS's 300W vs the Monolith's 500W.
Sorry I have a hard time understanding this statement. Don't get caught up on the power ratings. Even if these subs were identical except for the amp, the only difference would only be aprox 2db difference.
It's better to have more power/headroom on tap and not use it, than not having enough when you may need it.
In other words, just because you have that extra power doesn't mean you will need to or even have to use it. I doubt you will ever hear someone say their sub is too powerful. After all, there is a volume control.

Performance/spec and build wise, the Monolith that @dominikz recommended is a better sub over the sb-1000.
Look at the sub spreadsheet as suggested, the Monolith is just a better performer.
I've owned both, and have kept two of the Monoliths, the svs is gone. In every aspect, there was really no comparison.
 

chych7

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Is there an in-between for the Hypex and the Aiyima A07 in terms of price/performance? I found the Topping PA5 that costs $350. Seems better built for the voltage. Let me if I am not going to notice a difference when hooking up a Revel M105/M106 or a Kef Q950.

So what is left is a DAC and Mic. The Topping DX3 Pro+ seems like a good match for the PA5. It is actually cheaper than the miniDSP 2X4HD and it comes with BT for $200

Focal Aria 906 - $1600
Revel M106 - $1840
Revel M105 - $1380 - Seems like a really great price.

Subwoofer - SVS SB-1000 - $400

Amp - Topping PA5 - $350
DAC - Topping DX3 Pro+ - $200
Mic - UMIK1 - $135

Am I missing anything??? Thanks for the help!

If you're going into this price range for speakers for music, I think you'll find it very hard to get better performance than a Philharmonic BMR ($1800), especially when using a subwoofer. The folks on Audioholics compare the BMR tower to $10k+ Revels, and the BMR monitor is very similar to the tower except for bass extension. I have a pair and they are absolutely stellar for music, "end game" for me. Various comparisons on forums show the BMR is comparable to much more expensive Revels.

I really think you're overspending on an amp/DAC. Doubt you'll be able to hear a difference between an A07 and anything more expensive. Just recognize that whatever more you spend is really for the "jewelry" aspect of audio (throw in fancy cables into the mix), instead of significant audible improvements.

The point of the miniDSP 2x4HD in my recommendation is subwoofer integration/DSP, not for the DAC portion. The 2x4HD shouldn't be used for the speaker portion due to its low SNR (the miniDSP FLEX/SHD are much better in this regard); this is fine for the subwoofer, you won't notice the low SNR.

Go for a Rythmik L12 if you want a higher end music-focused subwoofer, without breaking the bank too much. And spend less on electronics.
 
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fundles

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Just note dx3+ has no balanced out, and pa5 no unbalanced in.

I read this statement for the ToppingPA5 and assumed it would be the same for the lesser PA3:
PA3s has RCA+TRS balanced inputs. When used with DX3 Pro+, the TRS balanced input can be used to input other audio sources.

Sorry I have a hard time understanding this statement. Don't get caught up on the power ratings. Even if these subs were identical except for the amp, the only difference would only be aprox 2db difference.
It's better to have more power/headroom on tap and not use it, than not having enough when you may need it.
In other words, just because you have that extra power doesn't mean you will need to or even have to use it. I doubt you will ever hear someone say their sub is too powerful. After all, there is a volume control.

Performance/spec and build wise, the Monolith that @dominikz recommended is a better sub over the sb-1000.
Look at the sub spreadsheet as suggested, the Monolith is just a better performer.
I've owned both, and have kept two of the Monoliths, the svs is gone. In every aspect, there was really no comparison.

Hah. It was more about saving around $175 for a subwoofer that is enough power for me and the space that it will sit in. My children's room is nearby and I usually listen to music at night. I wont crank it to a level where I will need the extra headroom.
 
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fundles

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If you're going into this price range for speakers for music, I think you'll find it very hard to get better performance than a Philharmonic BMR ($1800), especially when using a subwoofer. The folks on Audioholics compare the BMR tower to $10k+ Revels, and the BMR monitor is very similar to the tower except for bass extension. I have a pair and they are absolutely stellar for music, "end game" for me. Various comparisons on forums show the BMR is comparable to much more expensive Revels.

I really think you're overspending on an amp/DAC. Doubt you'll be able to hear a difference between an A07 and anything more expensive. Just recognize that whatever more you spend is really for the "jewelry" aspect of audio (throw in fancy cables into the mix), instead of significant audible improvements.

The point of the miniDSP 2x4HD in my recommendation is subwoofer integration/DSP, not for the DAC portion. The 2x4HD shouldn't be used for the speaker portion due to its low SNR (the miniDSP FLEX/SHD are much better in this regard); this is fine for the subwoofer, you won't notice the low SNR.

Go for a Rythmik L12 if you want a higher end music-focused subwoofer, without breaking the bank too much. And spend less on electronics.

I think you are correct on some points about over spending on equipment. The problem is if I purchased the miniDSP 2X4HD, then I would still need to purchase a DAC and a transmitter. I could just buy a Flex for $475 that comes with everything integrated including equalizer.

I am thinking of now getting the this setup and save some peace and mind:

MiniDSP Flex - $475
AIYIMA A07 TPA3255 - $80
Mic - $75

This would still give me a path to upgrade later to a better amp if I need it. I am now looking at the M105 for $1380. Will the M105 with this setup be better than the LS50 Wireless IIs? My friend brought over his Rotel A11 and we tested the M16s that I just received against the Wireless IIs and the Kefs were hands down better. Not as great once you step back 10-12 feet out of the nearfield range, but it was still cleaner and precise. I understand they are in different price points. I am hoping the M105s will compete with the wireless IIs better in clarity and precision but be more open sounding.
 

MoStyles

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The class D amps generally come with higher wattage ratings for ~the same expense so things kind of balance out that way.


Rotel comes with a 5 year warranty? The Rotel A12 is a very nice unit and ticks many good checkboxes. What did they expense you for one of those?
I think they are still on sale at Crutchfield for $799.00… it’s hard to beat for that price.
 

Kellen.D

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Just note that the Android native one-octave band graphic EQ would not have enough resolution for room EQ.

Parametric EQs for Android exist, but some may be a bit more difficult to get system-wide. I played earlier a bit with Android EQ options with a rooted FireTV stick running LineageOS and Viper4Android (thread here) but in the end decided to go for miniDSP OpenDRC-DI instead for better ergonomics and reliability.
FireTV conversion was a nice little hobby project (and it worked!), but I found it was not very user-friendly nor a set-and-forget solution. :) It also couldn't handle all of my sources.
With miniDSP it is much better, but still it means several boxes and a lot of connections (and still not covering all of my sources). So at the moment for me miniDSP Flex + stereo amp seems like a relatively simple solution in comparison. :D

Really I feel there are too few integrated stereo solutions on the market (e.g. all-in-one remote controlled preamp+DSP+DAC+amp) that incorporate some automated or manual parametric EQ capabilities - and those that do are typically not cheap. :(

BTW, you might also wish to think what sources you want to connect (e.g. TV, PC, BT, turntable, streams...) before selecting your DAC/preamp/receiver, and also how you will switch between the various sources.
Sorry for the necro, but Poweramp for android actually has a systemwide, rootless PEQ, with integration into lossless streaming options with nothing more than a couple ADB commands. I do agree, however, that something more all encompassing and programmable like a minidsp or the Flex with dirac integration is the best solution for digital management. But for digital music listening, one can simply plug into any android device and utilize a very powerful (and cheap) PEQ.
 

clearnfc

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I am curious, what do you meant by wider sound stage???

How do you determined the width of your current sound stage and how do you determined that those gears you mentioned in your list will achieve the desired results
 
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harkpabst

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My friend brought over his Rotel A11 and we tested the M16s that I just received against the Wireless IIs and the Kefs were hands down better. Not as great once you step back 10-12 feet out of the nearfield range, but it was still cleaner and precise. I understand they are in different price points. I am hoping the M105s will compete with the wireless IIs better in clarity and precision but be more open sounding.
I really wonder if all you really had needed was one or two capable subs for music. With stereo subwoofers the KEF Wireless II could have been easily highpassed at 120 Hz, removing (not all but) a fair bit of the bass burden, vastly improving their sound. It wouldn't have to be a pair of KC62. Bass management could even be completely handled by the KEF DSP using the subs LFE input.

No room correction then (unless the chosen sub provides it for LF at least, not sure if playing with DIRAC or REW and miniDSP is really something you are looking forward to), but still a very slick and smooth setup. :)

Good luck, hope you find the improvement you're after.
 
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