Please help with building my first system!

[AnalogSteph]

There is no need to spend more than a few $ on the DAC, and there is certainly no need for balanced connections in a typical home environment.

Is having some active monitors this atypical any more? Balanced connections can spare you a lot of grief with those.

Never underestimate how much what's considered "normal" can shift.

 

[andreasmaaan]

Is having some active monitors this atypical any more? Balanced connections can spare you a lot of grief with those.

Never underestimate how much what's considered "normal" can shift.

Sorry, not sure I follow?

 

[bmarshall]

OK thanks all for the advice. I am leaning towards getting a pair of the Elac B6.2s and then driving them from an SMSL SA300.

I'll be starting with the built in Bluetooth on the amp anyway and building up the RPI streamer after. If the USB DAC input sounds sub par I can always try a cheapish external USB DAC later.

 

[Berwhale]

I'm new to all this, but if I can get the software to do it then yes, at least some basic correction. I'm not in a position to take any fancy measurements at the moment unfortunately.

You can buy a UMIK-1 calibrated USB measurement microphone for less than £100 and the REW software is free. Here's a video explaining how you can use a UMIK-1, REW and EqualizerAPO (on Windows) to EQ your speakers (there are various options to apply the same EQ on an RPi)....

I bought a pair of JBL305p MkIIs from Anderton's shortly before lockdown in the UK, but he hiss was too much for me with them on my desk and I sent them back. However, they are extremely good and the hiss is not a problem if you're going to use them in far field.

https://www.andertons.co.uk/jbl-305...cvSqxnIlnRfvC7BfnrFoMYuT3Imk3JkRoCsmEQAvD_BwE

 

[Berwhale]

OK thanks all for the advice. I am leaning towards getting a pair of the Elac B6.2s and then driving them from an SMSL SA300.

I'll be starting with the built in Bluetooth on the amp anyway and building up the RPI streamer after. If the USB DAC input sounds sub par I can always try a cheapish external USB DAC later.

I would go the powered monitor route. Have you considered the Neumann KH80 or iLoud MTM? Amir reviewed the KH80 here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...eumann-kh80-dsp-monitor-measurements-3.14637/

He has purchased an iLoud MTM and i'm desperately waiting for the review as the MTMs would fit my desk better than the KH80's.

 

[bmarshall]

I would go the powered monitor route. Have you considered the Neumann KH80 or iLoud MTM? Amir reviewed the KH80 here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...eumann-kh80-dsp-monitor-measurements-3.14637/

He has purchased an iLoud MTM and i'm desperately waiting for the review as the MTMs would fit my desk better than the KH80's.

Thanks for the video, useful stuff!

The KH80's are about 850 a pair in the UK so too much for my budget.

I had the seen iLouds before. They come in at abut 640 a pair so would still stretch the budget a little. I like the size and in built calibration though. Has anyone on here got a pair?

 

[Berwhale]

Thanks for the video, useful stuff!

The KH80's are about 850 a pair in the UK so too much for my budget.

I had the seen iLouds before. They come in at abut 640 a pair so would still stretch the budget a little. I like the size and in built calibration though. Has anyone on here got a pair?

The MTM's are £308 each on Amazon... https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07NC6KFL8

There are also some used ones reduced to £277 in Amazon Warehouse. These ones may get reduced by a further 20% on Prime Day (13/14th October). This would make them very tempting, but i'm unsure about purchasing used speakers.

You can pickup a pair of KH80 for £768 from Scan: https://www.scan.co.uk/products/neu...ve-monitor-speaker-dsp-engine-network-control

 

[bmarshall]

Thanks for the links @Berwhale - good spot on the KH80, that's a better price. But probably still above my budget to build the full system, and probably "too good" for my room to justify!

I've just come across the Adam T5V which seem to get a good write up and some favorable opinions round here. I haven't seen too many reports of hissing and they have a 5 year warranty which is nice over the 1 year on the iLoud MTMs. Currenty £269 for a pair on Scan.

If i pair those with the Soncoz LA-QXD1 then i get what could be a really nice little system for ~£475. Bluetooth would have to come from the Pi or some other receiver.

Anyone got any other experience positive or negative with the TX5s?

Edit: Again, if the balanced connection between DAC and Speaker is not required I could switch out the dac for a different (cheaper?) model with bluetooth built in?

 

[Willem]

My suggestion for a best bang for the bucks budget system would be the Elac DBR 62 speakers and a Yamaha AS 501 integrated amplifier with optical and coaxial digital inputs. Both have been tested/measured very well and are classed as far better than anything in their price bracket. Together they are 858 euro in the Netherlands, i.e. 780 pounds. Below that, I fear you rapidly get less value for money. On the other hand, you can spend a lot of money for far worse sound.

 

[Colonel7]

I second @q3cpma and @TimW's suggestions. There is no need to spend more than a few $ on the DAC, and there is certainly no need for balanced connections in a typical home environment. I own both the Apple USB-C dongle that Tim mentioned and the much more expensive (and balanced) RME Adi-2 DAC FS, and cannot hear a difference between them when level-matched.

Agree on the DAC cost. If OP has ability to EQ then Elac b6.2, Infinity R162, and maybe Polk S15/20 would sound very good on the budget. I didnt see a hard # budget, but what about Elac DBR 62 or a Focal Chorus or Aria bookshelf? Probably stretches budget too much but I don't know UK pricing and possibility for sales.

Edit: @Willem beat me to it on Elac Reference

 

[AnalogSteph]

Sorry, not sure I follow?

You said, ".... and there is certainly no need for balanced connections in a typical home environment".

I am not sure what your definition of "typical home environment" is, but it might be slightly out of date. It is not entirely uncommon to find home users using IEC Class I or otherwise (indirectly) earthed source devices with active monitors these days, and in a majority of combinations that means trouble if you are not using balanced connections, quite regardless of cable lengths. (I have only come across a few active studio monitors that were IEC Class II. ADAM T5V, some old M-Audios, Syrincs M3-220, Yamaha MSP3, and I think that's about it. Not sure whether any of the others are using the RCA hookup suggested by Bruno Putzeys.)

Speaking of the T5Vs...

I've just come across the Adam T5V which seem to get a good write up and some favorable opinions round here. I haven't seen too many reports of hissing and they have a 5 year warranty which is nice over the 1 year on the iLoud MTMs. Currenty £269 for a pair on Scan.

The innards are presumably similar to the JBL 305s. Tweeter + waveguide efficiency may be a bit lower, and together with them being Class II and as such not very prone to ground loop issues I'd guess this is what keeps the excessive noise reports down. (In devices with switch-mode power supplies, ground loop issues tend to manifest as excessive noise. The JBLs, the current Fluid Audio coaxes, ...)

A5Xs were noted to have some issues with cabinet modes, so I won't be surprised if the cheap T5Vs have some tweaking potential left in this regard as well.

 

[andreasmaaan]

You said, ".... and there is certainly no need for balanced connections in a typical home environment".

I am not sure what your definition of "typical home environment" is, but it might be slightly out of date. It is not entirely uncommon to find home users using IEC Class I or otherwise (indirectly) earthed source devices with active monitors these days, and in a majority of combinations that means trouble if you are not using balanced connections, quite regardless of cable lengths. (I have only come across a few active studio monitors that were IEC Class II. ADAM T5V, some old M-Audios, Syrincs M3-220, Yamaha MSP3, and I think that's about it. Not sure whether any of the others are using the RCA hookup suggested by Bruno Putzeys.)

Ok, I understand you. My comment was in response to the OP suggesting he would be using either SMSL DA-8S or Soncoz LA-QXD1 feeding an amp with both balanced and unbalanced inputs powering the (passive) ELAC B6.2s, hence no consideration of active powered speakers in my reply.

 

[Bluemootwo]

Hi All,

First post here, although I feel like I have spent at least 40 hours this week reading posts - it really draws you in!

I'm looking to buy my first real (albeit very budget) hi-fi system and would really appreciate your thoughts or opinions on my short-list of kit. First off, a bit of context. I am looking a reasonably small system to fit in a medium sized open-plan living/dining room. This will be a family system mostly used for streaming from spotify or other web sources (I'll probably add some hi-res services to my subscriptions too) - most often used for casual listening. I would love to be picking out a "serious listening" system as well but unfortunately we just don't have the space in our house at the moment! The primary sources will be bluetooth from phones and a Raspberry Pi based streamer (usb output). Even though this will be a budget system I would still like it to sound a good as possible! This will be my first step towards slowly building a real hifi addiction .

I have managed to whittle down to a couple of options which I will present below. I would really love some help deciding which is the better option and if there are any other considerations that I have missed!

System 1 (~£630)
The first was an attempt to create a decent sounding but simple (fewer boxes) system so I went with a set of powered speakers with bluetooth built in. These don't have a USB input so I have added an external USB DAC.

• Topping E30 DAC
• AudioEngine HD6

Pros: Very simple - two boxes (plus RPi).
Cons: HD6s are possibly slightly overpriced for sound quality? Less flexibility for upgrading components in the future.

System 2(~£540)
After coming up with the first system I kept seeing post to suggest that a well chosen power amp/passive speaker combo could sound better for the same money as a powered set (especially if they don't need to include BT etc built-in). So I went hunting to build a system for the same budget with separate amp/speaker. Note that I kept the E30 here even though the SA-300 has a DAC because of the better performance.

• Toppping E30
• SMSL SA-300
• ELAC Debut B6.2 or Q Acoustics 3030i

Pros: More flexibility in future upgrades. Ended up coming up under budget.
Cons: Unsure how well the amp/speakers will pair. Slightly more complicated, more wiring. Redundant DAC in SA-300

Final couple of questions to also add:
Any comments on ELAC B6.2 vs QA 3030i? Especially when paired with the SA-300?
I have also found a pair of QAs 3020i speakers for about £70 which I think may be large enough to still fill my room - would these also be a suitable option for System 2 and bring the cost down even further?
Alternatively is there another set of even "better" speakers I could substitute in System 2 whilst not stepping over the ~£630 mark? B6.2/3030i are about £300 in UK at the moment, so something about the £400 mark?

Looking forward to the guidance of all you more knowledgeable people. Thanks in advance!

How good is your woodworking skills? Can you cut 18mm birch ply in straight lines? Cut a reasonably round hole with a jigsaw? Then you can get great sound:

- go to kjfaudio.com and get a pair of Mark Audio full range drivers. Spend £100 max on them.
- on the same site, click through to the recommended plans for those drivers. Usually free to download, or could be £20
- but some binding posts, felt, wool, etc. Ask Stefan for help, he is fantastic. £30
- spend £70 on some excellent ply.
- spend £70 on a Raspberry Pi and a HAT DAC.
- spend £200 on an amp.

with glue etc I make that £500 all in. I’ve done it and I am amazed at the quality you can get by providing your own labour for free!

 

[weasels]

I think the most practical answer for a new system is to go with something like the SMSL amp/dac and the Elac 6.2s.

There are a lot of answers here that may or may not be objectively better measuring, but you can't get much more straightforward than BT streaming into the SMSL that is powering the Elacs, it will sound good, and it will come in way under your max budget