Matt193
New Member
This is my first post here. I decided to join this forum because of the emphasis put on the value of research and information, instead of pseudoscience and opinion, which is a refreshing change!
After losing two pieces of equipment in the past year (AVR and amp), I think it might be time to take a look at my system and possibly do a major overhaul.
I had/have a very modest system that I put together about 12 years ago on a shoestring budget consisting of mostly used gear. It consisted of:
Vandersteen 2ce Signature mains
*Vandersteen VCC-2 center channel speaker
*Jamo C401 surround speakers
Emotiva Ultra 12 subwoofer
**Harman Kardon AVR-257 AVR
**Emotiva XPA-5 amplifier
Oppo BDP-83 SE Nuforce CD/BR player
Logitech Squeezebox Touch media player
Pioneer PL-530 Turntable
ART DJ Pre II phono preamp
* Not currently used
**Now broken and not in use
I would say that I was mostly content with my system, but never really happy. The main thing keeping me from going any further with it was mostly budget related.
I feel that my main speakers are a bit big or are the wrong choice for my 12’x26’ living room. They are placed along the 26’ wall and I don’t feel that the placement is what it should be to get the most out of them. I do have a sweet spot, albeit a small one, and it would be great if I could have a larger one. They sound alright to my ears, but I feel they are lacking in dynamics, especially without proper amplification, and are just not all that aesthetically pleasing.
A power blip took out my Emotiva XPA-5 about a year ago. It fried some components on the power distribution board and Emotiva didn’t want to look at it. I bought replacement parts for the components that I found damaged and replaced them myself. Unfortunately, it only fixed part of the problem and at that point I gave up. I’d be willing to try and get it fixed if I could find someone who’d be willing to work on it and it would be worth it.
A few days ago my AVR decided it had enough and with a pop and a spark, committed suicide. It was always meant to be a temporary solution when I got it, but ended up in my system for 12 years, except for a short hiatus while I owned an Emotiva UMC-1.
With those two components out of the picture, I feel like it might be a good time to take a look at overhauling my system and putting something together that is more cohesive and works better for my room.
My primary goal is musicality. I do use my system to watch TV and movies, but those duties take second stage to music.
I planned on setting up a 5.1 system using the matching Vandersteen VCC-2 center speaker along with the cheap Jamos for surrounds. I haven’t done this because I was planning to buy a new house and start fresh there. I’ve now been priced out of the market so I’m staying put for the foreseeable future. Since I’m staying for a while, I’d like to either get everything set up or go in a different direction.
I think my needs are pretty basic. I do a lot of casual listening via Pandora on my Squeezebox. When I am in the mood, I'll sit down and either spin a CD in the Oppo or listen to a record. I would like to eventually digitize my CD collection. I know I'm behind the ball on this. My TV was hooked up via optical and my Oppo was via HDMI for movies and RCAs for CDs.
I’m rather frugal with my money so I appreciate finding things that give great bang for the buck. I have no issues with buying used, refurbished, or waiting for the right deal to come along. I don’t really have a budget set; I’d like to see what I would have to spend to get something that’ll achieve my needs instead of conforming to a dollar amount. With that being said, I don’t have a lot to spend at this moment so things will probably have to get replaced in stages.
I haven’t been keeping up with the hobby for quite a long time so I’m not sure what’s new and hot on the market these days. I’ve been doing a lot of reading in the last week and I’m seeing lots of new names and interesting products.
What would you do if you were in my shoes?
After losing two pieces of equipment in the past year (AVR and amp), I think it might be time to take a look at my system and possibly do a major overhaul.
I had/have a very modest system that I put together about 12 years ago on a shoestring budget consisting of mostly used gear. It consisted of:
Vandersteen 2ce Signature mains
*Vandersteen VCC-2 center channel speaker
*Jamo C401 surround speakers
Emotiva Ultra 12 subwoofer
**Harman Kardon AVR-257 AVR
**Emotiva XPA-5 amplifier
Oppo BDP-83 SE Nuforce CD/BR player
Logitech Squeezebox Touch media player
Pioneer PL-530 Turntable
ART DJ Pre II phono preamp
* Not currently used
**Now broken and not in use
I would say that I was mostly content with my system, but never really happy. The main thing keeping me from going any further with it was mostly budget related.
I feel that my main speakers are a bit big or are the wrong choice for my 12’x26’ living room. They are placed along the 26’ wall and I don’t feel that the placement is what it should be to get the most out of them. I do have a sweet spot, albeit a small one, and it would be great if I could have a larger one. They sound alright to my ears, but I feel they are lacking in dynamics, especially without proper amplification, and are just not all that aesthetically pleasing.
A power blip took out my Emotiva XPA-5 about a year ago. It fried some components on the power distribution board and Emotiva didn’t want to look at it. I bought replacement parts for the components that I found damaged and replaced them myself. Unfortunately, it only fixed part of the problem and at that point I gave up. I’d be willing to try and get it fixed if I could find someone who’d be willing to work on it and it would be worth it.
A few days ago my AVR decided it had enough and with a pop and a spark, committed suicide. It was always meant to be a temporary solution when I got it, but ended up in my system for 12 years, except for a short hiatus while I owned an Emotiva UMC-1.
With those two components out of the picture, I feel like it might be a good time to take a look at overhauling my system and putting something together that is more cohesive and works better for my room.
My primary goal is musicality. I do use my system to watch TV and movies, but those duties take second stage to music.
I planned on setting up a 5.1 system using the matching Vandersteen VCC-2 center speaker along with the cheap Jamos for surrounds. I haven’t done this because I was planning to buy a new house and start fresh there. I’ve now been priced out of the market so I’m staying put for the foreseeable future. Since I’m staying for a while, I’d like to either get everything set up or go in a different direction.
I think my needs are pretty basic. I do a lot of casual listening via Pandora on my Squeezebox. When I am in the mood, I'll sit down and either spin a CD in the Oppo or listen to a record. I would like to eventually digitize my CD collection. I know I'm behind the ball on this. My TV was hooked up via optical and my Oppo was via HDMI for movies and RCAs for CDs.
I’m rather frugal with my money so I appreciate finding things that give great bang for the buck. I have no issues with buying used, refurbished, or waiting for the right deal to come along. I don’t really have a budget set; I’d like to see what I would have to spend to get something that’ll achieve my needs instead of conforming to a dollar amount. With that being said, I don’t have a lot to spend at this moment so things will probably have to get replaced in stages.
I haven’t been keeping up with the hobby for quite a long time so I’m not sure what’s new and hot on the market these days. I’ve been doing a lot of reading in the last week and I’m seeing lots of new names and interesting products.
What would you do if you were in my shoes?
