Well-Regarded Audio System Combinations That Just Sound Good

[WXfreak]

I am curious to hear about combinations of audio equipment that are generally regarded as sounding good for the price.

Are there any DAC, amplifier, and speaker combinations, or phono stage, amplifier, and speaker setups, that have stood the test of time? Not necessarily the best or most technically perfect systems, but combinations that most people find pleasing without starting with perfectly measured gear and applying extensive EQ or DSP.

I am not looking for recommendations based purely on what measures best for critical listening. Instead, I am interested in systems that people simply enjoy and consider solid for casual listening across different environments.

Or perhaps no such combinations really exist, and enjoyment always comes down to careful optimization and room correction. I would be interested to hear that perspective as well.

Have you ever put together a system that you enjoyed without tuning it with DSP, then moved it to another space, either by choice or necessity, and still felt it was a strong combination? What components were in that system?

 

[Zgrado1970]

No such combinations exist. “Synergy” is review bullshit.

 

[DVDdoug]

Speakers are "everything"... along with enough amplifier to go as loud as you want, but not so much that you over-drive the speakers.

Room acoustics also affect how speakers sound.

Or, you can get an excellent pair of headphones for a couple-hundred dollars. (With headphones there is almost no correlation between price and sound quality, as you'll see if you sort the headphone reviews here by price or "recommended".)

Most electronics are better than human hearing as long as you don't overdrive an amplifier (or something) into clipping (distortion). Or occasionally you can get audible noise (hum, hiss, or whine) in the background). All active analog electronics generate SOME noise.

Some tube amplifiers "interact" differently with different with speakers because of their higher output impedance and lower damping factor but a good amplifier (tube or solid state) simply amplifies.

Have you ever put together a system that you enjoyed without tuning it with DSP, then moved it to another space, either by choice or necessity, and still felt it was a strong combination? What components were in that system?

Usually a better speaker sounds better than an inferior speaker in any room. It can better or worse depending on the room/space but you're probably going to choose the better speaker every time!

 

[Mort]

Have you ever put together a system that you enjoyed without tuning it with DSP, then moved it to another space, either by choice or necessity, and still felt it was a strong combination?

Genelec coaxials. Although I can't imagine a reason one would not use quality DSP.

 

[voodooless]

I can't imagine a reason one would not use quality DSP.

Probably for the same reasons people think that synergy is real.

Good sound is not a lottery. It’s science and engineering!

 

[WXfreak]

Thanks for the input. I know measurements matter.
Still curious if anyone’s had a combo that just sounded good right out of the gate. No heavy DSP, no deep tweaking.
Maybe that doesnt really exsist. But if you’ve had a setup that just worked and was enjoyable, what was it? What made it click for you?

 

[IsaacOscar]

Maybe that doesnt really exsist. But if you’ve had a setup that just worked and was enjoyable, what was it? What made it click for you?

A good pair of headphones is all you need (Sennheiser HD 558 to be specific) somewhere to plug them into, and good music.

(Of course EQ does make the headphones even better...)

 

[voodooless]

Thanks for the input. I know measurements matter.
Still curious if anyone’s had a combo that just sounded good right out of the gate. No heavy DSP, no deep tweaking.
Maybe that doesnt really exsist. But if you’ve had a setup that just worked and was enjoyable, what was it? What made it click for you?

Go to:

A collection of loudspeakers measurements

www.spinorama.org

Filter on passive speakers, sort by score, and pick the one that suits your needs.

Pick any decent amp and DAC

… done … as simple as that.

 

[DVDdoug]

Still curious if anyone’s had a combo that just sounded good right out of the gate.

You're not paying attention. The "combo" isn't that important. It's the speakers & room (or headphones). ...Unless there is some weakness/limitation/fault with the electronics.

Some people are never satisfied and always tweaking/changing. And most of us have limited budgets so we don't all have the "best" speakers.

"Audiophiles" often imagine differences that they wouldn't be able to hear in a proper Controlled Audio Blind Listening Test

 

[Bland_username42069]

Technics 1200s is the obvious component - still taking on all comers 50 years later.

Probably into a NAD 3020

 

[krabapple]

Thanks for the input. I know measurements matter.
Still curious if anyone’s had a combo that just sounded good right out of the gate. No heavy DSP, no deep tweaking.
Maybe that doesnt really exsist. But if you’ve had a setup that just worked and was enjoyable, what was it? What made it click for you?

It's a badly formed question.

Rooms matter, a lot.

 

[dominikz]

Thanks for the input. I know measurements matter.
Still curious if anyone’s had a combo that just sounded good right out of the gate. No heavy DSP, no deep tweaking.
Maybe that doesnt really exsist. But if you’ve had a setup that just worked and was enjoyable, what was it? What made it click for you?

IME any well-designed speaker will sound good right out of the gate.

Still, DSP makes all of them better because it allows us to control room resonances - which affect any speaker in almost any room.

The electronics these days I choose mainly based on the price, input/outputs and features. In some cases SNR can be a factor, and power with amps. And we should IMHO avoid seriously bad-measuring gear. But otherwise the influence of electronics on 'sound quality' is IMHO often way exaggerated among audio enthusiasts.

 

[Paul7777x]

Thanks for the input. I know measurements matter.
Still curious if anyone’s had a combo that just sounded good right out of the gate. No heavy DSP, no deep tweaking.
Maybe that doesnt really exsist. But if you’ve had a setup that just worked and was enjoyable, what was it? What made it click for you?

I’m a little puzzled by what you mean… if you mean a system that sounds great to the listener in his own room, then, without DSP, that is a simple lottery.

The room always matters. As do the furnishings, carpet (if any) and speaker positioning in the room.

For anyone who has ever had a revelation in sound just by plonking a hifi down in a room without considering and dealing with a large number of other factors, the chances are it’s all very much nearfield, and or, in a very large room.

And the hifi must still measure properly to begin with.

If the above is not satisfied then the best that can be said is that the owner of the hifi involved is smitten with the necessary resultant distortion.

And, the only way to reproduce it would be an identical hifi, in an identical room, with identical furnishing, using identical speaker positions and seating distance.

This reads a bit patronising I know, sorry for that, but just considering the hifi without the rest makes little sense with respect to your question.

 

[WXfreak]

Got it.
Fair enough. I see what most of you are saying.
There probably isn’t some commonly agreed setup that just works for everyone. It really comes down to solid gear and proper setup in the room.
Appreciate the input. That helps.

 

[WXfreak]

Asking a different question now, and it probably should be a new thread.
For those with experience, talk about nostalgia. Before DSP, Klippel measurements, and computers were part of the process, do you have any fond memories of a setup that really stuck with you?
Maybe it was something you built when you were younger. Maybe it belonged to a friend or a family member. A system you heard at a certain time and place and thought, “wow, I really like this.” Maybe it’s even what pulled you into hi fi in the first place.
What was that system made up of? Amp and speakers? Receiver and turntable? I’m curious what gear left a lasting impression on you, and why.

 

[TimF]

This discussion about a good or ideal combo amounts to a discussion about magic. I don't go there.

 

[Buckchester]

Any speaker made by Eric Alexander with ANY amp. They are that good…

/please don’t sue me

 

[thcdru2k]

Good placement has stood the test of time. Any speaker sealed or ported benefits from thoughtful positioning relative to boundaries, listening distance, and toe-in.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

sounded good right out of the gate. No heavy DSP, no deep tweaking.

This is up to the room. People have already said the important stuff (DACs and amps, unless they're incompetently engineered or damaged, should be transparent, "synergy" is bullshit, etc.).

 

[RexrothPigeon]

Asking a different question now, and it probably should be a new thread.
For those with experience, talk about nostalgia. Before DSP, Klippel measurements, and computers were part of the process, do you have any fond memories of a setup that really stuck with you?
Maybe it was something you built when you were younger. Maybe it belonged to a friend or a family member. A system you heard at a certain time and place and thought, “wow, I really like this.” Maybe it’s even what pulled you into hi fi in the first place.
What was that system made up of? Amp and speakers? Receiver and turntable? I’m curious what gear left a lasting impression on you, and why.

my current setup is by far the best I've ever had: dutch & dutch 8C speakers + roon, that's it. pErFeCt SyNeRgY