Discussion
I am planning to buy a new hifi system to listen purely to Apple Lossless and Spotify files, maybe moving to high resolution files in the future.
My current system is totally AV based (Denon AVR-1912 to B&W M1 speakers), and I have Sonos units all around the house, but am looking for something better for ‘serious’ listening.
I am thinking that DAC, amp and speakers are all I will need as I will use my laptop and Sonos ZP90 as the sources. I literally listen to all type of music and the room is about 16 x 11. I would like to get something decent for about £2k, but will pay a bit more if there are benefits to doing that.
Any suggestions?
My current system is totally AV based (Denon AVR-1912 to B&W M1 speakers), and I have Sonos units all around the house, but am looking for something better for ‘serious’ listening.
I am thinking that DAC, amp and speakers are all I will need as I will use my laptop and Sonos ZP90 as the sources. I literally listen to all type of music and the room is about 16 x 11. I would like to get something decent for about £2k, but will pay a bit more if there are benefits to doing that.
Any suggestions?
You could go Audiolab. Latest M1 DAC has a few followers and the right connections for HD-Audio, with an 8200 amp it would fall into your budget.. ARCAM have a few good amps but the DAC is close to your budget ceiling. Musical Fidelity also have some good kit and would allow you budget for speakers where as Cyrus would take you over the top with the DAc and Amp closer to £3k all in.
telecat said:
You could go Audiolab. Latest M1 DAC has a few followers and the right connections for HD-Audio, with an 8200 amp it would fall into your budget.. ARCAM have a few good amps but the DAC is close to your budget ceiling. Musical Fidelity also have some good kit and would allow you budget for speakers where as Cyrus would take you over the top with the DAc and Amp closer to £3k all in.
How about a Cyrus 6xpd for £1250 (built in DAC and amplifier) and whichever speakers suit your ears (Dynaudio being my favourites on my Cyrus system, maybe also consider Focal 807V)MagicalTrevor said:
telecat said:
You could go Audiolab. Latest M1 DAC has a few followers and the right connections for HD-Audio, with an 8200 amp it would fall into your budget.. ARCAM have a few good amps but the DAC is close to your budget ceiling. Musical Fidelity also have some good kit and would allow you budget for speakers where as Cyrus would take you over the top with the DAc and Amp closer to £3k all in.
How about a Cyrus 6xpd for £1250 (built in DAC and amplifier) and whichever speakers suit your ears (Dynaudio being my favourites on my Cyrus system, maybe also consider Focal 807V)telecat said:
Personal choice really. I tend to think they are compromised too much but it should do the "job".
Absolutely, hifi is very much down to personal opinion. best thing the OP could do is get himself into a decent hifi shop like Sevenoaks and spend an afternoon trying various systems.
I just bought some Cambridge Audio stuff and AE radiance speakers. But not sure this is enough for what you are looking for, cost or connectivity? I'm no expert I'm afraid, but I have a 651A which takes PC input but not tried that feature yet so can't really comment yet.
CD sound quality is awesome and the system cost me around £1K. If I had gone for floorstanders and the new range CD (651 instead of 650) then that would have been £1500+ and perhaps better quality but I'm happy!
CD sound quality is awesome and the system cost me around £1K. If I had gone for floorstanders and the new range CD (651 instead of 650) then that would have been £1500+ and perhaps better quality but I'm happy!
NDA said:
I have Sonos through the house too.....
My hi fi is fed by a Sonos ZP90 into a Musical Fidelity pre amp (optically) onto MF mono blocks and into Ruark speakers.... Sounds fab.
My personal experience with a CEC Jap system with monoblocks was that I was surprised that my Sonos ZP90 was very poor. How this can be when it is all digital I don't know.My hi fi is fed by a Sonos ZP90 into a Musical Fidelity pre amp (optically) onto MF mono blocks and into Ruark speakers.... Sounds fab.
All I do know was that I dumped the Sonos and I'm enjoying my music again.
By contrast I admit my current valve system is wrong, coloured, and so on.
When I moved to the Sonos it was wrong compared to a high end CD player. I have spent years comparing CD players and was very disappointed by uncompressed Sonos kit to the extend I no longer use it.
0a said:
My personal experience with a CEC Jap system with monoblocks was that I was surprised that my Sonos ZP90 was very poor. How this can be when it is all digital I don't know.
All I do know was that I dumped the Sonos and I'm enjoying my music again.
By contrast I admit my current valve system is wrong, coloured, and so on.
When I moved to the Sonos it was wrong compared to a high end CD player. I have spent years comparing CD players and was very disappointed by uncompressed Sonos kit to the extend I no longer use it.
In my 20's and 30's I might have had a view that either agreed or opposed yours - I was a serious hifi buyer and armed to the hilt with LP12's, Krells and just about every pure piece of kit known to man. However I'm now 50 and my hearing is simply just not what it was. I know this. All I do know was that I dumped the Sonos and I'm enjoying my music again.
By contrast I admit my current valve system is wrong, coloured, and so on.
When I moved to the Sonos it was wrong compared to a high end CD player. I have spent years comparing CD players and was very disappointed by uncompressed Sonos kit to the extend I no longer use it.
My Sonos system when playing Flac or Lossless files sounds terrific to me.... But, I have to accept that my audio range is no longer that of a younger listener.
NDA said:
0a said:
My personal experience with a CEC Jap system with monoblocks was that I was surprised that my Sonos ZP90 was very poor. How this can be when it is all digital I don't know.
All I do know was that I dumped the Sonos and I'm enjoying my music again.
By contrast I admit my current valve system is wrong, coloured, and so on.
When I moved to the Sonos it was wrong compared to a high end CD player. I have spent years comparing CD players and was very disappointed by uncompressed Sonos kit to the extend I no longer use it.
In my 20's and 30's I might have had a view that either agreed or opposed yours - I was a serious hifi buyer and armed to the hilt with LP12's, Krells and just about every pure piece of kit known to man. However I'm now 50 and my hearing is simply just not what it was. I know this. All I do know was that I dumped the Sonos and I'm enjoying my music again.
By contrast I admit my current valve system is wrong, coloured, and so on.
When I moved to the Sonos it was wrong compared to a high end CD player. I have spent years comparing CD players and was very disappointed by uncompressed Sonos kit to the extend I no longer use it.
My Sonos system when playing Flac or Lossless files sounds terrific to me.... But, I have to accept that my audio range is no longer that of a younger listener.
Maybe, but I'm prepared to accept that my hearing is not as good as it was.
I remember being the first UK owner of a pair of SD1 loudspeakers - I even went so far as to visit the factory in Thames Ditton to watch the bass cones being doped! I would listen avidly to the sound of a percussionist breathing (or similar) on certain recordings - I was sooooo into fidelity. I changed the wiring of crossovers, tri-amped and fiddled with ribbon mid range units. I was an addict.
Over the past few years I've found that I no longer have the appetite for such close listening - I'm really not sure why.
But I can imagine that someone who spends time really concentrating (as I used to, for hours) would have a better view on how Sonos type systems might compare. There's certainly a lack of sonic weight when compared to a superb vinyl pressing on a Girodeck or LP12 - but I find it hard to discern these days.
Now, where are my Werthers?
Having recently purchased a Sonos ZP90, an Arcam A18 and some B&W CM1's, I can tell you that I am very happy with it (playing lossless Apple ALAC files). I read up about getting a separate DAC over using the Sonos onboard DAC, and there are quite a few people that say it sounds different, but not necessarily better or worse. Might be worth listening without first and saving yourself some money.
andyroo said:
Having recently purchased a Sonos ZP90, an Arcam A18 and some B&W CM1's, I can tell you that I am very happy with it (playing lossless Apple ALAC files). I read up about getting a separate DAC over using the Sonos onboard DAC, and there are quite a few people that say it sounds different, but not necessarily better or worse. Might be worth listening without first and saving yourself some money.
I love the look of those CM1s, and realisticvally I need to keep to small speakers. Do you have them standmounted? Do you find the bass response good?
Driller said:
Not saying that- I wouldn't dare lest we get drawn into one of those "hifi" arguments, you know the ones I mean!
but expensive CD players and DACs don't make any difference
I have four different DACs (one of which is non o/s) and I can certainly here the difference between them.but expensive CD players and DACs don't make any difference
Just like I can hear the difference between my tweaked CD17 and the DACs.
So I beg to differ with you there.
This is not intended to derail the OP's original topic, but I couldn't ignore that comment!
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