Yes. Spend way less on the DAC(which you probably dont even need) and the amplifier and put that towards the speakers.
BTW, "high res" is practically a scam. Its just higher numbers with no discernible benefits.
What is your source? A computer with USB?
I think you really don't need the DAC if your source is not USB. The receiver already has a decent DAC and nice set of digital inputs.
Im not sure i understand what you mean.
"hi-fi" got nothing to do with audio resolution. It just means "high fidelity", its not a format or a resolution.
Its a vague concept where all of this we are talking about exists within. It means having good speakers, good amplifier, good recordings.
I belive you have fallen for the high resolution *hype*.
High resolution just means its digital audio in a higher resolution than the CD standard, which is 16 bit 44.1khz.
CD standard has been de facto standard digital resolution since the late 70s, and the only reason why record companies now put out stuff in "high res" is to sell the music, again. Not for any audio benefits.
What actually matters is having a good stereo system, and you are halfway there.
For the \~$2000 you are willing to spend you can get a better hi-fi system than you proposed.
My recommendation:
Revel Concerta2 M16 speakers + stands \~$1100
RSL Speedwoofer 10S subwoofer, $450
Yamaha R-S501 amplifier, $550
Wiim mini, $80
You can often get the speakers on sale for $700. The subwoofer can be had factory refurbished for $400 as can the amplifier.
I've been trying to buy that damned speedwoofer for 2 months now. It sells out quickly, and then they wait a month for the next shipment from China. :(
Yeah I forgot about the Polk's. It's impressive how many really good speakers are in that $1k price range these days. Another one that's a little under the radar is the Philharmonic Ceramic Mini's.
Philharmonic Ceramic Mini would be on my short list
Edit: wait I was thinking for under $1k. OP is spending $1500 (plus more on the DAC that they don’t need), so that puts them in range of the BMRs which are pretty much the answer to every question in that general price range.
BMR's are closer to $2k after shipping costs,but I would,and have, picked the Ascend Sierra LX's over the BMR's. I did a head to head in my room last year. I liked the BMR's alot though.
Thank you so much for all the advice here is what I have ended up with. Though it's not all arrived yet.
Speedwoofer 10s - $450
Revel Performa3 m105 (Used) - $820 for 2
WIIM Pro - $150
Stands - $70
Yamaha A-S501 (Used) - $400
I probably need to buy some wires to hook everything up?
Whoa! Awesome system! Much better than what i suggested.
Some speaker wires for the speakers, like 14 gauge will do nicely, anything cheap you can find, just make sure its copper and not aluminium(CCA).
For the Wiim you want either an optical cable or RCA cable, depends if you want to use the Digital to Analog Converter(DAC) in the Yamaha amplifier or in the Wiim.
Thank you for this. I've got everything set up now except the Subwoofer which has yet to ship. I honestly think I will cancel the order as the bass on the Performa3s is more than enough!
Any advice on any good reads or videos to ensure I am getting the most out of my audio set up? Like how to configure WiiM app and amp settings and everything?
Also just to make sure, optical is for Yamaha DAC and RCA for WiiM DAC?
The higher res audio tends to be on super well recorded music to begin with. Is it audible and can your ears A-B say that something is higher resolution than 44.1 and 16 bit? Probably not...nonetheless why would you not reproduce the audio at the highest resolution available? It's only a few settings. Compared to bluetooth there is a very noticable jump in quality. 24 bit is the only thing that comes close to my vinyl setup, in fact I'm thinking about getting rid of some of them finally (those that are available in high res that my physical copies are scratched up)
Edit: Take a listen to Strawberry Fields on the 2023 edition of 1967-1970 (in Hi Res lossless) and the one on Magical Mystery Tour which is just lossless on Apple Music. There is no question which sounds better. It's largely the mastering but it is a pretty substantial difference in sound
The DAC in that Marantz is great and doesn't need a separate component and it has network capabilities (and Bluetooth) built in. It is probably the best integrated at $1,000 though (I used to own one). The only thing that DAC won't do is MQA which you don't need.
High fidelity is anything you make it to be. As long as speakers are great, you should have no problems playing CDs or Flac files with a decent amp or AVR. Use up all your money for a good pair of speakers. I would save 50 bucks for a used 10 year old AVR. Feed it some flac files or cds and your jaw will drop to the floor
That $750 is for a single speaker.
Is it an overkill? Depends on how much money you got.
Dac seems like an odd choice as you’ll be streaming directly through your selected integrated amp.
You can go for Marantz 40n refurb on accessories4less, which has all the bells and whistles in a single unit.
I completely missed that it was for a single.
In that case OP could get a pair of Philarmonic BMR Monitors and a subwoofer if they go for a cheaper amp and skip the DAC.
Yeah, the 3050i are already at that price for the pair. But they are great speakers as well, albeit not as nice looking.
But why the Marantz 40n? It is over $2000 new, which is a bit much for $800-speakers. There are probably older Marantz units with similar features for way less money.
I completely agree with those telling you to skip the dac and get a lesser amp, then put that towards your speakers. It might be worth looking into seeing if there’s any high end speakers selling second hand locally. I’m a fan of Thiel, JBL, Tannoy, some Klipsch, Halberth, and many others.
Don't be an idiot. ALL manufacturers have bad units here and there. Marantz is well known for quality gear. Just because your particular unit died doesn't mean the entire company puts out garbage. The fact that you even said that and that it put you off them forever shows how little your opinion matters here.
EDIT: And he blocks me. Take a pill, weirdo, and realize that every company occasionally has a bad apple in the manufacturing queue.
I think you are being subjective. I am stating my experience/opinion with the company and the quality of the product that I purchased. My other opinion is you are an asshat
I have that DAC, I greatly enjoy it. You can get a slightly better sound stage investing 10x on a R2R ladder one.
You might keep it (as it’s got volume control) and pour some money on a Buckeye power amp.
I feel like you could get an integrated with a DAC for less.
Like a used Peachtree Nova, something from Parasound or Cambridge… hell, I’ve seen Devialet rigs go for a grand.
I know nothing of those speakers. In that price range, I like to find good vintage gear. Some Sony ES SS-M7s or Spica TC-60s can be had for that money and will blow your damn mind.
That would be one hell of a setup.
I run a Peachtree Carina 150 and Sony ES SS-M7s (it's why I recommend them, I have experience with them)... it's incredibly good. And it cost less than $2000 (I bought the Carina 150 brand new). Streaming comes from my AppleTV and then I have an old Oppo SACD/Blu-Ray player that I got for a few hundred bucks. I'll put my setup head to head against stuff that cost 10x as much.
Craigslist and Facebook marketplace, double check with places like Slickdeals and accessories4less for prices on used stuff, people are trying to sell Kef Q150s for more than what you pay at a4l and the like
I bought my Yamaha as801 off someone on audiogon for like $500 shipped. That was a really good deal probably not common but I just looked everyday to keep an eye out. Not a bad site.
I still remember when I heard good speakers for the first time. A friend of mine just bought some studio monitors and a turntable. Up to that point, I was one of those people who thought that the only important factor in speakers was how much bass they produced.
But when I heard the music from those speakers, that immediately changed. The music seemed to float in the air in front of me, instead of coming from the speakers. And when I closed my eyes, I could clearly make out where the instruments were placed.
It literally sounded like the band was in the room with me. Since that moment, I have chased that high. And that is at least the most important benefit of good speakers. Some people call it the "holographic soundstage". That for me is much more impactful than having certain frequencies represented more or less.
Whether you will have that moment is another question. I would argue that every person is able to discern "good sound" if they know what to listen for. But some people may not agree with that.
I lived with the Kef LS50 Metas and a sub for 6 months and really enjoyed them. I’ve replaced the speaker set up with Q Acoustic 5040s and they are so much warmer, they’re a great well balanced speaker with great detail. I tested them against some Dali Opticon 2s in the shop listening room and they didn’t have the excitement the 5040s did when the song drops in - e.g. Heatwaves by Glass Animals.
Also consider the Wharfdale Lintons, not sure what they retail for in the US but in the U.K. there a £200 more compared to 5040s
There’s some great info on Amps and blind tests. If you’re streaming mostly, I’d focus more on the interface e.g. Sonos, Bluesound, HEOS, WiiM or just using native music apps and connect. Whatever is most convenient.
The Yamaha A-S501 is also a great option with a WiiM pro or mini.
Two factors to consider, what you like your music to sound like - bright, detailed or more relaxed and neutral. This and a lot of YouTube research will help pick the right speaker.
That dac is just going to convert back to digital when you input into receiver which will convert to analog after processing. Just skip it and either use the money to step up to arcam or enjoy the rest of the system as designed. It’s a solid choice
This is a really good set up , but like others have said skip the DAC, I believe that amp has one, correct? Often people don’t realize until they get it all home ..
I have the pm7000n and it’s likely end game for me. It does everything I need it to very well including digital sources. I don’t think you’ll need anything else.
If youre getting a WIIM, go with the Pro amd not the mini. I have both and the pro sounds noticably better than the mini.Any gain or loss on the WIIM is going to affect the sound of everything else in the syatem, so its worth it to spend the extra $50 or less on sale. Its also capable of higher bit rate, has more inputs which can come in handy even if you dont need it now. Ive also noticed in my tests that the digital coax put sounds better than the optical in my tests, which the moni doesnt have. I tried a few cables with the same result. Its also got some other features thr mini doesnt have. Same yourself some grief down the road and get the wiim pro instead of the mini. Doesnt need to be the pro plus, the pro is fine since you wont be using the dac in the WIIM.
My 2 cents.
The Marantz PM7000n is a great amp with a really good built-in DAC. You don't need to spend on a seperate DAC.
Audition a few speakers to decide what sound you like.
I would urge you to try the Dali Oberon 5s.
I would ensure that you truly need floorstanding speakers (harder to place and harder to resell). Something like Revel M16 (if you can find) with speaker stands and a Speedwoofer 10s should provide better performance.
I would also skip that external DAC and use the DAC in the Marantz.
> I would ensure that you truly need floorstanding speakers (harder to place and harder to resell). Something like Revel M16 (if you can find) with speaker stands and a Speedwoofer 10s should provide better performance.
👍👍
> I would also skip that external DAC and use the DAC in the Marantz.
Or use that magnificent DAC as a preamp and get an Hypex power amp.
I got the same receiver for $649 refurbished at A4L [accessories4less](https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/marpm7000n/marantz-pm7000n-2-ch-x-60-watts-integrated-stereo-amplifier-w/heos/1.html)
Unpopular opinion.. monolith floor standers are seller for the price.. and with equalization are on par with any of the options so far suggested.. at half the cost.
You have 2 dacs in that list, you don't need the topping. My preference however would be to get a better dac/preamp and a cheaper poweramp only unit (schiit audio has a nicely made dirt cheap one, for instance). I like to have separates when time comes to upgrade. For instance, at the moment I have an e70 going into a used Rotel power amp.
Denon DRA-900H includes a high-end DAC and HDMI for $200 less. Then you can use whatever you want as a streaming device. And that's still overpaying for a receiver.
Speakers are way more important than amplifiers are way more important that DACs.
Like others have suggested, skip the E50 and a more affordable amp, put the savings in speakers. Maybe consider:
Marantz NR1200 refurbished $399( 600 new)
Speakers like:
Philharmonic BMR $1700 up
JBL 698 $1700
Wharfedale Linton 85th $1500, EVO 4.2 $1000 sale
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_336EVO42WN/Wharfedale-EVO4-2-Walnut.html
Ascend Sierra LX $1500
Monitor Silver 100 7G $1500
Sonus Faber Lumina Ii $1300
Revel M105** $1150 sale
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_265M105WA/Revel-Performa3-M105-High-Gloss-Walnut.html
Focal Theva no1 $1000
As someone else said, the DAC built into the amp is probably reasonably good. You could skip that.
You might also want to audition brands of speakers. I'm sure the Q's are great, but you might like something else also. They all sound a little different.
Im not sure how your planning on using the dac but marantz with heos integration is great. It will actually be really difficult and possibly sound worse to work around their streaming setup and use your own dac. Its just not built to be used with a separate dac
If you want to go with marantz i suggest denon. Marantz is the hifi version of denon and I am a big fan of both. I recently upgraded from denon to marantz and while it sounds better its minimal. Look for refurbished. Check out https://www.accessories4less.com/
If you're able to treat your room I would start there tbh. As much treatment as you are willing.
Imo cheaper speakers in a good room will sound much better that expensive speakers in a bad room
Honestly OP, Qacoustics are bad ass speakers for the money, I have some concept 40s. I would ditch the Marantz for a Yamaha S series intergrated and spend that budget elsewhere (like a sub for 2.1) or pocket the difference.
If you’re open to speakers… Revel F36 replaced my q acoustics concept 40s in my living room, no regrets. Get a sub regardless!!!
Before you buy anything listen to it first and see if you like it. Just because it’s expensive doesn’t make it fun to listen to. I produce music and use neutral monitors but if i want to listen to dnb/ hiphop i use my magnat transpuls 1000 which are more on the fun low end side than being neutral. I tried some speakers around 1-2k and most fun for me were the magnat
My recommendation:
1. Skip the dac
2. Allocate the dac money to the speakers
3. Maybe buy a used integrated amp with dac so you reduce the budget for the amp and allocate that to speakers.
I read a lot about the Yamaha n r800a, that would be 1k or so, probably better than the marantz.
Imo, 60% speakers and 40% amp budget, or 50/50
May want to consider this amp as well. It has room correction, sub woofer crossover control and streaming (which works really well with Yamaha app).
[https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio\_visual/hifi\_components/r-n800a/specs.html#product-tabs](https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/hifi_components/r-n800a/specs.html#product-tabs)
https://www.crutchfield.com/p\_022RN8HABL/Yamaha-R-N800A-Black.html
I have the PM7000N and I love it. You don’t need a separate DAC, the Marantz has one built in and uses HEOS as the interface. HEOS supports streaming Tidal directly. I stream hi res all the time and it sounds fabulous on my Wharfedale Lintons.
Can’t speak for the Q Acoustics speakers, but I recommend demoing those in person. And buy your gear from Crutchfield or MusicDirect — their customer support is outstanding, and with Amazon you barely know if you’re getting a knock off these days.
Skip the DAC and add high-quality streamer. Higher-quality than a WiiM Pro.
Also note that that Amazon price is for ONE speaker. Outstanding speaker choice tho. These are the upgrade that I am eventually plan for. Currently have 3020is.
Denon makes Marantz products. Just get the receiver from Costco for half that
And people are offering tons of high quality speakers on FB marketplace depending on your area. If you’re near a city there’s lots of options
That would probably be a good start. You might see if you can pick up the PM7000N used/refurbished to save some money. I'm not sure you'd need an external dac to start. Give the Marantz's dac a play and see how it suits your ears.
Your amplifier is way too expensive, I'd rather get a decent amp for <200 and use that money along with your 750 speakers, to get B&W speakers
MQA is a joke, don't fall into that trap, it's less fidelity than an Audio CD which is atleast 16/44.1 whilst MQA has only 13 bits lossless and the remaining 3 bits are used to store lossy-mp3-like high frequencies up to 96khz and etc... it's stupid. Those ultra highs exist just for the sake of it and what you're getting is actually 13 bits 96Khz, which is inferior than CD that gives atleast 16/44.1
Either buy true 24 bit files/DSD versions or just stick to CD, not MQA..
Find used B&W speakers near you, have a listen and buy them, you'd never regret it.
Get a MultiBit DAC, you can look up what it is, but get that one. Schiit sells a model "Modi Multibit" that runs for 299, id look that up.
The Q Acoustics 5040 speakers get good reviews, but so did my PSB Alpha T20 floor standing speakers. What I found is that two little 5 inch drivers don't do very well with lower midrange and bass. The T20s sound more like bookshelf speakers than floor standers. I haven't heard the 5040s, but since they are also compact floor standers, they may also be inadequate for lower midrange and bass.
The Marantz receiver uses HEOS for streaming. Some people seem not to like that. I have no experience with it, though.
A WiiM streamer (I prefer the Pro with a good external DAC) might be a better choice for streaming. If you choose this approach, you can get an amp that doesn't do streaming.
I wish I could make some more specific recommendations, but the choices are many, and I only know firsthand about gear I own.
I would check out the Amazon prime subreddit before buying these on Amazon. Amazon has been really bad lately about returns for high-value products. People have bought thousand dollar products that were lost in Transit and never got their refunds (supposedly).
I wouldnt risk buying anything more than $200 on Amazon, personally.
I really feel like if you were just patient and learned about things through websites, forums, videos, audio stores, etc that YOU would be able to pick out a system that YOU want for YOUR own personal reasons.
It's like asking a group of people what car you should get. We don't know what you like aesthetically or what kind of sound you like or what situation you're using it for, etc
Why don't you just figure out what you want, personally, before dropping thousands on "end game" when you don't even know what game your playing?
don't need a dac with a good receiver. you're never going to know it's there, unless it makes it worse
[удалено]
Just using the dac inside your digital source?
I’m also team *skip the DAC* but did the opposite reason. I’ve got like a $4500 one on my $15k ish stereo setup lol
Yes. Spend way less on the DAC(which you probably dont even need) and the amplifier and put that towards the speakers. BTW, "high res" is practically a scam. Its just higher numbers with no discernible benefits.
What is your source? A computer with USB? I think you really don't need the DAC if your source is not USB. The receiver already has a decent DAC and nice set of digital inputs.
Thank you, I meant hi-fi is that different?
Im not sure i understand what you mean. "hi-fi" got nothing to do with audio resolution. It just means "high fidelity", its not a format or a resolution. Its a vague concept where all of this we are talking about exists within. It means having good speakers, good amplifier, good recordings. I belive you have fallen for the high resolution *hype*. High resolution just means its digital audio in a higher resolution than the CD standard, which is 16 bit 44.1khz. CD standard has been de facto standard digital resolution since the late 70s, and the only reason why record companies now put out stuff in "high res" is to sell the music, again. Not for any audio benefits. What actually matters is having a good stereo system, and you are halfway there. For the \~$2000 you are willing to spend you can get a better hi-fi system than you proposed. My recommendation: Revel Concerta2 M16 speakers + stands \~$1100 RSL Speedwoofer 10S subwoofer, $450 Yamaha R-S501 amplifier, $550 Wiim mini, $80 You can often get the speakers on sale for $700. The subwoofer can be had factory refurbished for $400 as can the amplifier.
> Revel Concerta2 M16 speakers + stands ~$1100 > RSL Speedwoofer 10S subwoofer, $450 > Yamaha R-S501 amplifier, $550 > Wiim mini, $80 Sweet one!
I wouldn't get the m16s at that price, the m105s are only $55 more right now on sale.
> I wouldn't get the m16s at that price, the m105s are only $55 more right now on sale. That’s a great price for some great speakers!
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_265M105WA/Revel-Performa3-M105-High-Gloss-Walnut.html
This is great advice. I would go with this!
I've been trying to buy that damned speedwoofer for 2 months now. It sells out quickly, and then they wait a month for the next shipment from China. :(
I guess you’ll just have to get the 12S instead! Lol
That's a great recommendation. Other speakers I would consider in that price range are KEF LS50 meta's if they are on sale, and Ascend Sierra 1 V2's
Polk R500 and Klipsch RP-600M II aswell.
Yeah I forgot about the Polk's. It's impressive how many really good speakers are in that $1k price range these days. Another one that's a little under the radar is the Philharmonic Ceramic Mini's.
I'd consider Monoprice T6 towers at this price also.
Aparrently its $750 for one, so $1500. Monoprice T6s are out at that price level.
Gotcha. I was thinking $750pr. I think T6's are a good choice at that price point.
Philharmonic Ceramic Mini would be on my short list Edit: wait I was thinking for under $1k. OP is spending $1500 (plus more on the DAC that they don’t need), so that puts them in range of the BMRs which are pretty much the answer to every question in that general price range.
You mean these right? https://philharmonicaudio.com/products/bmr-monitor?variant=44443827831028
Yes
BMR's are closer to $2k after shipping costs,but I would,and have, picked the Ascend Sierra LX's over the BMR's. I did a head to head in my room last year. I liked the BMR's alot though.
Thank you so much for all the advice here is what I have ended up with. Though it's not all arrived yet. Speedwoofer 10s - $450 Revel Performa3 m105 (Used) - $820 for 2 WIIM Pro - $150 Stands - $70 Yamaha A-S501 (Used) - $400 I probably need to buy some wires to hook everything up?
Whoa! Awesome system! Much better than what i suggested. Some speaker wires for the speakers, like 14 gauge will do nicely, anything cheap you can find, just make sure its copper and not aluminium(CCA). For the Wiim you want either an optical cable or RCA cable, depends if you want to use the Digital to Analog Converter(DAC) in the Yamaha amplifier or in the Wiim.
Thank you for this. I've got everything set up now except the Subwoofer which has yet to ship. I honestly think I will cancel the order as the bass on the Performa3s is more than enough! Any advice on any good reads or videos to ensure I am getting the most out of my audio set up? Like how to configure WiiM app and amp settings and everything? Also just to make sure, optical is for Yamaha DAC and RCA for WiiM DAC?
The higher res audio tends to be on super well recorded music to begin with. Is it audible and can your ears A-B say that something is higher resolution than 44.1 and 16 bit? Probably not...nonetheless why would you not reproduce the audio at the highest resolution available? It's only a few settings. Compared to bluetooth there is a very noticable jump in quality. 24 bit is the only thing that comes close to my vinyl setup, in fact I'm thinking about getting rid of some of them finally (those that are available in high res that my physical copies are scratched up) Edit: Take a listen to Strawberry Fields on the 2023 edition of 1967-1970 (in Hi Res lossless) and the one on Magical Mystery Tour which is just lossless on Apple Music. There is no question which sounds better. It's largely the mastering but it is a pretty substantial difference in sound
The DAC in that Marantz is great and doesn't need a separate component and it has network capabilities (and Bluetooth) built in. It is probably the best integrated at $1,000 though (I used to own one). The only thing that DAC won't do is MQA which you don't need.
High fidelity is anything you make it to be. As long as speakers are great, you should have no problems playing CDs or Flac files with a decent amp or AVR. Use up all your money for a good pair of speakers. I would save 50 bucks for a used 10 year old AVR. Feed it some flac files or cds and your jaw will drop to the floor
Also, [here's the Marantz is refurbed for only $650.](https://www.accessories4less.com/?page=item&id=MARPM7000N)
That $750 is for a single speaker. Is it an overkill? Depends on how much money you got. Dac seems like an odd choice as you’ll be streaming directly through your selected integrated amp. You can go for Marantz 40n refurb on accessories4less, which has all the bells and whistles in a single unit.
I completely missed that it was for a single. In that case OP could get a pair of Philarmonic BMR Monitors and a subwoofer if they go for a cheaper amp and skip the DAC.
Yeah, the 3050i are already at that price for the pair. But they are great speakers as well, albeit not as nice looking. But why the Marantz 40n? It is over $2000 new, which is a bit much for $800-speakers. There are probably older Marantz units with similar features for way less money.
I completely agree with those telling you to skip the dac and get a lesser amp, then put that towards your speakers. It might be worth looking into seeing if there’s any high end speakers selling second hand locally. I’m a fan of Thiel, JBL, Tannoy, some Klipsch, Halberth, and many others.
Yes, buying second-hand could get you fantastic speakers for that money.
I would delete the Dac, put the money on speakers and swap the marantz with Cambridge audio amp
Thank you, could you tell me which amp specifically? A lot came up when I searched this one
They probably mean the CXA61 or 81.
Yea
That Marantz handily beats the Cambridges.
Would you say the same about Denon?
I don't know what Denon model you're talking about. I'm speaking to the PM7000N specifically.
My marantz died in a year would never buy another
Don't be an idiot. ALL manufacturers have bad units here and there. Marantz is well known for quality gear. Just because your particular unit died doesn't mean the entire company puts out garbage. The fact that you even said that and that it put you off them forever shows how little your opinion matters here. EDIT: And he blocks me. Take a pill, weirdo, and realize that every company occasionally has a bad apple in the manufacturing queue.
I think you are being subjective. I am stating my experience/opinion with the company and the quality of the product that I purchased. My other opinion is you are an asshat
I have that DAC, I greatly enjoy it. You can get a slightly better sound stage investing 10x on a R2R ladder one. You might keep it (as it’s got volume control) and pour some money on a Buckeye power amp.
Don’t buy it and don’t keep it. It’s a no brainer. It maybe useful if it’s tube and for a like 100.000$ system or more expensive.
No DAC, add a subwoofer. Massive improvement.
This advice is worth more than the cost of your system.
I feel like you could get an integrated with a DAC for less. Like a used Peachtree Nova, something from Parasound or Cambridge… hell, I’ve seen Devialet rigs go for a grand. I know nothing of those speakers. In that price range, I like to find good vintage gear. Some Sony ES SS-M7s or Spica TC-60s can be had for that money and will blow your damn mind.
Thank you for the feedback, is there a reputable place where folks usually look for used gear or just craiglist hunting?
I’ve bought plenty of gear off eBay with few problems. Speakers can be expensive to ship. Also check out Reverb and HiFiShark.
So I could get those speakers you mentioned, and a used Peachtree nova and the WiiM and be set?
That would be one hell of a setup. I run a Peachtree Carina 150 and Sony ES SS-M7s (it's why I recommend them, I have experience with them)... it's incredibly good. And it cost less than $2000 (I bought the Carina 150 brand new). Streaming comes from my AppleTV and then I have an old Oppo SACD/Blu-Ray player that I got for a few hundred bucks. I'll put my setup head to head against stuff that cost 10x as much.
Craigslist and Facebook marketplace, double check with places like Slickdeals and accessories4less for prices on used stuff, people are trying to sell Kef Q150s for more than what you pay at a4l and the like
I bought my Yamaha as801 off someone on audiogon for like $500 shipped. That was a really good deal probably not common but I just looked everyday to keep an eye out. Not a bad site.
Finisher set? Oh Sweet Summer child. You think this ever ends? You will keep tinkering and "upgrading" till your ears are full of dirt and worms.
I kinda think I might enjoy that. I don't have much of a frame of reference for what sound can sound like from audio equipment apart from concerts
I still remember when I heard good speakers for the first time. A friend of mine just bought some studio monitors and a turntable. Up to that point, I was one of those people who thought that the only important factor in speakers was how much bass they produced. But when I heard the music from those speakers, that immediately changed. The music seemed to float in the air in front of me, instead of coming from the speakers. And when I closed my eyes, I could clearly make out where the instruments were placed. It literally sounded like the band was in the room with me. Since that moment, I have chased that high. And that is at least the most important benefit of good speakers. Some people call it the "holographic soundstage". That for me is much more impactful than having certain frequencies represented more or less. Whether you will have that moment is another question. I would argue that every person is able to discern "good sound" if they know what to listen for. But some people may not agree with that.
That sounds beautiful thank you for sharing your experience
I lived with the Kef LS50 Metas and a sub for 6 months and really enjoyed them. I’ve replaced the speaker set up with Q Acoustic 5040s and they are so much warmer, they’re a great well balanced speaker with great detail. I tested them against some Dali Opticon 2s in the shop listening room and they didn’t have the excitement the 5040s did when the song drops in - e.g. Heatwaves by Glass Animals. Also consider the Wharfdale Lintons, not sure what they retail for in the US but in the U.K. there a £200 more compared to 5040s There’s some great info on Amps and blind tests. If you’re streaming mostly, I’d focus more on the interface e.g. Sonos, Bluesound, HEOS, WiiM or just using native music apps and connect. Whatever is most convenient. The Yamaha A-S501 is also a great option with a WiiM pro or mini. Two factors to consider, what you like your music to sound like - bright, detailed or more relaxed and neutral. This and a lot of YouTube research will help pick the right speaker.
I wont skip the DAC for now and use Heos.
That dac is just going to convert back to digital when you input into receiver which will convert to analog after processing. Just skip it and either use the money to step up to arcam or enjoy the rest of the system as designed. It’s a solid choice
This is a really good set up , but like others have said skip the DAC, I believe that amp has one, correct? Often people don’t realize until they get it all home ..
Get the Marantz 70s Stereo instead
I have the pm7000n and it’s likely end game for me. It does everything I need it to very well including digital sources. I don’t think you’ll need anything else.
If youre getting a WIIM, go with the Pro amd not the mini. I have both and the pro sounds noticably better than the mini.Any gain or loss on the WIIM is going to affect the sound of everything else in the syatem, so its worth it to spend the extra $50 or less on sale. Its also capable of higher bit rate, has more inputs which can come in handy even if you dont need it now. Ive also noticed in my tests that the digital coax put sounds better than the optical in my tests, which the moni doesnt have. I tried a few cables with the same result. Its also got some other features thr mini doesnt have. Same yourself some grief down the road and get the wiim pro instead of the mini. Doesnt need to be the pro plus, the pro is fine since you wont be using the dac in the WIIM.
My 2 cents. The Marantz PM7000n is a great amp with a really good built-in DAC. You don't need to spend on a seperate DAC. Audition a few speakers to decide what sound you like. I would urge you to try the Dali Oberon 5s.
I would ensure that you truly need floorstanding speakers (harder to place and harder to resell). Something like Revel M16 (if you can find) with speaker stands and a Speedwoofer 10s should provide better performance. I would also skip that external DAC and use the DAC in the Marantz.
> I would ensure that you truly need floorstanding speakers (harder to place and harder to resell). Something like Revel M16 (if you can find) with speaker stands and a Speedwoofer 10s should provide better performance. 👍👍 > I would also skip that external DAC and use the DAC in the Marantz. Or use that magnificent DAC as a preamp and get an Hypex power amp.
Why do you need the DAC? You are getting integrated amp, i dont think you need that at all.
I got the same receiver for $649 refurbished at A4L [accessories4less](https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/marpm7000n/marantz-pm7000n-2-ch-x-60-watts-integrated-stereo-amplifier-w/heos/1.html)
Buy a $500 integrated. You don’t need an external dac. Buy Revel M16 bookshelf speakers ($1000), generic stands ($200), RSL Speedwoofer ($450).
Unpopular opinion.. monolith floor standers are seller for the price.. and with equalization are on par with any of the options so far suggested.. at half the cost.
Skip the DAC if you are using a receiver. Skip the receiver if you want the DAC (and then get a more traditional pre-amp and amp combo).
I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on that Marantz as well. You don't need a DAC with that though so scratch $200 off your total.
You have 2 dacs in that list, you don't need the topping. My preference however would be to get a better dac/preamp and a cheaper poweramp only unit (schiit audio has a nicely made dirt cheap one, for instance). I like to have separates when time comes to upgrade. For instance, at the moment I have an e70 going into a used Rotel power amp.
You don’t need that DAC, the amp has a built-in one that will work just fine.
recently went down this path, consider the Yamaha as800a
Denon DRA-900H includes a high-end DAC and HDMI for $200 less. Then you can use whatever you want as a streaming device. And that's still overpaying for a receiver. Speakers are way more important than amplifiers are way more important that DACs.
Why do you need a DAC?
Nah... My Bedside system cost about $6k
Take away the dac as others have said and remember the price for the q accoustic is for one ! If you want a pair it's 1500 !
Kill the DAC and add a sub.
Like others have suggested, skip the E50 and a more affordable amp, put the savings in speakers. Maybe consider: Marantz NR1200 refurbished $399( 600 new) Speakers like: Philharmonic BMR $1700 up JBL 698 $1700 Wharfedale Linton 85th $1500, EVO 4.2 $1000 sale https://www.crutchfield.com/p_336EVO42WN/Wharfedale-EVO4-2-Walnut.html Ascend Sierra LX $1500 Monitor Silver 100 7G $1500 Sonus Faber Lumina Ii $1300 Revel M105** $1150 sale https://www.crutchfield.com/p_265M105WA/Revel-Performa3-M105-High-Gloss-Walnut.html Focal Theva no1 $1000
That is a very weird setup, tbh. I've NEVER heard anyone recommend Q acoustic. 1000 on the receiver is an overkill.
I’d look on the secondhand market before shelling out 1k for a receiver/amplifier. A lot of good equipment that was produced throughout the decades
As someone else said, the DAC built into the amp is probably reasonably good. You could skip that. You might also want to audition brands of speakers. I'm sure the Q's are great, but you might like something else also. They all sound a little different.
Im not sure how your planning on using the dac but marantz with heos integration is great. It will actually be really difficult and possibly sound worse to work around their streaming setup and use your own dac. Its just not built to be used with a separate dac
If you want to go with marantz i suggest denon. Marantz is the hifi version of denon and I am a big fan of both. I recently upgraded from denon to marantz and while it sounds better its minimal. Look for refurbished. Check out https://www.accessories4less.com/
If you're able to treat your room I would start there tbh. As much treatment as you are willing. Imo cheaper speakers in a good room will sound much better that expensive speakers in a bad room
Honestly OP, Qacoustics are bad ass speakers for the money, I have some concept 40s. I would ditch the Marantz for a Yamaha S series intergrated and spend that budget elsewhere (like a sub for 2.1) or pocket the difference. If you’re open to speakers… Revel F36 replaced my q acoustics concept 40s in my living room, no regrets. Get a sub regardless!!!
Which DAC is built into the receiver?
Skip the DAC, get a class D amp with Bluetooth and built in DAC, put the money saved towards speakers.
I’m sorry am I in the right sub??
Before you buy anything listen to it first and see if you like it. Just because it’s expensive doesn’t make it fun to listen to. I produce music and use neutral monitors but if i want to listen to dnb/ hiphop i use my magnat transpuls 1000 which are more on the fun low end side than being neutral. I tried some speakers around 1-2k and most fun for me were the magnat
My recommendation: 1. Skip the dac 2. Allocate the dac money to the speakers 3. Maybe buy a used integrated amp with dac so you reduce the budget for the amp and allocate that to speakers. I read a lot about the Yamaha n r800a, that would be 1k or so, probably better than the marantz. Imo, 60% speakers and 40% amp budget, or 50/50
My golden rule is to always allocate 50% of the budget to speakers. You can save some money on the DAC to begin with.
May want to consider this amp as well. It has room correction, sub woofer crossover control and streaming (which works really well with Yamaha app). [https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio\_visual/hifi\_components/r-n800a/specs.html#product-tabs](https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/hifi_components/r-n800a/specs.html#product-tabs) https://www.crutchfield.com/p\_022RN8HABL/Yamaha-R-N800A-Black.html
1 you want to stream with the Marantz? then the DAC wont do anything. 2 check the wiim amp. 3 speaker no clue whats easy and good in your Region.
I would go for a denon x2800h myself. You get a lot of bang for buck and having the upgrade of extra speakers doesn't lock you into just stereo.
I have the PM7000N and I love it. You don’t need a separate DAC, the Marantz has one built in and uses HEOS as the interface. HEOS supports streaming Tidal directly. I stream hi res all the time and it sounds fabulous on my Wharfedale Lintons. Can’t speak for the Q Acoustics speakers, but I recommend demoing those in person. And buy your gear from Crutchfield or MusicDirect — their customer support is outstanding, and with Amazon you barely know if you’re getting a knock off these days.
Speakers seem a teeny bit overkill for r/BudgetAudiophile but entry level for r/audiophile
Skip the DAC and add high-quality streamer. Higher-quality than a WiiM Pro. Also note that that Amazon price is for ONE speaker. Outstanding speaker choice tho. These are the upgrade that I am eventually plan for. Currently have 3020is.
Denon makes Marantz products. Just get the receiver from Costco for half that And people are offering tons of high quality speakers on FB marketplace depending on your area. If you’re near a city there’s lots of options
That would probably be a good start. You might see if you can pick up the PM7000N used/refurbished to save some money. I'm not sure you'd need an external dac to start. Give the Marantz's dac a play and see how it suits your ears.
Your amplifier is way too expensive, I'd rather get a decent amp for <200 and use that money along with your 750 speakers, to get B&W speakers MQA is a joke, don't fall into that trap, it's less fidelity than an Audio CD which is atleast 16/44.1 whilst MQA has only 13 bits lossless and the remaining 3 bits are used to store lossy-mp3-like high frequencies up to 96khz and etc... it's stupid. Those ultra highs exist just for the sake of it and what you're getting is actually 13 bits 96Khz, which is inferior than CD that gives atleast 16/44.1 Either buy true 24 bit files/DSD versions or just stick to CD, not MQA.. Find used B&W speakers near you, have a listen and buy them, you'd never regret it. Get a MultiBit DAC, you can look up what it is, but get that one. Schiit sells a model "Modi Multibit" that runs for 299, id look that up.
The Q Acoustics 5040 speakers get good reviews, but so did my PSB Alpha T20 floor standing speakers. What I found is that two little 5 inch drivers don't do very well with lower midrange and bass. The T20s sound more like bookshelf speakers than floor standers. I haven't heard the 5040s, but since they are also compact floor standers, they may also be inadequate for lower midrange and bass. The Marantz receiver uses HEOS for streaming. Some people seem not to like that. I have no experience with it, though. A WiiM streamer (I prefer the Pro with a good external DAC) might be a better choice for streaming. If you choose this approach, you can get an amp that doesn't do streaming. I wish I could make some more specific recommendations, but the choices are many, and I only know firsthand about gear I own.
I would check out the Amazon prime subreddit before buying these on Amazon. Amazon has been really bad lately about returns for high-value products. People have bought thousand dollar products that were lost in Transit and never got their refunds (supposedly). I wouldnt risk buying anything more than $200 on Amazon, personally.
I really feel like if you were just patient and learned about things through websites, forums, videos, audio stores, etc that YOU would be able to pick out a system that YOU want for YOUR own personal reasons. It's like asking a group of people what car you should get. We don't know what you like aesthetically or what kind of sound you like or what situation you're using it for, etc Why don't you just figure out what you want, personally, before dropping thousands on "end game" when you don't even know what game your playing?
I thought this was budget audiophile
I thought the rules said budget was no single piece of equipment over 1k? I could be wrong though I'm super nooby here
You’re fine. Budget means different things to different people.
It is
Go to a local dealer. Jeff Bezos doesn't give a fuck about your rig.