Preamp/Processer questions and also some amp questions. (1 Viewer)

[MikeDuke]

Good stuff. Just take your time and do your research.

 

[Tim Hoover]

If it were me, I would DEFINITELY look into that route. Parasound makes some very good gear, and being rather easy on the wallet compared to some other brands certainly doesn't hurt either

 

[Jesse Sharrow]

Thanks guys. I also have an opertunity for a Crown K1 through ron at SVS. So I may try that route also. Currently right now though I only have $25 towards this whole thing. But its a start.

Now one other question. Would you guys go with the halo stuff new or maybe some higher end Krell or something of the sort, used???? Because I can get some awsome gear used for the same price.

 

[Jesse Sharrow]

Acctually I have another question. The A/B Speaker switch on my receiver... can I use my bostons on B directly connected to the yamaha, and use my dunlavys on the preouts connected to an amp as A? Does that make sense? That way when Im watching tv I use the boston, when Im listening to music I use the dunlavy's. Or would it be better to just build a 2 channel system thruogh the amp for that? I Dont know Im confused. :b

 

[MikeDuke]

Amps are personal. It would not hurt to try and find some Krell amps and see if they are for you. I liked them, but I like my Brystons as well. I never heard Crown so I can not say anything about them. Krell is good stuff though IMHO. But I think will need power for your speakers. So unless you find an older Krell with at least 200 watts(they all double in lower ohms) I would not consider it in your application.

 

[Jesse Sharrow]

Well my dunlavy's are 5 ohms. So I would think a krell 100@8ohms would work. But I may be wrong. If I can find a pair of krell monoblocks that I can afford I would be in heaven. Im also looking into the krell 300I integrated amp. That may work pretty well too.

 

[MikeDuke]

They may be 5ohm nominal but that does not mean that they don't dip below that at times. Monoblocks would be killer but a 2250 or or 3250 should be fine with those speakers. Check Sterophile.com AV market place, and do a search for Krell. Looks like many options there. Also audiogon.com has different models to look at. I saw a 400xi integrated amp there for $1600. It is 2X200. Its true that Krell amps are a bit more robust and able to drive difficult loads. You may be OK with 100 watts of Krell power.

 

[Arthur S]

Please tell me I am misunderstanding what Jesse just said:

>>>>Currently, right now though I only have $25 towards this whole thing. But its a start.

 

[MikeDuke]

I completly forgot about outlaw. That might be a good place to start. $578 is not too bad for 300 watts of power per side. If you do that, you should be quite impressed on how better your speakers sound.

 

[Jesse Sharrow]

Thank you arthur. That kinda what Im looking for is recommendations. I never said, at least that I remember, that this was happening soon. But since I am going to use my yamaha as a preamp now, maybe krell is a little overkill? I will look into the outlaws. Maybe I can find them used online. Ill check into it. THanks guys.

P.S.

I was acctually going to look into getting a tube amp for like $200, if possible and see how I like that. If I do I may just save up for a nice tube amp. Any ideas on that route?

 

[Ron T]

Follow Arthur's advice. You're all over the map like my kids on Christmas morning. You have $25 saved which is about 1/100th of what you need which gives you plenty of time to read and research ON YOUR OWN.

 

[Robert Cowan]

ive even invited him over to my house to listen to a few things (i own many of the products he's asking about). in addition, i SELL many of them too. i work at the largest high end audio retailer in colorado. sigh. he just needs to get some cash together, figure out what he actually wants, and go from there.

i read in another thread he had a budget of $6-8k for a 2-channel system and was starting research on what to get... i mean, come on man. is that REALLY going to happen? not to rag on you, but be realistic. FEW people can afford that much gear, and you have made it abundantly clear that a couple hundred dollars is out of reach right now, so how long will it take to save all that up?

 

[Jesse Sharrow]

Well first of all my original idea was to save up for the next couple years and build it as I go. Wich kinda gave me the idea of $6000-$8000. My wife even approved this. But I dont know if I can wait. I think the way I need to do it is to build it peice by peice.

Now I want to thank you all for the awsome advice. I am just not sure how I want to do this. My problem is, if I get for example, the outlaw monoblocks. Im stuck with them. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing. But I want to make sure I have something Im happy with.

My problem is that I dont have a whole lot of money to put towards this right this second. So Im really thinking too much into it. Now I know I keep jumping all over the place.

So tell you what. This is my end goal.....

I want a system that will do surround sound for movies, but have absolutly phenominal quality for music. I have been told that out of 10, my dunlavys hooked up to my yamaha are like a 3 out of 10. If I got a musical fidelity 2 channel system with cd player and integrated amp it would be more like 8 or 9 out of 10.

But I am also interested in tubes. The thing is though if I get a cheap amp I am gonna be stuck with it Im afraid. I think my wife wont let me upgrade again for a long time. So Instead of buying a cheap tube amp, I need to go listen to one. So I should put that out of my head. If anyone thinks tubes are not the way to go, chime in please.

But my first step is I need to get some of the little stuff out of the way. Speaker wires, Speaker stands, etc.
Now do you guys think I should keep my 4guage dunlavy silver stranded speaker wire and build it. Or should I try to sell it and use the money towards audioquest cables?

Well thanks again for listening. I understand how frustrating I can be. I frustrate myself. Im starting to drive myself crazy. I think I just need to start on something. So any suggestions to calm myself down would be awsome.

THanks again for listening, and sorry for the long post.

 

[Arthur S]

Jesse

Here we go again. Here is the plan now that we know you don't have speaker stands and only have $25 towards this whole thing.

Number 1 on your list is speaker stands. You have no idea how those speakers are going to sound on stands away from walls and corners, and with the tweeters at ear level you could be in for a surprise. The first money you get your hands on, you must get speaker stands. Good ones will cost you a minimum of $80 a pair, (see more below about appropriate stands).

Number 2. Put the 4 gauge silver speaker wire up for sale on audiogon.

Number 3. Forget about Audioquest interconnects for now. Use the money from the silver wire sale (however much you get for it) for either stands or a decent amp.

Number 4. Just stop talking about Musical Fidelity. You simply cannot afford audiophile gear.

Number 5. Read what you said above:

>>>> I have been told that out of 10, my Dunlavys hooked up to my Yamaha are a 3 out of 10. If I got a Musical Fidelity with CD player and integrated amp it would be more like 8 or 9 out of 10

 

[Jesse Sharrow]

You know what. You are proably right. Do you have any recommendations for stands? My wife wants me to build something out of light oak. But thats gonna be exspensive. Any stands out there that would work? I have a one year old running around. But she hasnt ever come close to the speakers anyways. But I still want something hefty.

 

[Ron T]

Nope there are no stands out there that work. DO SOME RESEARCH
and it might help this mania you're living with right now.

 

[Jesse Sharrow]

Well I think Im partly the way to my first step. I found the speaker stands I want. I just emailed the company to find out if they can make them in the height I need.

Adona SS4512 Speaker Stands



Not too exspensive either. But more than $25. LOL. Hey at least I can make fun of myself.

They are proably going to be about $200.

 

[Robert Cowan]

here are the perfect stands:

https://www.sanus.com/cgi-bin/web_st....html&cart_id=

sanus steel foundations. not too pricey, but nice. can be filled with sand. i think they are about $150/pair new. you could get them for less from someone willing to give you a little discount on them.

also, as a side note, you dont really understand what you are getting into with this whole thing... i have a rotel processor, some rotel amps, nice tv, subs, etc, etc, etc. basically ,its what you would be looking to end up with. ive built it over the past 3-5 years at a total cost of $40k. sit down with spreadsheet and see if thats possible. i saw in one of your posts you worked at compusa or something. if that is the case, unless you are owner of that store or something, you have a wife and a kid, there is no way you could be able to afford that.

do as Arthur said, look right in front of you. first thing first, the stands.

i do disagree with selling the speaker cables. speaker cables on audiogon dont fetch that much money unless they are a very well known brand. so, you may be a few bucks out of them, but IMO, it would be better off just to keep them and have yourself a true "audiophile" speaker cable. then you will have one less decision to make. you wont be able to afford the good audioquest stuff (even the cheapest starts at around $200 10ft pr).

and now that we are back to reality, your speakers are good, but not like "the best speakers ever made". its a very respectable speakers, but its like saying the honda accord is the best car ever. its great for what it is, but there are a few more impressive choices. i would say you arent doing it a huge injustice by using your yamaha. a better amp would help it out a lot, but im not sure how much.

the stands will help 10x more than the amp would. you might want to think smaller. you could get a rotel surround-sound receiver for $1300 retail. that would be 95% as good as all your other pipedreams. im not even sure how good your ears are, or your tastes are. most people that are just getting into this hobby that havent really heard high end kinda stop at that level because most things beyond that sound the same to them.

my advice, sit down with paycheck stubs and bills. look at how much you make and how much you spend. see what your realistic budget is. if you have $1000 extra each month, maybe $300 can go to audio. not all of it can go, your baby needs things but look how much you could toss away each month for the hobby. then, see what you would have in 6 months. thats pretty short term. then, you can decide what you can afford in 6 months. if its only a budget of $500 in 6 months, keep all you have, dont buy anything, and wait 2 years

 

[Arthur S]

Good post Robert. Since Jesse won't be able to get much for the speaker wire he might as well keep it.

As far as making any more specific recommendations on brands/models of equipment, I think Ron T has Jesse on the right track. Let Jesse do the legwork to try to get himself out of this mania. I'm with Ron, LET HIM DO THE RESEARCH. It is already working. He actually found a pair of speaker stands HE likes.

 

[MikeDuke]

I agree with waiting if you can. It took me about 5-6 years to get where I am. I got here by being patient and doing my research. It all worked out in the end. Like every one says just slow down and just sit for a while. If you take your time, I can almost guarantee good results. Its real easy to get caught up in the fast lane. If you are not ready, it could be a disaster. But now it seems like everything is falling into place. Still keep updating on whats going on. It is good that you are willing to take advise and listen to people who have been where you are right now. Many people don't do that. By doing that, your stereo/HT experience should be a good one.