The official NPR Audiophile thread.

[Dinsdale Piranha]

Many moons ago (~20 years) I had a really nice TEAC amp and 3 CD player with Mission M70 speakers setup and it was great. Then kids arrived and at some point a friend's little shit stuck his grubby little fingers into both dome tweeters and the system ended up in the garage when we moved house and eventually got recycled.

So picked up a Pro-ject T1 BT (bluetooth) turntable back in ~July, intitally to see if the bug would bite. Only had it connected to Bose Bluebooth speaker (which sounds suprising good even for it size and bluetooth compression) and Bose headphones. Needless to say, LP collection has grown rather quickly!

I was then looking at a ton of options,
My orignal plan was to go all Pro-ject with MAIA S3 Amp and the Box 5 S2 speaker bundled set, but it didn't have HDMI arc/earc as I wanted to pump the new LG TV through it and keep it simple on the remote for the wife to turn off/on.

Then looked at the Wiim Ultra paired with Fosi Audio V3 Mono Power Amplifiers (2) [no frills beast amps with very good reviews] (2) ~£650

But for a very similar price I could go tried and trusted with all the bells and whistles with the Marantz Cinema 70S, which does all the shit, gives all the options and leaves plenty of room to add/upgrade later. (5.2, 7.1 dual sub) and most importanly has come down in price. Initital launch was £1000 plus but can now be had for a very reasonable £679 (and 6 years warranty through Richer Sounds).

Added bonus the turntable has it's own phono stage, so will have a choice of using that or the one in the Marantz, I suspect the Pro-ject phono might edge it... time will tell.

Next was the speaker pairing, in the end opted for the investement in the Pro-jectBox 5 S2 which come very highly reviewed.

Next will be to get a decent Sub Woofer.

Possible next plan it then to add the Fosi Audio V3 Mono power amps to the setup.

Also dug out all the old CDs which have been gathering dust for some time and will be maticulously ripping them to flac for streaming to Marantz (streaming server suggestions welcome, currently going with Plex as I've used it before for movies).

Just got the call that they're ready for collection

So collecting the Marantz and S2's tomorrow

I have been running midrange Yamaha AV amps for several years. I've been happy with them. The Marantz looks like the next step up.

I use EAC to rip my CDs. I don't stream but several friends use Plex

I have a home made 18" subwoofer that's yours if you want it. Takes up too much space in my flat

[Insane_Homer]

Got it all installed, plugging in took no time.
Setting up all the config/software/bits&bobs et al took the best part of the rest of the day.

VERY HAPPY with the choices. It sounds amazing already - speakers still need some time to bed in.
The Marantz is still a big unit.

London Grammar sounds utterly spectacular!

The Marantz come with a calibration mic for room correction which is a huge+ and not very well advertised.

Only gripe so far is the remote is IR and requires a precise line of sight to the unit which has a very narrow 30 degree range.

Setup streaming server via Jellyfin

I use EAC to rip my CDs. I don't stream but several friends use Plex

yup, still the best ripping tool. The problem is finding a CD/DVD/Bluray drive - currently borrowing a portable USB one from work and half of my CD collection is somewhere in a box in the loft or the garage...

I have a home made 18" subwoofer that's yours if you want it. Takes up too much space in my flat

I might just take you up on that offer, do you deliver on your bike ?

[Dinsdale Piranha]

Got it all installed, plugging in took no time.
Setting up all the config/software/bits&bobs et al took the best part of the rest of the day.

VERY HAPPY with the choices. It sounds amazing already - speakers still need some time to bed in.
The Marantz is still a big unit.

London Grammar sounds utterly spectacular!

The Marantz come with a calibration mic for room correction which is a huge+ and not very well advertised.

Only gripe so far is the remote is IR and requires a precise line of sight to the unit which has a very narrow 30 degree range.

Setup streaming server via Jellyfin

I use EAC to rip my CDs. I don't stream but several friends use Plex

yup, still the best ripping tool. The problem is finding a CD/DVD/Bluray drive - currently borrowing a portable USB one from work and half of my CD collection is somewhere in a box in the loft or the garage...

I have a Plextor PX-W4824TU cd drive which might be similar to what you are using. I've had it for years but it's still one of the best. They turn up on ebay quite frequently.

I have a home made 18" subwoofer that's yours if you want it. Takes up too much space in my flat

I might just take you up on that offer, do you deliver on your bike ?

A bit too big for the bike - it's almost a metre long :) Nice as a coffee table though.

[Insane_Homer]

A bit too big for the bike - it's almost a metre long :) Nice as a coffee table though.

I'll have to pass. I won't have the space for a box that large.

[inactionman]

I used to have an all-analogue system in my study in my old house, which was really just an ancient project record deck linked via a second hand NAD amp to some decent monitor speakers.

Since moving I managed to break the old deck so I've replaced it with a Rega Planar 1+ (has an inbuilt pre-amp) and a Denon CEOL and I find I spend more time streaming than using the deck. It all sounds really good, much better than I expected from an all-in-one box, and I'm a convert to streaming unless there's something I really want to sit down and listen to.

We'll shortly be shifting the house round a bit so my speakers etc will end up in the same room as the TV - in which case something like the Marantz Cinema looks very interesting indeed. I would once have been very anal about my hi-fi being a dedicated stereo with non-digital (i.e. potentiometer or similar) amp, but the Denon has really changed my mind on what's possible.

(I have a mate who went with a wireless Sonos up but I'm not quite sure I'm ready to try all active speakers)

[Lobby]

I used to have an all-analogue system in my study in my old house, which was really just an ancient project record deck linked via a second hand NAD amp to some decent monitor speakers.

Since moving I managed to break the old deck so I've replaced it with a Rega Planar 1+ (has an inbuilt pre-amp) and a Denon CEOL and I find I spend more time streaming than using the deck. It all sounds really good, much better than I expected from an all-in-one box, and I'm a convert to streaming unless there's something I really want to sit down and listen to.

We'll shortly be shifting the house round a bit so my speakers etc will end up in the same room as the TV - in which case something like the Marantz Cinema looks very interesting indeed. I would once have been very anal about my hi-fi being a dedicated stereo with non-digital (i.e. potentiometer or similar) amp, but the Denon has really changed my mind on what's possible.

(I have a mate who went with a wireless Sonos up but I'm not quite sure I'm ready to try all active speakers)

I wouldn't touch Sonos with a bargepole after the fiasco with their attempt to update their app a few months ago, which still hasn't been fixed.

[clydecloggie]

I used to have an all-analogue system in my study in my old house, which was really just an ancient project record deck linked via a second hand NAD amp to some decent monitor speakers.

Since moving I managed to break the old deck so I've replaced it with a Rega Planar 1+ (has an inbuilt pre-amp) and a Denon CEOL and I find I spend more time streaming than using the deck. It all sounds really good, much better than I expected from an all-in-one box, and I'm a convert to streaming unless there's something I really want to sit down and listen to.

We'll shortly be shifting the house round a bit so my speakers etc will end up in the same room as the TV - in which case something like the Marantz Cinema looks very interesting indeed. I would once have been very anal about my hi-fi being a dedicated stereo with non-digital (i.e. potentiometer or similar) amp, but the Denon has really changed my mind on what's possible.

(I have a mate who went with a wireless Sonos up but I'm not quite sure I'm ready to try all active speakers)

I wouldn't touch Sonos with a bargepole after the fiasco with their attempt to update their app a few months ago, which still hasn't been fixed.

And apart from that, the sound quality of Sonos is pretty bad. It's Hifi for people who've never heard Hifi before.

Naim / Bowers & Wilkins setup in my house. Sweet enough for me.

[Sandstorm]

And apart from that, the sound quality of Sonos is pretty bad. It's Hifi for people who've never heard Hifi before.

Naim / Bowers & Wilkins setup in my house. Sweet enough for me.

And about 4 times the price of Sonos.

[Dinsdale Piranha]

And apart from that, the sound quality of Sonos is pretty bad. It's Hifi for people who've never heard Hifi before.

Naim / Bowers & Wilkins setup in my house. Sweet enough for me.

And about 4 times the price of Sonos.

Sonos are pretty overpriced to start with

Amplifiers aren't very complicated pieces of electronics. You don't need to pay much to get a decent one.

[Sandstorm]

Amplifiers aren't very complicated pieces of electronics. You don't need to pay much to get a decent one.

I agree, although you bought Naim which is expensive (and high quality). I assume you have one of their non-budget streamers too?

[clydecloggie]

Amplifiers aren't very complicated pieces of electronics. You don't need to pay much to get a decent one.

I agree, although you bought Naim which is expensive (and high quality). I assume you have one of their non-budget streamers too?

It's me who's got Naim. I'd say it's very British: partly utterly brilliant - in particular, how it sounds. But the build quality is more '70s British Leyland than I'd bargained for when buying it. Still, the sound it makes through the B&W speakers is...very addictive.

I've got a Uniti, which is streamer and CD player in one. Coupled with a Tidal subscription I'll happily admit to being an audio snob.

[duke]

Amplifiers aren't very complicated pieces of electronics. You don't need to pay much to get a decent one.

I agree, although you bought Naim which is expensive (and high quality). I assume you have one of their non-budget streamers too?

It's me who's got Naim. I'd say it's very British: partly utterly brilliant - in particular, how it sounds. But the build quality is more '70s British Leyland than I'd bargained for when buying it. Still, the sound it makes through the B&W speakers is...very addictive.

I've got a Uniti, which is streamer and CD player in one. Coupled with a Tidal subscription I'll happily admit to being an audio snob.

As a Salisbury resident, I had to end up owning some Naim kit. I currently have a Uniti Nova with Kudos X2 speakers and a Muso Qb along with an Innuos Zen music server which has all our CDs ripped onto it.

Spend most of my time streaming from Tidal and listening to Radio Paradise.

[Gumboot]

Amplifiers aren't very complicated pieces of electronics. You don't need to pay much to get a decent one.

Yep. Back in the early '90s, after doing a bit of homework on inexpensive amps, I bought a Proton AM-455Pro in Singapore. Got a pair of Epos ES11s and a Nakamichi tape deck at the same time. Haven't used the tape deck in ages and should probably flick it now, but the other kit is still going strong.

Still more than happy with the Proton (although a few "audiophile" mates scoffed at the time) and I just love my ES11s - they're awesome little speakers.

[Tichtheid]

As a Salisbury resident, I had to end up owning some Naim kit.

A girlfriend of a mate/work colleague worked for Naim, she was ex-MOD, as were many of the Naim staff according to her, the workmanship would be very good you'd think. Having said that, this was quite a while ago and I don't know if the gear is still made in Salisbury.

I almost bought Naim, but I went for Krell instead when a second hand amp came up for grabs. It's nearly 30 years old but I wouldn't part with it, it is capable of driving pretty much any speakers you put in front of it.

[Sandstorm]

I went for Krell instead when a second hand amp came up for grabs. It's nearly 30 years old but I wouldn't part with it, it is capable of driving pretty much any speakers you put in front of it.

You could drive a bus up a mountain with a Krell!

[duke]

As a Salisbury resident, I had to end up owning some Naim kit.

A girlfriend of a mate/work colleague worked for Naim, she was ex-MOD, as were many of the Naim staff according to her, the workmanship would be very good you'd think. Having said that, this was quite a while ago and I don't know if the gear is still made in Salisbury.

I almost bought Naim, but I went for Krell instead when a second hand amp came up for grabs. It's nearly 30 years old but I wouldn't part with it, it is capable of driving pretty much any speakers you put in front of it.

Most of the high end products are still made in Salisbury, Muso is made in China. Design and technical side is also in Salisbury.

Company is now French owned (Focal) and I'm not sure how long it will remain with a Salisbury base.

[inactionman]

Amplifiers aren't very complicated pieces of electronics. You don't need to pay much to get a decent one.

Yep. Back in the early '90s, after doing a bit of homework on inexpensive amps, I bought a Proton AM-455Pro in Singapore. Got a pair of Epos ES11s and a Nakamichi tape deck at the same time. Haven't used the tape deck in ages and should probably flick it now, but the other kit is still going strong.

Still more than happy with the Proton (although a few "audiophile" mates scoffed at the time) and I just love my ES11s - they're awesome little speakers.

I bought a dac for my old NAD amp to stream from my computer, cost me less than £20. I thought I'd just be steaming test match special but it was surprisingly good for music.

It's in the loft now I've got a streaming amp, but easily the best value bit of kit I've ever bought. You don't always need to spend a fortune.

[Dinsdale Piranha]

Amplifiers aren't very complicated pieces of electronics. You don't need to pay much to get a decent one.

Yep. Back in the early '90s, after doing a bit of homework on inexpensive amps, I bought a Proton AM-455Pro in Singapore. Got a pair of Epos ES11s and a Nakamichi tape deck at the same time. Haven't used the tape deck in ages and should probably flick it now, but the other kit is still going strong.

Still more than happy with the Proton (although a few "audiophile" mates scoffed at the time) and I just love my ES11s - they're awesome little speakers.

I bought a dac for my old NAD amp to stream from my computer, cost me less than £20. I thought I'd just be steaming test match special but it was surprisingly good for music.

It's in the loft now I've got a streaming amp, but easily the best value bit of kit I've ever bought. You don't always need to spend a fortune.

I used one of those Behringer units for years with my turntable. It was fine.

[laurent]

As a Salisbury resident, I had to end up owning some Naim kit.

A girlfriend of a mate/work colleague worked for Naim, she was ex-MOD, as were many of the Naim staff according to her, the workmanship would be very good you'd think. Having said that, this was quite a while ago and I don't know if the gear is still made in Salisbury.

I almost bought Naim, but I went for Krell instead when a second hand amp came up for grabs. It's nearly 30 years old but I wouldn't part with it, it is capable of driving pretty much any speakers you put in front of it.

Most of the high end products are still made in Salisbury, Muso is made in China. Design and technical side is also in Salisbury.

Company is now French owned (Focal) and I'm not sure how long it will remain with a Salisbury base.

Focal is not one to go for cheap. They do their stuff in France mostly.

I have some headphones from the "cheap" range made in China but seriously they are very good quality. (still sell for 300€)

[tabascoboy]

Been using - and happy with - bookshelf speakers Ruark Epilogues on stands for nearly 25 years, but having relocated the hi-fi into a slightly larger room felt it was time for an upgrade and try out some floorstanders. So have invested in a pair of Dali Oberon 5s (+ free QED XT25 cable ). They're pretty compact for floorstanders and quite slim which I needed for the space they have to sit in.

It's recommended to "run them in" for up to 100 hours but after only a few, have really been struck by the big increase in bass response even though the woofers aren't any bigger than the Ruark's. Early days and your ears always need to get attuned to a new sound but while they are said to be "neutral" (as is my amp) I'm liking what I'm hearing so far from various types of music from jazzy to orchestral to rock/pop and hard rock ( bass drum kicks I can now feel. That said, the difference in quality of recordings is more noticeable, with some having a strong but overly boomy bass that makes the bottom end sound a bit woolly - while others have a very precise and clean bass that still kicks ass. Will be interested to see if/how this changes with more use over the next week+. Listening is mostly from CD player (analogue output) or bluray player (analogue or digital output) that also accommodates USB sticks with FLAC music files.

I find Peter Gabriel's 'So' is a good example for a "reference" disc

The Ruarks aren't going to waste, I'll use them in the bedroom with my small secondary system

[Sandstorm]

Been using - and happy with - bookshelf speakers Ruark Epilogues on stands for nearly 25 years, but having relocated the hi-fi into a slightly larger room felt it was time for an upgrade and try out some floorstanders. So have invested in a pair of Dali Oberon 5s (+ free QED XT25 cable ). They're pretty compact for floorstanders and quite slim which I needed for the space they have to sit in.

It's recommended to "run them in" for up to 100 hours but after only a few, have really been struck by the big increase in bass response even though the woofers aren't any bigger than the Ruark's. Early days and your ears always need to get attuned to a new sound but while they are said to be "neutral" (as is my amp) I'm liking what I'm hearing so far from various types of music from jazzy to orchestral to rock/pop and hard rock ( bass drum kicks I can now feel. That said, the difference in quality of recordings is more noticeable, with some having a strong but overly boomy bass that makes the bottom end sound a bit woolly - while others have a very precise and clean bass that still kicks ass. Will be interested to see if/how this changes with more use over the next week+. Listening is mostly from CD player (analogue output) or bluray player (analogue or digital output) that also accommodates USB sticks with FLAC music files.

I find Peter Gabriel's 'So' is a good example for a "reference" disc

The Ruarks aren't going to waste, I'll use them in the bedroom with my small secondary system

Nice speakers, enjoy!

[Insane_Homer]

Bought a REL TZero MKIII sub last week. very happy so far.

BOOM BOOM BOOM