I know this could go badly wrong, but lets try.
Back in the 90s UK magazine HFN/RR used to have a £4000 'high end' system of recommend components (digital only). The definition of high end used in this case was having 'no obvious flaws', which is about as subjective as one can get, but thought it might be interesting to see how little a DIY'er could build something that meets this intention. Given that a tranparent digital source such as ODAC is around $100 and a Pass B1 can be built on vero for not much if you have a decent parts bin in the man cave it all comes down to how little you can spend on power amp and speakers to get the desired result.
i wouldn't consider bought units/second hand to be cheating in this, esp if these units are tweakable to a higher level.
So let's see how long this can run until the flames appear trying to agree on what a flaw is! And yes I realise that at some price point high end usually has flaws that you wouldn't accept in a £100 receiver 🙂
Back in the 90s UK magazine HFN/RR used to have a £4000 'high end' system of recommend components (digital only). The definition of high end used in this case was having 'no obvious flaws', which is about as subjective as one can get, but thought it might be interesting to see how little a DIY'er could build something that meets this intention. Given that a tranparent digital source such as ODAC is around $100 and a Pass B1 can be built on vero for not much if you have a decent parts bin in the man cave it all comes down to how little you can spend on power amp and speakers to get the desired result.
i wouldn't consider bought units/second hand to be cheating in this, esp if these units are tweakable to a higher level.
So let's see how long this can run until the flames appear trying to agree on what a flaw is! And yes I realise that at some price point high end usually has flaws that you wouldn't accept in a £100 receiver 🙂
As long as the components are in the "sonically transparent" category, your money is probably best spent on speakers. Note that good speakers these days involve digital crossovers and multiple amplifier channels (yes, I'm tooting my own horn a bit here 🙂).
Tom
Tom
Not sure I could have done it much cheaper than I did.
2 Tannoy 3149 £175
MC2 Audio MC650 £300
MC2 Audio MC450 £350
MC2 Audio T500 £125
2 Volt RV3143 £600
2 BSS FDS 360 at £110ea
50 opa2134 to replace TL072 and LF353 I found in the BSS' £48
All s/h except the Volts and the 2134s. Got lucky on ebay. ;-)
If I had to replace them with purchased speakers/amps I would want something like ATC SCM100asl pro or PMC MB2S-A.
That said I am in the planning stages of a replacement which should be substantially smaller while delivering similar or even slightly better performance.
Still not decided on the mid/high drivers. Coaxial or cone and waveguided dome?
Crossover: Remain analogue or digital? Tending towards digital at the mo' but which?
I will never change the amps though and I don't think they are tweakable.
2 Tannoy 3149 £175
MC2 Audio MC650 £300
MC2 Audio MC450 £350
MC2 Audio T500 £125
2 Volt RV3143 £600
2 BSS FDS 360 at £110ea
50 opa2134 to replace TL072 and LF353 I found in the BSS' £48
All s/h except the Volts and the 2134s. Got lucky on ebay. ;-)
If I had to replace them with purchased speakers/amps I would want something like ATC SCM100asl pro or PMC MB2S-A.
That said I am in the planning stages of a replacement which should be substantially smaller while delivering similar or even slightly better performance.
Still not decided on the mid/high drivers. Coaxial or cone and waveguided dome?
Crossover: Remain analogue or digital? Tending towards digital at the mo' but which?
I will never change the amps though and I don't think they are tweakable.
Other than speakers, it's hard to find components that are not these days. Esoteric design tube gears exempt.
Right on. Plus room acoustics.
Maggie SMGAs £175 needed one wire soldering onto the X-over
Beard P100 £550 needed 1 output valve
Counterpoint SA7 £50 from a car boot sale
Garrard 401 / SME3009 II Free from freeads
Lovely sound.
and even SWMBO approved.
Andy
Beard P100 £550 needed 1 output valve
Counterpoint SA7 £50 from a car boot sale
Garrard 401 / SME3009 II Free from freeads
Lovely sound.
and even SWMBO approved.
Andy
Spawny get!
A free 401 is amazing. Guess it was either 15 years ago or you didn't tell them how much it was worth. The Beard was also a jammie score. Well done.
A free 401 is amazing. Guess it was either 15 years ago or you didn't tell them how much it was worth. The Beard was also a jammie score. Well done.
in the beginning it was easy . You spent $10k and could count yourself an elite member of High End Club . Today , I'm not so sure , it can be $500 or $50,000. It depends more on the user of stuff than the stuff itself . What are your goals ? Do you want to have system which makes ZZ Top and alikes come alive or a string quartet or orchestra in the hall?
Forget Garrard 401 , fashions come and go . Today you wear tights , tomorrow balloons . Those who follow fashions will never have High End System.
Forget Garrard 401 , fashions come and go . Today you wear tights , tomorrow balloons . Those who follow fashions will never have High End System.
A netbook with JRiver, a Chord Mojo, the Lym 1.0T and the Highland 4301:
Home
Highland Audio Oran 4301 Enceintes compactes sur Son-Vidéo.com
Threshold Lovers - Amplifiers - Lym 1.0T Phono
Also, with you preferred source:
Line Magnetic LM-211IA
LS 3/5A (White Oak / Walnut)
Or, also with you preferred source:
NVA P50sa (stepped attenuator) Passive Pre amplifier. | eBay
NVA A40 mk2 Monoblock Power Amplifier (Pair) | eBay
Royd Audio
This last best with NVA cables.
Home
Highland Audio Oran 4301 Enceintes compactes sur Son-Vidéo.com
Threshold Lovers - Amplifiers - Lym 1.0T Phono
Also, with you preferred source:
Line Magnetic LM-211IA
LS 3/5A (White Oak / Walnut)
Or, also with you preferred source:
NVA P50sa (stepped attenuator) Passive Pre amplifier. | eBay
NVA A40 mk2 Monoblock Power Amplifier (Pair) | eBay
Royd Audio
This last best with NVA cables.
sure ,sure i FORGOT that I'm on DIYaudio and transparent cobbled rat nests beat boutique audio any time of a day here ...😉
And it might well do. We are talking about performance not looks. And to me, something that only works with one genre of music has obvious flaws. But that is just me.
Most of what you have listed there for speakers would be disqualified due to lack of full range response. An obvious flaw! minimonitors on their own cannot be high end.
If its just sound then do headphones count? If they do then a sonically transparent headphone amp (not an O2) plus a pair of Superluxes with an existing smartphone may well be the cheapest possible way to achieve high-end nirvana.
Sound is all that matters. I guess headphones can be allowed, for those who can accept the sound stage problems they cause.
SVS Technology puts a dent in your budget - more than the rest of a "transparent" headphone system
but it does give a pretty convincing "those speakers in that room" soundstage/imaging with the personalized hrtf taken in a high end multispeaker, good room setup
still lowest bass isn't the same without the body sensation - either a very weird multiple subs system eqed for the room with the SVS and open headphones or the fakey "butt kicker" with the SVS Realizer may get farther, at lower cost than most other current approaches for just 1 or 2 listeners at a time
way cheaper than a single "decent" loudspeaker
but it does give a pretty convincing "those speakers in that room" soundstage/imaging with the personalized hrtf taken in a high end multispeaker, good room setup
still lowest bass isn't the same without the body sensation - either a very weird multiple subs system eqed for the room with the SVS and open headphones or the fakey "butt kicker" with the SVS Realizer may get farther, at lower cost than most other current approaches for just 1 or 2 listeners at a time
way cheaper than a single "decent" loudspeaker
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'sound stage problems' IME are ameliorated with more sonically transparent electronics. Still not 'out in front' but way less 'inside the head' effect.
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