[Mysteek]

So I'm looking to sell my Paradigm Atoms and my Audioengine A2's (AND my Shure E500's) and hopefully save up enough to buy myself a nice amp and passive bookshelves.

I'm hoping to aim for about a $600 budget. A bit about myself:

I love the Beyerdynamic DT880 sound. I listen to upbeat electronica, such as this

My first question is, should I be looking at a 400 / 200 split on speakers/amp?

I will probably be using my Maverick Tube Magic D1 Dac and use a netbook full of flac as my source. This leads to my second question, would the Maverick dac be my weakest link, since it was originally made for headphones?

My speaker preference would be Paradigm, and I'm more than happy to buy used.

What speakers and amps would you recommend?

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

200's not gonna get you an amp unless its used. The only thing new under 200 AFAIK is the Onkyo stereo receiver, which is good for the money, but definitely not as good as the integrateds priced above.

The cheapest new integrateds come in at around 300-350 mark with NAD and CA models being the popular ones.

As for speakers, 300 can get you a lot of bang for buck. Energy RC10's come to mind first, the old Polk RTI4's can be had for less than 150$ and sound good even today (read 2004 stereophile review). PSB Alpha's are a popular recommendation, and so are the Wharfedale Diamonds. Axiom M3's are considered decent, but not as much for music IMO. I really liked the Monitor Audio Bronze BR2, but I dunno quite remember what they sell for.

If you have thrift stores, goodwill, garage sales nearby, go and take a look. You might not find great speakers, but you may find some decent amps. I found a Denon integrated recently for 15 bucks which beats the crap out of the Onkyo stereo receiver and sounds really authoritative with my speakers. I'd go this route first and scan the local market before plunging in money on new.

Look at audiogon and ebay as well.

I recently had the chance to audition the entire paradigm line up of bookshelf speakers and found that the Studio 10 and Studio 20 are the best in terms of money/performance ratio. The step from Atom to Mini monitor to monitor isnt big and not worth the price hike IMO, bass gets better and the sound is a bit bigger, but overall its very close. The higher ones are definitely out of your budget even used.

 

[FraGGleR]

what about a t-amp based system? or a nuforce icon? those seem to get great reviews. nuforce also has a dedicated amp that runs $175 now that is probably pretty good.

my dream stereo system right now is a nuforce amp with the energy rc10's. Can be had for under $500 total. if I am still dreaming, I would add the nuforce HDP as the DAC for a super small desktop system.

 

[Drag0n]

Athena - LS-300 Tower Speaker-Audio Advisor

NAD - L 54 DVD/CD Stereo Receiver-Audio Advisor

Or ebay some vintage Carver stuff, Cambridge, NAD, Rotel, Adcom, Marantz etc.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Are the Athena LS300's any good? I've been meaning to try them for a while but they seem to be on clearance or sale permanently, so that kinda kept me from getting one. The prices have gone as low as 80 each I think. Cant seem to find definitive reviews on it.

 

[Drag0n]

They have good reviews from people online for the money, but i havent personally heard them, but i cant see how he can do much better for what he wants to spend.
If he gets bookshelves, he may need a sub.

PSB Alpha one goes for like $279 , and have great reviews, but theyre bookshelves and he would have less money for an amp left over, and no subwoofer money.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Floorstanders dont always end up being the better option. Infact after trying out a lot of speakers (many of which are still lying around) I've found that for apartments and smaller rooms, bookshelf speakers offer a much better solution for music. Sure floorstanders are more full range, but unless you have a decent sized room its gonna cause more issues.

For movies, definitely floor standers help add an extra level to the overall system, but for music, in smaller rooms, they take up too much room, sound boomy, dont sound great at lower volumes, and end up being not so great since you are too close to the speaker.

A sub isnt mandatory for bookshelf speakers for music IMO, and it looks like the OP specifically mentioned passive bookshelf speakers. Anything with a decent 6.5 inch woofer with decent frequency response, when placed well in a room will give ample bass for music.

 

[Drag0n]

I like bookshelfs with a sub in most rooms better, but if youre not going to spend alot and want some bass, a floor stander can do that better usually.
Most floor standers are too large for the average room and dont image properly, but if you look at the towers in the link, theyre like a tall bookshelf speaker. The long cabinet just adds bass.

 

[mattkosem]

What are your qualms with the Atoms, and what size is the room in which they will be used?

--Matt

 

[LingLing1337]

I would look more into the PSB Alphas... supposed to be some exceptional speakers. If they're too pricey, shoot me a PM, I think I have a link where they're cheaper than MSRP.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Think the Alpha's can be found below MSRP quite easily on ebay if I remember correctly.

There was link where Wharfedales were available for excellent prices, I forgot that one. Wouldve posted that if I remember.

 

[Drag0n]

Alphas beat Atoms in reviews, Atoms supposedly have recessed mids in comparison, but ive never compared and i havent heard that model PSB.

 

[mattkosem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drag0n /img/forum/go_quote.gif Alphas beat Atoms in reviews, Atoms supposedly have recessed mids in comparison, but ive never compared and i havent heard that model PSB.

Give the V6 Atoms a listen if you get a chance. I was waffling on the atoms for years and the v6 model sealed them for me. I've got mine on a Cambridge 650a in my office. It's a decent setup for the music I like (mostly jazz, some rock), but the room is only 11'x11'. I will admit that placement is key for these speakers. They need to be pretty close to a wall or the bass gets anemic.

--Matt

 

[koven]

for around 200, id go for the TCA WAF-1

Tweak City Audio - WAF-1

they have an amp package too, for a little over 300... great performance/value

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Based on my demo of the most recent Atoms, I wasnt all that impressed. They did sound refined overall, but the bass was quite lacking and they had a tendency to sound kinda bright. The build quality on the cabinet was also not that great IMO. I'd expect them to do well in a HT setup with sub I guess, but for 2 channel music, there are much better options under 300$.