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Wife had good day at the casino…

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Litefiter

New Member
I had a thread started Monday with me trying to decide speaker vs amp, etc.
Because of the excellent responses I feel I have come up with a plan I can afford, with some tweaks as required.
My original budget had me topping out at $700 for speakers, I already had purchased a WiiM Pro (all music streaming with Apple, using iPad and toslink, I will not use any other input), and a Fosi Za3 arriving today,
Now, because it’s Christmas and my wife is tired of my whining, I have elevated my budget to $1600.
So, after burning myself out reading through the forum, vendor ad’s, and the like, I am leaning towards the following setup:
WiiM Pro to
Marantz 4240 to
2ea Fosi za3 Mono to
Wharfedale 12.4

I realize so much of this is subjective to the listener, but unfortunately I live in an area where there are no dealers of any caliber to be able to listen and learn from any closer than 3 hours, so this forum is my best shot at getting usable and trustworthy information.
I’m 71yo and this will be most likely my last audio purchase, I’m a good music listener but certainly not an audiophile by any means and I’m looking for a system that is good to very good, not great!
So, am I on the right track here? I’m pretty ok I think with the speakers but maybe the amp is questionable? If there is/are better amp options (I can’t afford a/b amps, has to stay D), I have some wiggle room there, especially since I haven’t even received the. Fosi, it’s on the truck for today.
Again, TIA for any and all advice and info.
 
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I'm just a couple years younger then you. My hearing isn't what it was when I was 30, but I've always been a firm believer in the sound of a stereo system being 95% speakers, and the rest everything else. I have recently discovered the joy of a simple UI with a Wiim Amp Ultra. I have a pair of ESL-63s that I rebuilt, an SVS 3000 Micro sub, and the Wiim Amp Ultra set up in my living room. The amp has a streamer and DAC built in, delivers 100W/ch at 8 Ohms, and to my ears sounds great. It also has built in bass management (and even room correction) that I have configured as a crossover to drive the Quads and sub. When I want to listen to music, I select it on my phone or tablet using Tidal Connect or LMS. The amp and sub wake up from standby and play. When the music stops, the amp and sub go back to standby. The amp can be put in a cabinet or under furniture, out of sight so the system is as simple as can be. I don't have to juggle remote controls or even have them laying out where they can be seen, I don't have to turn any knobs or flip any switches. Everything can be done from my chair. I don't think it gets any better.

That system is sitting next to an Advance Paris A12 amp and a pair of B&W 703 S3s, CDP, TT, and Wiim Pro Plus streamer, that I rarely use any more and may soon start selling off.
 
I don't know what you're going for in your system, but if your room is on the small to medium size range, you could certainly do a lot worse than a pair of Dali Oberon 3 speakers. I just bought a pair (used for $400), and feel that they sound very good in the small bedroom where I have them, and sound full enough that they could work well in a larger room. They have a surprising amount of bass for a small bookshelf speaker, though I have them hooked up with a little 10" M&K subwoofer and that combo is really satisfying. The best thing about these speakers is that they sound really big, much larger than their physical size would indicate and that they sound really 3 dimensional, so that instruments seem to come from various places in the room, a feat that not all speakers manage to do well, or at least not as well as these things.

Depending on your listening habits and your room, a set of really nice bookshelf speakers (probably on stands) coupled with a subwoofer could be a really nice, cost effective combo.
 
Since you've upped your budget, you might also look at these. $1K (with stands/package deal). I have the Sierra 2's, that I think are excellent.
www.ascendacoustics.com

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restorer-john said:
I'd put Yamaha AS-3/5/7xx series on your list. The Fosi products are for kids.
Click to expand...

I own an A-S801 and a pair of Fosi V3 Monos. The V3 Monos drive a pair of JBL Studio 590s in my main system and the A-S801 is in the basement where it gets used when I run on the treadmill. I prefer the V3 Monos. Also, I'm pushing 60 and own other gear and have had quite a few amps in and out of my systems. The Fosi amps are the real deal.
 
DavidTT said:
I own an A-S801 and a pair of Fosi V3 Monos. The V3 Monos drive a pair of JBL Studio 590s in my main system and the A-S801 is in the basement where it gets used when I run on the treadmill. I prefer the V3 Monos. Also, I'm pushing 60 and own other gear and have had quite a few amps in and out of my systems. The Fosi amps are the real deal.
Click to expand...
jbl4life!
 
rickb119 said:
Since you've upped your budget, you might also look at these. $1K (with stands/package deal). I have the Sierra 2's, that I think are excellent.
www.ascendacoustics.com

CMT-340SE2 MINI-TOWER PAIR

Uncompromising Performance, Our Best Value! New Klippel NFS optimized version! Using high resolution 360-degree measurements generated by our Klippel NFS, we have completely redesigned our highly revered CMT-340SE resulting in MAJOR improvements in every performance category. We have also given...
www.ascendacoustics.com www.ascendacoustics.com
Click to expand...
Another here that believes in this company. Dave Fabrikant and his crew care. Give them a serious consideration, sir.
 
onwardjames said:
Another here that believes in this company. Dave Fabrikant and his crew care. Give them a serious consideration, sir.
Click to expand...
There's a lot to be said for speakers configured MTM. I've considered building a small set of MTM type speakers for near field listening.
 
Many years back, the wife and I had a good day at a Palm Springs casino. That's when McIntosh first caught my eye and my wife insisted I splurge on a system. Found a used system at a great price and been hooked ever since.
 
id spend minimum, 75% of your budget for speakers. id also suggest you get whatever speaker excites you.
that sounds like a solid setup. is add 2 subs, fr. you could probably find class ab on the used market. emotiva has some nice offerings, i think.
i have some old audiosource amps in vertical biamp at 150wpc. id put them up to anything within a grand. your ears will bleed before they clip. and man, do they have a firm grip on the bass! i paid about $150 or so, each. surprisingly, used prices on older models went up. new ones are $699, jeesh
im 71. what ive had for the past several years, is still working great and all i need. except fun stuff like the new schiit mimir im waiting on. my L890s are just fab. and slam alongside 2 L8400ps 12 inch sealed subs.
you want subs.
 
Litefiter said:
I had a thread started Monday with me trying to decide speaker vs amp, etc.
Because of the excellent responses I feel I have come up with a plan I can afford, with some tweaks as required.
My original budget had me topping out at $700 for speakers, I already had purchased a WiiM Pro (all music streaming with Apple, using iPad and toslink, I will not use any other input), and a Fosi Za3 arriving today,
Now, because it’s Christmas and my wife is tired of my whining, I have elevated my budget to $1600.
So, after burning myself out reading through the forum, vendor ad’s, and the like, I am leaning towards the following setup:
WiiM Pro to
Marantz 4240 to
2ea Fosi za3 Mono to
Wharfedale 12.4

I realize so much of this is subjective to the listener, but unfortunately I live in an area where there are no dealers of any caliber to be able to listen and learn from any closer than 3 hours, so this forum is my best shot at getting usable and trustworthy information.
I’m 71yo and this will be most likely my last audio purchase, I’m a good music listener but certainly not an audiophile by any means and I’m looking for a system that is good to very good, not great!
So, am I on the right track here? I’m pretty ok I think with the speakers but maybe the amp is questionable? If there is/are better amp options (I can’t afford a/b amps, has to stay D), I have some wiggle room there, especially since I haven’t even received the. Fosi, it’s on the truck for today.
Again, TIA for any and all advice and info.
Click to expand...

1st off welcome to the site.

2nd Barter Town is your friend.

Lastly, if your streaming you may want to consider a nice tube amp and some nice speakers. For $1600 bucks you can have a killer tube rig. If it was me, I'd build a dedicated mono rig and run a stereo signal through it summed with a proper Stereo to mono Summ. Id run a set of 8ohm speakers in series to the 16ohm tap. This will give you an incredible sound stage, and will eliminate any and all phasing issues that a room/Stereo set up can have. This is just me... :)
 
Lavane said:
I agree with speakers being 95% of a system. I wish I had listened to this many years ago.
Click to expand...

I leaned this at a young age with the Realistic Minimums 7's. I have a number of sets that i have multiple sets of. An example is the JBL L-16's. To my ears they are fantastic when set up properly. I currently have a few sets, but over the years have had 6-7 sets, same with a few others. That said, over the past few years I have moved more toward tubes so that has had me looking for more efficient speakers. This hobby is never ending!
 
jobrewer1983 said:
I leaned this at a young age with the Realistic Minimums 7's. I have a number of sets that i have multiple sets of. An example is the JBL L-16's. To my ears they are fantastic when set up properly. I currently have a few sets, but over the years have had 6-7 sets, same with a few others. That said, over the past few years I have moved more toward tubes so that has had me looking for more efficient speakers. This hobby is never ending!
Click to expand...
I moved to tubes 12 or 13 years ago. I found myself collecting more efficient speakers myself. The Aikido preamp I'm using in my main system doesn't have tone controls, so I kept certain speakers that sound as good at low volumes as they do at higher volumes. These speakers didn't need a bass control, or treble control turned up at those lower volumes. This led me to liking mostly 2 way ported speakers, or speakers with passive radiators.
An example are the sealed box Original Large Advents. They sounded great with the volume turned up, but we're lacking in low end at lower volumes.
I replaced them with Marantz Imperial 6's ported speakers that were designed to take on the OLA's. These two speakers sound very similar, except at lower volumes.
I've rarely had recordings I felt the need to use tone controls with the Imperials.
I've found most 91db or better speakers work very well with my various tube amps from 3.5wpc to 125W mono block tube amps.
The more efficient the speaker, the less power needed to drive them.
Speakers like the Klipsch Heresy's rated at 99db @ 1W @ 1 meter can get away with using a lower powered amp. 10 watts can push them pretty loud.
There are Folks with speakers rated even better like 102db use amps as small as 2wpc and get plenty of volume.
 
Well, I certainly appreciated everybody’s input! I did change my mind on the Wharfedales and just ordered a pair of Oberon 7’s due in Tuesday from Crutchfield’s. I am hoping they will fit the bill and my search is completed. Again, thanks to all who responded and have a great holiday season.
 
Good on ya! It warms my heart when someone asks a question, gets some good information, and makes a decision in short order. Enjoy the new system!!
 
Litefiter said:
I had a thread started Monday with me trying to decide speaker vs amp, etc.
Because of the excellent responses I feel I have come up with a plan I can afford, with some tweaks as required.
My original budget had me topping out at $700 for speakers, I already had purchased a WiiM Pro (all music streaming with Apple, using iPad and toslink, I will not use any other input), and a Fosi Za3 arriving today,
Now, because it’s Christmas and my wife is tired of my whining, I have elevated my budget to $1600.
So, after burning myself out reading through the forum, vendor ad’s, and the like, I am leaning towards the following setup:
WiiM Pro to
Marantz 4240 to
2ea Fosi za3 Mono to
Wharfedale 12.4

I realize so much of this is subjective to the listener, but unfortunately I live in an area where there are no dealers of any caliber to be able to listen and learn from any closer than 3 hours, so this forum is my best shot at getting usable and trustworthy information.
I’m 71yo and this will be most likely my last audio purchase, I’m a good music listener but certainly not an audiophile by any means and I’m looking for a system that is good to very good, not great!
So, am I on the right track here? I’m pretty ok I think with the speakers but maybe the amp is questionable? If there is/are better amp options (I can’t afford a/b amps, has to stay D), I have some wiggle room there, especially since I haven’t even received the. Fosi, it’s on the truck for today.
Again, TIA for any and all advice and info.
Click to expand...
I bought a Wiim Pro for my sister-in-law as a starter, and, probably for her, ultimate stereo.

Fun little device. Plenty of power at 50 wpc, plus all the streaming stuff.

I was surprised at how good it sounds. I mean, it's gonna win any SQ awards, but it's a very capable device. Any issues she might have with the SQ can probably be blamed on the speakers.

Speakers aren't bad (the Cheap Audio Man on YouTube has raved about these speakers for years ... and their price (about $100 USD for the pair). They just aren't great.

In other words, it's a great rig for someone who really isn't into audio, but who is looking for a way to stream tunes.

99% of the interface is through the app you need on your phone. That's a little odd.
 
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