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Streaming system good at low volumes for 2.5K

MVV

MVV

pfm Member
Hello little tanked community. So we have to move to a thing called 'extra care housing' cos the missis is not in good shape. It's really good and her only hope of independent living. I'm not unhappy, I look forward to a less complicated life.
I will be flogging the system and the records so want a streaming system suitable for a small flat that will have to be played at low volumes. I'm a dad rock kind of chap from The Fall to Neil Young and a love of Sandy Denny.
I've had a lot of stuff and it's been fun spending serious money on Linn and Naim. I've had Briks, Quad 57s, Epos 14s and 11s, Credos, Kans and other stuff and now Amdeaus GTA, NAD M3, and some rather wonderful Celestion Ditton 66s rebuilt by Totoman of this very parish.
I need bookshelf standmounts which do the thing ES14s do with the midrange but without the irritating treble. Also I'm completely in the dark about what to put upstream as I have always been vinyl only and the NAD is getting on a bit.
SH or new. I thank you in advance for your thoughts.
 
I would look at the Yamaha range of digital receivers, well within budget & will drive most speakers. Alternatively you could get active speakers like AE1s & feed directly with a DAC streamer.

I think you can end up with an excellent system within your budget.
 
Woodface said:
I would look at the Yamaha range of digital receivers, well within budget & will drive most speakers. Alternatively you could get active speakers like AE1s & feed directly with a DAC streamer.

I think you can end up with an excellent system within your budget.
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Thank you, I was wondering about active AE1s but thought they may need the wick turning up. Also I really don't have a clue what a DAC streamer is, never mind which one to buy.
 
I'd also imagine a decent set of headphones would / could form part of this system?
 
Lots of options for that budget, loads if you’re including 2nd hand stuff.
Streaming being the only source?
So you’ll need fairly decent broadband speed & a subscription to the likes of Qobuz or Tidal.
How much of a downsize/ change are you looking for?
Hardware, as you’ve owned Naim gear in the past, start with listening to a Naim Muso as a one box solution.
Next up, I’d say the new KEF LS50 actives are well worth a listen.
Pushing you a bit over budget, the Naim Atom & some compact speakers, maybe some B&W’s.
A Bluesound Powernode ( there is a new model imminent) & speakers of your choice up to £1k.
 
manicatel said:
Lots of options for that budget, loads if you’re including 2nd hand stuff.
Streaming being the only source?
So you’ll need fairly decent broadband speed & a subscription to the likes of Qobuz or Tidal.
How much of a downsize/ change are you looking for?
Hardware, as you’ve owned Naim gear in the past, start with listening to a Naim Muso as a one box solution.
Next up, I’d say the new KEF LS50 actives are well worth a listen.
Pushing you a bit over budget, the Naim Atom & some compact speakers, maybe some B&W’s.
A Bluesound Powernode ( there is a new model imminent) & speakers of your choice up to £1k.
Click to expand...
yep streaming only source. The change /downsize is big, I guess the floor space of the whole flat would be about the same as our kitchen; mind you it is a 31 foot long kitchen! Broadband will be good cos against trend we are moving into town. The Muso is a good idea but it's the low volume limpid midrange thing I'm after, also I do like an image.
I was wondering about Audio Note/Ear but haven't a clue,.
 
MVV said:
Thank you, I was wondering about active AE1s but thought they may need the wick turning up. Also I really don't have a clue what a DAC streamer is, never mind which one to buy.
Click to expand...
I doubt they will need to be played any louder than other speakers. Active speakers should, if anything, be more coherent at lower volumes than passive. I don’t know where you are based but Lee at Strictly Stereo has an excellent reputation in terms of digital hifi.

You can easily fit a streamer/integrated amp & speakers within your budget or Streamer/Dac/active speakers.
 
Woodface said:
I doubt they will need to be played any louder than other speakers. Active speakers should, if anything, be more coherent at lower volumes than passive. I don’t know where you are based but Lee at Strictly Stereo has an excellent reputation in terms of digital hifi.

You can easily fit a streamer/integrated amp & speakers within your budget or Streamer/Dac/active speakers.
Click to expand...
Thanks I didn't know that about active speakers, I have a car so if stuff doesn't solidify I will go and see him. The Missis is in hospital for at least a couple of months and my business has collapsed so I have a lot of time.
 
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MVV said:
Thanks I didn't know that about active speakers, I have a car so if stuff doesn't solidify I will go and see him. The Missis is in hospital for at least a couple of months and my business has collapsed so I have a lot of time.
Click to expand...

Awful news about your wife and your business. I hope things pick up for you.

I would suggest that you pay a visit to your nearest Richer Sounds and have a listen to their streaming systems. They'll have something very nice for that budget, will offer a decent guarantee and will install which may be very important for you if you've never used a streamer before.

I would suggest that you budget for a decent tablet if you don't have one as the user interface is absolutely VITAL. Going somewhere like RS will allow you to both listen to the machines and to play about with the various Apps. I'm amazed how good the likes of Qobuz and TIDAL sound through my streamer compared to CD. OK it is not as good as vinyl, but it is music.

Also, it might be a good idea to see if any of the units you like can drive headphones if you are moving into more cosy accommodation than you curretly enjoy.
 
The Bluesound stuff is very good, I've got a NAD C368 amp with a Bluos card fitted, there's other Bluesound equipment worth considering.

The App / Interface is in my opinion very good also
 
Linn Kiko? Neat little setup, and it is little. You should pick up a used one for half your budget. It does everything a streaming system needs to do, and then a bit (HDMI ports to integrated it with your TV/Blu-ray player etc).

Wishing you and your wife all the best!
 
Sorry to hear about your wife and business. I hope things take a turn for the positive in the near future.

As stated above, the app you access streaming through will have a major impact on your enjoyment so it’s critical you get it right. Many people here will suggest Roon as the best interface. Personally I love it but it does require a subscription in addition to Tidal/Qobuz/whatever streaming source you will use. And something to run the Roon core on like a PC or Mac. If this all sounds like too much hassle instead of loads of fun investigating and playing then I would agree with the above comments and get done demos of the App’s you may need to use. Whether it’s Naim, BlueSound, Kef or whatever, you need to be comfortable with it.

The other thing to decide is whether you want separate streamer/DAC/amp or all in ones that just need speakers added or speakers (like the Kef LS50 Wireless II) that just need power and an internet connection (plus a tablet/smartphone to control the App)

If you want to use wired Headphones too then the new Naim Uniti Atom could be a very good place to start from. Uniti Atom plus Neat Iota’s would probably be where my money would go.

Have fun deciding !
 
Very sorry to read about your wife and business, hopefully the move will work out and improve things for you both.

The Lyngdorf 1120 with room correction and dsp matched to some ProAc Tablette, adding a REL sub into the mix too as an option, would be a setup I’d put on a list. You could setup a voicing for low level/late night listening, much more sopisticated than a loudness or tone control function.

A few 1120 are popping up used/ex dem.

https://lyngdorf.steinwaylyngdorf.com/lyngdorf-tdai-1120/
 
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