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What hifi system would you choose up to 25k

With your room size I would stay away from box speakers and look at electrostats or horns. If you manage to find a good price for a good horn, the rest of the stuff is cheap - you easily get 2w amps in the used market and non-expensive cabling works.

I don't see much point paying over 2k for a box speaker, really, but that's me. If you do want boxes try a used Avalon or Vandersteen. I know a dealer with an excellent Vandy that he is selling for 8k, and the bass of the Vandy is deep and can be tuned to the room. You won't even need to invest in room acoustics

Get a good source
 
I have never heard the pmc twenty series. I use PMC PB1is which I love but with your kind of budget I would look at something further up the range than the twenty series, probably actives, maybe from the studio range. These should compare well with ATC etc.
 
Oddly enough I worked out at the weekend that was about what my system came to.
It sounds superb and if you are somewhere near the top end of Surrey I can give you a demo.
Almost certainly nothing on the 'kit to buy' list for many people.
Modded Technics for vinyl
Ortofon SUT
Whest Phono Pre amp
Rega Isis CD
Pass Labs Pre
Chord Power amp
Isobariks - still wonderful after all these years
PS Audio P10 mains regenerator
Mains cables from MCRU
Interconnects from the very helpful Yannis
Mana stands and bases supporting all of it
 
Personally, from my vast experience of losing huge quantities of money pinning the quality of a Hi-Fi system, or indeed just about anything on its cost, review advice etc, I would spend about a grand or two tops on anything you like the sound of and the rest on good wine/whiskey/brandy or whatever takes yer fancy, imbibe, sit back and let it all wash over you. Something I wish I could have had the courage to do years ago.
 
Some nice headphones - Senn HD800 (1k) with ear HP4 amp (4k) or stax. Naim NDS streamer with 555 power supply (13k) and NAS of some type (1k). Enough left over (6k) for a decent T/T and a good phono stage. No need to worry about the room acoustics.
 
YNWOAN said:
Is that really what you think you do? Does the floor still feel uneven?
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Pretty much, I don't mind, do I behave like a guy with a reputation to uphold? Bub's yer man for foitin oireesh over brands and the superiority of les ATCs and stuff, I just go all gooey eyed at my assorted black things generating horrible "excremental" stuffs and snigger when the wooby bits go woob.

(TBH I think old gronky 80s Questeds are better than ATC100s but shhh! I don't want to rustle too many jimmies)
 
Get whichever of the ATC SCM 50/100/110/150 suits your room - it isn't necessarily the case that the bigger ones are 'better' - it depends on your room. Some quite good rock musicians use ATCs to make music with - see here. You are lucky enough to be in a situation where you can get substantially the same experience in your home as they get in the studio. Possibly start with a trial of the 50s as they are easiest to move. If not enough bass to make you happy, go up the range until you are. Then investigate front ends. Choice is between a network music player, like a Linn Akurate DSM, or a pro-style DAC/pre such as a Benchmarck DAC2 HGC, AURALiC Vega or Resonessence Mirus. To some extent your preference for control software, and your other sources, will have a bearing on this. Should be plenty money left over for acoustic consultancy, judicious room treatments, the odd Sonos/Apple TV and NAS. Don't deal with anyone who won't let you trial a range of stuff in your own home. Don't part with a penny unless and until you are totally knocked out with an absolutely magnificent, overwhelmingly fantastic sound. Be extremely suspicious of anyone who tells you you need expensive cables, fancy mains, silly money shelves, three months burn-in, WAV rips ..
 
My advise and I run a fairly expensive system would be to ensure that you optimise your power supply back your mains board..........you cannot alter your supply but you can make an enormous difference your side of the fence!

A dedicated radial/ring main or a regenerator if your voltage fluctates will provide you with the necessary base upon which to build an hi-fi system,irrespective of the proposed value.
 
I would play around with cheap equipment from eBay or this site and have fun finding combinations that work well together. If you do this wisely you can keep most of the capital intact by selling on the combinations you don't like! But then maybe you just want to listen to the music!!
 
Fox said:
Pretty much, I don't mind, do I behave like a guy with a reputation to uphold? Bub's yer man for foitin oireesh over brands and the superiority of les ATCs and stuff, I just go all gooey eyed at my assorted black things generating horrible "excremental" stuffs and snigger when the wooby bits go woob.

(TBH I think old gronky 80s Questeds are better than ATC100s but shhh! I don't want to rustle too many jimmies)
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If it wasn't for me, you and a few others here wouldn't be listening to ATCs right now. If you believe old gronky 80s Questeds are better than ATC100s, you should change - I would.
 
palacefan said:
My advise and I run a fairly expensive system would be to ensure that you optimise your power supply back your mains board..........you cannot alter your supply but you can make an enormous difference your side of the fence!

A dedicated radial/ring main or a regenerator if your voltage fluctates will provide you with the necessary base upon which to build an hi-fi system,irrespective of the proposed value.
Click to expand...

Yup. Got that.
 
Nah, Quested doesn't have those drivers anymore and he's gone into a new range that are better than Genelec but sub SCM, he had a brief moment in the 80s when he totally nailed it and then it was gone.... Anyway the original of ATCs kept a house from falling on me. I like that about them, they have a good story and they all work well together, big subs, big centre, big mains big rears: seven boxes of pure awesome. Doubt I could afford to move as the quested are 300liters... each with five drivers per box. Truly mindless power and horrific to manage. But I did get the centre speaker looking like Peter's current midfield design.

I think eventually I would have given up on polishing the Isoturds but god what a palaver, just ditching them and the stealth amps led to Big Trouble in Little Anglesey.

It all worked out for the best.
 
The nearest he does now are the HM412D weighing in at approx $42k and are a seven driver active speaker so if the OP likes Mono only then we have a possible in the budget, otherwise, nah, overpriced and nowhere near the good old days when his cabinets were spray painted chipboard and needed new fronts every year because of the power of the driver excursions...

Happy daze

Good pro stuff doesn't care about RKR power fooling. keep well away from that guys, if insurance even catch a whif you have done something to the power without your qualified sparky's consent, say goodbye to house and contents insurance.
 
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