I am a 17 year old high school student working on a limited budget trying to get the best sound for the best money. I have the luxury of a dedicated room but it is on the small side (10x14 with the speakers on the short wall). Room treatments are ultra-low budget with rugs on the front and back wall that got rid of some nasty flutter reflections. I am always experimenting with new speaker placements so any suggestions would be appreciated. This system sounds great and I will probably be stuck with it till a few years after I get out of college so any upgrades would have to be made sooner rather than later. The system sounds great but I am always looking for that extra little edge. Ha I guess we all are. Happy Listening!!
You're off to a much better start than I was when I was 17. I had just built my first powered sub back then after replacing the drivers in some old Fried Model Q speakers. After that, when I was 18, I built my first set of full-range mains (two-way MTMs with drivers from old Def tech BP8). This hobby can cost a lot, but remember that it's all about your enjoyment of the music, and as long as you're always looking at what somebody else has, or what the new state of the art might be, that will come between you and your ability to enjoy the system you've assembled, which is all stuff that worked very well for people in the past, so make an effort to not get swept away in the materialism of the hi-fi world. Today, I use a fifteen year old Mark Levinson No. 38 preamp and a seventeen year old Hafler 9270 amp to drive my DIY loudspeaker creations (both of which I acquired used, and the No. 38 required a lot of exterior restoration), and both pieces still work very well, so there's nothing at all wrong with building a system around oldies but goodies.
Nice set-up! Did you decide against the matching Rotel CD unit.I remember fondly the early days in this hobby.Any chance that you might explore an analog rig in the future? Happy listening and "don't forget to "stop and smell the roses" on your journey.Congratulations.
It is great that you already have a dedicated room. Here in LA, I simply cannot afford that luxury :-))
If you listen to classical music and watch movie once in a while, a quick active subwoofer would give you that extra thrill that you are looking for. Two active subwoofers would be strongly recommended. It is to mitigate that distorted boomy bass that you get from having just one subwoofer. Buy a subcompact active sub since they are easier with placement.
Just a side note, I have REL and I am happy with the two REL active subs that I have. My brother also has a REL and that has made his system really sing. My kid friend has a pair of NHT active subwoofers and they have been a really great compliment to his NHT Super One monitors.
Vince Bruzzese at Totem has recommended me the Totem Storm (active subwoofer) for my Rainmaker and I'd like to try that.
Good job on the system. Fortunately, Audio is a hobby where you can find awesome pairings of equipment that is used that can give you quite sensational sound. You have to know the "under the radar" companies though.
I don't know them all, but in the past 17 years I've learned that you can shell out a thoughtful 2K and get approximately the same sound as someone who shelled out a careless 10K.
Speaker technology is almost always progressing. Older designs are quickly eclipsed. You should get the best you can afford...but go used as audiophiles love to change their systems constantly. Further, you should not eschew monitors for full range speakers. You can get unbelievable sound from monitors and they are smaller and less expensive usually. Some fantastic monitors are Sequerra MET 7.7 mk II and up. (about $500) Don't bother with the Mk I. (watch out thought there is a guy on A'gon and on Ebay that is scamming using Sequerra stuff). Also, a company called ACI makes some incredible stuff that is mail order. Their Sapphire monitors are fantastic. If you pair a monitor with a subwoofer such as the ACI force XL or Rel strata III...then you have a high end speaker system that rivals systems up to 7K.
Amplifier technology has been great for years. You can get great amps that are 50 years old. Here the Dynaco ST-70 would be something for you to try ($300). If you have super efficient speakers (90db and up) try a tiny tube amp from Sophia Electric (music baby). I recently got one for $275 on ebay. If you use a single source (a CD..etc) then you don't need a preamp.
If you want a great all in one, the Linn Classik is hard to beat. They are pricey (about 1K used), but excellent.
DH labs silver sonic cables are awesome and you can get them for $45 bucks per pair on ebay.
Alpha Core Goertz speaker cables are great and can be had cheaply on Ebay.
I bet it sounds better than my room :) Looks good.
If I could go back a decade, the first thing I'd do is buy a turntable. You'll have lots of fun and can probably score some good used records for not a lot of money.
hey everyone thanks alot for the comments i really appreciate it! Im in my second semester at school now and ive moved to boson acoustics bookshelves (CR77)(for space reasons) but ive upgraded to an old big passive sub by an old company called Analog Digital Systems (ADS) with two 8 inch drivers in a big big enclosure. I also added a line conditioner by panamax to clean up the crappy power that the dorm has (and to protect my system from brown outs). everyone keep listening!
I'm with Decapg - Great speakers, especially for the money. Personally maybe I'm more of a Nad/Paradigm kind of guy, but I would put your system up against almost any on 'gon, in a pound for pound sense. Denon is a great choice with the Rotel.
Hi, really nice speakers, b&w can really make some fine one's. I'm 22 , five years ago at seventeen i had a 70's technics amplifier with a sony 5 disc changer and some 30 year old technics speakers. Until I bought the system i have now I all that time I didnt know that the drivers on the technics speakers were finished, so you can imagine how amazed I was at my first real hi-fi listening experience! Rotel sounds very good with b&w for some reason its like they were meant for each other! Curious to know how you found your components? Internet, ebay? Classifieds ..?
I had a few of these same components. A cheap Jolida or Audio Experience tube pre-amp ($200-650. used) would really bring things to life. I was surprised how much better things sounded even though they were cheaper. I would also recommend an Acoustic Research or Monster power conditioner ($40-90.) which really does deepen and focus things. You could also pick up a couple of cheap Kimber Hero interconnects ($60.) or Harmonic Tech's used ($80-200.) Same goes for speaker cables. River cable makes good regular cables as well but I would stay away from their flat cables; they just don't work as well. But their single 8.5 awg's are really good at $120.
You would have to spend mega bucks to get sound that might be better. Well done. Now try to bank $200 into your retirement account every month before any upgrades. OK?
Excellent system - just don't use it for partys at college. I've personally seen disasters caused by using good hi-fi at partys!
Try fixing your speakers to granite plinths - go to your local tombstone manufacturer and ask him to cut and drill two identical granite blocks to fix to the bottom of your speakers...Just to keep things sturdy.
Hey im chris ,, you brought me back some years ,,Is really great to see someone was like me at 17 . I cant remember at what age i started ,, i know it was young. Ya know when i was young say 11 i allways tought more was better , Some days when i got in from school b4 my dad did ,, I use to open up the backs of his spekers and the huge woffer out and bring it in my room . it hook up to my micky mouse stereo. i allways tought big was better . i could not figure why it sounded worse ,, at 13 i got a killer pair of KLH speakers .. mt grandfather paied 400 ,, thats a lot for 25 years ago . it allways cought my ear good sounding stereos . you a great set up for 17 ,, its just cost a lot more as we get older ,, i will never stop buying .. i might take the bus to work but i have a killer amp that cost 5000 ,, keep on rocking ,,
I've been running the same Rotel pre-amp/amp combo for years, and I love it! School is more important than audio, of course, and your system should serve you well until you can afford to upgrade.
I've heard newer Rotel equipment connected to B&W speakers...Amazing! I'll bet your system sounds sweet too!
You have a pretty good system consider you are still in high school. Much better system I had back in high school. Is that a sub you have right next to the rack? If so, try placing it between the speakers since you have that space. I also have a sub in a small room and so far that is the best placement(for me at least) for my system. Happy listening.
Kevlar, Good setup; I have in my office a Rotel RA-970BX (integrated version of your pre). The rotel will do you fine all through college, as you say. Not much better bang for buck in that price bracket.
Keep your system very portable (as it is now), otherwise you may be forced to sell components or leave it at home. I used monitors/bookshelf speakers through college, since I had to pack everything for a year into a full size car! But the system always went.
Do NOT let your system be used for dorm parties, if you value your components!
Hello,Sounds like your pretty happy with how your system sounds! You have some well built stuff that will serve you well thru college,after a few years of friends spilling beers and girls dancing on top of your speakers,youll be ready for a new system!LOL Are your speakers spiked?Peace,Ray
