I have been at this hobby for 4 years now. I have had about 5 different setups but this one is perfect for my current situation. I got married a few months ago and moved a small house in Nashville,Tn. There was not enuff room for a dedicated "stereo room" so this was my compromise. Luckily my wife lets me place the speakers out away from the armoire. Sound is dynamic and liquid. Prolly could could sound better but i'm not willing to spend those kinda $$$.
Hi Mijknarf, Thanks for the compliments. I moved out of a large house in the subarbs to move closer to town for my work. I lost a great room and seperate system, but this works pretty well for now. The cd players i have had so far include: Sony 9000es- my first higher end piece. Just getting into the hobby so nothing to really compare it too. Hard to beat for $600, though.
Resolution audio cd 50- my first dedicated high end cd player. had a analog volume control, sounded nice, non fatiguing sound. Had problems readind reg redbook. The guys at resolution gave me a nice credit for a new opus 21.
Opus 21- really nice player, great dynamics. Perfect for rock type music.Not the most "warm" player though. I had a first gen player with an annoying buzz sound from the transport.Had to go. Akward shape, kinda ugly{to me}
Electrocompaniet emc 1- Prolly my favorite of the bunch. Had a certain rightness to the sound. Excellant build quality. Big,though. Barely fit in my rack. If you already have a preamp i would look seriously at these.
Audio aero prima- Good balanced player. Does jazz and vocals very well. I like the front loader, much more versatile. Build quality is average. Doesn't have the feel of quality of the electrocompaniet. No faults sonically.
Philips 963sa- I needed a new dvd player and am using this for audio. Not a bad little player. Sacd is awesome. Video performance is excellent. I'm sure i will upgrade in the future.
Super system and room! Looks like you have integrated well into the living/family room, it's a constant challenge for me to do the same. A few weeks back I was about to pull the trigger and buy the Audio Aero Prima you had listed, but I chose to hold off. I'm curios to know a little about your thoughts on the digital front end changes you have made (I'm not sure I have them all right)... Resolution Audio>Audio Aero>Philips 963SA>Audio Aero Capitole 2 (future).
System edited: Pics updated. I took down the xmas stuff and things look alot less "cluttered". Sold Audio aero prima, and picked up a philips dvd/cd/sacd player. I have my Belles up for sale currently. A great piece but here's my plan: Get a used Rowland 302 and a Audio aero Capitole 2 and use it as a preamp for my dvd and sattelite signals. Then i'llmove this system over to the "I'm Done" section!
Very nice setup, Streetdaddy. I especially like the high-gloss black P-10's on the hardwood floor. Looks like a cozy room for you and your new bride. Congratulations. You the man.
It's amazing what one learns after following Audiogon for just a year! Your system is a beautifully simple and elegant solution. I only wish I had discovered the Belles 250i before I started my crazy upgrading quest. Congratulations! If you have the same system a year from now (and I hope you do), you will have provided a great example of what can be done without going insane in this hobby.
Hey Marco, Thanks for kind words. Sounds like your a "tube Man" but actually this is the tube system for a solid state man. The cd player has small tubes and the integrated is a hybrid with tubes in the preamp section. I did it this way because i wanted to simplify and didn't want a lot of heat buildup. It works really well
Congatulations on your marriage - I just celebrated two years in my marriage. Nice end-run around the WAF! Mine involved a closet, some very long IC's, and a few extraordinary Honeydews (some of which were mutually enjoyed...well, er, I guess that's really not a "Honeydew" is it?!). I still take the obligitory weekly dose of dissing on my big speakers, but I've learned to grin and bear it. The operational response (repeat after me): "Yes dear..." showing the requisite amount of compassion for having displaced so much oxygen from (y)our smallish living room and blocking the view of the white wall....conviction in your delivery, and eye contact are very important......oh, and MOST important that you recognize that NOTHING should take away ANY amount of attention you might, no SHOULD be devoting to your beloved (no, not your DOG!! Man, get with it!!!). Oh well. Nicely done! I'm not a big fan of the SS, so that's the only thing I'd change, but that's just a matter of taste. I like the simplicity and excellence of how you've set it up. Don't undersell yourself there - you've got a nice little system that looks like a 'contender' to me! Bet it sounds great.
