Hifi 101: Practical Applications
This is a companion to my post the other day about my philosophy for building a stereo system, aka hi fi rack. I’ve broken it into tiers ranging from $500 to around $3,000. You can certainly spend way more than that on a stereo, but if you’re going to invest that kind of money you really, really ought to test the components out for yourself to see if they work for YOUR taste. $3k is also about where I feel like you start hitting the point of substantial diminishing returns. The system I recommend at $3k is basically the system that I used for a long time, and the only reason I upgraded it was that I got a really good deal on a very high-end amplifier that I’d been coveting for a while. Honestly, I’m not sure it’s much better than the recommended Peachtree, and it definitely doesn’t play as nicely with my turntable. Similarly, my turntable is a substantial price upgrade from the recommended U-Turn, but I think I might actually like U-Turn’s house sound more and at some point I may swap that back in.
Remember my basic rules of hifi!
You like what you like. The most important factor in judging an audio system is also the simplest: does it sound good, to you, in your space, and listening to the things you want to listen to? Audio nerds spend a lot of time arguing about objectivity and measurements, and that seems silly to me. Do you like the $5 headphones that came with your phone? Sweet! Enjoy! Do you want to spend $25,000 on a set of Macintosh separates? Awesome, please invite me over to listen (and maybe add me to your will?).
Used gear is your friend. Audiophiles spend a lot of time chasing the new hotness, and a lot of their gear ends up in the market used. You have to be a bit careful with used gear from Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, but a good hifi shop will have tested and potentially worked on gently used gear they’re putting out for sale, and can talk to you about it. Outside of speakers, most of my new-to-me gear has been used.
Components interact in unexpected and unpredictable ways. Even high-quality speakers may sound funny when connected to a particular amplifier or source, and it gets infinitely weirder in a separates-based system.
No system is the end-all, be-all. Everything can be upgraded. Nothing is forever. Components break, and some of them can’t be easily repaired or replaced. That’s okay. Embrace the change. Half the fun of audio is figuring out what you can swap in for a particular piece of gear and the changes that doing so can bring.
Let’s build some systems!
If you want to go with new gear vs. used, here are some recommendations that I don’t think will lead you astray.
System for ~$500
For a $500 system primarily for music, I would look to build a digital-focused system around a pair of inexpensive but reasonably good bookshelf/stand mount speakers. This means living with a source you already have, whether it’s an old discman/iPod/phone/computer/tablet/etc.
For amplification, the best deal in hifi is a cheap, decent stereo receiver from a respectable consumer-grade audio manufacturer (Yamaha, Onkyo, Sony, Denon, etc.). These companies make receivers at price points ranging from $100 to $5,000+, and because they release new models every couple of years, and because audiophiles often chase the new hotness, there are usually a lot of inexpensive receivers kicking around Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and thrift shops. BUT, if I were set on buying new, this is what I’d go with:
Speakers: Paradigm Monitor SE Atom: $300/pair. Great little standmount speakers with really good, consistent sound (especially at the price). Do pretty well on a bookshelf, and even better on dedicated speaker mounts. They are a little lacking when it comes to real bass, but at this price point there are going to be some tradeoffs.
Amplification: A stereo receiver from Yamaha or Onkyo or Denon in the $150-$200 range. Amazon usually has a number of them kicking around, and any reasonable stereo shop will have better used ones in this price range. Stick with a reputable manufacturer and you’ll be fine at this price point.
Source: anything you already have sitting around with an audio out jack, or a cheap DVD/blu-ray player from a thrift shop.
Interconnect: If your source has a standard headphone jack out, Amazon Basics 3.5 mm to RCA audio cable for $10. If your source has RCA jacks, then an Amazon Basics RCA interconnect for $10. [if your source has a digital out and your amplifier a digital in, I’d default to that.]
Speaker wire: Amazon basics 16-gauge speaker wire, 100-ft. for $17.
Upgrades:
The SE Atom punch above their weight class here, and you’re not going to get much better sound for less than $500 or so. If you want to upgrade this, I’d upgrade the receiver/amp first. I personally really love the NAD D 3020 V2 for $500, and it has a pretty good internal DAC if you want to run a digital out from your source.
Alternatively, if your amplifier has a subwoofer out jack, you can add an inexpensive subwoofer from Elac or Jamo for around $130-150, which will fill in the bottom bass.
System for ~$1000
This is the point at which you start getting to gear that I’d consider low-end audiophile. For a thousand-dollar system, I’d go with nicer speakers and a better amplifier and stick with whatever source you already have.
Digital:
Speakers: Spektor Dali 2 standmount speakers for $499. These speakers are … great. Amazing separation and clarity, and a surprisingly good low end. They’re a rare 9 out of 10 for me, both price agnostic and not.
Amplifier: NAD D 3020 V2 integrated amplifier for $500. Great little amplifier, can rest on its side for convenience and a lower footprint.
Source/interconnects/speaker wire: same as the $500 tier.
Upgrades:
I really, really love the PS Audio Sprout 100 integrated amplifier at $799 (and I got it on sale around Christmas for $550). It plays beautifully with the Dali 2s, to the point where I’m mostly listening to that combination at my desk rather than the much more expensive system in the same room.
You could also swap the NAD out for the Bluesound Powernode Edge at $650. It’s a super-integrated, with a really robust selection of wireless and wired streaming as well as an HDMI in (for use with a TV) and a convenient subwoofer jack. BlueOS is a great app, and will allow future integration with most of the streaming systems (Tidal Connect, Roon, etc.). Streaming from this device will beat most non-dedicated streaming units.
[Alternate: at this price point, you’re in the right range to get a gently used pair of Kef LSX active smart speakers (which don’t require a separate amplifer), and they’re awesome. Right up until they break.]
System for ~$1,500
At the $1,500 price point, we’re getting to the point where I’d add a dedicated source. There are really two options here, one digitally-focused and one vinyl-focused:
Digital system:
Speakers & Amplifier: Same as the $1000 system.
Amplifier& Source: Bluesound Node for $499. I have a half dozen Bluesound devices in my home, including a couple of Nodes. They’re really well built, and provide a big upgrade over most sources you’re likely to have experienced before. [The Node also has a pretty good DAC built into it, so if it were me at this point I would run RCA out from the Bluesound to the amplifier to take advantage.]
Interconnects/speaker wire: same as the $500 tier.
Vinyl system (this is the system sitting on my computer desk, minus the turntable, and I love it):
Speakers: Spektor Dali 2 standmount speakers for $499.
Amplifier: PS Audio Sprout 100 integrated amplifier for $799.
Source: U-Turn Audio Orbit Plus turntable for $269. I love this turntable. It was the first high quality one I bought for myself, and honestly I might like it’s sound better than the much more expensive Rega Planar 3 that is in my main system. Unlike many of the turntables in a lower price point, this accepts a standard cartridge which gives you a lot of upgrade options down the road if you decide to chase better sound (I’m currently using a Nagaoka MP-110 on the one in my living room and I *LOVE* that sound). [Note: this is an almost entirely manual turntable so you’ll have to pay attention and remember to lift the tone-arm when it reaches the runout track.]
Interconnects/speaker wire: same as the $500 tier.
Upgrade/alternatives:
My go-to upgrade for this tier used to be the Peachtree Nova 150 Integrated Amplifier at around $1,200, but it’s no longer in production! The next generation equivalent is the Carina 150 for $1,500, which includes a digital display but the same beautiful wood grain finish and Art Deco design.
If you want to listen to CDs, this is where you can start looking for an audiophile grade CD transport. Be warned, they get real expensive real quick. I ended up with a 1990s era Kyocera CD player that I really love that I bought for around $100, but it was a matter of spending a lot of time in used hifi shops and waiting for the right thing to pop up on consignment.
System for ~$3,000
This is the tier where you stop having to make so many tradeoffs, but you also start bumping up against diminishing returns.
Speakers: Kef LS50 Meta Standmount Speakers for $1,599/pair (and you can usually find a used pair for less than $1,000). The LS50 Meta are the current generation update to the classic LS50s that are pretty universally loved (I have a pair of the white cabinet, blue drivers in my main system and I’ve never thought about upgrading them). They’re chonky bois and will do better on speaker stands than on many bookshelves, and they do have rear-firing ports so will do better set a little farther away from walls, but do come with dampeners. These are classics for a reason.
Amplifier: Peachtree Audio Carina 150 Integrated Amplifer for $1,499. Until I upgraded to the Devialet Expert Pro 140, my main system consisted of the predecessor to this (the Nova 150) driving a pair of the original Kef LS50s and it was amazing sound.
Source: Bluesound Node or U-Turn Orbit Plus from the $1,500 tier.
Interconnects/speaker wire: same as the $500 tier.
Upgrades:
You might consider adding a subwoofer to this system, as the LS50 Metas are still standmounts, but unless you’re listening to really heavily bass-y music you probably won’t need it (full disclosure: I forgot to plug the subwoofer into my receiver when I set up my current system and it took me at least a year to notice that the lowest bass wasn’t present). Rel makes the Tzero MKIII for $500 and it’s really great, but you can also find a number of inexpensive subwoofers that will give you what you need without breaking the bank. I have a wireless Klipsch R-120 I bought at Costco on sale for less than $250 in my home theater that I really like.
If you’re using a turntable, consider upgrading your cartridge. I don’t know enough about what’s out there to have recommendations, other than to say that I noticed a substantial change for the better when I upgraded my U-turn from the cartridge that came with it to a Nagaoka MP-110. There’s a little bit of a trick to replacing cartridges and it requires an inexpensive tool to measure downward force, but there are a bunch of great Youtube videos out there to help.
There are also dozens of great amplifiers in this general tier from manufacturers like Cambridge and NAD that you might enjoy the sound profile from. This is where you need to figure out what YOU like.
So what’s next?
To me, this is the point where you start to get increasingly diminishing returns on investment. For almost anyone, I think this is a really great system. And testing at this point starts getting … expensive so we’ve crossed out of a range I can have any particular opinion on.
[Copied from the last post:]
“The dirty secret in audio is that in the end, especially as you increase the money you’ve invested, the system you build makes less difference than the place that you’re listening to it in. An oddly shaped room, too many hard surfaces, the arrangement of speakers or other furniture, where you’re sitting when you listen, can all create really challenging/different listening experiences and I’m finally to the point where I’m spending a fair amount of time and effort trying to do room correction. Look for that in a future post.”
As noted above, this is also the point where you really have to listen to stuff for yourself to see if a particular piece of equipment works for you and your ears. One way to do that is to figure out your sound preferences, and find reviewers who tend to like the things you like. For me, that’s people like John Darko (that’s his main site, also on Youtube here) and Josh Valour, who I mostly agree with on the gear I have. Steve Guttenberg also does an interesting mix of hi-and lo-fi and I enjoy his perspective on a lot of what’s going on.
And as always, go see your local hi-fi shop! They’re mostly pretty great and I’ve included a list of the ones I particularly enjoy in the PNW in this post at the end.
A quick note on house sound
Most manufacturers have a particular sound profile that they aim for when they make gear. For example, in headphones, Sennheiser is generally known for a warmer-than-average sound. Beyerdynamic is known for objectively accurate but harsh treble, and Beats really jacks up the base. This is equally true in the speaker and amplifier space. Figure out what you like, and then find the things people who also like those things recommend.
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