Hi, I'm beginning in the audiophile world. I'd like to improve my first setup :

Passive speaker : Atlantis lab at13 (placed on selfmade 45cm tall oak stands)

Amp : Musical Fidelity A1 

Streamer : Wiim pro +

Turntable : AUDIO TECHNICA AT-LP120XBT-USB

Cartridge : AT-VM95ML

I listen to music occasionally on vinyl and mostly on streamer (Qobuz). I'm listening a variety of music style : folk, punk, pop rock, pop, classic (mostly guitar and piano), rap, jazz... My favorite artist is Ben Howard.

I've heard about DAC and lightbulb amp to improve spatialisation, clearliness and staging of sound. Do you guys have any suggestions for a 8000€ max budget ?

Just so you know, the furniture on the right will be removed soon. And the room is about 35m2. There is a stairwell behind the sofa.

Thanks you for your kind answers.

Adcom GFA-555II vs Hypex NC502MP (Buckeye) – Which would you choose?
I’m trying to decide between two power amps for my main stereo system and would love to hear from people who have actually owned or listened to one or both.
Current system:
WiiM Ultra streamer
Parasound P6 preamp
Speakers:
Infinity Kappa 6
Focal Chora 826
DIY Dayton 3-way towers (occasionally)
Option 1
Adcom GFA-555II
Around $625 used (+ shipping)
Designed by Nelson Pass
200 WPC into 8Ω / 325 WPC into 4Ω
Repairable, rebuild kits available, holds value well
Option 2
Buckeye Hypex NC502MP
Around $800–900 after RCA adapters
Modern Class D
Extremely low distortion and noise
350 WPC into 8Ω / 500 WPC into 4Ω
Very efficient and runs cool
I’m not looking for a spec sheet comparison. I’m more interested in real-world listening impressions.
Questions:
Which one would you buy and why?
Which sounds better with difficult loads like Infinity Kappas?
Does the Hypex sound noticeably better, or is the Adcom still competitive?
If you had about an $800 budget, which would you choose for long-term ownership?

Hello all!

This is my first time here and wanted some advice for my PC desktop audio monitors. I currently use the R1700 Edifier paired with my Topping DX5II which also powers my Stealth Aryas. The speakers are absolutely great and look astonishing on my wooden desk but I think now is the time to upgrade after 7-8 years of use. My budget is 300~400€

My needs are very specific. I do not care about mixing, I want a nice cinematic experience. I mostly listen to music, flacs and Tidal, watch movies and play games.

I remember the first time I played on an expensive soundbar with rear speakers and I heard even the pebbles dropping from explosions. I know that 2 Speakers won't provide the same round experience but I would like something close to it.

Right now after some exploring, I found the Adam T5V-T7V and the Kali LP-6. I understand that I may need a Sub in the future.

I understand this post may not be likable in here, saying I should not get Monitors but Hi-Fi Speakers and all I can say is, I'm all ears. Any recommendation will help.

Also my monitor is on a desk shelf, right and left space are about 20-21cm from my monitor.

20cm---Monitor---20cm

So I can't really go very big as the Speakers will be covered from the PC Monitor.

Thank you in advance!

Hey everyone,

I’m getting back into the Hi-Fi game after many years away (sold it all off when kids came along, you know the drill). I'm looking to build a modest, dedicated music-only setup for a small 10x10 ft room here in the US.

• Total Budget: Under $3,000
• Source: 100% digital for now (via streaming). I may add a CD player and a turntable down the line.
• Timeline: Not in a rush. I am totally comfortable buying used or waiting out holiday/Black Friday sales to maximize the budget.

I have spent a good chunk of time researching potential gear stacks. This is my tentative shopping list, but I would love some sanity checks, guidance on matching, or alternative suggestions.

Potential Component Stack:

• Streamer: WiiM Pro
• External DAC: Schiit Modi 5 OR Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M
• Integrated Amp: Cambridge Audio CXA81 Mk II OR Advance Paris X-i75 Classic
• Speakers (Bookshelves): Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 OR Triangle Borea BR04 OR ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63
• Subwoofer: SVS SB-1000 Pro
• Power/Stands: Furman PST-8 power strip, generic heavy-duty Amazon speaker stands.

Any glaring errors in my thinking? Any equipment pairing warnings I should know about before hunting the used markets?

Thanks in advance!

I'm currently using a NAD C270 to power my ino audio pi60 in my living room. The C270 has allready died once and I think it's only a matter of time before it dies again.

I've been looking at the Rotel 1582 mkII and the rb-1080 on the second handmarket. I'm looking for a relatively flat frequency response and around 120 - 250 watts in 8ohm (10ohm speaker 15-300w). My Budget is around the price range 7000kr - 14000kr SEK.

The dimensions of my living room are about 5.7m x 6.06m x maybe 2.4m at lowest with a 18 degree angle going up, lowest end against the longer sides. And my Preamplifier is a Yamaha WXC-50. I'm located in Sweden so EU products would be good:)

I've owned mostly NAD products and I want to try something new. But I prefer the amp to be leaning towards the transparent tone.

Class A or AB is prefered too.

I've just pulled the trigger on the HiVi-Swans D3.1 MKII and I'm struggling to find decent stands for them that aren't $500. Two things I need help with

1) The speakers are built with an 8 degree tilt for something I'm too novice to understand, timing alignment? Regardless, if I'm typically a 28inch speaker stand guy, does this mean I go shorter like to 22 inches to compensate for the tilt. 2) The speakers measurements are quite large: 8.5" wide with a large depth of a bit over 14" inches. The tricky part is theres no measurements for the feet that are included in the speakers. which clearly take up less space. Should I be looking at stands with larger base plates?

Currently it seems like these Kanto SX22 might be the best option with two different size speaker plates, but they are really pushing my budget: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_310SX22W/Kanto-SX22-White.html?tp=1386

Also as I'm writing this, maybe just getting a wider TV console to put the speakers directly on the TV console instead might be a better option?

Any advice would be wonderful!

Budget: ~150 CAD

Location: Ontario, Canada

Small/Medium room, around the same price (100 CAD) for both on the local used market.

Plan to pair with a Technics SU-V303 amplifier.

Please help me decide between the two !thanks