Spec me an entry/mid level speaker setup inc Amp/DAC/Sub etc

[Jay85]

So having owned both the Creative Soundblaster X sound bar and the Logitech G560 (currently using), i'm having doubts whether i should have just gone all out and head into the enthusiast market.

I know very little in terms of what im looking for or brands which are good/bad.

Without a budget in mind, can fellow audiophiles spec me a couple of setups? This will primarily be used either on my large desk or under it so can fit relatively large speakers without much issue.

Thanks

 

[drichardb]

If you want to have a dabble without paying big bucks you could do a lot worse than dipping into ebay/gumtree.

If you want to go 5.1 a DAC is pointless as they generally don't deal with surround sound just two channel. Using an Av-receiver you can output the sound over HDMI from your graphics card assuming its less than 10 years old.

I bought my amp second hand, its 10 years old now but going strong and some of my speakers are 20 years old and as good as the day they were new.

Speakers wise, grab 5 x Bowers and Wilkins M-1 speakers, a B&W ASW608 sub and an amp (pioneer sc-lx series, Onkyo NR7xx or better, Marantz 60xx or better. Aim for under £300 if poss). Total price should be no more than £1000. Buying new you would be looking at the fat end of £2000+ for an equivalent system.

New is bit tricky as I'm struggling to put together a package for less than £2000 with stock available.

If you just want two channel then find a pair of B&W DM601 or DM602 S3 edition and a Marantz PM6xxx / Arcam A65/A75 amp (all off ebay). Pair them with a new Audioquest Dragonfly black or Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 DAC. If you want more grunt in the low end you can also add an REL T series sub which will allow you to feed it a signal from the amps speaker terminals. I demo'd the new REL T5/x last month and the balanced input transformed the performance.

Some food for thought!