I'm trying to put together a modest bookshelf system for my apartment and am overwhelmed with all the options out there.
What I need: bookshelf speakers and a solution for the source and amplification.
I have a macbook pro and use itunes with mostly apple lossless music. the music is stored on an external USB HDD that is plugged into my apple base station via a USB hub. so it's currently wireless...
I'm not rich, so want to keep the speakers, ideally, below ~$600 for the pair.
and the amplification should be roughly the same price. integrated? or perhaps the nad l53 which would give me a digital input to bypass the macbook pro's headphone amp and DAC.
i've checked many integrated amps and this seems to be the easiest solution by using a mini to RCA with a possible upgrade to a seperate DAC on down the road so i can completely bypass the mac's DAC and use the digital SPDIF it has.
Well first things first: the source. The Macbook can certainly be a respectable source using the lossless files; however, as you guessed, its analog output is a bit less than audiophile grade. It will more than likely hold back the performance of an otherwise high-performance system. Using its digital output to an inexpensive external DAC or receiver like the aforementioned NAD would definitely give reasonable performance on the source side of things. If cost is a big factor for you, along with space, the NAD would be high on my list of things to audition.
As far as amplification goes, it relies quite a bit upon what you do in the first part of my response.
As far as speakers go, it relies quite a bit upon what you do for amplification, and therefore upon what you do with the source.
In short, hit up a few dealers, sample their wares, and see what kind of systems they can put together for you at the given price.
I live in Manhattan (NYC) so I've quite a few options. I've been to two places thus far and one left me feeling like I should save for a few years(innovative audio/video) and the other I would not visit again(sound by singer)
Innovative audio/video was amazing and I want some Wilson Watt Puppy's with Naim's top of the line driving them.
I've not gone for bookshelf speakers yet - I was planning on next week but was hoping to get some suggestions here on what to look for so I can narrow the choices of stores I visit.
by the way, I listen to all genres and want fun, engaging, musical speakers (dont we all) and not reference analytical.
I went to sound city yesterday and left very unimpressed. the listening room is terrible. you can't sit. the speakers aren't setup nicely and they are not at the right height. plus the source and amp were pretty lame for half of them.
i listened to the paradigm line and NHT. my current audioengine speakers sound a lot better than the paradigms - even their higher end reference line. I did like the NHT but feel they are not worth the upgrade price.
after that I hit stereo exchange and listened to Totem's hooked up with very high end cables, amp, source, etc. the Totem's sounded great, but they were unwilling to hook a cd player up to them (they had a mac mini and a wavelength cosecant DAC to a mcintosh amp - why i couldn't put the cd in the mac mini was beyond me) plus the speakers are 5 thousand dollars;) the sales person was arrogant and clearly thought he had something better to do.
i also heard the 805 bookshelf speakers by B&W. these sounded great and I could live with them.
I bought an E-MU 0404 USB for digital out from my macbook pro for now. the combo sounds better than anything soundcity had to offer and I simply can't afford something, it seems, that will offer a noticeable difference - and cure my upgraditis.
Clearly the audioengine USA speakers are of a higher quality than I thought compared to other bookshelf speakers.
If you can, make a trip up to Mount Kisco in Westchester. Check out Accent on Music. While not exactly a cheap store, they have some great stuff for the money. Roughly judging your budget, you could try out a Rega Mira 3 or Brio 3 integrated amp and Rega R1 speakers. They're an awsome combo, but not everyone's cup of tea. Rega gear sound similar to Naim gear, but not on the same level. If its at all possible to make the trip, you should make this shop a priority. Great gear, service, and people running the show. Call them at (914) 242-0747. They don't always have everything on the floor due to loaning out gear for in home auditions. They also try to personally install everything they sell, and therefore can be a bit difficult to pin down. If you're walking in unannounced, your best bet is late morning/early afternoon on Saturday. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, just a very happy and loyal customer.
Harvey's has some good stuff for the money as well. There's a couple in the NYC area. But as with any chain (I hate to call it this, but it is what it is) what they have on display varies somewhat between stores, and salesman quality can also.