Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

TL:DR -- I'm thinking about buying a bunch of stuff, this tells you what I have and have been thinking about and asks for recommendations to purchase over 12-18 months.

hi all: I'm thinking about taking a series of leaps to try and improve my sound quality and could use a bit of guidance on value for dollar and any recommendations on the order in which I ought to try and do the upgrades... because there is no way I could cut the check all at once.

**and I couldn't imagine a more fun group of people to do the journey with and from whom to gather some valuable perspectives**

I'm also not totally clear on the relative benefit of dealing with a local shop given the relative trade-off of "lines they carry" vs. recommendations (albeit presumably they carry things that marry well together...). Finally -- if I did go local (Boston), what's a reasonable discount to ask for if you are buying a lot of expensive gear and is there anyone in the Boston, Cambridge, NH area that you'd recommend?

Current: (all pretty old)
  • Sonus Faber Grand Pianos; REL III sub (I've also got an pair of equally old Concertos)
  • Pro-ject Debut Carbon, Acrylic, Ortofon Blue
  • Pioneer SC-57 amp
  • Oppo-95
  • Musical Surroundings Nova III (currently being shipped -- not old!)
  • Synology NAS (with about 55,000 tracks)
Requirements:
  • Primary Purpose: Listening to Records in my living room. Mostly Jazz and Soul. I generally try to buy the best possible recorded quality that I can find with the assumption that as I upgrade my system I'm starting from the best possible sources. These are records that I'll own forever and so I aim generally to build a collection that is a great base for any investments I make in the system. I currently own more (way more?) records than makes my wife happy and probably fewer than I would like to buy. The online deals thread and the recent wave of Blue Note goodness has been um, significant. Fortunately she's wonderful and understands that music and art are a core of joy for me. Finally I'd like to run the streamed content from the NAS (or put on a streamer) through the main audio and ideally with an interface that she might find user friendly -- though if I support Tidal or something similar I think that would do the trick.
  • Secondary: I need to drive audio from a Roku/TV in the same room -- though I'm pretty sure that I and my wife would be happy with some sort of soundbar set-up or even a set of powered LS50s. Right now, there is an old, large center channel (Sonus Faber) that she'd be delighted to never see again. Currently all is routed through the amp/speakers.
  • I've a roof deck and a set of speakers (Boston Acoustic) on that roof. Ideally I need to drive those and access streaming music from the NAS (or streamer, amp, etc?)
  • Without getting too far off into describing "sound" -- I love and treasure the sense of space that comes with well recorded and played music. Mid-range; acoustic; horns; piano; vocal. That richness, tone, depth, and clarity is everything. Touchstone albums for me range from Son House to Belafonte at Carnegie (AP); Al Green Call Me (either Speakers or VMP... I guess I ended up with both); Kenny Drew, Undercurrent and Burrell Midnight Blue (MMJ); Van Morrison, Astral... though I think Common One is criminally under-rated. Durand Jones and well... Colemine; Lightnin' Hopkins...and Spoon, Moe Tucker, VU, etc..
  • I've a sibling that has a cost no object system that's grounded in B&W 800 Diamonds; Classe monoblocks, etc. that I find impressive but also a little brittle and hard (within a broad definition of awesome, powerful, etc). His sources are all digital -- but the system also just seems overly precise in sound though I'm not sure how much of that is the source vs. the stack.
Desired State:
  1. Unify streaming and the turntable through a single amp and speakers. If possible, the TV as well. It would be nice to add Tidal, Quboz or similar.
  2. Run the 2-channel set up on the roof with access to streaming from the NAS or streamer -- at the same time as the in-house system with potentially different content
  3. Ideally the streamer could run Roon or through something equally user friendly so that my wife can get some value from the money I'm spending....
  4. Make the upgrades over the next 12-18 months in incremental chunks, buying the best value that I can get for a given component within the context of the system. I'm at the point in my life where in all likelihood this is what I'll be living with for the next 10-15 years (outside of the digital pieces) and well, I'd like it to be a great as it can be -- heck it might be the last stuff I buy. My current speakers are 17 years old? (yikes I'm old...)
Limitations:
  • ummm... Money?
  • Space: I live in a brownstone in Boston so each floor is 800 SQ FT. The listening area is the LR/Kitchen/Dining that is open plan. 20x35 (ish) with sloping ceiling that goes from 9'-11.5'. With lots of wood, brick, marble in the kitchen; more wood; shelves with records and books; couches, etc.
Things I've thought a lot about:
  1. Devore Fidelity O/96 (these might be just a dream at what they cost, but I could be willing to do it -- and I worry that they are too big for the room. Buying these would force the biggest stagger in everything else...My wife is not at all a fan of the way they look, but is somewhat resigned)
  2. Harbeth 30.2 (my wife really, really hates the way the stands look... and well, isn't a huge fan of the way the speakers look.... closer in price but ain't cheap)
  3. Other speakers I should think about?
  4. Palmer 2.5 (there's really no way I can afford this... I almost pulled the trigger on a used listing at $8K, but got concerned on that expensive of gear without any reference..and being that it would be way outside my budget....and the fact my wife might have killed me... but if it helps to know what I day dream about there is something about the very manual, birchwood, simplicity of the whole thing that is really beautiful to me)
  5. ClearAudio; Rega; Friekert; Pear? I could really use some guidance. I struggle with the aesthetics of the VPI gear. Target price is $2-5K though I could find myself down a path here....
  6. Elekit TU-8600r (I think I can have someone I trust build one... I don't have the skills or time) -- assuming this would mean I need a pre-amp, and I'm not sure if stock options that would be supported by someone would make a lot more sense over the long term.
  7. Cambridge Edge -- the reviews seem universally positive -- is an integrated just going to be simpler?
  8. Benchmark AHB2 (maybe add the DAC?) -- do you soften this with a tube pre-amp?
  9. PASS XA-25
  10. How the heck do I choose a pre-amp to match an amp without auditioning a ton of items
  11. PrimaLogue something? That stack seems to be really popular in the old forum
  12. Cost effective digital to get music from the NAS... Streamer, DAC, combo
  13. Where do you put the most dollars for return?
With all of these questions... am I better off biting the bullet and going to a local? I just feel like I'm going to get jammed into whatever is their current stack.

I'd love any perspectives. I think I can currently budget Speakers, AMP -- or Turntable and AMP -- It would be really hard (really, really, really) hard to try and figure out doing all three without causing great stress in the home and being a little irresponsible. There is no possible way that I could buy the O/96 and anything else for a year....

I'd love feedback from the forum -- thanks all.
 
Dylanfan253 said:
Think I’m going to pull the trigger on the speakers soon in that case and wait on the amp. When I do purchase a stereo amp @Joe Mac I was thinking the easiest way to integrate it into my setup by simply running two sets of speaker cables to the left and right channels so when I am using them for home theater I use my avr and when I’m listening to music I use the stereo amp. This gets me around the switch box we had talked about in the past since my music setup and home theater are one.
Click to expand...

I have absolutely no idea. Instinctively it sounds like a terrible idea and I can’t imagine that you’re doing the “off” amp any good by feeding current back to it the wrong way and also there is a reason those switches exist. That said I’m going to have to drop out here. Maybe @HiFi Guy or one of the other fellas can give you a better idea?
 
Joe Mac said:
I have absolutely no idea. Instinctively it sounds like a terrible idea and I can’t imagine that you’re doing the “off” amp any good by feeding current back to it the wrong way and also there is a reason those switches exist. That said I’m going to have to drop out here. Maybe @HiFi Guy or one of the other fellas can give you a better idea?
Click to expand...

Did I not get it? I thought he was going to have two amps and just connect the speaker wires for the main speakers to whichever amp he was using,
 
HiFi Guy said:
Did I not get it? I thought he was going to have two amps and just connect the speaker wires for the main speakers to whichever amp he was using,
Click to expand...

Oh I thought he was getting two sets of wires and connecting both to the speakers all the time and just letting the amp that was on power them? I am very hungover today so maybe my grasp of detail wasn’t quite right...
 
HuddieLedbetter said:
TL:DR -- I'm thinking about buying a bunch of stuff, this tells you what I have and have been thinking about and asks for recommendations to purchase over 12-18 months.

hi all: I'm thinking about taking a series of leaps to try and improve my sound quality and could use a bit of guidance on value for dollar and any recommendations on the order in which I ought to try and do the upgrades... because there is no way I could cut the check all at once.

**and I couldn't imagine a more fun group of people to do the journey with and from whom to gather some valuable perspectives**

I'm also not totally clear on the relative benefit of dealing with a local shop given the relative trade-off of "lines they carry" vs. recommendations (albeit presumably they carry things that marry well together...). Finally -- if I did go local (Boston), what's a reasonable discount to ask for if you are buying a lot of expensive gear and is there anyone in the Boston, Cambridge, NH area that you'd recommend?

Current: (all pretty old)
  • Sonus Faber Grand Pianos; REL III sub (I've also got an pair of equally old Concertos)
  • Pro-ject Debut Carbon, Acrylic, Ortofon Blue
  • Pioneer SC-57 amp
  • Oppo-95
  • Musical Surroundings Nova III (currently being shipped -- not old!)
  • Synology NAS (with about 55,000 tracks)
Requirements:
  • Primary Purpose: Listening to Records in my living room. Mostly Jazz and Soul. I generally try to buy the best possible recorded quality that I can find with the assumption that as I upgrade my system I'm starting from the best possible sources. These are records that I'll own forever and so I aim generally to build a collection that is a great base for any investments I make in the system. I currently own more (way more?) records than makes my wife happy and probably fewer than I would like to buy. The online deals thread and the recent wave of Blue Note goodness has been um, significant. Fortunately she's wonderful and understands that music and art are a core of joy for me. Finally I'd like to run the streamed content from the NAS (or put on a streamer) through the main audio and ideally with an interface that she might find user friendly -- though if I support Tidal or something similar I think that would do the trick.
  • Secondary: I need to drive audio from a Roku/TV in the same room -- though I'm pretty sure that I and my wife would be happy with some sort of soundbar set-up or even a set of powered LS50s. Right now, there is an old, large center channel (Sonus Faber) that she'd be delighted to never see again. Currently all is routed through the amp/speakers.
  • I've a roof deck and a set of speakers (Boston Acoustic) on that roof. Ideally I need to drive those and access streaming music from the NAS (or streamer, amp, etc?)
  • Without getting too far off into describing "sound" -- I love and treasure the sense of space that comes with well recorded and played music. Mid-range; acoustic; horns; piano; vocal. That richness, tone, depth, and clarity is everything. Touchstone albums for me range from Son House to Belafonte at Carnegie (AP); Al Green Call Me (either Speakers or VMP... I guess I ended up with both); Kenny Drew, Undercurrent and Burrell Midnight Blue (MMJ); Van Morrison, Astral... though I think Common One is criminally under-rated. Durand Jones and well... Colemine; Lightnin' Hopkins...and Spoon, Moe Tucker, VU, etc..
  • I've a sibling that has a cost no object system that's grounded in B&W 800 Diamonds; Classe monoblocks, etc. that I find impressive but also a little brittle and hard (within a broad definition of awesome, powerful, etc). His sources are all digital -- but the system also just seems overly precise in sound though I'm not sure how much of that is the source vs. the stack.
Desired State:
  1. Unify streaming and the turntable through a single amp and speakers. If possible, the TV as well. It would be nice to add Tidal, Quboz or similar.
  2. Run the 2-channel set up on the roof with access to streaming from the NAS or streamer -- at the same time as the in-house system with potentially different content
  3. Ideally the streamer could run Roon or through something equally user friendly so that my wife can get some value from the money I'm spending....
  4. Make the upgrades over the next 12-18 months in incremental chunks, buying the best value that I can get for a given component within the context of the system. I'm at the point in my life where in all likelihood this is what I'll be living with for the next 10-15 years (outside of the digital pieces) and well, I'd like it to be a great as it can be -- heck it might be the last stuff I buy. My current speakers are 17 years old? (yikes I'm old...)
Limitations:
  • ummm... Money?
  • Space: I live in a brownstone in Boston so each floor is 800 SQ FT. The listening area is the LR/Kitchen/Dining that is open plan. 20x35 (ish) with sloping ceiling that goes from 9'-11.5'. With lots of wood, brick, marble in the kitchen; more wood; shelves with records and books; couches, etc.
Things I've thought a lot about:
  1. Devore Fidelity O/96 (these might be just a dream at what they cost, but I could be willing to do it -- and I worry that they are too big for the room. Buying these would force the biggest stagger in everything else...My wife is not at all a fan of the way they look, but is somewhat resigned)
  2. Harbeth 30.2 (my wife really, really hates the way the stands look... and well, isn't a huge fan of the way the speakers look.... closer in price but ain't cheap)
  3. Other speakers I should think about?
  4. Palmer 2.5 (there's really no way I can afford this... I almost pulled the trigger on a used listing at $8K, but got concerned on that expensive of gear without any reference..and being that it would be way outside my budget....and the fact my wife might have killed me... but if it helps to know what I day dream about there is something about the very manual, birchwood, simplicity of the whole thing that is really beautiful to me)
  5. ClearAudio; Rega; Friekert; Pear? I could really use some guidance. I struggle with the aesthetics of the VPI gear. Target price is $2-5K though I could find myself down a path here....
  6. Elekit TU-8600r (I think I can have someone I trust build one... I don't have the skills or time) -- assuming this would mean I need a pre-amp, and I'm not sure if stock options that would be supported by someone would make a lot more sense over the long term.
  7. Cambridge Edge -- the reviews seem universally positive -- is an integrated just going to be simpler?
  8. Benchmark AHB2 (maybe add the DAC?) -- do you soften this with a tube pre-amp?
  9. PASS XA-25
  10. How the heck do I choose a pre-amp to match an amp without auditioning a ton of items
  11. PrimaLogue something? That stack seems to be really popular in the old forum
  12. Cost effective digital to get music from the NAS... Streamer, DAC, combo
  13. Where do you put the most dollars for return?
With all of these questions... am I better off biting the bullet and going to a local? I just feel like I'm going to get jammed into whatever is their current stack.

I'd love any perspectives. I think I can currently budget Speakers, AMP -- or Turntable and AMP -- It would be really hard (really, really, really) hard to try and figure out doing all three without causing great stress in the home and being a little irresponsible. There is no possible way that I could buy the O/96 and anything else for a year....

I'd love feedback from the forum -- thanks all.
Click to expand...

3. Does your wife like the way these look? Many finishes are available. Starting at $2600/pair.

IMG_3055.JPG

6. I could also build it for you. You might need the preamp too or at least an input switcher.

7. I wouldn't touch Cambridge Audio with a ten foot pole. They use low quality internal parts, especially in the power supply.

Pass Labs is also a good move.

You asked about PrimaLuna- @AnthonyI and I both have the DiaLogue HP Premium Integrated. We really like it. The EVO 300 or 400 may be a better move for you as they have tape out jacks. You can connect an amplifier to these and run your auxiliary speakers.
 
Last edited:
HuddieLedbetter said:
TL:DR -- I'm thinking about buying a bunch of stuff, this tells you what I have and have been thinking about and asks for recommendations to purchase over 12-18 months.

hi all: I'm thinking about taking a series of leaps to try and improve my sound quality and could use a bit of guidance on value for dollar and any recommendations on the order in which I ought to try and do the upgrades... because there is no way I could cut the check all at once.

**and I couldn't imagine a more fun group of people to do the journey with and from whom to gather some valuable perspectives**

I'm also not totally clear on the relative benefit of dealing with a local shop given the relative trade-off of "lines they carry" vs. recommendations (albeit presumably they carry things that marry well together...). Finally -- if I did go local (Boston), what's a reasonable discount to ask for if you are buying a lot of expensive gear and is there anyone in the Boston, Cambridge, NH area that you'd recommend?

Current: (all pretty old)
  • Sonus Faber Grand Pianos; REL III sub (I've also got an pair of equally old Concertos)
  • Pro-ject Debut Carbon, Acrylic, Ortofon Blue
  • Pioneer SC-57 amp
  • Oppo-95
  • Musical Surroundings Nova III (currently being shipped -- not old!)
  • Synology NAS (with about 55,000 tracks)
Requirements:
  • Primary Purpose: Listening to Records in my living room. Mostly Jazz and Soul. I generally try to buy the best possible recorded quality that I can find with the assumption that as I upgrade my system I'm starting from the best possible sources. These are records that I'll own forever and so I aim generally to build a collection that is a great base for any investments I make in the system. I currently own more (way more?) records than makes my wife happy and probably fewer than I would like to buy. The online deals thread and the recent wave of Blue Note goodness has been um, significant. Fortunately she's wonderful and understands that music and art are a core of joy for me. Finally I'd like to run the streamed content from the NAS (or put on a streamer) through the main audio and ideally with an interface that she might find user friendly -- though if I support Tidal or something similar I think that would do the trick.
  • Secondary: I need to drive audio from a Roku/TV in the same room -- though I'm pretty sure that I and my wife would be happy with some sort of soundbar set-up or even a set of powered LS50s. Right now, there is an old, large center channel (Sonus Faber) that she'd be delighted to never see again. Currently all is routed through the amp/speakers.
  • I've a roof deck and a set of speakers (Boston Acoustic) on that roof. Ideally I need to drive those and access streaming music from the NAS (or streamer, amp, etc?)
  • Without getting too far off into describing "sound" -- I love and treasure the sense of space that comes with well recorded and played music. Mid-range; acoustic; horns; piano; vocal. That richness, tone, depth, and clarity is everything. Touchstone albums for me range from Son House to Belafonte at Carnegie (AP); Al Green Call Me (either Speakers or VMP... I guess I ended up with both); Kenny Drew, Undercurrent and Burrell Midnight Blue (MMJ); Van Morrison, Astral... though I think Common One is criminally under-rated. Durand Jones and well... Colemine; Lightnin' Hopkins...and Spoon, Moe Tucker, VU, etc..
  • I've a sibling that has a cost no object system that's grounded in B&W 800 Diamonds; Classe monoblocks, etc. that I find impressive but also a little brittle and hard (within a broad definition of awesome, powerful, etc). His sources are all digital -- but the system also just seems overly precise in sound though I'm not sure how much of that is the source vs. the stack.
Desired State:
  1. Unify streaming and the turntable through a single amp and speakers. If possible, the TV as well. It would be nice to add Tidal, Quboz or similar.
  2. Run the 2-channel set up on the roof with access to streaming from the NAS or streamer -- at the same time as the in-house system with potentially different content
  3. Ideally the streamer could run Roon or through something equally user friendly so that my wife can get some value from the money I'm spending....
  4. Make the upgrades over the next 12-18 months in incremental chunks, buying the best value that I can get for a given component within the context of the system. I'm at the point in my life where in all likelihood this is what I'll be living with for the next 10-15 years (outside of the digital pieces) and well, I'd like it to be a great as it can be -- heck it might be the last stuff I buy. My current speakers are 17 years old? (yikes I'm old...)
Limitations:
  • ummm... Money?
  • Space: I live in a brownstone in Boston so each floor is 800 SQ FT. The listening area is the LR/Kitchen/Dining that is open plan. 20x35 (ish) with sloping ceiling that goes from 9'-11.5'. With lots of wood, brick, marble in the kitchen; more wood; shelves with records and books; couches, etc.
Things I've thought a lot about:
  1. Devore Fidelity O/96 (these might be just a dream at what they cost, but I could be willing to do it -- and I worry that they are too big for the room. Buying these would force the biggest stagger in everything else...My wife is not at all a fan of the way they look, but is somewhat resigned)
  2. Harbeth 30.2 (my wife really, really hates the way the stands look... and well, isn't a huge fan of the way the speakers look.... closer in price but ain't cheap)
  3. Other speakers I should think about?
  4. Palmer 2.5 (there's really no way I can afford this... I almost pulled the trigger on a used listing at $8K, but got concerned on that expensive of gear without any reference..and being that it would be way outside my budget....and the fact my wife might have killed me... but if it helps to know what I day dream about there is something about the very manual, birchwood, simplicity of the whole thing that is really beautiful to me)
  5. ClearAudio; Rega; Friekert; Pear? I could really use some guidance. I struggle with the aesthetics of the VPI gear. Target price is $2-5K though I could find myself down a path here....
  6. Elekit TU-8600r (I think I can have someone I trust build one... I don't have the skills or time) -- assuming this would mean I need a pre-amp, and I'm not sure if stock options that would be supported by someone would make a lot more sense over the long term.
  7. Cambridge Edge -- the reviews seem universally positive -- is an integrated just going to be simpler?
  8. Benchmark AHB2 (maybe add the DAC?) -- do you soften this with a tube pre-amp?
  9. PASS XA-25
  10. How the heck do I choose a pre-amp to match an amp without auditioning a ton of items
  11. PrimaLogue something? That stack seems to be really popular in the old forum
  12. Cost effective digital to get music from the NAS... Streamer, DAC, combo
  13. Where do you put the most dollars for return?
With all of these questions... am I better off biting the bullet and going to a local? I just feel like I'm going to get jammed into whatever is their current stack.

I'd love any perspectives. I think I can currently budget Speakers, AMP -- or Turntable and AMP -- It would be really hard (really, really, really) hard to try and figure out doing all three without causing great stress in the home and being a little irresponsible. There is no possible way that I could buy the O/96 and anything else for a year....

I'd love feedback from the forum -- thanks all.
Click to expand...

If you are keeping the table I can confirm that mine is playing very nicely with the Grado Gold if you fancy switching up the tone.
 
HiFi Guy said:
I would caution against it. Four ohm speakers require twice the current of 8 ohm speakers. You could cause blown fuses or at worst, damage to your receiver.

You can use 8 ohm speakers with an amplifier rated below 4 ohms without a problem. When an amplifier is rated to 4 ohms or below, it indicates a superior power supply design as compared to something that's only rated for 8 ohms.

What receiver do you have?
Click to expand...
It’s a Harmon Kardon HK 3700 and I have cerwin Vega RE 30’s
There doesn’t seem to be any options for a 2 channel 4 ohm receiver, I looked at the Onkyo TX 8140 as well but that’s 8 ohm also.
I’m not much of an equipment guy, but am open to buying a device to power the speakers if theres a reasonable option,
 
Igbid said:
It’s a Harmon Kardon HK 3700 and I have cerwin Vega RE 30’s
There doesn’t seem to be any options for a 2 channel 4 ohm receiver, I looked at the Onkyo TX 8140 as well but that’s 8 ohm also.
I’m not much of an equipment guy, but am open to buying a device to power the speakers if theres a reasonable option,
Click to expand...

The Onkyo TX-8020 is rated for 4 ohms.
 
HiFi Guy said:
3. Does your wife like the way these look? Many finishes are available. Starting at $2600/pair.

View attachment 2765

6. I could also build it for you. You might need the preamp too or at least an input switcher.

7. I wouldn't touch Cambridge Audio with a ten foot pole. They use low quality internal parts, especially in the power supply.

Pass Labs is also a good move.

You asked about PrimaLuna- @AnthonyI and I both have the DiaLogue HP Premium Integrated. We really like it. The EVO 300 or 400 may be a better move for you as they have tape out jacks. You can connect an amplifier to these and run your auxiliary speakers.
Click to expand...

3. Those looks pretty great -- I'm guessing those are the Zu Audio? (from both the logo... and then your details... yes, I'm that bright...) I didn't know they were that cost effective. That's pretty awesome and I'll start doing the research

6. I'd be curious on your take on the PrimaLuna vs. the kit -- while I'm guessing at least 80% of the answer is in what you personally own, I'm curious on if you have the capabilities, why not go that route? I'll admit that the ideas of things like the Airtight are amazing to me and the few tube systems I've heard feel "right" to me so I've found myself wondering if that bridges the gap (I've never heard the PrimaLuna and the break-even in buying a finished product seems close.... unless the end result is truly a step forward with a kit)

7. Thanks for the notes on Cambridge Audio -- I'm always a little concerned when an item from a brand that is slightly more associated with volume has their "elite" version. (note, I recognize I own the pioneer... there's a story there that goes with when the apartment was being gutted and well, money) It always feels analogous to buying the most expensive house in the neighborhood during a peak real estate market
 
HuddieLedbetter said:
3. Those looks pretty great -- I'm guessing those are the Zu Audio? (from both the logo... and then your details... yes, I'm that bright...) I didn't know they were that cost effective. That's pretty awesome and I'll start doing the research

6. I'd be curious on your take on the PrimaLuna vs. the kit -- while I'm guessing at least 80% of the answer is in what you personally own, I'm curious on if you have the capabilities, why not go that route? I'll admit that the ideas of things like the Airtight are amazing to me and the few tube systems I've heard feel "right" to me so I've found myself wondering if that bridges the gap (I've never heard the PrimaLuna and the break-even in buying a finished product seems close.... unless the end result is truly a step forward with a kit)

7. Thanks for the notes on Cambridge Audio -- I'm always a little concerned when an item from a brand that is slightly more associated with volume has their "elite" version. (note, I recognize I own the pioneer... there's a story there that goes with when the apartment was being gutted and well, money) It always feels analogous to buying the most expensive house in the neighborhood during a peak real estate market
Click to expand...

There's not much info out there on the Souls. There is a video out there that states the Zus are bright. Nothing is farther from the truth. I suspect either bright electronics or improper setup.

The kit vs the PrimaLuna- apples and oranges. The PrimaLuna is a 70 watt per channel push pull ultralinear amplifier. The Ekekit is a low powered single ended triode amplifier. These amplifiers will sound totally different from one another. Neither presentation is right or wrong.

Nothing wrong with a low powered amp when paired to the right speakers (DeVore and Zu qualify). More power will allow for increased dynamics though.

Another amplifier that I can highly recommend would be the Manley Labs Stingray II. While the PrimaLuna has ultralinear/triode switching for two different presentations, the difference is minor. Not so with the Stingray- both modes sound quite different, so it bridges the gap between the PrimaLuna and the Ekekit.
 
AnthonyI said:
This isn't meant as being snarky or sarcastic, but why do you think you need more power? :unsure:

I went from 150w to 70w, as a point of reference.
Click to expand...
I have no clue about it, I just want it to be loud and clean sound, also with a $119 price tag on that unit I guess I’m assuming low quality knowing you typically get what you pay for
 
Igbid said:
I have no clue about it, I just want it to be loud and clean sound, also with a $119 price tag on that unit I guess I’m assuming low quality knowing you typically get what you pay for
Click to expand...
Yes and no, trust me, I get where your coming from, but there is a lot of "Bang for your buck" in this hobby. Are there "better" options, yes, but it boils down to budget. But I implore you not to look at only numbers, be it power or price, they don't always tell the full story. I don't know if I missed it, but what's your budget??
 
AnthonyI said:
Yes and no, trust me, I get where your coming from, but there is a lot of "Bang for your buck" in this hobby. Are there "better" options, yes, but it boils down to budget. But I implore you not to look at only numbers, be it power or price, they don't always tell the full story. I don't know if I missed it, but what's your budget??
Click to expand...
I’d like to stay in the $200-400 range
 
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