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Budget, size (bookshelf, tower)?

Odonata: Nice rig ya got there.

Same setup since 1970, Marrantz 2270 and JBL 4310 Control Monitors. Did have a Thorens TD125 AB Mk 11 with a Shure V15 Type 111 stylus that’s now gone. As good as it got back in the day.

Thanks! It was a lot of fun cobbling it together. It's not something I would recommend to others because it can be very addictive and most people have enough common sense not to go down that rabbit hole anyway.

For me personally, it's something I really enjoy having.

The correct size for the Sansui 9500 for audio accuracy. No need in going overboard on a speaker my amp can’t use to its reasonable useful volume. I guess speakers are like engines, no replacement for displacement of cubic inches. Or air volume moved.
I’ve tried some bookshelves type setups and surround. I’m sure there are good ones out, I just haven’t found them. Can they really replace the old towers with 12” sub.
As small as one can get with all the correct sound. If the little ones today get the job done I’m good with that.
Around $500 per speaker if possible.

Wow Odonata, very awesome.

odonata



Damn, just Damn.

Originally the plan was to get a OPPO disc player, the HPA-1 headphone amp & a pair of headphones then call it quits. A simple headphone system to listen to while I worked. Then things just somehow spiraled out of control...

The plus side is it was therapeutic & I didn't go insane without much else to do in the evenings while everything was shutdown a few years ago.

Not sure what audio accuracy means but it sounds good.

In your experience, is there any difference in the sound from CDs versus vinyl LP records, as some have claimed?

Ditto!, That's impressive.

My low rent Marantz hooked up to 6 various cheap speakers. Notice the high tech cooling system to the right, because twice a week it plays from 4 to 8 hours.

I was using CDs but have bought a bluetooth device that pairs with my cell phone and hooks up the back of my Marantz with RCA jacks. I listen to just about anything I want to on a apple music service my Step Daughter added me to.


Been doing this for about 6 months. So far it's great.

This stereo is located in my "Barn" behind the house.

Yes.

Is it very much better, CCC? I ask because I have a bunch of LPs I’m not sure what to do with.

Thanks in advance for your reply!

Thanks! It’s a far cry from the first stereo I bought in ‘79 when I went off to college: A Sony 20 wpc integrated receiver, Technics turntable, Shure cartridge & Akai 8” 2-way ported bookshelf speakers. But I loved that stereo too.

When I first began playing CDs I was very intent on the comparison and, keeping in mind that the nature/quality of the stylus/cartridge on vinyl also yields differences, I found that the CD versions of the same recording had a somewhat "dry" sound in comparison to the vinyl versions. This was especially the case when using vinyls cut using the "direct to plate" technique.

The dynamic range of the CD versions seemed noticeably greater - which I liked - but (my opinion alone here) there was something about the sterility or tightness of the CD sound as compared with some resonance on vinyl. Over time, I realized that a digital format enables a much greater range of options for the tech folks producing the final product, and their choices seemed to account for much of the differences I could hear.

Having conducted or played in live ensembles most days for many years before the CD came along, my ears were highly tuned/accustomed to the "live and right here" effects produced by instruments/voices - and the CDs seemed to harden or somehow flatten those effects more than the vinyl format.

We all hear things differently, and our tastes differ as well. Just one simple listener's experience. YMMV

As others have mentioned vintage audio equipment has some value. When my brother passed away last year (cancer sucks) I inherited his stereo equipment. Yamaha, Nakamichi, Dual, JBL. Probably worth about $2,000 in total. Has not been used since the early 90s. I should probably sell it since I have no space or current inclination to use it.

Good reminder - so if anyone would like to buy two (2) Magnecord 1024 reel to reel setups - control unit separate from reel unit - large reel capable, 4 track and studio quality (that is, 1970s studio) let me know. I think I'm ready to make a good deal.

I was really into car audio when I was younger and occasionally competed in iasca sound quality competitions. We placed 2nd in the unlimited class at nationals in Phoenix in 91. I didn't have the cash to compete at that level but an older friend of mine did. We put a very nice system in his 87 Buick grand national. It had MB Quart tweets mids and mid bass front and rear and 2 dynaaudio 12s. It was powered by 7 precision power amps, one Amp per speaker pair, and had all active cross over networks.

I was sponsored by Orion and JBL at the age of 17. I was in the 100 watt and under class and could still hit 144 dB thanks to high current amps.

I do more with home now and have revel inwalls in a doby atmos arrangement in my living room on a pioneer elite receiver. My theater is RBH 7.2 arrangement with a Harmon Karon receiver. My listening room has kef uniQs.

My older brother does high end theater systems, home automation, and lighting control. He deals with stuff that's way out of my price range. I wish I still had my dad's old nakamichi rack system or his old McIntosh amps.

Bb

I believe the Sansui 9500 integrated is rated at 85 watts, so they will drive a wide variety of speakers. You should be good unless you purchase some incredibly hard to drive, inefficient, electrostatic speakers. Speaker size has little to do with its suitability for a particular receiver or integrated amplifier.

The size of the room and the sound you're looking for will dictate your speaker choice. Bookshelf speakers or studio monitors can be every bit as good, and often, considerably better than a budget tower or large speaker.

Highly sensitive horn speakers, such as Klipsch's Heritage series, can be driven very well with a low wattage tube amplifier. Your Sansui 9500 would work with a pair of Klipsch Heresys as well, which is a medium-sized floor stander, though the Heresy would break your budget - even used.

Your $1,000.00 budget (pair) is very workable, particularly if you're not averse to purchasing used speakers, which I recommend b/c you can get significantly higher quality speakers for the same money. Many will disagree with this, but personally, I would avoid anything MIC. Speakers are a highly personal choice and I'd recommend that you listen to as many as possible before making a decision.

I can make a few recommendations, that meet or beat your budget, to get you started. All from the used market and none MIC:

Small/Medium-sized Room:

Dynaudio Focus 140: A 4Ω speaker. With a bit of judicious looking you can find a pair under $1K.
Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2: 8Ω, can be found under $1K with patience. Several for sale now.
Snell KII: older design by Kevin Voecks, excellent speaker for well under $1K.
Paradigm: Many models available for under your budget, such as the Studio 40 V3.
Focal 807V: Focal makes excellent speakers.

There are many excellent tower speakers/floor to choose from as well.

I would recommend that you join an audiophile forum such as audiokarma.com or audioholics.com and post your questions. I'd also recommend researching those speakers of interest and then take a look at hifishark.com to see what is currently available in the used market. I'd also be happy to answer any questions, if I can.

Good luck.

I definitely know the feeling, though I haven't gone quite as bonkers as you have. I'm currently looking at various custom KT-88 amps for my next system, though... & then there's the Marantz 8B I want or the 7T/Model 16 system I want to put together, and the pair of Fisher 50AZ monoblocks I've got my eye on, and then the Primaluna integrated, and the custom speakers I'm accumulating parts for, and the...