My wife wants her own 2-channel system

[Early B.]

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

My wife wants me to set up her own 2-channel system in the living room. She's still bent out of shape at me when I moved the system to the den about three years ago. She doesn't touch my 2-channel system because it's too complicated.:D She wants to press a single button to play music.

Anyway, a pair of monitor speakers will be my Valentine's present to her. I'll have to slowly build the other parts of the system. Right now I'm thinking a tube integrated amp and CDP. I have a Jolida 202 int. amp that I'm borrowing from a co-worker. I can probably use it for several months until he buys a house. For a source, I'm considering using our Tosh HD-DVD player and replacing it with a Blu-ray player. (I plan to upgrade my HT pre/pro sometime this spring or summer).

Obviously, I'm less concerned about building a high fidelity system. She'll be happy with whatever components I decide, as long as it's easy to operate. She likes tubes, though, because they're pretty. So I want to spend as little money as possible, but at the same time, I can't have a POS system.

Any ideas are welcomed. Thanks.

[Early B.]

Just thought of something --

How about a computer rig? Would that be too expensive?? I'm thinking one of those $300 little laptops and a Squeezebox. What else would I need?

Compare this to my budget for a traditional rig:

integrated amp = $500
Blu-ray player = $300
Speaker cables = $100
ICs = $100

Total = $1,000

Thanks.

[miner]

There are now avaialble the all-in-one tube rigs (CDP, int. amp, iPod dock). Check our musicDirect for various models.

[Willow]

I've been eyeing the squeezebox for our 2ch. But as much as you wnt to give her good stuff, just remember to keep it simple. I don't how good those little laptops are. But very cool she's into that !

[SolidSqual]

Get a Peachtree Decco or Nova. Either is amazing. It's tubed. It's simple. It can accomodate any connection. I have the Nova in my bedroom with a pair of Lsi7s and its great.

[rayslifecycle]

That Decco looks awesome!

[danger boy]

Just a thought... no offense meant towards anyone.

why do some women like your complicated system to be easy one button turns on everything and she can hear music???

When she can turn around and spend 5 hours in the mall looking for the "right" pair of shoes.. or the "right" dress for next weeks office party... is that a simple one button task? :p

[cfrizz]

Brad, would you give yourself a computer rig? Don't put something together for her that you yourself would never use.

I'm sure you can put together a nice simple system that will sound great, look good & still be simple.

TRUST ME, SHE WILL NOTICE! And more importantly, she may well hear the difference.

So give this a bit more thought & try to put yourself in her head. ie: What would you put together for you for simplicity but great sound.

Just thought of something --

How about a computer rig? Would that be too expensive?? I'm thinking one of those $300 little laptops and a Squeezebox. What else would I need?

Compare this to my budget for a traditional rig:

integrated amp = $500
Blu-ray player = $300
Speaker cables = $100
ICs = $100

Total = $1,000

Thanks.

[megasat16]

Early, Do I HEAR "BOSE"?

[Early B.]

Brad, would you give yourself a computer rig? Don't put something together for her that you yourself would never use.

I'm sure you can put together a nice simple system that will sound great, look good & still be simple.

TRUST ME, SHE WILL NOTICE! And more importantly, she may well hear the difference.

So give this a bit more thought & try to put yourself in her head. ie: What would you put together for you for simplicity but great sound.

I understand and appreciate what you're saying.

Let's put it this way -- my wife bought a cute $100 mini-boombox and placed it in the living room, put it on a pedestal, added some decorations around it, and she's happy with the sound.

Second, I'd love to have a laptop computer rig as a second system, even though I probably wouldn't use it much. Plus, I'd like to have access to a laptop downstairs, and I don't currently own a laptop (I've had my eye on one of those little laptops for a while), so it would serve multiple functions.

Third, don't worry -- I'm gonna build a decent system because it's gotta be to a certain high standard. I guarantee it'll sound better than 98% of the systems out there. I don't doubt for a moment that computer rigs can sound very good, but I'm ol' school -- I don't want one for a main rig. I prefer physical CDs. But as a second rig, hell yeah.

Fourth -- trust me on this one: my wife is far more interested in how the system looks than how it sounds. She has already picked out the pretty speakers she wants, and I'll accommodate her, even though it's not what I would buy. And to be honest, I doubt she'll use it more than a few times a year.

[haimoc]

I recommend this portable player with built-in sub... Very nice sound...

SoundWorks i765
http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...ing_radio_i765

[fossy]

I recommend this portable player with built-in sub... Very nice sound...

SoundWorks i765
http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...ing_radio_i765

WTH it's got a built in sub !!!!!! good price --- that would make a nice gift .....

[Music Joe]

My wife is absolutely thrilled with her iPod Touch 2G and powered laptop speakers...previously she was just fine with FM from a shelf system even though I always offer the main system which she know how to operate. We've got Squeezebox systems too...yet the IPod Touch has her downloading music, making playlists, raiding the server for music...really enjoying music again.

I was hanging a DiscKeeper record rack on the wall and she strolls up and comments...
"you think that's level?"
"I think so"
"let's see"
She puts the iPod, which has a carpenters level program running...the bubble moves slowly to center.
"ok that looks good...good work" as she walks away she turns...smiles.
How sweet is that...I love her:)

iPod Touch 2G with Audioengine A5 would be a sweet Valentine.
For me however...my fingers are too big & clumsy for the screen.

[Early B.]

Get a Peachtree Decco or Nova. Either is amazing. It's tubed. It's simple. It can accomodate any connection. I have the Nova in my bedroom with a pair of Lsi7s and its great.

I like the Peachtree stuff. Thanks.

Another less costly option I'm considering is to eventually rotate out the HT pre/pro along with the HD-DVD player. By doing so, my wife can use the HT pre/pro as a preamp, and I'd replace the HD-DVD player with a Blu-ray player and buy her a 2-channel amp. It's an inexpensive option, but the pre/pro and HD-DVD combo actually sounds very good with CDs.

Or another option is to buy one of those HK 2-channel receivers. Yeah, those sound good and look nice, too. I used to own one.

[Marty913]

Just thought of something --

How about a computer rig? Would that be too expensive?? I'm thinking one of those $300 little laptops and a Squeezebox. What else would I need?
Thanks.

Actually this isn't a bad idea regardless of what else you put with it. I'm using a laptop I had laying around here. Bought a USB-to-Optical sound card from Turtle Beach, hooked it to the TV & pre/pro. For $30 I get wireless access to my music library of lossless tunes. Album art on the big screen, extremely easy to use MediaMonkey interface, Internet Radio, and you can plug an IPod into if you want (or just keep the iTunes library on it).

Actually having the computer to sit on the couch and surf, take road trips, etc. is a bonus.

[mantis]

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

My wife wants me to set up her own 2-channel system in the living room. She's still bent out of shape at me when I moved the system to the den about three years ago. She doesn't touch my 2-channel system because it's too complicated.:D She wants to press a single button to play music.

Anyway, a pair of monitor speakers will be my Valentine's present to her. I'll have to slowly build the other parts of the system. Right now I'm thinking a tube integrated amp and CDP. I have a Jolida 202 int. amp that I'm borrowing from a co-worker. I can probably use it for several months until he buys a house. For a source, I'm considering using our Tosh HD-DVD player and replacing it with a Blu-ray player. (I plan to upgrade my HT pre/pro sometime this spring or summer).

Obviously, I'm less concerned about building a high fidelity system. She'll be happy with whatever components I decide, as long as it's easy to operate. She likes tubes, though, because they're pretty. So I want to spend as little money as possible, but at the same time, I can't have a POS system.

Any ideas are welcomed. Thanks.

Yo I need to invite you and your wife to my house, let your wife rap with my wife so I can finally get her onboard with my habbit I mean hobby

Dan

[SolidSqual]

Man I wish all of you lived close to me. Our sig others could go off together and do there thing while we get drunk and listen to some tunes. Most everyone around me ****s when they see my rig and think of music more as background noise than an experience.

[wingnut4772]

I love my Squeezebox. It sounds good on my system.

[TheMARPATNinja7]

Early, Do I HEAR "BOSE"?

No, the high volume levels for extended periods of time must be getting to you.

[comfortablycurt]

That's awesome that your wife wants you to put together a 2-channel rig for her. The laptop rig sounds like the best idea listed here IMO. Serving dual purposes is always a good thing.

Most everyone around me ****s when they see my rig and think of music more as background noise than an experience.

I get the same quite a bit. Friends will come over...and **** a brick when they see/hear my system. Currently I don't even consider my system to be that great sounding...it's phenomenally better than it was 6 months ago, but it's not great by any means. I'm definitely ready for more upgrades.

When I start talking about how I'm looking to upgrade this...or looking to buy one of these...they just give me a dumbfounded look, and ask me why I would even need to upgrade anything. Either ya get it or ya don't I guess. I have a few friends that get it at least.

[metal83]

Man....I wish my fiancee was deeply involved with this hobby. I'd love to be able to spend her money on audio gear in conjunction with my own, now that would be sweet!!! :D

[Face]

Nice sounding rig on the cheap:

Cambridge 540A: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo...umber=CA540AV2

Cambridge 540C: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo...umber=CA540CV2

Cambridge S30: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=CAS30

If you decide to go the computer route, replace the 640C with a DacMagic: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo...mber=CADACMAGI

You'll have enough money left over for Ben's interconnects and some decent cables.

[Sami]

If you have Fry's close, keep an eye on their sales. I have seen HK3490's for a little over $100 (not refurbs either). Pair it with f.e. LSi7's and a source, good to go and I'm sure she'll be happy with both the sound and ease of use.

[Early B.]

UPDATE:

OK, here's a pic of my wife's 2-channel system. She wanted a pair of Norh drum style speakers, so that's what I bought her (Norh 6.5). I'm using a borrowed Jolida 202 integrated amp and our old laptop. My wife loves it!

Do I need anything else? Will an external sound card make a significant improvement?

Thanks.

[Sherardp]

Thats a very nice rig, first time I seen those speakers. External sound card is very well capable of adding some noticeable improvement indeed. Not sure if this is worth the coin or not but it looks interesting

http://www.soundblaster.com/products...8&listby=brand

[adam2434]

You're using the laptop's headphone output, right?

A decent USB DAC will make a huge improvement over the laptop's onboard sound.

However, the ultimate sound quality will be determined by what type of compression (file types) you're using on the computer. The best sound quality will obviously come from lossless formats (FLAC, WMA lossless, Apple lossless, etc) versus lossy formats like mp3. What file type are you using?


There are good USB DAC choices at several price points, ranging from under $100 and way up from there.

The Musical Fidelity V-DAC and Cambridge Audio DacMagic are getting good press in the $300-400 range.

However, even something inexpensive like the DACs below should be a major improvement to the computer's onboard sound. The one has a volume control, so you would only need a power amp behind it.
http://www.hotaudio.com/zen-cart/ind...roducts_id=201
http://www.hotaudio.com/zen-cart/ind...roducts_id=203

[Marty913]

Thats a very nice rig, first time I seen those speakers. External sound card is very well capable of adding some noticeable improvement indeed. Not sure if this is worth the coin or not but it looks interesting http://www.soundblaster.com/products...8&listby=brand

Yes, very nice - you did good. Here's the one I use on my 4 year old Gateway laptop. I use the optical out connection on the sound card to my processor although you can use analog. Basically, it just plugs in (USB) and uses a simple driver. I have no idea how it would compare to the Creative so won't comment on that. I will say that $$ for results it was (is) probably the best $30 I ever spent relative to before versus after sound quality. Highly recommended, especially for the simplicity & low cost and apparent extremely low load on the laptop. Might not be a bad "starting point".

http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/micro/home.aspx

[Early B.]

What about a thingee:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....rcle-Audio-USB

[cfrizz]

Well done Brad!

[hearingimpared]

UPDATE:

OK, here's a pic of my wife's 2-channel system. She wanted a pair of Norh drum style speakers, so that's what I bought her (Norh 6.5). I'm using a borrowed Jolida 202 integrated amp and our old laptop. My wife loves it!

Do I need anything else? Will an external sound card make a significant improvement?

Thanks.

Nice job EB. Your wife should really enjoy that rig. The speakers look like a 1950's TV set.;)