System recommendations - starting from scratch in NYC apartment

Might also consider the Rogue Sphinx2 to base a small system around.

 

I would recommend putting most of the money into speakers. I’m in a NYC apt and have the Harbeth P3’s - they work great in smaller spaces. Mine are close to the wall and still sound great and don’t have too much bass to bother the neighbors (my previous floor standers were a problem).

 

This might have been my suggestion! Add a Tascam CD-200, done. This assumes she's not afflicted with any sort of audiophilia ...

 

If the space is really limited, she might want to consider a Naim Mu-so for $1,500, then just stream Tidal, play USB flac files and save $1,500.

 

$2k for the naim is not bad when you consider it is a cd player, wirless streamer, internet radio tuner and amplifier with reported excellent sound quality.
add some kef ls50s and you have a sweet, compact, convienent apartment system with cool factor.

 

I've listened to the Mu-so several times and wasn't remotely impressed - certainly not for $1,500. I think the Sonos Play with a subwoofer sounds a lot better, costs $100 less, is better at working with a library of tracks and doubles as a soundbar for your TV.

 

I have no experience with the Sonos, but did you listen to the Mu-so in a noisy Apple store or after it was well-positioned in a home? I have one as a second system and while it will never outperform good separates, I love mine and actually listen to it more than my main setup. For anyone on a tight budget and with limited space, it (or the Sonos) might be all they need.

 

I listened to it in one moderately quiet shop for that very reason - the Apple Store can be so noisy (although near closing time it isn't nearly such a zoo most days). Still wasn't impressed. It's not bad by any means, I just wasn't blown away for the price. Looks very nice and is fairly easy to use, but can't compete with a soundbar/sub combo when it comes to bass, and (bizarrely) isn't really configured to work all that well with TVs and DVDs, in spite of its soundbar-like form factor.

I don't think the Sonos is all that spectacular either, for what it's worth, just a much better value. It seems like there's a market for an audiophile soundbar, but none of the offerings I've auditioned quite cut it (they're getting encouragingly closer, though).

 

One piece of information that is helpful is that she has a DVD player so we can use that for a CD transport. Streaming or a hard drive will be the main source though. I like the idea of the high efficiency Tekton Lores but floorstanders in this apartment would probably not be appreciated by the neighbors. At this point, I am going to give two recommendations - a $2K option and then a higher cost option that will go from 3 to 4K (without cables and stands).

No matter what the choice, this will be a great step and will sound very good compared to what 99% of the population is listening to.