Best Hardware for Classical Music

Here is another audio streamer which supports all kinds of audio file formats. I am still not a believer in audio files for classical music since they mostly sound pretty thin and hollow to me ...

 

Thanks to SteelyTom and coopmv for their valuable and greatly appreciated input!

 

I'm a fully paid up member of the digital download community. I also listen almost exclusively on head phones. For classical, my pick is the Sennheiser HD800. I play CD and 24bit files through my Metrum Acoustics Menuet DAC which to my ears has a wonderfully natural presentation.

 

I looked up your DAC but I don't see a headphone jack on it?

 

Ah I have the Aurix headamp to complete the setup

 

This thread looks sort of dormant. I use the Denon 100 year anniversary model universal player for CD, HDCD, SACD and Bluray audio discs. For LPs I primarily use the Denon anniversary turntable with their special anniversary cartridge( I bought these along with the anniversary integrated amp when they were at large discount). I sometimes use my Sansui SR 929 or Thorens TD 380 Mk III. My primary speakers are Klipsch Lascala with new crossovers( Crites). The Denon amp has a wonderful sound. Maybe the classical music thread folks can get over here and revive this thread.

 

This thread has become relevant for me. I am a novice on classical and recently started my collection by purchasing the first RCA Living Stereo Box. Some of the music is obviously spectacular but with my SET amp, single driver speaker system, I do seem to run out of gas at times when there are big dynamic shifts. The bass levels are fine but some additional volume headroom would be nice. I still think this is the best type of system for me but I can now understand what people are talking about when they say that 2 watts is not enough.

 

I feel your pain Ellsworth. Symphonic music is demanding of our systems. But a solo piano is also incredibly challenging to reproduce with the dynamic range it delivers. As you continue to explore classical music, consider trying out some chamber music and music for smaller ensembles. A string trio, for example, might really shine on your system.

 

Thanks for the comment. I have found that I really enjoy piano concertos and Arthur Rubinstein's Chopin scherzos and ballads have opened a new world for me. I will have to try some music for smaller ensembles.

 

I have Tekton Pendragons and a Rogue Sphinx. Sources are a Cambridge a Topaz CD player and a Vinyl Nirvana Thorens TD150, extended plinth, Cardas wired Rega 202 and an Ortofon 2m bronze. The system is, to my humble ears, lovely for all types of music. I have been listening my way through Beethoven's symphonies, Bohm recordings, on vinyl thus weekend. Very different from the Von Karajan versions, but the system handled the complexity with aplomb and really felt "live" for the fourth movement. I took a break with RVW's Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis and felt I was in the nave of a church with double orchestra, feeling the cellos.

 

I have no respect for that company: one of their ads shows Bach's Chaconne in the display window, but with only a 4 minute playing time!

 

I don't think there's any "best" system for classical music, because everyone's priorities are different. Mine include accurate timbre, pitch stability, extended and even bass, low noise, and the ability to adjust tonality of recordings, some of which can be great musically but painful sonically. I've been involved with hifi for over 50 years.

My library is about 3000 discs (including about 300 downloads, many of then hi-res). Most of that is classical.

Because of pitch stability, I welcomed CD when it arrived, though it took a long time for "digital" violins to sound good. I moved a lot, never amassed a large collection of LPs, and let my turntable (AR ES-1 with Well-Tempered arm) go a long time ago.

My two home systems are network-based. (Components listed below.) Music is ripped on the desktop system and stored on a NAS in the basement. The same files then can be played on the desktop system, main system, smartphone (when I'm on the exercise bike), and wife's computer. Files also can be copied onto my phone and a thumb drive for use in the car. I like the ease of access of computer-based audio, and to my ears, the sound's at least as good a good disc transport. Plus, it's a lot easier to support hi-res formats.

I am in the minority of audiophiles who embrace both (digital) tone controls and (digital) room correction. The preamp in my main system provides both, though the room correction is through manual adjustments, based on measurements.

I think the system is really sounding good these days, and I am happy to be able to get hi-res material (and by that I mean material actually recorded in high resolution, not upsampled and not LPs remastered). I'm a big fan of eClassical's daily specials.

Obviously, my approach is quite different from many here, but the important thing is, we all love music (I hope!).

Desktop: JRiver Media Center, Lynx Hilo, Marsh A400S, Harbeth P3ESR, B&W ASW610 (sub).

Main system: Synology DS414 NAS, Auralic Aries, Classé CP-800, AVA Fet Valve 400R, Janszen zA2.1, 2xJL F112, bass traps & other acoustics by ASC, GIK, RPG, and Vicoustic. Also Meridian G98-AH disc player.

 

Correction:TT is Thorens TD320, MkIII. I have too much equipment so in addition to the items above I also use vintage Marantz 2325, Sansui 9090db. Also I have Quicksilver full function preamp, Silver 60 mono blocks, a Handmade Electronics 2A3 based single ended amp, and a Jolida 102b with EL84 tubes. Denton speakers and Heresy II as well. So I make new systems from time to time by reshuffling the deck. This keeps it fresh for me and generally prevents the urge to buy.(!?!?!?). The best to listen-who knows-so subjective and pluses/ minuses all round. But as I said above the Denon is very hard to beat.

 

It tried to be cultured but clearly knows little about classical music, like the average American except the very few classical music diehards ...

 

You could try to audition some horn type speakers. These can run on SET amps although 2 watts is pushing it. I would say 10-30 W would be better. But really good horns are very expensive. Coincident speakers are efficient too although they would need at least a 300B output amp of 8-10W. If it were me I would move the SET amp to a second system and go with a PP tube amp that has more power and bass control. At least you would have most of what you are used to sonically with the SET.

 

My SET amp( as described in above post) works well with my Klipsch Lascalas.

 

No system will ever be perfect - the SET single driver with a sub is wonderful on 95% of the music I listen to. On my budget, there will always be a compromise somewhere.

 

Very astute comment. And even with virtually unlimited budgets, there are compromises. Glad you've built a system on which 95% of the music you listen to is sounding great! You've accomplished a lot in doing this.

 

It is almost a scary thought for someone like myself who is usually into semi-audiophile equipment. I started to enjoy an ancient MP3 player I bought back in 2002 or 2003. It is a 60GB Creative Zen Xtra MP3 player. I probably used it for no more than 6 months after its purchase. Back in the day, I commuted into NYC everyday but have never been a digital zombie who walks around with MP3 player and earbuds all day long and as such, the player, which is the size of a deck of cards, has been sitting in the drawer for some 14 years. Fast forward to today, I started to pick up daily walk based on the advice of my doc and realized listening to classical music will be a perfect thing to do since most recordings last about an hour. Then I realized I was stuck with whatever recordings I had already ripped since the player is so old, i.e. it used to work with Windows XP SP1 and it would be impossible to rip more CD's onto the player. I was able to track down a package of firmware and driver from 2012 online. Unfortunately, Windows 10 does not seem to like my Zen Xtra. But my Windows 7 Pro desktop sync's with my Zen Xtra just fine and the latter now works better than ever as its appware is now so much more advanced. I was stuck at 15 GB of music but have added some 5 GB of new music this weekend. Back in 2003, I probably had about 1000 CD's but now my collection is close to 7000, which gives me many more options. At any rate, I have searched online and noticed all current MP3 players do not have 60 GB capacity and I have no problems with the size of my Zen Xtra. I know Zune used to have a 160 GB model but it is no longer in production. I do not like to use my cellphone for music and iPod is out of the question since I do not buy Apple product. I look forward to add another 20 GB to my Zen Xtra and many more happy ripping hours.

Here is my 60 GB Zen Xtra



Zen Xtra plays WMA format just fine, though I have not bothered with any lossless format ...

 

IMHO the best thing for the proliferation of great classical music would be for Gustavo Dudamel to go on a vinyl recording binge. He is IMO to romantic era and newer music what Neville Marriner is to Mozart. I want to hear his Marquez Danzon No. 2 on vinyl and on big speakers. YouTube doesn't cut it, even though even on an iPad it is entrancing. In other words in classical recordings the source really matters.

 

I have heard of the "Dude" before but really have not heard his music. I am not as much into the romantic era as I was and newer music has no appeals to me. But MP3 and medium res WMA music sounds fine when I am not doing critical listening ...