How many of you keep it simple? At least fairly simple?

I'm talking about systems. Now, I have to admit up front that I'm not what *I'd* consider an audiophile in that I'm not a tinkerer, don't want to experiment, listen to all the little things in my gear, am skeptical of many audiophile *truths* and so on. I have four systems (profile has gear list) and an old Zenith stereo console from 1969.

OK, that said, what I mean by simple is something along the lines of an integrated/receiver, CD/turntable/tape deck (one or all), and a pair of speakers. That's me. I like integrateds over receivers or separates, won't own one without a built in phono stage, and like the system to live in the room rather than a room made for a system.

Don't get me wrong, I drool over the beautiful systems I see so many here have but I just don't want to be that involved with gear. If I had the bones, I'd own a high end integrated, turntable, CD deck, and monitors like the Harbeths. But that's it. I just want to sit back and listen to my music that is reasonably well reproduced. So you high end audiophiles, this isn't directed to you but more of the middling folks like myself. Those that think perfect is the enemy of good enough, the 85-90 percenters. The ones who think Monoprice wire and interconnects are just fine. Those who wouldn't spend more than $200-300 on a cartridge or a thousand or two on a receiver/integrated. Let's hear from the average midiophile!

 

My main system these days is a pair of LS50W being fed by Roon from my NAS (which exists for other work stuff, Roon is just a tagalong). Not sure what could be simpler!

 

very simple:

Vintage receiver with good bookshelf speakers

fed by
USB DAC from pc
headphone jack from tv
cd player when needed

No plans to change anything, other than adding a sub if can save up for decent, cheap one

 

How many goblets of cabernet today?

 

In my den, I've been rolling with just my LS50 Wireless speakers and a Node 2 until recently where I've added a turntable and headphone amp.

 

Turntable > phono stage > integrated > speakers/headphones

Or

IPhone/iPad/Macbook > Chromecast Audio > integrated > speakers/headphones

Considering I don't have separate pre and power amp, no external DAC, no headphone amplifier, and no tubes, no special power chords etc. I suppose I'm in the simple side (at least for the moment).

 

None yet but the sun has gone over the yardarm so give me until a little later. Right now, it's Earl Grey, hot.

 

BTW, I was inspired to create this thread from a couple YT vids I watched last night where they showed some simple UTurn systems with one of their turntables and a pair of active speakers. When I started (remember Pacific Stereo?), it was receiver, turntable, and a pair of speakers. Done.

 

My main system is pretty high end, but my 2nd system still sound great and it's not really all that expensive.
Jolida JD-302B - leftover amp from upgrading my main
Pioneer SP-BS22-LR speaker $100 sound like the cost a lot more.
Polk PSW10 subwoofer - $89 to give the Pioneers a bit of bottom end and the Jolida doesn't have pre-outputs, so this works.
Rega P3-2000 with a Grado Platinum cart - leftover from upgrading my main
Pioneer DV-610AV - plays everything that isn't a Blu-Ray. I have a wallet of SACD-r discs that I burned so I don't have to get out the real discs. This system isn't hooked to my network to access ISO files with a DAC.
I don't think anything in this system is worth over $500. Most of the gear is $100ish. Don't know what the Jolida is worth. But I bought it for $600 twenty years ago.

 

I'll answer with a qualified "simple"; TT(or SACD) to integrated to speakers.

Streaming is still problematic - but, I haven't tried any blood sacrifices to appease the digital deities...yet.

 

For all my actual 'listening' I've got a TT, amp, speakers. Done.
On the shelf I also have a tuner that I got for free but never use, and I have an old iPad dedicated as an aux source that I used for streaming background music if I'm just hanging around doing something else.

 

TT, IA/receiver/speakers is kicking it old school. I do have to admit that I move an iPad around with a 3.5 to RCA cable to stream in one of the systems where I'm hanging out (I stream more than anything else these days in spite of my ode to vinyl last night in a different thread). Right now, I'm streaming Pandora's Baroque station in my upstairs system (TT/IA/Speakers).

 

As your signature so aptly states: "I listen to music, not gear"

 

Were it not for my 3 signal processors , DVD player, TV and subwoofer, I'd fit the description.

 

I keep it very simple -Sansui!

 

Mac laptop > NAD DAC/preamp > NAD stereo power amp > B&W speakers

Any of 2,000 lossless albums stored on hard drive can be selected within seconds from the laptop, or remotely from cell phone or tablet
Can also be streamed to stereos in other rooms via AirPlay

 

Pretty simple at the moment. A stereo pair of Sonos Play 3 with a Play 5 in the middle. I decided to go minimal for a while. I'll probably put a better system back together at some point. Most of my critical listening is hotel rooms on headphones these days.

 

I don't think I've invested more than a little over $200 in my entire home audio system. Vintage '72 Sansui 2000A cost me $15 at a Salvation Army, Technics CD player around $100 and ' 85 Norman Lab Model 82 large box speakers $100 at a Houston, Tx. pawn shop totally $215.

I think it got more complicated installing my own car audio system with back dash $80 Polk 6x8's on MDF baffle boards I cut myself with a jigsaw and glued gray outdoor carpet to cover the boards from sun and to make them pretty. That added about $20 more. Screwed the baffle boards from under the back dash crawling in the trunk so no screws touched my car's metal chassis. Stuffed the baffle board cavity with polyfill.

Bought two 10in. Clarion component subwoofer drivers from Madisound at $70 a set and installed in 1ft. internal volume box separates I bought from Walmart at around $30 a piece. $240 for a 250watt Alpine amp., $80 for Pioneer 4x25watt head-unit CD player at Walmart.

Oh for cryin' out loud! Adding it all up like this I just realized I've spent more on my car audio than my home audio at a total of $550.

 

Nah.

 

I think mine are simple:

Office stereo: Garrard Lab 80 and AR 77-XB both with GE VR 1000 cartridges, Marantz PM5005 integrated amp, AR 6 speakers.
Home stereo: Rega turntable with Ortofon Quintet Blue, Marantz DV 18MK II disk deck, NAD C162 preamp, NAD C272 power amp, AR 3a speakers.

 

My vintage system is straightforward and relatively inexpensive compared to my main system, and is based on Quad 57s and Quad II power amps, an MX110Z preamp-tuner, an Oppo and a vintage Technics SP-10. All the vintage stuff was restored, but my outlay in the equipment itself was made in mid-'70s, so it was really restoration cost at this point. Wires are Canare and Wireworld, with decent, but not expensive power cords.
It brings me as much musical joy as my main system, which is also "simple" but far more costly. I could live with a modest system at this point; my main interest is in the source material. But, I had to try to climb that mountain to understand that, if that makes any sense. I know what's given up in the "lesser" system, and while it can be dramatic on some things, overall, it's a fair trade-off. I got to the same point with sports cars--I had to have some exotica to appreciate what joy I could get out of a less "Wow" car that was properly set up. Part of it is ego, I think. Not that this is what drives people to extract that last iota of performance, but when you are at that vantage point, after the climb, the effort and expense (and sometimes, some trouble), you realize that it may not be that much better without a lot more time, trouble and expense.
I'm also getting older-- and am not in major acquisition/earning mode any more. I'm a lot more sanguine about many things.

 

SonicTransport i5 (Roon Server) -> Linn KDS/3 - > D-Sonic M3a amp -> Egglestonworks Andra II speakers.

I'd say that's pretty damn simple. Now, I've got a few interconnects and Sistrum Ultra platforms under my gear. I'll be replacing the SonicTransport with something more robust (for up to 24TB of music), and buying Sonore's switch when it's released, still, I like to use the KISS method as much as possible. 4 main pieces of gear. I think I'm there. Most people think I have one of the best systems in the city. So, there ya go. *shrug*

 

I’ve got some bad news for you. If you have four systems, that’s far from simple and you are a balls deep audiophile.

 

Me? I only have one speaker system. Well I have a headphone rig that I no longer listen to.
Still, yeah, I'm balls deep. I'd be taint deep if I could.

 

How simple is simple?