Satisfying Budget Systems

Posted by: MangoMonkey on 30 March 2018

At work, I have a NAD D3020 at my desk. Powering some Rega RS1s previously, and Totem Kin Minis since a few months. Awesome sound, No fiddling around, does exactly what I want. And never thinking of the gear. USB powered from my work machine on which I also run spotify.

At a list price of under $1500, a bargain indeed.

At some point, I did have a Rega stack (Dac, Brio), as well a Naim stack (Dac-V1/Nap100) but the NAD D3020 does what I need it to do at a fraction of the price. I probably paid $300 for it.

Listening to Miles Davis before heading out home.

Posted on: 01 April 2018 by Stephen Tate

 

feeling_zen posted:
Stephen Tate posted:

I once had a pair of original Mission 752s on the end of my CD3/NAC92/90.3 - Oh what fun!

Back in the day this system had magic synergy. It was also one of my favourites.

That system was one of the best 'late at night' listening systems I have ever owned - goose bumps at whisper quiet volumes and it used to have me hooked until day light the next morning on many occasions!

Posted on: 01 April 2018 by George H

I've loved reading these posts.

I've just bought a pair of QA2020i's, A Musical Fidelity V90 and an AudioQuest Evergreen 3.5mm as a line out and some Chord Sarsen. This little lot was under £350, it's used to provide audio from a Optoma HD27e projector for my son. It's fantastictic for what it is an sounds good with an iPX too playing files with VOX. 

Posted on: 01 April 2018 by Salmon Dave

I've had P3, NAD326BEE and 546BEE CD player into small Wharfedales for a few years, and it gives as much musical pleasure as the living room multi-k setup. In a much smaller room, of course.

Posted on: 01 April 2018 by feeling_zen
George H posted:

I've loved reading these posts.

I've just bought a pair of QA2020i's, A Musical Fidelity V90 and an AudioQuest Evergreen 3.5mm as a line out and some Chord Sarsen. This little lot was under £350, it's used to provide audio from a Optoma HD27e projector for my son. It's fantastictic for what it is an sounds good with an iPX too playing files with VOX. 

The QA 2020i are fantastic. I used the even cheaper 2010i with a Uniti Qute2 for a while and even now pair it with 3010s. The cost of UQ2 prevents ne from calling it a budget system despite the low cost gem speakers.

Posted on: 01 April 2018 by Perol

I have been running Rega Brio with Planar turntable and Ela speakers

Hell of a lot sound for peanuts

Posted on: 01 April 2018 by Ardbeg10y

Is this the FoolsDay topic? Well here is my contribution: my old Technics HD51 is so good that every room I place it in, it gets replaced by a Naim after some time.

Posted on: 01 April 2018 by Stephen Tate

Well, a PC laptop via a jitterbug/Arcam irDAC and into a NAIT 5si blasting out of a pair of Neat Acoustics Motive SX2 speakers - playing - My House On The Nile by Egyptian Lover - from Qobuz. 

Posted on: 01 April 2018 by George H

+1 for Neat - best bang for buck out there.

Posted on: 02 April 2018 by Stephen Tate
George H posted:

+1 for Neat - best bang for buck out there.

I must admit, as good as the synergy given from my Mission 752 mk1s were back in their day and having lived with Naim Credos for best part of twenty years (active & passive) and was quite reluctant to let them go - I now consider my Motive SX2 speakers to be by far the most musical speakers yet - I find they cast a musical spell over me for hours on end without ever sounding boring and they match entry level Naim gear really well.