Why I Need More than One Audio System

Anyone who follows my work will see references to multiple audio systems, including my reference system and my desktop system. But I actually use a good half-dozen audio systems—in a one-bedroom apartment. Why? I'm tempted to say because I can. But it would be closer to the truth to say I must.

First there is, of course, my reference system. Depending on what I'm reviewing, you might call it a 5.1, 5.1.2, or 5.1.4 system. It pays my rent and is the one that gets the most attention after hours. Right now it consists of five Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v4 speakers, four Klipsch RP-140 Atmos add-ons, and a Pioneer Elite VSX-53 receiver. The receiver is pre-Atmos and thus on its way out. My Oppo BDP-83 SE universal disc player is growing long in the tooth. It doesn't do streaming—for that I resort to a Panasonic DMP-BD87, which is also the backup player in case the Oppo has to go into the shop. My turntable is a Micro Seiki BL-21, which I call Micro Junior. Micro Senior, a BL-51, may soon return to the rack. They both delight me. My odd choice of phono preamp is currently a Denon PRA-S10 stereo preamp, though I have a few others kicking around. My cartridge is a Shure V15MxVR with a Shure N97XE stylus (actually the elliptical replacement stylus for the Shure M97xE cartridge). For audio files I use a Lenovo Windows 7 laptop with the USB DAC du jour. I haven't taken advantage of the free upgrade to Win 10 on my Win 7 machines because they run perfectly and why mess with success? However, I might reconsider before the upgrade offer runs out. Overall, it's a motley assortment, but I trust it, and it makes me happy.

Why have another system in the same room? Well, my home office and home theater systems share the same room, and I like dedicating a separate 2.1 system to computer audio consumption. The speakers are the Era Design 4 (similar to the current Peachtree D4). To firm up the bass from these small monitors I use an ancient Pinnacle Baby Boomer sub fed by the amp's preamp-outs. The amp is a Peachtree Decco2. It's rated at only 40 watts per channel but that's all I need for near-field listening to speakers a couple of feet from my face. I also listen to the system from an armchair no more than eight feet away. I've recently switched out the Peachtree's optional tube preamp stage, now preferring the more incisive solid state sound. The main signal source is a Lenovo Windows 7 desktop PC that cost $399 from the Lenovo Outlet. I call it the media PC to distinguish it from my Windows 10 work machine, though they both feed the same 24-inch monitor. A Rotel RCD-965BX Red Book CD player also feeds the Peachtree so I needn't play CDs with the PC's disc drive.

But wait, there's a third audio system in the livingroom. And when I wrote the first draft of this blog, I'd forgotten all about it. But there it was, hiding in plain sight: the AudioEngine 2 I use as TV speakers (since replaced by the 2+). These are the best-sounding powered speakers of their size I've ever heard. Their gently rolled off top end and pleasingly plump midbass are ideal for TV audio. The musical guests on Saturday Night Live sound awesome; Jon Batiste and Stay Human on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert are a daily treat. Why use a pair of powered speakers when my main system is set up along the same line of fire? Because I don't always want to operate a surround receiver, especially late at night when I need to keep the volume down. Being able to use the TV remote to adjust volume is another advantage. For foreground listening, of course, the reference system has the edge. But the Audioengines enrich my small daily dose of TV watching.

I also have a bedroom system though it's strictly for whispered sleepytime music. I listen to slow chiming music at bedtime at low levels that make audio quality irrelevant. Most of the time I use a now-discontinued Altec Lansing inMotion 600 iPod docking speaker—with a mini-plug cable snaking out the back to serve both my aging flotilla of iPod nanos and SanDisk Sansa players. I need a battery-powered system because its perch atop my dresser isn't within range of a power outlet unless I use an awkward extension cord. When a driver developed a buzz, I retired the original one and bought two replacements. The bedroom system also plays host to a procession of review gear, currently the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless (review in progress).

My kitchen system would probably get me tossed out of the audiophile club. It consists of a pair of wall-mounted JBL Control1xtreme speakers, which I bought on the Lower East Side for $75 and carried home in the subway. These speakers were originally known as the JBL Pro III and the previous version served as my TV speakers for some years. The Control1xtreme is powered by an ancient Sony mini-system with CD drive, cassette deck, and FM tuner. While I play the occasional CD, I generally use it as a glorified radio, listening to All Things Considered while having dinner. At one point I had a Sonic Impact Super T amp connected to the speakers with a dongle connected to a portable player. The JBLs actually sounded better with this sleek little Class D amp than with the bulky townhouse-shaped Sony system. But I gravitated back to the Sony for the radio and CD options. How does this system sound? Boomy. The speakers don't measure flat to begin with, they're too near the wall, and the amp isn't an ideal mate. This is my weakest and most antiquated system. Mere inertia is keeping it alive, at least for now. Any potential replacement has to include FM radio. An actual radio would make the most sense.

My head-fi systems are all over the place. When I'm on a plane, I use an old pair of Sony MDR-NC11 noise-canceling earbuds with a sixth-generation iPod nano (the lone model with a postage-stamp form factor, kind of like a shuffle, except with touchscreen). It sounds just acceptable but the whole thing fits conveniently in a shirt or jacket pocket. At home I favor a pair of the classic Sennheiser HD600 (review forthcoming). Some might find this an oddly conservative choice for someone with access to review samples of the latest and greatest but I find the HD600 endlessly listenable and comfortable over long periods of reverie. For PC listening it's mostly likely to pair off with the AudioQuest DragonFly 1.2 USB DAC unless I'm reviewing another DAC-amp. I also use the HD600 (and several others) with whatever portable player I'm reviewing. Right now that would be the Astell & Kern AK Jr (review forthcoming).

My choice of audio gear probably says a lot about me as both a critic and a listener. I span a wide variety of price points though I'm most focused on things that someone like me, an inkstained wretch, can afford. (My readers seem to expect this of me; perhaps that's why I get so many nastygrams in the comments section when I review something noticeably pricey!) I'm not averse to marriages of convenience. Sometimes I trade up, but sometimes I just use stuff till it dies. Most of all, I think of myself as openminded and versatile. As the song goes, I'm happy with what I have to be happy with.

Audio Editor Mark Fleischmann is the author of Practical Home Theater: A Guide to Video and Audio Systems, now available in both print and Kindle editions.

COMMENTS
witchdoctor's picture

Try adding matching Paradigm speakers for your height channels. I did and you can't ask for a better match :)

pw's picture

Surprised you have such vanilla equipment! Ha ha.. Why don't get a tube amp hybrid ?

Mark Fleischmann's picture
...I have a hybrid tube amp on my desktop. The Peachtree has a tube/solid-state preamp stage. I used the tube setting until recently. See the text. Though I didn't mention it, I also have a tube phono preamp which currently is not in use.
Mark Fleischmann's picture
But it was out of order. Sorry.
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