Viewing 23 posts - 1 through 23 (of 23 total)
  • Hi Fi people; your help please
  • Bianchi-Boy
    Free Member

    I am setting up a home office and would like to have a nice music set up in it. It would have to be wifi with easy connectivity to Apple products. It must be able to play Radio 6 Music, spotify would be good too, and MP3s that are stored on MacBook.

    Room is about 4m by 3m.

    Thank you

    CountZero
    Full Member

    Just plug an AirPort Extreme into whatever amp, etc floats yer boat, then just play everything from the MacBook.
    I guess you could get an Apple TV and use that, streaming from whatever device you have to hand.
    Both options should work ok, but as I have neither, I’m clearly no expert, I have a Mac Mini with all my music on, controlled by my phone or pad via Remote, and use the iPlayer on the Mac for 6Music.
    The Mini is connected to an old Yamaha a/v amp via optical TOSLINK .

    2bit
    Full Member

    I’ve recently bought a Marantz 610 to do just what you want. DAB, wifi, airport, DLNA, Internet radio, Spotify, CD player etc & so far so good…

    I had existing speakers to connect up to it otherwise you’ll need speakers as well.

    woodlikesbeer
    Free Member

    Ruark Audio

    I’ve got an R1 in the kitchen and an R2 in the living room. The sound quality is better than my previous HK/B&W seperates set up (and a fraction of the size).

    I cannot recommend them enough. Got them both from Hughes TV and audio

    Bianchi-Boy
    Free Member

    Thanks for the replies so far, I will check them out.

    Anybody else care to recommend something?

    BB

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    How much you looking to spend?

    Airport into some studio monitor speakers would be good, I got some Samson StudioDock 3 ones that take an USB output (though plugs directly into my Mac mini.)

    I really like my Sonos too, a Play 3 would do everything you want, but I’m not sure what the hi-if people would make of it. And it is pretty hassle free. There’s a nice application that will run on the MacBook that allows you to control it all too. And it’ll all work without any computer running too.

    johndoh
    Free Member

    Just plug an AirPort Extreme into whatever amp, etc floats yer boat, then just play everything from the MacBook.

    This

    We stream Spotify, iTunes, internet radio or, as we have been doing recently, audio for the World Cup and Tour whilst projecting live action onto a wall for everyone in the office to see.

    Amp/speaker set-up is some stuff I had in storage – a decent Sony amp with Sony Brooklands Edition floorstanders.

    (Currently listening to Black Sabbath very loudly as there is no-one else in the office yet)….

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    There is, as ever, only one.

    And here it is

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    I do wish OPs would tell us what their budget is in threads like this. Could have anything from some cheap bluetooth speakers to that Naim and a thousand things in-between 🙁 I guess it does make for some interestingly unexpected responses.

    Bimbler
    Free Member

    If you want to lose the amp why not go for some stereo airplay/bluetooth speakers?

    Includes Apt-X codec

    Sexy Airplay speakers

    Sexy in Red?

    If you’re going the amp route then this is pretty good Spotify Connect is included as is Airplay, DLNA, networked via a wired connection – Bluetooth and Wifi can be added via dongles

    Bianchi-Boy
    Free Member

    Sorry Mr Blobby, didn’t mean to irritate you. I’ve got a budget of £500, less would be good!

    BB

    Bikingcatastrophe
    Free Member

    There is, as ever, only one quite a lot of choice in this area.

    You may well need to listen to your options as well. Despite Mr Woppit’s fanatical appreciation of Naim, they are a brand like any other. Some like it, some don’t. My personal experiences so far of Naim are that they are a bit meh. Probably needs careful partnering with speakers but what I have listened to so far does not stand out to me as great. So, despite wanting to like them, they are not on my shopping list of hifi brands to buy.

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Sorry, I’m just grumpy because my kids were up all night 🙁

    I’d get the Sonos that best fits your room and budget. Sounds good and really works well. You can control it from your mac book and your smart phone. You can have more around the house sharing the same stuff. You can link them up in zones. Just a really nice neat one box hassle free solution that works.

    Bimbler
    Free Member

    one box <> hifi

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    If he wanted hifi would he really be wanting Spotify and something to play mp3? Also wifi? Surely he’d be asking for some gold plated ethernet cable.

    Bimbler
    Free Member

    Stereo>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Not stereo

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Get two sonos then and set them up as a stereo pair 🙂

    Bimbler
    Free Member

    two box <> one box 🙂

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Quite like those red Q Acoustic ones.

    Bianchi-Boy
    Free Member

    Mr Blobby is quite right, I probably have used the wrong term (HiFi).I just want something that will give a reasonable sound quality in a smallish room for DAB and MP3 playback. I have enough obsessions in my life, I really can not afford another one!

    BB

    johndoh
    Free Member

    I think ‘hifi’ is a perfectly acceptable term for what you want – an MP3 provides hifi sound, just not as hifi as a top end turntable/amp/speaker set-up.

    CountZero
    Full Member

    With a budget of ?£500, or thereabouts, an AirPort Extreme, with a decent amp from eBay, like a Rotel, NAD or Sony, with some Wharfedale, KEF, Mordant Short, or B&W bookshelf sized speakers, bought second-hand, ought to tick most boxes.
    It’s pointless getting really fancy kit and spending loads of dosh if it’s not going to be in a dedicated listening room.
    You could look at a pair of active speakers with the AirPort as well, that should fit into your budget, with minimum of wires as a bonus.

    skinnysteel
    Free Member

    Like Woppit a fully signed up Naim fanboy, so personally would wait ’till the Mu-so arrives before deciding. Have a Ruark R1 by the bedside, and am mightily impressed, so would be inclined to look at their R4i if significant other required input into decision.

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