A Killer Audiophile Rig for $3500-$4500...

I am posting this to help those that may want to up the ante on their music listening while not having to spend the mega bucks usually associated with big hifi audio rigs.

As an avid audio guru, I have many different types of amps, pre amps, CD players and loudspeakers in the house that I sometimes rotate in and out of the bigger audio rigs. Some of these pieces of gear have attributes which make them superb at reproducing music regarding one aspect of sound, but are just OK with regard to other aspects. Experimenting with different gear is part of the fun of the hobby.

Last week I decided to set up a temporary rig with some of the extra gear I had for shits and grins...the result was far beyond what I expected--to the point that I have been glued in front of this little system for a week and have come to really like it.

This system manages to play to extreme loud levels without breakup or compression, and can fill a large room with ease.

The great part is that the total cost for the complete system was around $4500. While that may sound like a good bit of money, keep in mind that a "modest" hifi rig in today's audiophile world will easily top $30k--and that is modest.

So, let me tell you the set up...

Amp...........................Peachtree Audio 220 (220wpc @8ohms/400wpc @4ohms)
Pre amp/DAC............Peachtree Nova with 24bit/192k built in DAC and analog line in
CD/BD player............Oppo BD-103
Speakers...................Magneplanar 1.7 planar/flat panel
Sub............................Paradigm PS1000 (10" powered subwoofer)

The MSRP for all above was $5500, but I paid $4500, and all were purchased new--there are always deals to be had--just ask the audio retailer.

Also, you can probably get away with substituting Emotiva power amp and pre amp, a less expensive CD player and sub, and the Magneplanar .7 speakers (a little bit smaller than the 1.7)--making the total even less expensive (close to $1200 less)--thus making the total around $3500--putting a really great audio system within reach for many.

The Peachtree pre amp has an analog line in for adding another non digital source (phono amp or iPod direct) and 4 digital inputs, so it may be expanded well beyond what I have here. It also has a vacuum tube (glowing blue in the picture) which acts as a buffer--softens the sound a bit if you engage it.

The power amp is a class D amp and runs cool and has an assload of power. The speakers are 4ohm nominal, so the need a lot of power--this little beast puts over 400 watts to the speakers.

The CD player has all the latest streaming services built into it as well.


Here are a few pics for those interested in what this stuff looks like. I know it isn't the most ideal place to put an audio rig, but as I said earlier, it is just a temporary set up.



Here is the amp, pre amp, and CD/Blu Ray player...



And the sub...





I hope this helps some of the audio newbies looking to maybe start building a system for better sound.

Hit me with any questions...