Boxermotor
Member
In our post-COVID world of working from home and oft-repeated virtual meetings (another term for Zoom fatigue), I thought I would reach out and invite others to share their thoughts on the ideal desktop setup for working and listening to music. Beside the benefit of crystal-clear sound for virtual meetings, listening to favorite music at audiophile quality can add joy and productivity to the work day (the dynamism and even metrics of Baroque music often helps me plow through the most tiresome tasks). I've learned that taking the posture of a humble learner (rather than thinking I've come up with the best ideas) can lead to new areas of discovery and innovation.
It might help to set some parameters - perhaps a small room (12'x15' or 4m x 5m thereabouts), 2.0 or 2.1 system, output from a computer (capable of 24 bit /96 kHz minimum), near-field speakers (passive or active), using headphones when needed (e.g. no matter how much you try to educate your family members, some will never appreciate the pleasure of audiophile speakers as the walls in the house are shaking), and whether a subwoofer is preferable. Of course I'm interested in audiophile-level desktop components that sufficiently drive whichever speakers and headphones are used.
Based on my limited research here's what I might piece together if starting from scratch:
Speakers: KEF R3's, LS50 Meta's, or Revel M106's (still not sure if any of these are the best choice for near-field listening)
Headphones: Dan Clark Aeon 2 open headphones (or Stealth, if a great aunt died and left me independently wealthy)
Power amp: SMSL AO200
DAC: SMSL SU-10
Headphone Amp: Topping A90
DAC/Amp (in place of the above): Topping DX7 Pro+
Subwoofer: not sure
What would be your ideal setup?
It might help to set some parameters - perhaps a small room (12'x15' or 4m x 5m thereabouts), 2.0 or 2.1 system, output from a computer (capable of 24 bit /96 kHz minimum), near-field speakers (passive or active), using headphones when needed (e.g. no matter how much you try to educate your family members, some will never appreciate the pleasure of audiophile speakers as the walls in the house are shaking), and whether a subwoofer is preferable. Of course I'm interested in audiophile-level desktop components that sufficiently drive whichever speakers and headphones are used.
Based on my limited research here's what I might piece together if starting from scratch:
Speakers: KEF R3's, LS50 Meta's, or Revel M106's (still not sure if any of these are the best choice for near-field listening)
Headphones: Dan Clark Aeon 2 open headphones (or Stealth, if a great aunt died and left me independently wealthy)
Power amp: SMSL AO200
DAC: SMSL SU-10
Headphone Amp: Topping A90
DAC/Amp (in place of the above): Topping DX7 Pro+
Subwoofer: not sure
What would be your ideal setup?
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