Starting from scratch

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comedus76

New member
Joined
Nov 28, 2015
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20
Location
New York
I've just moved back across the pond to Manhattan, having lived in London for a few years. Sold all my gear back there not wanting to risk damage or incur a ton of shipping cost (at least that's what I said to the Mrs :D). I'm looking to rebuild my system from scratch and have decided to exploit every last opportunity to declutter and match minimalist decor in my apartment.

My room is 12'w x 20'l x 10'h. My music is mostly FLAC on a macbook upgraded with an SSD and Vinyl (Rega TT) and genres include jazz, soul, rock, blues, classical and old school hip hop, funk. Infrequently listen to electronic dance as well.

I've narrowed on three alternative/combos:

1. Avantgarde Zero XD fed via an airport express Toslink connection and a Belles Soloist phono stage (which I have currently own).
2. Studio Electric T3 floor standers powered by a Devialet 200 connected to the Rega TT and via AES to a streamer
3. Kii Three standmount speakers connected to a mid-tier preamp connected to the Belles Soloist and a streamer

I believe all three are not too fussy about speaker placement in the room, all have a fairly wide optimal listening area (except maybe the SE T3), all three come in around the $20K mark and all three have the WAF due to fantastic aesthetics.

Wanted to hear from smarter minds and ears here about the pros and cons and also any other ideas/comments/suggestions/critiques.

Thanks/Cheers
 
Not familiar with your other two choices, but the Zero 1s are an excellent choice for your scenario.

My only comment would be for you to get a proper streamer, instead of the Airport. Toslink is not the best interface, and the Zero 1s have all sorts of digital inputs (AES, SPDIF, USB, etc.)

As for fussiness, the Zero 1s are easy to set up, with adjustable bass, so very easy right there. They do require at least 2 meters from your listening position, though, and a maximum of 4 meters.
 
After hearing the Avantgarde Zero XD and Duo Mezzo speakers at Mike's house , there is no doubt in my mind that you should look hard at the Zero XD. It's an amazing speaker!!

And welcome to AS!
 
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Thank you for your welcome and comments. I think my priority (in order) is
- Zero 1
- Dynaudio Focus XD (thanks to Octadyndude)
- Kii Three (BTW - if you're not familiar with the name, it's the brainchild of the inventor of nCore digital amps and GRIMM, very positive write-ups in the german press with off the charts performance numbers)
- D200 + Speakers
Now off to the audition phase - I found dealers for Focus XD and Kii in and around NYC. Does anyone know of somewhere to audition the Zero 1's in the NY area?
Cheers
 
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