Here are some thoughts on my new modest two channel bookshelf playback system. My goal was to put something together that was small (WAF factor), sounded great, and didn't cost an arm and a leg. It is in our living room, which is 20' x 20', but is open to the living room, kitchen, dining room, breakfast room, and entry. It fills the room with ease and sounds great without being burned in yet. Sounds
really good considering it's a sub $700 system!!
Source: Logitech Squeezebox Touch. Cost: $299 at
Amazon.com. Slick piece of gear. I love being able to sync it with iTunes to stream my collection without using Airtunes. It has much better responsiveness and so far no drop outs (I had a lot using Airtunes). I'm using iPenguin's Squeezebox iPhone/iTouch remote app ($9.99) and works well.
Amp: Dayton DTA-100 Class-T Digital Amp w/ 50WPC at 8 ohms. Cost: $100 at
Parts Express. Most folks have heard of the bargain T-Amps out there (sonic impact, etc.). This is my first experience with them. This thing is tiny (fits in the palm of my hand) & drives the PSB's with ease. The headphone amp drives & sounds great with my Sennheiser HD-650's at first blush. I've read reviews that the sound gets better after 100 hours of break-in.
Speaker Cables & Interconnects: DIY White Lightening Moonshine cables. Cost: approximately $15 + my labor. More info can be found at
Six Moons Audio. Dirt cheap. Sound pretty darn good thus far.
Speakers: PSB Alpha B1 bookshelf speakers. Cost: $225 at
DigitalCraze. Very nice looking & sounds great. Excellent mid range & surprisingly good bass. I figured I would need to pick up a subwoofer, but I'm thinking twice about that now that they are set up.
Topic: New Small / Modest Two Channel Bookshelf Playback (Read 2769 times)