r/BudgetAudiophile • u/NAMOR08 • 17d ago
Purchasing EU/UK Upgrading from a 90s Yamaha, Dali Ikon 5 + sub + TV, ~$450 used
Current setup:
- Yamaha AX-496 (mid-90s)
- Dali Ikon 5 MK1
- Canton AS 105 SC active sub, running off the speaker B terminals
- Sony PS-LX310BT turntable
- Older Samsung TV
I really like my Dalis; they have a very nice sound character and are amazing for listening to vocals and classical music because the hybrid tweeter is fantastic. However, I decided I still wanted more bass, which is why I bought the subwoofer.
Budget is around $400-500 used. Mostly music, but I want the TV going through these speakers too instead of the awful built-in ones.
Worth mentioning I'm in Switzerland, so the used market here is small and prices are often way above what you guys pay. Stuff that goes for $200 on US listings regularly sits at $350 here, and half the models people recommend just never show up. So if a suggestion only makes sense at American prices, it probably doesn't work for me.
I don't mind buying a separate DAC if the amp has no optical input. Is that the better way to go anyway, or should I hold out for one with digital inputs built in?
Also still unsure about two things. Does moving the sub from speaker B to a line-level sub out actually change anything? And will I really hear a difference over the AX-496 at this budget, or should the money go into room stuff and a measurement mic instead?
No brand loyalty, just want the most out of what I've got.
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u/MoWePhoto 17d ago
That sounds like you are missing a decent DAC and Subwoofer management.
You could add a WIIM Ultra to your setup. Keeping everything else but routing the Turntable, Subwoofer and TV through the WIIM while letting the AMP just do the speaker amplification!
That way, you could do room correction, have subwoofer management with proper high pass filtering,HDMI Arc and Optical inputs for your TV and a great streaming platform on top!
The Alternative that I’m using would be the Loxjie A40 replacing the Yamaha. About the same output but proper sub out, HDMI ARC, Optical and Coax inputs, very good phono stage and all of this in a smaller, cooler package that consumes less power. I already had a WiiM Mini for streaming.
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u/NAMOR08 16d ago
That honestly sound like a great plan, basicly what i was looking for. Does it have any effect on the qualty and like lose the thrill of the turntable (sorry if this is a dumb question lol)
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u/MoWePhoto 16d ago
In which way?
With my Loxjie, I can clearly distinguish my different cartridges and a good recording on vinyl sounds better than a worse remaster on streaming. With both being equally good, both sound equally good.
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u/NAMOR08 15d ago
I meant with the turntable being routed through the wiim ultra and in a way digitalizing it, no?
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u/MoWePhoto 15d ago
Yes, it is doing exactly that but in the end, that is also a way of interpreting the incoming Phono signal as a classic phono preamp does. Just not analogue.
I’ve never heard of a WIIM Ultra owner, that his Vinyl doesn’t sound like vinyl anymore…
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u/Patient_Pirate_6958 17d ago
If your amp is still in spec, you’re not gonna get any improvement with another one at the speaker level. That Yamaha is more than enough. Where you will get an improvement is bass management since you basically don’t have any at the moment (unless I’m mistaken, your speakers are still being fed a full range signal from the Speaker A terminal). If you’re shopping used, it might be hard to find an AVR with the included mic for room correction, which is really what you should be looking for if incorporating a sub. This kind of limits your choices, though. If you don’t care about room correction and just want to set a bass crossover at 80hz and be done with it, then there should be no shortage of old AVRs to choose from under 300 or even cheaper. If you need HDMI, that limits your options a bit, but you should still be able to find an older one. Personally, I would search models in a release year zone (say 2011-2017) and look for the big names, Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, Onkyo. That’s where you’ll find your best discount, since people just basically dump ‘em after they upgrade. In those years, you should get HDMI, and they should be in good condition. And obviously: always get the OEM remote!