My “HiFi” Setup
My wife and I moved into our first home about a year and a half ago. One of the condo’s cool features was that the entire place was wired for multi-room speakers. This sent me down an audio rabbit hole.
First, I wanted to get a receiver so we could hook up the surround sound for movies on the first level. I got a used Denon receiver and hooked things up. It was fun to have things working but then I learned that the existing speakers were placed way too high and tucked in the room corners - blasphemy! Plus, they looked pretty dumb hanging off the walls.
Next, I bought a pair of Audio Engine desktop speakers for my work station. These sound amazing and I expected them to stay here for the long hall, but they were meant for greater things. My dad, going through a similar audio phase, upgraded his turntable and gifted me with his old one. This prompted my current set up.
This current set up makes me happy. It’s a little concerning how much I’ve spend on this over the past year and half, but it has gotten hours of daily use. Plus, my daughter knows how to pick out a record and drop the needle - can you put a price on that?
System Overview
The current system
Hardware
- Pro-ject Turntable
- Audio Engine HD3 Desktop Speakers - Now that I have the WiiM Mini, I would have skipped the built-in Bluetooth connectivity to save some money. But then again the wood finish on these fit the room way better than a plastic finish would.
- WiiM Mini Pro Streamer - This device is probably the easiest recommendation of anything else on this list. Turn any pair of speakers into WiFi-connected speakers with high audio quality.
- Pro-ject Phono Preamp - a necessary purchase to connect the turntable.
- Tidbyt
- Jamo S 808 S Subwoofer
Roadmap
Overall, in pretty good shape. I’ve put enough money into the system as it is. I’m not looking for vastly superior sound or anything. If anything, I am looking to tap into more of the built in speaker capabilities that the condo has. Coming full circle back to the built-in speakers.
- Another Wiim Mini to control the outdoor speakers.