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Looking for an affordable sub to supplement some vintage marantz towers (LR) and some polk rears and center, denon receiver, don't remember all the model numbers as I am away from home on holiday, but when I get back I can post them if it's important. Not particularly interested in wall shaking bowel movement inducing whatever, more so in extending the range of my system. Was looking at Velodyne VX-11 and BIC F12's, though the Dayton Sub 1200 has also caught my eye. There seems to be a lot of conflicting reviews out there RE: the abilities of the Daytons, though generally people really like them, but these reviews tend to be "OMG SO CHEAP SO MUCH BOOM" which isn't really what I'm looking for. The VX-11 doesn't seem to have many reviews at all, but based on the ones I've seen, this one seems to fit my needs the best. The F12 seems to be recommended all over the place. I generally trust goon opinions more than random other forums out there so does anyone have any recommendations. A friend of mine said the Hsu STF-1 is the lowest I should go, but that is a bit more than I am willing to spend right now. Should I wait or is he full of poo poo?
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Nov 23, 2012 21:29
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I remember seeing a web site that offered mics that lightly attached to standalone headphones and offered what seemed like good quality for a good price. Does anyone remember the site and/or have reviews of the product? It was a lightweight boom mic a few inches long that attached at the ear cup and extended out to the mouth and was adjustable.
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Nov 24, 2012 00:06
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Slowly shopping for a TV. My existing setup includes a Sherwood RX 4105 which is strictly stereo. I was thinking of complimenting the TV with a Raspberry Pi. The reciever doesn't have HDMI, obviously and not video hookups of any kind. I can plug the HDMI into the TV then route stereo audio into the reciever, correct? This is still a common feature on sets, correct? On another tack, I asked about it in the headphone thread but didn't get any feedback, but does anyone have the Tritton 720+ headset for PC? I'm just wondering if it stacks up with the older model that was considered pretty good. If so, does the surround work properly? http://www.trittonaudio.com/720plus
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Nov 24, 2012 01:04
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Jago posted:Slowly shopping for a TV. Most TVs won't output audio from HDMI to anywhere but the TV speakers. If the TV has RCA outputs, only audio from the internal tuner will ever come out of them. I'm sure Hollywood has a dumb reason for that.
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Nov 24, 2012 01:22
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Jago posted:I can plug the HDMI into the TV then route stereo audio into the reciever, correct? Almost certainly not.
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Nov 24, 2012 01:46
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I need a CD player and speakers for a small room, and I've been eyeing some micro hi-fi systems. The catch is, my budget is $120. What will give me the hi-est fi for the money? (I might be able to stretch my budget to $160 if there's some spectacular difference in sound quality, but that's my hard limit.) Absolute Lithops fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Nov 24, 2012 |
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Nov 24, 2012 03:09
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Absolute Lithops posted:I need a CD player and speakers for a small room, and I've been eyeing some micro hi-fi systems. The catch is, my budget is $120. What will give me the hi-est fi for the money? Most likely something from Denon or Yamaha. You may have to buy used, though. I'd check out Pioneer next and failing that, Sony. Since money seems to be tight, maybe consider getting a T-amp? http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=310-300 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117405 or http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-652 Hook up any Sony CD or DVD player you can get and you're set. F. ex. http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DVPSR210P-Player-Progressive-Scan/dp/B007F9XHBI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_2 Wires are an additional $10 or so if you need any. Note that T-amps are not the way to go if you want to crank the music up loud. I would also consider looking up used stuff. Who knows what might turn up. Especially a cheap used amp would be a great find. Hob_Gadling fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Nov 24, 2012 |
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Nov 24, 2012 04:25
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I'm looking to get some new headphones, but would it be worth it to spend $120+ if I'm using them with a smartphone or laptop without a good soundcard? I don't know too much about this stuff but I've heard that I won't get an appreciable difference compared to $30-40 headphones since there isn't enough power supplied by the phone or laptop if I don't have an amp or something. Feel free to correct any misconceptions I have, I really feel like I don't have a clue with this stuff.
The Biggest Jerk fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Nov 25, 2012 |
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Nov 25, 2012 04:50
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Hob_Gadling posted:Most likely something from Denon or Yamaha. You may have to buy used, though. I'd check out Pioneer next and failing that, Sony. I've never set up this kind of thing before. What kinds of wires does this equipment use? (edited for clarity) Absolute Lithops fucked around with this message at 20:13 on Nov 25, 2012 |
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Nov 25, 2012 19:08
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GrAviTy84 posted:Looking for an affordable sub to supplement some vintage marantz towers (LR) and some polk rears and center, denon receiver, don't remember all the model numbers as I am away from home on holiday, but when I get back I can post them if it's important. Not particularly interested in wall shaking bowel movement inducing whatever, more so in extending the range of my system. Was looking at Velodyne VX-11 and BIC F12's, though the Dayton Sub 1200 has also caught my eye. There seems to be a lot of conflicting reviews out there RE: the abilities of the Daytons, though generally people really like them, but these reviews tend to be "OMG SO CHEAP SO MUCH BOOM" which isn't really what I'm looking for. The VX-11 doesn't seem to have many reviews at all, but based on the ones I've seen, this one seems to fit my needs the best. The F12 seems to be recommended all over the place. I generally trust goon opinions more than random other forums out there so does anyone have any recommendations. After more internet reading, I think I'm gonna roll with the BIC F12.
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Nov 26, 2012 08:54
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Absolute Lithops posted:I've never set up this kind of thing before. What kinds of wires does this equipment use? One of these between CD and amp: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021803&p_id=659&seq=1&format=2 And as much of this between speakers and amp as you need: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023903&p_id=2822&seq=1&format=2 The Biggest Jerk posted:I'm looking to get some new headphones, but would it be worth it to spend $120+ if I'm using them with a smartphone or laptop without a good soundcard? Depends on a lot of things. What other things are you looking for besides good sound? The thing you've heard is about impedance. Some headphones draw more power than others: if your source can't supply enough power then you have a problem. Not all expensive headphones draw a lot of juice, though. Try asking for specifics in headphone thread, the good people there are well versed in specifics and can help a lot. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2387142 Hob_Gadling fucked around with this message at 17:16 on Nov 26, 2012 |
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Nov 26, 2012 11:26
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Absolute Lithops posted:Thanks so much! That was really helpful. Mountain Goats avatar: shouldn't you be using a busted old boombox shoplifted from a thrift store?
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Nov 26, 2012 20:15
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The Biggest Jerk posted:I'm looking to get some new headphones, but would it be worth it to spend $120+ if I'm using them with a smartphone or laptop without a good soundcard? I don't know too much about this stuff but I've heard that I won't get an appreciable difference compared to $30-40 headphones since there isn't enough power supplied by the phone or laptop if I don't have an amp or something. Feel free to correct any misconceptions I have, I really feel like I don't have a clue with this stuff. Some smartphones have better headphone ports than others. My Nexus 7 tablet and iPhone 4S have very good headphone outputs. These headphones will be waaaay better than $40 headphones and they don't really need an amp: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50-Studio-Monitor-Headphones-104473665-i1174448.gc?source=4WWRWXGP&cagpspn=pla I generally use them without an amp even though I own a couple. My MacBook Pro's output isn't so hot and has noticeable (to me) static, which my phone and tablet sound great. The headphone thread will be able to help you out too.
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Nov 26, 2012 22:03
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My girlfriend wants to start recording herself singing and making "proper" songs (mostly for herself and family, I dunno, her side of the family are all karaoke nuts). After half a day of googling and making myself an internet expert on audio stuff and recording I figured on getting an Audio Buddy pre-amp and a microphone is what is needed. I could get an Audio Buddy + Shure SM57 mic for 150 USD + freight. Or the "M-Audio Audio Buddy & 990/991 Package" for 120 USD. What you guys think, does it sound like I am on the right track here?
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Nov 27, 2012 14:34
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His Divine Shadow posted:My girlfriend wants to start recording herself singing and making "proper" songs (mostly for herself and family, I dunno, her side of the family are all karaoke nuts). If the answer is: into the generic line in of a laptop, you might need to look into audio interfaces instead. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is one of the most commonly recommended entry level options there. In general, peek into the Musician's Lounge for answers to your home recording questions. I'm not a microphone nut, but for what it's worth, the SM57 has a solid reputation. It's definitely not crap. Whether it's the right mic for her, I wouldn't know.
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Nov 27, 2012 15:24
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You are right it would just be connected to the line in of a computers sound card. The scarlett looks nice but it's 100 dollars more for it alone, so it kinda breaks the bank.
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Nov 27, 2012 17:09
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You should just probably just get a USB mic instead. I don't have a specific recommendation, but that'll probably fit your budget better. The SM57 is more of a live vocals mic than a recording mic anyway. http://www.sweetwater.com/c981--USB_Microphones
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Nov 27, 2012 18:48
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Anyone got suggestions for a TV stand that will accommodate a center speaker underneath? I've already got an entertainment unit that I'm happy with, I just want a stand that the tv can sit on, then the speaker (which will be about 20cm high - haven't bought it yet) can slide underneath.
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Nov 27, 2012 22:44
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I need a volume adjuster, just a knob or something with a audio jack in and an audio jack out. I have my Wii U plugged into my monitor via HDMI, it doesn't have speakers of any kind and there's no volume control of any kind on it. It has an audio out jack which I use to plug my headphones into so I can get sound. Wii U games seem to have no volume settings what so ever in the sound options and it's just a bit too loud to be comfortable. But I have no idea what a volume adjuster like this is called and Googling for it just finds me wall volume adjusters and keyboard add ons, not what I want. What the hell are these things called?
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Dec 1, 2012 21:29
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ArcticZombie posted:What the hell are these things called? EDIt: if nothing else, it'll help you collect more useful keywords for your search.
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Dec 1, 2012 21:39
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I'm looking for an affordable =<$125 BlueTooth wireless speaker system for use with an iPad. I'm currently looking at the Logitech UE Boombox and Jawbone Jambox, anyone have any input? Other suggestions are welcome.
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Dec 1, 2012 22:01
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Ditto for the post above but I don't require Bluetooth. There doesn't seem to be much between $20 Chinese made piece of crap and the $500 Bose piece of crap.
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Dec 2, 2012 18:40
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burndtjamb posted:I'm looking for an affordable =<$125 BlueTooth wireless speaker system for use with an iPad. I'm currently looking at the Logitech UE Boombox and Jawbone Jambox, anyone have any input? Other suggestions are welcome. Would a Bluetooth receiver to standard stereo do it (ie. does it have to be portable)? Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F8Z492...etooth+receiver Combine with Lepai 2020+ T-amp and Dayton B652/Pioneer SP-BS21/Polk Monitor 30 and you have a small set of hi-fi.
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Dec 2, 2012 19:38
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I've got two Jamo 406s, no center speaker or sub or anything. I'm kind of low on space in the living room and i can't really remedy the situation. I figure getting a soundbar to just do everything might be the solution, my budget however is Sub 400€ preferably sub 300€. Am i barking up the wrong tree?
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Dec 2, 2012 21:41
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Hob_Gadling posted:Would a Bluetooth receiver to standard stereo do it (ie. does it have to be portable)? Something like this: I've got one that's Bluetooth 3.0 that I'm very happy with, but sadly it isn't sold in the US, so it's hard to recommend. I mean, people used to complain about audio quality through Bluetooth and since I don't have problems with that, I assumed that was related to the Bluetooth version. Is that assumption wrong? Other than that, if there's no need for it to be portable, I can't recommend this type of solution enough. You're not tied to something that's overpriced because of the novelty or that sounds crappy because it's assumed to fullfill a portable need.
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Dec 3, 2012 00:28
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Hob_Gadling posted:Would a Bluetooth receiver to standard stereo do it (ie. does it have to be portable)? Something like this: I'm looking for a portable solution. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
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Dec 3, 2012 02:05
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Does it matter what type banana plugs I get for my receiver? I've never used them before but figured it would be more convenient. Denon AVR1707 in case it helps.
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Dec 3, 2012 18:11
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Really lovely plugs (ones with a single spring, for example) will tend to lose contact after a few insertions. Don't get ones made from like aluminium or something and make sure they're nice and tightly attached, I prefer to solder the wires in the plug. If you must screw them in I'd recommend using a little loctite on the screws.
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Dec 3, 2012 19:10
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I was going to get high quality copper ones from monoprice but I wasn't sure if I needed open screw, closed screw or pin screw.
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Dec 3, 2012 19:20
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canada jezus posted:I've got two Jamo 406s, no center speaker or sub or anything. I'm kind of low on space in the living room and i can't really remedy the situation. I figure getting a soundbar to just do everything might be the solution, my budget however is Sub 400€ preferably sub 300€. Am i barking up the wrong tree? Can you link those speakers? My googling turns up 'Jamo IC 406 6" in-ceiling speakers', is that what you have? Are they mounted in-wall or in-ceiling? Can you post a picture of your living room with the speakers?
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Dec 5, 2012 09:21
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How do you guys feel about tower speakers for home theater? I'm running a 3.1 setup with Polk towers and center plus a Sony sub and I've never really been happy with the sound. At normal tv watching volume, voices are muddy, indistinct. I've run the Audyssey set up on my Onkyo receiver and it helped a little. My old Pioneer had a dialog booster that compensated but the Onkyo has nothing like that and I've tweaked settings until blue in the face for little gain. So I'm wondering, are tower speakers a poor choice? Should I look for some bookshelf speakers? The towers sound great when listening to music or cranked up watching movies.
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Dec 7, 2012 08:07
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Should I buy some Harman Kardon soundstick iii's ? I currently have some cheap 6.1 setup that is playing up and need to replace it with something cheapish and these look super nice and seem to get mostly great reviews.
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Dec 7, 2012 14:16
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wormil posted:How do you guys feel about tower speakers for home theater? I'm running a 3.1 setup with Polk towers and center plus a Sony sub and I've never really been happy with the sound. At normal tv watching volume, voices are muddy, indistinct. I've run the Audyssey set up on my Onkyo receiver and it helped a little. My old Pioneer had a dialog booster that compensated but the Onkyo has nothing like that and I've tweaked settings until blue in the face for little gain. So I'm wondering, are tower speakers a poor choice? Should I look for some bookshelf speakers? The towers sound great when listening to music or cranked up watching movies. Tower and bookshelf are two very broad categories and you should be able to get great dialog and music out of either. Just switching to a bookshelf speaker may or may not help at all. The speaker's design and room make much more difference since there can be a lot of variation between designs. Honestly, it sounds like you specific speakers might be to blame, though it could be an issue of how their positioned, room effects, that sort of thing. If they're muddy, it seems like they might be too close to a wall and the resulting boominess in the bass is drowning out dialog. That's a wild guess though. Can you tell us more about your setup? Zlatan Imhobitch posted:Should I buy some Harman Kardon soundstick iii's ? I currently have some cheap 6.1 setup that is playing up and need to replace it with something cheapish and these look super nice and seem to get mostly great reviews. I don't think they sound that great, but they're passable and do look fabulous. If you can find a good deal on them they're not a bad choice.
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Dec 7, 2012 17:23
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Partially related to this shopping query in another thread and partly just curiosity: I have a 55 wpc stereo receiver and I want to run a pair of 2-channel speakers with 88 db sensitivity at apartment-filling volume. Now, the rule of thumb seems to place 50 WPC as the minimum power needed to run 88db speakers comfortably without distortion/clipping- though having more available power is obviously better. Would throwing a powered subwoofer into the mix help the power situation at all? I know that it would obviously help take care of the range (a speaker that can't reach <60Hz can't reach <60Hz, period), but would having a sub take the lower frequency load off the stereo speakers squeeze more volume out of them and more tolerance from the receiver? Would it be an appreciable difference? (Basically, I'm thinking about a pair of B&W 685 with a sub, but I don't want to replace my existing 55 wpc receiver. The B&Ws can go all the way down to ~50Hz, but I'd probably set the sub crossover at 80Hz.) trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Dec 7, 2012 |
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Dec 7, 2012 19:13
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If you're that worried about output with that speaker/receiver combo, maybe you should consider some more sensitive speakers over those B&W's? $80 off retail hardly seems like a once in a lifetime, have to take it deal if they're not a good fit for what you want. I've read about speakers being able to take higher power if a high pass filter is cutting out the low end so a sub can take care of it. No idea how it'd work in your situation, but I assume it'd at least help a bit.
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Dec 7, 2012 19:48
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powderific posted:If you're that worried about output with that speaker/receiver combo, maybe you should consider some more sensitive speakers over those B&W's? $80 off retail hardly seems like a once in a lifetime, have to take it deal if they're not a good fit for what you want. Well, it's not just the $80 off. Hell, I'd probably end up buying them full price elsewhere. I've listened to them before and liked what I heard and I think they look really snazzy too. 
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Dec 7, 2012 20:01
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Electric Bugaloo posted:but would having a sub take the lower frequency load off the stereo speakers squeeze more volume out of them and more tolerance from the receiver? If that weren't the case, technically it would help somewhat, I guess, although typically it's done for clarity, not extra power. Have you tried the set up in the new apartment yet? I mean, fair enough if you want some new or better speakers, but maybe it's wise to check if there's actually a problem with power first?
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Dec 7, 2012 20:07
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Flipperwaldt posted:For that to happen your amplifier would have to have a(n adjustable) highpass filter filtering the lower frequencies out of the signal going to the speakers. As your receiver doesn't seem to be "subwoofer aware" so to speak, the signal going to the speakers will be the same, regardless of whether an active subwoofer is connected somehow or not. Good point on the highpass filter- the receiver is an early '90s stereo Nakamichi deal. No separate sub out. The idea would be to run the speaker outs to a sub with line-level ins/outs and then run the L/R from the sub. The sub itself has an adjustable filter- but the receiver wouldn't be doing any of that signal management. As for your question- no, I'm only ballparking here based on my experience with the setup in another space. I'm currently running it with a pair of 92db speakers I picked up at a Goodwill. They get quite loud and I have no doubt that they'd fill the new place with sound easily. Unfortunately, loudness is more or less their only virtue, as they don't sound particularly spectacular- and they're enormous. I haven't been able to try it at the new place yet. The receiver used to be my dad's and I have a whole childhood's-worth of experience with how loud it can get. I can't remember what speakers he was using but he never had any trouble filling the house with music until he eventually replaced it with a 5.1 setup sometime in the late '90s. I dug around online and found the service manual It lists the continuous output at 55wpc and dynamic at 75, at 8 ohms. That should actually be more than capable enough for most applications, in that case.... 
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Dec 7, 2012 20:43
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88 dB_SPL is probably 1W at 1 meter, 50W is 17dBW, meaning at 1 meter your single speaker will deliver 105 dB_SPL, which is quite loud. With distortion at 75W it won't play much louder, at ~107 dB_SPL. The same calculations will show that even a 20W amplifier won't play outrageously louder, 101 dB_SPL, although it may not handle the peaks as well. I believe two speakers will only add 3 dB of loudness since it's double the power, the dropoff per meter is presumably some relatively constant per meter which I don't know, if it's similar to radio wave propagation it's inverse square which gives a doubling of length to be 3 dB reduction. All in all, you shouldn't have a problem playing loud as poo poo with 50W, a sub will give you more power in the lower bands of course. Keep in mind that back in the day a 10-12W amplifier was considered sufficient for any home audio use, it's not that much quieter than a 50W amp as long as speakers are good. And for a laugh: to reach 120 dB_SPL with those speakers you would need about 750W per channel.
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Dec 7, 2012 23:10
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I use a small stereo+speakers for my computer, now I want 2 computers to share it but it only has 1 RCA/Phono input pair, can I use some kind of Y cable to hook em both up, will the computer soundcards interfere with each other?
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Dec 8, 2012 02:17
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