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Once you've heard a good set of bookshelf speakers or studio monitors, it's hard to go back to plastic PC speaker sets. I recommend saving up for a set of JBL LSR305s or 308s, you'll have great quality sound for decades with a set of either.
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Feb 19, 2016 10:26
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If you have a size limitation, it...limits your options. Years ago the Audioengine A2s were the choice for relatively tiny speakers, but I think there's a few other solid tiny speaker options nowadays. On the cheaper end the options are basically the usual PC speaker companies, some cheap bookshelf and amp setup (Dayton speakers and Lepai amp still a common thing?), or used.
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Feb 19, 2016 10:37
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KozmoNaut posted:Once you've heard a good set of bookshelf speakers or studio monitors, it's hard to go back to plastic PC speaker sets. As much as I'd love to get a set of these, my budget tops out around $150. Fortunately I've got a nice pair of Audio Technica headphones for all my 'hear every last detail' listening needs, so I'm just looking for a reliable, bang-for-your-buck set of speakers. What're considered the best brands/speakers in the $100-$200 price range?
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Feb 19, 2016 11:38
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I would go for something like these: http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-AV42-...=studio+monitor Or these: http://www.amazon.com/Mackie-CR4-Pa...=studio+monitor Which also come with Bluetooth built-in for $50 more: http://www.amazon.com/Mackie-CR4BT-...=studio+monitor If it were me, I would go with the Mackies.
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Feb 19, 2016 11:50
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KozmoNaut posted:I would go for something like these: Here we go down the rabbit hole, about which I have no idea. Why would you recommend the Mackies over the M-Audios? Both of those offer smaller versions for less (3" Mackies for $100, 3" M-Audios for $80), would I be missing out on much by going for these smaller/cheaper versions? The M-Audios also offer a 3" 2.1 setup for $200, but that seems like an awful lot for just a subwoofer. Sorry for all thew questions, I just have no idea about speaker systems/brands/models.
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Feb 20, 2016 01:37
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Honestly a Lepai and a pair of pawn shop Polks will sound pretty damned good. When cash allows add a subwoofer and you're set.
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Feb 20, 2016 03:20
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literally this big posted:Here we go down the rabbit hole, about which I have no idea. Mackie is a slightly "better" brand than M-Audio, but they both make quality gear. I just think the Mackies look better, and they've received lots of praise for the CR series. By going with the smaller versions, you would mostly lose out on bass. Even the 4" models are a bit thinner on bass than I would personally like, but they're OK as long as you don't expect them to shake the room.
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Feb 20, 2016 06:56
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JFC posted:No, you got it right, I want to go through the sound card, but get rid of the buzzing. I ordered an optical DAC and I'll tell you guys how it goes. Optical out bypasses any sound processing of your card. Same effect as getting a USB DAC e: if the buzzing really is just interference from a graphics card, try moving the sound card to a different slot? Setset fucked around with this message at 16:54 on Feb 20, 2016 |
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Feb 20, 2016 16:50
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Depends if the optical out is on the sound card or not.
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Feb 20, 2016 17:00
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Veinless posted:Honestly a Lepai and a pair of pawn shop Polks will sound pretty damned good. When cash allows add a subwoofer and you're set.
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Feb 20, 2016 22:22
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The latter would be easiest to find, stereo amps with subwoofer outputs are quite rare. But you could also look for second-hand AV receivers, which will have a built-in crossover and subwoofer output. Pre-HD models are usually very inexpensive second hand.
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Feb 20, 2016 22:27
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Just wanted to chime in to say that I've been happy with my Audioengine A5+ set since late 2012. A few months ago I also added the Audioengine subwoofer and D1 amplifier, because I can't hold onto money. Now I'm using a Vizio tv as a monitor/tv combo and the speakers are along side the tv -- I think they sound better from the distance vs being close to them when you're using a computer desk. I'm content with the subwoofer...it makes games like Battlefield 4 feel more intense and immersive, but I mainly keep it low because I don't want to irritate my family. I'm not very knowledgeable about high end audio but I'll be happy with this setup for quite a few more years until I'm ready to get my first tower speakers. When I don't feel like using the speakers I use a pair of Sennheiser HD 600's which are attached to the D1 headphone amplifier. I will be keeping these headphones until I wear them out. They're better than their lower grade cousin (the HD 598) which are less than half the price of the HD 600s but themselves also constitute great value if you want headphones of those types (I owned two pairs since 2010 which were shared with my family.)
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Feb 21, 2016 04:55
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Well the subwoofer on my 10+ year old logitech speakers is crapping out so I need some replacements. What are some good 2.0 or 2.1 speakers for around $100? Or would I be wasting money since I already have a pair of Audio-Technica M50x headphones?
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Mar 6, 2016 22:23
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For $100 I would go with a second-hand stereo amp and a second-hand pair of bookshelf speakers. Nothing you buy new will be even close in sound quality to a decent pair of "proper" speakers.
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Mar 6, 2016 22:27
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KozmoNaut posted:For $100 I would go with a second-hand stereo amp and a second-hand pair of bookshelf speakers. Nothing you buy new will be even close in sound quality to a decent pair of "proper" speakers. Would pushing my budget to $150-$200 get me something decent but also new?
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Mar 9, 2016 04:31
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That opens up a lot more options. Like these: http://www.amazon.com/Mackie-CR4-Pair-Reference-Multimedia/dp/B00KVEIY4O
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Mar 9, 2016 08:25
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KozmoNaut posted:That opens up a lot more options. And if you go into the "style" window and spend $50 more on the CR4-BT (so max your budget exactly at $200), you get those speakers with added Bluetooth capability. Another $50 takes you to the larger, range topping CR5-BT, which have 5" woofers instead of 4" for a bit more bass extension.
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Mar 9, 2016 19:30
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But if you're in the $250-300 range you might as well get a set of LSR305s and be set for life, pretty much.
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Mar 9, 2016 19:32
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I have a pair of Behringer Truth B2031A, they should fit into the $100-200. Very good for their price.
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Mar 9, 2016 22:14
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KozmoNaut posted:That opens up a lot more options. Would these fit on a normal sized computer desk? And how good are they for gaming? spasticColon fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Mar 12, 2016 |
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Mar 12, 2016 00:54
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spasticColon posted:Would these fit on a normal sized computer desk? And how good are they for gaming? 6.1" x 7.3" footprint. They'll be fine for gaming as long as you don't need surround sound or a lot of bass. Edit: The specs on the Amazon link are wrong. http://mackie.com/sites/default/files/PRODUCT%20RESOURCES/MANUALS/Owners_Manuals/CR3_4_OM.pdf Also: 
KillHour fucked around with this message at 02:33 on Mar 12, 2016 |
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Mar 12, 2016 02:27
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What else do I need to purchase if I wanted to pick up a pair of LSR305s?
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Mar 13, 2016 08:34
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Etrips posted:What else do I need to purchase if I wanted to pick up a pair of LSR305s? The depends on what you have already. Are you using an external DAC with a volume control? If so, all you need are the appropriate cables to convert from your DAC's outputs (probably RCA) to the LSR305's inputs (1/4" jack or XLR). If you're using the output from some device without a dedicated volume control, you should get something like a Fostex PC-1. It's a basic volume control knob, and It comes with cables to go from 3.5mm jack to RCA through the volume control, and then you'll need a pair of RCA->1/4" jack or RCA->XLR adapters for the speakers.
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Mar 13, 2016 10:13
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Here's a pretty reasonable bundle with 1/8 to XLR included if you're buying from Amazon anyways. http://www.amazon.com/JBL-Studio-Monitor-Interfaces-Laptops/dp/B00JFN3KLY I had to get this to stop a ground loop hum when connecting my PC directly. Make sure your PC has optical out: http://www.amazon.com/D03K-Digital-Analog-Audio-Converter/dp/B009346RSS I just use the volume keys on my logitech keyboard, but I could see a volume control being useful if you don't. Oh, and stands. Getting them isolated from the desktop really helps.
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Mar 13, 2016 23:58
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Hmm... Do not think my motherboard has an optical out. How do I remedy this?
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Mar 14, 2016 00:31
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You may as well try it with the existing line out before worrying about it. There's a good chance you won't have the issue.
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Mar 14, 2016 02:08
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I think I'm all squared away to set up some DIY bass kickin' to my chair; anyone have advice before I start ordering and setting stuff up purty please? Gonna be for a VR headset, so planning for headphones to be the main audio. I tried loving around with using the sub out on my sound card to save the money on physical low pass filters, but I don't think it's going to work consistently and end up just being an overall pain in the rear end. I already own the little amp (Amazon decided to send me two; I don't think it would help to use both but throwin' it out in case), hence the cheap crap choice there which I hope is good enough. I'm looking at buying and chaining up: Computer-> 1/8" splitter-> One out to the headphones, other out to -> 50hz low pass filters -> Lepei 2024A+ amp -> 2x 8ohm Dayton Puck transducers wired in series -> My butt (using the surface mount kit) The few things I'm not sure about - The amp specifies 4-8 ohm impedence and 20W x 2 RMS for the output, does it make sense to do 2x 8 ohm pucks in series into one channel? Or grab 2x 16 ohm pucks into one channel in case it's not enough and want to add 2 more later and still be able to wire it to be in the 4-8 range? Is that resistance per channel - maybe do 2x 8 ohm pucks in series per channel? Uhhh outta my knowledge level. And cable management - Any words of wisdom on strapping these to a wheeled office chair without the wires being in the way? Chair is on a rug I could run the wires under, dunno if it'd kill the wire to be running over it all the time though. Thank ya much for any help! teh_Broseph fucked around with this message at 03:24 on Mar 26, 2016 |
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Mar 26, 2016 03:21
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Bought a JBL LSR310S from an Amazon seller advertising "Used - Like New" condition. $80 off the normal price and no tax. It came the next day and it was brand loving new and sealed. I assume they're selling them used to get around manufacturer minimum prices. I recommend it!
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Mar 29, 2016 22:08
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I think my PC speakers (Logitech z5500 5.1) have finally died after a decade or so. From reading the last ten pages or so, here's what I think I'll be getting. All I really do on the PC is video games, music, and TV. Let me know if I messed anything up or went overkill on something: - pair of LSR 305s or A2s. Desk space is kind of limited, so if I went with the LSRs, I'd probably need to get stands as well. - Schiit Modi 2 Uber so I can plug in other devices like a PS4. - Schiit Magni Uber for a volume knob and headphone jack - a bunch of cables (haven't looked into what I'll need yet) Resonance22 fucked around with this message at 07:16 on Apr 4, 2016 |
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Apr 4, 2016 07:14
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Don't bother with the A2s if you want any kind of bass, they're basically dead in the water below ~80Hz.
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Apr 4, 2016 08:47
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Resonance22 posted:I think my PC speakers (Logitech z5500 5.1) have finally died after a decade or so. From reading the last ten pages or so, here's what I think I'll be getting. All I really do on the PC is video games, music, and TV. Let me know if I messed anything up or went overkill on something: I would probably just get a cheap receiver and bookshelf speakers instead of trying to patch together all of that stuff.
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Apr 4, 2016 14:46
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I'm looking to get a good start on an AV setup for the first time using an Apple TV (new version), PS4 and Xbox 360. I'm planning to buy 2 JBL LRS305s and an AV receiver, hook up the LRS's using XLR Male to Balanced Jack cables, then put the 3 HDMI sources through the receiver and run the output to the TV. Is this all correct? My two queries are: are balanced jacks ok for plugging in where speakers are usually attached, or do I need the cables that split into two smaller wires at the end? Also, where I have optical audio (i.e. on the apple TV), is it better to use that as well, or stick to HDMI? So confusing!
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Apr 4, 2016 15:40
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Stumiester posted:I'm looking to get a good start on an AV setup for the first time using an Apple TV (new version), PS4 and Xbox 360. I'm planning to buy 2 JBL LRS305s and an AV receiver, hook up the LRS's using XLR Male to Balanced Jack cables, then put the 3 HDMI sources through the receiver and run the output to the TV. Is this all correct? The JBLs are active speakers, which means they have the amplifier built in. If you connect them to normal speaker outputs from an amplifier, you will destroy them. If you want to connect them to a receiver, you will need to buy one with pre-amplifier outputs.
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Apr 4, 2016 16:10
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KozmoNaut posted:The JBLs are active speakers, which means they have the amplifier built in. If you connect them to normal speaker outputs from an amplifier, you will destroy them. Thank you - glad I didn't plug them in! So, reciever with a pre-amp is the way to go? Or is there a better option?
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Apr 4, 2016 16:41
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Stumiester posted:Thank you - glad I didn't plug them in! So, reciever with a pre-amp is the way to go? Or is there a better option? Since you don't have any of this gear yet, I would just get a decent set of passive speakers and whichever receiver tickles your fancy. It'll be significantly less complicated.
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Apr 4, 2016 16:52
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KozmoNaut posted:Since you don't have any of this gear yet, I would just get a decent set of passive speakers and whichever receiver tickles your fancy. It'll be significantly less complicated.
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Apr 4, 2016 17:33
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Fair enough - point taken. Thanks
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Apr 4, 2016 18:06
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I stand by my old Logitech Z5500s. They are still amazing!
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Apr 6, 2016 19:16
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Fuzz posted:I stand by my old Logitech Z5500s. They are still amazing! This is a dude who has never been in front of a pair of LSR305s or 308s.
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Apr 7, 2016 17:07
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True. That's my upgrade path too and the difference is mind blowing.
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Apr 7, 2016 23:20
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