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TenementFunster posted:i paid $40 or some such nonsense for a upgraded DAC circuit for my OG Schiit Bifrost and i felt like a sucker when i fired it up to uh... no change. it's the last time i fall for audiophile nonsense. then again, i'm probably a big idiot for still using toslink in TYOOL 2017 Toslink is great if you're having particularly stubborn ground loop issues. Other than that and not supporting certain surround sound formats, it literally does not matter.
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May 30, 2017 08:00
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A couple questions: 1) I was thinking of getting a soundbar for my TV since I wasn't planning to play music through it, didn't want to deal with lots of wires, and figured it would just be easier, but now I'm wondering if I should get a receiver with surround sound capability for the future when I have a larger room to watch movies in. Is there a minimum size for 3.1/5.1 setups? My current room is pretty small. 2) If get a 5.1 or 7.1 receiver, can I use it for just 3.1? That is, will the receiver be smart enough to adapt to the reduced number of channels that are actually wired to speakers? I don't know anything about how home theater receivers actually handle the different channels of sound.
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May 30, 2017 09:24
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1) almost no lower limit, you'll be fine. 2) you set the amp up for the speakers you have, 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.1 etc etc doesn't matter much. Starting with 3.1 is a smart move, the front row (+ sub) is the most important bit for audio quality. The surround channels are cool too, but not as critical, at least not to start with.
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May 30, 2017 10:03
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Wibla posted:2) you set the amp up for the speakers you have, 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.1 etc etc doesn't matter much. Starting with 3.1 is a smart move, the front row (+ sub) is the most important bit for audio quality. The surround channels are cool too, but not as critical, at least not to start with. What happens to the sound that would ordinarily go to the surround channels if I only have a receiver sending sound to 3.1 channels? Is it just lost, or would it get sent to the front channels? For example, if there was a car horn sound that was supposed to be in one of the back surround speakers, if I only have fronts and center channel, would I just not hear the car horn during playback or would the receiver realize there were no back speakers connected and just send that to one of the fronts as well?
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May 30, 2017 10:17
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It will likely be mixed into the front speakers, at a slightly lower level. But there really shouldn't be anything important happening in the rear channels only, unless you're listening to surround sound test videos. Best practice when mixing sound is to only use the rear/surround channels for ambiance and sounds that are not essential to the plot or action.
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May 30, 2017 11:38
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uwaeve posted:A post above reminded me to post a PSA.
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May 30, 2017 13:04
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Hey all, I am a complete audio noob. I know that the speakers on my laptop are poo poo, that I like the audio in my Audio-Technica ATHM50 headphones, and that ultra-expense audio cables are a rip-off. I hope the previous sentence does not start a war. I am trying to set something up so I can play white noise (ocean waves, rain/thunder, ...) in my bedroom to help me sleep in on weekend mornings. Using earplugs won't work. What do I need to buy to make this happen? I have a budget of ~$1000 (the less the better), and I would like the sound quality to be similar to my current head phones or better. If this setup could be somewhat mobile, so I can also play music in my living room (while I am cooking and I can't wear headphones) that would be great too. Thanks.
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Jun 3, 2017 22:38
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Are you aware of machines? I was surprised to find out they were a thing--I've heard they work well, pun intended Marpac Dohm-DS All Natural Sound Machine, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HD0ELFK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_I5Ymzb86W3QPA
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Jun 3, 2017 22:48
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Nostalgia4Dogges posted:Are you aware of machines? I was surprised to find out they were a thing--I've heard they work well, pun intended I like that it is very competitively prices. I don't know if I'll be totally happy with just 'white noise'. Being able to sleep to the sound of crashing waves and rainfall is a big plus.
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Jun 4, 2017 04:58
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When I bought my house, there were 2 Bose surround sound speakers on the back wall of the family room. After living here a year, I finally got a receiver [Yamaha RX-V381, and was dismayed to learn that I couldn't use my nice sound bar with it,] so I got some Klipsch speakers [R-15M] from HH Gregg going out of business. Unfortunately because of my room layout, I don't have a place for a center channel audio for full 5.1 surround. I would be ok with this, except that multiple games, including Breath of the Wild and Persona 5, only use center audio for some sound effects. My question is this: Can I split my left speaker wire into both the left and center channels and vice versa. In my mind, this would make a ghetto 4.0 surround sound that feeds center audio into both L and R speakers. Or will this make my entire setup explode in a firey inferno. Edit - Layout in question:  
Alpha Phoenix fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Jun 4, 2017 |
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Jun 4, 2017 19:52
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No. Your Yamaha should have a 5 or 7 channel stereo mode that will blend everything together and output it to all speakers. I would try that. The center channel is the most important when it comes to a lot of content. Look into getting a proper center channel speaker. They make brackets so you can mount it above the TV, or you can raise the TV on a shelf and put it underneath. It's worth it IMO skipdogg fucked around with this message at 20:27 on Jun 4, 2017 |
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Jun 4, 2017 20:23
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You can also just shut off the center channel in the receiver and it should mix the center front left and right.
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Jun 4, 2017 21:27
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Got a sonos email sub is $100 off via sonos and 2 play 1s are $50 off. Definitely not the best deal by any means but I suppose worth sharing? 🤷🏽♀️
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Jun 4, 2017 23:05
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I wish Sonos would make a ~$400 baby sub as well.
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Jun 4, 2017 23:19
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skipdogg posted:The center channel is the most important when it comes to a lot of content. Look into getting a proper center channel speaker. They make brackets so you can mount it above the TV, or you can raise the TV on a shelf and put it underneath. It's worth it IMO I'll probably do this down the line, but between the speakers I do own and my new switch, I've tapped out of my fun-money for a little while. And I really want to get what I have to work with surround. Panty Saluter posted:You can also just shut off the center channel in the receiver and it should mix the center front left and right. ok, thank you. Now that I know what I'm looking for I think I found that option in the manual. But it looks like I need the remote to access it. I should be able to buy/borrow a universal remote and program it, right? Or do I need to track down an 'official' remote for this unit.
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Jun 4, 2017 23:31
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qirex posted:I wish Sonos would make a ~$400 baby sub as well. It's much heaver than it looks, solid build. Definitely more weight than you'd expect. I also love the design, wouldn't mind a matte option. I think I read in the manual you can also lie it flat? I could definitely go 2" down in size tho ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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Jun 4, 2017 23:37
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theHUNGERian posted:I am trying to set something up so I can play white noise (ocean waves, rain/thunder, ...) in my bedroom to help me sleep in on weekend mornings. Using earplugs won't work. You can't get audio quality similar to headphones for that budget. That said, Bluetooth speaker you can carry around is probably what you want. Friend has one of these JBL speakers. Audio is clear, it's small enough and has a decent battery. https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Splashpr...uetooth+speaker
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Jun 5, 2017 09:32
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Hob_Gadling posted:You can't get audio quality similar to headphones for that budget. That said, Bluetooth speaker you can carry around is probably what you want. He has $1000 to spend. I think he can do better than that. Though I do wonder how much sound quality matters when you're listening to waves and raindrops, but that's not for me to decide. I would suggest some studio monitors. AV40s are a good deal for $120. Or you can upgrade to a pair for JBL LSR305 monitors for $300 or Yamaha monitors.
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Jun 5, 2017 15:28
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:He has $1000 to spend. Oops, I misread that as $100. Yeah, $1000 changes the situation considerably.
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Jun 5, 2017 15:34
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:He has $1000 to spend. I think he can do better than that. Though I do wonder how much sound quality matters when you're listening to waves and raindrops, but that's not for me to decide. Dude said thunder. That warrants a big fuckin' sub 
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Jun 5, 2017 15:51
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Nostalgia4Dogges posted:It's much heaver than it looks, solid build. Definitely more weight than you'd expect. I also love the design, wouldn't mind a matte option. I think I read in the manual you can also lie it flat? I could definitely go 2" down in size tho ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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Jun 5, 2017 16:12
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Olympic Mathlete posted:Dude said thunder. That warrants a big fuckin' sub I like listening to thunderstorm stuff (also drone ambient, and doom metal) when I go to sleep and I really enjoy having a sub. I love feeling the 'white noise' vibrations. For his use case, I'm thinking some powered monitors would allow portability, avoid a receiver, and still have decent bass response if they can be placed close to the bed.
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Jun 5, 2017 17:56
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I've been using old powered monitors (first AV40s, now BX5s) hooked up to a little bluetooth adapter for thunderstorm sounds in my bedroom for years, they are perfect in that application.
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Jun 5, 2017 18:00
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On that note Monoprice is selling their 5 inch studio monitors, which look suspiciously identical to BX5a's, for $120 today: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=605500
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Jun 6, 2017 16:19
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gently caress I hate visions. The 2 days it was supposed to take to get in the KEF Q200 has now been over a week and everytime I ask it will be 2 more days. But I was able to save enough to grab a sub as well. I have seen the Polk PSW505 mentioned a few times here. Will that be too much for a small apartment? Am I better off going with the PSW10? So far I have a Denon X1300, a set of KEF Q100, and a KEF Q200 (someday)
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Jun 8, 2017 02:53
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Demon_Corsair posted:Will that be too much for a small apartment? You can always turn a bigger sub down.
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Jun 8, 2017 14:05
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The diameter of the sub is going to be the biggest influence on frequency response. If you want real bass, you want 12"+.
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Jun 8, 2017 15:43
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taqueso posted:The diameter of the sub is going to be the biggest influence on frequency response. If you want real bass, you want 12"+. The design of the sub has the biggest influence on frequency response. I have a folded horn sub running a JBL GTO 804 which is an 8" driver and it'll get down to 20hz quite happily at well over 105db.
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Jun 8, 2017 15:54
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Yeah, I should have said 'for a standard ported sub design'. You could also find a smaller driver with huge travel and get low frequencies.
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Jun 8, 2017 15:57
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I was recently gifted a few Sonos speakers as a housewarming present (their small ones) and I've been pretty surprised at how great they sound in a bedroom or other smaller space. I'm interested in streaming my turntable through the house to these speakers now when listening to records at my main listening station. Is there something that does what their $500 connect: amp does well, or should I just go with it to stay in their ecosystem? I'm not a big fan of the form-factor or the price premium.
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Jun 8, 2017 19:01
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Transistor Rhythm posted:I was recently gifted a few Sonos speakers as a housewarming present (their small ones) and I've been pretty surprised at how great they sound in a bedroom or other smaller space. I'm interested in streaming my turntable through the house to these speakers now when listening to records at my main listening station. Is there something that does what their $500 connect: amp does well, or should I just go with it to stay in their ecosystem? I'm not a big fan of the form-factor or the price premium. Pretty sure you just need the Sonos Connect for $350. The Connect:Amp is for connecting existing unpowered speakers to your Sonos network.
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Jun 8, 2017 20:04
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I'm hoping someone can guide me down a magical path. I have a 5.1 system with a Denon AVR1100x. It has a zone 2 input but I really don't have the space to run wires where I'd need to. I'd like to add audio to my kitchen, porch, and outdoor patio without running wires, and have them all groupable. While the outdoor speakers probably don't need to be that great, music will rarely be played out there and it will be at lower volumes. I want to use Chomecast Audio to hook everything up. Seems like it would be the easiest way. Now I could mount some speakers in the eaves of my porch and hook up them up to a tiny amp that then has the Chromecast in it's aux port. The problem with that is I don't want / need that all to be powered all the time, but I'm wondering if there's an elegant solution to that problem outside of installing a smart switch or remote activated switch (which neither would probably be weatherproof). Am I overthinking things? EDIT: And I am valuing cost over quality here. I've been eyeing Monoprice speakers for perspective. The Dave fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Jun 9, 2017 |
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Jun 9, 2017 17:45
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If cost is a factor, I would encourage you to explore the possibility of running speaker wires. Add a speaker selector to your zone 2 outputs and your good. If that isn't an option, powered speakers or amp wired to passive speakers is your play. Having them powered all the timeshouldn't be an issue. They have pretty low current draw at idle. If you decide to utilize zone 2 off your avr, control method will be a big factor. Does your avr have a smart phone app for control via wifi? If not, you'll need an ir repeater solution. To me, the best cheap whole home audio setup is an amp like the Niles SI-1230 wired to 6 sets of speakers with 6 Chromecast Audios as inputs. The Niles amps are a couple hundred bucks on eBay. $150 on Chromecasts, $300 on speakers and $50 in speaker wire. $700 all in on a 6 zone setup is hard to beat.
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Jun 9, 2017 18:14
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Scrapez posted:If cost is a factor, I would encourage you to explore the possibility of running speaker wires. 250 year old house with 2 additions makes this too daunting of a task.
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Jun 9, 2017 18:29
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:He has $1000 to spend. I think he can do better than that. Though I do wonder how much sound quality matters when you're listening to waves and raindrops, but that's not for me to decide. Sorry being away for a few days, but I didn't want to phone post. Thanks for the suggestions. Suppose I get those monitors, JBL or Yamaha, what device do I use to actually drive them? Also, what's a halfway decent way of installing this system such that I can use it in one room at night, while using it in another room during the day?
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Jun 9, 2017 20:34
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I'm hoping/trying to build a projector setup, but when it comes to audio I'm running into a space issue. The area where I'll project will have all of the space used for the screen, so speakers need to fit low to the ground. There's basically no space on the sides. How badly would I gently caress up by making little props for the speakers to angle them upwards to me, while keeping them low on to the floor?
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Jun 9, 2017 22:03
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Does it matter if your front speakers and center channel are the same brand? Does mix and matching different brands make any difference? My center channel has been two days away from being in for over a week now, so I may just get my money back and just get something off amazon. I should be getting a Q200, but failing that how does the KEF T301C or the Elac debut C5 compare?
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Jun 9, 2017 23:01
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It's pretty important that the front 3 speakers sound the same. The Q200C is discontinued [and KEF's not making a 5-1/2" center channel for the Q series any more] so if this retailer can't get one you might want to start looking elsewhere. e: how do you like the Q100s? qirex fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Jun 9, 2017 |
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Jun 9, 2017 23:15
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So far I am really enjoying them. I am coming from nothing, so my bar is set pretty low. Although the q200 seems impossible to find, so if I keep getting the run around I may just return the whole set.
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Jun 10, 2017 00:52
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theHUNGERian posted:Sorry being away for a few days, but I didn't want to phone post. Alright, I stopped being an idiot and read the OP -> I need a receiver. The most obvious mobile solution is to put the receiver + speakers on a small cart I can move from one room to the other. Assuming that my laptop and the speakers would have to be on opposite ends of the living room and assuming that my laptop has no integrated Bluetooth, how do I connect the laptop to the receiver? I'm looking for cable-less options.
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Jun 10, 2017 01:27
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