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ItBreathes posted:My venerable Z-2300 has kicked the bucket (or the control pods died again). Before I go drop $40 on another pod hoping that's the issue, is there anything in the $1-300 range of comparable/better quality that doesn't suffer from the lingering defect of being 10 years old? -Audioengine -M-Audio -JBL 305P Mk2 (these were just on sale for $100 a pop rather than $150) -Mackie -Fluance AI40/AI60 -any number of new and vintage passive speakers + a 2 channel amp or receiver
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Feb 20, 2019 16:18
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Electric Bugaloo posted:-Audioengine 305P mk2 or 306 or just the original 305's which are stupid cheap are amazing monitors. until you start breaking into $500+ per speaker/monitor it's the best bang for buck available, period.
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Feb 20, 2019 23:05
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How do the 306 compare to the 305mk2s? Also, Amazon is gonna launch a special edition in June that look really good to me actually. Excited to pick up a pair.
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Feb 20, 2019 23:07
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Electric Bugaloo posted:How do the 306 compare to the 305mk2s? I'm personally eyeballing the 305P MkII 'Design My' limited editions because there is a perfect space I could use them in (my fiancées art studio). the only difference is a little bit more bass extension. beyond that, they're both very samey. the original lsr 305 is honestly the best bargain in audio today, and I still strongly suggest them to anybody who's needing some good speakers. just a simple interface or an smsl su-8 if you're hooking up to a TV w/o an aux output, and you're good to go!
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Feb 20, 2019 23:13
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5-HT posted:305P mk2 or 306 or just the original 305's which are stupid cheap are amazing monitors. until you start breaking into $500+ per speaker/monitor it's the best bang for buck available, period. Spent the day reading up on cheap monitors and the web is suggesting either these or the Kali LP6, of which there's not a lot out the on, but it gets rave reviews where it does appear. Do you/anyone have any experience with them both?
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Feb 20, 2019 23:50
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5-HT posted:I'm personally eyeballing the 305P MkII 'Design My' limited editions because there is a perfect space I could use them in (my fiancées art studio). the only difference is a little bit more bass extension. beyond that, they're both very samey. Yeah they look dope, gonna grab a pair
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Feb 20, 2019 23:52
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ItBreathes posted:Spent the day reading up on cheap monitors and the web is suggesting either these or the Kali LP6, of which there's not a lot out the on, but it gets rave reviews where it does appear. Do you/anyone have any experience with them both? the lsr 305 has a better waveguide, treble is even and the sweet spot is a bit bigger. Kali's are nice, but they're more "fun" than pro imo.
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Feb 22, 2019 01:38
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Picked up the 305s at 125/ea. So far the sound great, but I'm going to have to see if I can salvage the sub from the z2300. Pinouts of the control port are readily available online but I've never hosed around with circuitry before so wish me luck.
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Feb 28, 2019 04:29
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ItBreathes posted:Picked up the 305s at 125/ea. So far the sound great, but I'm going to have to see if I can salvage the sub from the z2300. Pinouts of the control port are readily available online but I've never hosed around with circuitry before so wish me luck.
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Feb 28, 2019 04:47
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Josh Lyman posted:That’s always my concern with 2.0 monitors or mini bookshelf speakers, that the bass will be weak. For apartment living it's probably ideal, the base isn't absent, but it's not doing any shaking either. But you get used to a big ol' sub and I know they guy who lives below me, so... If noise isn't a concern I'd say the .1 is necessary, yeah.
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Feb 28, 2019 04:58
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Electric Bugaloo posted:-Audioengine Going to have to disagree on the Mackie recommendation. My CR4s died at ~3 years old and a quick google search showed that a lot of people had them die around ~2 years old.
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Feb 28, 2019 06:04
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With 5” woofers you don’t want a massive sub, so you can be thrifty. Something 8” is ideal, 10” max. You want everything to blend well in the middle. I picked up a mid-level 8” Polk on Craigslist a few years back for $60 and it gets rolled out for sub duty when I use my Minimus 7s. Something like a $100-$200 sub would pair well with 305s, or you could go with JBL’s own option. mariooncrack posted:Going to have to disagree on the Mackie recommendation. My CR4s died at ~3 years old and a quick google search showed that a lot of people had them die around ~2 years old. Good to know
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Feb 28, 2019 06:20
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Electric Bugaloo posted:With 5” woofers you don’t want a massive sub, so you can be thrifty. Something 8” is ideal, 10” max. You want everything to blend well in the middle. The size of the woofers in the main speakers don't change the fact that you should always go for the bigger, more capable subs that can go deep. You can always turn down a powerful sub, you can't turn up a weak sub beyond its capabilities. With more power, you can also use DSP to extend the frequency range downwards, and it gives you more headroom for EQ and room correction. I'm using Adam A5Xs*, and I have two 12" subs, which absolutely aren't overkill. Properly positioned, adjusted and EQed, they just get out of the way and "disappear", they're not overpowering or boomy or anything. The blend in so well that it just seems like the Adams have much deeper bass than something with 5" woofers should be able to. The Z2300 sub isn't a "big ol' sub", honestly it's a beginner unit. Buy something like a Polk PSW505, you'll be much happier with it. And get some sort of crossover instead of trying to blend in the sub with the speakers' natural roll-off, that's just a crappy compromise. MiniDSPs aren't very expensive and are extremely versatile. * If the JBL LSR305s had been available back then, I probably would have gotten those and saved a bunch of money. The Adams are awesome, though. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 12:59 on Feb 28, 2019 |
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Feb 28, 2019 12:54
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KozmoNaut posted:The Z2300 sub isn't a "big ol' sub", honestly it's a beginner unit. Buy something like a Polk PSW505, you'll be much happier with it. And get some sort of crossover instead of trying to blend in the sub with the speakers' natural roll-off, that's just a crappy compromise. MiniDSPs aren't very expensive and are extremely versatile. Sure, it's only 8", but I already have it, and it gives me an excuse to go tinkering. Good call on the crossover, I'll have to look into that.
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Feb 28, 2019 14:37
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No reason to throw something away that you still have and like, for sure. As a powered sub, it should work like any other, with a line level input signal. If you don't need a MiniDSP's features, there are relatively inexpensive passive line-level crossovers you can use. A MiniDSP can do a whole load of cool stuff for $80, though.
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Feb 28, 2019 15:06
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The tricky part is that the only input it takes is in the form of a d-sub connector, with the line-in, power, and volume control being handled on an external pod originally. The schematics of the pod are online so I'll just have to build a dongle re-implementing it, I've just never done any circuitry work before. Should be fun.
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Feb 28, 2019 18:10
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KozmoNaut posted:The size of the woofers in the main speakers don't change the fact that you should always go for the bigger, more capable subs that can go deep. You can always turn down a powerful sub, you can't turn up a weak sub beyond its capabilities. With more power, you can also use DSP to extend the frequency range downwards, and it gives you more headroom for EQ and room correction. I would argue that it depends on your budget, and since these are 305s, I wouldn’t be encouraging anybody to be dropping like $800 on a superfast SVS 12” to pair with them. At the low end of the budget, a smaller sub with better components absolutely beats the biggest sub you can get for the buck. Edit: to clarify, a PSW505 or even a PSW10 is totally what I’d recommend too.
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Feb 28, 2019 19:07
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Yeah, don't outspend your main speakers for a sub. Everything in moderation and proportion. And two decent subs will be better than one amazing sub.
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Feb 28, 2019 19:17
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KozmoNaut posted:Yeah, don't outspend your main speakers for a sub. Everything in moderation and proportion. What are you using to crossover the Adams and the subs?
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Feb 28, 2019 22:49
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Electric Bugaloo posted:What are you using to crossover the Adams and the subs? A dbx Driverack PX DSP-based EQ and crossover. They're usually used for concert systems, but I got it at a good price second-hand and it's completely noise free. It doesn't care that I'm correcting for a small room instead of a concert hall. Rather utilitarian and ugly, but I do have a preference for pro gear, so I like it. It can also do compression and limiting, and a few other things as well, that I don't use. Crossover at 70Hz with 24dB/octave L-R filters. 70Hz instead of 80 because that works better with the peaks and nulls in my room. EQ is set based on REW measurements, with a few tweaks to my taste. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Feb 28, 2019 |
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Feb 28, 2019 23:06
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KozmoNaut posted:A dbx Driverack PX DSP-based EQ and crossover. They're usually used for concert systems, but I got it at a good price second-hand and it's completely noise free. It doesn't care that I'm correcting for a small room instead of a concert hall. Rather utilitarian and ugly, but I do have a preference for pro gear, so I like it. Oh man. Not really thread-related but I’m curious to hear what your take on running a pair of Magnepans off of something like a Yamaha PxxxxS (class A/B, discontinued but easily available used) or PX (current gen, class D, scant reviews) or Crown class D amp would be. Just something with a stupid amount of rated power. You know, just asking for a friend. Who will more likely than not end up with a Schiit Vidar when all is said and done.
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Mar 2, 2019 06:11
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Electric Bugaloo posted:Oh man. Not really thread-related but I’m curious to hear what your take on running a pair of Magnepans off of something like a Yamaha PxxxxS (class A/B, discontinued but easily available used) or PX (current gen, class D, scant reviews) or Crown class D amp would be. I love big power amps. As long as they aren't noisy at normal levels, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having tons of headroom available. And it's hard to go wrong with Yamaha, in my experience. Don't expect big bass from electrostatics, but I assume you already knew that, and are planning for subs as well.
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Mar 2, 2019 09:19
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KozmoNaut posted:I love big power amps. As long as they aren't noisy at normal levels, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having tons of headroom available. Nice. There’s not much out there in terms of first hand takes except the standard AV forum “Class D is garbage” “Pro-grade class D is garbage but these ClassDAudio/PS Audio/ICEpower amps are far superior” “I don’t know about the amp you’re asking about but I use a rack of Crown amps to drive my home theater and I would never use a Yamaha amp to drive a subwoofer and....” Where I do see questions about it, I see a lot of pushback. Not because of fan noise or DSP or whatever but because of stuff like “numbers aren’t the whole story, how does it make you feel?” I’m also getting pause from the fact that even the PxxxS series amps don’t double rated power from 8 to 4 ohms, which I assume is related to them being made to fit in a rack and not overheat, vs something like a monoblock with fat heatsinks. And in digging more about them it seems like some people advise against getting the higher-power models because “those actually switch to class H at high power and are inferior soundwise to the lower power A/B ones” although on the used market the difference between said tiers is now like $50 and therefore pretty drat appetizing and.......TLDR- I wish I understood more about electrical engineering and also that the people dishing out advice on separates did too. But my ultimate goal is to build a primary setup around a preamp like a Schiit Saga or Freya and then pepper and salt with amp and speakers as I choose. Apropos of bass and magneplanars that legitimately means possibly doing the Steve Guttenberg solution and having two complementary sets of speakers to choose from when the maggies are out. I’m deep enough in the rabbit hole for long enough at this point that I reasonably expect to devote a shelving unit/closet/storage locker to keeping audio gear. The idea of continuing to collect interesting or different-sounding pieces and periodically rotating speakers and components really appeals to me so I’m not approaching this as “I need a forever amp”. It’s more “I think it would be cool to have x in my collection, would it actually be worthwhile and useful?”
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Mar 2, 2019 15:55
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In general you just shouldn't listen to most audiophiles, especially when it comes to pro gear. The most important specs for an amplifier haven't changed, all you really have to care about is low distortion, sufficient power and the ability to drive the lowest impedance load you expect to hook up. Obviously there are several individual factors that affect those specs, but that's the simplified version of it. All of this also assumes the manufacturer spec sheets are truthful, which certainly isn't always the case. Don't worry about the Yamaha P-S or any other amp that doesn't fully double the rated power when going from 8 to 4 ohm loads. In ideal conditions with unlimited power available from the power supply, you would get double the power output. But in the real world of physical size restraints, cost concerns and more realistic usage profiles, it's perfectly OK to see a smaller increase in power. As long as it's at least a 50% increase, that's normal. About class H (and G), that is literally just a more advanced version of class A/B, which runs at a lower rail voltage in normal usage, and can switch to full rail voltage for high loads. Some class G amps also run fewer output modules in low-load conditions, only turning on the full set if more power is needed. The arguments against them are just more uninformed audiophile nonsense, really. The reason you generally only see class G and H in pro amps is because of cost. They cost more to implement than good old class A/B, and the power savings wouldn't really be significant in home settings, where your power usage doesn't fluctuate between a couple of hundred watts and several thousand watts, as they do in a live music or theater situation. I wouldn't buy any Schiit gear. I know they make some OK stuff, but they also make some real stinkers. If you want a recommendation for a drat good stereo preamp, I can highly recommend the NAD C165BEE. I bought mine second-hand some years ago, and it is possibly the one piece of stereo gear I'm never going to let go, ever. There is nothing fancy about it at all. It has the standard selection of input selectors, tone controls, a volume knob, a good phono preamp (MM/MC), tape monitor loop (surprisingly handy) and two sets of pre-outs. It's also kind of ridiculously overbuilt and beefier than most of NAD's own integrated amps, despite being more or less just a very glorified RCA switch box and volume control. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Mar 2, 2019 |
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Mar 2, 2019 17:28
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KozmoNaut posted:Don't worry about the Yamaha P-S or any other amp that doesn't fully double the rated power when going from 8 to 4 ohm loads. In ideal conditions with unlimited power available from the power supply, you would get double the power output. But in the real world of physical size restraints, cost concerns and more realistic usage profiles, it's perfectly OK to see a smaller increase in power. As long as it's at least a 50% increase, that's normal. So in the case of the P-S amps, the rated power difference is actually way lower than 50%. I dunno what that means in terms of using them for hifi: https://jp.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/0/322310/P-S_datasheet.pdf I’m curious about your beef with Schiit gear. I’m not disputing your argument or anything, I don’t own any of their stuff. But their recent releases/revisions all seem to review quite well and it’s definitely nice looking, which counts to me. The collector magpie in me likes that their tube preamps can be switched to passive (and also SS in the case of the Freya).
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Mar 3, 2019 05:11
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Ok, so I'm too lazy to try and fix my old sub. The recommendations I got last time were the psw505 and psw10. As far as I can tell the 505 is discontinued and going for near $600 on Amazon with no other stock anywhere. The PSW10 seems a nice budget choice, but is there anything else the the $100-200 range worth considering? Also, it seems simplest to just do the crossover in software, but I'll need a way to get multiple audio outputs from my laptop, does anyone have any thoughts on the multitude of usb audio devices available on Amazon?
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Mar 13, 2019 15:47
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Electric Bugaloo posted:So in the case of the P-S amps, the rated power difference is actually way lower than 50%. I dunno what that means in terms of using them for hifi: It won't mean a thing, you probably won't come anywhere close to using all the available power, anyway. quote:I’m curious about your beef with Schiit gear. I’m not disputing your argument or anything, I don’t own any of their stuff. But their recent releases/revisions all seem to review quite well and it’s definitely nice looking, which counts to me. The collector magpie in me likes that their tube preamps can be switched to passive (and also SS in the case of the Freya). They're completely woo-woo audiophiles (they very much dislike MQA, for instance), but they do traffic in silly audiophilia, such as tube gear and multibit DACs and whatnot. They've also made a couple of headphone amps that have a tendency to damage headphones in some cases. Specifically they refuse to implement output relays, because they claim it hurts the sound quality. This can result in the amps putting nasty DC voltage on the headphone output, if you power them up with headphones attached. And then there's the whole beef they had with NwAvGuy over some petty bullshit where he spoke the truth about their products, and they got all pissy about it. There are cheaper and better products out there.
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Mar 13, 2019 16:02
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KozmoNaut posted:It won't mean a thing, you probably won't come anywhere close to using all the available power, anyway. Cool cool. Gonna try to grab one second-hand at some point and stick it in a wood 2U case for looks. Like a bootleg vintage amp. Should I go with the TOTL model or is there a benefit to going with the lower power ones? Sometimes on forums I see people saying that the lower power ones sound better or have better components. I like having the option of listening to tube gear. The distortion can be pleasant in the same way that the distortion and noise you get with vinyl can be pleasant. Tbh I think Schiit are a lot better about their woo woo audiophilia than a lot of the people and brands in that space, but I also get that their brand is being “accessible and affordable” so of course they look better than the people selling the $4k amps. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 16:33 on Mar 13, 2019 |
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Mar 13, 2019 16:28
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This is probably a stupid question, but is it possible to run two sets of speakers from the same soundcard output? I don't mean at the same time, I know that would cause problems. Could I put in a Y-Splitter, and run one set at one time, then turn those off and turn on another set and then run those? Would it cause any issues if they are never running at the same time?
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Apr 28, 2019 13:49
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Generally it's OK to split with a Y-cable, but it's never OK to combine using one.
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Apr 28, 2019 14:19
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Yeah, won't combine. My setup is actually currently a pair of wireless headphones. The base station that transmits to them connects the RCA L/R outputs on the card. Then I remembered that I had left a nice pair of M-Audio monitors at my parents place years ago, and I could reintegrate them into my system. So I'd Y-Split off to both, use the speakers for most applications, then if I wanted to listen to loud content at night or otherwise times I don't want to annoy people, I switch off the speakers and then turn on the headphones.
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Apr 28, 2019 22:24
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I'd appreciate some advice or opinions. My current PC speakers are a set of Creative Inspire 5300s that are ~10 years old. Since they're old and I've moved to a place where the 5.1 setup isn't easily achievable (setting up the rear speakers), I'm thinking about replacing them with some 2.1 speakers. I'm currently looking at these options:
I mostly use my PC for playing games and listening to music. I'm looking for something that is same or better than what I have (sound quality wise) and would hopefully last another 10+ years. The PC uses an on-board Realtek HD audio device for sound output, if that matters.
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May 4, 2019 22:22
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Brutakas posted:I'd appreciate some advice or opinions. jbl lsr 305's (305P or mkII is fine, they're all basically the same) + jbl lsr sub. you can find the speakers @ $180 or less for a pair. the sub, lsr 310S, may or may not be necessary at all given the size of the room acoustics, if you have neighbors, etc. but I can promise that the monitors alone will produce much much better sound than any other consumer related system out there. far as a control interface, you just need something cheap, there are some options. BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UMC202 - Great if a dedicated mic is in your upgrade path - measures the best - expensive up front ($120) but you can find these used on eBay for around $80(ish) Mackie Big Knob Passive 2x2 Studio Monitor Controller https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BigKnobPass--mackie-big-knob-passive-2x2-studio-monitor-controller - Cheap (re: $60) - just run a 3.5mm cable from your sound card to this interface, plug in your monitors, and your done - makes life easier, gives you total control USB Volume Control Knob https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Lossless-Computer-Controller-Adjuster/dp/B01MV411BR - Cheap ($30 or less) - Does only one function - Thing is, you're messing w/ the digital source, so if you're trying to get actual fine control it's difficult JBL M-Patch Active Monitor Control https://www.proaudiostar.com/jbl-m-patch-active-1.html - Amazing piece of kit - Stupid cheap ($70) - USB audio interface - Built in Microphone that's not terrible for talkback - Dual headphone outs w/ decent quality (shocking for this kind of unit) - This is just pro studio gear at a really really good price
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May 6, 2019 19:06
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So I ended up getting a set of speakers with an Optical In port, so I can plug that into my soundcards optical port, and leave my headphone base-station in the RCA jacks. One thing I don't get is in the Windows 10 mixer settings. If I now set the Digital Output option as the default playback device, the speakers work as they should. If I set the "Speaker" (analog) option as the default playback device, sound still comes out of the speakers. How are the speakers getting a signal if Windows is playing back through the analog system? And if it seemingly works regardless of which setting is used, is there a benefit to using one over the other?
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May 8, 2019 00:42
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5-HT posted:jbl lsr 305's (305P or mkII is fine, they're all basically the same) + jbl lsr sub. you can find the speakers @ $180 or less for a pair. Thanks for recommendation, these look awesome. They also don't seem terribly expensive If I could get a pair for roughly the price of one. However, they might be too big for my desk. I'll have to measure.
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May 8, 2019 02:34
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Brutakas posted:Thanks for recommendation, these look awesome. They also don't seem terribly expensive If I could get a pair for roughly the price of one. However, they might be too big for my desk. I'll have to measure. i know what you mean. my main desk is fairly small as well, but if has enough room for the setup thankfully w/ a 27" monitor. if it's too big, I'd strongly recommend either some cheap speaker stands if that's the case, like these https://www.amazon.com/VIVO-Univers...=gateway&sr=8-5.
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May 8, 2019 03:28
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Bloody Hedgehog posted:So I ended up getting a set of speakers with an Optical In port, so I can plug that into my soundcards optical port, and leave my headphone base-station in the RCA jacks. It's possible whatever software you're using hasn't changed over to the other output. Some have to be restarted to respect the new default, others don't. You can check with the volume mixer.
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May 8, 2019 07:06
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KillHour posted:It's possible whatever software you're using hasn't changed over to the other output. Some have to be restarted to respect the new default, others don't. You can check with the volume mixer. I think it's switching, as the volume levels differ when I switch between one or the other. And all the changes I'm making are in the Windows panels, not the soundcards software. Doesn't really matter in the end, since it works. Just thought it was odd. I assume that the soundcard itself, regardless of what Windows is set at, is cloning whatever source is active and routing it to all output types the card supports.
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May 8, 2019 07:08
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Looking for PC speaker recommendations for my wife's new build. Her requirements are more aesthetic than anything. She wants a vertical cylinder shape, kind of like this pair (not necessarily this exact model): https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6ZP56A4151&Description=speakers&cm_re=speakers-_-1YT-0002-003D9-_-Product I also want to make sure the bass is good, since I know cheap PC speakers can have that problem.
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May 8, 2019 15:52
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Bass is directly correlated with speaker size. You really can't have it both ways.
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May 8, 2019 16:01
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