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5-HT posted:you’re right. the scarlett is a dac and preamp with a great professional mic input and headphone jack. the sub will handle any crossover and you can select crossover directly on the sub unit based on your preferences. Thanks for the help! Got everything (minus the sub) added to my list. Looking forward to hearing them. The Big Bad Worf fucked around with this message at 04:59 on Aug 19, 2019 |
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Aug 19, 2019 04:55
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5-HT posted:they’re available. cheapest I could find for a set was here Just by way of some background info, so you can get a better sense of what I need: Many years ago when I was dumb and had more disposable income than I do now, I dabbled in audiophilia and spent a small fortune on audio gear (well over $3k). Now, over a decade later, my gear is slowly failing. My subwoofer died a year ago, and I’ve been doing without, my DAC is dying - it only works when I have a little desk fan pointed at it to keep it cool - and one of my speakers (quad 11a actives) died recently, relegating me to headphones only. At the same time, I find my priorities have changed. I just don’t care as much about this stuff as I used to. I’ve gone from ripping all my CDs in wav with a special program that does 7 passes to make sure the rip is bit perfect to someone who doesn’t own any CDs and uses Apple Music exclusively. I don’t really do any music listening at my computer any more either - music is mainly something I listen to in the car. So, my speakers are mostly for movies, tv and video games. I was initially taken with the Audioengine HD3s because they, at a price I can afford, replace my entire failing audio setup - speakers, dac, headphone amp. I kinda want to minimise the clutter on my desk and the ridiculous rats nest of cables I have everywhere. That being said, I’m not dead against having a seperate dac/headphone amp, but I definitely can’t afford to replace both speakers and dac at the same time (and honestly, the financial saving of having an all in one device is attractive) The big issue I can see with those JBLs is that they only do Balanced and TRS input. My DAC is RCA only, so I’d need to replace both DAC and speakers at the same time, which I can’t afford. My options boil down to: Buy something like the HD3s that includes a dac and a headphone amp; or buy something without a dac and keep using my current dac, hoping it doesn’t die, until I can afford to buy a new dac (but I’d be keeping it pretty cheap, definitely well under $300, and it needs to have a headphone amp) I’d prefer to go without a subwoofer, both for cost purposes and for reasons of reducing clutter and cabling, but I realise I may have to add one down the track when I can afford it - I’ve done nicely without one for the past year but my quads were much bigger and more expensive speakers than anything I’m looking at now. Edit: This store seems to have a large selection, are any of these good: https://www.storedj.com.au/studio-gear/studio-monitors/active-studio-monitors (Besides the Yamaha you’ve already mentioned) The Lord Bude fucked around with this message at 07:14 on Aug 19, 2019 |
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Aug 19, 2019 05:14
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5-HT posted:the vanatoos at least have extension down to 40hz, which is huge imo. Yeah, no. All the DSP in the world cannot hide the fact that it's still just a 5" driver. You can only cheat physics so far, and a driver that small will never do powerful low bass. Expect reasonable output down to maybe 55-60Hz in actual use, and while it won't shake the walls, it'll be plenty for most music. A lot of people think they need much more bass extension than they actually do. Unless you're watching movies with some LFE content, or you need to have the deepest possible bass drops in your brostep, 50-60Hz is plenty low, and will be less likely to give you problems with room nodes. The Lord Bude posted:The big issue I can see with those JBLs is that they only do Balanced and TRS input. My DAC is RCA only, so I’d need to replace both DAC and speakers at the same time, which I can’t afford. Just get a set of cables with RCA on one end and XLR on the other. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 06:28 on Aug 19, 2019 |
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Aug 19, 2019 06:25
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KozmoNaut posted:Yeah, no. All the DSP in the world cannot hide the fact that it's still just a 5" driver. You can only cheat physics so far, and a driver that small will never do powerful low bass. correction there, was thinking of the t ones. regardless, a large amt of modern music that isn't edm which has a large presence in lower octaves. it's why I have Hifiman Arya headphones instead of HD800S's. that thump and rumble is crucial for the music experience now. it's not the 70's or 80's where it's rare to hear notes or sounds hitting that low. just some random examples that come to mind released recently https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xaininqyEE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFVJ5XPEx4I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U5wNk-fbew https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWFWSjhJ4dw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw1FeNI8Dx8 kozmonaut is right on the cabling, don't let that be a perceived limitation. the iloud micro's are pretty nice. but the yamaha's or the jbl's are what I'd suggest the most. the other units (re: behringer, presonus, alesis) are serviceable to be sure, but they aren't on the same level as the aformentioned companies, are known to have issues, and are just generally not worth the $. 5-HT fucked around with this message at 09:02 on Aug 19, 2019 |
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Aug 19, 2019 08:58
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I have two 12" subs in my main setup in a 17m² living room, so it's fair to say I definitely appreciate a solid low end response  That's also why I'm confident in saying a set of bookshelf speakers will never be able to deliver the same kind of response. The Adam A5Xs I've been using as PC speakers for a while have astoundingly good and tight bass response for their size and 5.5" woofers, but they just give up below 50Hz. Simply put, they don't have the piston area and cabinet size to move the required amount of air. The result is that kick drums and the like have a nice thump, but they lack the oomph for deep bass drops and stuff like Gorillaz' "Clint Eastwood". The harmonics are there, but the base note is missing or very faint. For rock and metal, it's unlikely you would ever need bass that deep, but for modern music with synth bass (and movies) their small size stacks the odds against them. That's why I got the subs. Not because I want to rattle the building apart, but because I want the low end response to be solid, tight and effortless, which means big drivers and big cabinets.
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Aug 19, 2019 09:55
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5-HT posted:correction there, was thinking of the t ones. I like the iloud micros from a size and aesthetic perspective, and the price is good. How far off the JBLs and yamahas are they?
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Aug 19, 2019 13:19
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The Lord Bude posted:I like the iloud micros from a size and aesthetic perspective, and the price is good. How far off the JBLs and yamahas are they? i would say about 95%. the drivers have been revised more since this review, but it’s a good reference. they’re directly comparable to the vanatoos so I’d strongly consider them http://noaudiophile.com/IK_Multimedia_iLoudMM/
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Aug 20, 2019 00:50
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5-HT posted:i would say about 95%. the drivers have been revised more since this review, but it’s a good reference. they’re directly comparable to the vanatoos so I’d strongly consider them Excellent, those are the ones for me I think.
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Aug 20, 2019 02:40
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The Big Bad Worf posted:Thanks for the help! Got everything (minus the sub) added to my list. Looking forward to hearing them. Getting quite a bit of noise when there's any sort of load on the GPU or CPU. In some cursory research, it seems to be caused by interference or fluctuations in the power delivered via USB. Not really sure what to do about it. At a sufficient load on both (such as playing a game), the noise is distinctly audible over anything currently playing. edit: actually I read the manual for the speakers and it was 90% solved. Out of the box the input sensitivity was set to -10dBu. "If you notice the sound is distorted, or you find it too loud, set this switch to the +4 dBu setting". Ticking this over on both monitors reduced the audible noise coming from the PC by a significant margin. It's still there, but i'd say it's in territory where it's barely more audible than the amp hiss the LSR305's are known for. Fiddling with the audio dials on the monitors and the DAC/Pre-amp brought everything I actually want to hear back into the audible range. The Big Bad Worf fucked around with this message at 01:03 on Aug 24, 2019 |
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Aug 24, 2019 00:13
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If you're looking to avoid interference on your rig I couldn't recommend optical enough.
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Aug 24, 2019 04:33
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Just be aware re optical that there is a bug in windows 10 with certain motherboards, where if you use optical out your sound will sometimes go out of sync with videos, say when watching netflix or whatnot - this forced me to switch to USB, and luckily I have no issues with interference. This may or may not have been fixed, but last I checked the bug had been around for years so I wouldn't be getting my hopes up.
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Aug 24, 2019 05:05
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actually upon looking again, the cables I bought were not TRS I think balanced cables might clear up the rest of what's left. I'll snag some tomorrow and see if they do
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Aug 24, 2019 06:13
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The Lord Bude posted:Just be aware re optical that there is a bug in windows 10 with certain motherboards, where if you use optical out your sound will sometimes go out of sync with videos, say when watching netflix or whatnot - this forced me to switch to USB, and luckily I have no issues with interference. This may or may not have been fixed, but last I checked the bug had been around for years so I wouldn't be getting my hopes up. you'd be surprised. make sure to get good shielded cables. also check your rig for any ground loops. I had a similar issue until I did some tracing and realized that I had a ground loop going that I promptly got rid of. fixed my entire chain.
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Aug 24, 2019 07:23
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5-HT posted:you'd be surprised. make sure to get good shielded cables. also check your rig for any ground loops. I had a similar issue until I did some tracing and realized that I had a ground loop going that I promptly got rid of. fixed my entire chain. I'll take a look at this if balanced cables don't solve the problem. It seemed low on the list of likely offenders since every device in this chain is grounded and routed through the same surge protector I do have to say though, that minor noise issues aside, these speakers are quite good. I spent a couple hours just listening to music when I first got them all set up, and when my wife came home from work a few hours later, we sat down and listened for a couple more hours. Neither of us really expected such a sharp contrast...there's just so much detail and nuance that is easier to pick up on when it's not getting lost in distortion and resonance. I'm not sure I'll be feeling as if I need the subwoofer on this one, but it is nice to know that there's always going to be a perfect sub to pair it with that would integrate seamlessly with the speakers and DAC I already have.
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Aug 24, 2019 08:20
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The Big Bad Worf posted:actually upon looking again, the cables I bought were not TRS Balanced cables only help against EM noise radiated from other sources to the cable itself, like if you have long signal cables running near power cables. They won't make a difference for noise generated by your PC.
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Aug 24, 2019 08:51
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Is there a preferred (preferably reasonably priced) DAC that goons recommend? I'll be getting my new speakers soon, but I will eventually need to replace my dying DAC as well. I need something with a headphone amp built in. Is the Audioengine D1 DAC fine, or is it bad like their speakers? I can get that for around AUD 230, that's the general price point I'm looking at.
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Aug 24, 2019 08:59
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KozmoNaut posted:Balanced cables only help against EM noise radiated from other sources to the cable itself, like if you have long signal cables running near power cables. They won't make a difference for noise generated by your PC. Hm, OK As a test since I had one anyway, I connected my PC to a ground lift plug and booted back up. There was no buzzing at all, with or without CPU/GPU load I shut down, removed the ground lift plug, booted up again, and the noise is back, influenced by CPU/GPU usage (putting a load on both seems to make it worse) Would balanced cables help in this situation? I thought ground loop would just be a consistent hum, but the recommended steps to clean up ground loops seemed to help in this case. The only problem is I don't really think permanently removing my PC from ground is a good idea
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Aug 24, 2019 09:20
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Balanced cables can help mitigate some ground loop problems. Common practice is that the shield covers the entire cable, but is only attached at the source end of the cable. It may or may not help, that's why a lot of pro gear also has ground lift switches. It's a bit of a trial and error thing.
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Aug 24, 2019 10:16
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The Lord Bude posted:Is there a preferred (preferably reasonably priced) DAC that goons recommend? I'll be getting my new speakers soon, but I will eventually need to replace my dying DAC as well. I need something with a headphone amp built in. Is the Audioengine D1 DAC fine, or is it bad like their speakers? I can get that for around AUD 230, that's the general price point I'm looking at. audioengine is fine for their dac/amp combos but depending on what you're wanting, they aren't going to have the greatest bang for buck. there are quite a few options available. your best bet is a modular setup instead of an all in one necessarily. here's what I'd suggest JDS Labs Atom + Khadas Tone Board ($200 USD) -> you have an upgrade path w/ this, though for most people this is an endgame setup for the budget minded. plenty of power for even super inefficient headphones. both pieces of gear are class leading in SINAD. drawback is you'll need to buy or make your own case for the tone board. (usually another $15 - $30 usd) Topping DX3 Pro ($230 USD) -> if you really need all-in-one. measures well, headphone amp is clean, only issue is that it doesn't have as much power as the prior setup, and older units had firmware issues. either of these setups will get you 99% of what you'll need.
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Aug 25, 2019 19:47
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I'm using a JDS Atom + a Topping D30, and I can highly recommend this combo, especially if you don't want to bother making a case for a Tone Board. It's not just an endgame setup for the budget minded, it's an endgame setup, period. You're not going to find much gear with meaningfully better specs, no matter the price. Literally the only minor "issue" is that the knob feel of the Atom could be better, but you can fit a nice heavy aluminum knob from eBay and fix that right up. The D10 is really nice too, I'd you only need USB. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 20:05 on Aug 25, 2019 |
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Aug 25, 2019 20:01
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KozmoNaut posted:I'm using a JDS Atom + a Topping D30, and I can highly recommend this combo, especially if you don't want to bother making a case for a Tone Board. I have this combo and it's great. Anyone got any recs for a budget pair of speakers and sub to use with the atom?
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Aug 25, 2019 22:08
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5-HT posted:audioengine is fine for their dac/amp combos but depending on what you're wanting, they aren't going to have the greatest bang for buck. The Topping looks great, thanks The Lord Bude fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Aug 26, 2019 |
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Aug 26, 2019 03:51
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KozmoNaut posted:I'm using a JDS Atom + a Topping D30, and I can highly recommend this combo, especially if you don't want to bother making a case for a Tone Board. really is tbh, almost any noise related issues disappear when you put the khadas tone board in a case. (re: March1 Audio fiasco on AudioScienceReview). the only reason you'd need anything more for a setup is features. i'm partial to the REMI-ADI 2 DAC/Amp as it has some really really nice features baked in for hardware level EQ'ing, and I'm partial to pro-setups since I do some mixing and mastering as a bit of a side gig. the best unit out there currently for an all-in one for pure SINAD performance is the Sabaj D5. price is right, it destroys almost everything else tested on AudioScienceReview in SINAD performance, honestly a bit of an eye catcher https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-sabaj-d5-dac-amp.8337/ but then again, compared to the other aformentioned setups the only real gain is a slightly better SINAD performance, and balanced outputs for powered monitors. any of these setups can qualify as "endgame" if we're going strictly by SINAD. in theory what you're supposed to be paying for as you go up the chain now w/ all these amazing cheap amps and dacs is features, and more of them. really wish that more dacs would take a hint from the pro market and start incorporating more features like parametric EQ's at a hardware level. e: now that I think about it, I've gone through so much garbage pro-gear. can't wait until Amir @ ASR finally starts testing more of it. some of it is just outright atrocious. 5-HT fucked around with this message at 09:53 on Aug 26, 2019 |
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Aug 26, 2019 09:49
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I got these tarted up 305s for my desktop. Help me choose a color of yoga block to put underneath them. I'm leaning toward the "tri-tonal teal" or "skyline" but I'm worried that it'll look too busy/clash with all of the colors on the speakers themselves.
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Sep 16, 2019 23:48
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Electric Bugaloo posted:I got these tarted up 305s for my desktop. Help me choose a color of yoga block to put underneath them. These are gorgeous in person, btw. JBL did a really excellent job on the fit & finish. Highly recommended for people in the market for 305s.
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Sep 23, 2019 00:42
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poo poo those are gorgeous!
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Sep 23, 2019 01:38
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Did you get the black yoga blocks? I can't see anything else working that well with those.
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Sep 23, 2019 01:53
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Varg posted:Did you get the black yoga blocks? I can't see anything else working that well with those. Haven’t picked any up yet. Right now they’re on shoe boxes. Was actually leaning toward the gray myself, but you’re right that they’re best without a clashing color scheme.
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Sep 23, 2019 02:08
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Hello thread. I just picked up a new set of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers, as my previous 14 year old set of the same model was falling apart. The new speakers have an issue my previous set did not. Every now and then, I can hear some low static that lasts for a few seconds. They happen maybe a few times a day and it seems like they happen a little more often while gaming. I see you guys were discussing preamps earlier. This new set comes with a built in preamp. I'm guessing that might be picking up some errant signals?
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Nov 3, 2019 16:15
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Freakazoid_ posted:Hello thread. I just picked up a new set of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers, as my previous 14 year old set of the same model was falling apart.
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Nov 12, 2019 19:55
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Josh Lyman posted:How do you know they have a preamp? I’m not seeing anything about that on the spec sheet. I don't actually know, but there is a cord on the right satellite that connects to a two row nine pin connector on the subwoofer labeled preamp input. I assume that means it's built in.
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Nov 13, 2019 04:13
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Is there a better choice even today than the Klipcsh Pro Media 2.1 if I want to hook it up to my HTPC as my primary TV speakers? -We just want an upgrade over the TV speakers. -I am currently using a Bose Companion 2 Series I (https://www.amazon.com/Bose-Companion-Multimedia-Speaker-System/dp/B005TLTOLG) 2.0 pair -I also own a $25 set of Altec Lansing 2.1 speakers, which I doubt are a serious option, but I could imagine being the Bose being as lovely as these, I got them at a garage sale. I have an old 2009 Plasma that still has Optical Output, so I think I could do HDMI from PC and HDMI from PS4 and then optical to a device as well, which I wouldn't be against. But we're not looking at all to invest in a receiver right now. As it is today my PS4 sound comes out of the TV and only the HTPC is hooked up to the bose.
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Nov 14, 2019 20:16
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charity rereg posted:Is there a better choice even today than the Klipcsh Pro Media 2.1 if I want to hook it up to my HTPC as my primary TV speakers? What’s your budget? You should be able to get something from Edifier, Fluance, Kanto, etc that will take optical and include a remote control. Optical out from TVs are usually full volume. Examples: https://www.edifier.com/us/en/speakers/r1280db-bluetooth-bookshelf-speakers-built-in-amplifier-coaxial-optical https://www.fluance.com/powered-2-0-bluetooth-active-5-inch-bookshelf-speakers-bamboo qirex fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Nov 14, 2019 |
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Nov 14, 2019 21:40
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$130 is more than I'd spend right now, but not out of the long term budget. It's sort of what I've always anticipated paying for something decent (even a lovely sound bar is like $80), I just never jumped because I inherently knew that sound bars probably all suck, at least the cheap ones. Same as I assume these Bose actually suck, I hate gimmicks and you can't beat the laws of physics when it comes to good sound. Looking around it seems like in the middle ground between "basic computer speakers" and what you linked is like the Logitech Z337 @ $76, which is smack in the middle. Ignoring the optical part, would the R1280DB be absolutely worth the extra $55? My wife and I are not fancy and we're likely to get a decade out of them. She'd probably still be using a CRT TV if we never got together. And will I regret not getting a subwoofer? My hunch is not. The R1280DB are also quite a bit larger, physically, which would present a bit of an issue/project, so a good christmas thing. bus hustler fucked around with this message at 01:01 on Nov 15, 2019 |
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Nov 15, 2019 00:52
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What’s my best option for speakers under $100? Normally I would gravitate toward a 2.1 setup since the subwoofer makes a huge difference for movies and electronic music, but since getting a 65” TV for the living room, most of my media consumption happens there now. I suppose I could go up to $150 if that opens up something significantly better.
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Nov 15, 2019 01:10
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You’re not going to do much better than your TV buying new for under $150 IMO. At the bare minimum maybe a pair of Micca MB42s and a cheap tripath amp around $100?
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Nov 15, 2019 03:10
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qirex posted:You’re not going to do much better than your TV buying new for under $150 IMO. At the bare minimum maybe a pair of Micca MB42s and a cheap tripath amp around $100?
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Nov 15, 2019 16:35
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FYI, JBL LSR310S 10" sub is as cheap as it's ever been on Amazon ($242 right now): https://www.amazon.com/JBL-LSR310S-Powered-Studio-Subwoofer/dp/B00I08RT3U LSR305s are also at their one-year low of $89 apiece: https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Professional-Next-Generation-Powered-305PMKII/dp/B077N2GQXC
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Nov 15, 2019 16:46
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So I have the R1280DB in my Amazon cart and will probably buy them after Christmas with gift cards/once my fun money budget resets however I saw this pop up on Craigslist for $40 https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16882120200 local to me. It's been up for 2 days & the seller is responsive & wants to meet in a public well lit place halfway between us, so probably not a scam. I realize that this is the PC speakers thread and that on some level HTIB are bad, but this is a way better value right, even if I just use it as a stereo system with the subwoofer? Or am I seriously better off with the good $120 bookshelf speakers.
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Nov 18, 2019 17:48
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305P II’s are $89, 306P II’s $134 each on Amazon
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Nov 28, 2019 05:24
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