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There are a couple little streaming amps out there that could work. This Yamaha for $350 is one I was looking at, but didn’t ultimately go for cause it doesn’t have bass management that I want (which I don’t think will matter to most people): https://www.crutchfield.com/S-OVVFf...DCABEgIgs_D_BwE
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May 7, 2020 15:50
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Also on the sub — usually you can adjust their phase too so it could be cancelling. From that menu I’d use the multi channel stereo setting with all effects off, but I dunno.
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May 14, 2020 16:15
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space marine todd posted:Yeah, too big. I'm talking really small; I have KRK RP5s for proper sound at my desk. I just need good enough sounding small speakers to toss next to my projector (which has a 3.5mm out). They've fallen out of favor for whatever reason, but I still like my Audioengine A2s and they have em in their refurb store for around $200.
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May 17, 2020 05:05
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Ok Comboomer posted:Yeah, I’ve noticed that. Did that just happen here or has that happened more broadly? Yeah, I think they sound totally fine for their size, but they don’t measure particularly well and I think people got excited about the 305s, which do measure really well and often cost the same or less. The problem being that they are actually kinda big and won’t work in a lot of people’s desk setups (definitely won’t work for me.) I think people probably have trouble recommending the A2s cause the 305s are so much better and you’re making a big compromise for the sake of size / aesthetics. But sometimes that’s a compromise you’ve gotta make and I’m not sure what a better option there is.
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May 17, 2020 17:14
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I'm not sure many people would prefer that to bluetooth.
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May 20, 2020 16:31
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You can get portable bluetooth speakers with USB-C ports and some of them will even do stereo pairs. I feel like if you had a USB-C powered set of speakers with bluetooth most people would wind up just plugging the USB-C port into charger anyway. edit: I'm sure it'll show up on speakers eventually as products get refreshed, but I don't think it's going to be a huge selling point.
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May 20, 2020 17:50
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I dunno, they're good enough that it's definitely worth seeing if there's any way to make them work in your setup. It's not like floorstanders or something where it's just out of the question for most people. I think it makes sense to start with seeing if it's 305s can fit, but I do wish there was an obvious go-to for more normal computer speaker sized options.
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May 22, 2020 18:18
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I am honestly really impressed with how good a job some of the small Bluetooth speakers with their tiny little drivers and a ton of DSP. For a lot of people it’s more, “this sounds better than my laptop/phone speakers and I can play it loud enough to actually hear things” rather than thinking it’s the best thing in the whole world, total concert fidelity. Sound quality just falls lower in the space/hassle/cost/look scale. There’s analogues in all sorts of things too. Food is easy, think frozen entrees and prepared meals vs something you make fresh for yourself.
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May 23, 2020 14:38
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It’s been a minute but from memory the soundsticks I heard sounded like pretty standard 2.1 computer speakers—nothing to write home about.
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Jul 11, 2020 22:45
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I saw that they have a firmware update that you have to contact support for to fix the audio sync issue.
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Jul 19, 2020 17:45
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wormil posted:Most of those review sites these days are just trying to get you to click their Amazon links so they can get paychecks, the reviews themselves are shallow. Unfortunately Amazon encourages that behavior because of all the rules they have for affiliates. This is the wirecutter’s revenue model, but I think they actually do a reasonable job of testing and recommending things. The sites that really annoy me are ones where it’s just like... they read the spec sheet and come up with some possible pros and cons and have never so much as touched the product. It’s not perfect or anything but the Bluetooth Speaker review Binary Badger is referencing is a lot more comprehensive that a lot of the list of affiliate link reviews sites: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-bluetooth-speaker/
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Jul 20, 2020 00:07
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Didn’t they go out of business cause the founder somehow ran fundraisers for kids with cancer and then just kept the money? I have a pair of bookshelves from them I really liked and then they disappeared.
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Jul 24, 2020 23:09
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If you have space the JBL LSR305 are great and look like they’re within budget. You don’t necessarily need a DAC if your system’s output doesn’t have problems. You can just stick an attenuator thing between the system and the monitors: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behringer-...enuator&sr=8-16 Things to be aware of would be that some people notice a slight hiss from the tweeters on the LSR305 at close range, they are fairly large, each one has its own power cable, and you’ll need XLR or TRS cables to hook them up the the volume knob.
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Sep 19, 2020 20:53
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You can get by with just a breakout cable like this: Hosa CMP-153 3.5 mm TRS to Dual 1/4" TS Stereo Breakout Cable, 3 Feet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000068O3C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_b55zFbV43VRT1 But you’ll have to do all volume control in the PC and that can be a pain for whatever reason, which is where the volume attenuator I linked above can come in (I would get one if I were you.) It’s possible that your sound card output will not sound as good as you like, for noise or whatever reason, in which case you can look at an external DAC setup of some kind. But you don’t have to start with an external DAC, you can just try your existing sound card first.
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Sep 20, 2020 19:26
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This sounds like a problem with your system configuration (or maybe you have a terrible sound card that's unconfigurable for some reason.) Go for it if you want surround sound I suppose, but buying new monitors to add to your alreadly wacky setup seems like maybe not the most efficient solution?
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Sep 30, 2020 23:11
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The behavior described in games certainly sounds like it’s actually surround, or at least telling the games that it is.
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Oct 1, 2020 13:50
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I had the promedia 5.1 set 17 years ago when they were like the cats meow and I feel like every 2.0 system I’ve had since is better if you’re not just looking for output. I have the original A2, and have been eyeing the micro monitors.
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Nov 5, 2020 23:09
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And I'd third wishing there was a good desktop system designed sound bar. Razer makes one, the leviathan, but I dunno how much I trust them for audio stuff.
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Nov 5, 2020 23:22
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PC speakers have seemingly moved away from surround sound so I don’t think you have a ton of options unless you roll your own with a home theater setup or a bunch of self powered monitors. Otherwise it’s another set of logitechs or something similar. If you’d be OK going stereo, there’s plenty of options, though I don’t have a great sense of which ones might last you a decade.
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Nov 7, 2020 02:43
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You do need an amplifier, and ideally one with a phono input, though you can also add a phono preamp separately.
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Nov 8, 2020 20:30
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Yes they are lacking in the low end. They’re teeny tiny speakers. I have a pair and enjoy them for the size, but you’re gonna get more from something bigger.
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Dec 30, 2020 06:40
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How much space do you have? The JBL 305p are the main thread recommendation and they're both a world better and often $200 for a pair on sale, but they're also quite big. I find the AudioEngines pretty satisfying. They don't have the same thump as a 2.1 system but sound enough better in all other regards to be an upgrade (to me.) For something cheap, people seem to like the Edifier 1280. I've been toying with the iloud micro monitor, but that's mostly because of space constraints and I'm not sure it's the right move outside that.
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Jan 11, 2021 16:52
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iLoud micro monitor, the baby genelecs, 8010 I think (they are expensive though!), those edifier 1280s (for some reason they look big to me in pictures but are not really, see Japtor's thing for comparison.)
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Jan 15, 2021 16:52
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The audioenigine HD3 has a headphone port and is basically an A2 with front volume knob and some other minor things. The refurb is just above your budget: https://audioengineusa.com/shop/factory-refurbished/hd3-wireless-speakers-refurbished/ The mentioned LSR305 with some kind of preamp is gonna sound great but they are quite large and would be another jump up in budget.
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Feb 2, 2022 19:38
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Just get out a tape measure and make sure they'll work with your setup first as they're bigger than you might imagine.
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Feb 26, 2022 22:41
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japtor posted:If you do have powered monitors that die, can you gut them and turn them into regular passive speakers? I did that with my old Audioengine A2s that died, basically just opened it up and either ripped out or bypassed the amp board on the powered speaker and hooked them up to a regular amp. Most of these powered monitors are biamped inside and don’t have a normal crossover so that won’t work without something to handle that aspect, either making one or using a minidsp or something to do it. AudioEngine from what I understand just have a normal crossover so you can do what you did across the line.
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Aug 4, 2022 14:31
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I dunno where you’re finding that — I’m seeing like 4x6x5.25 for the A2+
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Sep 3, 2023 23:15
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Tech specs there say 7x4.25x5.5 and the shipping dimensions are pretty clearly listed and smaller than what you found? Edit: I mean, not that it matters where the wrong dimensions came from, but if you want the real dimensions it’s those. powderific fucked around with this message at 00:48 on Sep 4, 2023 |
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Sep 4, 2023 00:38
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For the three connection switching, could you just use a USB KVM (that you could use for your other inputs) and a USB audio interface of whatever kind? That seems like it'd be the most seamless.
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Oct 10, 2023 21:24
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Not really much different I don’t think; if you’re itching for an upgrade add a sub.
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Nov 26, 2023 17:17
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That’s about what I experience with most powered speakers? You have to turn them off when plugging cables or at least put the volume all the way down. Maybe the input is extra sensitive or something so it’s more prominent but I’d be more surprised if it didn’t buzz when you did those things.
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Nov 30, 2023 07:00
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If you can get the A5+ set warrantied and have the bigger speakers for cheaper that’s the way I’d go. Unless you’re space constrained the hd3s are I think going to be a noticeable downgrade.
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Mar 15, 2024 22:38
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