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Audiophile quality PC speakers

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K

kevm3

Member
Thanks for the advice guys. I picked a stand up... Sub should ship tomorrow, so it'll hopefully be here by the end of the week since the sub is being shipped from only an hour away.

It's fun hearing the improvements as the speakers start to break in and you start to make adjustments. These don't even sound like the same set of speakers as when I've first got them after the break-in, after the proper combination of cabling, and after spreading the speakers apart. I really look forward to hearing the system once the sub comes in to fill out the low end.

It's crazy how when I first entered this thread, I was on a kick, on a mission to buy an HD800... but honestly, selling the HD600 and my headphone gear and moving to speakers was one of the best choices I've made.

Edit: Listening some more... It's just amazing listening to all the instruments dance across the room..
 
K

kevm3

Member
Subwoofer just came in... Messing with the crossover and a few settings. I'll take pictures soon and give detailed impressions later when it burns in more... but already, it's amazing. Tight is definitely a word for it. Doesn't sound like a typical sub as in big boom boom box. Blends with the music seamlessly and adds body to it. Can't wait to test it out more.
 
N

nitewulf

Member
i find myself listening to analog more and more, definitely a lot more "involving" and "live" for me. it's a "presence". i can finally understand why they had classic labels such as "living stereo".

i upgraded all my tubes with vintage tubes, initially i was skeptical. but the preamp tube change really did open up the sound, from a stock Sovtek 6DJ8 to an Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8, the sound is extended at both ends, bass is fuller, and theres a touch of warmth. I tried another Amperex 6DJ8 as well, which was worse than the stock tube, it made the music sluggish and gooey. So the tubes definitely have their own tonality.

The preamp tube upgrade complements my tube phono-preamp and analog setup very well, i also upgraded all the phono tubes with old Amperex tubes. a matched pair of Amperex 12AX7s for the left/right channels, and a higher grade Amperex 12AX7 for the main drive stage. Well recorded jazz is basically seamless in my room now, pianos have that lilt, the brushes create a wonderful atmosphere, and wind instruments and vocals just hover around. But i think most audiophiles expect too much when they analyze gears, because badly recorded stuff will sound bad no matter what, and generic rock still sounds pretty bland...my system doesn't make any of that sound any better.

built up a decent record collection as well, some new, some from lots, some from colleagues.
 
N

nitewulf

Member
Shadow780 said:
anyone using the B&W mm-1 speakers?

I'm thinking of getting one.
Click to expand...
not sure i like the idea of equalizing the USB output to increase bass (CNET review). but B&W certainly makes good stuff, and they may very well be high resolution speakers, optimized for near field listening. will you be exclusively listening from your PC desk? for a larger field these may not be the best option.
 
S

Shadow780

Member
nitewulf said:
not sure i like the idea of equalizing the USB output to increase bass (CNET review). but B&W certainly makes good stuff, and they may very well be high resolution speakers, optimized for near field listening. will you be exclusively listening from your PC desk? for a larger field these may not be the best option.
Click to expand...

My PC desk is isolated if that's what you mean, there are no other means of media around my room.

The design is what got me interested when they first unveiled it last year, I'm eager to read some impressions to its performance.

edit: hmm interesting review, I read it, sounds like I'll be losing some quality if I were to listening to it from my bed.
 
K

kevm3

Member
I do remember you talking about upgrading. Didn't know you finally went through and did it. How do you like them?

I'm finally getting close to having the sub dialed in... I feel I just about have it, but I want to play with the settings some more as well as change the room placement.

Now, I will have to say that upon getting this, this certainly isn't what I expected from a subwoofer. Several times I've had to put my ear to it to make sure that it was on. You see this huge box sitting there and you don't hear any sound coming from it. All you really hear is added weight to the sound and the lower frequencies added to the soundstage. Very impressive. I feel like this subwoofer added what was missing to the sound. The speakers are the detail of the musical equation, but the subwoofer provided the soul. Bass drums have a lot more impact, normal drums have the snap they're supposed to, horns have the bottom end weight that really makes you feel them.

Elaborating on what I meant by it's not what i expected from a subwoofer, it feels more like a 'low-range speaker' than a sub. When people said it was a musical sub, it's exactly what they meant. It didn't blow me away with pressurizing the room and blowing me through the wall, but the name of the game for this sub is accuracy. The sound is tight, and for some, it will be dry, although you can loosen it up a bit by toggling some of the switches on the sub. It simply plays the note and moves on.

I also played a bit of red dead revolver with the sub turned on. Gunshots had much more impact as well as the sound of the horse's hooves pounding against the ground. Overall, I'm finding it a very nice investment and I can't wait to hear how it sounds as it continues to break in.
 
D

Deleted member 1235

Unconfirmed Member
Just had my swan M10 speakers arrive!

yaaah. set them up and it's great, but I'm concerned about woofer placement. I already know it should be on the table as it's not super low, however, I don't know about putting it under the monitor. Basically the monitor will have to sit right on it.

Should I do that?

At the moment it's on the far right side. sub optimal would be my guess. although it sounds godly!
 
A

Alucrid

Banned
Okay, need some advice. Right now my preamp is a Tube Magic D1. I'm thinking of putting that and my Swan M10's as my dedicated 'gaming' set up just because the speakers on my tv are ass. That leaves me with my M200MKIII's. Now I just need to find a suitable preamp and luckily with a job I'm able to afford one. So, what are your thoughts?

Q: Even though the Swans are self powered, would they still benefit from PC->DAC->Amp->Swans?
 
S

Shawsie64

Banned
catfish said:
Just had my swan M10 speakers arrive!

yaaah. set them up and it's great, but I'm concerned about woofer placement. I already know it should be on the table as it's not super low, however, I don't know about putting it under the monitor. Basically the monitor will have to sit right on it.

Should I do that?

At the moment it's on the far right side. sub optimal would be my guess. although it sounds godly!
Click to expand...

I had my Swan's sub behind my monitor directly facing me.. I found with monitor on top it raised my monitor way too high.. Awesome little speakers :D
 
W

Winged Creature

Member
Alucrid said:
Okay, need some advice. Right now my preamp is a Tube Magic D1. I'm thinking of putting that and my Swan M10's as my dedicated 'gaming' set up just because the speakers on my tv are ass. That leaves me with my M200MKIII's. Now I just need to find a suitable preamp and luckily with a job I'm able to afford one. So, what are your thoughts?

Q: Even though the Swans are self powered, would they still benefit from PC->DAC->Amp->Swans?
Click to expand...

They are selfpowered meaning they dont need an amp period. I dont even think you could add one if you wanted.
 
D

Deleted member 12837

Unconfirmed Member
Anyone interested in purchasing a set of white Audioengine A5s? The main/master speaker is brand new (old one was defective, Audioengine sent me a new one free of charge) and the other speaker is mildly used (has some minor scuffs). I still have the original box and cables as well.

PM me if you're interested.
 
T

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
Something about my klipsch promedia ultra 5.1's power amp/circuitry is failing. I'll get normal audio for about 10-15 seconds after turning them on, and then I'll hear just sub, then speakers come back, and repeat. Looking up reviews on Amazon, it looks like I was one of the lucky ones. I've had them for about 7 years. Seems they had terribly high failure rates.

So my speakers are probably just fine. Should I just get a receiver/sub & reuse the old speakers?

Edit: I decided just to get Klipsch 2.1s. They have much higher reliability ratings, I'm almost never using 5.1 anyway, and I don't have the receiver to grab audio from HDMI and pass through video to my monitor. It was either $400+ or $150, so I went with that later.
 
S

scorcho

testicles on a cold fall morning
question - just picked up a pair of Audioengine A5s (love the sound), but have no idea about DACs to take over sound output from my PCs built-in soundcard.

is there much difference to be had going from a Realtek 885 built-in solution to, say, Matrix Mini-i? it seems as if the Matrix DAC brings out bass/low-mids, which seems to be the A5's forte.

the high-end for my budget is ~$300. any helpful ideas?
 
A

Alucrid

Banned
In order to connect my Swan M200MkIIIs to an integrated amp the amp needs to have an unbalanced output, right? There's no way to connect them through loudspeaker terminals, correct?
 
K

kevm3

Member
I haven't posted in this thread in a long while... Finally very satisfied with my sound set-up. Only thing is that hint of brightness, but I no longer feel that anything is 'missing'. A great sound setup is truly one of the best investments I've made.
 
K

kevm3

Member
Wow, unbelievable. Just got a new pair of speaker cables to upgrade over my old Emotiva ones. HUGE difference. Sound is a good deal clearer, tones down brightness and much more 3d. The difference is very noticeable. I didn't know new cabling would make this much difference. The cables I got was Analysis Plus Oval 12.
 
P

pj

Banned
I hope you're joking..

If not, I'm going to stir the shit pot a bit and tell you that any differences you're hearing are imagined. Unless of course there was some physical defect in your old cables, which I doubt.
 
K

kevm3

Member
pj said:
I hope you're joking..

If not, I'm going to stir the shit pot a bit and tell you that any differences you're hearing are imagined. Unless of course there was some physical defect in your old cables, which I doubt.
Click to expand...

Why would I be joking?
 
K

kevm3

Member
Cereal KiIIer said:
http://consumerist.com/2008/03/do-coat-hangers-sound-as-good-monster-cables.html
Click to expand...

Monster has never had a solid reputation for quality for most products in the AV business. That's akin to saying buying higher tier speakers are worthless because it was hard to tell the difference between a $200 Energy speaker and a $600 Bose set.

Go to head-fi and you'll find several topics about people getting their Sennheiser HD600-800s recabled. I personally had three pair of chords for the Sennheiser HD600 I could switch out including the original stock HD600, stock HD650 and Equinox cords and do A-B testing to see if I could hear the difference in sound quality.

You have tons of people who own tube amps or preamps who will tell you that by trying out different tubes they can hear differences in sound characteristics. Are they being deceived as well? I can agree with the notion that buying the most expensive stuff and tossing it all together doesn't mean you will get the best sound, and it is very possible to overpay for a bunk product. System synergy is what ultimately matters and doing research to see if the products you are buying is backed by reputable people. Otherwise, it is very possible to get ripped off.

In regards to the cable endeavor, I personally own and have switched a few in my system and am able to hear the difference can many others. Are a lot of cables overpriced and is there a lot of bunk in the cable business? Absolutely. But then again that exists in the AV world in general such as when Lexicon repackaged an Oppo and put that out at a $3000 mark-up.

The cable debate has been something that constantly been going on in audiophile circles.In regards to the comment of me getting 'owned' by another poster, I fail to see how. I could easily go back and resell these with little loss since I bought them at a solid discount on the used market. And secondly, I have firsthand experience and have liked the results I've gotten with my purchase. This isn't by reading theories or reports by others. This is by actually putting the product in my system and listening.

For those with a fairly revealing speaker setup, if you want a fairly cheap solution, you can try out anti-cables, which have been getting rave reviews by many and are lower priced. You can test if you hear a difference yourself.

http://www.anticables.com/products.html

Spending more doesn't necessarily mean getting better results, but for this particular purchase (Analysis Plus Oval 12), my expenses were well worth it.
 
K

kevm3

Member
Bitmap Frogs said:
Twice the owning dude.

One, the con-men who sold you the cables, twice the scorning on the forum.

Lesson learned and move on =)
Click to expand...

What's your speaker system and what cables have you personally auditioned in your own system?
 
P

pj

Banned
kevm3 said:
Monster has never had a solid reputation for quality for most products in the AV business. That's akin to saying buying higher tier speakers are worthless because it was hard to tell the difference between a $200 Energy speaker and a $600 Bose set.

Go to head-fi and you'll find several topics about people getting their Sennheiser HD600-800s recabled. I personally had three pair of chords for the Sennheiser HD600 I could switch out including the original stock HD600, stock HD650 and Equinox cords and do A-B testing to see if I could hear the difference in sound quality.

You have tons of people who own tube amps or preamps who will tell you that by trying out different tubes they can hear differences in sound characteristics. Are they being deceived as well? I can agree with the notion that buying the most expensive stuff and tossing it all together doesn't mean you will get the best sound, and it is very possible to overpay for a bunk product. System synergy is what ultimately matters and doing research to see if the products you are buying is backed by reputable people. Otherwise, it is very possible to get ripped off.

In regards to the cable endeavor, I personally own and have switched a few in my system and am able to hear the difference can many others. Are a lot of cables overpriced and is there a lot of bunk in the cable business? Absolutely. But then again that exists in the AV world in general such as when Lexicon repackaged an Oppo and put that out at a $3000 mark-up.

The cable debate has been something that constantly been going on in audiophile circles.In regards to the comment of me getting 'owned' by another poster, I fail to see how. I could easily go back and resell these with little loss since I bought them at a solid discount on the used market. And secondly, I have firsthand experience and have liked the results I've gotten with my purchase. This isn't by reading theories or reports by others. This is by actually putting the product in my system and listening.

For those with a fairly revealing speaker setup, if you want a fairly cheap solution, you can try out anti-cables, which have been getting rave reviews by many and are lower priced. You can test if you hear a difference yourself.

http://www.anticables.com/products.html

Spending more doesn't necessarily mean getting better results, but for this particular purchase (Analysis Plus Oval 12), my expenses were well worth it.
Click to expand...


Speakers and amps are different than cables. There's plenty of things to fuck around with in speakers and amps to change the sound. I have no doubt that different tubes have different sound signatures, because they all degrade the signal differently.

Monster cable may not have the best construction quality, but it's just a speaker wire, it would be pretty hard for them to fuck it up. The speaker equivalent would be more like a string and tin can vs bose. Anyone could obviously tell those two apart, but coat hangers sound the same as monster cable because cables are all basically the same.

I don't think you're lying or exaggerating about what you heard, I'm just saying you imagined it. There's a lot of money in cables since they cost almost nothing to make. They're all the same thing with different wrappers, so companies will fill half the pages of audiophile magazines telling you how their cables preserve audio purity better than the other guys.

And why should I listen to what anyone says about anything audio related? Most people will hear a difference between components because they expect to, regardless of the reality. Just like how I'd probably think they sound the same, even if they didn't. Measurements are what count, and cables are one of the least measured products around.
 
N

nyprimus2

Member
Hey everyone. I currently use my Onkyo TX-84 receiver with two bookshelf Paradigms for DVD's in my room. It's an old receiver but the sound is still top notch. I don't need many inputs or extremely loud sound, just the basics.

This is the receiver to give you an idea of what it looks like and the specs. I use the red/white output on my DVD player and input it into the VCR1 red/white inputs and use it in conjunction with my DVD player.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Onkyo-TX-84-AM-...pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item45f5c00982

I just found out that I need to buy a cable box for my room because my TV provider has shut off allowing people to just use an antenna cord for television. In order to cut down on bulk I was thinking about using a mini amp that I've seen on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-Home-HiFi-...682?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23081da442

Would something like this do exactly what I've been doing with the Onkyo, or would the sound degrade at all? I want something in a very small form factor because I have my TV hung on the wall behind my DVD player and now incoming cable box so the receiver would make my components overlap the TV.

I can deal with the Onkyo and figure something out if you guys tell me the sound quality is going to degrade but I'd much prefer to buy the mini amp because I just really like the look of it.

Thanks.
 
W

Winged Creature

Member
kevm3 said:
I haven't posted in this thread in a long while... Finally very satisfied with my sound set-up. Only thing is that hint of brightness, but I no longer feel that anything is 'missing'. A great sound setup is truly one of the best investments I've made.
Click to expand...


we need pics
 
mr stroke

mr stroke

Member
My Klipsch Pro Media 5.1's sub+amp died today :(

speakers still work, but now I need something new cheap.



Are those Swan M10's really the hot shit everyone is talking about? Only thing I am concerned about is bass(listen to a lot of dance music) with that tiny 5" sub. Some reviews say the bass is really lacking?
 
Quote

Quote

Member
I'm trying to spend under $200 for a decent set of 2.0 speakers for my iMac (mostly for music).

Before this thread I had my eye on the M-Audio AV 40 and Audioengine 2. Now this thread has introduced the Swan M10 (2.1, I know) to me, but I can't seem to find anywhere selling them?

Are they being made anymore? Would they be better than the A2s and AV40?
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Quote said:
I'm trying to spend under $200 for a decent set of 2.0 speakers for my iMac (mostly for music).

Before this thread I had my eye on the M-Audio AV 40 and Audioengine 2. Now this thread has introduced the Swan M10 (2.1, I know) to me, but I can't seem to find anywhere selling them?

Are they being made anymore? Would they be better than the A2s and AV40?
Click to expand...
Check out my post in the other thread, the M10's are hard to find as they've been replaced by the less stylish and bassier M12, but I recommended a different model in the other thread.
 
Quote

Quote

Member
HiResDes said:
Check out my post in the other thread, the M10's are hard to find as they've been replaced by the less stylish and bassier M12, but I recommended a different model in the other thread.
Click to expand...
fucking sold!
 
mr stroke

mr stroke

Member
Quote said:
I'm trying to spend under $200 for a decent set of 2.0 speakers for my iMac (mostly for music).

Before this thread I had my eye on the M-Audio AV 40 and Audioengine 2. Now this thread has introduced the Swan M10 (2.1, I know) to me, but I can't seem to find anywhere selling them?

Are they being made anymore? Would they be better than the A2s and AV40?
Click to expand...


swan m10's were in stock a couple days ago, I went to go buy them and now there gone :(


Thinking about these maybe-

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SDLNKA/?tag=neogaf0e-20


M-Audio AV30's


anyone here use or heard them?
 
D

Darkatomz

Member
mr stroke said:
swan m10's were in stock a couple days ago, I went to go buy them and now there gone :(


Thinking about these maybe-

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SDLNKA/?tag=neogaf0e-20


M-Audio AV30's


anyone here use or heard them?
Click to expand...
Forget about the M10 and M12. A little more money will net you a lot more quality.

Go with AV40's if you were considering M-Audio over the 30's. Otherwise, Swan D1010 or D1080's. I'm partial to Swans, and I own a M200MKII myself.

The D1010MKII08 is a new model, so I actually don't know how it sounds, unlike the other two options which I've listened to. Looks like it has smaller tweeters and less power per channel, but who knows how that translates in the real world. It's a little cheaper than the AV40's, but like it's older brother, the speakers themselves have knobs for treble and bass, which I love. The D1080MKII08's are excellent, if they are still in your price range.

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?p=swan-d1010mkii08&products_id=144
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?p=swan-d1080mkii08&products_id=161
 
D

dr3upmushroom

Banned
I ended up getting a pair of AV40s a while ago and love them. Sounded a bit bright when I first hooked them up, but after messing around with the EQ in MediaMonkey for a bit they sound awesome.

I will say though that you should definitely get the nicest pair of speakers you can though. I was wanting to get a pair of Swan MKIIIs when I got my speakers but decided against it because I already had a few nice pair of headphones, I got the AV40s and put the rest toward a new headphone amp. Nice headphones are nice, but like someone else said, hearing music through speakers is very different, and too me will always be superior. Being able to "feel" bass, even with the AV40s which have nice bass but aren't like having a sub or anything, has me using them any time there's no one around to annoy by turning them up.

Listened to the next-step-up M Audio speakers at a Guitar Center the other week and immediately had severe buyer's remorse, I totally regret not getting the Swans or some other comparable speaker, the overall sound was less bright, which I like, and the bass was way, way better, like if someone had told me that I was listening to a 2.1 system I would have believed it.

So anyway, my two cents, don't get the AV 30s for sure, at least save up the extra $50 or so for the 40s, and if money is not tight and especially if you listen to music a lot, definitely consider holding out for a nicer set of speakers.

Also, this thread is probably full of this advice, but don't buy speakers, even semi-cheap ones like the AV40s, without listening to them first. Even at Guitar Center they had a pair of KRK speakers that are pretty much the same price as the AV40s, don't spend money on speakers you'll use for years without auditioning others that cost the same price.
 
Quote

Quote

Member
So if i'm not an audiophile, how much of a difference will a DAC make with my iMac?

And if I was in the $100 price range for one, which ones are the best? I've seen a lot of people with nuForces.

My collection of music is in V0, not sure if that means anything in the grand scheme of things.
 
K

kevm3

Member
dr3upmushroom said:
I ended up getting a pair of AV40s a while ago and love them. Sounded a bit bright when I first hooked them up, but after messing around with the EQ in MediaMonkey for a bit they sound awesome.

I will say though that you should definitely get the nicest pair of speakers you can though. I was wanting to get a pair of Swan MKIIIs when I got my speakers but decided against it because I already had a few nice pair of headphones, I got the AV40s and put the rest toward a new headphone amp. Nice headphones are nice, but like someone else said, hearing music through speakers is very different, and too me will always be superior. Being able to "feel" bass, even with the AV40s which have nice bass but aren't like having a sub or anything, has me using them any time there's no one around to annoy by turning them up.

Listened to the next-step-up M Audio speakers at a Guitar Center the other week and immediately had severe buyer's remorse, I totally regret not getting the Swans or some other comparable speaker, the overall sound was less bright, which I like, and the bass was way, way better, like if someone had told me that I was listening to a 2.1 system I would have believed it.

So anyway, my two cents, don't get the AV 30s for sure, at least save up the extra $50 or so for the 40s, and if money is not tight and especially if you listen to music a lot, definitely consider holding out for a nicer set of speakers.

Also, this thread is probably full of this advice, but don't buy speakers, even semi-cheap ones like the AV40s, without listening to them first. Even at Guitar Center they had a pair of KRK speakers that are pretty much the same price as the AV40s, don't spend money on speakers you'll use for years without auditioning others that cost the same price.
Click to expand...

I can agree that you should get what you wanted to in the first place instead of trying to 'find a bargain', because you will continually have that 'what-if' factor playing in your head. I've also found that most important in a speaker or any sound equipment is that it matches your audio preferences. A $200 speaker will be greater than a $3,000 speaker for you if it has that tonal balance, PRAT (pace, rhythm, and timing), etc, that you like. I found that out firsthand when I found myself listening to Grados and even the Zune earbuds more than the Sennheiser HD600, which the latter always seemed too 'polite' to me. Detail and clarity are of secondary importance, because if you don't like the overall speaker/headphone's signature, then all the details in the world won't matter.

I've found that I don't like speakers/headphones that emphasize the treble region and have piercing highs, nor do I like overly smooth speakers that have a syrupy, 'laid-back' sound due to rolling off of all the highs.

Another thing is if you buy monitors, I would advise getting a subwoofer down the line to go along with it. You will get a nice improvement in clarity due to the fact that your monitors won't have to deal with the bass, allowing them to focus on the midrange/highs which they excel at. You will also have a lot more foundation to the music with the subwoofer in. Voices and instruments will have more weight due to the bass extension.
 
K

kevm3

Member
Quote said:
So if i'm not an audiophile, how much of a difference will a DAC make with my iMac?

And if I was in the $100 price range for one, which ones are the best? I've seen a lot of people with nuForces.

My collection of music is in V0, not sure if that means anything in the grand scheme of things.
Click to expand...

I would say it depends. If you don't have particularly revealing speakers, then you won't get all that much of a benefit from adding a DAC. I would say if you want to make the greatest improvement, start with getting a quality pair of speakers if you don't have any at the moment. If you do, a quality dac can make a very nice improvement in sound over your computer's sound card.

Winged Creature said:
we need pics
Click to expand...

Will do
 
Quote

Quote

Member
Witchfinder General said:
Whelp, this thread is no longer even remotely "audiophile" anymore.

$200 speakers, whoopee.
Click to expand...
Oh boo hoo. The first page of this thread is no different than this page.

Not everyone has a grand to drop on speakers. I certainly don't and I'm especially not going to spend that much on my desktop PC speakers, let alone my first set. But I do want to get a taste of more quality audio, even if it's only at $200 right now.
 
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