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[Winged Creature]

totems are a 4 Ohm speaker they need a pretty beefy amp, 50wpc +

edit: i highly suggest u audition the Energy Veritas, if I had the money i would be all over those especially with the audioadvisor price, oh Energy speakers are based all on NRC research like paradigm, totem and PSB

 

[fart]

wildcard: magnepan MMG?

 

[Raistlin]

I love maggies ... but, that wouldn't work out so well. First, I doubt his (or most peoples) PC set up is such that they could correctly place them. Second, you need to be the correct distance for them to work out right.

 

[fart]

good point

 

[Miroku]

Nitewulf,

Glad to see you got the Decco, congrats! Peachtree makes a small set of speakers to match the Decco.

http://signalpathint.com/index.php/DS4.5/DS4.5.html

You may also want to investigate B&W CM1s, they're very nice @1k/pair but may be a bit too power hungry for the Decco. Try before you buy.

 

[Raistlin]

To the OP, you never really stated your intent for these. Stereo or surround? Do you have a decent soundcard? etc.



If you have a good soundcard (or are considering getting one), I'd personally bypass using a stereo receiver and 'audiophile' speakers, and go with a nice set of active studio monitors.

Besides being a ton less clutter, most studio monitors are actually meant for near-field listening ... whereas most home theater speakers aren't. So beyond being better for space, you'll likely end up with better audio anyway. There's a reason they are used by engineers in the studio.

 

[Miroku]

To the OP, you never really stated your intent for these. Stereo or surround? Do you have a could soundcard? etc.



If you have a good soundcard (or are considering getting one), I'd personally bypass using a stereo receiver and 'audiophile' speakers, and go with a nice set of active studio monitors.

He's bypassing everything in his computer via the Decco's USB input.

http://signalpathint.com/index.php/decco/the-decco.html

Now he just needs a nice set of small speakers to match up with it's 50w amp. Alternatively he could get a beefier stereo power amp and larger speakers, but he hasnt said if he wants to do that or not.

 

[Raistlin]

He's bypassing everything in his computer via the Decco's USB input.

http://signalpathint.com/index.php/decco/the-decco.html

Now he just needs a nice set of small speakers to match up with it's 50w amp. Alternatively he could get a beefier stereo power amp and larger speakers, but he hasnt said if he wants to do that or not.

Sorry, missed his later posts.

Wow ... hadn't seen the Decco before, thing looks shit-hot!!! Though crap, it's huge! I'm curious how well it functions as an external DAC, and as a headphone amp versus dedicated units? If it's competitive, that's a pretty sweet unit for the money.



If he's planning on sitting in front of his computer though, I still maintain that studio monitors are probably the best fit (in this case, passive ones obviously). First, they are designed with efficiency in mind, so 50w should be plenty. Secondly, and most importantly ... near field. Frequency response, imaging, and soundfield should be better versus sitting way too close to a set of standard stereo speakers (even 'good' ones).

 

[BobsRevenge]

I've got my computer hooked up to a pretty decent and tasteful bookshelf system. Added a Yamaha sub that my parents weren't using.


Basically, just find audiophile quality regular speakers... take a wire and hook your PC up to a reciever, then hook that reciever up to those speakers.

There is your audiophile quality PC speaker system.

 

[Raistlin]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that missed the relevant posts

 

[BobsRevenge]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that missed the relevant posts

:lol

They were a bit hidden. I read through most of the thread before posting too! :lol

In that case try out some Infinity bookshelf speakers OP.

http://www.infinitysystems.com/home...FS&ser=PRI&Language=ENG&Region=USA&Country=US

I use these for my living room and the sound that comes out of them really astonishes me sometimes. Sounds better than my Dad's Definitive's back home. I have them hooked up to the cheapest Marantz reciever I could find and they still sound amazing.


edit2: if you're looking for something truly audiophile though this would probably seem a bit cheap. What you get for the price is fucking amazing though.

 

[Winged Creature]

wildcard: magnepan MMG?

gonna need more then 50wpc to drive that, so the decco wont be able to fit the bill, great speaker though

 

[nitewulf]

Demoed:

Focal Chorus line:

Chorus 806 V (Bookshelf)
Chorus 807 V (Bookshelf)
Chorus 816 V (Floor stander)

the 807s were wonderful to listen to. delightful, and were driven very well by the decco. hard hitting bass, loud soundstage.

Vandersteen 1C

boomy, warm. a lot less clarity than the Focals. not quite as impressive.

best of the bunch was a german brand, i think it was "Sonic" or something, very natural, very filling. deep...clear. it was the best i heard next to the Totem Model 1 Signature, may be better. but these were $2500.

 

[Winged Creature]

I too am a fan of the focal chorus series, stereophile did a review on the 806 and loved them, a very revealing tweeter so make sure u play badly recorded music on it to see if it reveals too much.

edit: make sure u demo the rainmakers with the decco, you might have a change of heart.

 

[Wendo]

I see that Klipsch still has the ProMedia 2.1 for sale. Is this like a watered down version of the previous Klipsch computer speaker awesomeness of years past?

 

[Trasher]

My speakers for my computer just died and I was looking for some new ones. Nothing too expensive though. My price range is around 50 dollars. Any suggestions?

 

[thesoapster]

I see that Klipsch still has the ProMedia 2.1 for sale. Is this like a watered down version of the previous Klipsch computer speaker awesomeness of years past?

I have those speakers...not sure what you're comparing them to, but I can't imagine them being considered "watered down".

 

[Winged Creature]

My speakers for my computer just died and I was looking for some new ones. Nothing too expensive though. My price range is around 50 dollars. Any suggestions?

for that price range get headphones instead

 

[nitewulf]

edit: make sure u demo the rainmakers with the decco, you might have a change of heart.

i'm trying to find that combo somewhere. this store w/ its impressive array of boutique audiophile brands, do not carry totem speakers. the 807s are very crisp, that's true...however, they are quite a bit more efficient than the Rainmakers...filled up the room nicely without having to turn the knob up too high. im so glad i didnt order the ERA 4s online, my room is comparatively large, and while demoing side by side...the ERAs were laughably tinny sounding. not bad by any means but they do not compare to the Focals or Totems.

i found the german speaker online, Sonics by Joachim Gerhard, a wonderful set...if it was a bit cheaper, i'd jump on it. im actually looking for a used pair of Model 1s.

 

[Trasher]

for that price range get headphones instead

I got 100 dollar plus headphones actually :lol . I just need some speakers for at home on the computer desk.

 

[Winged Creature]

i'm trying to find that combo somewhere. this store w/ its impressive array of boutique audiophile brands, do not carry totem speakers. the 807s are very crisp, that's true...however, they are quite a bit more efficient than the Rainmakers...filled up the room nicely without having to turn the knob up too high. im so glad i didnt order the ERA 4s online, my room is comparatively large, and while demoing side by side...the ERAs were laughably tinny sounding. not bad by any means but they do not compare to the Focals or Totems.

i found the german speaker online, Sonics by Joachim Gerhard, a wonderful set...if it was a bit cheaper, i'd jump on it. im actually looking for a used pair of Model 1s.

the used pair of the totem model 1 will probably be an older generation speaker and will not be nearly as good as the current rendition, if im not mistaken, totem only recently re-introduced the model one.

edit: its the model 1 signature that is the current one that totem re-released, the original model 1 doesnt have the signature name. So becareful when looking for used, make sure u get the current gen

 

[blu]

My speakers for my computer just died and I was looking for some new ones. Nothing too expensive though. My price range is around 50 dollars. Any suggestions?

a pair of koss porta pro.

ed: bah, beaten.

 

[Witchfinder General]

I love Focal.

I use a pair of Focal Electra 1007Be and my god do they sound good.

You can now get them without the beryllium tweeter but it still might be above your budget.

 

[Chittagong]

Genelec 8020As. They do movies, games and music on the series. Reference quality.

http://www.genelec.com/documents/reviews/Genelec_8020A_review_ Professional_Sound_10_2005.pdf

http://www.genelec.com/documents/reviews/Genelec_8020A_review_Music_Tech_Sept_2005.pdf

 

[nitewulf]

the budget is flexible...now that i found out how warm, natural, sweet and deep the sounds are from the Model 1 Signatures and the Sonics Arkadias...i am having a hard time settling for a downgrade, so to speak. yet i would have a hard time justifying the price for those.

 

[Miroku]

im so glad i didnt order the ERA 4s online, my room is comparatively large, and while demoing side by side...the ERAs were laughably tinny sounding. not bad by any means but they do not compare to the Focals or Totems.

Probably a sensitivity thing. The ERA D4s are 84db while I think the Focals are 92.

The only ERA speakers I have heard with the Decco are the DS4.5 which are more sensitive, but also not comparable to a 1k/pr speaker.

 

[Raistlin]

nitewulf,

Just make sure when you're testing whatever you're testing, to sit at approximately the same distance you will during normal usage.

 

[nitewulf]

Demoed 3 pairs today:

Dynaudio Focus 140
Proac Tablette Reference 8
Devore Fidelity Gibbon 3

Proacs were very pretty, small speakers. They are quite expensive at $1900/pair. They sound great, but due to their size their sound stage isnt very big, neither do they have a deep bass. good for the size but at this price range people can do much better. the saleman even told me, women were the primary buyer for this pair.

Devore Fidelity Gibbon 3s were a step up, bigger sound, deeper extension. Similarly priced. very good for what they are, wont fill up a big room.

Dynaudio Focus 140, best for last...these knocked my socks off. it was incredible how these small speakers were outputting such warm, boomy, plesant and crystal clear music. I probably have found my pair. they quoted $1995/pair at the store but i found them selling for $1800/pair online. gonna try them to price match otherwise i'll order online. the dude was pretty anti-Totems though.

obviously my range scaled up to the next level, but after hearing the step up speakers, i couldn't stand getting the $1000/pair speakers. but at that range, my choice would definitely be the Focal Chorus 807Vs. They are a bit too sharp for me, could induce fatigue during long listening sessions (i listen to music for the whole time i'm home after work till i go to sleep), but they are incredible overall.

 

[Winged Creature]

with your doubled budget ur going into serious audiophile territory, alot of really good speakers in that range, let us know what u decide on

 

[nitewulf]

i purchased the Dynaudio Focus 140s, i went back with a mix CD i made, ripped from the originals at lossless quality...gave the pair a thorough listen. basically they are very natural and warm sounding, and easy to listen to over a period of hours. anything like the Focals would get tiring to me after a while due to the crispness of the tweeters. i dont have 'em yet, will pick 'em up sometime later in the week.

the only other option to me were the Totem Model 1 Signatures, which have a similar sounstage but they just dont have the lower range extension of the Dynaudios. of course in this range there are plenty of speakers, that sound great...but you could get lost trying to learn about them all. i wasnt able to demo much in the NYC area, and some of the stores stopped carrying Totems. there are boutique speakers in the range that i've never heard of before...like i said, you could get lost.

now my next question is about the speaker stands, do the plate where the speaker sits (the top plate) need to be bigger than the base of the speakers? the ones i'm finding are all smaller than the base of the Dynaudios.

 

[fart]

whatever keeps them in one place (and isn't extraordinarily large). the only real purpose of the stands is to get them away from possible sources of reflections (the added mass is also nice, but whatevs).

 

[Winged Creature]

stands help in positioning, and good positioning leads to good soundstage. If you can position your speakers right then the stands arent necessary.

 

[Raistlin]

now my next question is about the speaker stands, do the plate where the speaker sits (the top plate) need to be bigger than the base of the speakers? the ones i'm finding are all smaller than the base of the Dynaudios.

Nah, they don't need to be ... as long as it will hold them sufficiently.

I'd recommend some bluetack (or a good alternative). Don't want your new babies taking a header.

Also, mass loading speaker stands are probably a good idea.

 

[Gallbaro]

Why do you need PC speakers? I just have my computer send out a digital signal to my receiver and then out to my pair of JBLs, legitimate reference speakers.

 

[Mamesj]

I just got some swan m10's, pretty happy with them

I have these on my PC, but I also use them for my 360, PS2, and Wii (since everything is on my TV.) They are great, but I wouldn't call them "audiophile" speakers. They're excellent for people who aren't satisfied with the Logitech, Creative, and Bose shit that Bestbuy shovels at them, but aren't super hardcore audiophiles either.

I think they're great general stereo speakers in small rooms.

I see that Klipsch still has the ProMedia 2.1 for sale. Is this like a watered down version of the previous Klipsch computer speaker awesomeness of years past?

I bought these and the Swans M-10s when I bought my speakers. Klipsch has strong bass (what doesn't these days), but iirc, no mids at all? I may have that wrong...in any case the bass was over powering and they ended up sounding muddy to me. I kept the Swans, since I use them in a smaller room--don't need huge bass and can fully appreciate the crisp sound.

 

[nitewulf]

ok, here is the end result:

using my PC as the source, the sound is routed through an integrated DAC/AMP and then to high quality speakers.

speakers are nowhere near broken in, yet they pretty much blow away anything i've owned or heard prior to this. i can hear them while tinkering around in the kitchen. they are wonderfully warm and smooth, smooth, smooth. i'm pretty much leaving them on all night w/ chet baker, eva cassidey, coltrane etc on to break them in. i wake up to wonderful music in the morning. my previous speakers would usually wake me up all tense for some reason, perhaps due to the extremely crisp highs and the unbalanced sub woofer. these are a couple of leagues apart.

thanx for all the help, and hopefully it helped others to make some decisions and/or gain some knowledge as well. i know the thread helped me a lot.

 

[Davidion]

Ugh, those are so goddamn gorgeous...

 

[Miroku]

Some of that warmth is from the tube in the Decco. The Dynaudios look fantastic. Appears to be a great investment, congrats! I wish more people out there were willing to do such things, they just don't know what they're missing...

 

[Mamesj]

Some of that warmth is from the tube in the Decco. The Dynaudios look fantastic. Appears to be a great investment, congrats! I wish more people out there were willing to do such things, they just don't know what they're missing...

one day when I have money...can't wait

 

[Winged Creature]

awesome system! You've just given me the upgrade bug....

 

[Raistlin]

Some of that warmth is from the tube in the Decco. The Dynaudios look fantastic. Appears to be a great investment, congrats! I wish more people out there were willing to do such things, they just don't know what they're missing...

Agreed.



This is my critical listening setup

Someday I'll upgrade ... but it's doing okay for what it is.

 

[N-Bomb]

1. None of you are audiophiles. Audiophile is oxymoronese for idiot. Well, maybe some of you are. I don't know.

2. If by 'audiophile' you mean 'nice sounding dude' then that and 'PC speakers' don't happen in the same product in this world. Unless you have kadey money or something. Then feel free to fish for our compliments with your netbook audio excess.

Because of #2, this thread doesn't actually exist. What are you reading??

 

[Raistlin]

1. None of you are audiophiles. Audiophile is oxymoronese for idiot. Well, maybe some of you are. I don't know.

No ... it isn't. Yes, some people use it as a colloquialism, referring to the esoteric nut-cases that raise their $5000 speaker wire on top of maple tripods ... but that isn't the actual definition of the word.

2. If by 'audiophile' you mean 'nice sounding dude' then that and 'PC speakers' don't happen in the same product in this world. Unless you have kadey money or something. Then feel free to fish for our compliments with your netbook audio excess.

Because of #2, this thread doesn't actually exist. What are you reading??

wtf are you even blabbing about?

 

[Winged Creature]

oh and just out curiosity what speaker cabling did you get OP, it doesnt seem like standard cabling

 

[Raistlin]

oh and just out curiosity what speaker cabling did you get OP, it doesnt seem like standard cabling

monster

Spoiler

lol

 

[Winged Creature]

is it monster, it doesnt look like it. I use blue jean and the 12 gauge mono price stuff

 

[Raistlin]

Sorry ... I was joking. I don't know.

 

[CurlySaysX]

The bestest dedicated PC sound system that i've ever listeneded to is some cheap $100 TCL hybrid valve amp system, and i've hearded them all.
Although the connections at the back of the speakers are super cheap the actual speakers sounds damn nice and are aluminium encased.

Logitechs and non valve systems are probably be louderer, but these dont clip at all at MAX volume even with BASS at max.
10/10

 

[Winged Creature]

did u see what the OP got. there not computer speaker, but more like a hi-fi solution

 

[Raistlin]

Yeah, this turned into a 'recommend me an audiophile setup to connect to my PC' thread.