julesodies
Member
I'm looking to buy a speakerset but why should I get a 2.0 set instead of a single speaker?
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Audiophile quality PC speakers
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julesodies
Member
Jeah you're right. Totally forgot about that stereo effect during music
.Hope it is okay to ask this here. I'm looking for a good pair of speakers that are 2.1 for my PC and use optical cable. Don't want to break the bank, just something that's good enough. Any recommendations? Thanks and sorry for the bump, but I can't make threads or didn't know where to ask.
Thanks. Looks good to me.
Edit: fits my theme too.
Slightly cheaper on Overstock - http://www.overstock.com/Electronic...-W-RMS-Black-Pearl-White/8279283/product.html
Figured bumping this is better than creating something new, but what do folks recommend these days for 2 (or 2.1) PC speakers?
Considering the Audioengine A5+, although I'd probably buy their DAC, or a DAC, that I could place on my desk to hook in my headphones directly to and control volume with (something my current PC speakers have that works well in my setup, so I'd like to replicate that). Let's say budget is under $500. Are the A5s still one of the better choices? What do y'all like?
Considering the Audioengine A5+, although I'd probably buy their DAC, or a DAC, that I could place on my desk to hook in my headphones directly to and control volume with (something my current PC speakers have that works well in my setup, so I'd like to replicate that). Let's say budget is under $500. Are the A5s still one of the better choices? What do y'all like?
longdi
Banned
If you are not a bass head, get the following, i can attest to their effectiveness for PC audio
Marantz HD-AMP1 2016 model. Classy, compact, DAC and all, and comes with a very good headphone amp. Has that Marantz colored mid-range filter sound signature.
ATC SCM7 v3, made in UK, 7.5Kg per speaker! Compact, sealed box design, made for nearfield monitoring. Excellent taut bass and super clear non-fatiguing volume.
Marantz HD-AMP1 2016 model. Classy, compact, DAC and all, and comes with a very good headphone amp. Has that Marantz colored mid-range filter sound signature.
ATC SCM7 v3, made in UK, 7.5Kg per speaker! Compact, sealed box design, made for nearfield monitoring. Excellent taut bass and super clear non-fatiguing volume.
So I have dynaudio on my computer and I went searching around for some simple 2.0 computer speakers for my girlfriend, and all the cheap stuff at stores ( < $150 ) sounded terrible to me. I don't have money to buy something crazy expensive though. I would just get the audio engine a2+, which are ideal because they also have a DAC, but people online seem to think they are really lackluster compared to a5+, so I know I'd feel buyers remorse. Are there other common suggestions for under like 300?
Also what is going on with Bose speakers that make them sound so weird? I don't even know if they sound "bad", just really weird, like the sound is going through a subtle effects pedal.
Also what is going on with Bose speakers that make them sound so weird? I don't even know if they sound "bad", just really weird, like the sound is going through a subtle effects pedal.
I've been looking recently to replace my sound system I've had for almost ten years. There's not a lot of options, unless you spend several hundred dollars. It's disappointing. The speakers I have right now cost maybe $150 when I got them and they sound amazing. I may just have to keep them until they die. I'm mostly looking for gaming speakers rather than strictly for music, though.
I'm looking for new speakers for my PC. It doesn't need to be anything crazy. Just want it to look good and sound decent enough for music/movies. Im currently using an old Logitech set ive had for years but the wires seem to be falling apart and need to be adjusted time to time. Is there anything nice for under $150?
I used to use the M200MKII, had them for ~7yrs or so, really great speakers and sound signature for the price. Couldn't say better things about them.
I have the Swans M50W 2.1 set. I'm not a hugely informed audiophile or anything, but I am incredibly pleased with them.
davidwhangchoi
Member
make sure everything says bose, monster or beats. anything else don't even bother.
it's worth overpaying for a name. i do it with clothes and sneakers. why not do it with sound?
it's worth overpaying for a name. i do it with clothes and sneakers. why not do it with sound?
Yeah, those are getting great reviews from all places.
At that price point I'd rather go for the JBL 305s. Why? Because from all reports it's a wash and while the Adam tweeter is awesome (it totally is), the JBL totally wins in the bass department. As in, faster, more precise, more powerful. And in that price region, you will need all the bass precision you can get.
If you can spring for an A5x it's a completely different ballgame, of course ;-)
Amazing I haven't had a desire to sell these speakers. I've got such an enjoyable sound that I'm afraid to even look for 'something better' in the event I might disturb the balance I have. It's really difficult for me to find that exact sound signature I enjoy. Still have the LSA statements. A bargain for the price you can get them used.
I have been using the Gemme Audio Tantos since 2011 as well, I'm afraid to try another pair of speakers. They are too good. Have changed my DAC since then, and recently ordered a solid state pre-amp, to take over from my tube pre-amp. Tube gear is ultimately too much hassle, and I use my stereo as my HT as well, tubes are too good for regular TV, just wanted a high quality solid state gear that can stay on all day.
http://philharmonicaudio.com/
Their TOTL speaker cabinets are all handcrafted by Jim Salk himself. Plus I promise that while your Tanto may be good, those are amazing. They are very small and it seems to be a pure passion project of two old rats in the HiFi biz. Envious I can't get them in Europe (or rather, S&H&tax etc will explode the price).
Try to catch them at a HiFi meet, every impression has been glowing.
Their TOTL speaker cabinets are all handcrafted by Jim Salk himself. Plus I promise that while your Tanto may be good, those are amazing. They are very small and it seems to be a pure passion project of two old rats in the HiFi biz. Envious I can't get them in Europe (or rather, S&H&tax etc will explode the price).
Try to catch them at a HiFi meet, every impression has been glowing.
I agree that tube gear is too much of a hassle. After a while, you sit back and start wondering if the sound quality is degrading because the tubes are getting old. Some of those tubes can be very expensive. What DAC did you get? I'm thinking about trying out the Yggdrasil.
Strangely enough, one of the biggest improvements in sound was going from some attenuantors that stood between the DAC and amp to using the preamp functionality of the new headphone amp I got.
Most likely impedance interaction thanks to the attenuators. Depends on source and target impedance. Let's say my Icepower dropped to 9k input impedance in the highs and depending on where I put the attenuator the highs rolled off nicely. There is a reason for active preamps as I've learned.
Oh yeah, really curious about the upcoming Elac amp. If the sound is as I expect it and with those features on top, THE stereo amp to have.
Btw, got XTZ 99.25 LCR. Already broken in and the nagging problem with the mids I heard in the beginning (silent voices sounded a bit muffled) is all but gone. Absolutely brilliant speakers. Very transparent but natural sound with a bass resolution to die for. The way this authentically renders the body of instruments is amazing. Only active does it better. For 1000 an exceptional bargain. Or rather, a fair price when you come back to earth from the world of 3k bookselves where most people look at you funny if you even mention it. ;-)
Yep, well aware of Salk...I mean there are plenty of direct to customer companies that intrigue me, I just meant I'm very sure most speakers won't be able to match the Tanto's bass, if everything else. They are just right without being overwhelming for NYC apartments. Of course there are better speakers...but will they match my room?
Also definitely wanna try Omega speakers and Devores, and Magicos and so on...
I got the PS Audio Perfectwave MK2, and yes you do wonder that with tubes, unless the amplifier is self biasing...I mean I'd have no way to know if the tubes need to be changed unless the sound is seriously degraded or it starts to hiss.
The PS Audio can be used as a preamp, as it has a digital attenuator...so if you only have digital source, you can get something like that. Or the Wyred4Sound DACs. I also have an analog front end, so I actually need a dedicated preamp.
Those are some nice looking speakers. Never heard of that brand before.
What's interesting is the speakers I bought, the LSA statements are selling from a significant drop-off in price than what they used to sell at. You can get them new for like $1700... used, they can be found for around $1000 occasionally. I seriously want to get my amp repaired so I can start listening to them again.
What I really want is an LSA statement integrated amp. Those originally sold for $12,000, but can be occasionally found on the used marketing for as low as $2,000. If I come across one, I'll have to snap it up.
If you are wondering about a DAC upgrade, it seems like the Yggdrasil are all the rage these days. It makes me wonder myself. I really enjoy my DAC which is a Kora Hermes, but it's tube based, which does indeed make me wonder about if the sound is degrading since I've had it for years. I think the thing with tubed equipment is that you also wonder if by buying some cheap tubes, if you are 'holding back' the potential of your equipment. The cool thing about SS equipment is that the sound you get is the sound that everyone gets unless you start going into the deep end of the pool and start doing things like changing caps and all.
What I've found in my audio journey is that while there may be speakers more resolving and do more 'audiophile' things than mine, if my speakers/headphones or other audio quality don't have the tone, audio balance and pace that I like, I'd much rather prefer the cheaper pair. So I'm sure you could find speakers where you can hear some guy crumpling paper in the background. I find that I have a very strong preference for a few traits in audio and if they aren't there, I don't care how resolving the speaker/headphone is. If the sound isn't engaging enough, I get bored and don't want to listen to it. If the sound is 'too thick', I feel like the equipment is closed in and the sound is unappealing. Also, if the sound is too thin and bright, then that's even more unappealing. That's also why I'm hesitant on a 'speaker upgrade', because while I might get more audiophile niceties, I might also get a completely unappealing sound that doesn't mesh with my ears or it doesn't particularly vibe with the surrounding equipment.
I think if you ever get the desire for new speakers, the best plan would be to buy a well known brand used that is known to retain its value so you can sell them without taking much if any loss if you don't like them.
M50W and M200mkiii are really great speakers and excellent bang for buck.
Oh no, the Perfectwave MK2 is ridiculously good, I don't think there can be much better. At this point, it's very difficult to distinguish anything higher end. In fact I had the HRT streamer+ prior to this, which was like a $350 DAC, and it was a world beater.
As for speakers, it's a package right? There are certain qualities I enjoy such as pace, rhythm, and openness. I'm not too much into overtly resolving speakers either, as long as the soundstage is wide, imaging is precise and I can visualize the artists performing at the stage or in the studio in their relatively different positions...it's all good. Though the Tantos are very precise, you can hear all the heavy breathing, sharp intakes of breath, hands sliding on the guitar strings etc. Pretty amazing at times.
Yep, I absolutely agree that speakers are a package with everything else. It's difficult finding that combination that really produces that sound that you're looking for because introducing a new component can completely shift things around. Higher resolution is what you typically get with more expensive equipment, but that isn't the end all. Hearing more details is nice, but if there isn't sufficient body to the music, aka it sounds thin, or if the music gets bright, or if the pace of the music gets too sluggish, the details really don't matter to me. I'd much rather listen to a less resolving setup than a more expensive one if the expensive setup has piercing highs.
In your case, the only reason I'd change equipment is if you just want to test out a different sound signature. After all the praise I've heard from this Yggdrasil, I'm just curious to if it sounds as nice as has been speculated... plus I have a tube DAC and I'm interested in comparing a solid state to it, especially since I worry about degrading sound quality and don't want to have to keep paying money for tubes. From what I remember from my old Audio GD Dac, it had a stronger base, but this dac has more warmth and more realistic sounding voices. I am a bit concerned that I will lose some warmth if I go to the Yggdrasil and get some hyper detailed, but 'icy' sound, which I'm not a fan of.
You should definitely try out the Yggdrasil with the 15 day return policy.
If you like that warmth/musicality, I'd definitely check out Japanese companies like Luxman and Accuphase:
I've been hankering for Japanese gear for a long time, but they are uber-expensive, specifically amps and preamps.
But Luxman has some surprisingly affordable DACs.
https://www.musicdirect.com/dac/luxman-da-250-dac
Well, in terms of power amps, supposedly this will come out despite the failed kickstarter:
https://audioberry.com/zula/
At the heart is an IcePower 125ASX2 and I can assure you this thing is every bit as good as you could hope. Good with mediocre speakers, awesome with some real high quality ones like Monitor Audio Gold.
https://audioberry.com/zula/
At the heart is an IcePower 125ASX2 and I can assure you this thing is every bit as good as you could hope. Good with mediocre speakers, awesome with some real high quality ones like Monitor Audio Gold.
On one hand, I'm very curious as to how the Yggdrasil will sound given all the hype. On the other hand, I'm hesitant because I am finally getting a smooth and lovely sound with my headphone setup. I see a yggdrasil on the used market. Thinking about getting it. I've read countless impressions on how awesome this dac is supposed to be. Really thinking about getting it. Nevermind, just checked the listing. It was just sold... until next time lol
There's this other DAC around that price range getting a lot of hype... The Holo Spring DAC level 3. I guess it might be better to wait and see how the comparisons between the two pan out.
Both DACs you mentioned sound pretty intriguing. But the Kitsune dac seems too niche. For DACs I'd prefer a big name so if I don't like it, I could sell it off. The Yggdrasil does seem nice though from reviews, only downside being its not DSD capable (which isn't major - files are so huge, I don't think it'll be a mainstream format).
I got my SS pre-amp on Friday, mated very well. So quiet and musical. Excellent soundstage and clarity, and the balance is spot on. I was having issues with my tube pre-amp and balancing the channels, I had to resort to manually trimming the channels to match levels. Too much hassle.
Nice, glad to hear the SS amp was worth it. Which one did you get and did you lose anything significant going from tubes to SS? I'm thinking the bass on SS should at least be stronger.
I feel you on the Spring DAC being niche and potentially harder to sell. It's also more expensive than the Yggdrasil, so that's a point in the Ygg's favor.
I got the Ayre K5xeMP:
With acoustic memory being what it is...I will say that this preamplifier is a lot more quiet and exceptionally detailed compared to what I had previously (DeHavilland Ultraverve 3). This is a balanced unit, so I ordered some balanced cables, once those arrive, I can hook up both preamps do some A/B comparison. What I will say now is, I didn't lose a damn thing. The soundstage is wide, instrumental separation is fantastic...excellent bass, midrange and treble. The instrumental decays and attacks are fantastic. With many tracks I can hear details that I didn't notice before, ie, if I go back and listen for them with my old preamp, I could hear them now cause that is a great unit as well, but the details just didn't stand out before. Like say with 80's new wave or guitar pop stuff like Crowded House, there are little drum beats and things that I didn't notice before. Plenty of tracks stand out as I can actually distinguish multiple vocals during chorus parts etc. And best of all, non fatiguing, very sweet, I kept listening till like 2 AM multiple nights in a row.
That's great, I'd be very interested in hearing your impressions. Actually don't be surprised as a whole if the detail level is in another league.
So I was able to do some extensive A/B as I received the XLR cables for the preamp. So I hooked the Ayre up from my DAC to my power amp with XLR cables, and my DAC to my old tube pre amp to my power amp using RCA cables. And once I played something, it was easy to switch between them by muting one preamp and un-muting the other.
This brings me to what we were discussing before. My tube pre was giving me a lot of hassle with low level noise, distortions and channel imbalance. I was rotating tubes, all of them but couldn't figure anything out. Finally last night I the distortion was so awful, I mean if I turned the volume down to zero, sound was still coming out of the speakers...so I switched out the big voltage regulator tube with something else I had sitting for a long time, and everything went back to perfect. It was a bad tube all along.
Few initial observations. With no music playing and volume turned up very high, the tube pre white noise level is very high, at normal listening levels, this isn't noticeable. However, at normal listening levels, with no music playing, if you can pretty close to the speakers, you hear a constant white noise. With the SS pre, volume at the highest setting, no music playing, you do get a constant drone, but its not very loud. At normal listening levels there is no detectable white noise, and with your ears right against the tweeter, you hear a very low level of hiss which is undetectable a few inches away from the speaker. Essentially this is a noise-less pre.
WIth music playing, and here is what I found surprising and my results will surprise you. The SS pre had better transparency, like I alluded to earlier, instruments were clearer, separated, voices seemed to just float in the middle space...essentially crating a bigger soundstage and holographic image. The bass itself was more controlled. This made the actual music a lot more well rounded, and musical and enjoyable to listen to.
The tube pre sounded more muddled and the bass notes were not as clearly distinguishable. When talking about this type of equipment these adjectives do not do the equipment any justice, as it was say 4% muddled in comparison to something that sounds utterly amazing, so it still sounds amazing! However the loss of detail, and this is where I found something interesting, the voices seemed to be biased a bit towards the left, I checked the balance and everything, the balance was fine based on my power amps VU meters, the soundstage just shifted a bit. There was that bit less clarity and detail and thus less musicality and it just wasn't as engaging. But keep in mind, this is only in direct, instantaneous comparison. I'll do some more comparison later and re-confirm my observations.
This brings me to what we were discussing before. My tube pre was giving me a lot of hassle with low level noise, distortions and channel imbalance. I was rotating tubes, all of them but couldn't figure anything out. Finally last night I the distortion was so awful, I mean if I turned the volume down to zero, sound was still coming out of the speakers...so I switched out the big voltage regulator tube with something else I had sitting for a long time, and everything went back to perfect. It was a bad tube all along.
Few initial observations. With no music playing and volume turned up very high, the tube pre white noise level is very high, at normal listening levels, this isn't noticeable. However, at normal listening levels, with no music playing, if you can pretty close to the speakers, you hear a constant white noise. With the SS pre, volume at the highest setting, no music playing, you do get a constant drone, but its not very loud. At normal listening levels there is no detectable white noise, and with your ears right against the tweeter, you hear a very low level of hiss which is undetectable a few inches away from the speaker. Essentially this is a noise-less pre.
WIth music playing, and here is what I found surprising and my results will surprise you. The SS pre had better transparency, like I alluded to earlier, instruments were clearer, separated, voices seemed to just float in the middle space...essentially crating a bigger soundstage and holographic image. The bass itself was more controlled. This made the actual music a lot more well rounded, and musical and enjoyable to listen to.
The tube pre sounded more muddled and the bass notes were not as clearly distinguishable. When talking about this type of equipment these adjectives do not do the equipment any justice, as it was say 4% muddled in comparison to something that sounds utterly amazing, so it still sounds amazing! However the loss of detail, and this is where I found something interesting, the voices seemed to be biased a bit towards the left, I checked the balance and everything, the balance was fine based on my power amps VU meters, the soundstage just shifted a bit. There was that bit less clarity and detail and thus less musicality and it just wasn't as engaging. But keep in mind, this is only in direct, instantaneous comparison. I'll do some more comparison later and re-confirm my observations.
I'd prefer to avoid tubes if possible in my future equipment. I always just sit back and start wondering if my tubes are degrading and affecting the sound quality and whether there will be decent tubes available at a decent price in the future. Tubes are typically associated with warmth and generally their sound is a bit softer than SS on average, so I'm guessing they pair best with leaner, icier sounding equipment. If your speakers are more on the warmer side of the equation, SS is more preferable.
I'm having a problem with my speaker amp right now... Right side sounds lower and hazier than the left, so I'm going to have to find somewhere to get that repaired. not looking forward to shipping something so heavy.
yggdrasil came in. There's a lot more details in this compared to the kora. The kora has a thicker sound that sounds more blended together. Honestly, I like both presentations depending on the music I'll be listening to. No desire to sell the Kora as of right now. Supposedly the yggdrasil needs a lot of time to burn in and warm up, so we'll see how things change. The sound right now is quite a bit more detailed but thinner.
I find I prefer a darker, smoother sound with a focus on tone and with 'enough details'. I'm hoping this DAC relaxes a bit. All of the extra details are nice, but it can sound overly detailed and put you in analytical mode. I prefer this for live music over stuff like prerecorded RnB. Supposedly this thing takes a ton of time to break in, so I'll give it more of a chance, but this seemed to have a treble focus, which I wasn't really looking for. Might have to look into a luxman da-06 next
IIRC you have a Plinius class A right? That's a nightmare scenario for me...get a huge ass amp shipped to get it fixed. It sounds like some of the capacitors might have quit playing nice. See if you have any local audio techs around you, and may be get a friend to help you just drive it there.
As for the DAC, the solid state devices apparently take a long ass time to burn-in. I'd say, let it run some random music for a few days and then do some critical listening.
But I would think the sound will normalize once everything is burned in...plus are you listening using headphones now?
But anyway, if you wanna switch it, you may also wanna try Eastern Electric:
http://www.eeaudio.com/
I can vouch for his equipment, I use the phono preamp, and it's amazing. The top of the line DAC is a tube/SS design, you can switch output stage depending on what you like. And the Junior is SS only, because most users ended up liking the SS sound more and they were all defeating the tube stage of the DAC Supreme, so the guy just decided to design a pure SS DAC, for a cheaper price.
Check out the reviews, his stuff is very impressive sounding.
Here is the US dealer website:
http://www.morningstaraudio.com/
Relaxed, pleasant and detailed sound. No harshness and no fatigue.
But the price fml...
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