Audiophile Nublet Here - Need Advice

A

aNoMaLy2k8

Gawd
Joined
Feb 28, 2005
Messages
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So please don't chastise me... I've tried using the search function but all the results returned stuff for people who have an idea of what they're talking about (amps, receivers, etc.)

What I have now:

a set of Logitech Z-5500s - I'm not all that impressed with the sound and running speaker wires is a pain in the patooter.

What I want:

Recommendations on a 2.1 setup with monitors or better audio quality than the Z-5500s. I can deal with losing surround as long as I get some decent sound out of the new setup.

What I've looked at (and been confused by):

M-audio AV 40
M-audio BX5A
Swan M10
Swan M50
Audioengine A5
Andioengine A2

Haven't yet stumbled into the headache of ordering parts separately and putting them all together.

What I need them to do:

I'm just listening to music at my desk for the most part, a couple of games ( I could care less about boomy explosions especially since I'm in an apartment ).

Thanks!!
 
I went from a 5.1 Logitech to a nice 2.1 and never looked back. It's actually really simple to piece together a 2.1 system.

What is your budget?
 
Take the m10 out of the list.
Got a pair for christmas one year, in less than a month they stopped working. The internal amp crapped out on the left channel.
I would not recommend them based on premature failure.
 
Thanks for that, while I wouldn't say I listen to bass heavy tracks, there certainly is a difference that the base makes in regards to jazz music, pop, etc so I don't want to be lacking there if I don't have to be if it's just a 2.0 set-up that is adequate and can add a sub later.

Any suggestions of pieced together parts? How do the receiver/bookshelf part combo work?
 
There's a lot of people who have had their M10 for years with no problems. Id say it's fair chance to take as any speakers/monitors can go bad.

It seems like you can do better with your budget though so look at the M50W if you dont want to piece a system together.

If you want to piece a 2.1 system together here are some I recommend AV40 + Dayton sub which will cost $250-$300.

You can also go for a 2.0 setup like the A5. They have good bass for a 2.0 system. The sound is very neutral so i dont know if that if you want. It should sound find for jazz and pop though.

Dayton subs in 8", 10", 12". The 8" for $100 shipped should be plenty for your music tastes. Keep in mind you can always get a larger sub and turn it down. You can always get a 2.0 setup and add a sub later if you decide there is not enough bass.
 
I have the AV40s myself, and while they don't provide much bass, they sound VERY good with a good source.
 
Trust me I went through many pairs of systems: AV40, Audioengine A5, KRK Rokit 5, KRK Rokit 6, ...
This is what I ended up with:
Amp
Bookshelf
You will NOT find better sound for the money, and no sub needed. You can go for the RTi4 to keep within your budget.
 
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Get a used integrated amplifier or receiver, and get on audiogon and try out different speakers.
 
Swan M50 if you want it easy.

That Sherwood receiver for $80 isn't bad. $260 for polks? Naw. I would score something used at the polk audio forums if you want polk. Otherwise, partsexpress and/or audiogon is your friend.
 
Don't worry nobody here is an audiophile myself included. I doubt alot of people here are rocking Rotel gear and 10k+ speakers.

Out of that list I like the AV40 and Audioengine 5. I'm more partial to AV40s because of their neutral crisp sound. If your music source is very poor it will be quite noticeable.
For a better upgradeable path go with receiver + bookshelf + subwoofer see below.





You never said what your price range is but since you listed Audioengine 5 gonna assume around $330.

Much better audio quality If you want to go this route here's a good cheap route:
Receiver + Bookshelf + (later on subwoofer)
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...=35438598090797290587&wmlspartner=lw9MynSeamY

Yamaha with $65 off promo Newegg code http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16882115238

+ Bookshelf speakers (you're gonna have to research this yourself depending on your price range)
best place to look ----> Here
 
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Being an audiophile doesn't mean you have to own extremely expensive equipment. (I'm content with my Paradigm's for now)

There is no point in spending the majority of the budget on amplification. Most of it should be spent on speakers.
 
spaceman said:
Swan M50 if you want it easy.

That Sherwood receiver for $80 isn't bad. $260 for polks? Naw. I would score something used at the polk audio forums if you want polk. Otherwise, partsexpress and/or audiogon is your friend.
Click to expand...

Yeah I totally agree about the Polk price (these are newer with updated cabinets), I didn't actually pay full price for these I was just showing product, and go on sale often probably, just set up a Slickdeals alert. I did much comparison in the speakers department and I can say the glowing reviews for Audioengine A5 must be from people going from laptop speakers to those. I compared them with the Sherwood amp+Polks and the difference in sound quality was very significant. Also the amp+TSI100 (borrowed them from my rear surround from the living room) sounded much better than A5s not to mention my fronts B&W CM1s was night and day The Rokit 5s were also better than the A5s and the Rokit 6 were just too bulky for me (Nicer bottom end but returned these back to Guitar Center). I picked the Sherwood amp simply because it was the thinnest at just above 4" (everything else was in the 6" range) high fits nicely under my 24"Dell monitor. Also one could go with TSi100 Polks since they are not too high at 10.5" they are still reasonable for desktop usage, but I really wanted front ports so I can put them closer to the wall.
As a side note: I tested the Nuforce uDAC2 via USB but I didn't notice any difference from my internal X-Fi titanium card using strictly FLAC files (from trance/techno to Diana Krall) so I really think this card has a pretty good DAC despite what you read at Head-Fi forums.
 
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The uDAC is more for people that want an okay headphone amp and USB soundcard all in one. Great for laptops and work PCs.
 
Ruoh said:
I have the AV40s myself, and while they don't provide much bass, they sound VERY good with a good source.
Click to expand...

I will second this. Even 192Kbps mp3 will not be enough....

One thing to keep in mind if you go the AV40 route is you will not be able to add a subwoofer (It won't sound right). You'll need one of the higher end monitors from M-Audio to do that. There is no crossover frequency control on the AV40s.
 
Tankerton said:
I will second this. Even 192Kbps mp3 will not be enough....

One thing to keep in mind if you go the AV40 route is you will not be able to add a subwoofer (It won't sound right). You'll need one of the higher end monitors from M-Audio to do that. There is no crossover frequency control on the AV40s.
Click to expand...

You dont need freq control on the front speakers. You set the sub crossover where the speakers dip off.
 
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aNoMaLy2k8 said:
Thanks for the suggestions guys! The Sherwood receiver looks pretty good - I'm assuming its processing will be better than the faux x-fi in my rampage formula and I should just connect through the SP/DIF connection?

Also, what are the opinions on these speakers?

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SS-B3000...iewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

They get some good reviews for the bang-for buckness
Click to expand...

I wouldn't get those too bulky, who knows at some point you may want to put them on the desk beside your monitor and 20" tall they are an eyesore.
 
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aNoMaLy2k8 said:
Thanks for the suggestions guys! The Sherwood receiver looks pretty good - I'm assuming its processing will be better than the faux x-fi in my rampage formula and I should just connect through the SP/DIF connection?

Also, what are the opinions on these speakers?

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SS-B3000...iewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

They get some good reviews for the bang-for buckness
Click to expand...

I don't think the Sherwood has digital input. I assumed you had a good sound card.
 
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Unless he is limited in space in height I dont see it being a problem. Tall speakers can be placed a table more easily than a wide speaker. It does have an 8" driver though.

Make sure you do some measuring on your table before buying it though
 
ThumperSD said:
Unless he is limited in space in height I dont see it being a problem. Tall speakers can be placed a table more easily than a wide speaker. It does have an 8" driver though.

Make sure you do some measuring on your table before buying it though
Click to expand...

LOL the picture at Amazon has two sets stacked.
 
I just got a 12 channel Sonamp 1250 MkII. So, in theory, with my huge receiver as a pre-amp, I could do 12.2. No idea how that would work but the option is there lol. Btw only paid $200 for the amp and it looks brand new! Very fun.
 
ghitz said:
I don't think the Sherwood has digital input. I assumed you had a good sound card.
Click to expand...

Will there be a significant difference in sound quality between the onboard sound (Realtek with X-fi codecs, I think) and getting an actual sound card?
 
aNoMaLy2k8 said:
Will there be a significant difference in sound quality between the onboard sound (Realtek with X-fi codecs, I think) and getting an actual sound card?
Click to expand...

What Motherboard you have?
You can get a cheap X-FI titanium the sound/$ is incredible, I have it and I love it:
X-Fi Titanium
Or you could go with a receiver with optical input will run you the same. If you can handle taller receiver you can go for this then you don't need a new soundcard:
Onkyo 308
Tough decisions, I know.
 
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FMX said:
This said... for stereo, is analog v digital such a big difference?
Click to expand...

Yeah there is, if one is using the analog output of an on-board sound as opposed to using the digital out and have the receiver (which should have a better DAC than onboard sound) do the D to A conversion.
 
Only issue I have with sound cards is the potential for noise. My X-Fi analog is CRAZZY loud. Digital out is dead silent. I think the safest bet is an x-fi digital out into an external dac or receiver. You might be ok with just the analog out of the soundcard. Maybe.
 
spaceman said:
Only issue I have with sound cards is the potential for noise. My X-Fi analog is CRAZZY loud. Digital out is dead silent. I think the safest bet is an x-fi digital out into an external dac or receiver. You might be ok with just the analog out of the soundcard. Maybe.
Click to expand...

Crazy loud you mean noisy as in hissing or anything?
 
I'm not able to use the analogue outs on my Xonar Essence card (even though its one of the best you can get for a PC) with my active monitors because of ground loop. Hissing, fizzing, crackles, digital noise from moving the mouse around on the screen even.

Digital out into an external DAC however, is totally immune to any of the above problems. Even on max volume I struggle to tell if they're switched on or not with my ear up close.
 
Solstice said:
I'm not able to use the analogue outs on my Xonar Essence card (even though its one of the best you can get for a PC) with my active monitors because of ground loop. Hissing, fizzing, crackles, digital noise from moving the mouse around on the screen even.

Digital out into an external DAC however, is totally immune to any of the above problems. Even on max volume I struggle to tell if they're switched on or not with my ear up close.
Click to expand...

Are you serious? I would imagine even the analog outputs from the Xonar card would be very very clean for a card at that price point. hmm ...what monitors are you feeding?
 
The card is perfectly clean and superb when using headphones, the problems I described don't manifest themselves there at all, even at max volume.
Its peculiar that the monitors (in my sig) only behave badly when using the RCAs on the Xonar and not with other unbalanced equipment like cd-players or iPods etc. I was so intrigued by this I even went to the bother of floating the earth wire on one speaker to test ground loop. Lo and behold problems disappear in that speaker.
Nothing for me to lose sleep over anyhow, taking digital out from the card into my DAC also fixes that problem.

(* For anyone stumbling across this post in the future, never disconnect the earth wire from an appliance that is designed to use one, for any extended duration of time. Serious potential for electrocution if a fault occurs.)
 
Solstice said:
The card is perfectly clean and superb when using headphones, the problems I described don't manifest themselves there at all, even at max volume.
Its peculiar that the monitors (in my sig) only behave badly when using the RCAs on the Xonar and not with other unbalanced equipment like cd-players or iPods etc. I was so intrigued by this I even went to the bother of floating the earth wire on one speaker to test ground loop. Lo and behold problems disappear in that speaker.
Nothing for me to lose sleep over anyhow, taking digital out from the card into my DAC also fixes that problem.

(* For anyone stumbling across this post in the future, never disconnect the earth wire from an appliance that is designed to use one, for any extended duration of time. Serious potential for electrocution if a fault occurs.)
Click to expand...

I see, yeah I had a pair of KRKs 6 with RCA from my x-Fi titanium but I haven't seen this issue, probably also a little bit has to do with the input stage of the Quad amps.
 
Definitely get a sound card or DAC. I typically recommend a sound card to anybody with speakers over $120.

Xonar is almost always recommended over X-Fi for music. If you care more about gaming then go with the X-Fi. If all you care about is music then an external DAC would be the best choice.
 
I think I'll go with that Onkyo then as I use the speakers mainly for TV/music and headphones for gaming.

Any ideas where I can look to get deals on that receiver?
 
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