Are the Emotiva Airmotiv 3b "too much" for Realtek ALC1150 audio?

I still think I'd rather have around 30 watts per channel.

I have another question though. Those people who were talking about the JBL LSR305 and Neumann speakers etc., do you use these as computer speakers for movies, games and music or just music?
 
I don't see why you would want less power, particularly if you game. I also use my 305' for gaming and movies. Best money I've ever spent.
 
coolpurplefan said:
You don't find a pair of 80 watt speakers each makes females sound more masculine?
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Huh, I'm lost? Why would a female sound more masculine? I only notice that voices sound more detailed and clear. Only an extremely hyped, terrible speaker, ( irregardless of power consumption) would make a woman sound masculine. These speakers are designed to reproduce things "accurately" (whatever that means). The high wattage just ensures the drivers have enough power to be driven loudly without distortion.
 
heflys20 said:
Huh, I'm lost? Why would a female sound more masculine? I only notice that voices sound more detailed and clear. Only an extremely hyped, terrible speaker, ( irregardless of power consumption) would make a woman sound masculine. These speakers are designed to reproduce things "accurately" (whatever that means). The high wattage just ensures the drivers have enough power to be driven loudly without distortion.
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Not exactly correct. A speaker can be driven at any wattage at low distortion (if you can call dynamic speaker ever low distortion that is). Some speakers produce 90+ db at mere 1 watt power, this is already enough for many people.

The watt rating has absolutely nothing to do with the sound quality of the speaker. As in zero. It doesn't even reliably measure the amount of sound you get.

A 4" speaker typically needs twice the power to play as loud as a 6" speaker. So 30 watts with a 6" driver produces quite much more sound than 30 watts with a 4" driver if speaker parameters are equal otherwise.

A speaker can have 10 000 watts of amplifier power behind it safely even if the speaker can handle only 10 watts, given that the speaker is not driven at more than 10 watts using that amplifier.

Then again a 100 watt (power handling, speakers do not have 'watts' unless they're active/powered ones) speaker can burn if you try to play it too loud using a 10 watt amplifier. Main rule of the thumb is that the more power, the better off you are. Even that is not always true but in principle thats how it goes in simple terms.
 
heflys20 said:
Huh, I'm lost? Why would a female sound more masculine? I only notice that voices sound more detailed and clear. Only an extremely hyped, terrible speaker, ( irregardless of power consumption) would make a woman sound masculine. These speakers are designed to reproduce things "accurately" (whatever that means). The high wattage just ensures the drivers have enough power to be driven loudly without distortion.
Click to expand...

It may be due to inferior speakers. Because I got that impression when trying out different Sony mini stereo systems. The cheapest one I actually liked (2nd behind Onkyo). But the more powerful ones, had progressively more and more bass and more masculine female voices. The Onkyo I liked though was also low watt.
 
coolpurplefan said:
It may be due to inferior speakers. Because I got that impression when trying out different Sony mini stereo systems. The cheapest one I actually liked (2nd behind Onkyo). But the more powerful ones, had progressively more and more bass and more masculine female voices. The Onkyo I liked though was also low watt.
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Boy you have a lot to learn :D

First of all, you can _not_ learn anything by comparing any mini-stereo systems. They're all crap. CRAP.

Second the rated wattage they claim may be anything from 20 to 1000 watts. Ministereosystems usually output 1,5 - 5 watts power in reality. So just from that you can understand that the 80W badge on it means nothing. It even doesn't tell how much power the amp has.

Forget everything you've 'learned' from ministereos and go to listen to a proper active studio monitor. Emphasis on go to LISTEN. Listen before buying.
 
OK, lol, I'm not an audio engineer. I don't think there are any Guitar Centers in Canada so I don't know if I can listen to studio monitors before buying.

What about this idea I've read that studio monitors are too "neutral" too be enjoyable and have no real "warmth"?
 
coolpurplefan said:
OK, lol, I'm not an audio engineer. I don't think there are any Guitar Centers in Canada so I don't know if I can listen to studio monitors before buying.

What about this idea I've read that studio monitors are too "neutral" too be enjoyable and have no real "warmth"?
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Heh, all I can say is go to listen with your own ears. If you find proper studio monitors in a proper setup (you can listen to them like you would on your desktop) prepare to be blown away. They will sound infinitely better than any mini stereos.

Remember that studio monitors are what the professionals use when they make the recording. If it would sound horrible they wouldn't be able to do their job.

Mostly the problems rise from improper use. People use tone settings or eq:s on studio monitors that are flat, that automatically makes them sound overbright and/or boomy. Or people use nearfield monitors in non-nearfield setup. Again recipe for trouble.
 
Wattage is a useless number without putting speaker sensitivity into the picture. Bi-amp active monitors like the LSR305 will easily play louder than the average passive speaker rated at 82W as they don't have to deal with passive crossover power losses, the drivers will never see frequency ranges that they are not supposed to reproduce, plus the amp and the driver are designed to complement each other to the max.
 
I hope this helps your decision.

I have run my current rig through various DACs, some hideously expensive, but currently merely through an onboard DAC. A later AC97 revision from memory with the 8? channel support. The hifi I run, cost somewhere north of 11K USD all up many moons ago, very familiar with it's sound, as it's used every day for work and entertainment. The speaker design was originally developed by B&W, to master psytrance records in the Blue Room, UK, without completely breaking the bank.

With onboard, sound definitely looses some atmosphere and a bit of the higher end resolution, voices are a little less natural, however, is much better than older onboard DAC efforts (10+ years ago..). I wouldn't say it's crippling if you want to use it long term, but you will notice hum and interference at higher volume settings.
It's something that you can probably get away with depending how retentive you are and what setup you have. That said, a nice DAC with good source quality, is a damn breath of fresh air.

Got my eyes set on a Burson this year for this reason.

Short version: you will get better sound with a good amp/speaker setup on onboard sound, than with plastic computer speakers, on an expensive DAC..
 
N4CR said:
I hope this helps your decision.

Short version: you will get better sound with a good amp/speaker setup on onboard sound, than with plastic computer speakers, on an expensive DAC..
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Yup. I run a creative zx and the most expensive part of my system is the monitors. Good speakers first. Then build around them.
 
B00nie said:
Of course there are, a huge variety. But personally if I needed a near field solution, active speaker would be my choice. Not the least because of the technical advantages it brings.
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Thanks.

And for a almost far field listening?

I'm very confused about speakers. I need speakers for play at Xbox One, for NFL on TV and movies.

My budget is small.

I guess I don't mind about 5.1 channels. So I was think of studio monitors for that (all but recording and production monitoring), that is, monitors for movies, gaming etc.
Bat I'm afraid of directivity. I already think of "home theater in box" but, for the same cost, I can get, for exemple, a pair of Behringer B1030A.

tl;dr: Anyway, is bullshit those passive speakers for low cost and room without treatment? I saw Genelec has line of HT monitors, that is, they are bi amped and active! That make me to think active crossover and some directivity is the way to get for common room and low budget (not Genelec, I know, that was just an exemple the route what was taken).
 
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lb_felipe said:
Thanks.

And for a almost far field listening?

I'm very confused about speakers. I need speakers for play at Xbox One, for NFL on TV and movies.
Click to expand...

Good speakers will serve you well in any use scenario. Don't worry about that.

My budget is small.
Click to expand...

Now THIS is something to worry about ;) Define small. In the worst case you have still two options: preowned stuff or DIY. There are some great DIY instructions around.

I guess I don't mind about 5.1 channels. So I was think of studio monitors for that (all but recording and production monitoring), that is, monitors for movies, gaming etc.
Bat I'm afraid of directivity. I already think of "home theater in box" but, for the same cost, I can get, for exemple, a pair of Behringer B1030A.
Click to expand...

Don't be afraid of directivity. As long as it's controlled directivity is a really cool thing. It reduces the negative effects the room gives to the sound. In fact in a typical room highly directive speakers sound superb compared to non directive ones.

I'm not familiar with the 1030 but a pair of B2030A is not a bad choice. It's not high end but you get a LOT of sound with relatively good quality considering the price.

tl;dr: Anyway, is bullshit those passive speakers for low cost and room without treatment? I saw Genelec has line of HT monitors, that is, they are bi amped and active! That make me to think active crossover and some directivity is the way to get for common room and low budget (not Genelec, I know, that was just an exemple the route what was taken).
Click to expand...

Near field monitors are commonly biamped and active, near field requires good off-axis balance and 24db/oct linkwitz-riley crossovers deliver that. Those are unpractical in passive speakers. Add to that overdrive protection, motional feedback correction capability, higher efficiency and lower distortion of direct drive combined to the adjustment possibilities (and DSP in case of Genelec) you have a no brainer. Active all the way.

You can have really good results also with passive speakers. It's just less likely, you'll need to pay a lot more attention into matching your room and your speaker placement to the boxes you choose.

Don't be put off though. Get something your budget allows, the main thing is that you absolutely need to test the spaakers at your listening room before buying them. Try a few options, then choose. The speaker-room interaction is so complex that no guide can tell you absolutely the best choice for you.

Go ahead and test a few options. It's a part of the fun of hi-fi.
 
b00nie, I thank you so much.

Small, in my case, is the same cost of a pair of JBL LSR305 more or less.

My doubt is, should I pull the trigger HT In Box (those passive speakers with powered subwoofer and AV amplifier receiver) or Active Studio Monitors Speakers (through TV audio return from HDMI).

That is a simple question that I know it is not as simple as it looks, according to what you brilliantly said before.
 
If you're deciding between a HTIB and active monitors you're basically deciding between splitting the budget between 5.1 "meh" speakers for the sake of surround and 2.0 better speakers... Seems to me that's the crux of it.

Figure out what you really want there and then your can actually compare apples and oranges (active monitors vs 2 passive speakerd and a cheaper stereo amp), rather than apples and watermelons. :p
 
:)

I want active for everything what b00nie said plus its simplicity.

I want to put the Xbox of my brother in law to sound amazing. So i don't mind wether it is watermelon or apples or 2ch or 5ch whatever. i am very noob or dumb. :D

Impulse, b00nie e whomever else, do you feel out weird to use an pair of nearfield active bi amped professional studio monitors as home theater's speakers?
 
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I'd spend as much money as you can on a 2.0 system as there's where most of the sound is coming from anyway. You can always add to the system in the future and you would already have a great foundation to a system.

I'd agree with the others and go audition some of the speakers out there.

Also, remember that in audio there is a threshold of how much you pay and the relative return in quality. I'm not sure what that range is for commercial speakers as I'm in DIY.
 
Thank you.

Here in Brazil is very difficult to hear speakers before buying.

Moreover, even then it is difficult to find decent things here. This is another reason that makes me think of monitors.

What I really want is to decide between conventional things for home theater and monitors, regardless if it is 2.0, 2.1, 5.1, whatever. Even sound bar I consider. That is, which road to take to put sound for Xbox One and very small room?

If I had to choose between two, I prefer a good stereo sound to a bad surround sound.

So what would you do with a very small room, Xbox One and roughly $ 250?
 
lb_felipe said:
Thank you.

Here in Brazil is very difficult to hear speakers before buying.

Moreover, even then it is difficult to find decent things here. This is another reason that makes me think of monitors.

What I really want is to decide between conventional things for home theater and monitors, regardless if it is 2.0, 2.1, 5.1, whatever. Even sound bar I consider. That is, which road to take to put sound for Xbox One and very small room?

If I had to choose between two, I prefer a good stereo sound to a bad surround sound.

So what would you do with a very small room, Xbox One and roughly $ 250?
Click to expand...

That's really hard due to the price. I would go for JBL 305's or smaller Behringer active monitors (B3030 series for example). Ideal for you would be a speaker with DSP capability but the price is just not there.

With JBL/Behringer you can adjust response curves a bit to compensate corner position or generally a small room. If it's a small room with stone walls, I would consider getting adjustable small speakers and spending some money to buy heavy curtains, wall rugs or acoustic panels to the walls and perhaps even the ceiling.

The minimalist approach is to place a mirror on the wall, the spot where you can see your speaker when sitting in your listening position is the spot where you want to place a 1,5m x 0,5m or larger acoustic panel vertically. Both walls. And a thick carpet on the floor if possible.
 
Thank you.

Unfortunately, the minimalist approach is almost impossible because it is a living without the four walls.

Its floor already has a carpet, but do not know if it is considered thick. There is a window whose curtain is very thin. In other words, the room is total crap.

Do you think I can still do better with no DSP monitors than with HTIB like this (please don't put me down. :D) for the price? http://goo.gl/VJxqqC
 
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lb_felipe said:
Thank you.

Unfortunately, the minimalist approach is almost impossible because it is a living without the four walls.

Its floor already has a carpet, but do not know if it is considered thick. There is a window whose curtain is very thin. In other words, the room is total crap.

Do you think I can still do better with no DSP monitors than with HTIB like this (please do not throw rats on me :D) for the price? http://goo.gl/VJxqqC
Click to expand...

I would not consider that set over professional monitors for a blink of an eye. There's just no comparison.
 
Thank you, once again for the replies.

I'm comparing oranges to plastic fruit, I know that.

But a friend of mine said he would not use 2.0 in multichannel, even the quality wise, so it seems he would prefer garbage like that which I referred there, but being 5.1 channels, to monitors in stereo.

Here in Brazil there are few things to hearing or the price of those things is unrealistic. So we can hear nearly nothing, which leave us only dependent of international comments in the web.

Please, comment on that thing about multi-channel for home theater vs stereo monitors. I really want learn and understand that thing rather than just to get a recommendation of buying. i know how annoying it is getting asks for the ready answers from lazy people. I hope me not being this kind of.

For the price, I am not able to buy active ones, so what do you say about a pair of passive powered monitors like semi-crap M-Audio AV42 vs that crap by Samsung?
 
lb_felipe said:
Thank you, once again for the replies.

I'm comparing oranges to plastic fruit, I know that.

But a friend of mine said he would not use 2.0 in multichannel, even the quality wise, so it seems he would prefer garbage like that which I referred there, but being 5.1 channels, to monitors in stereo.

Here in Brazil there are few things to hearing or the price of those things is unrealistic. So we can hear nearly nothing, which leave us only dependent of international comments in the web.

Please, comment on that thing about multi-channel for home theater vs stereo monitors. I really want learn and understand that thing rather than just to get a recommendation of buying. i know how annoying it is getting asks for the ready answers from lazy people. I hope me not being this kind of.

For the price, I am not able to buy active ones, so what do you say about a pair of passive powered monitors like semi-crap M-Audio AV42 vs that crap by Samsung?
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You can't afford the LSR305's?

The Samsung 5.1 setup will most likely sound boomy and nasty. But it'll have surround. Those M-audio boxes may sound only boomy and nasty with no surround. Then again they might be decent. With speakers that small and that price it's really hard to say if it's absolutely horrible or just horrible. Take your pick ;)

Usually the best plan is to buy a stereo setup for starters. Then buy a single rear channel for surround when you get money. Same kind like the other pair. Then more and more until you have a 7.1 or whatever setup you're looking for. Of course the 5.1 cheap boxes is fast and simple. But it won't make you smile when you listen to it.
 
HammerSandwich said:
IMO, 2 good channels beat 5 lousy ones. It's like the George Carlin line:
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Lol.

B00nie said:
You can't afford the LSR305's?

The Samsung 5.1 setup will most likely sound boomy and nasty. But it'll have surround. Those M-audio boxes may sound only boomy and nasty with no surround. Then again they might be decent. With speakers that small and that price it's really hard to say if it's absolutely horrible or just horrible. Take your pick ;)

Usually the best plan is to buy a stereo setup for starters. Then buy a single rear channel for surround when you get money. Same kind like the other pair. Then more and more until you have a 7.1 or whatever setup you're looking for. Of course the 5.1 cheap boxes is fast and simple. But it won't make you smile when you listen to it.
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I don't know. Here in Brazil a pair of these costs 600 bucks.

I'm really determined to start with stereo. The problem is the country where I live.

What do you have to say about a pair of Pioneer SP-BS22-LR plus a T-amp for 230 bucks, leaving me without active crossover, unfortunately?
 
lb_felipe said:
Lol.



I don't know. Here in Brazil a pair of these costs 600 bucks.

I'm really determined to start with stereo. The problem is the country where I live.

What do you have to say about a pair of Pioneer SP-BS22-LR plus a T-amp for 230 bucks, leaving me without active crossover, unfortunately?
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The Pioneers have received good reviews. Unfortunately I have yet heard them myself. The T-amp is also a question mark.

What stops you from ordering the JBL's from Amazon or Thomann.de where they cost 160 bucks a piece?
 
Thank you.

The use is for home theater as I said before.

I also was considering receiver (stereo or 5.1, whatever) plus the Pioneers, because I think those are yet cheaper than JBLs here, besides I get the Preamp, Amp, DAC, DSP, Processor, etc with remote control, connections, etc. (in case of multichannel receiver, I will be able to put more speakers in future).

Still wold you go with JBLs instead of?

If so, I am follow your recommendation or I will try it.
 
Do you plan on using 5 of the JBL LSR's for HT use? If you do you'll need a receiver or pre/pro with enough pre-outs for all the channels and those aren't cheap. The cheapest solution for 5 or 7 studio monitors for HT use would be an Outlaw Model 975 pre/pro at $550 unless you already have one or find a deal used.
 
|Tch0rT| said:
Do you plan on using 5 of the JBL LSR's for HT use? If you do you'll need a receiver or pre/pro with enough pre-outs for all the channels and those aren't cheap. The cheapest solution for 5 or 7 studio monitors for HT use would be an Outlaw Model 975 pre/pro at $550 unless you already have one or find a deal used.
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Oppo etc. cheap blu-ray players are equipped with built in 5/7.1 outputs for example. Probably the cheapest option in conjunction with active speakers.

https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-103/blu-ray-BDP-103D-Features.aspx

Ok the $599 may not exactly be cheap to you but if you need to buy a player...

The older BDP-83 also had 7.1 outputs so you could perhaps get one preowned for peanuts:

bdp83_lg.jpg
 
No. I would use a budget receiver for passive Pioneers Andrew Jones ones.

Or...

a pair of JBL LSR305 using embedded DAC and prepro, etc from TV. 3.5mm to RCA to TS cables to monitors.

And, why not, in the future, as B00nie shown, a prepro (bd player with it whatever) and more LSR305 to fill the entire 5/7.1 (with a studio subwoofer weith crossover, of course).

By the way, B00nie, what do you have to say about surround speakers? Any preference for dipole, bipole (both excluding monitors) or monopole (conventional firing)?
 
lb_felipe said:
No. I would use a budget receiver for passive Pioneers Andrew Jones ones.

Or...

a pair of JBL LSR305 using embedded DAC and prepro, etc from TV. 3.5mm to RCA to TS cables to monitors.

And, why not, in the future, as B00nie shown, a prepro (bd player with it whatever) and more LSR305 to fill the entire 5/7.1 (with a studio subwoofer weith crossover, of course).

By the way, B00nie, what do you have to say about surround speakers? Any preference for dipole, bipole (both excluding monitors) or monopole (conventional firing)?
Click to expand...

It all depends on the room. Dipole speakers work better than others usually in rooms that have a lot of hard surfaces and/or are boomy. The bipole and monopole solutions are more generic. As always, placement and speaker quality matter more than the operating principle. A dipole effect channel can be nice in cases where you can afford only one rear channel. You can place the speaker to the back firing sideways and that produces a pretty wide surround effect with only one speaker.
 
B00nie, is there any chance for these are at least decent?

http://www.music-group.com/Categori.../Studio-Monitors/MEDIA-40USB/p/P0AUV/Features

Note that, despite only one speaker has power cord, they are bi amped with proper scheme active crossover before amps for the drives.

Edit:
I found nothing on web about those speakers. I'm really doubting those are active. Why to have only one power cord/source and being so cheap? Would behring lying on its website?
 
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lb_felipe said:
B00nie, is there any chance for these are at least decent?

http://www.music-group.com/Categori.../Studio-Monitors/MEDIA-40USB/p/P0AUV/Features

Note that, despite only one speaker has power cord, they are bi amped with proper scheme active crossover before amps for the drives.

Edit:
I found nothing on web about those speakers. I'm really doubting those are active. Why to have only one power cord/source and being so cheap? Would behring lying on its website?
Click to expand...

I haven't heard them so I can't say much anything. I got burned once buying a small Behringer monitor without listening it, I'm not going to repeat the mistake.
 
Thanks.

I have discovered out why they are cheap. They're made of plastic. I believe now they are active and bi-amped, but they should be crap.
 
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