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Custom set up - Non Logitech, Klipsch etc

J

jediado

Weaksauce
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
76
So in the last 3 years I've gone through 2 sets of PC speakers.. The klipsch pro media 5.1s died on me in January. I then went with the Logitech Z-5500's and then those started fucking up on me just couple of weeks ago. I had thought the Logitech's were pretty good until I was reading the reviews you guys were throwing out at them and comparing them to your custom set ups and I was freaking amazed. I want a nice good quality set up. Sick of these manufacturers pumping out speakers with defects.

I'm looking for a custom system. Been reading in this section and it seems custom is the best way to go for both quality and reliability. I wanna start small, 2 speakers and a sub and upgrade in the future to a 5 speaker system. Willing to drop a total of $1500. I want the system to be good and to last for a while. I'd be willing to drop the money now for a nice sub in the beginning and then not have to upgrade it in the future. Just have to add the additional speakers.

So what do ya'll suggest? I'm gonna be gaming, listening to music, and watching blue ray movies.

Thanks in advance :)
 
Is this $1500 budget for a 2.1 system, or a 5.1 system? $1500 for a 2.1 system can get you some wicked awesome parts, but we need to be sure on this.
 
He said 2.1.

Ok, so is this desktop or is the room big enough for floor standers aka tower speakers? Is used gear ok?
 
Right now, this will be desktop. I plan on moving out in the future so that can change, but for now, it's gonna have to be a desktop set up.
 
Ok then, so expansion capable to 5.1.

Pioneer 1018 receiver, best, most future proof receiver with good power and sound I can think of for the $$. Aka bang for the $$.

I would love to tell you to get some Rocket 250 MkIIs but they are out of stock, big surprise. So av123 is out unless you find something used on their forums or audiogon.

What you want is a pair of good bookshelves with 5 1/4 or 6 1/2 woofers. For the $$ there is a few I love like Epos ELS3, Usher S-520, Totem Mites, etc. I am sure someone has other opnions but those are the first which come to mind. All are quality built and sound top shelf.

Sub? hmmm. well, from what is available today, I would say that you want a 12". Is it overkill for now? No. There is a need for as much bass as possible b/c in the future, you will have a bigger room. Besides, you can always turn it down lol.

Something like this from HSU. There is also SVS, dayton of course, bic makes good stuff too.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-394
 
Is this for desktop or for home theater? For HT in a large room you probably want to invest in a better sub if you are starting with 2.1, and if its more for music with movies in a smaller room you might want to look at a high end reference monitor like an Ascend Sierra-1 or an SVS MBS-01, both of which have very good bass response down to 40hz. The MBS-01 features a pair of tweeters that cost over $400, and the Sierra has an absurdly expensive bamboo cabinet for extremely low cabinet resonance along with a pair of SEAs tweeters that add up to $200. The MBS-01 reduces resonance simply with a massively large MDF cabinet, which is a heftier (but just as effective) alternative to resonance dampening.

Both use long-throw drivers for the woofers which means great spectral decay response and excellent power handling and feature extremely high end tweeters which allow for a very low crossover frequency, which is the main reason the woofers go so deep in the bass frequencies.
 
I have this system from SVS but it better be a big desk and the Sub is HUGE I have two of them.

http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm

I have this paired with a Pioneer 1015 which is the older version of the 1018 that Spaceman recommended.

THE sound is great for gaming and movies however the music sound is just average not a ral WOW affect.

you can buy the speakers separately here: (I would recommend a smaller sub for a desk setup)

http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-sbs01.cfm
 
He is starting with a 2.1 desktop and moving up to 5.1 when he moves to a new place. That being said, I think he starts with the rear channel speakers or speakers that he can later get another matching pair and center channel and a sub. I am pretty sure that the 1018 is the best idea for power and connectivity for the budget though.
 
ashmedai said:
He's going for the trifecta. :D

I would think there are more efficient ways to achieve that...creative use of several materials with different densities, for one.
Click to expand...

The cabinet is 3/4" bamboo which according to the accelerometer measurements provided by Ascend has the same or slightly better resonance control than 1.5" of MDF. Now the Usher speakers I have have 1.63" thick cabinets and the thing weighs 40+lbs each, whereas the Ascends are only 20lbs each so there's a huge savings in both size and weight.

You are generally in the $1.5K+ territory before you move outside of MDF cabinets so even if on the manufacturer side there were a more efficient method of resonance control, less of the price gets passed onto the customer from internet direct compared to a comparable retail outlet. I believe the SVS MBS-01s use 1" MDF so even with the massive construction it still has lower dampening capabilities than the Sierras.

Anyway, resonance control is one issue, obviously you need quality drivers, but after that your limiting factor to the clarity of output is unwanted resonances--cabinet level, and midwoofer level. The cabinet side is set by the solid construction, and the woofers will exhibit very little decay given the high quality tweeters push the crossover frequency way down, leaving less frequencies for the woofer to play. Having a beefy long-throw driver helps too.

MLS (the owner of AV123) has a pair of the Sierra-1s and has admitted its a superior product to what he offers in the same price range (the Onix Reference 1). You don't get that kind of honesty anywhere else, that guy is pure class.

Anyway, a better bookshelf is my recommendation for a desktop, if its a living room gaming computer or something (depending on the size), you might consider something closer to a $500-700 sub and alot less to the bookshelves. I've got an SVS SB-12 Plus running in the living room, corner loaded, it does wonders for a small subwoofer and is very WAF friendly too.

Oh yeah, the Usher S-520 that spaceman suggested is amazing, but the bass extention will definitely require a subwoofer. (It's also a retail product).
 
MLS is an audio SAINT. For real. Too bad he is 75. I wish he was 30.

Yeah the sub should not be skimped on. Bass is the foundation. Besides, you can get the S-520s for around $300 used on audiogon. That brings you in around budget.

Oh yeah, the 520s can be upgraded too. Just fyi. Not cheap though.
 
spaceman said:
Ok then, so expansion capable to 5.1.

Pioneer 1018 receiver, best, most future proof receiver with good power and sound I can think of for the $$. Aka bang for the $$.

I would love to tell you to get some Rocket 250 MkIIs but they are out of stock, big surprise. So av123 is out unless you find something used on their forums or audiogon.

What you want is a pair of good bookshelves with 5 1/4 or 6 1/2 woofers. For the $$ there is a few I love like Epos ELS3, Usher S-520, Totem Mites, etc. I am sure someone has other opnions but those are the first which come to mind. All are quality built and sound top shelf.

Sub? hmmm. well, from what is available today, I would say that you want a 12". Is it overkill for now? No. There is a need for as much bass as possible b/c in the future, you will have a bigger room. Besides, you can always turn it down lol.

Something like this from HSU. There is also SVS, dayton of course, bic makes good stuff too.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-394
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback but right now I really don't have the space for anything on stands.
 
OP, are you capable of doing the cabinetry work to build your own? If so, then that opens up a whole bunch of new possibilities, and you'll get 10x the speaker for 1/2 the money.
 
Kil4Thril said:
OP, are you capable of doing the cabinetry work to build your own? If so, then that opens up a whole bunch of new possibilities, and you'll get 10x the speaker for 1/2 the money.
Click to expand...

Not really, just looking for something that I can fit on my desk right now and expand on in the future.
 
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