How satisfied are you with your audio system?

How content are you with your own audio system?


  • Total voters
    46

Pinipig523

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
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How satisfied are you with your main system, your best audio system (for those who have more than one)?

Be honest...

The reason I post this poll is that I just came back from auditioning some speakers, amps, preamps, and turntables.... and you know that feeling (sometimes of inadequacy... sad but true) when you get back to your own set of speakers?

Well, for the first time, I didn't have that feeling. Surprisingly, I was still very content... my music is playing in the background right now. Sweet sweet music. :cool:

So, how content are you with yours?
 
Great poll idea that's long overdue!!

I'm very happy with both of my audio systems. They're listed below:

PC: 4/5 now; 5/5 after new amp
Pair of Onix X-LS Piano Rosewood bookshelf speakers
JBL Venue 10" 250W Subwoofer
Yamaha RX-V990 receiver -- upgrading to a Technical Pro hybrid amplifier in a few days

Home Theater: 5/5
Definitive Technology all around (each speaker has an 8" 150W powered subwoofer, so no main sub needed)
Fronts: PowerMonitor 500
Center: CLR 2300
Surrounds: PowerMonitor 500
Yamaha RX-V661 receiver
 
4/5 right now, but I hope I can say 5/5 after I get better bookshelves and a subwoofer.
 
Is this limited to people with high-end equipment or can anyone give their input?

For me, I am very pleased with my Z-5500/X-Fi Platinum setup. I try to get the best out of it by encoding my music to compression level 0 with FLAC. I also have a pair of Sennheiser HD-595's. I would love to buy a nice Denon receiver and some normal speakers, but I'm a college student with money, but not enough money to spend on high-end HT stuff. For what I have, I'd say I'm doing pretty good as it is. Things sounds great. :)
 
Is this limited to people with high-end equipment or can anyone give their input?

For me, I am very pleased with my Z-5500/X-Fi Platinum setup. I try to get the best out of it by encoding my music to compression level 0 with FLAC. I also have a pair of Sennheiser HD-595's. I would love to buy a nice Denon receiver and some normal speakers, but I'm a college student with money, but not enough money to spend on high-end HT stuff. For what I have, I'd say I'm doing pretty good as it is. Things sounds great. :)
I'm not the OP, but I'll bet he encourages anyone who enjoys their audio system to join the party!

BTW, that's one helluva powerful PC for a college kid with no money. At the risk of dating myself, my college PC was a Macintosh SE-20. HA!!
 
Home theater (sadly not with me -- in the dorms for one more semester...)

Speakers:
1 pair Boston Acoustics A400 (perfect, used more than the others for this reason, bi-amped)
1 pair Magnepan SMGa (planars, they need a bit of work, one buzzes at higher volumes)
1 pair Acoustic Research AR3a (surrounds on the woofers are going...)

Recievers:
Yamaha Naturalsound -- cannot recall the exact model at the moment. Late 60's early 70's. Has the best sound of all I own right now, but it's on the way out -- one channel is intermittent. Lack of power means it's not as well suited to driving the AR3as either -- somewhere around 55-65 watts a channel. I'll probably pick up a replacement once I have somewhere to set everything up again.
Pioneer -- also cannot recall model at the moment. Thing is a beast -- 300 watts per channel in to 6 channels. Weights a good 60+ lbs. Most of this is the gigantic heatsink fins on either side and the rear of the casing, and it needs them. Gets ridiculously hot. Sadly 2 channels are dead at the moment so it doesn't see much use.
Kenwood -- bought very early on. Mid to late 90's reciever, 120 watts per channel, doesn't see much use.

Considering this is all stuff I've picked up for next to nothing (with the exception of the Kenwood receiver for around $200 and the SMGas for $350) I'd say I'm doing fairly well for a 22 year old casual listener.

PC
Klipsch GMX-A 2.1 speakers, onboard Realtek HD Audio.
These things might seem like a joke to some but they're very revealing for PC speakers. I had an X-Fi for a while but the /horrible/ drivers both in Vista and XP left me feeling it wasn't really an improvement over onboard, which just keeps getting better with each driver revision. I'm happy enough with it. I don't really use my desktop that often anyway.
 
I'm not the OP, but I'll bet he encourages anyone who enjoys their audio system to join the party!

BTW, that's one helluva powerful PC for a college kid with no money. At the risk of dating myself, my college PC was a Macintosh SE-20. HA!!

Hah, yeah. I've been running my socket A setup for YEARS until last week when I decided to treat myself to a new PC. I just built it yesterday, and I LOVE it. A credit card helps, but don't worry, this is really the only major purchase I've made on it.

I just got done play Team Fortress 2. My GOD I didn't know graphics like that existed at such high framerates!
 
My PC(s) are 2/5. Just a pair of Shure E4's coming out of my laptop and a pair of Harmon/Kardons that came with my dell for my desktop



My home theater is a 4.999999/5. Def Techs all around, with a Denon AVR-3806 receiver. My only gripe is that there are only 2 HDMI in ports :(
 
Thanks for liking the thread guys.... I figured it was time for one, long overdue for sure. :)

As for my system, I'd like to give myself a 4/5 just to be on the safe side. A few things here and there, so I can't exactly call it audio nirvana just yet. ;)
 
I need 3 things to satisfy my computer system

a new video card 7900gs or 8600gts

then I need a

Sound Card

and some good speakers

I also want some headphone
 
I don't know how satisfied I am, I guess I never will be until I reach the point of diminishing returns. Then again this is music man :cool: I guess never satisfied. If I had to rate my system now I'd have to rate the speakers a 3 and the headphones maybe a 4. Generally satisfied, unfortunately a better speaker system will be out of a reach for a year, wife wants me to buy her a car :rolleyes: but for now I'm happy
 
4/5.
Maybe one of my speakers was punctured by a guitar, maybe they all have cabinet resonance issues, maybe my sub sucks, but I love it all.
 
For the headphone rig, what I have now is OK, but what I have coming will be great.

For speakers, I don't have 'em hooked up anymore, I got sick of looking at them. I also got sick of them sandwiching my display (best buy insignias).

I will probably get some Sonus Fabers at some point, but for now I decided to invest more in my headphone rig, as it gets all my listening time. I think I just plain like headphones more. And yes, I have experienced soundstage and subwoofer impact. I tend to do a lot of late night listening, which also is preferable on headphones.
 
For the headphone rig, what I have now is OK, but what I have coming will be great.

For speakers, I don't have 'em hooked up anymore, I got sick of looking at them. I also got sick of them sandwiching my display (best buy insignias).

I will probably get some Sonus Fabers at some point, but for now I decided to invest more in my headphone rig, as it gets all my listening time. I think I just plain like headphones more. And yes, I have experienced soundstage and subwoofer impact. I tend to do a lot of late night listening, which also is preferable on headphones.

T-2 days till your Bel Canto 3 arrives..... just a reminder! :)
 
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