Looking to Build Audiophile Computer Speaker Setup

S

Suds

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 24, 2007
Messages
352
Hey there all, how's it going? I'm here, hoping to gain some insight on where best to spend my money and make the best sounding setup for my computer(near field listening), possible. My budget is $750 Max, give or take a few bucks. I've looked and asked around extensively, and I have still not come up with anything definitive.

I would like the setup to consist of a DAC, an Amp, a set of speakers, and possibly a sub, if money permits. This rig is going to be used for close listening at my computer, mainly music, but I will be playing games and watching movies with it as well. Music choice is Prog Rock/Metal mainly, but I listen to all genres.

After looking around extensively, I still have yet to decide on which speakers to grab. A couple of options I have looked at include the PSB B25's and AV123 X-Series. But, since I am a complete 'noob' when it comes to Speakers, I thought I would ask those more knowledgeable than me on this subject. I have also not yet decided on which Amp or DAC.

Any help would be appreciated. :)
 
No, the only MP3's I have on my computer are for sole use with my MP3 player and are 320Kbps or higher. The majority of my music is FLAC.
 
I have plenty of mp3s, I don't really have the HD space to rip all my stuff into FLAC, only my favorite albums (cough JPop cough)...the rest I did lame cbr 320kbps. Redbook Stereo is limited to 22.05KHz output, a full-bandwidth mp3 has good output nearly to 20KHz, its psychoacoustically designed to sound as similar as possible to the source with the least degredation (thats why the encoders constantly update).

As far as speakers, since you are looking at the PSBs which are $450/pair retail, I would look at the Usher S-520s. Those speakers have gotten phenomenal reviews. Usher has a very neutral design philosophy and at one of Craig Chase's getogethers at AVSforum the Ushers did very well against some of the other competitors...Dana 630, NHT Classic 3, Ascend 170, X-LS, and some others. Usher has a design philosphy that stresses neutral, accurate speakers...the fact that they are front ported makes placement a bit easier as well.

Here are some write-ups for curious eyes:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/bookshelf/usher-audio-s-520-bookshelf-speaker-review

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/bookshelf/bookshelf-speaker-faceoff-2007
 
The PSB B25's are actually on sale for $299 + Shipping now, so I believe I will end up getting them. They always fare very well in reviews, and with them being on sale, they are a steal.
 
Okay, I've configured 2 Setups that I believe should both sound amazing. The first one was configured with ease of use and space in mind. Here they are:

Setup 1(~$500):
- Audioengine A5
- Dayton SUB-120 12"
- Zero DAC


Setup 2(~$750):
- PSB Image B25/AV123 X-Series/Paradigm Atom
- KingRex T20U USB Amplifier
- Dayton SUB-120 12"

I believe I'll end up going with Setup 1 as it's simpler and smaller. Perfect for Dorm use. I'd have no problem splurging and getting Setup 2, but I'd need more opinions on the subject.

Edit: How do the Swan M200MkII compare to the AudioEngines?
 
Just get a receiver and use S/PDIF. Absolutely no reason to get a separate DAC unless you can't fit the receiver, in which case get something from M-audio (Firewire Solo for the win) or an 0404. The expensive DACs are gimmicks. (Why produce them, then? Because people buy them. Same reason we have speaker cables available that cost thousands of dollars.)

I'd say go with some Onyx speakers from av123.com. PSB is good too though, especially the Image series (and better). Subwoofer on the cheap: Dayton from Partsexpress. A step up: AV123, Epik, etc. Amp... I dunno how loud you need, but I'm going to suggest the good old T amp if a receiver is out of the question.
 
dandragonrage said:
Just get a receiver and use S/PDIF. Absolutely no reason to get a separate DAC unless you can't fit the receiver, in which case get something from M-audio (Firewire Solo for the win) or an 0404. The expensive DACs are gimmicks. (Why produce them, then? Because people buy them. Same reason we have speaker cables available that cost thousands of dollars.)
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I've already got the Zero DAC/Amp for use with my Headphones, so I figured I'd use it as a DAC for the speakers as well. It's Optical and S/PDIF too, works great.

dandragonrage said:
I'd say go with some Onyx speakers from av123.com. PSB is good too though, especially the Image series (and better). Subwoofer on the cheap: Dayton from Partsexpress. A step up: AV123, Epik, etc. Amp... I dunno how loud you need, but I'm going to suggest the good old T amp if a receiver is out of the question.
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I agree on the speakers, definitely going with one of the above. As for the Woofer, If I grab an Onyx, I'll grab an AV123 Sub as well. If not, most likely go with the Dayton I listed. The Amp I listed is a T-Amp, and Moon Audio loves it. It also doubles as a USB DAC, so I can sell off my Zero and make little money.

I have a question about placement of the Sub Woofer. Could I place it under my desk(where my chair slides in)? It'd be directly in between both speakers, but about 4 feet lower.
 
Yes, you can, if there's enough room under there. The lower the crossover, the better it will blend in. 100Hz is the highest you want to go, but if you can get it a little less than that (depending on what the speakers you pick can do), it'll be even better. I like crossing over to subwoofers around 80Hz, though it's easier for tower speakers to do that generally (though some bookshelves can).
 
I'll be honest... I have no clue what a Crossover is, and how to adjust it to 100Hz or 80Hz... :p
 
dandragonrage said:
Just get a receiver and use S/PDIF. Absolutely no reason to get a separate DAC unless you can't fit the receiver, in which case get something from M-audio (Firewire Solo for the win) or an 0404. The expensive DACs are gimmicks. (Why produce them, then? Because people buy them. Same reason we have speaker cables available that cost thousands of dollars.)
.
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I agree that for this particular setup a receiver or sticking with your Zero DAC is most prudent. I disagree that hiend DACs are simply gimmicks.

To OP,
Onix XLS would be a good choice, paired with Xsub or ULW10.
 
Pinipig523 said:
I agree that for this particular setup a receiver or sticking with your Zero DAC is most prudent. I disagree that hiend DACs are simply gimmicks.
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I didn't realize he already had the DAC when I made my first post. But I do think all but the lowest quality DACs are all high enough quality that we can't notice a difference. But it doesn't matter if he already has one anyway.
 
Before I buy anything, how do you think Setup 1 will compare with Setup 2? I am mainly curious how the Audio Engine A5's, being power speakers, would compare with the Onix or PSB speakers. If I can get close to the same SQ, say 90-95%, I'd go the Setup 1 route.
 
Suds said:
Before I buy anything, how do you think Setup 1 will compare with Setup 2? I am mainly curious how the Audio Engine A5's, being power speakers, would compare with the Onix or PSB speakers. If I can get close to the same SQ, say 90-95%, I'd go the Setup 1 route.
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They are more convenient. Will work better on a desk b/c they are much more compact. They will not have the range of the larger speakers. This is really true in the bass area.

Even so, you would probably be really happy with the A5s. They are pretty good.

If you want to ROCK the hell out at times, get the larger setup.

Simple.

Convenience, ease of use = A5

Rock out = the larger speakers.

The difference is closer to A5= 70-75% really.

My modified X-LS would stomp them all lol. I got lucky to get mine for $300.
 
Too bad Ninja is retiring(and the fact they were over my budget). =\
 
Yeah I think I even remember seeing it on AV123's website as a crossover upgrade...

I think the ELT525s are supposed to be a higher resolution monitor than the X-LS.

Personally I'd never get one of those tripath amps, with so little power you can't handle any transients without clipping. Although since they are supposed to sound like tubes, I'm guessing it could be people are buying that amp *for* the clipping...who knows...
 
astrallite said:
Personally I'd never get one of those tripath amps, with so little power you can't handle any transients without clipping. Although since they are supposed to sound like tubes, I'm guessing it could be people are buying that amp *for* the clipping...who knows...
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They are meant to sound like the source. They are not meant to add any coloration (which few amps do, and those that do are IMO poorly designed) while being efficient. I wouldn't recommend one of them for a home theater setup but with speakers on your desk, I think it will be enough power. Can always upgrade to a receiver or the little Dayton/Emotiva stereo amp later if need be (or can go right for one of those if you know you need the power)
 
That's probably true if you are listening to the speakers from a few inches away it would take some pretty dynamic music to clip the amp, but I would still go with efficient speakers, you probably don't want to run anything below 87db sensitivity.
 
dandragonrage said:
I didn't realize he already had the DAC when I made my first post. But I do think all but the lowest quality DACs are all high enough quality that we can't notice a difference. But it doesn't matter if he already has one anyway.
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Keep telling yourself that.

DACs (or sources) in general are just like any other component of the audio chain. The difference between a $100 DAC to a $3000 DAC is similar to the difference between a $100 amp to a $3000 amp.

Of course, this is pointless because you're set in your ways. You're the same member who was critical of another member's set up because he used a class a amp and you said that your home made speakers were better than his (which were designed by someone who actually made a living doing so).

Either way, the OP has a dac that he should just stick to. Get the A5 if you need the space and need to save. Get the XLS or something similar if you think you can grow into them in the future.

I'm not going to argue with you.

Perhaps your system is just way too unresolving that you cannot tell the difference between a low priced DAC and a high priced one (or a well designed one).
 
Pinipig523 said:
Of course, this is pointless because you're set in your ways. You're the same member who was critical of another member's set up because he used a class a amp and you said that your home made speakers were better than his (which were designed by someone who actually made a living doing so).
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I did say setup, not specifically speakers. I am not going to respond to any further attempts to drag that thread into this thread. And I don't think you're qualified to make the judgement, anyway.
 
dandragonrage said:
They are meant to sound like the source. They are not meant to add any coloration (which few amps do, and those that do are IMO poorly designed) while being efficient. I wouldn't recommend one of them for a home theater setup but with speakers on your desk, I think it will be enough power. Can always upgrade to a receiver or the little Dayton/Emotiva stereo amp later if need be (or can go right for one of those if you know you need the power)
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A lot of class-d amps, such as the tripath amp, have soft-clipping circuits that round out the waveform in a "tubelike" fashion. I do not mean that they intentionally add even-order harmonics, although if they did people would probably love tripath chips even more.
 
astrallite said:
A lot of class-d amps, such as the tripath amp, have soft-clipping circuits that round out the waveform in a "tubelike" fashion. I do not mean that they intentionally add even-order harmonics, although if they did people would probably love tripath chips even more.
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Those only come into play if you go into clipping and it's meant to be less harsh on your ears / the speakers.
 
Well a 20db transient would require 100 times the power above RMS level, its honestly not that hard to clip an amp even in very low power levels.
 
astrallite said:
Well a 20db transient would require 100 times the power above RMS level, its honestly not that hard to clip an amp even in very low power levels.
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You're not going to get those with music. I doubt even most movies will hit 20dB above the average level much. Not that I would say a computer is good for watching movies on anyway, though.

Of course, I am in full support of having 1000W/channel, but I don't think it's necessary for a computer setup.
 
Just a bit of clarification. By nearfield, I mean I'll be no more than a 1 Mete away from the speakers normally. I understand this might change recommendations a bit.
 
I'm pretty sure I am going to go with the Audio Engine A5's. Now I just have to decide on a DAC and possibly a Sub Woofer. If someone who have heard the A5's can chime in on if they need a Woofer or not, that'd be awesome. :)

Also, DAC recommendations are welcome. USB Preferred, but Optical is an option.
 
I do, but I am thinking of switching to a USB DAC. Running my current DAC out of my On-Board Sound(Evga 680i) degrades the SQ from what I've read. Going straight through USB gets rid of one less variable that could degrade the SQ.

Or am I looking too much into this? :p
 
Suds said:
I do, but I am thinking of switching to a USB DAC. Running my current DAC out of my On-Board Sound(Evga 680i) degrades the SQ from what I've read. Going straight through USB gets rid of one less variable that could degrade the SQ.

Or am I looking too much into this? :p
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Your power amp will contribute far more noise than your DAC...get a better amplifier before you get a better dac. You wanna start at the top of the hill of diminishing returns...speakers first, amp, then DSP/DAC.
 
I am planning on getting Powered Speakers(Audio Engine A5), so no amp is necassary(built in)... unless I am missing something. :p
 
Suds said:
I am planning on getting Powered Speakers(Audio Engine A5), so no amp is necassary(built in)... unless I am missing something. :p
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Well actually what I was alluding to is since the amp is built in they tend to be unimpressive in quality. Most people complain about tweeter hiss with powered monitors in this price range...

Not saying its gonna be the case with these speakers but make sure you buy from a merchant with a good return policy.
 
JBL has some studio monitors that take digital input. It's got the DAC, active crossover, and amps all in one package. I think there's digital EQ/Room Correction software too. Plus they're made for near field listening. Not sure on the price, but I think $600 or $800 (not sure if that was per speaker, or pair, though).

I've been waiting for an HDMI (audio) sound card for a while. That will make running lossless sound to a reciever easy. As is, it's messy, especially for long runs.
 
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