using mixer for computer setup - want an EQ??

S

SYN ACK

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jul 11, 2004
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right now im using a turntable mixer for my pc, as it allows me some eq adjustment (high/mid/low) - and i like using it as a glorified volume control with the channel slider.

however, it's a bit big on my desk.

do they make rather small eq boxes (i guess 1 channel is all i need) that have a decent master volume control slider bar like a mixer does?

optical in would be a plus as well - since im using analog (rca) to input of mixer, and rca from mixer to klipsch promedias
 
I just actually moved to using a mixer on my desk as well, though I'm using a small and cheap Behringer Xenyx 802. Why not use a software EQ? Or do you want to adjust it so often that that'd be a pain?
 
a mixer or eq with digital inputs will cost more than your speakers are worth a few times over, just FYI
I'd probably go ahead and look at a software solution, or a proper analog EQ (15-band is more than enough)
 
obobski said:
a mixer or eq with digital inputs will cost more than your speakers are worth a few times over, just FYI
I'd probably go ahead and look at a software solution, or a proper analog EQ (15-band is more than enough)
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I have a Behringer DEQ2496 which has AES/EBU and it cost me something like a couple hundred bucks. The OP might not like the interface (since it doesn't have individual knobs/sliders). But it's probably not small enough for the OP anyway.
 
dandragonrage said:
I have a Behringer DEQ2496 which has AES/EBU and it cost me something like a couple hundred bucks. The OP might not like the interface (since it doesn't have individual knobs/sliders). But it's probably not small enough for the OP anyway.
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re-read his post though
this is connected to Klipsch ProMedia speakers, which are $150 on a bad day, the DEQ2496 is $300, call me crazy, but spending at least twice the price of those speakers just to have "awesome knobs and lights" isn't worthwhile, and as you said, it lacks the super neat buttons and knobs and is probably too large

digital mixers go up considerably from there, into the thousands of dollars quite easily

the DEQ2496 is probably one of three devices that I'd consider inexpensive enough to suggest, and I'm happy to see that other users have found such a device useful as well

I'm not trying to discredit such devices from existing, simply trying to approach things logically
 
i want hardware - software requires you being attentive to the pc when you want to adjust something.
maybe i wasn't perfectly clear ---
i am basically looking for a glorified volume switch with eq.
even the 3-way eq (high/mid/low) is generally enough for me - i dont need precise tuning on my pc.

i just like having the hardware option right there that i can quickly make adjustments - and i really like the "slider" for a volume control. much quicker than anything else.

the digital inputs was just to see what was out there , but certainly not a requirement.

basically, i'd like to take my 3channel mixer and turn it into a 1channel box(and take up less real estate) - with the eq and volume slider.
 
Well, you could wire up a car equalizer. Those are small. Throw some techflex around the wiring harness to hide the ugly wiring and use a wall wart or something. Though I'd probably throw a pi filter on a wall wart since it probably won't be super clean.
 
SYN ACK said:
i want hardware - software requires you being attentive to the pc when you want to adjust something.
maybe i wasn't perfectly clear ---
i am basically looking for a glorified volume switch with eq.
even the 3-way eq (high/mid/low) is generally enough for me - i dont need precise tuning on my pc.

i just like having the hardware option right there that i can quickly make adjustments - and i really like the "slider" for a volume control. much quicker than anything else.

the digital inputs was just to see what was out there , but certainly not a requirement.

basically, i'd like to take my 3channel mixer and turn it into a 1channel box(and take up less real estate) - with the eq and volume slider.
Click to expand...


you're talking about a studio control system, like the Mackie Big Knob or PreSonus Central Station, which are again, far too expensive to be pragmatic given the rest of your equipment
 
i was planning on buying a proper 2.0 stereo setup (with receiver) shortly...but who knows when.
a cheap $150 mixer works great for me .. i essentially just want it to be smaller and dont need the other 2 channels.

i just like the volume slider and quick access to headphone jack + headphone volume and the 3band eq. im not asking for a full 15+ band eq or anything...i am really just asking for a physical device for a glorified volume slider with some basic eq features ... basically everything a turn-table mixer is only smaller (current mixer takes up some precious real estate on my desk) - but i love having all the knobs/slider right there 4" away from my keyboard
 
SYN ACK said:
i was planning on buying a proper 2.0 stereo setup (with receiver) shortly...but who knows when.
a cheap $150 mixer works great for me .. i essentially just want it to be smaller and dont need the other 2 channels.

i just like the volume slider and quick access to headphone jack + headphone volume and the 3band eq. im not asking for a full 15+ band eq or anything...i am really just asking for a physical device for a glorified volume slider with some basic eq features ... basically everything a turn-table mixer is only smaller (current mixer takes up some precious real estate on my desk) - but i love having all the knobs/slider right there 4" away from my keyboard
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yes, as I said, a studio control system, google is your pal
as far as proper 2.0 setup, if you're adding a receiver, there is zero reason to have a mixer or control system, just means two preamps, volume control gets obnoxious, etc

just use the receiver's volume and tone control knobs then
 
I use a mixer and a receiver with my computers. Can't have audio from multiple computers at once without it. Well, not with separate volume controls, anyway.
 
dandragonrage said:
I just actually moved to using a mixer on my desk as well, though I'm using a small and cheap Behringer Xenyx 802. Why not use a software EQ? Or do you want to adjust it so often that that'd be a pain?
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How are you liking it? I have some M-Audio BX5a monitors and a Fostex sub and I'm wanting to move away from Winamp's built in EQ.
 
EPS Sniper said:
How are you liking it? I have some M-Audio BX5a monitors and a Fostex sub and I'm wanting to move away from Winamp's built in EQ.
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I haven't used it that much, actually. I got it to do the room EQ thing that it does, but then I ended up buying a Denon receiver with Audyssey anyway. I have spent some time playing with it manually, though, and I can definitely tell that it's powerful. I really ought to just sell it.
 
obobski said:
yes, as I said, a studio control system, google is your pal
as far as proper 2.0 setup, if you're adding a receiver, there is zero reason to have a mixer or control system, just means two preamps, volume control gets obnoxious, etc

just use the receiver's volume and tone control knobs then
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PreSonus Central Station - etc those rackmount units are too large / wide, anyways.

looks like i'll just stick with the mixer
thanks for your inputs
 
i guess i would also be open to fairly reasonable (price) 2 channel mixes, that are quite small in size.

my 3 channel mixer takes up so much real estate on my computer desk .. if i could get away with a smaller 2channel, that might fit my needs better.
 
here is a pic - maybe i should just be on the lookout for a smaller mixer
i just like how i have the controls right there - and the volume slider is very nice.
a6r9V.jpg
 
thats about as small as you're gonna get for a single unit
you didn't read about the Central Station at all though, I know this, because if you had, you'd realize it has a remote box and you can stow the rack unit wherever (ideally, in a rack, with friends)

but I'm sure if you re-ask the question enough times, the answer might change
 
obobski said:
thats about as small as you're gonna get for a single unit
you didn't read about the Central Station at all though, I know this, because if you had, you'd realize it has a remote box and you can stow the rack unit wherever (ideally, in a rack, with friends)

but I'm sure if you re-ask the question enough times, the answer might change
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well not to be rude, but you didnt mention anything about the remote for the PreSonus Central Station in your post.

i googled PreSonus Central Station and looked at the web site
http://www.presonus.com/products/Detail.aspx?ProductId=1

and right away i knew it wasnt what i wanted (form-factor/size wise)....
so i wasnt about to take 10minutes drilling down on the details if i already knew it was too large for me.

just checked again and the remote info isnt even pictured but is mentioned at the very bottom of the page. so my bad,

i still dont see a photo of the remote on the page, either....
 
SYN ACK said:
well not to be rude, but you didnt mention anything about the remote for the PreSonus Central Station in your post.

i googled PreSonus Central Station and looked at the web site
http://www.presonus.com/products/Detail.aspx?ProductId=1

and right away i knew it wasnt what i wanted (form-factor/size wise)....
so i wasnt about to take 10minutes drilling down on the details if i already knew it was too large for me.

just checked again and the remote info isnt even pictured but is mentioned at the very bottom of the page. so my bad,

i still dont see a photo of the remote on the page, either....
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well, you are being quite rude
your failure to read/research does not constitute an issue on my part, you're insisting that not only are you too important to actually bother researching anything, but that its everyone else's responsibility to spoon-feed you every single bit of knowledge there is to know

I'm not sure theres much else that can be done in this thread, what you want does exist, its considerably more expensive than I would consider appropriate for your situation, but I'm not concerned with your financial affairs (thats your business), asking for these devices another 300 times won't decrease their price or change the reality of modern products, so either pick something and buy it, or don't, the choice is yours
 
thanks.
you're probably right. i know the form factor/size im looking for, but next time someone recommends something and i look at the image on the site and realize it's not for me - i should still spend time reading the product just in case.

cheers,
 
SYN ACK said:
thanks.
you're probably right. i know the form factor/size im looking for, but next time someone recommends something and i look at the image on the site and realize it's not for me - i should still spend time reading the product just in case.

cheers,
Click to expand...

yep, and flame them for it too
because learning is *so* over-rated

hope you find something that works out

cheers
 
hey, obobski, since you are putting it out there that i was rude, let's read your first few posts..

who said anything about awesome knobs and lights? i just want a nice volume slider (as the stupid 'buttons' on my klipsch setup take about 9-10 seconds of clicking the button to get the volume to where i want it after powering on....i never mentioned anything about lights, i just said a basic 3band or equiv EQ so i could kill the bass easily.

"super neat buttons"? lol piss off.

obobski said:
re-read his post though
this is connected to Klipsch ProMedia speakers, which are $150 on a bad day, the DEQ2496 is $300, call me crazy, but spending at least twice the price of those speakers just to have "awesome knobs and lights" isn't worthwhile, and as you said, it lacks the super neat buttons and knobs and is probably too large

digital mixers go up considerably from there, into the thousands of dollars quite easily

the DEQ2496 is probably one of three devices that I'd consider inexpensive enough to suggest, and I'm happy to see that other users have found such a device useful as well

I'm not trying to discredit such devices from existing, simply trying to approach things logically
Click to expand...

obobski said:
you're talking about a studio control system, like the Mackie Big Knob or PreSonus Central Station,which are again, far too expensive to be pragmatic given the rest of your equipment
Click to expand...

you flat out tell me it's "far too expensive" for me and my system, and then you bitch at me that i didnt go out and spend 20minutes researching the product that you didnt even directly recommend in the first place ??? -nor did you mention a remote for it.

hmm,

obobski said:
you're talking about a studio control system, .... PreSonus Central Station,]which are again, far too expensive to be pragmatic given the rest of your equipment
Click to expand...

obobski said:
you didn't read about the Central Station at all though,
Click to expand...

please, go on recommending something to me that is way out of my league (design requirements, price range, etc) - which you state explicitly when you first mention the product, and then criticize me later on when i dont go off chasing the product which you state isnt right for me in the first place.
 
(we all need to take a little breath.. everyone needs to remember opinions are like assholes... especially concerning audio.)

I see nothing wrong with adding a DEQ2496 to any system that's based around 2.0

I think it would make an improvement... regardless of the brand of speakers. (not including speakers sold out of vans) heh

besides.. who says you'll keep the klipsch forever? I go optically from my pc to the deq then out balanced to my krks. Works out pretty nice since I can use analog or trs/xlr too from different devices.

I guess the choice depends on what's more important? Sound you can configure to "your" liking or 5.1? The deq will outperform any eq built into a home theater reciever outside of having 5.1. Nice recievers are cheap enough nowadays also if you want to go that route.

(oh.. I also use a mixer for volume control. Find it's a lot easier than the windows icon. :) )
 
SYN ACK said:
"super neat buttons"? lol piss off.
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how you took this as an insult is beyond me

regarding a 3 band EQ, honestly a 3 band is a waste of pots if you ask me, your computer will be able to provide at least a 10 band stereo EQ, and very inexpensive 15-band per channel h/w solutions (used hi-fi gear, but this is probably too large for you, hence why I just passed over it entirely)



you flat out tell me it's "far too expensive" for me and my system, and then you bitch at me that i didnt go out and spend 20minutes researching the product that you didnt even directly recommend in the first place ??? -nor did you mention a remote for it.
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as I said, I feel that the investment isn't valid, Magnetik makes an excellent point regarding the future of upgrades, but honestly no, I don't think spending any amount of money on EQs, mixers, or anything else, for a ~$150 set of PC speakers is worth it (especially when you've got a locked crossover in there to contend with)

as far as the point on research, honestly its just rather annoying to have someone ask for help, and then refuse to advocate for, or help, themselves in any visible way, so sorry if this offends you


please, go on recommending something to me that is way out of my league (design requirements, price range, etc) - which you state explicitly when you first mention the product, and then criticize me later on when i dont go off chasing the product which you state isnt right for me in the first place.
Click to expand...

as I stated a few times, nothing exists that actually meets your budget, space, and usage requirements

the provided studio control centers were examples of devices that do what you want, regardless of price or size (to give you an idea of what actually exists compared to what you want, size is a generally variable thing for most users, and perhaps you may have decided upon seeing a device like the CS or Big Knob in your research, that you can deal with the box's size or price, instead of instantly going on the offensive (I also find it noteworthy that this entire time, you've neglected to even bother tracking down the Big Knob, which I'm fairly certain would meet your space, price, and feature requirements, excepting the EQ))

because I'm not in the mood to fight with you over something so trivial, copypasta:
Mackie Stuff you might like:
http://www.mackie.com/products/bigknob/
http://www.mackie.com/products/u420/

the DEQ2496 is a nice EQ, but fairly expensive imho (I also like analog)
pro EQ:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/231/
less expensive pro EQ:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PV215EQ/

otherwise look for some vintage Technics/Optimus/JVC/Mitsubishi/Sony/Realstic/Tandy/Yamaha/etc stuff on ebay, like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Optimus-10-band...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2a04405cac
http://cgi.ebay.com/TECHNICS-SH-801...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item33599957d5

basically if you want a physical EQ, its going to be roughly at least a 1U unit, I'd avoid the car audio units for a few reasons:
1) powering them can be interesting
2) a lot of them have just terrible quality

for what you're doing, honestly, your little mixer is probably the best option (any more advanced mixer is going to move away from DJ gear (read: compact) and towards live sound or recording gear (read: large), aside from its EQ limitations, and given that I don't see a huge need for you to be adjusting your EQ settings constantly (its usually just something you set to the room and leave), use your computer's EQ, it will probably let you save profiles, so you could even create something that you like, save it, and move on to another profile if the mood struck you (hell, a lot of them come with pre-existing profiles that may be just what you want)

if you just want a knob to control the volume, why doesn't the Klipsch control pod work for you? even the most basic variants have bass and treble controls in addition to volume (I've been wondering this since the start, why do you have ~3 preamp circuits in-line here? and you seem hell-bent on adding more)
 
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I was also going to suggest a few volume knobs/attenuators that might do the trick in terms of size and price:

ATTY Passive Stereo Level Control

SM Pro Audio Nano Patch+

SM Pro Audio M-Patch 2

TC Electronic Pilot

These provide hardware volume adjustment and all seem to fit size and price requirements. For more EQ options I'd just go for the one built into the software (Winamp, etc). Since I have studio monitors and I don't want to fiddle with the Windows volume controller I'm looking into one of the above options, which may work for others as we..
 
thanks for the posts.
i am/was planning on upgrading to a receiver/2.0 setup somewhat shortly, but that might be side-tracked by new headphones/headphone amp&dac.

the eq wasn't necessarily as important to me as maybe was stated in the title. i think im really after just a smaller foot-print mixer...

the reason i was looking for a glorified volume control (slider - like on my mixer) - is because the damn klipsch is a button-controlled volume and literally takes 10seconds to go up to where i want it when i power it on (about 25clicks of the button!!!)

and i really didnt want anything software - i like the mixer how it's right by my left hand and i can quickly adjust bass (crappy 3band eq) - but most importantly the volume slider is smooth and quick to use.

i guess im almost looking for a small, 2 channel mixer....with the smallest footprint possible (i can do that research on my own).

ill take a look at the other selections.

if anything (reciever/speaker) - i was looking at an HK 3490 (optical in, lots of power for 2.0) and maybe JBL L820s (wall mounting might be a good idea in my case)..and i get really deep discounts on those
 
obobski said:
if you just want a knob to control the volume, why doesn't the Klipsch control pod work for you? even the most basic variants have bass and treble controls in addition to volume (I've been wondering this since the start, why do you have ~3 preamp circuits in-line here? and you seem hell-bent on adding more)
Click to expand...

not using optical on my pc at the moment (it's connected, but mostly use RCA/analog to the mixer)

flac(PC) -->rca-->mixer input ---> rca output to klipsch control pod ---> speakers

but i also have a single table hooked up to the mixer (the mixer i use as a master volume control)..but the table doesnt get used often.
 
you have the ProMedia GMX's, not the Ultra's?

oy vey

as far as smallest 2 channel mixer available, theres some parts from Peavey and Behringer that are about the size of a CD case, but we're talking mono input two/four channel mixer (on non-DJ mixers, 1 channel -> single track, whereas DJ mixers each channel is stereo (as you're assumed to be using a table or CDJ), DJ mixers (Aside from like that U420 I linked, which is sort of a DJ mixer anyways) are basically the smallest way to have multiple stereo in/out setup)

something you might consider:
why not get a soundcard like the X-Fi Elite Pro, which has a RIAA preamp, hook your table into that, and then run the board's output to whatever (receiver (and that HK is a nice choice), your powered speakers, etc), that thing has a volume control on its external box, a small mountain of other features, remote, etc

might actually be just the thing for you
 
yes, the GMX's. ... it's not meant to be a serious setup by any means ... it's just my pc/flac listening box for the time being. i hope you didnt get the wrong impression from my first post.

i think as im not using the mixer to the full advantage, it would be a waste to upgrade just to lower the form factor/size...this mixer is nothing special but it works well for bass control/glorified volume (slider)...

ill look into the sound card (ive seen taht unit mentioned quite a few times in this subforum)...
i get killer discounts on harman (hk, infinty, jbl) ... and was leaning towards the L820s bookshelf speakers because they would also be wall mounted (and get some gain from that as well)...

the receiver im dead-set on, because the price i can get it for is a steal.. it's just pairing the speakers with it that im still idling on.

and then i found out how cheap i can get akg headphones, so ive literally just been pulled in another direction and buying some k701s and starting the investigation process on a headphone amp + dac.

maybe i should look into a headphone amp + dac that i could also use to a 2.0 stereo setup (speakers/receiver) --- and use the DAC on that vs my onboard sound on my mobo.

it may sound a bit silly, but the volume slider on the mixer works wonders for me.
it's right near my keyboard so i can quickly make minor adjustments...even using a remote for a receiver sometimes is too slow/much work when on the PC to make quick volume adjustments.
 
SYN ACK said:
yes, the GMX's. ... it's not meant to be a serious setup by any means ... it's just my pc/flac listening box for the time being. i hope you didnt get the wrong impression from my first post.
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I thought you had the Ultras, which have knobs for volume adjustment, the GMX control pad is awful (as you've said/learned) for quick adjustments though, so I now understand your frustration :)

i think as im not using the mixer to the full advantage, it would be a waste to upgrade just to lower the form factor/size...this mixer is nothing special but it works well for bass control/glorified volume (slider)...
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I'd agree with this statement, especially since multi-input stereo mixers that aren't designed for DJ's can get expensive and large, and your DJ mixer probably has RIAA amps which let you hook up your tables

ill look into the sound card (ive seen taht unit mentioned quite a few times in this subforum)...
i get killer discounts on harman (hk, infinty, jbl) ... and was leaning towards the L820s bookshelf speakers because they would also be wall mounted (and get some gain from that as well)...
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wall-mounted speakers can be a blessing or a curse, overall I'd say they'd be an upgrade over your existing set-up in terms of space and sound, paired with a nice beefy receiver and you should be good to go

as far as the X-Fi EP, it gets a lot of negative rap (so far as some users insisting all X-Fi boards are the same thing) for seemingly no reason, it really is a class leader in terms of quality and features, price can sometimes run absurdly high ($300...) but as long as you watch for sales (I've seen them as low as $189 BNIB from Creative) you should be just fine

the receiver im dead-set on, because the price i can get it for is a steal.. it's just pairing the speakers with it that im still idling on.
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well, I think your thoughts on the wall-mounted gear are sound, if the price is right, I'd go for it

and then i found out how cheap i can get akg headphones, so ive literally just been pulled in another direction and buying some k701s and starting the investigation process on a headphone amp + dac.
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allow me to save you a small fortune and months of fretting, and stop you right here before you get into what I call "DAC DAC DAC hysteria" and "headphone amp hysteria", and explain a few things:

1) the whole whine and cry about "External DAC" is just that, there is no objective reason to get uptight and blow a few hundred into a box that has at best $20 of components in it, your soundcard is going to provide the same high quality output (and if anyone wants to challenge this, show me objective and reliable measurements to the contrary) plus many more features

2) "headphone amp" is somewhat of a misnomer, ANY transducer requires an amplifier, generally for headphones this is whatever opamp the source device has (soundcard, mp3 player, etc), sometimes this isn't sufficient for exceptionally low sensitivity or high impedance loads (the K701 are neither); so a dedicated source of amplification is beneficial

however, you're buying a receiver, which has a headphone output, so it will do the exact same thing as some expensive boutique box, lets not get into arguments over "this amp sounds like a blueberry and that one like a strawberry" though, the X-Fi EP also has a dedicated headphone amp circuit in its breakout box that would work as well

maybe i should look into a headphone amp + dac that i could also use to a 2.0 stereo setup (speakers/receiver) --- and use the DAC on that vs my onboard sound on my mobo.
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this assumes that somehow your computer isn't going to be processing the sound, which is also incorrect
your computer is always going to be performing DtoD along with rendering and other math related to audio, the only difference is how it outputs these signals, either analog or digital (via S/PDIF or AES), the only real benefit of digital is for multi-ch output, you can run 6ch over a single line which is great for wire management

well what about "USB DACs" you might ask?
well, thats about the stupidest name for a device I can think of, for a few reasons:
1) USB itself has no standard for PCM or AC-3 audio to pass DIRECTLY over it
2) you are not converting the digital USB signals to some analog signal

instead, what you're doing is attaching an audio controller via USB, instead of via PCI or PCI Express (As an internal solution would use), and then its either passing an analog or digital signal out, most of these devices use commodity IC's from TI that package all of this into a single controller (that has analog outputs and USB host IF), quality isn't bad, but considering that some of these devices can cost $500 and offer FAR less features and quality than most $150-$200 soundcards, I'd stay away (although inexpensive $20-$80 devices can be a great way to upgrade your system, especially laptops or other SFF types)

and lets not start with the ghosts of EMI and RFI

it may sound a bit silly, but the volume slider on the mixer works wonders for me.
it's right near my keyboard so i can quickly make minor adjustments...even using a remote for a receiver sometimes is too slow/much work when on the PC to make quick volume adjustments.
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its DJ gear, speed is the bottom line :cool:


in summary, I'd say that your reasoning for a new receiver and speakers is pretty reasonable, I'm not sure I'd keep the mixer integrated (as the receiver will have a volume dial on it, and it just adds extra wiring and a redundant volume control (That isn't locked to the receiver's volume control, mind you)), the receiver can also drive your headphones just fine

the SB Elite Pro is a potential addition to this whole setup, as it adds plenty of features to your system, another headphone output, and more volume control options (all of its tactile switches/knobs/buttons just control software settings, so if you have that, plus a keyboard with volume control, both will act upon the same setting on your PC)
 
great post - thanks a lot.

so the HK 3490 will give me gobs of power for a 2.0 stereo setup (i dont watch movies/tv/etc, i have no interest in a 5.1 setup) ... and i can get a better 2 channel stereo setup vs spending the same amount of money on 5 speakers....i have 0zero interest in 5.1. just a nice, solid 2.0 setup.

i just moved into a new studio/loft, and thought i could jam things out - but finding out the walls arent as thick as i would have hoped....so next on my list is large curtains/rugs/etc to dampen the room out. that is top priority...and then i have to worry if wall mounting may be worse off for my neigbors vs using them as bookshelves (entirely different discussion).

i have heard good things about the HK 3490s phono in (i have a single turntable i use for listening to records (not mixing)), and that it should have a decent head-phone amp...but confirmation from specs would be nice.

maybe i'll go just the receiver route - and save money on redundant item (headphone amp)....and put that money towards the speakers. the deal i can get on these things is just to killer to pass up.

cheers for turning the thread around
 
maybe i should take some photos of my place and show you to see your opinion.

the GMX's really arent all that bad...but they are so small and very directional.

would something like the jbl L820s really help broaden the soundstage? e.g. a pair of those on the wall should help "fill" the room out, vs being so directional with the tiny GMXs?
 
SYN ACK said:
great post - thanks a lot.

so the HK 3490 will give me gobs of power for a 2.0 stereo setup (i dont watch movies/tv/etc, i have no interest in a 5.1 setup) ... and i can get a better 2 channel stereo setup vs spending the same amount of money on 5 speakers....i have 0zero interest in 5.1. just a nice, solid 2.0 setup.

i just moved into a new studio/loft, and thought i could jam things out - but finding out the walls arent as thick as i would have hoped....so next on my list is large curtains/rugs/etc to dampen the room out. that is top priority...and then i have to worry if wall mounting may be worse off for my neigbors vs using them as bookshelves (entirely different discussion).

i have heard good things about the HK 3490s phono in (i have a single turntable i use for listening to records (not mixing)), and that it should have a decent head-phone amp...but confirmation from specs would be nice.

maybe i'll go just the receiver route - and save money on redundant item (headphone amp)....and put that money towards the speakers. the deal i can get on these things is just to killer to pass up.

cheers for turning the thread around
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honestly, its 2010, any device with a RIAA preamp is gonna meet spec (basically the era of half-baked products (1980's) has come and gone), so I'm not really sure what to show you there (it either has it or it doesn't, you can't ask for a whole lot more, unless you want to get into ridiculously expensive audiophile gear)

as far as the headphone stage, like most receivers, it'll have more than enough power to take your head off (its using that 150wpc amplifier fed through a resistor/protection network into your headphones, I'm too lazy to open the user manual atm, but I'm probably not far off in guessing it's spec'd to hit something in the realm of 5V into 120-300 ohms (which is FAR more than enough) with the 20-20k 0.07% THD amp spec)

it also supports Dolby Headphone (which I didn't know), so thats cool

AND it has pre/main coupling (which I also didn't know until now), so in theory you could loop your mixer in as so:

stuff -> 3490's inputs -> pre out -> mixer input -> mixer output -> 3490 main input
all the volume control on the 3490 will then control is the signal level going TO the mixer, and the mixer will control the level going to the actual amplifier

I probably wouldn't hook this up personally (I have a receiver with this type of configuration, and have tried it, for one), mostly because its more stuff that HAS TO be on in order to use the system, and can make usage cumbersome (you take a remote controlled unit and make it a unit that requires you being right there to adjust it, honestly thats "backwards progress" if you ask me)

as far as the thin walls, if thats an issue, forget wall mounting speakers to increase gain, usually speakers designed for wall-mounting are rear vented for just that purpose, and even if they aren't, speakers are not 100% directional, and I doubt if your neighbors would appreciate hearing you rock out at 2 AM

what you could do though, would be to put your speakers on stands, and put some sort of acoustic tile/material behind them (there was a thread on room treatments floating around somewhere, if not, google is your friend, if not, you can buy the stuff at most places like Guitar Center if you go into the studio section), it'll dampen sound going through the wall and can improve the listening experience on your side (and will probably cost less than huge/heavy rugs to put up on the walls, may not look as pretty though)


SYN ACK said:
maybe i should take some photos of my place and show you to see your opinion.

the GMX's really arent all that bad...but they are so small and very directional.

would something like the jbl L820s really help broaden the soundstage? e.g. a pair of those on the wall should help "fill" the room out, vs being so directional with the tiny GMXs?
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the GMX's sound is fine, its just the control pod I've always had an issue with, honestly I remember at their release thinking they looked sorta cool, but the control unit is like a small frisbee and just ugh to use (compared to the rest of the ProMedia line which uses *DING* knobs)

as far as widening the soundstage, perhaps, really depends on positioning, as in: if the L820's are set-up right - yes, they should "fill out" the room better (larger speakers handle larger areas)

based on the usage of your table, I'd probably just skip the X-Fi EP altogether, save the ~$200-$300 and get your speakers or headphones or whatever else with it

if you want a really stupidly immersive listening experience, and I don't suggest you buy before you try here, check out Mirage's line of speakers (http://www.miragespeakers.com/na-en/products/), you'll more than likely need a sub unless you decide to drop some major bucks on the OMD's, Definitive's bi-poles are another decent option, they hit a lot harder on the bottom end as well
 
thanks!
now im extra excited about ordering the receiver :)

the jbl L820s are not rear vented (theyre sealed),
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-L820-Wall-Mountable-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B000FYZ9XO

it's a choice between those and the L830s (true bookshelf, but the 820s are 4way vs 3way on the L830s (ignoring the super'tweeter...)
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-L830-6-In...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1264855296&sr=1-1

i know there are other great options out there - but if you knew how much i would be paying for these you would tell me im making the right decision :)
 
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if the 820's aren't too expensive, I'd probably get them, they'll have a wider dispersion pattern (should), and you can always use them just sitting on your desk instead of up on the wall

I doubt if 3-way vs 4-way actually contributes much though
 
just pulled the trigger on the HK 3490 and JBL L820s!
can't wait!
still waiting to order my AKG K701s, but this should keep me busy for a while.
 
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