• Home Audio Megathread
    513 replies, posted
For someone who listens to a lot of music and plays games, would I be better off getting [url=http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-Active-Studio-Monitor-Speakers/dp/B005F3H6Q8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3RWHES6MUNS5H&coliid=I2VS4U2QZC1SYK]M-Audio BX5[/url] monitors or the [url=http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Gaming-High-Power-Speaker-CA-SP211NA/dp/B004H0MQYW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1371775035&sr=8-4&keywords=gaming+speaker]Corsair SP2500[/url] set? I'm a bit of a basshead so I'd like a subwoofer but I'm not sure if I should just get the Corsair for the whole setup in one go, or get some nicer monitors then buy a nicer subwoofer later (I don't know which one that'd be). I don't know if the BX5's would be better to enjoy all the different genres of music I listen to though since I also play along to some of them with my bass and guitar on my amp. My old Logitech Z-10's died a couple years ago so I've been using headphones but for one I can't turn on music and enjoy it from the other side of my room while I'm working on something and two it's no fun to hear my muffled bass while music plays clearly in the headphones. I've connected the amp to my computer so I can hear both through the headphones but it really kills the joy of it. I suppose I can't go wrong with either of them but I like considering the opinion from someone who knows more than I do before I go out and buy something.
Clean audio from nice monitors is nicer to me than a muddy PC 2.1 speaker setup. You can always add a Sub later to the M-audio setup, and then it'd be very hard to beat. With the Corsair's you are stuck with corsair speakers for good.
I'll go with M-Audio then, thanks.
I have to say that I have become much more fascinated by audio equipment in general since I started producing music on my own. I have recognized [b]very[/b] clearly how muddy my Logitech speakers are by listening for certain details in songs. For audio production, they say monitors are the stuff you should get. How are they for just listening in general? (coming from a $80 Logitech 2.1 setup) Because when searching around the web, I find people who mention it as "boring" and "flat", and while I understand roughly what it technically means, I don't have any perception at all of how it sounds. (once again, I'm coming from Logitech speakers)
I use Yamaha HS80M monitors for my day to day listening, yes they are "flat" as in they don't emphasize anything, that's the point. Does that make music horrible or "boring" to listen to? Not at all, I much prefer a neutral representation of the source material. Most media players have built in gimmicky EQ settings if you must have scooped mids. It's a different sound to what you are used to, but I personally find it's a better one. If you're into music production, I'd get some studio monitors and use them to listen to your music on a daily basis, you will then learn how a well designed speaker sounds which will help you make critical decisions on your own mixes. Owning the speakers only half the battle, when you first get a set of monitors you will probably say "Good god that cymbal is masking the vocals pretty bad" then you'll spend hours fixing it and end up making your mix [i]worse[/i] because you don't know your speakers.
[QUOTE=Tezzanator92;41150285]I use Yamaha HS80M monitors for my day to day listening, yes they are "flat" as in they don't emphasize anything, that's the point. Does that make music horrible or "boring" to listen to? Not at all, I much prefer a neutral representation of the source material. Most media players have built in gimmicky EQ settings if you must have scooped mids. It's a different sound to what you are used to, but I personally find it's a better one. If you're into music production, I'd get some studio monitors and use them to listen to your music on a daily basis, you will then learn how a well designed speaker sounds which will help you make critical decisions on your own mixes. Owning the speakers only half the battle, when you first get a set of monitors you will probably say "Good god that cymbal is masking the vocals pretty bad" then you'll spend hours fixing it and end up making your mix [i]worse[/i] because you don't know your speakers.[/QUOTE] what? i thought a flat response was ideal?
It is, I never said otherwise? Studio monitors aren't just flat in frequency response, they have a predictable phase response (Especially important at the crossover point in multi-driver speakers). All Ideal for critical mix decisions.
Just ordered the white Audioengine 5+ speakers after giving them a quick test in the store. I used a 10% discount code, so I was satisfied with the price. I'll post an update once I give them a good listen.
I came across these: [url]http://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B009IUIV4A/ref=sr_1_1?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1372572903&sr=1-1&keywords=bookshelf+speakers[/url] And everything I hear of them is pretty amazing, and some videos on them look really good. My problem is I want to get a set for my desk and a set for my TV. But I'd like to control their volume with the TV if possible as it has... ya know a remote. The TV itself has only an Optical out on it. I'd do it just for my PC, but I also plan on hooking up consoles and such to the TV and those wouldn't go through the speakers. So I'm thinking I should perhaps get a receiver which can have everything run through it and then have speakers going to that and also powering it.
Yeah you simply need a receiver. For the TV, even an older model receiver would work. For the PC if you'd want a receiver, you need a more current (within the last 7 years) model with optical as an option.
I have an ONKYO TX-DS474 and a Kenwood KR-V7030. I'm trying to decided between the two receivers for an additional setup. The setup will not be special at all, mostly consisting of RTR speakers from the 70's.
[QUOTE=Ajacks;41251389]Yeah you simply need a receiver. For the TV, even an older model receiver would work. For the PC if you'd want a receiver, you need a more current (within the last 7 years) model with optical as an option.[/QUOTE] I use this for my headphones. This couldn't power ones for my desktop right? What would be even better is if I had a Central receiver I could hook my PC up to and my TV, then put a speaker in each corner of the room. Then find a way to swap the speaker config by 90degrees from the PC to TV. Any ideas? I need to draw up a diagram for what I'm thinking. At the same time I'm thinking of going to IKEA and getting a Galant left side and frame and remaking my desk to face the TV directly. Need to mark that up too.
Found a Yamaha P-28 in the garage, anyone know if it's any good? It's missing the needle, so I can't try it out even though I found a sick Tchaikovsky record from Switzerland :(
[url]http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ORIGINAL-SONY-PLAYSTATION-SYSTEM-Rare-Audiophile-Version-pal-PS1-SCPH-1002-/221227454486?pt=AU_Consoles&hash=item33822f1016[/url] People still think this?? It was discovered years ago that the RCA jacks tack straight into the A/V port and there was otherwise nothing special about them. I can buy a boxed Playstation for $25 now. Why are these people still spending $100+? God audiophiles are dumb. [img]http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/3808/img2741t.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=pentium;41395966][url]http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ORIGINAL-SONY-PLAYSTATION-SYSTEM-Rare-Audiophile-Version-pal-PS1-SCPH-1002-/221227454486?pt=AU_Consoles&hash=item33822f1016[/url] People still think this?? It was discovered years ago that the RCA jacks tack straight into the A/V port and there was otherwise nothing special about them. I can buy a boxed Playstation for $25 now. Why are these people still spending $100+? God audiophiles are dumb. [img]http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/3808/img2741t.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] wow that setup looks amazing
[QUOTE=Ninja Duck;41120829]I'll go with M-Audio then, thanks.[/QUOTE] It took me long enough, I just ordered M-Audio BX5 D2's off Amazon, with a 3.5 to dual 1/4 cable. Last week it said 10 left, then 5, and I saw there were only 2 left tonight so I finally went for it. Now I can't wait to get them in, I'm going to pump up the jams and end up annoying everyone in my house. One hour I'll be playing metal and the next I'll be playing classical or jazz. It'll definitely make my room more lively...I've been using headphones for over a year now but I've missed using speakers the whole time. Headphones become a nuisance quickly when you realize how much you get up or spend time on the other side of the room :v:
[t]http://i.cubeupload.com/0wGfw3.jpg[/t] I'll make stands for them at some point, and I'm borrowing the monitor until I replace my dead one, but damn these are good. VERY good. First song I played on them was Bestrafe Mich, I'm happy. Now I'll just need a good subwoofer...
I've been following this thread for a bit, as I'm trying to get into home setup of different kinds for sound. Does anyone have any great place to reading more technical about all this? I'm still fairly new and don't know that much to pick the right amplifier for the right speakers, and I would love to be able to do this properly. Mostly talking about great stereo setup for PC and surround sound setup for home cinemas. [editline]11th August 2013[/editline] Also which brands are good to choose (Both modern and old ones) and such.
Ok guys, I hope this is the right place for this, but I need new computer speakers. I know nothing about speakers, but this is what I've got now [url]http://www.amazon.com/Altec-Lansing-221-Amplified-Speaker/dp/B000068IGQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top[/url] and they've been pretty good to me over the past several years. So, I'd love to get something comparable to those, or better (depending on the price). Anybody have any recommendations? [editline]11th August 2013[/editline] How would something like this compare? [url]http://www.bestbuy.com/site/klipsch-promedia-2-1-speaker-system-3-piece-black/9382232.p?id=1218095770265&skuId=9382232[/url]
I've got a Marantz 170DC and a couple of decent Sony studio speakers which I'm bringing to my apartment next week. I really don't listen to music very loud, but in the chance that I do (and I know I can) I don't want to upset my upstairs neighbors. Are there any inexpensive sound dampening solutions I can apply to my ceiling?
My friend is looking into purchasing a headset with a microphone for in-game chat. He's not a sound nut or anything, mostly he just wants something that won't have to be replaced any time soon, and will produce decent sound. His budget is $30 which is a little flexible either way (especially lower). We are looking into this right now, since it has the bestseller award on amazon: [url]http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Stereo-Gaming-Headset-TM-YB100A/dp/B001FY7LBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376507508&sr=8-1&keywords=gaming+headset[/url] Is there something better he could get?
[QUOTE=flayne;41837911]My friend is looking into purchasing a headset with a microphone for in-game chat. He's not a sound nut or anything, mostly he just wants something that won't have to be replaced any time soon, and will produce decent sound. His budget is $30 which is a little flexible either way (especially lower). We are looking into this right now, since it has the bestseller award on amazon: [url]http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Stereo-Gaming-Headset-TM-YB100A/dp/B001FY7LBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376507508&sr=8-1&keywords=gaming+headset[/url] Is there something better he could get?[/QUOTE] try the headphone thread
Since this thread has been bumped I might as well post a picture of my HI-FI (Or starring it, I'm reusing a picture from post your desk because my phone is tethered to my PC at the moment because my Ethernet cable broke) [t]http://i.imgur.com/9PbL8tz.jpg[/t] This HI-FI used to belong to my brother before he moved out, it stayed in my room for a while after but was moved out because it wasn't technically mine. It fallen out of use after that and asked if I could have it back. Unfortunately they didn't treat it well as you can see as the dials on the Unit itself have fallen off. I'm probably going to replace the whole system at some point in the future because of the damage mentioned and the fact that the speakers sound a bit flat compared to my Grado headphones.
So I tried a rather unscientific experiment when messing with my equalizer. [url]http://www.audiocheck.net/testtones_hearingtestaudiogram.php[/url] I went to this page and tried to calibrate it in accordance to the test file as closely as I could with the EQ set to default flat. Then, I took the 10 dBHL test file and listened closely for each range. If I couldn't hear a tone, I turned the EQ up for that specific range until I could just barely hear it. I repeated this for every range and wound up with this. [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7333627/ShareX/2013-08/14-14.png[/img] Is this a smart approach to setting EQ or is it just BS to do for fun?
[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;41861814]So I tried a rather unscientific experiment when messing with my equalizer. [url]http://www.audiocheck.net/testtones_hearingtestaudiogram.php[/url] I went to this page and tried to calibrate it in accordance to the test file as closely as I could with the EQ set to default flat. Then, I took the 10 dBHL test file and listened closely for each range. If I couldn't hear a tone, I turned the EQ up for that specific range until I could just barely hear it. I repeated this for every range and wound up with this. -eq image- Is this a smart approach to setting EQ or is it just BS to do for fun?[/QUOTE] As far as I've tested with Realtek HD audio driver's equalizer, it tends to use limiting/compression when the sound peaks. But yours looks quite different to mine (the skin is fancier). I wouldn't use software equalizer, at least not this one. Realtek audio software tends to be awful on my side. Also your EQ settings are pretty extreme, usually this is not recommended.
I'm asking more about the theory behind my actions than I am the particular methods as a matter of interest.
Oh, it's pretty clever I suppose. I would say you should listen to an acoustic track and see if it sounds realistic, but the compression from the extreme EQ probably fucks it up.
[QUOTE=Martti010;41862179]Oh, it's pretty clever I suppose. I would say you should listen to an acoustic track and see if it sounds realistic, but the compression from the extreme EQ probably fucks it up.[/QUOTE] Well the way I figure it it wouldn't sound very realistic because it would be compensating for natural hearing deficiencies in my physiology after all of the crazy distortion introduced by the EQ. In a way, it would be a silly "augmented hearing".
Forgot this thread existed! I'm in the process of moving into my apartment so pictures don't exist yet, but here is my setup. I dubbed it the [I]"super cheap-ass broke college student system that's not completely shit"[/I]. Everything was purchased in the last month so it's all fairly new. [B]Speakers[/B] 2 x [URL="http://www.hifiengine.com/library/acoustic-research/ar-11.shtml"]Acoustic Research 11[/URL]'s - Free (already owned) 2 x [URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008NCD2LG/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item"]Pioneer SP-BS22[/URL] - $120 1 x [URL="http://www.monoprice.com/Product/Index?p_id=8248"]Monoprice "8 Inch 60-Watt Powered Subwoofer"[/URL] - $60 [B]Headphones[/B] [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-770-PRO-250-ohms/dp/B0006NL5SM"]Beyerdynamic DR 770 Pro[/URL] - (already owned) [B]Microphone[/B] [URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QJREXM/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_ST1_dp_1"]Audio-Technica ATR2500-USB[/URL] - $50 [B]Amplifier[/B] [URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005D7SKWK/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_ST1_dp_1"]Topping TP30[/URL] - $90 [B]Turntables[/B] (Got both in a bundle deal on Craigslist for $40 total) [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Sony-PS-LX250H-Automatic-Belt-Drive-Turntable/dp/B00005T3XH"]Sony PS-LX250H[/URL] [URL="http://www.vinylengine.com/library/technics/sl-220.shtml"]Technics SL-220 [/URL] [B]Preamp[/B] [URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H2BC4E/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item"]Behringer PP400[/URL] - $20 Took two paychecks to save up the ~$400 to complete my setup (Before, I was using a hand-built prototype of an amp from a fairly well known company from the 80s and a Radio Shack brand mixing console as a pre-amp to run my turntables through my AR-11's :v:) I'm pretty pleased with how it sounds, can't wait to get it properly setup in my apartment next week.
i thought you were selling stuff and was excited :(
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