Speakers, DACs, & Amps - Thread - Our magical sound-making boxes.

[Gog & Magog]

We talk about speakers and accessories in this thread. So talk. I'll go first.
My PC speakers are nearly 20 years old and only yesterday did I learn what brand they belong to. They still sound nice despite being small and depending solely upon usb power.

 

[Stilgar of Troon]

My chain goes:

 

[reptile baht spaniard rid]

I use my screen's inbuilt speakers and/or my laptop speakers, or my airpods like a good little goy.

People have said getting "monitor speakers" is life-changing, but I dunno.

 

[Dawdler]

Monitor speakers are for production. Totally flat response on purpose, which makes music for consumers bland.

 

[JoseRaulChupacabra]

People have said getting "monitor speakers" is life-changing, but I dunno.

Depends on how much you value good audio.

Also, all good speakers are flat. If, for whatever reason you want some kind of bass emphasis, you can just EQ.

 

[JohnnyG]

I use my screen's inbuilt speakers and/or my laptop speakers, or my airpods like a good little goy.
People have said getting "monitor speakers" is life-changing, but I dunno.

A decent set (<$50) of bluetooth earbuds should make a world of difference in sound quality. If they fit your ears well, the passive noise cancelling alone will let you hear a lot more detail, without cranking them up, plus they'll work well on planes, doing yard work, etc. You can watch Slickdeals for $50-60 pairs marked down to $20-25 until you find one you like.

For PC speakers, if you're taking an analog signal (headphone jack) from the computer, it's sure to have hum and noise. Just moving to an external USB DAC/preamp means you're starting with a much cleaner source, and a cheap pair of active (amplified) monitors will sound fantastic.

Or you can go to something like the Adam D3V which takes a USB connection and combines the DAC, preamp, and amp in the speaker.

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

Monitor speakers are for production. Totally flat response on purpose, which makes music for consumers bland.

That's unbelievably retarded. If there were a particular frequency response curve that was inherently superior for listening, studio monitors would use that.

 

[JohnnyG]

That's unbelievably retarded. If there were a particular frequency response curve that was inherently superior for listening, studio monitors would use that.

It's like the active management vs. passive index fund debate: "most active money manager lose money, just buy the whole market" vs. "you'll never beat the market with ETFs, our secret sauce can".

In theory a loudspeaker is designed from the ground up to sound a certain way and enhances certain music in a positive way, vs. a monitor built for neutral mastering of a song that will be played across a number of different devices. But you can also buy a neutral/flat monitor for home listening, and EQ it to your heart's content.

 

[Dawdler]

That's unbelievably retarded. If there were a particular frequency response curve that was inherently superior for listening, studio monitors would use that.

Monitors are made for listening, mixing and processing music. They aren't made to enjoy it but to work on it.
Regular speakers have emphasized bass frequencies at very least, with some clarity around the voice frequencies if possible. High frequencies are mostly non existent and start to roll off at 5kHz or so.
There is a significant tradeoff in sound quality vs. market desirability. Monitors usually don't use bass reflex as it messes up the frequency response and phase in lower end.
Membrane material is different. On garbage audio you can use aluminium cones and piezzo tweeters, which sound like absolute crap, but they are very very loud and aim for maximum efficiency as amplifier power is limited since it is pricy.
Monitors go paper or for composite mix that dampens resonant frequencies of membranes, flat response is the name of the game here.

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

Membrane material is different. On garbage audio you can use aluminium cones and piezzo tweeters, which sound like absolute crap, but they are very very loud and aim for maximum efficiency as amplifier power is limited since it is pricy.
Monitors go paper or for composite mix that dampens resonant frequencies of membranes, flat response is the name of the game here.

Well now you're not arguing that a non-flat frequency response is better - you're just arguing that it's the best solution that can be achieved at a low price point.

In that case I agree with you, but it's a far cry from "our secret sauce response curve is superior for listening to music".

 

[Dawdler]

I never argued that.

 

[Baked Al-Aqsa]

You don't need anything more than these, you CHUDS.

Or something like that. Idc, I just like 'em bros...

 

[N Space]

A perceptually flat frequency response, usually chosen to be the Harman Curve, is much better than whatever blasphemous frequency response comes from the shitty design of a speaker because you can EQ to your heart's content the former but not the latter, moreover, it lets you listen music as the artist intended.

 

[Dawdler]

Harman isn't flat

 

[N Space]

Harman isn't flat

It's perceptually flat which is what matters.

 

[PovertySprocket]

A old man in the neighborhood died and all his stuff went straight to the curb. Scavenged a mint set of 70's Celestion Ditton Monitors and a Harman/Kardon receiver. The low frequencies are handled by a Quest powered subwoofer i got for $10 at a Pawn-Shop. That's been my setup for the last 15 years.

If you're supper ghetto, you can rig a car head unit to a ATX power supply. Car stuff is super cheap especially used.

 

[TheNazgulKing]

Speakers -- Klipsch Forte Is with upgraded titanium tweeters and Crites crossovers.
Amplification -- Tubedepot TubeCube 7
DAC -- Topping D30
Headphones -- Bose QuietComfort

Klipsch Heritage speakers really need tube amplification to keep them from becoming overly bright. And because they're so efficient, a 3.5 watt tube amp is more than enough to get the volume you need. I'm still dreaming of a vintage McIntosh 225, since Klipsch and McIntosh tube amps work famously well together.

 

[Gog & Magog]

I've been looking at buying new (or used) speakers lately. I'd like a little more depth when listening to videos and playing games. I bought some logitech but they sound too bassy and vocals too muddy. I've looked at used Edifiers, Miccas, and Presonus. I really don't want to have to buy a DAC too. I just want a solid pair of speakers with a little bass and clear highs. Knobs for bass or treble would be nice. And a volume knob on the front. And not too big or too expensive. And nothing outright hedious, so no RGB. My criteria may be a little too autistic.

 

[Brown People are Gross]

DAC - The cheapest Behringer one... Can't be bothered to look up the model.
IEMs - Truthear Hexa. Really shitty without EQ, flat and shockingly muffled. I use Steelseries Sonar and just leave them on 'Bright' setting for everything. The app itself is gamerslop with too many superfluous elements, but it is one of the more comprehensive EQs I've used.
AMP, Converter - Still don't know what these are used for. Does any DAC not have a built-in amplifier as is?

 

[Gog & Magog]

I've been thinking of building a 5.1 surround system, starting with a pair of speakers I own. Neither has a sub-out, however. Has anybody here built your own 5.1 system? How did that go? Are you still using it?