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qirex posted:Are these too big? https://www.fluance.com/powered-2-0-bluetooth-active-5-inch-bookshelf-speakers-bamboo Yeah, too big. I'm talking really small; I have KRK RP5s for proper sound at my desk. I just need good enough sounding small speakers to toss next to my projector (which has a 3.5mm out).
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May 15, 2020 00:55
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Wow, so I got a headphone dac off mercari and it completely fixed my issues. I was going from a USB soundcard style thing ( https://www.amazon.com/Signstek-Coa...ctronics&sr=1-1 ). USB -> Coax, USB to RCA etc. That unit could have been contributing but even with a rca splitter it sounded pretty similar. The "dac" ( https://www.amazon.com/Fosi-Audio-Converter-Headphone-Pre-Amplifier/dp/B07G28C7TS?th=1 ) makes a huge, noticeable difference. Oddities: the receiver has bluetooth. Nothing sounds as good as the pc out connected. TV/Kodi sounds good through HDMI but pc always sounded washed out through HDMI. Maybe its the tiny bit of preamp the headphone dac is feeding in?
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May 15, 2020 03:29
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space marine todd posted:Yeah, too big. I'm talking really small; I have KRK RP5s for proper sound at my desk. I just need good enough sounding small speakers to toss next to my projector (which has a 3.5mm out). I have gone through lots of audiophile poo poo in my proper stereos (several Magnepans, several B&W, Infinity Kappa, Dahlquist DQ20's, Thiel, more I can't remember for speakers, the good NAD stuff, Parasound, McIntosh, bunch more electronics, and a couple pairs of good powered studio monitors) and the $100 Bose Companions have been staples on my computer this whole time without many real complaints other than some hiss. They work pretty well regardless of positioning or what you're feeding them plus they look nice with no visible LEDs and have great connectivity (dual RCA inputs that are mixed in at the same time). I can't recommend them enough for situations when you want Just Some Speakers. If you want to spend more and have a remote, the Bose MusicMonitors are less than half the size and are legitimately fuckin' amazing as long as you realize Bose is playing tricks with your brain to make them sound the way they do. I demo'd them for a few weeks during my dubstep phase, the psycho-acoustic tricks they pull are crazy. Side note: I don't particularly like other Bose stuff, their reputation has been earned over the years and only their stuff that uses DSP sounds good to me. RIP Paul Walker fucked around with this message at 16:21 on May 16, 2020 |
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May 16, 2020 16:16
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space marine todd posted:Yeah, too big. I'm talking really small; I have KRK RP5s for proper sound at my desk. I just need good enough sounding small speakers to toss next to my projector (which has a 3.5mm out). They've fallen out of favor for whatever reason, but I still like my Audioengine A2s and they have em in their refurb store for around $200.
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May 17, 2020 05:05
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powderific posted:They've fallen out of favor for whatever reason, but I still like my Audioengine A2s and they have em in their refurb store for around $200. Yeah, I’ve noticed that. Did that just happen here or has that happened more broadly? I really like my B2, which is basically two A2s stuck together. Honestly I appreciate that the Audioengine stuff isn’t DSP’d all to hell like some other brands.
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May 17, 2020 09:30
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space marine todd posted:Yeah, too big. I'm talking really small; I have KRK RP5s for proper sound at my desk. I just need good enough sounding small speakers to toss next to my projector (which has a 3.5mm out). Ok Comboomer posted:Yeah, I’ve noticed that. Did that just happen here or has that happened more broadly?  Anyway I just came to post about my A2s actually  . Been moving recently and upon unpacking and hooking up my older original A2 pair, the right speaker was really quiet. Not completely dead, but super quiet. Checked and re-stripped the speaker wire, tried different devices and input cables and what not and no difference. Found my cheap rear end Lepai amp from way back to test the speaker alone and it was fine.For a while I had a ghetto setup using the line output from the left to the Lepai amp for the right. Sound signature was a bit off but whatever, better than left channel only. I tried the treble/bass tweaking on the Lepai to get closer, but that added a delay or something that made them sound out of phase. Emailed Audioengine support asking what could be the cause thinking it might be the PSU, but they said it's unlikely and actually said (if I was comfortable with it) to open up the left speaker to check for loose connections. There's...not much to check for without ripping stuff apart, cause the pertinent stuff was behind some pretty well sealed off stuff. At this point I was like F it and just turned it into a regular passive speaker. Ripped out the amp parts, connected the external speaker plugs to the speaker wire inside, and did a ghetto job covering up the holes on the back plate. Now they're both being run by the Lepai 
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May 17, 2020 11:57
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I bought a pair of JBL 305p MkII monitors. God help me.
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May 17, 2020 12:03
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Star Man posted:I bought a pair of JBL 305p MkII monitors. God help me. Do you guys power yours off every day? Do you power them off individually, or from the power supply/main/surge protector/etc? Right now I dutifully power mine off when they aren’t in use, each one powered off individually via the switch on the back. It’s a real pain, requiring me to snake my hand between my display and my right speaker and I really hate it. If I could just shut them off via the same switch I use to power off my mixer that would be super duper.
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May 17, 2020 12:41
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I don't have them yet I should by Thursday. Though that's a habit I should practice. My Creative speakers turn themselves off after a while of no use as a power saving measure. I understand the point of it, but it drives me loving nuts because sometimes I have to open up the volume dial in Windows and just move it around to get a sound to play to wake up the speakers. The connection is only through a 3.5 mm phone jack, so it's impossible to turn it off. They're otherwise totally fine speakers.
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May 17, 2020 12:48
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japtor posted:I think below a certain size it's slim pickings for nicer 2.0 speakers, it basically feels like it's basically A2s by default cause they sound decent enough and put well together and look nice. I've found various other similar looking ones when I've looked on Amazon over the years from random brands (at least random to me) but basically have no clue about the quality so eh. Internet audiophiles poo poo on things that don't measure ruler flat. Audioengines also occupy that weird price spot where their competitors tend to be $50-100 cheaper.
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May 17, 2020 13:08
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I asked about Audioengine HD3s in this thread last year and the response was very negative towards them. I still haven't bought speakers yet, since I've had other budget priorities but I'll probably buy soonish. There is some stuff that seems great on paper (the iLouds were recommended in this thread last time for eg) but I just hate the way they look. Is Edifier decent or garbage? their stuff seems super cheap, which is a red flag to me, but at the same time they have the 'traditional hifi gear' aesthetic that I want.
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May 17, 2020 13:25
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Ok Comboomer posted:Do you guys power yours off every day? Do you power them off individually, or from the power supply/main/surge protector/etc? I turn them off individually every time I shut down my pc. I would leave them on as they do have an automatic power saving mode but they make a coil whine like noise in that mode so that's not okay. Really want to replace them with something that has the same sound but without amp hiss or the sound I just described.
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May 17, 2020 13:34
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This is where the UK's ubiquitous power-switches-on-wall-sockets are so useful. My three monitors and speakers are all fed off a single 4 socket extension lead, so I just need to flick a single switch when I'm not sat at the PC.
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May 17, 2020 13:57
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Ok Comboomer posted:Yeah, I’ve noticed that. Did that just happen here or has that happened more broadly? Yeah, I think they sound totally fine for their size, but they don’t measure particularly well and I think people got excited about the 305s, which do measure really well and often cost the same or less. The problem being that they are actually kinda big and won’t work in a lot of people’s desk setups (definitely won’t work for me.) I think people probably have trouble recommending the A2s cause the 305s are so much better and you’re making a big compromise for the sake of size / aesthetics. But sometimes that’s a compromise you’ve gotta make and I’m not sure what a better option there is.
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May 17, 2020 17:14
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Sininu posted:I turn them off individually every time I shut down my pc. I would leave them on as they do have an automatic power saving mode but they make a coil whine like noise in that mode so that's not okay. Yeah same, mine are in my bedroom so it’s a no-go Pablo Bluth posted:This is where the UK's ubiquitous power-switches-on-wall-sockets are so useful. My three monitors and speakers are all fed off a single 4 socket extension lead, so I just need to flick a single switch when I'm not sat at the PC. Could I do that from like a power strip or a switch plug? Ideally I’d have a nice rack and a unified PSU to power everything on/off but my inexpensive method works for my Soundcraft mixer, which otherwise doesn’t have its own power switch.
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May 17, 2020 17:54
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powderific posted:Yeah, I think they sound totally fine for their size, but they don’t measure particularly well and I think people got excited about the 305s, which do measure really well and often cost the same or less. The problem being that they are actually kinda big and won’t work in a lot of people’s desk setups (definitely won’t work for me.) I think people probably have trouble recommending the A2s cause the 305s are so much better and you’re making a big compromise for the sake of size / aesthetics. But sometimes that’s a compromise you’ve gotta make and I’m not sure what a better option there is. It’s a night and day difference between the two size-wise. If I need speakers for like a desk at work or shared home office, or to pair with a smaller TV in a tight space, I’m definitely going with A2s over the 305s. The B2 in its entirety is smaller than one 305. Personally, I wonder how much of it was the effect of companies like Fluance and Edifier getting into the low-cost powered speaker game recently. I also feel like audio fads come in waves. Audioengine got really popular and recommended about a decade ago (I remember because I got my dad a pair of P4s that he still uses), and then Schiit got super popular, and then everybody decided Schiit was garbage, and then Massdrop changed their name and made a THX amp and a bunch of poo poo people really want, and now I guess people think Schiit is good again too but with some reservations.....
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May 17, 2020 18:04
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Alright, I need someone to please help pull me out of this well. Now that I've gone from 0% to 100% WFH, I am looking for a better way to connect my LSR305s to my PC than the 3.5mm to TS breakout that I've been using, much like the discussion on the last page. I was hoping to get something with a USB interface and balanced outputs and spend up to $300 for the DAC plus a standalone passive volume knob (if necessary). I never use headphones, so I think I don't need any amplification stage, and my audio collection is at most CD quality. My plan for a while had been to get the FocusRite Scarlett Solo and just not use the microphone input, but I now see that there are a number of similar products (Steinberg UR22, Behringer UMC202HD, Motu M2, etc.) Is one of these a reasonable choice and better than the others? The price seems right, but am I giving up anything that a non-audiophile would notice? I also came across the Drop Standard Balanced DAC and the SMSL SU-8. The former won't ship for 3 months and with the latter I worry about the extra features/complexity breaking or getting in the way. Any votes for these or suggestions of products I've totally missed that would fit the bill? I saw the Schiit reference and looked through their products, but it seemed balanced output was only on the pricier stuff.
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May 17, 2020 18:09
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Ok Comboomer posted:Do you guys power yours off every day? Do you power them off individually, or from the power supply/main/surge protector/etc? ChineseBuffet posted:Alright, I need someone to please help pull me out of this well. Now that I've gone from 0% to 100% WFH, I am looking for a better way to connect my LSR305s to my PC than the 3.5mm to TS breakout that I've been using, much like the discussion on the last page. I was hoping to get something with a USB interface and balanced outputs and spend up to $300 for the DAC plus a standalone passive volume knob (if necessary). I never use headphones, so I think I don't need any amplification stage, and my audio collection is at most CD quality.
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May 17, 2020 19:59
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Regarding the power talk; you can get power strips that have a master outlet, when it senses the device attached to that outlet has turned off, it will then shut off power to the slave outlets. https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/product/surge/advanced-power-strips/csht1208tnc2g/
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May 17, 2020 22:18
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Flipperwaldt posted:If you're just after the outputs, they'll all do superbly fine, so you can shop for aesthetics and price. OK, so do I not need to be obsessing about the quality of the DACs in the various options? I felt like I was on the precipice of a very deep rabbit hole.
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May 17, 2020 22:37
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ChineseBuffet posted:OK, so do I not need to be obsessing about the quality of the DACs in the various options? I felt like I was on the precipice of a very deep rabbit hole.
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May 17, 2020 23:16
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powderific posted:Yeah, I think they sound totally fine for their size, but they don’t measure particularly well and I think people got excited about the 305s, which do measure really well and often cost the same or less. The problem being that they are actually kinda big and won’t work in a lot of people’s desk setups (definitely won’t work for me.) I think people probably have trouble recommending the A2s cause the 305s are so much better and you’re making a big compromise for the sake of size / aesthetics. But sometimes that’s a compromise you’ve gotta make and I’m not sure what a better option there is. ...although for whatever reason reading this thread tonight made me want to look into a sub for them. I actually got a PSW10 a while ago and it's fine for me performance wise, but totally overkill in size and thump, and recently moved to a smaller room so it'd be even more excessive. Got me wondering if, like the A2s, there's a similarly tiny sub that might go better with them. There's a decent chunk of 6/6.5" options, although it seems like the majority are nicer ones way out of my cheapskate range. Then I saw this 5" Fostex one  . Whatever reviews I can find are positive, if realistic about limitations of the size. Hell even saw one guy saying he paired it with his A2s! It's feeling like another case of "no one else is making anything this tiny and I'm right in that stupid niche that wants it." Not that it's horribly expensive or anything, at $150 it seems like one of the only ≤ 6.5" options that costs less than the A2s themselves, other than the ~$100 PSW6 (or car subs). I was also thinking pretty much...any 5" regular speaker would work as well if I'm looking at that size, but this has the convenience of crossover and stuff built in.Irony of all this being that I originally got the A2s cause I wanted a 2.0 system
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May 18, 2020 13:12
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japtor posted:Yeah that's basically where I was coming from when I just gave up and settled on them. Bought off their refurbished store to save a chunk which helped, still pricey but been happy with them for my usage so I can't complain. There’s also an Audioengine sub that’s supposedly designed to go with them/A5s if you wanna pay for it. That Fostex mini sub looks cool tho. There are some really neat Dayton Audio-based guides out there for 5” and even 4” DIY subs that look super fun, and apparently perform really well, as projects if you’re handy.
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May 18, 2020 13:27
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The sub is too big?  Just turn it down 
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May 18, 2020 14:35
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Wibla posted:The sub is too big? True, but that poo poo takes up floorspace.
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May 18, 2020 16:39
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Does anyone have any experience with Edifier speakers?
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May 18, 2020 17:00
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The PSW 10 is about as small as you can go and still have decent low end. I use mine as a foot rest under my desk. Maybe do that.
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May 18, 2020 17:01
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I recently spent some time researching/putting together a relatively inexpensive home office solution and had some tips if anyone is curious. In the current world where so many people are looking for a home office upgrade, I figured this might help some people. One of the most important single qualities of getting good audio out of a home desk setup is a large desk. For years I just used JBL 305s on speaker stands, because my desk was too small, and it was really ugly and lame. My new larger desk, an Ikea Karlsby, was less than $200 and has a ton of space for good speakers. Honestly I can't believe I waited this long to get an actual appropriate desk. For a couple hundred, this was a no brainer. For people who do have the room or are willing to invest in it, my desk audio recommendation is the JBL Studio 530, all day. These are amazing, amazing horn speakers for the money. You can get them for $280 a pair refurb, which is an outrageous steal. The last $280 sale happened less than a month ago. Check out Slickdeals for more info on these sales, which JBL runs regularly. Side Note: The studio 580 and 590s are also some of the best value in audio and super regularly go on sale too, but they're full towers. I own the 580s in an OLED gaming setup and they are super great, but outside of the scope of this desk solution. For DAC/Amp I ended up with the Modi 3 along with a Fosi Audio amp off Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076P2VS9H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You'll need an amp to drive the Studios, as they are not powered, and you'll need an amp that accepts banana connectors. This cheap piece of equipment fit the bill just fine. Horn speakers are extremely efficient, so nothing crazy is needed here. And since we're talking about desk solutions, space is important. I didn't want to run a full-size amp in my home office. Entire price List: Studio 530 speakers $280 Ikea Desk $200 Modi 3 $120 Fosi amp $70 Total out the door price including giant awesome desk: $670 Speaker setup alone: $470 Sure this isn't the cheapest setup ever but every single component was set up to be cost effective, and the end result is fantastic. I also modded the desk a little. Installed a pull out drawer on the left, and a hanging headphone holder on the right.  KillHour posted:The PSW 10 is about as small as you can go and still have decent low end. I use mine as a foot rest under my desk. Maybe do that. I used to rock a PSW 10 and was honestly very unimpressed with it. Totally possible my unit was borked, but it just felt like "fake bass", I don't know how else to describe it. Faux bass. Very little of the hard-hitting bass I associate with a subwoofer, and more like... cheap boom qualities. phosdex posted:Regarding the power talk; you can get power strips that have a master outlet, when it senses the device attached to that outlet has turned off, it will then shut off power to the slave outlets. https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/product/surge/advanced-power-strips/csht1208tnc2g/ Wait people literally turned off their 305s every time? When I was using mine I don't think I ever once turned them off, it was fine 
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May 18, 2020 21:36
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Wibla posted:The sub is too big? Course cause I'm cheap and a packrat, decent chance I look for one of my old 2.1 setups and just hack up a sub to see how that sounds before buying a new toy
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May 18, 2020 23:31
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japtor posted:Yeah sound wise that's fine, I had it set pretty low iirc, but I can't exactly turn down the size of the box. Hell visualizing it under my desk it looks like it'd take a big rear end chunk of the available space so that's not super viable either. SVS has the solution for you. https://www.svsound.com/products/pc-2000-pro
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May 18, 2020 23:47
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Cross posting from the PC build thread as it was suggested I go here, along with a suggestion of "Creative Labs Pebble 2.0" speakers. My Father in Law is the antithesis of computer savvy despite using one daily for the last 20 years. I haven't had external speakers on my computer in close to 20 years. Hello fellow pc part pickers, I came to a funny realization today: I did not buy my father in law speakers for his computer. What are folks buying these days? His usage of them is Zoom, random news videos, and videos of the grandkids. He has a NUC10 I7 and a Dell Ultrasharp U271?? (the nice one, not the U2718Q but the one a resolution step down from that.) Need to have: Hardwired - no batteries, no bluetooths Physical volume knob in obvious spot No subwoofer / kickin bass Ideal / Nice to have: Powered off some existing bus, not a power brick "Clear voice" setting Power control is either integral to the volume knob, or is otherwise hidden away. No other knobs, buttons, or anything else for him to fiddle with lest he "reboot his computer" by pressing them.
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May 19, 2020 01:23
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The Lord Bude posted:Does anyone have any experience with Edifier speakers?
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May 19, 2020 10:41
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Pablo Bluth posted:They were mentioned a couple of pages back. I have a set of R1280T. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Thanks.
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May 19, 2020 12:18
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H110Hawk posted:Cross posting from the PC build thread as it was suggested I go here, along with a suggestion of "Creative Labs Pebble 2.0" speakers. My Father in Law is the antithesis of computer savvy despite using one daily for the last 20 years. I haven't had external speakers on my computer in close to 20 years. I don't think anything decent is going to be USB powered. Is a power cable that big of a problem?
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May 20, 2020 03:17
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ddogflex posted:I don't think anything decent is going to be USB powered. Is a power cable that big of a problem? There is totally going to be a market for usb-c powered speakers. Just need someone to make and market them. Edit: Morons would hook them up to their phones and drain the battery in 3.1 seconds though.
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May 20, 2020 04:58
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ddogflex posted:I don't think anything decent is going to be USB powered. Is a power cable that big of a problem? I don't believe I put decent in any of the requirements. USB-c would actually solve a problem. I'm out of ports on the nuc already.
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May 20, 2020 05:22
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The Lord Bude posted:Does anyone have any experience with Edifier speakers? Also have the 1280's, using them in a 300 sq/ft office and they blast, clean sound, but some people would want a sub. I like them but wish the volume didn't reset after power outages.
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May 20, 2020 06:21
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wormil posted:Also have the 1280's, using them in a 300 sq/ft office and they blast, clean sound, but some people would want a sub. I like them but wish the volume didn't reset after power outages. I was thinking off the S2000 MKIII; which seem to be bigger. What’s the deal with the volume resetting?
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May 20, 2020 08:46
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H110Hawk posted:USB-c would actually solve a problem. I'm out of ports on the nuc already. AFAIK, it doesn't exist. I was just musing that it would work in theory if it did.
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May 20, 2020 08:56
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KillHour posted:AFAIK, it doesn't exist. I was just musing that it would work in theory if it did. Yeah. It seems like a good high margin item you could sell to Mac users.
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May 20, 2020 15:13
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