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OMG, thank you for that last sentence. I couldn't even phrase the question. It makes total sense. Thanks!
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Mar 3, 2021 09:04
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Hope my diagram makes sense.
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Mar 3, 2021 09:18
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Diagram makes sense. It is pretty non-intuitive to connect to the positive and negative of each speaker to the two positive connections of the bridge mode amp. I guess it'll be pretty easy to figure out what the correct speaker configuration is at that point though. I've attached an image of the actual unit. 
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Mar 3, 2021 10:17
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KillHour posted:You were planning on an amp, right? You can't just hook the turntable up to passive speakers. Yeah sorry, I was actually looking at the cheaper Denon PMA600NE because of its dedicated analogue mode, but I didn't know if this was a gimmick. So how about pairing one of those Denons to a Pro-ject Debut Carbon?
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Mar 3, 2021 14:21
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Wachter posted:Yeah sorry, I was actually looking at the cheaper Denon PMA600NE because of its dedicated analogue mode, but I didn't know if this was a gimmick. That would be nice. There’s no secret sauce about pairing one component with another, sound-wise. The stereo receiver has a phono stage, so you could choose a turntable with or without a built in pre amp. A lot of current gen stereo and AV receivers have that too, though, so you might be able to poke around and find something used or refurbished model of something or other that has the features you want. You can use an AV receiver as a stereo if you don’t mind the typical bulk.
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Mar 3, 2021 14:36
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All analog signal path is meaningless, IMO, modern hardware is silent and transparent on conversion and vinyl only has like 70dB of dynamic range anyway. That said those Denons are perfectly good, around that price range maybe also look at the Cambridge AXR85, Yamaha RN303 or NAD C316.
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Mar 3, 2021 16:58
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edited to post it in the dumb audiophile thread.
Yuns fucked around with this message at 17:21 on Mar 3, 2021 |
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Mar 3, 2021 17:15
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Wachter posted:Yeah sorry, I was actually looking at the cheaper Denon PMA600NE because of its dedicated analogue mode, but I didn't know if this was a gimmick. Everything being recommended is good. The Denons, the Yamaha RN303, Cambridge Audio, NAD, etc. All good. Pick whatever has the playback options you want and fits your aesthetic sense. If you don't like the modern black+LCD look, Yamaha also has a line of integrated amps (for you I'd recommend the AS-501) that trade some built in connectivity options for (supposedly) much nicer sounding internal components and a really attractive IMO vintage look. You can get them in black and silver, which you really can't say about the other options. You'd have to add a bluetooth receiver for anywhere from $20-$70 depending on features but that's pretty minimal in my book. The Project Debut Carbon is good, but it's fiddly IMO (not too fiddly, but it is fiddly) compared to a lot of the competition. Again, look at ProJect, look at Audio Technica, (probably also look at the Pioneer PLX500), maybe look at Fluance and Uturn if they sell in your area, it's all good. Competition at the <$1000 is very fierce, nobody on this list makes an outright bad product.
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Mar 3, 2021 21:04
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I've spent a bit of time with the Yamaha integrated amps and would absolutely recommend them as well. I particularly like that they include a loudness control, which is really, really nice for listening at low volumes. I use a Raspberry Pi as a bluetooth/AirPlay receiver. When I first set it up I had to restart it fairly often because it would stop connecting to AirPlay, but an update to the distribution I used fixed that. I haven't had any issues with it for nearly a year now.
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Mar 3, 2021 21:14
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Also- I'm gonna throw in a plug for IOTAVX since you appear to be British, and they're a small UK company doing direct-to-consumer business. I think the only thing it doesn't also have built in is wireless/bluetooth, but again--you can choose from a bunch of external gear at this point. For ~$400 you get "only" 50 WPC which is still going to be plenty for your needs (also don't overthink the difference between like 50/65/85/100 WPC at your price point, a 100 WPC-boasting amp that costs $300 isn't really a huge positive in my book when thinking about what corners needed to be possibly cut to make that power rating vs, say, a 65 WPC amp at the same price, or even a more premium 65 WPC amp that costs 2 or 3 or 5x as much. Hegel makes 50 WPC amps that cost like four grand. Anyway if you still find it making too little power (doubtful, but maybe you upgrade your speakers to something super inefficient one day) it has a sibling power amp that stacks underneath it and plugs in, doubling the power to 100 WPC. They're both pretty narrow boxes so the stack looks quite smart and striking IMO. Definitely a bit more interesting and off the beaten path than going with Yamaha, Denon, etc. I believe they do home tryouts.
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Mar 3, 2021 21:28
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Read somewhere that IOTAVX is the result of a failed relaunch of the Nakamichi brand.
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Mar 3, 2021 21:51
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qirex posted:Read somewhere that IOTAVX is the result of a failed relaunch of the Nakamichi brand. Yeah, apparently they were gonna buy the name/IP and then the holding company that owns Nak backed out or something like that?
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Mar 3, 2021 22:24
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E: double phone postin'
Wachter fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Mar 3, 2021 |
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Mar 3, 2021 23:29
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OK wow, there are a lot more options than I thought. This setup is going in an old writing desk so maybe the glossy black robot stuff like the Carbon isn't the best look. Thanks allOk Comboomer posted:Also- I'm gonna throw in a plug for IOTAVX since you appear to be British, and they're a small UK company doing direct-to-consumer business. Which model is this now?
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Mar 3, 2021 23:32
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Wachter posted:Which model is this now? https://www.iotaenterprises.co.uk/products/iotavx-audiophile-stereo-amplifier-sa3 currently on sale for £399 https://www.iotaenterprises.co.uk/products/iotavx-audiophile-power-amplifier and here’s its brother (£299) that it can smartly sit on top of. https://www.iotaenterprises.co.uk/products/bluetooth-adaptor-including-aptx-streaming-in-the-highest-quality and here’s the Bluetooth dongle that apparently plugs into the special port on the back (£35) https://www.iotaenterprises.co.uk/products/iotavx-np3-pre-order and here’s a network streamer/Bluetooth/CD player/digital FM radio that you can preorder for £450 to have a really nice complete setup. Not vintage looking in the slightest, but sleek+contemporary in a good way. Everybody loves cool stacks
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Mar 4, 2021 00:06
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I've spent this morning trying to find a new amp and I think I need a little help. I got a ps5, which means I have to get rid of my old denon e-300. It was a cheap amp that served my needs at the time, long overdue a replacement anyway. Its powering a set of stereo floor standing speakers only, via optical in. I don't use hdmi or the apps. I would like the new one to have bluetooth, to make it much easier to play music from phones without going through the tv. And because of the space constraints, it has to be 9 inches wide, and I'd like it to be below $500, but I'm flexible for something that I'd keep forever if it's a really good buy - within a year I'd like to upgrade the speakers - I'd probably spend around $1500 on them when I do, but haven't picked anything yet. Don't see myself ever moving to 5.1, I'm a stereo guy. I saw the NAD D 3020 - seems kind of ideal but I read a few reviews saying the power output was crap and they needed to upgrade to the $750 model cubicle gangster fucked around with this message at 17:45 on Mar 6, 2021 |
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Mar 6, 2021 17:14
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There’s some sub-$200 compact amps from brands like SMSL, Topping and Dayton. I don’t think they’ll sound amazing but they’ll work. As you’ve probably seen, almost everything upmarket from those is full size component size. You’re almost at the point where you could get a DAC/preamp from one of the above brands and something meaty like a Hypex DIY amp. It is funny to imagine a situation where you have room for a PS5 but not an amplifier, unless the giant console took up all the room.
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Mar 6, 2021 18:58
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The “smart audio buy” Rule of Thumb (lol) says that you should aim to spend somewhat similar amounts of money on your speakers (the most important part of your setup) and amp (the second most important part) and that 60/40 speakers/amp is a good ratio to aim for. You can absolutely break that rule, but the hobbyists that really do it well tend to know what they’re doing, or at least have enough familiarity/working experience to know how to experiment and gently caress around. High sensitivity speakers will generally always pair well with amps of both high and low output but low sensitivity speakers will almost always want wattage in order to perform well. It’s always also advisable to buy an amp for the speakers that you have or are planning to add. If your goal is to add a pair of Magnepans next year, for instance, then spending $1k on a 4 watt tube amp right now isn’t going to help you vs spending that same money on some entry-level monoblocks.
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Mar 6, 2021 19:11
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qirex posted:It is funny to imagine a situation where you have room for a PS5 but not an amplifier, unless the giant console took up all the room. That's exactly the issue... my ps4 sits comfortably alongside the denon. ps5 isn't here yet, arrives in April, but it will not fit, at all. Switching to an amp that's 9 inches wide or less gives ample clearance around it for airflow too. The denon and full size amps tend to be 16-17 inches wide. The DIY one is cool but it doesn't have optical in. i found this too - https://www.psaudio.com/products/sprout100-integrated-amplifier/ Which is apparently very good, but a little more than I was hoping to spend. I currently have the acoustech PL-89 (first revision) but i'd also make sure the amp can comfortably drive a upgrade a few years from now too.
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Mar 6, 2021 19:17
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They finally have the Monoprice Monolith's back in stock in the UK and I only just realised I don't actually know if they can handle the 220v the UK has. Does anyone know?
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Mar 6, 2021 19:47
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Ok Comboomer posted:The “smart audio buy” Rule of Thumb (lol) says that you should aim to spend somewhat similar amounts of money on your speakers (the most important part of your setup) and amp (the second most important part) and that 60/40 speakers/amp is a good ratio to aim for. My current speakers were $500 for the pair... so the $300 denon was solid. I'd guess my future upgrade will be between 1200-1500 for the speakers... so I should be looking at $700 for the amp. That puts the sprout100 as a sensible option - anyone have experience with them? The specs seem like they should be a good pick, but some of this is over my head. edit: doing some research.. the dali oberon 5's look like a good set of speakers for my future upgrade. Would the sprout100 drive them fine? Every review of it I've seen has it powering bookshelf speakers, but it might just because the size lends itself to that usage? cubicle gangster fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Mar 6, 2021 |
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Mar 6, 2021 19:51
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cubicle gangster posted:My current speakers were $500 for the pair... so the $300 denon was solid. I'd guess my future upgrade will be between 1200-1500 for the speakers... so I should be looking at $700 for the amp. Sprout’s fine, it’s a good Class D amp by a good company. You could probably get more power and do more poo poo with separates/other gear if you wanted it, or you could get less power and probably also be fine. It’s all good. Everything is good. Also don’t get super duper hung up on whether it has built in optical or not. A good small DAC is like $100.
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Mar 6, 2021 21:39
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Not quite sure if this is the right thread, but does anybody have a recommendation for a good bluetooth controller for music that I can use with my phone? My last MP3 player finally busted and I'm ready to move on to 2015 and just use my phone for music, but I need tactile buttons.
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Mar 7, 2021 04:53
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Back again, another hopefully quick question. Whole different setup. I feel like how I have my setup now may be irrelevant, but I’ll explain here anyway. Right now, I have AudioEngine A2+s plugged into a big ole component switch box via RCA. The box accepts inputs from a bunch of different devices, then I pick one and it then outputs it to the aforementioned speakers. However, I kinda want to add headphones to this setup. On the A2, the input has the RCA cable, output is open and the aux input is open. Image just for reference:  Unlike some cheaper speakers I’ve had in the past, it doesn’t have the headphone jack on the front of the speakers that would essentially solve this problem. Could I just plug the headphones into the output port(s) using some sort of RCA to aux adapter? Would that make the headphone audio override the audio out of the speakers themselves? If not, what device would I need? Would I need more than whatever is included with that device?
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Mar 7, 2021 06:21
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Those outputs are for a sub and aren’t going to mute the speakers. To do what you want you need something before the speakers in the chain. Either a preamp replacing your rca box or between your rca box and the speakers.
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Mar 7, 2021 06:38
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powderific posted:Those outputs are for a sub and aren’t going to mute the speakers. To do what you want you need something before the speakers in the chain. Either a preamp replacing your rca box or between your rca box and the speakers. Should I be looking into headphone amps if I’m after small, basic setup stuff? Some are a bit more expensive than others (some labeled portable are like $30 but desktop ones are like $100).
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Mar 7, 2021 07:37
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LODGE NORTH posted:Should I be looking into headphone amps if I’m after small, basic setup stuff? Some are a bit more expensive than others (some labeled portable are like $30 but desktop ones are like $100). A headphone amp/pre is exactly what I’d recommend. Schiit audio is my go-to brand (Magni 3+ or Magni Heresy is probably what you want, maybe paired with a Sys and/or Modi for your inputs if you desire) but the rest are good too. I’d just stick the headamp in the chain right before the A2+ if you don’t want to rip out and replace the RCA splitter thing. It’ll also give you a nifty volume control for the speakers.
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Mar 7, 2021 08:24
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I'm willing to give in and admit what an obtuse knob I am for insisting all the music on my phone be flac, to be listened to mostly through my cars stock system-over bluetooth. Whats a good audio converter to bring down to mp3?
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Mar 7, 2021 19:32
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Audacity? It's free. On the other hand, space be cheap. I still can't believe that 1TB SD cards are a thing now.
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Mar 7, 2021 23:10
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codo27 posted:I'm willing to give in and admit what an obtuse knob I am for insisting all the music on my phone be flac, to be listened to mostly through my cars stock system-over bluetooth. Whats a good audio converter to bring down to mp3? LAME is the de facto standard mp3 encoder. You just need a gui to make it more convenient. On Mac I use XLD. It’s very easy and multithreaded so it’s very fast. Random google result for Windows is “winlame” but I can’t vouch for it. I’m sure there’s something. Don’t use Audacity for this. You want something that can do batch processing.
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Mar 7, 2021 23:16
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Ak Gara posted:Audacity? It's free. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089C3TZL9 While we're at it: https://www.newegg.com/gold-wd181kryz-18tb/p/N82E16822234420
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Mar 7, 2021 23:17
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KillHour posted:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089C3TZL9 Yeah but good luck putting those in your phone.  
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Mar 7, 2021 23:27
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eddiewalker posted:On Mac I use XLD. It’s very easy and multithreaded so it’s very fast. It’s so fun to see on a modern machine, that isn’t exactly a powerhouse, the progress bar on each track just fly up as it chews through an album in just a few seconds.
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Mar 8, 2021 00:17
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codo27 posted:I'm willing to give in and admit what an obtuse knob I am for insisting all the music on my phone be flac, to be listened to mostly through my cars stock system-over bluetooth. Whats a good audio converter to bring down to mp3? Foobar2000 has a good converter function built in, you just need to point it at the lame.exe or flac.exe or whatever file the first time you use it. It can do batch processing, sorting by tags into folders, all that stuff.
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Mar 8, 2021 00:29
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I still got like 30 gigs free on my phone but I'm getting to the point where I'm adding more flacs plus with all the photos and videos I take, its only a matter of time before it gets to be a problem. Next phone might be 256gb though. For what they cost they all oughta have 512gb onboard, the flagships anyway
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Mar 8, 2021 01:59
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cubicle gangster posted:My current speakers were $500 for the pair... so the $300 denon was solid. I'd guess my future upgrade will be between 1200-1500 for the speakers... so I should be looking at $700 for the amp. The Sprout has a kind of hilarious frequency response curve  source
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Mar 8, 2021 20:52
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Whenever I look at a review of an affordable speaker or amp, they show all these frequency response curves and are like "tut tut, look at this non zero percentage, how dissapointing", and then the conclusion and comments are like "Well, for 200 dollars, it's a great deal, and you can't really hear that kind of distortion anyway." Can anyone show some examples of where the sound quality is bad and reflected in the graph, and maybe a top end one with very high reproduction and maybe something in between? Yes, I guess I'm asking for a cliff notes meta study. Sorry!
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Mar 8, 2021 22:20
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[edit] You asked about distortion and not frequency response graphs
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Mar 8, 2021 22:56
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Either or!
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Mar 9, 2021 05:32
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Generally speaking, in broad terms, this speaker would have a bad frequency response. There's no bass below 100hz and there's a harsh sounding area around the 3k area and no detail in the higher frequencies. This is, in broad terms, a good speaker:  Bass is good from 50hz and is flat all the way up. It's not what I like though. My system has filters for a steady increase from 100hz to 10hz, flat from 100hz to 8k, then a slight down slope from 8k to 20k. This might be a good read as there's other factors such as noise floor and amp clipping etc https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/denon-avr-x3700h-avr-review.15031/
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Mar 9, 2021 10:46
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