trilobite terror posted:KEF Q150 are currently $300 a pair and are arguably the forums favorite right now. They come in three nice finishes, they pair well with vintage gear/design and contemporary spaces alike, equipment-agnostic and even skeptical or hostile partners tend to like (or at least tolerate) how they look—they’re pretty much the all-around winners IMO unless you want to spend more or you have a specific need in mind that these don’t meet. It's still boxed up rn so I cant get the number but I bought it on a closeout sale ~6 years ago, so probably an 8-9 yr old system at most. Worked fine as our main TV 5.1 setup in the last house, now we have a different setup that was left behind in the house for the TV that works fine and fits the space so I'm just moving it down to the library / bar area of the downstairs to be used when company is over or when I wanna spin some records while reading.
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Feb 23, 2025 21:37
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You could definitely use a raspberry pi to add bluetooth/airplay if you don't mind doing some setup on your own. You don't need anything fancy, you could even get away with a zero 2w and use the hdmi output.
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Feb 23, 2025 22:17
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Mederlock posted:Can you try the floor test and report back? I did manage to find some ~4in thick, very dense foam that came in the packing materials for my speaker. It's just big enough for me to put the gear on top of it, and it almost entirely eliminates the resonance. It's not the best looking solution but at least I can confirm that's what I'm hearing.
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Feb 24, 2025 19:04
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Wild. Terrible edge case setup obviously. Could you like, hang a shelf and put the table on that maybe?
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Feb 24, 2025 19:30
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mega dy posted:What is the floor test? Putting the stuff on the floor? Just the turntable yeah
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Feb 24, 2025 22:34
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mariooncrack posted:You could definitely use a raspberry pi to add bluetooth/airplay if you don't mind doing some setup on your own. You don't need anything fancy, you could even get away with a zero 2w and use the hdmi output. Mederlock posted:Just the turntable yeah
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Feb 25, 2025 00:10
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In the market for new speakers, temped to get floorstanding, would this be the place for that? If so, are there any worth looking at under $1k/pair? An idle search doesn't turn up much in the way of options to being with, but maybe something's out there.
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Mar 23, 2025 02:41
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Fantastic Foreskin posted:In the market for new speakers, temped to get floorstanding, would this be the place for that? Aesthetic and color/finish preferences? How big/wide/tall?
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Mar 23, 2025 05:21
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Anyone tried a combo of the Yamaha A-S701 with a pair of Elac Debut 3.0 bK63s? That what im getting later this year to replace my powered AudioEngine A5+s. I also have a Polk Audio 440 subwoofer to go into the new system. Anyone have any experience with the speakers or amplifier? Curious if the onboard DAC would sound better than my Schiit Modi or if the phono stage would sound better than my IFi Zen Phono. My turntable is a Fluance RT-85 for what it’s worth.
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Mar 23, 2025 05:53
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chaosapiant posted:Anyone tried a combo of the Yamaha A-S701 with a pair of Elac Debut 3.0 bK63s ? That what im getting later this year to replace my powered AudioEngine A5+s. I also have a Polk Audio 440 subwoofer to go into the new system. I would recommend spending $400 less on the amplifier and put that money into even better speakers, at least imo. Like the A-S501 for instance, especially since you already have discrete phono preamp and a DAC
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Mar 23, 2025 17:42
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Mederlock posted:I would recommend spending $400 less on the amplifier and put that money into even better speakers, at least imo. What would be a better set of speakers? Everything I’ve read suggests the Elac Debut 3.0s are one of the best choices in the <1k price range? I’ve considered the Kef LS50 Metas but I’ve read they are dependent on power and positioning to sound good, more so than other speakers. I like the idea of the 701 due to the increased power and the cd direct and pure direct modes.
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Mar 23, 2025 18:09
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chaosapiant posted:What would be a better set of speakers? Everything I’ve read suggests the Elac Debut 3.0s are one of the best choices in the <1k price range? Could you spend more than $1k on speakers? Or wait for the right deal on Accessories4Less, etc? Also you can get an A701 with a Yamaha warranty for $550-600 at A4L in both finish colors if you just sit tight (currently they've got the black in stock at $600, and the 801 in both finishes for $50-100 more, although I personally prefer the aesthetic of the Silver 701 without the extra LEDs and either connecting my own outboard/USB DAC or using the optical/coax on the 701. They're a Yamaha partner outlet so they get p much everything eventually and also extra deals during holidays, etc too). They're also a KEF partner. Q550 floorstanders at $1k/pair. Q7 Meta: $1500/pair, Q950: $1500/pair, LS50: $1K/pair, Q Concerto Meta: $1200/pair, R3 Meta $1800 (if you're thinking of spending LS50 money, I'd strongly consider these two models instead) Polk Reserve R600 (these are good) $1200/pair, Signature Elite ES60 $1098/pair They also have Focal, DefTech, etc if you really want to go up in price. For $1500 you can get the (regular, non-Super) Wharfedale Lintons without the stands ($1800 with the stands, but they always go on sale and you're usually able to find them for less than $1500 with the stands included several times throughout the year)
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Mar 23, 2025 18:30
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Technically I could go over $1k for speakers, but I’m trying to keep everything close to a grand. I don’t have the largest listening room in my house. Also, I’m aiming to purchase an A-S701 for $599, just keep eye open for open box deals. That way it’s new equipment with a warranty at a significant mark-down. The 701 and 801 are, I believe, identical specs wise except the 801 has a higher end DAC chip.
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Mar 23, 2025 18:43
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trilobite terror posted:Aesthetic and color/finish preferences? How big/wide/tall? Black/white/woodgrain are all fine. Preferably tall and skinny, for couch listening, but the room they'll be in isn't furnished yet (about to move), so if I do get anything I can work with / around whatever they look like.
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Mar 23, 2025 22:31
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Yeah Polk R500 or R600 or KEF on AC4L are a solid choice. Also Wharfedale is clearing out the Evo series and their Diamond speakers are really well regarded but both around $1300 right now. Other ideas: Revel Concerta F35 [on sale for $450/each at Crutchfield], HECO Aurora 700, Paradigm Monitor 6000F.
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Mar 24, 2025 15:43
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Q Concerto Meta would be my pick over the LS50. If you could swing the additional $500 for R3 Meta and you like the finishes + extra ~10% of performance it would be my pick just because the blue and the wood tone/gold finishes are both gorgeous and you’re buying “endgame”/“lifetime” speakers, but at $1200 the concertos are probably the best price/performance for a medium-or-smaller room
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Mar 24, 2025 19:15
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I bought some used DALI concept speakers for a few hundred bucks and they sound great
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Mar 25, 2025 03:42
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This isn't really the right thread but idk the best place to ask and I figure the overlap in here is more than good enough. I have a Denon AVR-S530BT receiver that I use for my turntable. I also use the FM radio on it fairly often. The unit came with a small wire antenna, and connects by just pushing into a coax FM antenna port on the back of the unit. The problem is I live in a very old and very thick brick walled Victorian so my FM reception is pretty rough. What options would I have to improve FM reception here? Moving the unit itself isn't really at all desirable, and the reception is good enough I only need a slight boost to probably make it work, so not really looking for some huge / expensive solution here if possible. Any thoughts?
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Mar 25, 2025 13:21
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Dipole antenna, 300-75 ohm balun.
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Mar 25, 2025 13:26
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minivanmegafun posted:Dipole antenna, 300-75 ohm balun. This is the way
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Mar 25, 2025 15:10
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Thanks all!
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Mar 25, 2025 16:23
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trilobite terror posted:Could you spend more than $1k on speakers? Or wait for the right deal on Accessories4Less, etc? How are the Kef Q350s? I'd like to keep any speakers I buy under $700 tops, for now. And these look pretty good, have excellent reviews, and seem to be frequently on sale for around $400 or so.
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Mar 26, 2025 03:10
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chaosapiant posted:How are the Kef Q350s? I'd like to keep any speakers I buy under $700 tops, for now. And these look pretty good, have excellent reviews, and seem to be frequently on sale for around $400 or so. They’re good, perversely I hear their smaller/cheaper siblings the Q150 are better somehow?
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Mar 26, 2025 18:38
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trilobite terror posted:They’re good, perversely I hear their smaller/cheaper siblings the Q150 are better somehow? Very nice! I think I may end up going with a set of Kef Q3 Metas. They review really well and I snag them for under $600.
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Mar 26, 2025 21:22
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After years of switching between various 40lb + integrated amps and power/preamp combos I've decided to go with a stealth system I can mostly hide on a bookshelf. Partially motivated by wanting something with bass management and room correction I picked up a wiim ultra and a REL sub to go with my Lintons and couldn't be happier.   Turntable into a Fosi x5 preamp into the wiim,USB out to a topping d50iii into 2x Fosi V3 mono amps via balanced TRS cable. I think I'm good with this system forever.
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Mar 27, 2025 03:23
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Good cookbook selection there too
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Mar 27, 2025 16:23
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What's the concensus on those smaller/cheaper Class D amplifiers like Fosi, Douk, SMSL, etc, vs the larger more traditional Class AB amps like Cambridge and Yamaha? Or a better question: If I wanted to go with a cheaper class D amplifier, what would I be losing in regards to sound quality? I've got my heart set on a Yamaha A-S701, but there's a good few SMSL amps that are half the price and appear to have more power.
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Mar 28, 2025 16:11
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class D is really really good these days. I guess the one characteristic I hear people say about them is that they are more "neutral" than A/B, but in my experience (NAD C368 and NAD T778) there is a lot more tonal clarity and a more present sound stage than my old 70s A/B could produce (granted it was a monster and I was using bookshelf speakers with it, so I probably never heard its true potential). It's probably going to be a matter of taste, so you should try and give both a listen if you can.
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Mar 28, 2025 16:23
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chaosapiant posted:What's the concensus on those smaller/cheaper Class D amplifiers like Fosi, Douk, SMSL, etc, vs the larger more traditional Class AB amps like Cambridge and Yamaha? There isn't any drawback anymore imo. I've switched to them from class A/B amps costing 10x the price and the little mono blocks are as good or better. I know distortion numbers aren't everything but the Fosi V3s at least are measuring incredibly well and will provide more than enough clean power to any speaker load Amplification is a solved problem, spend your money on speakers, music and room treatments.
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Mar 28, 2025 16:27
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large hands posted:After years of switching between various 40lb + integrated amps and power/preamp combos I've decided to go with a stealth system I can mostly hide on a bookshelf. Partially motivated by wanting something with bass management and room correction I picked up a wiim ultra and a REL sub to go with my Lintons and couldn't be happier. I was running a SMSL SU-1 DAC directly into it. mega dy fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Mar 28, 2025 |
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Mar 28, 2025 17:35
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mega dy posted:I see everyone switching to these monoblocks. I tried the stereo version of the Fosi V3 with the 48V power supply and found it really limp and lifeless compared to my entry-level class A/B amp - not just neutral, but flat in a bad way. Any chance you tried the stereo version first? I'm curious if using it in mono is a huge improvement. I didn't, I switched to the mono blocks from a Peachtree nova 300 and they're a small improvement over that noise-wise. I think the V3 stereo measured quite a bit worse for noise and power than the mono versions. I got the set with the 48v/10A brick with a splitter and noise filter.
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Mar 28, 2025 18:06
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Do they make less power if you run two off of one 48V PSU? Would two separate 48V power supplies make max power? I’m surprised “2 monoblocks + 2 48V power supplies” isn’t an option on the Fosi site
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Mar 28, 2025 18:18
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So since apparently Class D amps are sufficient nowadays, how would a SMSL AO200 MKⅡ work with something like the KEF Q3 Metas? Those are the speakers I'm kind of fixated on right now and want to make sure I get an amp that can bring out the best in these. I already have a Schiit Stack in my current setup so I don't need a DAC or Headphone amp or any of those other bells and whistles.
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Mar 28, 2025 18:37
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chaosapiant posted:So since apparently Class D amps are sufficient nowadays, how would a SMSL AO200 MKⅡ work with something like the KEF Q3 Metas? Those are the speakers I'm kind of fixated on right now and want to make sure I get an amp that can bring out the best in these. I already have a Schiit Stack in my current setup so I don't need a DAC or Headphone amp or any of those other bells and whistles. https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/smsl-updates-the-249-85w-160w-ao200-mk2-w-ma5332ms-chipset.47523/ seems noisy. If you already have the Schiit stack, why do you need another preamp? Use the schiit as your pre, maybe get a base Wiim and TOSlink or coax it into the Modi/whatever DAC you have for wireless and either go for the aforementioned Fosi monoblocks or stereo amp or thereabouts. Or, semi comedy option, get 1-2 Gjallarhorn to complete the Schiit set (optional forkbeard access on your phone to look at your amp’s performance and health seems cool, ngl) or a used Vidar for $500. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 19:12 on Mar 28, 2025 |
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Mar 28, 2025 19:01
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trilobite terror posted:Do they make less power if you run two off of one 48V PSU? Would two separate 48V power supplies make max power? I’m surprised “2 monoblocks + 2 48V power supplies” isn’t an option on the Fosi site If you buy one it comes with a 5 amp power supply, the combo comes with a 10 amp. Someone tested your theory here and didn't find any real difference. quote:Since I'm testing the dual-amp kit with single large power supply, I wondered what would happen if I used that 48V/10A brick to power one mono amplifier only without the cable splitter or included DC filter. Would we achieve any more power or lower distortion as compared to both channels driven?
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Mar 28, 2025 19:07
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FWIW I have an AIYIMA A07 Max with the 36V PSU. I used it in stereo mode. I'm not sure if it's defective or if I need a better PSU but it didn't feel very loud to me. I'm using a pair of Overnight Sensations and I had to put the amp about halfway to get a decent amount of loudness in a smaller room. I think I connected the A07 to a pair of SSCS5 and had the same issue. I've used a 90's Yamaha stereo receiver and a Dayton Audio HTA100 with the same speakers. Neither had an issue driving the speakers.
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Mar 28, 2025 19:17
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw2E9NlKfCg Erin doesn’t seem to be a fan, fwiw
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Mar 28, 2025 20:18
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trilobite terror posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw2E9NlKfCg I don't think anyone is particularly a fan of that one
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Mar 28, 2025 20:23
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I replaced a Luxman M02 and C02 with a Phono Box S2 and a Fosi Audio TB10D and they sound great. They're running a pair of AR91. The dude who bought my amps got mad at my speaker placement and then mad again when he saw what I was replacing the Luxman stuff while handing me $1200 so I won a few times that day.
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Mar 28, 2025 21:58
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you could also look at the Wiim amp, everybody seems to have gushed over it when it came out
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Mar 28, 2025 22:10
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