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powderific posted:You should check out that combo though, AudioEngine's wireless is reportedly fantastic and you won't have to worry about things like latency. And their design's are in a similar vein to some of the stuff you're already looking at. The Nocs NS2 look virtually identical to the Audioengine A2 (at least in the renderings on the Nocs site), aside from the extra color options. I wonder how they'll stack up sound wise.
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Sep 8, 2012 03:00
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powderific posted:I've never heard the A5's but friends that have them say they're great. The bamboo looks soooo nice too. They can pump out more volume and they have deeper bass response, and you get a volume knob on the front and USB charging port on the back. If you've got a bigger space it'd probably be worth it, but the A2's are still pretty great for such little speakers. I used them as my main system for a while during a move and they still had enough volume to be fun even in a medium/large room. I have a pair of P4s as stereo speakers/fronts for a home theater setup. They're passive (no integrated amp), somewhat smaller (I think about an inch smaller, though the tweeter is the same) cousins of the A5s. They're really fantastic speakers- they sound a lot bigger than they are, and they're very well balanced. From what I've heard, the A5s sound quite a bit "bassier" than the P4s- which is a good thing. The P4s have plenty of bass, and they sound great without a subwoofer, but they do better with one. The A5s are a complete standalone system- you could pair them with a sub, but I've heard it's overkill. From my experience with the A2s and P4s- and from everything I've heard about the A5s- I'd rate the A2s as "standard PC speakers" in terms of listening level and output. They'll entertain you at your desk and even fill a decent sized room with good sound. The A5s are more like "stereo replacement" speakers. If you're interested in filling a good portion of your house with music from your computer or you plan on plugging them into your TV during movie night, then go for it. You can't go wrong with either, but just keep in mind that the A5s are big loving speakers. Just look at the pictures on the Audioengine website- they're almost a foot tall. Also, we should rename this thread "Powderific's Audioengine Evangelism Thread- 'your Best Buy 2.1 setups are all poo poo' edition.
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Sep 28, 2012 08:41
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Feedbacker posted:Do the A2's ever go on sale anywhere? I've been checking prices sporadically for at least the last six months, and they're always $200 no matter where I look. I don't know if I keep looking in the wrong places at the wrong times or what, but I really don't want to pay MSRP unless I absolutely have to. There's a 15% off code that Audioengine always toss about but I can't remember it. If you google it, it should pop up. Also, it's not like $200 is really that much money- but, granted, I like Apple products and collect vinyl so my sense of acceptable spending on toys and music is probably completely hosed. 
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Dec 12, 2012 05:55
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Laserface posted:Sweet, will grab the A5s Carbonized bamboo, you donkus. Save white for when you inevitably buy a set of A2s to use as a bedroom/office/kitchen/whatever stereo. Black is for chumps.
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May 12, 2013 18:11
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Hob_Gadling posted:For best sound quality, PC and app volume to 100%. Use your amp only for changing volume. That's often not the the case. More often than not, I find that running a computer/iPod/phone at 100% into an amp results in a really harsh, sometimes really messed up, sound. The high and low often end up way too loud compared to the mid, or it'll sound like there's way too much gain and fuzz, or sometimes the speakers simply start clipping at 50% volume. If it's not perfect at 100%, I usually end up with the best sound when my computer/etc. is at 75-85% (with the app volume at 100% if there is any). It seems to be a more common issue with the analog line-out on iPhones, but everyone's experience will vary depending on the stuff they're plugging together. I've had amps/speakers that were great with any input at 100% and I've had some that weren't. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 21:09 on May 31, 2013 |
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May 31, 2013 21:06
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japtor posted:I haven't looked in mine but I bet you can just pull a cable or cut a lead to kill the LED. Schiit's got a small $99 amp now. If it's as good as their other stuff it's probably worth the money. They've also made a USB DAC that pairs with it.
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May 31, 2013 22:53
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japtor posted:...is that pronounced how I think it's pronounced? That's the joke (they love to throw out "this is some good Shiit" on the webpage) but it's pronounced "sheet-uh." You should check their webpage out- they make gorgeous headphone amps/DACs that are relatively inexpensive. They're also based in the US (can't remember if they manufacture here, using the iPhone app on the train right now). Also they name all of their products after Norse mythology. The Valhalla tube amp is on my "to buy soon" list. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Jun 1, 2013 |
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Jun 1, 2013 00:38
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Laserface posted:They are supposed to be releasing the A2+ (A2s with DAC built in) but its been months since it was leaked. Im surprised its taken so long. Any chance they'll stick a DAC in the A5+? It would be fantastic if they did, but I could see why they wouldn't. It makes sense to put a(n admittedly less capable- if the 16 bit rumors are true) DAC in the A2s because there's a much bigger emphasis on minimalism and space-saving along with cost. Most A2 buyers probably wouldn't want to spend another $150 on a third box. With the A5+ all they'd be doing is cannibalizing potential market for the external DAC they started selling last year. And for a flagship product, they'd have to go with 24-bit or risk pissing people off. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 07:19 on Jun 4, 2013 |
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Jun 4, 2013 07:09
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Droid Washington posted:Can anyone recommend a good $40-60 set of 2.0 or 2.1 speakers? I realize that's not a very good budget to work on, but this is for a pal who has no interest in having anything more than something that plays sound and isn't $15 WalMart speakers. Is the '$30 Daytons + $25 Lepai amp' combo still recommendable? Also- I'm sure that most people get this and would simply rather not deal with the downsides and inconveniences but almost any receiver/stereo amp from the last 40 years paired with some run-of-the-mill bookshelf speakers kicks the poo poo out of probably 90% of the dedicated 'PC audio' market. I only bring it up because I'm sure that the best answer for a lot of people looking for a "dirt cheap but still decent" computer audio setup is just a rummage through an attic away.
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Jul 17, 2013 03:18
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Philthy posted:The new update coming is the A2+, which will have the D1 DAC built into them. Have Audioengine actually come out with any more information on that aside from those trade show pics? I've heard on more than one occasion that the A2+ isn't actually going to be produced, but there hasn't been an official word on the matter in one direction or the other AFAIK.
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Jul 30, 2013 03:47
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Shukaro posted:Does anyone have any suggestions for combinations of hardware preferably at or below $200-$300ish that don't take up too much space? The A2's seem really nice, but I'd kind of like a subwoofer in addition to speakers for the nicer bass. I'm not running an audio card in the case. Option 1- connect a <$100 self-powered sub to a pair of A2s. Option 2- connect a <$100 self-powered sub to a pair of separates running out of a receiver or small amp. Option 1's gonna run you pretty close to $300. Option 2 can run you anywhere from ~$50 to $300 depending on what gear you want/how you get it. How for/against are you for going used/vintage?
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Sep 4, 2013 00:19
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Blinks77 posted:What i'm in the market for is a 5.1 sound system as i pretty much use my pc for anything and everything. I'd also like it to be wireless as tracking those all over the floor leads to tripping and general issues. Though just having the back two speakers wireless would work fine and i think that's an option? That's going to be loving impossible unless you either have a bunch of usable components (speakers/receiver/etc.) already or cut some major corners. There are lots of products out there that would let you make your surrounds wireless, but you're looking at blowing at least 60% of your budget on one and you'd still need to power the speakers somehow. What you want is totally doable, but it's kind of a pipe dream on your budget.
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Nov 12, 2013 21:06
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Laserface posted:They are angled at 45 degrees inwards from the corners of my desk on the official stands. The closest point of each speaker to the wall is about half an inch. Doesn't popping them on the angled stands also result in diminished bass (but greater accuracy)? The bass should sound bigger (and "boomier") if allowed to bounce off the surface of your desk. If your friend doesn't have his monitors on angled stands then that might account for at least some of the increased bass you hear.
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Dec 6, 2013 19:36
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Captain Cool posted:Are there any decent 2.0/2.1 speakers that can take an optical input, or do they all cut too many corners in order to include a DAC? The new Audioengine A2+ (not the A2) have a built-in DAC and take a USB connection. Would that work? Does it need to be optical?
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Jan 9, 2014 04:20
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Captain Cool posted:Optical would be the only way to guarantee that it's not an electrical issue like grounding. In that case, I have an inexpensive solution from another thread (you'll need powered speakers/an amp with RCA inputs tho): Electric Bugaloo posted:I really like this DAC for optical stuff. DACs can be dirt cheap when you get rid of the USB compatibility and this one can be left plugged in pretty much indefinitely, so there's no annoying extra switching that you'd have to do.
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Jan 9, 2014 23:59
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MMD3 posted:okay, I've got some questions going in the general audio question thread AND have been reading the headphone thread but maybe I should consolidate here. Ok. First thing- the A2+ have a volume knob, but it's on the back panel of the speaker with the amp in it. So: If I were you and I wanted to save some coin, I would get an Audioengine N22 (the amp you were asking about in the "Quick Audio Questions" thread a few days ago) to use with the Aperions. That setup will sound lightyears better than what you have now. The N22 has a quite decent headphone amp (I think it's the same one in the D1 DAC) built into it, which would allow you to kill both the desktop audio and headphone audio birds with the same stone. Then you'd just need a dedicated USB DAC to plug into the N22. I really like the Schiit Modi, which is $99. To be totally honest, unless there are specific bandwidth/format differences (and you have lossless music files that would actually be affected by that difference in the first place) a USB DAC is a USB DAC is a USB DAC. The Modi will be just as capable as the other two DACs you've been recommended (albeit, minus the headphone amps) and looks significantly better than either of them for a fraction of the price. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Jan 10, 2014 |
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Jan 10, 2014 02:19
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japtor posted:Would the Topping TP30 work for him? Around $100 for combined USB DAC and speaker and headphone amp. Impressions around the web seem generally decent, like so. Doesn't have the convenient headphone/speaker switch of that other one though, I'm guessing it just switches when you plug headphones in like most stuff. It's nice but it's only got 10 WPC, which seems low for me. The N22 is twice as expensive and doesn't have a built-in DAC, but it's got 22 WPC RMS/40W Dynamic, which makes me more comfortable. Although if he really wanted bang for his buck, he'd jump on Craigslist and look for a nice vintage stereo receiver in the 20-60 WPC range for $30-$100. But that's moving away from convenience and jumping straight into the morass of audio nerd territory. 
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Jan 10, 2014 04:42
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MMD3 posted:mind explaining to me what the alternative to line level output would be? I take it you mean like I wouldn't want to plug the klipsch's into an amp as they have their own built-in amp in the subwoofer? Alternative to line-level? What, you mean amplified? Your Klipsch PC speakers have an amp in them that powers them. Line-level is the standard signal strength that input devices (CD players/game consoles, turntable preamps, etc.) output at to an amplifier/receiver. The alternative is plugging into something like a headphone jack which outputs a signal that's already amplified. That can cause noise and excess gain and other issues which impact sound quality (and can damage expensive or particularly sensitive equipment) which is one of the reasons why a lot of us prefer to use a DAC as our output device for digital stuff. If you plugged your Grados into your Klipschs, you'd probably see no benefit- or you might get worse sound and more interference. Unless your speakers have a dedicated, good headphone amp, then it's just like plugging stuff into the headphone out on your laptop. Often worse if the components are cheap or the connections are lovely. As for the last part- I think he means powered speakers or an amplifier (unless the amp has line-level outs). Plugging powered speakers into an amp serves literally no purpose at best and at worst can lead to the double-amping issues I mentioned above which can gently caress up your sound quality and even fry your equipment.
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Jan 11, 2014 01:34
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CrazyB posted:Is there a current thought on good $100 to $200 2.1 computer setup? I was looking at Klipsch Promedia but I saw a few post in this thread talking about less than stellar quality control, is there any other choices I that I should consider? I have a set of old Altec Lansing 2.1 speakers from probably 10 years ago and I assume pretty much anything is an upgrade after all the apartment moves I've done throughout the years. http://audioengineusa.com/Store/refurbished A set of refurb A2s runs at $160 (down from $200- or you can pony up $250 for a new pair of the just-released successor, the A2+. It comes with a quite good built-in USB DAC, so it'd be worth the price difference IMO) with free shipping. These will blow away even much more expensive prepackaged 2.1 PC audio dealies- which are usually crap in any price range. Don't let the 2.0 fool you. Most people are totally fine with the bass from just the pair- or you could easily add any inexpensive subwoofer in the future if you feel like you need it.
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Jan 21, 2014 05:40
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But you will get a proper midrange, which is way more important.
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Jan 21, 2014 06:23
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As was explained to me in the headphone thread a few weeks back, modern Bluetooth iterations are more than capable of carrying music data that's 320kbps+ (IIRC, the current limit is somewhere around 400kbps), which is plenty for the vast majority of even "high-quality" music libraries. It won't perfectly carry lossless stuff or bitperfect vinyl rips, but the Bluetooth in those Aperions should be more than adequate for playing off of a smartphone or tablet with a good signal, especially if you're using something like Spotify (320kbps max) or iCloud (256kbps max). Bluetooth definitely isn't perfect and it doesn't have nearly the signal strength or bandwidth of something like wifi/Airplay, but for this kind of thing the weak link for most people is gonna be the quality of their source.
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Jan 23, 2014 22:59
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QuasiQuack posted:Does anyone have some good recommendations for a way to hook up my PC, PS4 and vinyl player to the same set of analog speakers? Are the speakers self-powered or just a pair of bog-standard audio speakers?
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Aug 23, 2014 17:47
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If you're interested in getting into the headphone amp game, all 3 mid-priced Schiit amps (so the Asgard, Valhalla, and Lyr) have been updated with pre-outs in the last year or so and are designed to be daisy chained to self-powered speakers/monitors or speaker amps. But then you'd need to buy some headphones worth amping  .Alternatively, you could get either a used/cheap stereo receiver or amp with a headphone jack and run some inexpensive passive speakers through it (the bookshelf Andrew Jones-designed Pioneers that always get recommended in A/V Arena would work well here). Newegg has solid stereo receivers for around $150 and sells the Pioneers in question for like $90/pair. And if you're savvy with used/vintage audio equipment then you could really stretch your budget in terms of quality or put together a very respectable system for a fraction of that cost. If you aren't, but are interested, then there are plenty of people on these forums who could help. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Sep 8, 2014 |
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Sep 8, 2014 21:13
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What do Audioengine refurbs generally tend to look like in terms of cosmetic blemishes? I've been tempted to buy from their refurb store because the savings are pretty great but aesthetics are half of the appeal for me. A tiny scratch or two on a back panel or invisible corner is one thing, but I'd really hate to get something in hi-gloss white or bamboo with a visible mar on the side.
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Sep 17, 2014 23:43
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KingKapalone posted:I think refurbishment generally means they remove cosmetic issues. Well at least with computers because it's the cheap plastic on the outside, so maybe it's different here. It's not just the cheap plastic ones. Apple refurbs are pretty much indistinguishable from brand new computers and we recommend them all the time in the Mac thread. But in this case, the AE site refers to "new items with slight cosmetic blemishes" undergoing the refurbishment process and that's somewhat vague as to what ends up being sold. The discounts are pretty big ($80-$94 for the A5+) so I'm kinda hesitant to blindly go in expecting a "like new" pair of speakers.
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Sep 18, 2014 01:06
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codo27 posted:I'm moving out and getting a proper office, so my receiver will be going out in the living room with everything else. I still really want surround though. I'm looking at a used surround system, proper amp and 5.1 speakers, but it only has RCA and optical. Will I really notice that much difference coming from HDMI going to optical connection? Should I just go pick up one of those Logitech systems? Or will that be even worse again? I know that I'm being the sort of stick-in-the-mud rear end in a top hat who chucks in his own opinion instead of properly answering the question, but is surround sound really going to make your gaming immersion that much better? Surround sound is great in a home theater, crap in a dedicated music setup, and- in my opinion- kind of overkill in a home office. Given that you're choosing between a used setup and one of those garbage Logitech dealies, I'm guessing that your budget- and the quality of the gear in question- isn't super high. That'll be passable for movies and games but it's not gonna be great at all for music (to say nothing of having to properly position the speakers around the room, though I know that most goons aren't nearly as anal about aesthetics as I am). If I were you, I'd invest that money in a nice pair of stereo speakers- either self-powered or receiver/amp driven. You'll get waaaay better sound quality, reproduction, and even volume out of them than you'd ever get out of a bunch of tiny cheap satellites and a 6" subwoofer, HDMI or not. The only thing you'll lose out on is the directional sound that rear surrounds bring, but that's honestly pretty meaningless in a room as small as a home office. But regardless of what you do, a 5.1 Logitech box that you buy at Target is always going to be the worse option. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Dec 16, 2014 |
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Dec 16, 2014 23:46
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If you're absolutely dead-set on 3.1 with the ~A2 size constraint, then picking up an inexpensive home theater receiver is probably your best bet. You could then grab some small satellite bookshelf speakers for the R/L channels and whatever their equivalent center channel speaker is for the third along with a sub. Anything else seems like it would be needlessly complicated and difficult to work with.
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Feb 16, 2015 16:06
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qirex posted:I have a friend who is looking for a desktop USB DAC/headphone amp/volume knob to use with both headphones and speakers, the specific functionality wanted is that if the headphones are plugged in the line out is muted, although I guess a switch on the box between them would work as well. There's stuff like the Fiio E10k and Audioengine D1 but I can't tell if that functionality to switch between speakers and headphones without dicking around in software is there. Ideas? Budget is as cheap as possible, they don't need a headphone super-amp or anything. I think the Schiit Magni/Modi stack do that now- as do the rest of Schiit's headphone amps. The DAC runs to the amp which has a pass-through preamp for connecting to monitors/amps/receivers/etc. which switches when headphones get plugged in/removed. I'd definitely have a look at them. Competitive with FiiO but made in the US and just SO much better looking.
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Mar 5, 2015 04:54
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I'm surprised that nobody's touched on the important differences between monitors and hifi/consumer speakers. While there is a ton of kit out there that can pull double duty and a lot of it also depends on how your EQ is set up, the broadest explanation is that monitors are designed for mastering and consumer gear is designed to be listened to for pleasure. Adjectives like "neutral," "revealing," "detailed," and "flat" don't necessarily equal "fun to listen to" and the issue you're describing with hearing all of your source audio's imperfections could have something to do with that. Distortion, coloration, and inaccuracy aren't always the enemy of hi-fi (the vintage audio and tube scenes are proof positive of that). A lot of monitors are designed to be revealing to a fault- allowing producers and recording engineers to better do their jobs at the mixing table. Many of them have unnaturally boosted levels to let engineers compensate for common ranges with volume spikes/dips. Often, the more critical "final" listening tests are done on hi-fi equipment afterward. And in the case of monitors designed under the Yamaha school of thought, they just sound bad when used to play music for fun. The logic behind them is that "if you can make it sound good coming out of these speakers it'll sound good anywhere."
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Apr 19, 2015 15:26
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Flipperwaldt posted:That's bullshit. I stand corrected...
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Apr 20, 2015 02:16
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FunOne posted:Whats the recommended setup for a 2 or 2.1 speaker set these days? I don't have a TON of room, but my logitech whatevers are crapping out on me and are about the 3rd set I've bought, so I'm ready for something new. Not really interested in setting up a whole AV system behind my monitors, but am willing to spend 200 bucks if it takes care of it. Headphone jack only other requirement. Everyone here loves Audioengine stuff- and for good reason. For the price range it's really hard to beat soundwise and looks wise. The fit and finish is superb. That said, $200 will put you below the barrier of entry for any of their stuff NIB although I think a set of refurb A2+ will run you ~$200. Pro: class-leading sound, impeccable build quality, the gloss white and carbonized bamboo cabinets are SOOOO PRETTY  , will probs last you forever and look good in any office from a cheap bachelor pad to the swankiest of Pinterest-worthy digs. All of the powered models take 2 inputs and can switch automatically.The A2+ has a built in USB DAC if you care about that stuff (you're coming from Logitech garbage and gave us a <$200 price point so probably not).Con: expensive if you're not comfortable with the idea of dropping $200-$500 on active speakers. No headphone port. If you can't/won't spring for Audioengine or don't care about looks, M-Audio is the brand I'd recommend. I don't know what a pair of AV-40 goes for these days but I remember them costing ~$140 or less a few years ago. They've probably been updated since then but M-Audio's stuff has generally always been fantastic sounding and bulletproof. A pair of AV-40 is also the sweet spot in terms of size and performance for 90% of people AFAIK. Any smaller and you noticeably sacrifice dynamics and sound quality. Any bigger and you might end up with more speaker than you need. Pro: M-audio makes pro gear and it shows in their entry level stuff. The sound quality's unbeatable for the price, the build quality is rock-solid. The AV series come with built in headphone ports. Con: "utilitarian" looking (they look like most computer stuff which is relatively inoffensive, I guess- but I personally find them butt ugly when compared to something made by a company like Audioengine. Know that I'm like super big on looks, tho) Alternatively (and what I'd actually recommend if you're into it), you could go the separates route: find a stereo or HT receiver, plug some bookshelf speakers into it, plug your computer and other inputs into it, and you're done. For the sub-$200 price range it'll give you by far the best sound quality and performance- at the expense of some space and the hassle of putting the setup together. Either use a receiver and/or speakers that you/your parents/whoever have lying around or find some stuff on Craigslist. There are literally tons of capable receivers and speakers on Craigslist right now. You have almost 5 decades' worth of compatible gear that would be great for your needs so don't be afraid of looking at any sub-$100 low wattage vintage gems either (swing by the 2-channel/vintage audio thread if you need some reasons why a 40 year old, small-footprint, 35wpc piece of gear might be the perfect addition to your office). My current desktop setup consists of a 1978 Pioneer SX-690 and a pair of Realistic Minimus 7 speakers that cost me a grand total of $80 and both look and sound leagues better than desktop audio stuff costing 3-4x as much. Comfortably sized, good sounding speakers might be harder to find. In that case, I'd recommend you pick up a set of those $99 Andrew Jones-designed Pioneer bookshelf speakers that all of the AV thread posters swear by. You can get 'em at Best Buy. Hope this all helps.
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Jun 4, 2015 00:20
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Dislike button posted:Alright assuming I purchase that what else would be needed? Get on craigslist and find a stereo (not 5.1 or surround or anything like that) receiver from basically any era. You can use that same cable you described to run your computer through the Aux in or really any line-level input like CD/Video/etc (so not the phono one). Bonus points if it's a silver-faced one from the '70s (ask in the vintage/2-channel thread if you see anything that you're unsure about. There are a lot of gems out there for very little cash but people are unloading lots of crap now that there's a strong demand for vintage stuff). Those sound killer and are overbuilt to all heck aside from looking dope. You don't need very much power for an office setup so it's quite reasonable to expect that you'd have a really easy time finding the perfect receiver for less than $100. You can (should) also add a turntable to one of those in the future and make yourself a cherry little office hi-fi setup. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Jul 1, 2015 |
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Jul 1, 2015 02:29
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Henrik Zetterberg posted:I don't know if this exists, but are there any PC speakers that support AirPlay? Plug an Airport Express into any powered speakers or receiver or sound system you want. They're like $60 refurbished on Amazon.
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Jul 2, 2015 02:31
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japtor posted:You can get refurb ones w/1 year warranty straight from Apple for $65: Even better. Last I had checked (some months ago), Apple had them for $75 and Amazon was a good $15 cheaper. Adding the warranty and having it come straight from Apple is worth whatever the difference is now.
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Jul 3, 2015 02:25
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Heavy Lobster posted:A friend of mine picked up some mid-price Bluetooth speakers (I think this InaRock one) and I was thoroughly impressed with how it sounded for the price – full and relatively bassy while we were outside playing frisbee – and was wondering if the thread has any suggestions for similar Bluetooth speakers that'd be better for around that price or above. I think the absolute max I'd want to spend is 200 dollars, and optimally would be looking at something around 120, but really I'd love to get some recommendations for portable Bluetooth speakers if anyone's got some! The UE Boom line is basically the gold standard right now. All three of them ( Also, you can pair two of them together to turn them into independent stereo speakers, which I think is pretty dope.
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Jul 15, 2015 05:51
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KozmoNaut posted:$900 is Adam A5X territory (they're so worth it, though). Adams are so ugly they're almost not worth it.
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Aug 12, 2015 19:00
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Varg posted:Hey, found this thread through the search.. my 13+ year old Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers died out with a horrendous noise/smell when I flipped on the power when I came back from vacation last week (might also be a fault of this lovely APC power strip I'm looking to replace as well).. looking around for a new set of speakers for my desktop. Those JBL LSR305's look good to me.. I listen to mostly metal/rock so I don't really think I need a sub, even though it feels super weird to not be resting my feet on one right now. I'm a total newbie when it comes to this, but I imagine to get the most out of this I would want to get a DAC and hook up to the S/PDIF output on my motherboard? Would someone be able to point me in the direction of what I should be looking at to get all set up with that? http://www.amazon.com/D3-Digital-Converter-Optical-Toslink/dp/B005K2TXMO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1441671507&sr=8-2&keywords=fiio+d03k Alternatively, here's one to consider if you'd rather go with USB, but S/PDIF might actually be less of a pain if you're on a Windows machine: http://schiit.com/products/modi-2 Yes, I'm aware of the $70 price difference. Unless somebody knows of a better, cheaper USB DAC, that's the one I'm suggesting. If you're cool with S/PDIF (no reason why you shouldn't be), I'd go with the FiiO.
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Sep 8, 2015 02:03
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Etrips posted:Trying to fix my current setup which has a Sennheiser PC 350 and Swan M10's hooked up to my computer through dual female to a single male connected to my computer. Trying to replace the M10's with something else since the mid woofer is a giant pain in the rear end and doesn't fit symmetrically on my desk anywhere. I am currently trying to decide between the Audioengine A2+, MAudio A40s, or the JBL LSR305s. Anyone can give some input? Ideally I would like to spend less since I just splurged on a nice monitor. You're looking at three wildly different products. First of all: the LSRs are monitors. The only way to play music through them is via an audio connector/interface/mixer like the FocusRite that KillHour linked to. On the back of each individually-powered speaker, you will notice only an XLR input and 6mm jack. Given that you're cross-shopping them with Audioengines, I recommend that you eliminate them unless you have an actual interest in mixing music, because that's what they're for. With that said the A2+ are going to be far and away the prettiest of the remaining two- particularly in white (although there's apparently a glossy red version now too, if that's to your taste). They have a built-in USB DAC along with two analog inputs while the AV-40s have two regular analog ins and 6mm jack ins. The AV-40 are also much bigger than the A2+ and are aimed more at a "bedroom producer who wants good sounding speakers" market (and are way uglier for it, I guess?), as opposed to the Audioengines which I suppose aspire more toward "PC hi-fi". I think they both sound really good, but the AV-40s are just butt ugly in my opinion, and that bright blue LED knob is pretty garish. A possible alternative to the M-Audio worth considering are the Mackie CR4, as Kozmonaut mentioned earlier in thread. They definitely look better, although they may not have enough low end for you.
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Sep 8, 2015 05:58
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KozmoNaut posted:What? Whoops. Totally misread that in the product. My bad.
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Sep 8, 2015 06:44
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Varg posted:Well this is what I thought the general consensus to be at first anyway. Still been trying to educate myself on DACs and different connections... it seems like the next logical step up from one like that Scarlett 2i2/2i4 is a much more expensive one that offers both XLR output and optical input, like this Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus Good god no. Definitely not for PC audio. Unless the XLR output is an absolute must, I'd argue that the Schiit Modi Uber would probably give you virtually the same results for $150, and it would have the same number of switchable USB, optical, and coax ins (though you'd have to choose one TOSLINK and one coax instead of either/or). Or you could spend the same amount on the 2i2 for a different set of ins/outs. Unless you're playing with the sorts of filetypes and bitrates that actually require more exotic DACs (in which case you would already know exactly what hardware to buy), pretty much any decent thing on the market will perform roughly the same where "digital-to-analog conversion" is concerned. Past an honestly pretty low entry point, you're only really differentiating between inputs/outputs and chassis. There are people using $30 FiiO Taishans to route the optical signal from Airport Expresses into multi-thousand dollar hi-fi systems and they work just as well as something like the DACmagic would. Yes, the DACmagic probably has more physical stuff inside of it (two processing units, etc) but you'd be incredibly hard-pressed to tell the difference in a blind listen. All a DAC is supposed to do is convert a digital sound signal into an analog line level signal. Its job is to disappear.
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Sep 8, 2015 18:52
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