Quick Audio Questions Megathread: Start here

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Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

LegoMan posted:

Does this thread include car audio?

I built a box for 2 Kicker 10s wired to 4 ohm on a Boss Audio 1100. To me it feels like they're just not hitting that hard, and I'm wondering if it's because the box is close to 2.8 cu-ft. Is it possible for the box to be too big?

Try driving only a single sub off that one amp, without changing anything else, and see how you like it.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2024 18:16

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# ¿ Nov 14, 2025 11:26

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

I'd keep them and put them in the rear doors, and then I'd recommend getting a pair of component speakers (woofer and tweeter separate but attached to a common crossover unit) that will fit like the Alpine S2-S40C , and use a Dremel or something to install the tweeters up in your top-front dash or in the plastic panel on the inside of where the car door mirror attaches(just below the A-Pillar). Your mid range frequency response will be much better if the woofer doesn't have to cover the high range and the mid range. Don't be spooked by the cutting into plastic, it's easy if you're careful, and if it makes you feel better, you can order a pair of those bolsters or whatever the heck they're called from a junkyard or rockauto and do the work on them.

I'd also recommend an 8" sub with it's amp's crossover point fairly high, it's a smaller sub than what most people would install, but you're using the sub to bridge the mid-low frequency gap that a 4" speaker is necessarily going to leave.

E: if you post a picture of the car door and upper dash area we may be able to make more specific recommendations on placement and suitability, etc. and a budget+music preferences would help as well

Mederlock fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Mar 27, 2024

# ¿ Mar 27, 2024 01:55

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

dc3k posted:

I should have clarified prior that this is not a typical vehicle. Some details:
- there are no rear doors, it's a 2-door truck
- there is no way to install speakers in the doors that do exist, at least not anything I'm willing to do at this point. It would require cutting a hole in the door card, and I'm not sure if there are cutouts/space within the door itself that could accommodate anything. The current speakers are mounted in the dash.
- there physically is no possible way to fit an 8" sub inside

My options are: keep these, or get some other 4" speakers that give a little more mid/low response. Those Alpines might do the trick, but I'll have to check on how much room there is on top of the dash for tweeter placement. If it turns out that sticking with what I have is the best option, then that's totally fine. I'd be okay spending around $100 (CAD) per speaker.

Photo (not mine, but same model) of the interior. You can see the speaker grills on the driver's side below the cupholder and buttons, and on the passenger side just above the glovebox.

edit; music taste is relatively varied, but mainly EDM (house, techno), pop punk, punk, metal.

Yeah, I'd get the Alpine 's or something similar, and mount the tweeters on the top of the dash in cups or pods, or directly into the A pillar. I can give more specific advice on how and where if you do actually go with a component 2 part speaker system like the Alpine.

You can also get self-contained under seat subwoofers for tight interiors like yours, or you could mount it on the walls of the cab behind a seat or something. Something like this, they work pretty decently. https://www.amazon.com/10-Inch-Low-Profile-Amplified-Subwoofer-System/dp/B09MDLZLSS/

# ¿ Mar 27, 2024 17:32

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

drhankmccoyphd posted:

What’s the best quality streaming audio service? Currently I have Spotify family plan which seems to give me decent high quality streaming options. I’ve heard that Apple Music is superior if using Apple hardware. I’m an iPhone user but I don’t use air buds. Not sure if that matters. I also listen in my Tesla model 3 which should have a decent sound system. I’ve also heard tidal is the best just not sure if it’s worth the money. Open to suggestions even if it’s just “stick with Spotify”.

Tidal's CD Quality tier and Qobuz are good choices for enthusiasts, but don't get sucked into MQA/DSD/etc snake oil, the quality of the mastering of the record matters a lot more than the quality differences even between Spotify High quality and Tidal CD Quality. You also need a quiet listening environment and good quality speakers or Headphones/a reasonable HiFi setup to actually notice what small difference is there.

# ¿ Oct 19, 2024 23:26

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Mikey Purp posted:

Is there a simple way to connect my record player to both a wired set of active speakers and a Bluetooth transmitter? I am not looking to output to both at once, I just want an easy way to switch between the two that doesn't involve unplugging stuff.

Look up RCA switch boxes on Amazon

# ¿ Dec 29, 2024 05:53

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

I think your laptop is expecting the impedance it would get from a pair of headphones and may be shutting it off because it's not seeing it?

I'd try updating your Lenovo audio driver , the realtek one or whatever it is from their driver website, and check the bios settings to see if there's anything relevant that sticks out to you. Otherwise, your best alternative is getting an inexpensive USB DAC with RCA out, which will sound better anyways. Line level output into RCA is a different output level than Headphone out anyways.

This is just one example, there are others that will be cheaper and a lot that are many times more expensive https://www.amazon.com/PS100-Multifunctional-Converter-Optical-Digital-Analog/dp/B0CDWHG7YF/

# ¿ Jan 13, 2025 23:16

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Well Played Mauer posted:

I had to sell my old setup because we moved countries. Where I am now is slim pickings for pretty much anything so I picked up a pair of Thonet and Vander Kugels, mostly just to get out of lovely TV speaker land.

They have Bluetooth and optical audio for connections. I’m definitely not losing anything by using optical, right?

Optical is by far the preferred option, compared to Bluetooth

# ¿ Mar 17, 2025 06:03

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

MortLansky posted:

Ive been having consistent problems with sound via my Sony STR dn1080 receiver and LG OLED 65 inch tv. Across all streaming apps (using built in smart TV software) the sound will either not register at all, or heavily distort, cut in and out, before shortly dropping completely. I have the TV connected via HDMI to the receiver, which then feeds the signal into 2 Sony tower speakers.

I did as much troubleshooting I could with the receiver itself, but when playing Blu ray disc on my PS4 (connected via HDMI to receiver) it comes through clear as day. It seems the issue is particular to the TV itself, as it plays sound through the built in speakers fine, but not anywhere else. All hardware I purchased about 4 years ago, and though this issue has come up a couple times it seems like it either resolves itself, or if I fiddle with speaker settings enough it goes away. This time I havent had such luck, and debate getting a separate box to run streaming apps, like AppleTV or whatever, and seeing if that does it. If I could avoid spending the time and money to do that, that'd be great.

Have you tried different cables?

# ¿ May 28, 2025 16:16

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Ryuga Death posted:

Cool, that's a lot simpler than I was expecting. Really appreciate the help. I edited my previous post with another question but I'll just put it here again for clarity's sake.

On the Yamaha AVR front, would it be possible to use the HDMI out of the GPU to deliver only audio to the Yamaha AVR and not have the AVR hooked up to any monitor/display? Would that cause any complications on the PC side of things, especially if I were to hook up multiple monitors directly from the GPU?

From what I can gather from my google searches, the onboard motherboard audio should be good enough for my sennheiser 598s, they apparently don't require much to drive them so I'll just leave it there unless I'm totally wrong about that. On my current PC, I have my headphones hooked up to a sound card (I made some dumb financial decisions when I was younger) so that I could have two different audio streams. My headphones are mostly for VOIP stuff and the HDMI speaker out is for basically everything else. I'll sometimes switch over to headphones for listening to music but it's not often. The all in one unit you mentioned sounds good but wouldn't be a good fit for my needs.

Think I'll continue using the Yamaha AVR until it dies and then I'll switch over to the amp and dac setup you mentioned to save on money and space.

If your motherboard has an optical/toslink/spdif audio output, I would just run that to your Yamaha AVR. Then you can avoid buying a USB DAC, a separate amp, etc.

If you want to do the best value(not cheapest) for dollar ChiFi setup, the SMSL Su-1 DAC is pretty much perfect, and the Fosi Audio V3 Amp is an excellent combo. The Fosi TB10D Amp is also good if you prefer a Treble/Bass control on the amp.

# ¿ Jun 13, 2025 01:45

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

EL BROMANCE posted:

The 3.5mm main L/R might double up as a digital out.

I checked the manual for that mobo and unfortunately it doesn't , it does do 7.1 audio though

# ¿ Jun 14, 2025 00:14

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Ryuga Death posted:

Oh I didn't know they could be used like that. How does a microphone port suddenly get turned into an audio out port?

Multiple traces to the connector, with a control mechanism to choose whether it connects to the Mic ADC, or the audio out

# ¿ Jun 14, 2025 00:27

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Ryuga Death posted:

Thank you. Another question, in Windows sound settings, the default quality format for my speakers went to 16 bit 48khz (DVD Quality). Should I leave that alone or change it? I noticed for my headphones that are connected just by the back of the mobo defaulted to 24 bit 48khz (Studio Quality).

You can set it to 24 bit 48000 hz, and make sure the settings for allowing apps to take exclusive control are turned on. That allows applications like Tidal or an audio DAW. If you notice weird audio distortions, you can set it back to 16/44 (CD Quality). Realistically though not many people could tell the firfrrrr

Ryuga Death posted:

I decided to give the FiiO KA11 a try and paired it up with my sennheiser 598SE. I should've probably given the instructions a read before just mindlessly hooking it up the KA11 with my Windows volume at 100% because ouch, that really hurt. It's not like the onboard audio was a problem, I could hear things okay on it, just mostly had everything at 100 to get decent volume, though that might say more about my ears than anything else.

After learning the hard way, I put the Windows volume for the headphones at like 30% and then everything else sounded reasonable.

Is pairing up/using the FiiO KA11 with the Senn 598 a bad idea? I'm kind of worried if it's too powerful for it or if that's even an issue. Found an article that says the impedance of devices should match or there could be "equipment damage". I would think as long as the volume is low enough that it should be fine and I'd end up hurting my ears before any real damage happened to the headphones.

Yes, you've got it right.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2025 05:26

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Ryuga Death posted:

Hi, sorry to bother the thread again. Had a question about speaker angle and placement. My PC speakers sit on isolation pads and they face inwards but aiming at my chest I think. Should they be more at an upward angle to face my head/ears? For reference, when I sit, I can see the top of the speakers. It's a pair of KEF Q150 sitting on these isolation pads.

Seen some opinions differing on whether to have them pointing straight or inward produces a better sound.

I prefer to have speakers placed with the tweeters above my ears, and with the speakers toe-in convergence point to be a foot or two behind my head. I find it gives an illusion of more space and openness. It also makes the sweet spot wider, if a bit less direct. Experiment with both and see what you like

# ¿ Jul 5, 2025 20:13

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Ryuga Death posted:

When you say above your ears, do you mean having them angled upwards or having them on a stand?

On stands, I have a pair of adjustable ones I bought at a secondhand thrift store for a cheap price that I have on my computer desk, and they're pointing slightly downwards

E: general best practice is having the tweeters at or slightly above your ear level, wherever the speaker needs to be to make that happen

# ¿ Jul 5, 2025 23:29

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Nah don't worry there, you're sitting down on a couch, 8' - 15' away when you're there so you're more than likely fine, and as another poster mentioned it's speaker-dependent. If you wanted to try to see if you could even tell the difference with your home theatre speakers, grab a couple thick books or a pair of boxes or something and prop both of them up at or slightly above ear level (when comfortably seated at the couch) and see if you can hear the difference with a piece of music you're very familiar with.

When you're sitting at a desk you're significantly closer so the speakers, so the angle is much more pronounced if they're at desk level. If those speaker mounts get you the amount of height you need, they look fine, but you might want more elevation than that depending on how tall you are and your sitting position. Having Speaker stands on your desk also give you more effective desk space!

E: These https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Studio-Monitor-Stands-600023/dp/B097CN8G2N might get your speakers just above the monitors, and you could even push the side monitors in up against the central monitor for a more ergonomic monitor layout too

Mederlock fucked around with this message at 01:30 on Jul 7, 2025

# ¿ Jul 7, 2025 01:24

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# ¿ Nov 14, 2025 11:26

Mederlock: Jun 23, 2012; You won't recognize Canada when I'm through with it; Grimey Drawer

Ryuga Death posted:

Thanks for the help. Does it matter that the stands you linked and the clamps I linked are a bit smaller than the speakers I have? The clamps I linked allows for a speaker depth of 9.5 inches and the one you linked is a 9x9 inch platform according to the listing while my q150 speakers has a depth of 10.94 inches. Seems like my speaker would hang a bit over the base of either one.

I've just resorted to having the speakers angled a bit upwards using the isolation pads they're already sitting on for now.

Yeah I wouldn't sweat that at all, my speakers are bigger than the stands. And they've been hanging over my monitors for years now. If it makes you feel better, you can find a stand with a bigger front lip that stops it from sliding forwards

# ¿ Jul 9, 2025 00:17

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Quick Audio Questions Megathread: Start here