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2010-01-12 03:05:09
Zimmer
Un Moderador
+1,688|7015|Scotland

Alrighty, this is mainly directed at Freezer/Winston/Panda and the sort, as they are the ones I want some opinions/advice from

So basically, following on from the "Need a bed" topic, I'll have some space to add more things, and I listen to too much music to waste it on anything but a good set of speakers.

I'll need a soundcard first (not using Realtek onboard bullshit) and I've already decided on the Asus Sonar (I'm willing to listen to suggestions, but I'm quite certain this is the best sound card you can get for the PC).

Now, as for speakers set up, this is where I'm not entirely sure what I want. My focus is music, NOT games. I will play some from time to time, but what I want is lovely highs and meds and a decent bass (I don't listen to much bassy music, especially when working - which is most of the time - so it's important, but not a MUST).

I've looked into the following set ups -
M-Audio Studiophile AV40s
M-Audio Studiophile BX5a - Deluxe
AudioEngine 2 Speakers
AudioEngine 5 Speakers
Wharfedale Diamond 10.1

A few of the ones that have caught my eye. I also wanted to look into the Swan M200s, but they're discontinued.

The cheaper the better, but I want to concentrate on quality. None of that 5.1/7.1 shit, I'm not a hardcore gamer. I want true music sound.

The Wharfedales look seriously sweet, and for £200 that's one nice price. They got Speakers of 2009 from What-Hifi.

Cambridge Audio and Q Acoustics also look pretty neat. Also, the Arcaydis DM1 caught my eye.

Now, question, would it be worth it to get a slightly cheaper one (say the AudioEngine 2s or the Q Acoustics) and buy a subwoofer as well?

Done.
2010-01-12 03:11:36
Varegg
Support fanatic :-)
+2,206|7069|Nårvei

Total budget?
Wait behind the line ..............................................................
2010-01-12 03:13:52
Zimmer
Un Moderador
+1,688|7015|Scotland

Varegg wrote:

Total budget?
I'm flexible atm. I will listen to suggestions, but pushing it if you hit over £400.
2010-01-12 03:22:34
Varegg
Support fanatic :-)
+2,206|7069|Nårvei

Have you considered a dedicated stereo system?
Wait behind the line ..............................................................
2010-01-12 03:34:01
Zimmer
Un Moderador
+1,688|7015|Scotland

Varegg wrote:

Have you considered a dedicated stereo system?
By that you mean a Receiver, Stereo Speakers and Sub? Yes, but it's pushing it in terms of budget.
Good bookshelf speakers already hit the £200-250 mark, and then a Sub is a good £150 and a receiver is at least £150. It's a lovely idea, but probably not an option unless you can find a decent set up (as a little indicator, I looked at a Denon receiver, Wharfedale 10.SX subwoofer and B&W Bookshelf speakers)
2010-01-12 03:47:16
Varegg
Support fanatic :-)
+2,206|7069|Nårvei

Haven't seen any tests on it but you can get Sony STR-DH100 for roughly £200 in Norway so it should be cheaper where you are ... it's ready for digital media like MP3 players, cellphones and even got bluetooth ...

And JBL ES30 should go for around £250 - £300, a sub can be added later ...
Wait behind the line ..............................................................
2010-01-12 04:03:47
Zimmer
Un Moderador
+1,688|7015|Scotland

Varegg wrote:

Haven't seen any tests on it but you can get Sony STR-DH100 for roughly ?200 in Norway so it should be cheaper where you are ... it's ready for digital media like MP3 players, cellphones and even got bluetooth ...

And JBL ES30 should go for around ?250 - ?300, a sub can be added later ...
Well, put it this way, I have no intention of hooking up my MP3/Phone or use bluetooth to play music. My whole music library is on my computer and that's where it's going to reside. If I wanted to played an MP3 I can plug it in directly to the speakers if need be. That is the main reason for which I don't see the point of a receiver. I have my computer, it's going to be playing music most of the time, and I'm going to be at my desk, so what's the point? I'd rather get the Wharfedales or something and a good subwoofer than blow £200 on a Sony receiver. The JBLs look nice, but a bit pricey in comparison with other set ups.
2010-01-12 04:15:18
Varegg
Support fanatic :-)
+2,206|7069|Nårvei

Was just a suggestion seeing as you are into quality sound and the brands just examples, several brands have good stereo receivers ... a dedicated system will almost always be better than using your computer ...

And the prices was from a Norwegian netshop so they should be considerably cheaper where you are
Wait behind the line ..............................................................
2010-01-12 04:22:50
Zimmer
Un Moderador
+1,688|7015|Scotland

Varegg wrote:

Was just a suggestion seeing as you are into quality sound and the brands just examples, several brands have good stereo receivers ... a dedicated system will almost always be better than using your computer ...

And the prices was from a Norwegian netshop so they should be considerably cheaper where you are
Haha, the UK? For Sound equipment? Not a chance. Was a pretty accurate price what you gave me.

I know a dedicated system is better than using my computer... But if I have the Speakers and Sub and THEN get the receiver later on, it means I can take advantage of those things right away, instead of using the receiver. Of course I will buy one in the end, but it's an expense that isn't really worth it right now in my eyes.
2010-01-12 04:34:25
Gooners
Wiki Contributor
+2,700|6891

Get KRK's like me and .Sup
2010-01-12 04:40:49
Freezer7Pro
I don't come here a lot anymore.
+1,447|6456|Winland

Varegg wrote:

Was just a suggestion seeing as you are into quality sound and the brands just examples, several brands have good stereo receivers ... a dedicated system will almost always be better than using your computer ...

And the prices was from a Norwegian netshop so they should be considerably cheaper where you are
What do you mean with "a dedicated system"? He's just using his computer as source.

And for what you should get, Zimmer, it really depends on a lot of stuff. If you just want a quick and simple system with limited upgrade options, you should settle for something like the BX5as. They'll sound nice and will probably come off cheaper than a comparable, modular system, such  as a proper amplifier and the Wharfedales. I'd advice against getting a subwoofer, as matching levels between different speakers can be a pain.
The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
2010-01-12 05:05:09
Zimmer
Un Moderador
+1,688|7015|Scotland

Well, I'm here all day, go on, Freezer. Always open to suggestions.

If I was to go for the Wharfedales, what amplifier would you suggest? Why an amplifier?

Yeah, the BX5as are pretty cheap, I actually hadn't checked the pricing for them. Do you suggest any other speakers/amplifiers? I'm all ears.

@ Gooners - I'm assuming you have the RP5 older version? Or the G2? The KRKs are ridiculously expensive for what they are. A pair of Wharfedales costs £200, whilst one KRK RP8 G2 alone costs £200. They look lovely, but a tad expensive.

Need more opinions
2010-01-12 05:08:24
JakAttaK
csanva<3
+492|6585|England

Gooners wrote:

Get KRK's like me and .Sup
I'ma get a pair of those for mixing hopefully
http://soundcloud.com/csanva
2010-01-12 05:25:27
Freezer7Pro
I don't come here a lot anymore.
+1,447|6456|Winland

Zimmer wrote:

Well, I'm here all day, go on, Freezer. Always open to suggestions.

If I was to go for the Wharfedales, what amplifier would you suggest? Why an amplifier?

Yeah, the BX5as are pretty cheap, I actually hadn't checked the pricing for them. Do you suggest any other speakers/amplifiers? I'm all ears.

@ Gooners - I'm assuming you have the RP5 older version? Or the G2? The KRKs are ridiculously expensive for what they are. A pair of Wharfedales costs £200, whilst one KRK RP8 G2 alone costs £200. They look lovely, but a tad expensive.

Need more opinions
You need an amplifier to go with them as they don't have one integrated (like the BX5as, KRKs, Audioengines, etc.) do. This gives you more freedom in the future, if you wish to get new gear. Those Wharfies are quite good price-performance, and will do fine without the aid of a subwoofer. If you can find a good deal on a receiver, I'd take another step up in the chain to the 10.2s, as they'll give you a much more solid low-end.

For an amplifier, I'd go with one of the cheap Yamaha offerings, a cheap Onkyo, or something second-hand.
The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
2010-01-12 05:28:24
Finray
Hup! Dos, Tres, Cuatro
+2,629|6047|Catherine Black

Zimmer wrote:

I'm all ears.
Accidental pun of the century.
https://i.imgur.com/qwWEP9F.png
2010-01-12 05:43:49
Zimmer
Un Moderador
+1,688|7015|Scotland

Freezer7Pro wrote:

Zimmer wrote:

Well, I'm here all day, go on, Freezer. Always open to suggestions.

If I was to go for the Wharfedales, what amplifier would you suggest? Why an amplifier?

Yeah, the BX5as are pretty cheap, I actually hadn't checked the pricing for them. Do you suggest any other speakers/amplifiers? I'm all ears.

@ Gooners - I'm assuming you have the RP5 older version? Or the G2? The KRKs are ridiculously expensive for what they are. A pair of Wharfedales costs £200, whilst one KRK RP8 G2 alone costs £200. They look lovely, but a tad expensive.

Need more opinions
You need an amplifier to go with them as they don't have one integrated (like the BX5as, KRKs, Audioengines, etc.) do. This gives you more freedom in the future, if you wish to get new gear. Those Wharfies are quite good price-performance, and will do fine without the aid of a subwoofer. If you can find a good deal on a receiver, I'd take another step up in the chain to the 10.2s, as they'll give you a much more solid low-end.

For an amplifier, I'd go with one of the cheap Yamaha offerings, a cheap Onkyo, or something second-hand.
Ok, lets put the aside the idea of Receiver + Speakers for now, and go with the Active Monitors (yeah, I realised I asked a stupid question, I didn't read into the Wharfedales).

Which ones would you pick out of the ones listed (or any others that have caught your eye?). If I was going to get the M-AUDIO ones, I would actually go for the even better ones, the BX8as instead. They're a bit more expensive, but their cost is relatively similar to the other monitors, unlike the BX5as, which are cheap.

KRKs, BX8as or Audioengines? Or anything else....
2010-01-12 05:47:48
Varegg
Support fanatic :-)
+2,206|7069|Nårvei

Freezer7Pro wrote:

Varegg wrote:

Was just a suggestion seeing as you are into quality sound and the brands just examples, several brands have good stereo receivers ... a dedicated system will almost always be better than using your computer ...

And the prices was from a Norwegian netshop so they should be considerably cheaper where you are
What do you mean with "a dedicated system"? He's just using his computer as source.
A dedicated system as in a receiver and speakers and not as he mentioned a pro sound card and speakers ... I know he's using his computer as the source seeing as he said that in the OP.
Wait behind the line ..............................................................
2010-01-12 06:57:52
Freezer7Pro
I don't come here a lot anymore.
+1,447|6456|Winland

Zimmer wrote:

Freezer7Pro wrote:

Zimmer wrote:

Well, I'm here all day, go on, Freezer. Always open to suggestions.

If I was to go for the Wharfedales, what amplifier would you suggest? Why an amplifier?

Yeah, the BX5as are pretty cheap, I actually hadn't checked the pricing for them. Do you suggest any other speakers/amplifiers? I'm all ears.

@ Gooners - I'm assuming you have the RP5 older version? Or the G2? The KRKs are ridiculously expensive for what they are. A pair of Wharfedales costs £200, whilst one KRK RP8 G2 alone costs £200. They look lovely, but a tad expensive.

Need more opinions
You need an amplifier to go with them as they don't have one integrated (like the BX5as, KRKs, Audioengines, etc.) do. This gives you more freedom in the future, if you wish to get new gear. Those Wharfies are quite good price-performance, and will do fine without the aid of a subwoofer. If you can find a good deal on a receiver, I'd take another step up in the chain to the 10.2s, as they'll give you a much more solid low-end.

For an amplifier, I'd go with one of the cheap Yamaha offerings, a cheap Onkyo, or something second-hand.
Ok, lets put the aside the idea of Receiver + Speakers for now, and go with the Active Monitors (yeah, I realised I asked a stupid question, I didn't read into the Wharfedales).

Which ones would you pick out of the ones listed (or any others that have caught your eye?). If I was going to get the M-AUDIO ones, I would actually go for the even better ones, the BX8as instead. They're a bit more expensive, but their cost is relatively similar to the other monitors, unlike the BX5as, which are cheap.

KRKs, BX8as or Audioengines? Or anything else....
Well, it's really between the KRK Rokit 8's or the BX8a's if you're spending that much. The Rokits seem to be about half the price of the M-Audios, and performance will scale according to that. HOWEVER, since you aren't going to be using them for actual work in a studio, I think you could get away just fine with the Rokits over the M-Audios.  They're about the same volume, and use the same size drivers, so they'll both go about equally deep in bass (I'd guess you get usable bass down to about 40Hz, which is plenty for most music). The biggest difference is probably how flat they are in the midrange, something that will make them sound different, but not something that'd really make them worth the price for you. From what I've heard about the Rokits, they're also a bit aimed toward the 'computer speaker' market too, so they'll probably have a more pleasand and not as sterile sound.

So, out of thsoe, I'd get the Rokits and spend the leftover on a Xonar DX or the like.

Last edited by Freezer7Pro (2010-01-12 06:59:48)

The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
2010-01-12 07:03:09
whaaaaaaaaaat
><>
+215|5509
somebodys ballin. enjoy
2010-01-12 07:04:57
Zimmer
Un Moderador
+1,688|7015|Scotland

Freezer, I can get the BX8a's for £228 for a pair. A KRK Rokit 8 costs £205, for ONE. Not a pair. There is a huge difference in price. So you're telling me the BX8s are actually better than the Rokits?
2010-01-12 07:11:33
Freezer7Pro
I don't come here a lot anymore.
+1,447|6456|Winland

Zimmer wrote:

Freezer, I can get the BX8a's for £228 for a pair. A KRK Rokit 8 costs £205, for ONE. Not a pair. There is a huge difference in price. So you're telling me the BX8s are actually better than the Rokits?
Oh dear, big mixup on my side. I'm just posting based upon the numbers I've been able to find. Just let them switch places in the post, as the opposite probably is true.

It's hellish that almost no manufacturers of this kind of stuff release proper specs these days! I would personally rather not buy anything branded "studio monitor" that doesn't come with a frequency response curve in the manual. Unfortunately, only premium systems tend to come with those nowadays.

Last edited by Freezer7Pro (2010-01-12 07:14:54)

The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
2010-01-12 08:14:27
Zimmer
Un Moderador
+1,688|7015|Scotland

Freezer7Pro wrote:

Zimmer wrote:

Freezer, I can get the BX8a's for £228 for a pair. A KRK Rokit 8 costs £205, for ONE. Not a pair. There is a huge difference in price. So you're telling me the BX8s are actually better than the Rokits?
Oh dear, big mixup on my side. I'm just posting based upon the numbers I've been able to find. Just let them switch places in the post, as the opposite probably is true.

It's hellish that almost no manufacturers of this kind of stuff release proper specs these days! I would personally rather not buy anything branded "studio monitor" that doesn't come with a frequency response curve in the manual. Unfortunately, only premium systems tend to come with those nowadays.
Well, all the ones I've suggested have gotten very positive reviews from everywhere. I know that's not really a base I should rely my pick on, but frankly, I cannot test them in any way and with audio products, usually the more expensive the better. With the exception of Bose.

The KRKs are just a bit too expensive for Active Monitors.

What about the AudioEngine 5s, Freezer? They're about £20 more expensive than the M-AUDIO. By the looks of it, I prefer the M-AUDIO, but you may know best with that.

Hrm, it seems that Rokkits are overall better, even the 5" ones (the BX8a are 8"). http://issuu.com/musicplanet/docs/mp1op … ayout=grey
Thoughts? I could probably push the 6" pair of Rokkits.

I don't listen to bassy music, and mids and highs are especially important to me. I don't want the music to boom or feel loud, I want it to be clear and crisp.

As for sound card options. Is there much of a difference between the D1 and the D2, other than price? Worth getting the one at £80 instead of the one at £50?
2010-01-12 10:50:14
Freezer7Pro
I don't come here a lot anymore.
+1,447|6456|Winland

For a hi-fi system, I'd get the 8" M-Audios. If their specs are to be believed, they're solid performers. Especially compared to the Audioengines, which while not being bad speakers, aren't very good price-performance if aesthetics aren't a big thing to you. Even if you don't listen to much 'bassy' music, a good low end is vital to pretty much any music produced after 1965.

Your music won't sound boomy with any of these, as they're all pretty flat down to where they roll off. 'Boominess' is caused by some semi-low frequencies in the 80~150Hz area being louder than the rest of the spectrum. The reason that paper likes the Rokits for their mid-range is probably because the lack of low-end makes it sound a bit forward.

As for the sound card, there really isn't much point in getting a sound card better than a Xonar D1/DX unless you're in the recording business and need ultra-low latencies. Analogue performance of the D1/DX is good enough for multi-kilobuck systems.
The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
2010-01-12 10:58:36
Morpheus
This shit still going?
+508|6258|The Mitten
I think Mackie has a studio line, the MR5s or something? Since they're the 'studio' line, they've got got full EAW engineering. Or something like that.
EE (hats
2010-01-12 13:16:48
.Sup
be nice
+2,646|6712|The Twilight Zone

Freezer7Pro wrote:

Well, it's really between the KRK Rokit 8's or the BX8a's if you're spending that much. The Rokits seem to be about half the price of the M-Audios, and performance will scale according to that.
M-Audio Studiophile BX8a 254,76€ pair
http://www.geizhals.eu/a175060.html


KRK Systems Rokit 8 Generation 2 222,48€ one piece
http://www.geizhals.eu/a350873.html


Not sure where you got your prices but they are wrong. The KRKs are actually twice the price of the M-Audios. In a better (pro) studios you won't see M-Audio monitors but KRKs or Yamahas or Dynaudio or Adam.
https://www.shrani.si/f/3H/7h/45GTw71U/untitled-1.png

 

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