Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Soshanna]

As embarrassing as it is....reading through the posts on this forum is like a foreign language to me and I am sure there are others like me that don't spend a lot of time learning about audio/video equipment and how it all works.  But what I do know very well is music and how it should sound, that is why I purchased J River. 

I have had MC for over a year or so, and I feel I am somewhat knowledgeable with its audio organization, tagging, layout and all that. I use the video portion of it, but mainly I bought it for the audio...so now I need help with getting the right hardware.

So with that said....what would you get if you were setting up a small system in an office?  It doesn't need to blow the windows out of the place with a big sub-woofer and pounding bass, but I would like a nice clean sound that takes advantage of MC's capabilities. All my music I will be using is digital at the moment, most of it is MP3's & FLAC files.  I do have some 24bit 96000hz and try to get that when available...but I haven't had the equipment that is required to be able to play that apparently. I have just purchased a new computer, its a Dell XPS8700 with a 7.1-Channel (6 jack) Audio with Waves MaxxAudio 4 software package. 

I have asked this question before and was overwhelmed with information about speakers, DAC's and/or amplifiers and I am not sure what it all means, so please keep that in mind with your answers. Just tell me what to buy and I'll get it!     Oh yeah, money...well it matters of course, but I know Ill probably have to spend a few dollars for something nice.

Thanks for your help.....

[jmone]

You are going to get as many recommendations as there are people on this forum as we all love our gear!  I really like my Axiom speakers (have many sets) as they are well priced (direct seller) and based on real research without a bunch of pseudo hype.  They have a "help" # you can call and discuss your room setup from which they will recommend a suitable speaker package.

Thanks
Nathan

PS - don't listen to Matt, he will have you making your own 

[InflatableMouse]

There was a thread recently for suggestions for small speakers. See here.

Personally I picked up on the suggestion for the Kanto Yumi's. I'm very happy with them but I have to admit it took some time positioning them properly and maybe there was a break in period needed too. I also had to get used to them. In the end they are quite good value for money.

[Arindelle]

Just a question or two first before assuming

- are you looking for speakers for close listening, like right on your desk around your computer? Or do you have an office that you want to fill with sound like at home so you can listen from anywhere. There are  lots of choices in small monitors, but they are not all made to listen to 10 feet away even if they have plenty of power to do so (jargon "nearfield" )

- do you need them to be wireless? (hope not  )

- do you need them to be powered, or are you planning on getting an amplifier?

[Soshanna]

There was a thread recently for suggestions for small speakers. See here.

   That thread looks like a goldmine of information for what I am looking for.  I'll be spending some time reading, thank you.

Just a question or two first before assuming

- are you looking for speakers for close listening, like right on your desk around your computer? Or do you have an office that you want to fill with sound like at home so you can listen from anywhere. There are  lots of choices in small monitors, but they are not all made to listen to 10 feet away even if they have plenty of power to do so (jargon "nearfield" )

- do you need them to be wireless? (hope not  )

- do you need them to be powered, or are you planning on getting an amplifier?

I have a small office space, about 30x30 feet and was thinking a couple moderately sized bookshelf speakers to fill the room might work (?) 

No, I don't need them to be wireless 

Do I need them to be powered?  Hmmm, well that's a good question.  lol   This is what I don't know much about.     I don't have an amplifier, so would it be better to get one to power the speakers, or are there good speakers with amplifiers built in?  The later sounds like it may be a better (easier) option for me if that will work.

and thanks to everyone for all your suggestions.

[Arindelle]

for a smallish budget I like the Audio Engine 5+  (400USD about) http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Powered-Speaker-Systems These are surprisingly powerful, yet could be used next to a screen on a desk too.

if you can find the older version A7 from Adam http://www.adam-audio.com/en/pro-audio/products/a7x/description which would be a little more expensive ... has a larger woofer, a very nice tweeter. And is bi-amped (2 amps per speaker). However these are studio monitors so are very directional. They have ribbon tweeters though which softens it some. A friend has them in his office and it sound very nice. I think he got the pair of them for 700 euros. Note he has done some heavy corrections in JR's DSP studio to compensate for a monitor design which is meant to be listened to fairly close (near field again).Not a plug and play option. Wouldn't need a subwoofer, (they go down to 40hz I think, but you probably don't want to know that ). Their newer version (A7X) is going to be easily double what the Audio engines are and really are for a studio IMO. So not a great deal for normal listening. Also not sure how much these are if you are in the US .. Adam is a german company.

For a budget over a 1000$ I'd go and shop for an amplifier and more traditional passive speakers, personally.

Yeah,  a nice little external DAC and the AE5s would be pretty good for a small space. If you need more bottom end, you could add on a subwoofer later too as they have a built in option. 30x30 isn't a closet either so its not just about being loud .. but they would be loud enough.

[Soshanna]

You are going to get as many recommendations as there are people on this forum as we all love our gear!

That is what I was thinking!!  I would have thought I would have received more response from all the knowledgeable people around here, I was hoping so anyway.  Like I said, I am sure there are other people that purchased J Rivers for its ability to produce beautiful sounding music, but don't know how to achieve that without the right hardware.  I suppose I should have looked into that further before I purchased it.  

I have a construction business, and manage a team of very bright, intelligent, professional people, but none of us know anything about the technical end of audio/video playback. I guess I was naive in thinking you didn't have to be a audiophile to be able to use J Rivers software.  

For the 3 of you that did take a few minutes out of your day to share your knowledge, I appreciate it more than you know.  

[Rockets71]

I have MC output through a Claro Halo sound card (192KHz 24 bit capability) as analog to an Adcom pre-amplifier that is feeding my Bose 1801 power amp (from sometime in the early 1970's) that I use to drive my PSB AlphaB1 bookshelf speakers. Additionally I am running the subwoofer pre-out of the pre-amp to a powered Cambridge Soundworks 8" Basecube. The PSB speakers run about $300, I don't remember how much the Basecube cost (it wasn't outrageous as I recall). The Claro Halo was something like $160 (caution it requires a PCI port, but other comparable cards from Claro have PCIe interface, so not the end of the world). I picked up the pre-amp used for ~$150. I have had the 1801 amp for >20 years, and it is a beast (weighs about 90 pounds or so). The power amp choice is just that, a choice, and really your ear has to tell you if you like what any individual amp does for your ears. Make sure to use good quality interconnects and speaker cable (but don't get sucked into slick marketing and paying more than you have to).

[jmone]

Keep in mind that speakers are just "air pumps" and to reproduce sound at even moderate levels you will need a range of driver sizes in your speakers to reproduce the full range of frequencies without distortion.  It is this distortion that makes a small speakers sound abrasively "loud" as you try to increase Sound Pressure Levels and makes you turn them down.  Given a 30x30' room I don't think a couple of small bookshelf speakers will give you good SPL without distortion, you may be better off with a couple of Full Sized speakers, a sub, and an amp/receiver to drive them.  Give the Axiom team a call with a rough drawing of your room and they will give some solid advice even if you don't end up buying from them.

[Zhillsguy]

Speaking strictly from the Budget Side.....

Typically an office doesn't require much in the way of SPL.....would be too distracting, and you can't hear the phones.    Sound quality is always important, so is bang for the buck.

Since the office layout is unknown, I suggest getting a decent AVR (receiver, Yamaha, Pioneer, Denon) and 4 Andrew Jones designed Pioneer speakers (bookshelf or floor standers) and possibly a comparable sub for low fill. Run them in stereo or 2.1 (with sub), connect to the AVR with either hdmi or s/pdif from the Dell, or get a budget USB DAC for audio output.

AVR: I am happy with my budget Denon (S500BT) recently purchased, and have had bad luck with Onkyo stuff lately. Since this will not be in a home theater all the bells and whistles aren't needed, just reliability. Perhaps a stereo receiver with subwoofer output would suffice. AVR quality and reliability varies across brands and models, I don't really have a recommendation. If you decide not to opt for an AVR to provide a variety of inputs and/or processing for a separate powered sub that opens the doors to more amplifier options....e.g, you could run audio directly from the Dell analog outs to an amplifier to simplify the install.

Pioneer Speakers:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_20?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=andrew+jones+pioneer+speakers&sprefix=andrew+jones+pioneer%2Celectronics%2C170&rh=n%3A172282%2Ck%3Aandrew+jones+pioneer+speakers

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006521%2050001167%2040000494%208000&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&page=1

Budget Subs:
http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-sub-1200-12-120-watt-powered-subwoofer--300-629

http://www.parts-express.com/bic-formula-f-12-12-subwoofer-475-watts--303-436

Budget DAC's: http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA202-Audio-Interface/dp/B000KW2YEI (has a 2-channel toslink s/pdif output)

http://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs/sabre-dac-uae23 (also has optical output)