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Need advice on my setup and amp + speakers <800$

post #1 of 25
5/22/08 at 2:27am
Thread Starter 
I am looking to get an amp and 2 speakers that are each around 100watts (?) to use in a medium size room at low and medium volumes and during big parties at higher volumes for less than 800$. However, I don't know much about power amps and speakers but thaught I could hook up my LITTLE DOT MKIII headphone amp as a preamp on a power amp and adjust the volume on the preamp and adjust bass and treble on my computer program coming with the soundcard.

I am currently listening to music on my computer (.mp3s, .flacs, CDs, DVDs). I have the X-FI prelude soundcard connected via a generic optical fiber cable to my ZERO DAC and it is connected to my LITTLE DOT MKIII via a Monster Ultra 800 THX audio RCA cable.

So what would you guys think of my setup and what is recommended for a good set of speakers and a good amp.

As for the amp, I have thaught of the Onkyo M-282 2-channel power amp that I can get for 200$ on amazon.
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post #2 of 25
5/22/08 at 9:30am
There are no problems with what you are planning. Lots of choice in speakers and amps that would suit your need.

You'd want a floorstanding speaker and an amp with at least 50-100W per channel.

As I said in another thread, I think the clearout of PSB maple color speakers is a tremendous deal. Accurate but still punchy sound.
Image Maple Sale Either the T45 or T55 would be what you want. (Ideally the T55)
Hard to beat the value of those. A larger speaker offers more volume level per watt (look at the sensitivity figure in the specs) you give it so it would good for party use.

For an amp, I'd start off with the AudioSource Amp One as one choice. The Onkyo would be a solid choice also and probably better sounding.
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post #3 of 25
5/22/08 at 5:12pm
Thread Starter 

why only 2 way speakers if they are good.

Why are the PSB speakers only 2 way speakers. Aren't 3-4 and 5 ways higher quality audio speakers? My room is 14ft x 14ft and I don't know where to fit the big towers. Do you think the B25 can do the job? On the link you refered, it says that it is 70watts programmed. What does that mean and is it 70 watts per speaker so that means a total of 140watts?
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post #4 of 25
5/22/08 at 6:32pm
Just because a speaker is only two way doesn't mean it's low quality. For example, a Harbeth HL Compact 7ES-3 which is the brand that the BBC uses costs $3000 but is only two way.

The more ways the speaker is, the harder it is to design. So it's better to buy a well designed two way speaker than a poorly designed three way. My speakers are two way and they cost $1300 and sounds better than my other speakers that are $1000 but are three way.

The 70W number means the speaker can handle, on average, 70W of power from your amp PER speaker, playing normal music material, continuously. That number is just a rough approximation of what power input the speaker can handle. It's like saying that a rope can handle 100 pounds of force on it on average without breaking. But that same rope may be able to handle more pounds for short periods of time. Even though they say 70Watts, that doesn't mean the speaker will break if you feed it 71W from your amp. It can probably handle 100W for short bursts of time (less than 10% at a time)

I think the B25 would be a good speaker. If it doesn't go deep enough in the bass, you can add a small sub later.
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post #5 of 25
5/22/08 at 9:28pm
Thread Starter 
Thanx for for all the precious info that you are giving me warpdriver.
Do you know if I can order online the B25s and also are they good speakers to listen to electronic and punk rock music? Finally, how do you set the audiosource Amp One to give 70watts to the speakers?
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post #6 of 25
5/22/08 at 9:51pm
For an amp get a Gainclone on Audiogon.

3 or 4 way speakers are not necessarily better than 2 way ones. Some people even prefer single fullrange driver speakers, because as you add more drivers, you have to make a crossover circuit for each one. Good crossovers can be difficult/expensive to make. However, in the end what matters is how the speaker sounds to you, not whether it is 2-way or 3-way.

When i wanted to buy speakers, the PSB B25 was one of my top choices. It has a good review in Stereophile, but I ended up getting the Onix x-ls because it was cheaper; you should take a look at the Onix x-series speakers at av123. As an upgrade I want to get Odyssey Epiphony right now, people say they have very good imaging.
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post #7 of 25
5/22/08 at 9:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by punk_guy182 View Post
Thanx for for all the precious info that you are giving me warpdriver.
Do you know if I can order online the B25s and also are they good speakers to listen to electronic and punk rock music? Finally, how do you set the audiosource Amp One to give 70watts to the speakers?
Yes, the B25 are suited for all types of music. However, the larger the speaker, the deeper the bass goes. Size matters. So you won't feel the bass as much as the larger speakers like the T45. If you *really* want to feel the bass, adding any subwoofer will do that for you wthout the need to buy tower speakers.

The Amp One will output up to 80W for each speaker when you turn up the volume control to the topmost/maximum knob setting (or slightly lower than that sometimes)

But sometimes making the amp work too hard causes something called "clipping". You can hear crackling noises and those crackling noises can damage the speaker if you do it for too long. So I'd advise you back off the volume control immediately if you start hearing that crackling. My rule of thumb is to never turn the volume control to maximum for any length of time, no more than 3/4 the way up.
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post #8 of 25
5/24/08 at 12:30am
For your budget I highly recommend stand mounted speakers. In the price range you're looking at you can typically get more natural sounding speakers in a 2-way stand mounted speaker than in a tower speaker. Also, consider that if it is difficult to get a great crossover, then it is even more difficult to have 2 or more crossover points such as you would have with a 3-way speaker v a 2-way speaker.

You can get a nice pair of Epos, B&W, Paradigm, PSB, or av123 speaker for around $600 and still leave yourself a couple hundred for a nice amp. I listened to several speakers in the sub $1k range from all the brands listed and ended up with a pair of Onix Reference 1 from av123. My next choice would have probably been either B&W or Epos, I wasn't as impressed with PSB or Paradigm's offerings.
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post #9 of 25
5/24/08 at 12:42am
Have you considered a Class-T (Tripath) amp? They are ridiculously great for the money especially since you are buying speakers at the same time and can choose something efficient. Check out Audiomagus for some nice choices both stock and modded.

(For the record, no connection to them, but just bought one of their amps used and it is amazing - fits in my hand and drives my Cantons beautifully.)
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post #10 of 25
5/24/08 at 1:46pm
call av123 and see what kind of speaker hookup they will give you. I can't recommend a better company to deal with. They are tops in my book for bang for the buck. they also have receivers that you must ask about b/c their prices are lower than retail. however, you might want to look on audiogon for used power as it is easy to get something sweet for around $200-250.
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post #11 of 25
5/29/08 at 1:24am
Thread Starter 
I might go for the PSB B25's. However they charge 125$ for shipping to where I live (Montreal). Is it still worth it. also, where can I order a new inexpensive Audiosource amp One on the web that ships to Canada? And what speaker cables should I get?

Thankx...
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post #12 of 25
5/29/08 at 4:35am
As with all audio systems, the simpler a setup is, the higher quality it will have to be. This is why great-sounding single driver speaker systems require extremely expensive full-range speakers with precision-built cabinets, and ultra-simple, but great-sounding amplifiers, from a component-level stand-point, require exotic components.
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post #13 of 25
5/29/08 at 5:27am
How about checking out the used speakers over at Audiogon? There's a bunch of them and your dollar will go much further.
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post #14 of 25
5/29/08 at 7:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by punk_guy182 View Post
I might go for the PSB B25's. However they charge 125$ for shipping to where I live (Montreal). Is it still worth it. also, where can I order a new inexpensive Audiosource amp One on the web that ships to Canada? And what speaker cables should I get?

Thankx...
Have you had the opportunity to listen to the PSB's? I found I prefered Epos entry level or av123's x-ls to the PSB's. Plus, both are cheaper.

I'd probably look for a nice vintage integrated
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post #15 of 25
5/29/08 at 8:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by punk_guy182 View Post
I might go for the PSB B25's. However they charge 125$ for shipping to where I live (Montreal). Is it still worth it. also, where can I order a new inexpensive Audiosource amp One on the web that ships to Canada? And what speaker cables should I get?

Thankx...
Hmm, you should have said you are in Montreal, a lot of these speakers that people are mentioning are not good deals anymore if you have to import them from the US and pay the hefty shipping fees, and border fees.

You do know that PSB is a Canadian brand? You should be able to find a dealer locally and hear them for yourself. That is way better than taking my advice or anybody's advice blindly.

I would also recommend you find a Paradigm dealer and listen to their offerings, those are comparable to PSB also.
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