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some questions about desktop speakers

post #1 of 5
7/12/11 at 10:51am
Thread Starter 
hello,

i'm looking for a desktop speaker setup for music (mostly EDM) and movies. i don't want studio monitors, i want this to be a fun sounding setup, not neutral. space saving is a plus, but i still want full-bodied, clear sound and definite low extension. i want to feel the bass when i crank it up (if possible).

i'm interested in the Dynaudio MC-15 speakers ($1,300) and the MC-250 sub ($600 refurbished). i have a few questions in this regard since i don't know anything about speaker audio:

1) what else does a headphone amp with pre-amp outputs like the Burson HA-160D add except for an external volume control vs a Pico USD DAC or my X-Fi HD?

2) these speakers allow to add additional subs in a master/slave combination. what does this mean exactly? would adding a second sub actually be worthwhile for a desktop setup?

3) do you have any other suggestions for a complete speaker setup in this price range (speakers + amp)? is there a SQ trade-off for going with active vs passive speakers other than amp flexibility?

thanks!
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post #2 of 5
7/15/11 at 8:27am

That's interesting that these powered speakers don't appear to have a volume control, I thought most active systems do.  Imo, having an easily accessible volume knob is important, you don't want to rely on a slider on your computer screen.

 

Re: the dual sub question, try it with the single sub first.  Having a single source of low frequencies will make placement simpler.  You won't get any stereo effect below the 60/80Hz crossover, so the benefit of two subs will just be bass quantity.

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post #3 of 5
7/15/11 at 5:30pm

Active speakers generally have gain controls on them, but the idea is you use a passive pre-amp/volume control (a decent cheap one would be a TC Electronic Level Pilot) rather than adjusting them both individually. My Focals have them on the front, but the only time I've played with them is to figure out the balance between how far you turn them up versus how much headroom that gives the control. I have the Level Pilot set the volume on the Focals to just under half-way, as this gives a good balance between it not getting too loud too quick but still being able to go well past 'loud enough' for me. 

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post #4 of 5
7/15/11 at 7:09pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Somnambulist View Post

Active speakers generally have gain controls on them, but the idea is you use a passive pre-amp/volume control (a decent cheap one would be a TC Electronic Level Pilot) rather than adjusting them both individually. My Focals have them on the front, but the only time I've played with them is to figure out the balance between how far you turn them up versus how much headroom that gives the control. I have the Level Pilot set the volume on the Focals to just under half-way, as this gives a good balance between it not getting too loud too quick but still being able to go well past 'loud enough' for me. 


passive pre-amp? would that just be a variable resistor? i think the Burson has a gain on it's outputs (10db).
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post #5 of 5
7/16/11 at 9:37am

I'm not sure about the technicalities but you can get everything from the Level Pilot at £40 here to things costing many times that. My DAC's volume control only adjusts the headphone amp volume as the RCA and XLR outputs are just line outs, I think some others allow for volume adjustment.

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