[MikalCarbine257]

My girlfriend currently has some of the original Harman Soundsticks and she's looking to upgrade them to something nicer so I'm going to pick her up a set for Christmas. I was looking at the Soundsticks III which are wireless and would be convenient but I don't think she's ever heard "real" sound from a nice set of speakers before so I'd like to step up the game a bit
 
Here are my basic requirements
 
Primarily used for music while getting ready/around the house
Semi-portable to move around when people come over
Capable of being loud enough to be heard in the other room
 
I've been poking around and have considered
 
Soundsticks III - $230 (I think I can do better)
Klipsch Promedia 2.1 - $150 (cheaper than soundsticks and reviews suggest they are better)
Focal XS 2.0 Book - $240 (Concerned these won't be loud or bassy enough)
Edifier S730 2.1 - $413 (I'd imagine the Apple dock is outdated on this)
 
I'm torn between a 2.0 or 2.1 setup, if the sound is right I don't think she'd mind an amp with 2 passive speakers as long as there isn't a mess of cables and complications and the bass is sufficient
 
Any recommendations?

 

[PurpleAngel]

I think the 2.0 Monoprice 5" studio monitors ($170) are a great bang for the buck studio monitors.
http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=605500

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikalCarbine257 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

Primarily used for music while getting ready/around the house

Semi-portable to move around when people come over

Capable of being loud enough to be heard in the other room

 

----

 

I'm torn between a 2.0 or 2.1 setup, if the sound is right I don't think she'd mind an amp with 2 passive speakers as long as there isn't a mess of cables and complications and the bass is sufficient

 

You have two general directions on how to go about the upgrade, both involving larger speaker drivers, but mind the space where the speakers will sit either way.

 

First is to use good powered monitors, like the Monoprice monitors suggested by PurpleAngel. The downside here is that since these are symmetrical powered monitors - ie, each cabinet has its own amplifier, with independent gain controls on each - that means that the most convenient but proper way to control the volume is to use a preamp of some kind, but perhaps not in all situations. Where they will mainly sit, you can use an audio interface if she's using a computer as source, but when you transfer it around the house you'll have to use for example a laptop and its software volume control. My friend has KRK monitors where he works but when we're grilling in his house he just hooks them up to his Macbook Air - it's loud enough but of course changing the volume isn't as fast as a quick turn on one knob. Also, if you move them around the house when you have guests, that means food on their hands will go on the laptop instead of a volume knob.

 

Instead of using professional style monitors, you can use one that's oriented more towards convenient home use, like the Swans D1080MkIV (if you can find it online). The amplifiers for the two tweeters and two midwoofers are mounted on the Master speaker, driving it and the passive Slave speaker, with a single volume control on the former. 

 

The second option is to use larger powered speakers or an amplifier with passive speakers that have wireless playback, like Bluetooth - you can hook up BT USB dongles to computers as well as use mobile devices. A powered speaker like the Swans M100 MkII is compact enough, has a Master-Slave set-up, plus BT functionality; ditto the Focal XS Book wireless and the Edifier E25 Luna, which are smaller and slimmer, but with 3.0" drivers (the Swans uses 4" midwoofers). Alternately, you can pick up a relatively affordable T-amp with BT, like  the Dayton Audio DAA from Parts Express, and then pair it with a good speaker with larger drivers, like the Dayton B652 or the B652-AIR version with the smoother tweeter.

 

The problem that I foresee with the second option though is the power output of the amplifiers. I have no doubt that barring thick castle walls you would still be able to hear them from another room, however I'm not sure what kind of sound you expect to hear from there. I had the D1080MkII-08, and due to its very powerful 4channel amplifier, I can crank it up playing house in my room, close the door, then take a shower in the bath down the hall with the door closed, and still be able to hear enough of the bass that it's a lot like I'm in a club but stepped out to wash my face in the men's room. The second set of speakers will definitely not be able to do that.

 

That said I would think noise regulations are tighter where you are, and given your girlfriend will be using them, I'd go with the XS Book or the E25 Luna, or the M100 MkII. All three have a high "WAAF" (wife aesthetic acceptance factor), even the M100 MkII, however the slimmer 3.0 midwoofer speakers would probably still be pegged at a higher WAAF. Oh, and the E25 Luna has three color options compared to the industrial grey on the Focal and the wood stain vinyl (yes, it's just vinyl) with piano gloss panels (that are fingerprint magnets) on the M100 MkII that will either be the focal point in a contrasting space or stick out like a sore thumb depending on the decor.

 

[MikalCarbine257]

Thanks for the reply, I'll definitely look into those. How would these compare to the JBL LSR305? I've been reading good things about them but I'd run into the separate volume adjustments.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Thanks for the reply, I'll definitely look into those. How would these compare to the JBL LSR305? I've been reading good things about them but I'd run into the separate volume adjustments.

 

Those JBLs are a tad brighter but of course it has larger midwoofers than some of the others, and since like any active monitor it has a way to adjust the balance of the tweeter amp's gain vs the midwoofer's amp, which normally is used to adjust to room modes, this is a feature that you can use to adjust it to your own liking. Note that some of the Swans have a similar feature but they're marked "treble" and "bass" instead of "high/low pass gain" (or something like that), again because the target market aren't professionals for studio use.

 

[Prozac2502]

M-Audio just released a 2.1 version of their AV32 set which might be something to look into if you opt for a premade 2.1 setup. No reviews around yet tho.
 
http://www.m-audio.com/products/view/av32.11

 

[MikalCarbine257]

I ended up grabbing the LSR305's and want to pick up an amp for volume control. Would there be any benefit running an amp in front of the built in speaker amps or should I just get a "preamp" that will basically act only as volume control?
 
I was considering the SMSL SA-60 as the amp http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-SA-60-60WPC-Digital-Amplifier/dp/B00PA3ECGK/

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikalCarbine257 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I ended up grabbing the LSR305's and want to pick up an amp for volume control. Would there be any benefit running an amp in front of the built in speaker amps or should I just get a "preamp" that will basically act only as volume control?

 

I was considering the SMSL SA-60 as the amp http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-SA-60-60WPC-Digital-Amplifier/dp/B00PA3ECGK/

 

First off, you can't just run a high level signal (measured in watts already) into a low level input (like the inputs on the JBL. Even car audio processors designed to integrate with built-in electronics don't just take the speaker outputs direct into the ADC, they need a line driver to reconvert the analog signal to low level.

 

Second, even if you get a line driver, Class D actually has a lot of harmonic distortion. What made them popular is that they're relatively cheap modules or chips, and the amp you can make from them will also be relatively cheaper to make because you don't need the kind of large power supplies and large case with heatsinks that class A amplifiers need (headphone amps use and aste a lot less power than speaker amps, and just use the chassis as its heatsink, for example as in the Schiit Asgard; otherwise, speaker amps have huge heatsinks, sometimes outside the chassis).

 

Third, there are a lot of options in terms of preamps. You don't need to get a dedicated preamp, many headphone amps and integrated units have all three - a headphone amp, DAC, and preamp - in one box (hence NuForce calling one of theirs the Icon HDP). This way if you get the single box unit, like the AudioGD NFB-15, you have basically just three pieces to add to the desk - the h-d-p plus the two powered speakers (plus your headphone/s).

 

[PurpleAngel]

  I ended up grabbing the LSR305's and want to pick up an amp for volume control. Would there be any benefit running an amp in front of the built in speaker amps or should I just get a "preamp" that will basically act only as volume control?
 
I was considering the SMSL SA-60 as the amp http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-SA-60-60WPC-Digital-Amplifier/dp/B00PA3ECGK/

 
No need to hook another amplifier into the audio chain, but pre-amp should be fine.

 

[MikalCarbine257]

Doh! I picked up a Schiit Sys passive preamp thinking it had 2 outputs but it actually has 2 inputs and 1 RCA paired output. Would I even be able to hook these up properly to the LSR305s? For inputs the LSR305's have a balanced XLR and 1/4" TRS. 
 
From what I've been seeing online most preamps have one pair of RCA outputs. Is there something specific I should be looking for that would suit the LSR305s? I'm not looking for a DAC/headphone amp combination, just something to control the volume of both speakers without losing audio quality
 
Edit: I realized my problem is that I ordered two 1/4" TRS to dual RCA cables instead of 1/4 TRS to single RCA such as this 
 
I'm currently running the dual RCA cables with one end unplugged along with the Schiit Sys for testing. They sound good but I don't think they can get loud enough with this setup, would an amp help this situation? I have the Sys turned all the way up along with my phone as the input with volume maxed

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Originally Posted by MikalCarbine257 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

From what I've been seeing online most preamps have one pair of RCA outputs. Is there something specific I should be looking for that would suit the LSR305s? I'm not looking for a DAC/headphone amp combination, just something to control the volume of both speakers without losing audio quality

 

http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1450327511&sr=8-2&keywords=Scarlett+2i4

 

It's still a DAC and headphone amp, but for only $50 more than the Sys, you get to have it process digital audio then run balanced TRS outputs to the JBLs. The only downside though is that it only takes one USB input from a computer.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikalCarbine257 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

Edit: I realized my problem is that I ordered two 1/4" TRS to dual RCA cables instead of 1/4 TRS to single RCA such as this 

 

I'm currently running the dual RCA cables with one end unplugged along with the Schiit Sys for testing. They sound good but I don't think they can get loud enough with this setup, would an amp help this situation? I have the Sys turned all the way up along with my phone as the input with volume maxed

 

First off, there's no amplifier that you can hook up to that speaker that will help, barring a line driver to boost the voltage on the signal, since separate speaker amps have high level output. You can use a balanced headphone amplifier output, like the Schiit Mjolnir as a line driver but the price is going to make it counter productive, not to mention the voltage may actually be too high just off zero volume.

 

Second, what gain did you set the JBLs to? There's a gain knob at the rear of each cabinet, make sure they're set higher to compensate for the passive preamp working off a phone's headphone output.

 

Third, in case the gain is high enough (if not max) on the JBLs, then one problem is the level of the input signal, and maybe that it's SE. If the Focusrite works properly with it then that confirms that this is the problem.

 

[MikalCarbine257]

Thanks for the info, the Focusrite would be perfect if it had inputs other than just USB, she'll use this the majority of the time with her phone around the house. I'll do some research to see if her phone can stream audio through USB to the DAC
 
The speakers are set to the -10dBV so they are expecting the weaker signal, I played with the +4dBu and it only made it more quiet. I'll test some other sources to see if my phone's audio output just isn't enough

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Thanks for the info, the Focusrite would be perfect if it had inputs other than just USB, she'll use this the majority of the time with her phone around the house. I'll do some research to see if her phone can stream audio through USB to the DAC
 
The speakers are set to the -10dBV so they are expecting the weaker signal, I played with the +4dBu and it only made it more quiet. I'll test some other sources to see if my phone's audio output just isn't enough

 
Get a FiiO X1 digital audio player, it has a line-output setting which should feed a better signal to the LSR305, then the phone.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikalCarbine257 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

The speakers are set to the -10dBV so they are expecting the weaker signal, I played with the +4dBu and it only made it more quiet. I'll test some other sources to see if my phone's audio output just isn't enough

 

I meant the gain knob, not the Input Sensitivity switch, but JBL labelled it as "volume." It's the knob below that switch. What setting do you have that on? Try at least 6 and go up from there.  If it isn't a stepped attenuator you'll have to take a close look at both side by side to avoid having one set louder than the other, even slightly.

 

 

 

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikalCarbine257 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Thanks for the info, the Focusrite would be perfect if it had inputs other than just USB, she'll use this the majority of the time with her phone around the house. I'll do some research to see if her phone can stream audio through USB to the DAC

 

This is the reason why I put up all those options with Bluetooth, barring your expectations on how loud it can go, although I did say that unless you were in a neighborhood like mine (or one in the country with houses much farther apart) it's not likely you can go that loud anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProtegeManiac /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

The second option is to use larger powered speakers or an amplifier with passive speakers that have wireless playback, like Bluetooth - you can hook up BT USB dongles to computers as well as use mobile devices. A powered speaker like the Swans M100 MkII is compact enough, has a Master-Slave set-up, plus BT functionality; ditto the Focal XS Book wireless and the Edifier E25 Luna, which are smaller and slimmer, but with 3.0" drivers (the Swans uses 4" midwoofers). Alternately, you can pick up a relatively affordable T-amp with BT, like  the Dayton Audio DAA from Parts Express, and then pair it with a good speaker with larger drivers, like the Dayton B652 or the B652-AIR version with the smoother tweeter.

 

The problem that I foresee with the second option though is the power output of the amplifiers. I have no doubt that barring thick castle walls you would still be able to hear them from another room, however I'm not sure what kind of sound you expect to hear from there. I had the D1080MkII-08, and due to its very powerful 4channel amplifier, I can crank it up playing house in my room, close the door, then take a shower in the bath down the hall with the door closed, and still be able to hear enough of the bass that it's a lot like I'm in a club but stepped out to wash my face in the men's room. The second set of speakers will definitely not be able to do that.

 

That said I would think noise regulations are tighter where you are, and given your girlfriend will be using them, I'd go with the XS Book or the E25 Luna, or the M100 MkII. All three have a high "WAAF" (wife aesthetic acceptance factor), even the M100 MkII, however the slimmer 3.0 midwoofer speakers would probably still be pegged at a higher WAAF. Oh, and the E25 Luna has three color options compared to the industrial grey on the Focal and the wood stain vinyl (yes, it's just vinyl) with piano gloss panels (that are fingerprint magnets) on the M100 MkII that will either be the focal point in a contrasting space or stick out like a sore thumb depending on the decor.

 
 

In any case don't check USB audio streaming via her phone just yet because that Focusrite will not work. It's an audio interface, which means it's a DAC-ADC, and likely uses dedicated drivers. The only interface I know that works is an Apogee that works with the iPhone, AFAIK it's MFi-certified and will probably cost as much as just setting up a Sonos streaming system. 

 

You have two options going forward. First, you can return/sell the JBLs, and get one of those speakers (or the Dayton amp+speakers) in the links above; second, you can get a DAC with Bluetooth, that way she won't have to fess around with wires and setting up any more than how it normally works on BT. I don't know of any of these that have preamp outputs however as they're more for convenience, and for use with consumer-grade powered speakers (which again use the asymmetrical Master-Slave design), but you have the Schiit Sys already so no problem. She'll still deal with wires but at least it won't have anything to do with setting up the phone to output the audio through the speaker system; the biggest problem now is that it's added expense.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Arcam-rBlink-Wireless-Bluetooth-rSeries/dp/B007THY044

 

 

[MikalCarbine257]

Volume is cranked up to 10 as well. I'm starting to consider getting her something else and either keeping these for myself and running a HDP setup on my PC or returning them