[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman From personal experience, I KNOW many of the amps inside of computer speakers die if they are constantly controlled by an outside volume control device.

You're full of it.

I have no idea where you got this idea. It's truly bizarre.

 

[mysticaldodo]

Does anyone find Audio Asylum forum messy?

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

From personal experience, I KNOW many of the amps inside of computer speakers die if they are constantly controlled by an outside volume control device.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy You're full of it. I have no idea where you got this idea. It's truly bizarre.

I agree. This makes no sense at all.

 

[catachresis]

Me and my mouse friend Algernon think that the Creative GigaWorks Pro Gamer G500 sound the best. It comes with so many, I can't hardly count them all.

 

[philodox]

Hmmm... you might be on to something there, but I think it is quite possible to have a budget speaker system that sounds great. My Polk Audio RTi4's cost me $200 USD shipped and my T-amp with Pyramid PSU around $80. This setup sounds great and doesn't need a sub IMO. The only bottleneck in my speaker rig is the source [my computer], but I think of it as a good tradeoff since my Wife loves using her iTunes on the speakers and she doesn't notice any of their faults anyways.

 

[elnero]

Go to most of the mainstream audiophile forums and if you even find a headphone forum or discussion there most times for us Head-Fiers it would mirror the type of speaker discussions we see here. If people truly want to get serious about speakers this is not the place they should be doing their research because the knowledge base just isn’t there.

In fact, Head-Fi is far different than the average audiophile site, I personally see it as a gateway into high-end audio for many. Sure there are longtime members here and new members for that matter that have decent setups but many of the members are young and only discovered the forum because they were looking for something better than the stock buds that came with their iPods. Head-Fi and headphones can be a revelation to these people which sets them on a path typically first with headphones then with speakers. Of course this isn’t always the case and this is a bit of an overgeneralization but I think you can get the idea of what I’m saying.

For many headphone setups are easier on the wallet and far more practical for their listening habits or living situations. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try to find the best sound they can for what their situation and budget. Take my situation as an example, I’ve been involved in audio for almost 20 years most of that as a speaker guy but after a few years’ hiatus from the hobby I discovered headphones and have been pretty much exclusively a headphone oriented audiophile for the past few years.

The problems I had with speakers were numerous. First was placement, in shops and such they have dedicated rooms but for me at least I’ve always managed to have apartments and houses with odd setups and/or small rooms so I never felt like I was getting things set up properly. Second, I like to listen at odd times but neighbors, roommates, girlfriends, wife all ended up dictating when I would be able to listen. Third was cost, I worked for a couple of stints with a high-end speaker manufacturer so I did have a decent pair of speakers but I never seemed to be able to afford or for the above reasons justify the expense to pair them with the equipment they deserved.

As I mentioned I kind of got out of audio for awhile. I went back to school and met my future wife shortly thereafter. I don’t mind saying that money has always been tight for us so audio gear wasn’t even on the radar for a few years. It wasn’t until I realized I was listening to a lot of music on crappy headphones at work and went online to research the purchase of a decent set that I got back into audio via headphones. To my amazement I found I actually preferred listening with headphones, I love the intimacy and they solve all the problems I have with using speakers for serious listening.

Because of our finances the only way I was ever able to initially afford buying any real headphone gear was by selling my bass and amp which were seeing little to no use. This got me through some initial purchases and later purchases were financed mainly by selling one thing to buy another. When my wife and I moved into our current house it came time to give up my high-end speakers, while I loved them we just didn’t have the room for them in our new living room and I couldn’t justify spending money on the rest of the system to bring it to the level of the speakers when we really only used them for background music and watching movies. Selling my high-end speakers and buying a pair of Paradigm Atoms allowed me to invest most of the money into my headphone rig bringing it to a much higher level than I had previously been able to attain. The Atoms perform admirably for what we ask of them. We only have a small living room so the Atoms fit in easily and sound great, no they don’t have thundering bass and they’re not the most detailed but they’re always enjoyable to listen to. I might move back up the ladder at some point when we have a bit more space and I could set things up a bit better but it’s not something I’ve had to give much thought to because all my real “listening” is done with headphones.

The point I’m trying to make with this little story about my situation and experiences is to illustrate that every person’s situation is different and their priorities are different. Yes, I would consider myself an audiophile but I love music first. I love my headphone rig but I don’t need to have high-end audio to listen to music, we have an average mid-fi speaker setup that makes enjoyable music without being annoying, we have a cheap radio in the kitchen but it’s capable of playing music that I enjoy when I’m in there and we have a stock CD player and speakers in our van but I still bop around in my seat when I’m listening to a song I like on it. Not everyone can just plunk down hundreds or thousands of dollars on audio systems of various sorts, for many we must prioritize. I chose to invest most in a reasonably good headphone setup because that’s where I found I did my real listening, it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to find decent gear within my price range for other audio related gear though.

 

[jjcapurro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catachresis Me and my mouse friend Algernon think that the Creative GigaWorks Pro Gamer G500 sound the best. It comes with so many, I can't hardly count them all.

OK...

 

[BlindTiger]

I believe that's a reference to "flowers for algernon".
Look, we all know 100$ for a pr of speakers in no way will get us "all" the music But with brands like Athena, Wharfdale, Polk etc it will be a gateway to better music.
Speakers are one of those things I feel have such a great markup and I look for the best bang for buck. I think that it's also considered furniture that makes it this. People want it to look good in their room. (hence the big following of B&W here)
I feel the best values are the Canadian brands. Speakers are another one of those items we constantly upgrade trying to reach that Perfect set.
I would be happy with a set of NHT superzero's mounted high up on a wall paired with a small sub like a sunfire Jr. I want guests to listen to the music not stare at two giant monoliths like the Altec lansing Voice of the theatre speaker system.

 

[so_cal_forever]

Which leads to another couple of points. Speakers are not for everyone in the fact that they require room space and placement, unlike headphones. Personally, I'm a tower speaker guy, but I could understand how headphone junkies, who's mains dont require the whole front of your living room.

Yeah, there are some great canadian dealers, but dont count american and european manus out in the bang-for-buck battle. A good example of an american speaker company is Swans Speaker Systems. The speakers look great, sound great, and are priced reasonably. But, I can see how someone who preffers headphones could do the math the way they do. A $200 pair of headphones which outperform most speakers up to $500? It all boils down to what you want out of an audio system.

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by so_cal_forever A good example of an american speaker company is Swans Speaker Systems. The speakers look great, sound great, and are priced reasonably.

Swans Speaker Systems is not an American company, yes it was founded on Swans Island, Maine but after the original owner died it moved to Prince Edward Island, Canada. I worked for the company a couple of times at this point, in fact I helped in the move from Swans Island to PEI. About 9 or 10 years ago Swans was sold to a Chinese company called Hi Vi Research who as far as I know still own it to this day.

 

[Born2bwire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman What proof have you? From personal experience, I KNOW many of the amps inside of computer speakers die if they are constantly controlled by an outside volume control device.

You mean like a... soundcard?

When people spend hundreds of dollars on headphones, amps, and cables, why do the same for speakers? Headphones fill the niche for high dollar value, space-efficient, and quiet environments. I don't think that the average head-fier is going to be really interested in a very high quality speaker rig given the average reasons for investing in their headphone rig. Generally, the only time I notice when someone here migrates to an expensive speaker rig is when they sell off their headphones.

Quote:

Go to most of the mainstream audiophile forums and if you even find a headphone forum or discussion there most times for us Head-Fiers it would mirror the type of speaker discussions we see here. If people truly want to get serious about speakers this is not the place they should be doing their research because the knowledge base just isn’t there.

Spot on there. If I wanted speaker advice, I head to a speaker forum. And on the other audio sites that I frequent, they have headphone forums themselves but they generally have very sparse discussions. Usually, the most that is said beyond personal experience is to check out head-fi.

 

[geforcewong]

I think elnero makes a good point in that many started out with crappy earbuds or computer speakers looking for a better alternative in sound quality. I started out with a HD600, got a ER6i, then wanted a pair of speakers cause it would allow me to listen to music while moving around the house. I also agree with elnero when it comes to T-amps. 15 watts of clean power won't really make a significant difference. If you want efficiency and power you'll need a more powerful t-amp chip (I've auditioned a 100-150 Class D Tripath amp and it was definately better than a T-amp). I believe speaker are for those who are well established in their careers and can afford expensive audio equipment. I'm just going to listen to elnero and save up for that "better system" in the future rather than buying mediocre components now. Time to study hard in college

.

Dream System wish list(Totally outrageous and unaffordable unless I stay single my whole life and live with my parents which I WONT Do):
-Room dimensions designed for home theater/musical acoustics
-Room treated By RPG Diffusor Systems
-Room with powerful circuit breakers and thick in house wiring
-B&W Prestige Nautilus (2 fronts) for movies/music (Glossy black seashell look is so cool)
-B&W 800D rears and sides
-Rel Studio III subwoofer
-Avantgarde Trio Horn Speakers for stereo music
-Lots of Krell or Classe amps (8 just for a pair of B&W Prestige Nautilus-one for each driver)
-Wadia 861se CD Player

OK I'll just stop with now and wait until I get a real job

.



On a more realistic sidenote, I was looking at Fluance speakers' website and noticed how cheap the prices were for their speakers. My B&W DM600 S3 (low end model) cost more than the giant Fluance floorstanders. Should I be feeling buyer's remorse?

 

[Asmo]

I agree, I never come here looking to read about speaker information, sometimes just to post my input on this or that, usually just to stop people from buying logitech or HTiB systems and point them towards something decent. I try to balance my own system, headphones and speakers, as you can see in my sig.

But I find most people here are not usually very interested in speakers.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by geforcewong On a more realistic sidenote, I was looking at Fluance speakers' website and noticed how cheap the prices were for their speakers. My B&W DM600 S3 (low end model) cost more than the giant Fluance floorstanders. Should I be feeling buyer's remorse?

No. The Fluance speakers are cheap, but their sound quality has a long way to go before they compete with the more established brands.

 

[nabwong]

Btw, if you really NEEEEED to get hifi equipment on a limited budget, you could check if your local audio shop does this. Spearit Sound in Boston has a 1 year (full price) trade-in for an upgrade i.e. If you get a NAD c320bee this year and you want get a c372 next year, you just top up the difference. The only catch is the upgrade has to cost twice as much as the previous one.