[rjoseph]

I heard the mackie mr5 at guitar centre yesterday and could not resist from buying them. I am hoping to find a cheap receiver to use with them. Can you suggest any that is around $30-70 (used)? A 2-channel receiver is fine since I do not intend to use it with the TV anyways. Maybe some of you have one that is not being used as much! If you do, I would gladly buy them.

Conus.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

The MR5 are powered monitors. Each speaker has a built-in amp (actually two amps inside, one amp for each driver).

You don't want a receiver. A receiver includes a power amp inside. You don't want that. The MR5 cannot be used with a power amp.

What you need is a pre-amp of some sort. A pre-amp will give you volume control of the monitors along with the ability to control additional inputs. The pre-amp out will plug directly into the speakers (most likely you'll be using unbalanced connections so you'll connect an RCA cable from the pre-amp out to the back of each MR5 monitor).

 

[rjoseph]

Thanks for your response. I use my x-fi (USB sound card) instead of my onboard sound card. Primarily as a DAC. The volume knob on it can control the sound output. I connect it to my CIAudio VHP-2 head amp. However, from your suggestion I may need another device (pre-amp) between the computer and the MR5s. It would help if know the various components that go into this audio chain to get the final output sound. (computer>USB Sound card>pre-amp>MR5.

I tried searching ebay for pre-amps and I see some tube amps listed a pre-amp. I also have a Little Dot II++ tube amp (with Mullard tubes). Can this be used as a preamp? Is it powerful enough to be part of this setup?

Thanks for your patience.

 

[nkk]

I do not know about the X-Fi, but fromt he way you describe it, it sounds like that is fine. I do not know if it outputs RCA or mini, or what the speakers accept, but that is a matter of a small converter type thing.

-Nkk

PS Get another opinion, as I am not totally sure.

 

[rjoseph]

I currently connect them straight from the computer using a 1/8"-XLR cable. They sound nice but am hesitant to buy additional components. The X-Fi sounds crappy with the speakers. But they do not sound just as good as I heard them at the outlet. Maybe I do need to add something else?