[danielhowk]

   
Just use it, maybe leave it running all day as long as you're home. All night playing anything at a low enough volume to let you sleep if you weren't home. There's no fixed manner of doing this so just run it as often as you safely and conveniently can, and listen to it as much as you can.

thanks the longer the better? i thought at a certain hours it be at its peak performance and remain that way

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

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

thanks the longer the better? i thought at a certain hours it be at its peak performance and remain that way

 

There's nothing precise about breaking in speakers, not even whether a speaker will actually sound different. Just use it, if you're at home and busy with something else then just run it in the background.

 

[biosailor]

Hi everyone, just found this thread and didn't read through all the posts. So apologies if my question has been asked before: I'm looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers. I will order an amp with 2x35 watts out. Any suggestions from you insiders? For this power output, would I need high efficiency speakers, or is this output good enough for any speakers? Any input is appreciated!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

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

Hi everyone, just found this thread and didn't read through all the posts. So apologies if my question has been asked before: I'm looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers. I will order an amp with 2x35 watts out. Any suggestions from you insiders? For this power output, would I need high efficiency speakers, or is this output good enough for any speakers? Any input is appreciated!

 

That depends on how the amp is rated and how it piles on distortion. I had Wharfedale Pi10's before with 89dB sensitivity, and I can crank up my NAD304 beyond where my ears can't take it, all because that's a really good, very clean amplifier. By contrast a Marantz PM80 in Class A mode sounds better in the midrange until you get loud enough (which isn't very loud either) that the bass drum has a very obvious distortion as it fails to control driver excursion (Class AB mode and there are only very slight tonal differences).

 

As a rough guide though given a decent amp (but if you're unsure of how it stacks up to the likes of NAD), try to get at least 89dB sensitivity.

 

[cel4145]

Hi everyone, just found this thread and didn't read through all the posts. So apologies if my question has been asked before: I'm looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers. I will order an amp with 2x35 watts out. Any suggestions from you insiders? For this power output, would I need high efficiency speakers, or is this output good enough for any speakers? Any input is appreciated!

Budget?

How far away is the listening position from the speakers? How loud do you listen?

And which make/model amplifier?

 

[biosailor]

 

 

That depends on how the amp is rated and how it piles on distortion. I had Wharfedale Pi10's before with 89dB sensitivity, and I can crank up my NAD304 beyond where my ears can't take it, all because that's a really good, very clean amplifier. By contrast a Marantz PM80 in Class A mode sounds better in the midrange until you get loud enough (which isn't very loud either) that the bass drum has a very obvious distortion as it fails to control driver excursion (Class AB mode and there are only very slight tonal differences).

 

As a rough guide though given a decent amp (but if you're unsure of how it stacks up to the likes of NAD), try to get at least 89dB sensitivity.

Thanks for the explanations! Greatly appreciated!

 

[biosailor]

Budget?

How far away is the listening position from the speakers? How loud do you listen?

And which make/model amplifier?

Listening position from the speakers will be about 3 metres. I prefer listening at relatively low levels.
 
I do not have the amp yet. So far I only listen to my headphone amp with a GSX MK2. This headphone mp has a pre-amp out that I intend to feed into a Lavardin A80 (http://www.lavardin.com/lavardin-a80E.html). Not a well known amp, but I read raving reviews about the amp and the company.

 

[cel4145]

Speaker budget?

 

[biosailor]

Speaker budget?

Sorry, missed that in your question: 2000 $/£/€

 

[cel4145]

You have a very good budget to work with. I'd suggest going to demo some speakers. And then if they need a bit more amplifier power, buy it. The speakers are the most important part of the audio chain. If you find the ones that you really like, that's what will matter the most even if the amp you buy is more of a basic audio/video receiver. Speakers really do matter.

Not as knowledgeable about brands that are best buys in the EU. But I'd look at Focal, B&W, and Dynaudio. I'm sure there are others. You might ask at AVForums. They are a UK based audio/video community, and thus will likely have a better idea of what is available to you.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Listening position from the speakers will be about 3 metres. I prefer listening at relatively low levels.

 

Are you sure about 3m from your head to each speaker? And don't underestimate how low you think you'd want to listen. Very low levels from that distance and you'll think there isn't any audible beat in the music. Might as well have a fair bit of headroom power to go a bit louder - sensitivity, response, etc on speakers are typically measured at 1m to 1.5m, save maybe for the largest floorstanders where 1.5m is just waaaaay too close (ex Focal Grande Utopia).

 

[biosailor]

You have a very good budget to work with. I'd suggest going to demo some speakers. And then if they need a bit more amplifier power, buy it. The speakers are the most important part of the audio chain. If you find the ones that you really like, that's what will matter the most even if the amp you buy is more of a basic audio/video receiver. Speakers really do matter.

Not as knowledgeable about brands that are best buys in the EU. But I'd look at Focal, B&W, and Dynaudio. I'm sure there are others. You might ask at AVForums. They are a UK based audio/video community, and thus will likely have a better idea of what is available to you.

Thank you cel4145! I'm just up for demoing a KEF LS50. I'll let you know how it went. I was also thinking about Focal, but they are difficult to find in the area where I live. For someone listening exclusively to headphones, it'll be thrilling to hear what loudspeakers are capable of.

 

[biosailor]

 

 

Are you sure about 3m from your head to each speaker? And don't underestimate how low you think you'd want to listen. Very low levels from that distance and you'll think there isn't any audible beat in the music. Might as well have a fair bit of headroom power to go a bit louder - sensitivity, response, etc on speakers are typically measured at 1m to 1.5m, save maybe for the largest floorstanders where 1.5m is just waaaaay too close (ex Focal Grande Utopia).

I'm not sure if I understood you correctly, with 3 metres I meant the diagonal distance of the speakers to the listener. I'm new to speakers, so I really don't understand the theory behind the measurements. But I take the point that it's probably good to have some spare power in the amp. I'll keep you posted about my next steps. So, thanks a lot for your input!

 

[cel4145]

Thank you cel4145! I'm just up for demoing a KEF LS50. I'll let you know how it went. I was also thinking about Focal, but they are difficult to find in the area where I live. For someone listening exclusively to headphones, it'll be thrilling to hear what loudspeakers are capable of.

Yep. Kef's are definitely good. If you can listen to some of their other models as well. I've seen a couple of instances where someone preferred the KEF Q300 over the LS50 because of the better bass response.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

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

I'm not sure if I understood you correctly, with 3 metres I meant the diagonal distance of the speakers to the listener.

 

Exactly what I meant, which is why I said "from your head to each speaker." Even if this was 3m from your head to the point smack in the middle of the two speakers don't underestimate the power you'll need at the level you'll listen. It's one thing for when something sounds loud when you're far from the speakers, even off-axis, and then when you sit you start noticing that there are sections of the music that sound weaker. It will help lower volume, farther out listening on modern music if you get speakers that have a slightly stronger response from roughly 60hz to 150hz than the average.

 

 

Quote:

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

I'm new to speakers, so I really don't understand the theory behind the measurements. But I take the point that it's probably good to have some spare power in the amp.

 

Basically when speakers are tested in the lab they measure at 1m to 1.5m. That's the distance where they get the response, how loud they get with the power input (ie sensitivity), etc. Same thing with how headphones are measured with a tube that simulates an ear canal going into a mic that approximates the average distance to the ear drum (today's measuring set-ups are evn more complex, with ear lobes and canals designed to mimic the average human ear), and IEMs have to be measured inserted into the simulated canal - in other words you can't have the IEM outside your ear at the same position as the HD800 drivers and expect the IEM to sound like how it was measured. On speakers, this is why some passive speakers can get loud in nearfield applications with very little power than the sensitivity rating suggests, because you're sitting at half the distance (or less) than when it was measured; alternately, that also tend to create other issues in the response, or at least, it sounds different from 0.5m than what it sounds like as far as the manufacturer was concerned when they did the testing at 1.0m. In your case you'll sit farther away, so be prepared to move your seats closer or have a some reserve power, unless what you'll buy is a speaker that likely was measured from farther out as well, like gigantic tower speakers. If you sat 1m away from a Focal Grande Utopia for example the main problem you'll face is how each transducer on it has a different distance to your head, whereas sitting farther out minimizes the path-length differentials, meaning all the sounds meld together propery since you hear them all at the same time. Even a microsecond delay can screw that up.