[J.Pocalypse]

Once in a while, you find some pretty cool stuff at the second hand store. This past Sunday, I found a pair of Monsoon MH-500 speakers. The shame of it was, there as no volume control nor was the sub any where to be found. So, for $14, I decided to bring them home and check them out. I have a cheap Altec Lansing VS2421 for non headphone audio, which served me alright. Always being on a budget has left most everything planar out of reach. To my amazement, they worked! Thing is, being of different technology, I'm not sure I'm getting their full potential. 
 
Here's my audio chain: 
 
USB > Nuforce uDAC ( off rear RCA ) > Stereo RCA to female 3.5" jack adapter > VS2421 volume control ( which is maxed, I use the uDAC as volume control ) > sub > Monsoons. 
 
I do notice I need to turn the volume up on the uDAC more than I had to with the original speakers. I'm thinking that these "new" speakers may be power hungry for what they are? Would there be something I could buy that would power them better then the built in amp in the sub box, besides hunting down the remaining pieces of the 2.1 set up?
 
TLR : Need/want better amp for hybrid planar computer speakers.
 
PS, the speakers themselves are terminated with a male RCA style jack.

 

[billybob_jcv]

The sub probably also has a built-in crossover, so only frequencies above that crossover are going to the satellites. You could get a receiver or amp that has a sub out and speaker jacks to drive the speakers and your current sub as a conventional 2.1 system, or you could get another sub that has speaker jacks, for example:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-627
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-628