[bigshot]

I'm betting your speakers are what make your system sound good. And yes, you always want speakers on the floor. The bass speaker uses the plane of the floor.

 

[Lorspeaker]

 
i heard a LOCUS DESIGN usb before...way to expensive for me to own it.
But the soundstage, especially the depth was astonishing. i bet hifiguy's speakers sounded like it came thru the back wall.

 
Now i settled for a double whammy...a LAT usb(left of pic) to my dac...and a Furutech usb(right) to my portable diskdrive.
I wouldnt dare say this combo beats the LOCUS....but its almooooooost there. I know its logically crazy to put one on the diskdrive...but it works for my ears.
 
cheers guys....

 

[bigshot]

I have a $120 Sony bluray player. I bet it sounds just as good as all that gear.

 

[hifuguy]

Hi Lorspeaker...
Actually, you have touched upon one of my favorite aspects of it... image depth is one of my favorite hot buttons and its one of the aspects of high-end audio that I enjoy the most. It's so amazing that so many people don't even know it's possible. When the Dynaudio's are brought way out into the room, their image depth is just jaw-dropping fun. Soundstage recreation is such a major part of the illusion. If I put them back near the rear wall, they still sound good, but it goes back to being just a good stereo. So that's one of the nice things about the BM5a... they are so small and easy to move. My listening room is also our family room. So I'm happy and my wife is happy. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but I'd put it all up against just about any system and it would hold it's own. I go and visit hi-fi stores with the really high priced stuff and I leave with a (smug) smile, thinking that I have stumbled upon an affordable magic formula, though some thinking, some research and yes, some blind luck. Happy Listening. Here's a picture... the speaker is only 12" tall! I guess it would be best if I stop derailing this USB thread with speaker stuff. PM me if you have any questions and sorry, about the picture being in the wrong orientation. happy Listening!
 
 

 

[bigshot]

What you're calling "image depth" actually has a name... coupling. You never want to push your speakers up close to the wall, no matter what your wife says, or your speaker will couple with the wall, and you'll be hearing the effect of the wall more than the speaker. In order for a speaker to push sound out beyond itself, it has to be freestanding.

You do want the speaker to couple with the floor so it pushes the bass out in a straight line along the floor and doesn't bounce around too much. Never raise bass speakers up to face level or tilt them up at a sharp angle. They have to be low. Bass gets muddled pretty easy if it starts bouncing between the floor and ceiling. It should flow along the floor like water and fill the room.

Also, you want your two main speakers close together. No more than six to eight feet apart. The two channels need to couple together to form a complete left/right soundstage. Otherwise, they'll function separately and you'll get the "rechannelled for stereo" early Beatles sound. This is probably the most common mistake speaker newbies make. Keep 'em close!

This is all speaker room placement 101. It applies the same for inexpensive speakers the same as it does fancy ones. Like guitars, a lot of speakers sound good at low volumes. It's how they perform at peak listening level that separates the men from the boys.

When I demo my system for friends and play something like Marche Slav, or other pieces that start out quiet and end up with a devastating brass fortissimo, they always start out smiling and nodding... Then the blast hits and their jaws drop open and they utter the name of one of this forum's sponsors... "Holy Schiit!"

Really good speakers hold back when they need to. They don't produce bass or treble unless it's in the music, and they sound as good at 1/4 volume as full blast. Music should be able to sneak up on you with sound you aren't expecting because it hasn't come up in the timbre of the music yet. I don't know if I can explain that concept well in words. When you hear it, you understand.

 

[bigshot]

One interesting historical note on coupling...

In the users' manual for the Victor Victrola, it said to put the phonograph in the corner of a low ceilinged room for best sound. Acoustic records had very little bass to mess up with reflections caused by coupling. However the horn of the phonograph was about chest high, so coupling wth the floor, walls and ceiling in the corner of the room effectively extended the length of the horn, increasing bass.

It also focused the sound to shoot straight out of the horn, projecting a dimensional aural image about eight feet in front of the phonograph. If you play a Caruso record on a good Victrola well placed in a room, the phonograph is in the corner, but Caruso's voice comes from the center of the room. It's an uncanny experience and it can make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

 

[ultrabike]

Quote:

Hi Lorspeaker...
Actually, you have touched upon one of my favorite aspects of it... image depth is one of my favorite hot buttons and its one of the aspects of high-end audio that I enjoy the most. It's so amazing that so many people don't even know it's possible. When the Dynaudio's are brought way out into the room, their image depth is just jaw-dropping fun. Soundstage recreation is such a major part of the illusion. If I put them back near the rear wall, they still sound good, but it goes back to being just a good stereo. So that's one of the nice things about the BM5a... they are so small and easy to move. My listening room is also our family room. So I'm happy and my wife is happy. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but I'd put it all up against just about any system and it would hold it's own. I go and visit hi-fi stores with the really high priced stuff and I leave with a (smug) smile, thinking that I have stumbled upon an affordable magic formula, though some thinking, some research and yes, some blind luck. Happy Listening. Here's a picture... the speaker is only 12" tall!

 
Those are nice speakers dude! Do you have a subwoofer to go along with them? Have you heard the Mackie HR624s? They seem to be well regarded as well. 

 

[paradoxper]

Quote:

 
 
i heard a LOCUS DESIGN usb before...way to expensive for me to own it.
But the soundstage, especially the depth was astonishing. i bet hifiguy's speakers sounded like it came thru the back wall.

 
Now i settled for a double whammy...a LAT usb(left of pic) to my dac...and a Furutech usb(right) to my portable diskdrive.
I wouldnt dare say this combo beats the LOCUS....but its almooooooost there. I know its logically crazy to put one on the diskdrive...but it works for my ears.
 
cheers guys....

Which Locus cable? I might be picking up one of these and maybe getting the USB cable LFF has been reviewing. NDA doesn't permit him
to share any details on the cable. haha

 

[Lorspeaker]

wow its only 12inches short....????  did u get the subwoofer too? 
the dynaudio is an enclosed box right? not ported? i might sell my rig and just get this tiny thunderbolt. 
i love softdome tweeters.  thanks for the heads up..will read more into this.
 
 
============
 
i think he is referring to this...
http://www.locus-design.com/index.php/axis-usb-cable

 

[Lorspeaker]

Quote:

I have a $120 Sony bluray player. I bet it sounds just as good as all that gear.

 
given your knowledge of acoustic alchemy...i bet u can create something beautiful out of that bluray...bypassing all the usb stuff.
i have an old thomson dvd player
 
 

 

[ultrabike]

Quote:

 
i think he is referring to this...
http://www.locus-design.com/index.php/axis-usb-cable

 
Yup, the same makers of the $3549 3ft Cynosure v2 USB cable, made out of "carbon fiber, cotton, SPC braid, ERS fabric, Nylon, Teflon, and many more" stuff. From their website, said cables are damped from mechanical vibrations. Their cables are terminated with the "best Mundorf solder" and some "special adhesive." Said cables are also "CryoFreeze process" treated. And they also "wasted more money than" they want "to think about teaching" their vendor partners "to make the wire exactly like" they "want it made."
 
Kid you not: http://www.locus-design.com/index.php/cynosure-usb-cable
 
That said, I don't think their cable is thick enough or long enough to satisfy most usb ports.

 

[paradoxper]

Quote:

 
Yup, the same makers of the $3549 3ft Cynosure v2 USB cable, made out of "carbon fiber, cotton, SPC braid, ERS fabric, Nylon, Teflon, and many more" stuff. From their website, said cables are damped from mechanical vibrations. Their cables are terminated with the "best Mundorf solder" and some "special adhesive." Said cables are also "CryoFreeze process" treated. And they also "wasted more money than" they want "to think about teaching" their vendor partners "to make the wire exactly like" they "want it made."
 
Kid you not: http://www.locus-design.com/index.php/cynosure-usb-cable
 
That said, I don't think their cable is thick enough or long enough to satisfy most usb ports.

Sometimes I wish they would leave out the marketing crap and just list the specs and price. But I'm always interested
when people say they hear a difference between cables, be it subtle or "night and day."

 

[Lorspeaker]

faintzz.....my absolute ceiling budget is usd100 bucks for a usb....n rcas....just wanna get off the stockcrabwire....and float alittle higher...
but 3549...................................................................................thats thats....... fill in your own words here.
 
but it will make sense if your speakers are usd100,000 a pair.

 

[bigshot]

The speakers can cost a million dollars and a $3800 USB cable is still gonna sound like one from Monoprice

 

[ultrabike]

Quote:

faintzz.....my absolute ceiling budget is usd100 bucks for a usb....n rcas....just wanna get off the stockcrabwire....and float alittle higher...
but 3549...................................................................................thats thats....... fill in your own words here.
 
but it will make sense if your speakers are usd100,000 a pair.

 
Yeah, my bad. I left out that their Cynosure v2 USB cable is made out off "ultra pure CFDCT-UP-OCC-Ag conductors." And if for whatever "odd reason" the USB cable "does not perform as expected in your system. A 20% restocking fee (of the total price) will be charged and any shipping charges incurred will be the responsibility of the buyer. In order to be eligible for return, the cable must be 'in' new condition (this condition will be evaluated by" himself/herself ", i.e." He/She "will be the judge)."
 
Now how is that for customer service! Take that Monoprice & Radio Shack!