Reddit mentions: The best audio amplifiers

We found 4,660 Reddit comments discussing the best audio amplifiers. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 518 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

2. Behringer Microphono PP400 Ultra-Compact Phono Preamp,Silver

    Features:
  • Phono Preamplifier with Stereo RCA Inputs
  • 1 x Stereo 1/4" Output
  • Stereo RCA Outputs
Behringer Microphono PP400 Ultra-Compact Phono Preamp,Silver
Specs:
ColorSilver
Height2.52 Inches
Length4.06 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateMarch 2008
Weight0.77 Pounds
Width1.26 Inches
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🎓 Reddit experts on audio amplifiers

The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where audio amplifiers are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
Total score: 1,184
Number of comments: 673
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Total score: 49
Number of comments: 31
Relevant subreddits: 1

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Top Reddit comments about Audio Component Amplifiers:

u/polypeptide147 · 2 pointsr/mechanicalpencils

Yeah it's crazy the little details we think are super important when getting into a hobby that seem to be pretty unimportant later on. I had a Lamy Safari as my first pen, but going into it I thought that the snap cap would be a huge issue. I thought it would be super loud or annoying to put on and off or something like that. Turns out it's not even a problem now that I've got the pen lol.

That pentel looks awesome! I really like the simple and classy look of it. That's a big reason I like the Lamy 2000. It looks like a black pen at first, but is much cooler once you really look at it.

Honestly with speakers, cheap stuff is a lot more fun that expensive stuff to me. I've got a pair of Quad Z-3 towers. Yeah, of course they sound good. If they cost that much and don't, there's a big problem. The thing I like about cheaper speakers is how they all have a very fun character. Once you're spending a lot of money, every speaker out there just tries to sound exactly the same. Cheaper speakers do different stuff though. There are some speakers that focus on midrange, so vocals sound really sweet and warm. There are some that focus on the top end, so you get every little detail up top. There are some that focus on dynamics, so you get that "front row of a concert" sorta feel. I like experimenting with all that stuff. It's just fun. And you don't have to spend a ton of money and get those KEFs to really get into it.

Just for fun, I'll build a cheap setup for you, so you'll know what to get in the future if you ever feel inclined haha.

The Micca MB42X are really the "go-to" starter speaker. They're one of the cheapest that sound decent. And, honestly, they sound really good.

SMSL SA50 to power them. That's on sale for the same price as the SA36 right now. They're the same thing, just this has more power. You don't need it, but you might as well have it haha.

Some speaker cable. You need to cut it and strip it to put it into the speakers. There are quite a few tutorials out there on it. It's pretty easy.

Cable to plug it in.

Boom, just like that you've got a sweet stereo speaker setup that will blow any single speaker out of the water, and easily impress anyone! It comes to around $150 with everything.

I'm not trying to talk you into anything, but I'm basically pointing out that you don't have to spend thousands of dollars to get a respectable system.

While we're on this, another thing I like about hobbies is that anyone can be in it at any price range, and that's super cool to me. If someone only has money for a $15 Pilot fountain pen, who cares? That's awesome that they like fountain pens! They don't need to have a $200 fountain pen to be cool. Just anything is sweet. Same with speakers. You don't need a multi thousand dollar system to be "into audio" or whatever you'd call it. If you've got a setup that you like, at whatever price, that's sweet! I'm glad we both enjoy music.

u/Suspectsss · 1 pointr/HeadphoneAdvice

I actually don’t see the need for surround sound. That’s more of a marketing gimmick really, as the usb 7.1 dongles suck. If you really need surround sound, get Dobly Atmos on your computer.

But I don’t think you really need either. Most games have really good audio, and some games like rainbow six siege literally say don’t use surround sound because it’s broken. You need a headset with good soundstage.

What’s soundstage? Well it’s being not only able to tell the direction of your enemy, but also the distance. That’s why I recommend open back headsets for gaming, though they do leak sound and your mic may pick that sound up. Don’t worry about it though, because what I recommend is omni directional and will basically only pick up your voice.

I recommend the Philips SHP9500/SHP9500s. They are to same thing but the s has a little bit more bass. You also might have trouble getting the 9500 because it is discontinued and not many are left. I recommend these because:

Great soundstage

Very comfortable

Has a lot of treble which is good for hearing footsteps.

Has a detachable cable Incase the wire breaks and so you can use a mic

It is extremely well priced at 80USD. It’s probably the best for gaming under 150 USD. And most importantly it will definitely fit you.

For mic, I recommend the Vmoda BoomPro. You just unplug the cable from the headphones and replace it with the BoomPro which is just a 3.5 mm cable with a mic attached. This is a super good mic.

I also highly recommend an amp both for gaming and music. The one I recommend has a switch with T D and B. T is treble boost (for gaming), d is flat, meaning it won’t change anything, and B is bass boost. Which you want if you listen to music because the 9500 has little bass.
I recommend the Syba Sonic DAC/AMP. Link at the bottom. This will definitely help sound quality as it bypasses your pc soundcard.
IMPORTANT: DON’T use the included usb cord in it as it will cause a short in your computer. You’ll need a different mini usb cable as the provide a really bad one.

To use the amp: This is a usb amp, so plug the usb into your computer and the mini USB port into the DAC/amp. The will power it so it will drain laptop battery with a laptop. Then all you do is is plug your headphone jack into the big 3.5mm headphone jack. Don’t use the one for a split cable because your headset isn’t a split cable.

That’s it! The total is about 150 bucks and will surpass anything for the price.

Don’t get a gaming headset. They just use cheap divers and RGB and day gaming to trick you, as they are way overpriced.

Z Reviews on YT (total audiophile geek) recommends this as well. I invite you to spend more time researching on his channel and other places to understand the mic and amp better. He has a best gaming gaming headsets video from a year ago. This setup is at the very front and one of the first things he talks about. Also goes very in depth on the whole subject of sound for gaming at the beginning. Here are the links:

9500s-https://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHP9500S-Precision-Over-ear-Headphones/dp/B00ENMK1DW

Vmoda BoomPro Mic - https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Microphone-Gaming-Communication/dp/B00BJ17WKK

Syba Soni DAC/amp - https://www.amazon.com/Syba-Digital-Headphone-Amplifier-Coaxial/dp/B009WN7QT4

Remember you need a different mini usb cable. I’d throw the one it came with away because it’s garbage and possibly a fire hazard.

Please watch Z Reviews Gaming Headphone guise from a year ago. The first 25 minutes are all you really need to hear. They explain audio in-depth and talk about the headphones and this combo. Good luck!

Feel free to reach out to me as I can help with the setup or usage, but r/ZReviews is probably a better option. You’ll get help ASAP from a whole hutch of audiophiles who know their stuff.

u/DethFiesta · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

Well, if you are hearing some noise from the output then a DAC may be worthwhile depending on the amount of noise. The differences between DACs are quite small, like -60 dB or more unless you are comparing a toy DAC to something super high end. What that means is that yes, there is a measurable difference but the difference isn't audible. Don't trust what people say: the Placebo Effect is very strong in audio circles.

The human brain is not a reliable arbitrator of sound quality when it comes to tiny differences like you hear between DACs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYTlN6wjcvQ

Your mobo DAC is of adequate quality overall, but the fact that you hear some noise means that the signal is being degraded after it is converted to analog. Given that, you might benefit from an outboard DAC.

Given that you also need an amp and want to use both headphones and speakers, why not pick up one of these sweet new Onkyo amps?

It includes a high quality DAC and there won't be any added noise after the conversion to analog like on your PC. Just run optical cable from your PC to it and boom -- noise free sound from the PC. It has tons of inputs, even including a phono input if you want to go even more audiophile and start rocking vinyl. It also has a sub-woofer preamp out which is super handy for 2.1. Depending on how efficient your speakers are, the 75WPC on offer should get plenty loud to rock a party.

Of course, this amp eats up a good chunk of your budget, but it will get you in a great place as far as DAC and Amp. I'd get this and then your speakers of choice. Live without a sub for a while and save your pennies for the sub once you can afford it.

Here's my other best piece of advice: buy used. It's just past the holidays and people are unloading old gear like crazy on craigslist. You can probably find speakers/headphones/amp that would normally be beyond your budget for sale super cheap. Most audio gear is quite reliable (especially the higher end stuff) and I've always found used to be a MUCH better option in terms of price to performance than buying new.

Good luck and have fun. Feel free to ask anything else. I'm sure other folks will have advice for you too -- these are just my $.02

u/trisweb · 2 pointsr/audio

Definitely search craigslist. I'm thinking more and more that what you really want is a good set of PA speakers. Carpet-lined, metal cornered, power-handling, indestructible PA speakers. In my old house (wasn't a frat, but very similar) we had Yamaha PA speakers run through a heavy-duty amplifier. The things were literally indestructible - I DJ'd on them for parties, and one (cheap old) amp blew before the speakers did.

Amazon will ship similar models to you pretty fast I think - maybe not to Canada, not sure - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=PA+speakers&x=0&y=0 - The Pyle Pro boxes look pretty good, and the 8" model probably isn't very large at all. 4 of those to cover both zones would be killer, I would think, and you could easily hang them from the ceiling if you had good mounting chains (yeah, make sure they don't fall on anyone).

After that, the amp is important. You could go several ways. My first suggestion is check Craigslist for a fairly high-powered Yamaha home theater receiver. I prefer Yamahas in general - they have great amps, very good quality for the price, and they're built to last. Other name brands will do as well, just look for decent features.

After that, you can probably just set them up as A and B speakers on the receiver, and use that to switch between them. I'm guessing you basically want the main room speakers for music, and the TV room for both music and TV, so that should work.

Do you need surround? There are some great stereo receivers that have multi-zone capability built in. Ex: http://www.amazon.com/Sherwood-RX5502-Dual-Zone-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B000RGR50U . Otherwise a lot of 7.1 receivers have the option to run the extra channels as a 2nd stereo zone, that may work as well.

If you find yourself needing more power than a multi-zone receiver can handle, maybe a receiver plus an extra stereo amp for the main room, such as this guy: http://www.amazon.com/AudioSource-AMP-100-2-Channel-Bridgeable-Amplifier/dp/B00026BQJ6 or even this one if you want to go overkill: http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Pro-PTA1000-1000-Amplifier/dp/B0010K6TXQ . In order to hook up a solution like that, ideally you want a receiver with "pre-outs," as you'll hook the stereo front pre-out to the other amp. This also has the added benefit of being able to better control volume in each location.

Overall, just look for the heaviest duty gear you can find. Obviously you're not worried too much about quality, but you probably want it to sound decent - a lot of the DJ speakers will fulfill that requirement for everyone and will be able to bump it loud forever and not die, which is great. Amps can die if you drive them too loud, PA amps are more indestructible, but receivers will give you more control and will be easier to install and use. I'd basically go with PA speakers, a nice multi-zone receiver, and good mounting kits.

Also - Monoprice for all cables and wires, always: http://www.monoprice.com

u/BuddTX · 3 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

These have been getting some good user reviews lately and a nice price too, and a pretty small cabinet for a 6.5 inch woofer, 79.99 / pair: 2 Pack 6.5" Bookshelf Home Theater Speakers 100W RMS TP160S-CH DCM by MTX Audio

As for amp's I have two of these (on two different computer systems), Dayton Audio APA 150. This is a serious Class A/B design topology, but no frills, just a well built, serious, "old school" heavy amp. No remote, no DAC, no Bluetooth, but WOW, a really nice, serious, amp! Lots of good user reviews and recommendations all over the net.

A often recommended smaller digital amp S.M.S.L AD18. This one DOES have it all, remote, DAC, bluetooth, relatively small, great reviews all over the net.

If you are really on a budget, try something similar to Lepai LP-2020TI Digital Hi-Fi Audio Mini Class D Stereo Amplifier. Do some searches for tweaking this amp, a very simple way to improve this amp, is to buy a more powerful power brick. There are many versions of this type of amp, amazon, ebay, parts-express, look around.

The other two, often recommended, "great value" speakers that work well with a computer (but you will need an amp), are the Sony SSCS5 3-Way 3-Driver Bookshelf Speaker System (Pair). I have seen these on sale for well under 100/pair, from memory, in the 60's and 70's.

Another great value is the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR Andrew Jones Designed Bookshelf Loudspeakers(7-1/8” x 12-9/16” x 8-7/16” & weighs 9 lbs 2 oz). Again, search around, these do go on sale for well under 100.00.

I have both the Pioneer and the Sony, and I currently am using the Sony SSCS5 with the Dayton Audio Amp. Was temped to buy the DCM, but I have to stop buying "great value" speakers. If I ever want to upgrade my computer speakers, I should save up and buy the Ascend Audio Luna Reference Ribbon Mini-Monitor.

Good luck, have fun, and Enjoy!

u/shadyinternets · 1 pointr/headphones

yes, open back is theoretically "better" for gaming since they tend to have a wider soundstage, which should allow for more positional sound. can i prove that? nah. will closed work just as fine for 99% of scenarios? probably. honestly there is so much snake oil and buzzwords surrounding it all, you really have to just find what You like best and go with it. i have 7 or 8 pairs of headphones at the moment, tried all of them for gaming at one point or another, for the most part the biggest difference was comfort. at a certain price point things are all pretty similar sounding to me.

i like the fidelio x2s more because they are super comfy to wear for long periods of time, they sound great for anything and i often listen to music through speakers while gaming, so these allow me to hear in game sounds as well as the background music coming through them.


they are a bit more than the $150 price point though. but, you can get some nice sennheisers from massdrop for $148. these are based off of the hd580, which while i dont own they are pretty well known for being great and very comfortable. i just prefer closed for most situations, so not in the market for more opens. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones?mode=guest_open

i had a pair of these from massdrop for a while too, they were a little lacking bass for me though so i gave them to my dad. overall great sound and very comfy though. theyre $199 https://www.massdrop.com/buy/akg-k7xx-massdrop-first-edition-headphones

also the massdrop senheiser hd600 clones at that $199 price point. again, ive never personally owned these or listened much but they have really good reviews and are well known in the community. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx


another thing to consider is what is going to power the headphones? computers onboard audio, an internal soundcard or what? thats a piece of the puzzle that many overlook. newer computers have been improving the onboard sound a lot lately, but i still much prefer to upgrade.

this is what i use for gaming, at only $39 its more for convenience for me as it allows me to have the controls right there within hands reach. and i like having the separate mic input because ive never had good luck with onboard mic input. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B009WN7QT4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

also helps because i like to listen to music, so having 2 separate sound cards allows me to run music through 1 system and headphones/mic through another.

i also like to overkill the shit out of things when it comes to computers and audio lol so many great options out there though, i just like to try things and find what i like.

u/tecz0r · 3 pointsr/gamingpc

Dude, holy shit! First and foremost, thanks so much for typing all that out. You didn't have to, but I'm very happy you did.

I've been reading ad-nausaem about audio and how it relates specifically to gaming. Certain things like sound clarity, minimal bass, and soundstage are very very important. I've found lots of little nuggets of information which have been GOLD and sound advice, much like the ones you wrote out.

But you know whats the crazy about all of this? The dire distinction and SPLIT ideology of the differences between DAC's and soundcards within the audiophile community. One side swears by a DAC/AMP combo like the ODAC, other side maintains that a soundcard is still optimal and more than sufficient.

This has been one of the few instances where the more research I did on a topic, the deeper my hole went and the more confused I got.

I decided to put the Astro Mixamp aside for a moment. If you don't already know, the Mixamp I'm using is the 5.8 Wireless version, I was somewhat skeptical about how the audio would sound traveling both wirelessly and through optical out. So I hooked up my headphones directly to my onboard and holy shit, it sounded BETTER than my Mixamp. I wouldn't say night and day but DEFINITELY noticeable.

At this point, after watching numerous videos displaying sound stage and clarity like THIS and THIS, and seeing how great the clarity with onboard is as opposed to Mixamp, I decided to drop coin on the Sound Blaster Z. I got it for $55 because of Black Friday. I was definitely NOT disappointed. SBX makes a huge difference and as gimmicky as it may sound, Creative's "SCOUT MODE" turned out to be awesome and actually expands the sound stage and lowers bass. Incredible.

The sound card has an OPT IN/OUT so if anything, I can simply hook my Xbox or Playstation up to it via OPT IN and use the Creative soundcard properties for surround sound gaming and completely bypass the Astro Mixamp all-together. Didn't even think of it before.

I've got the Sennheiser HD598 and will be getting the AKG K7XX (that recently showed up on Massdrop) so I ended up getting a headphone DAC/Amp, THIS one specifically as it was mentioned by /u/ZeosPantara of being great. I feel a bit stupid because as you probably guessed it: I don't need a DAC, I would just like the headphone AMP'd as I will be using my soundcard as the DAC itself. I'm going to be going OPT OUT from SOUNDCARD to DAC. My question once again is: Do you think it'll retain all the surround sound qualities that it did when I was plugging my headphones directly into my sound card, things like SBX and Scout Mode if I went through SPDIF TOSLink instead of 3.5mm AUX?

If not, then I will simply either return it (or sell it) and start building an Objective 2 Amp :)))).

Seriously dude, its crazy to think where I am NOW in relation to audio fidelity and where I was a year ago. Back then, I thought the Astro Mixamp was the be all/end all of sound clarity. This is very exciting stuff!

Also, have some Gold. ;) Thanks buddy!

u/WittenMittens · 1 pointr/brandnew

Thanks man, I really appreciate you giving it a listen.

I do all my recording on a PC I built a few years back. I purposely went overboard on RAM when I did, because prior to that I'd had nothing but trouble with laggy, crashing audio software during marathon sessions. Beyond that, mine is a "budget" setup to the max, but it works for what I do.

The DAW I use is Reaper - I've experimented with several over the years but this is the most responsive one I've found yet, and even the "vanilla" plug-ins are awesome. I think it cost me $60, but in reality it's a Winrar type deal where you could use the free "trial" forever. In the end I really wanted to support the dev though, because it's a great tool for the price tag.

When I'm just looking to bang out a quick recording before an idea escapes me (most of the time), I literally just use a $50 Blue Snowball wired directly into the PC via USB. I never intend for those to be the final versions of my songs, but sometimes I just kind of fall in love with random happy accidents and can't bring myself to toss out tracks with "real" moments in them. Hence the poor quality on a lot of my stuff.

When I want to record something "for real," I use this six-channel USB mixer, this standalone compressor/gate (I'm a bit old school about that), and some combination of a Shure SM58, an MXL 990 and an MXL991 depending on the situation. I was gifted a pair of Sennheiser HD280 cans many years ago, and they have been my faithful monitoring headphones ever since. When I want to play back what I've recorded so far at unreasonable volumes, which I consider a mandatory part of the process, I use the time-honored pair of Dayton B652 bookshelf speakers with a Lepai LP-2020A digital amplifier.

The only thing I somewhat regret is the mixer. It's fine for what it is, but I wish I'd spent a little more money on something that had more channels and enough juice to support the unpowered speakers I use for live performances. Other than that, my setup won't hold a candle to a $5000 or $10,000 rig, but it gets the job done and it's something I'm proud to have built one piece at a time. I paid for all of it using money I've made on gigs at local bars and coffee shops over the years, so it has some sentimental value as well. One day when I have the money for a serious upgrade, I hope I get the chance to pass this stuff down to a random kid who's just getting started and make his fucking year. :)

u/hack_tc · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

So many points to hit on, I'll try and help with that I can. I'm in the US so I'm not really sure what the pricing and availability is in your area, so my help will be somewhat limited haha.

If you are wanting to do a 2.0 system with the option to upgrade to 5.1 in the future, much of your budget will be going towards a 5.1 receiver. The suggestions mentioned in question 1 are good suggestions, but you also need to take a look at your TV and see what audio out connections are available. Some TV's, like mine for instance, only offer an optical out for audio. If this is the case for you, then the SMSL SA-60 will not work without a DAC in between. Something like the Fiio D3 would suffice. Also, chances are if you go this route, you will lose the ability to control the volume with the TV remote. Getting something like the SMSL Q5 Pro instead might be a better option. It can accept multiple audio inputs (digital and
analog, so no need for a DAC), and also has a cheap remote for controlling volume and other stuff. You can also use the Q Acoustic Speakers with these amps as well. However, either of these amps would have to be replaced in the future if you decide to upgrade to 5.1. But they would be great for a 2.1 setup.

In the US, with that budget (300 euro = $335) and a future 5.1 in mind; I would get a Pioneer VSX-530 Receiver ($200), and the Micca MB42X Speakers ($90). Then I would start saving for a subwoofer like the Bic F12 or ML Dynamo 300 (depending on the size of the room). Once I had a sub, I would then save up for better bookshelfs (3 of them...something like empteks or elacs or who knows what), and relocate the Micca MB42X's to the rear. This would be a a respectable 5.1 setup that will blow away pretty much any home theater in a box.

Anyways, hope I was of at least some help. Best of luck with your setup!

u/Armsc · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile
  1. I would look at the Orb Booster $160 or the SMSL Q5 Pro because of the optical inputs (can use with a TV later on) and the remote. I also think they have tone control and a bit more power.

  2. If you really want powered speakers go for it but I'm not the guy to help with that. I'm not a fan of powered speakers. Also if you go down that route you won't need the amp upgrade as they have their own amp.

  3. I would consider getting an AVR if you can fit in your space. Something like this Denon S510BT refurb $180 would be a good option. Not only would you be getting more power but you would also get all the benefits of an AVR. (Better speaker control, room correction, better bass management, more inputs...)

    Here is a sample system that I would look at

    AVR/Amp - I've already linked some options for you to look at.

    Sub - I would honestly keep what you have but get the sub cable that I linked above.

    Speakers - Here is where it gets fun. Lets say you spent $150-200 on an AVR/amp you'll have about $300 to play with. Lets look at some speakers in that range.

  • Boston Acoustics A26 $120 ea - I think these are on sale so think quick This is a good price for the A series

  • Boston Acoustics CS260 $160 ea - Towers that are in your budget. If you have space consider these.

  • Polk RTi A1 $205 - The RTi's were decent Polk offerings

  • Polk S20 $300 - New line they sounded decent in the store. Worth a look

  • Cambridge Aero 2 $220 or SX60 $230 - These are on sale currently

  • RBH R5Bi $225 - great sounding books at a reasonable price.

  • Affordable Accuracy monitors $210+SH - another internet direct company with really good books at a fair price.

    If you don't have stands consider getting a pair. Having speakers at the right height will really help out the sound. Also getting them further apart can really help out too. stands help you accomplish this.
u/kiwiandapple · 1 pointr/buildapcforme

Sorry it took a while before I could provide this list, it took a bit longer for me since I am not very much into the bass style of headphones & music.

Ow interesting, do know which Sennheiser's exactly?
Just so I have a reference.

But we have a very high budget left over for some amazing headphones or even some great headsets (altho, there aren't a lot).
The difference between headphones & headset is that the latter got a microphone. That's all! In general this means that a headset is more focused towards "gamers". So they're often marketed and produced to give gamers "everything they need!".

  • Gaming vs "real" headphones

    ---

    So.. bass heavy headphones are often closed headphones, which means that you lose some of the sound stage, it means that the music will sound like it comes from inside your head, instead of from around you.
    I absolutely love open-back headphones for this reason. They sound a lot more natural and especially for my music styles this is ideal. Those are classical, rock & metal. The instrumentals sound fairly close to what they sound like in real life and the vocals are very natural and crisp.

  • Open vs closed-backed headphones
    ^(sorry.. I can't help it why he freaking used that.. guy in the video to show us what a concert is. He makes up for it a little bit later on.)


    Anyway, I've had a lot of looks at some contestants for great headphones for your use.

    ---

    Headphones


    PCPartPicker part list

    Product Name|Open/Closed|Ohms|Review|Price
    ----|:----|:----|:----|:----
    Kingston HyperX Cloud Pro Headset | Closed | 60 | Click & Click | $70.29 @ Newegg
    Kingston HyperX Cloud Headset | Closed | 60 | Same but in white |$74.99 @ Newegg
    Audio-Technica ATH-AD900x Headphones | Open | 38 | Click | $149.00 @ Amazon
    Philips X1/28 Headset | Open | 30 | Click | $194.00 @ Amazon
    Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium 250 Ohm Headphones | Semi-open | 250 | Click |$239.00 @ Amazon
    Beyerdynamic DT 990 Headphones | Open | 250 | Click & Click |$258.99 @ Amazon
    HiFiMAN HE400S Headphones | Open | 22 | Click |$299.00 @ Amazon
    Sennheiser HD600 Headphones | Open | 300 | Click | $329.95 @ Amazon
    Prices include shipping, taxes and discounts |
    Total | ||| $1351.22
    Generated by Kiwiandapple |

    So I list the impedance (Ohms) for a good reason. The 3 that are above the 80Ohms would benefit a lot from dedicated amplifier. The motherboard I selected got some pretty good on-board audio and a solid AMP, but a dedicated one will be a much better experience.
    Now DACs (Digital to Analog Converter) & AMPs (AMPlifiers) can get expensive really quickly.

    But there are also a couple of great value options out there.

    ---

    ##DAC & AMPs

    Type|Product Name|Review|Price
    ----|:----|:----|:----
    DAC & AMP combo | Schiit Fulla | Click | $79
    DAC & AMP Combo | FiiO E10K | Click | $75
    DAC & AMP Combo | SMSL SD793-II + Toslink Cable | Can't find an in-depth review. | $65 +$6

    ---

    Now my suggestion would probably go towards the Philips X1's. How-ever the DT880's aren't bad either, but they require an AMP.
    The HE400S would be a slightly cheaper option if you exclude the AMP.
    The AD900x would be my next option and then it's followed by the DT990's & HD600's.

    I only included the Kingston headsets in case you don't want to spend as much money.

    As for the AMP/DAC options, I really like the Fulla Schiit (yes that's really their name). But if you read the product page & FAQ, you'll see that they're no bullschiit at all.
    The company was founded by 2 audio veterans who wanted to create affordable, high quality audio devices. Well they did just that.
u/Beer_Is_So_Awesome · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

Oh god, don't start shopping for a DAC. They're a waste of money for almost everyone, but /r/audiophile talks about them like they're the most important part of the system. A DAC is the device built into your smartphone or computer's sound card that converts the digital file to an analog signal for the amplifier to boost. People who have been misled by hype or have run out of things to spend money on start shopping for external DACs.

Most devices have perfectly fine DACs. You probably won't ever hear a difference between the one built into your iPhone and a $300 standalone unit.

What you want is an amplifier with a few different inputs, which is typically a receiver. There's a host of inexpensive new stereo and 5.1 home theater receivers that will do the job, but most will be the same width as your old receiver. Another issue with modern receivers is that most of them don't have a PHONO input, which means either you need an external PHONO preamp like this one or a turntable with a built-in preamp. Good news-- that Pyle I linked is dirt-cheap, and works great.

Alternatively, you could buy a little 50-watt amp like this one and pair it with a manual A/V switch like this. You'll still need the phono preamp, of course.

The cheap and simple solution is to learn to live with a full-sized receiver and go hunting for a good-quality early 90's home-theatre receiver with 80 or more watts/channel. People don't want old Dolby Surround receivers because they don't have all of the modern A/V doohickies, however they'll have at least 4 RCA inputs and a built-in PHONO input, and provide plenty of clean power. I love my Yamaha RX-V850 for this reason.

I hope this helps!

u/_Funke_ · 1 pointr/vinyl

The positive I see here is that there are many awesome integrated amps, amps and pre-amps that are quite minimalistic in terms of aesthetics and are also very small and great space savers. I too am a minimalist but have created a set up that is aesthetically and mentally pleasing to me, and in my opinion, have not compromised sound.

One thing you could do to save space would be to get some good powered speakers and a good, small, minimalistic pre-amp, thus eliminating the need for a separate receiver. Some people may find passive speakers better, but in your situation, it could be a good compromise. You could also opt for no speakers and invest in a good headphone amp, which would also save space. The Orbit is already pretty minimalistic in design and is quite pleasing on the eyes.

I am not sure about selling what you have other than Craigslist.

Edit: Grammar

u/sharkamino · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

JBL LSR305 are good studio monitors for pro recording and mixing however you will need to also add a studio monitor controller.

The C-notes are said to compare well to the JBLs but are tuned more for home audio and also go a bit lower.

A bit quicker DIY build with pre-built and painted cabinets is the Dayton Audio BR-1 6-1/2" 2-Way Bookshelf Monitor Speaker Kit Pair $199 which have a good low end if definitely not adding a subwoofer. A later upgrade is a better DIY crossover.

If you don't want to DIY, but still want a neutral sounding speaker with a flat frequency response tuned for home audio, get the Wavecrest Audio HVL-1s for around $190 shipped for the pair on sale. Then add a subwoofer when you can.

Or the larger Ascend CBM-170 SE which I have in my living room and are great for music. I have the smaller Ascend HTM-200 on my small desk with a subwoofer underneath my desk.

The Infinity Reference will be a bit brighter which can be better for home theater or if you have a hard time hearing high frequencies. Same for the JBL Studio 230 $199 $399 MSRP. They are also both good for music for the price but don't have as good of a mid-range that the Ascends or even the Wavecrests do.

Or the 5.25" Wharfedale Diamond 220 $249 or 6.5" Wharfedale Diamond 225 $349 have a good warm sound for mostly music. Same for the ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 $229 which are said to have a good low end if definitely not adding a subwoofer.

Amplification:

I use a Denon stereo receiver or a Pioneer Dolby Pro Logic AV receiver both of which I found for free, placed on an 18" end table either under or off to the side of my desk. Should be easy to find a used stereo or AV receiver for under $100. Look for one with SUB out if you want to add the R12. If not, you will need a subwoofer with speaker level speaker wire inputs or use a speaker level to RCA adapter. Speaker Wire Only Sub Hookup.

For compact class A/B power, Emotiva A-100 $249. Or the Dayton Audio APA150 $135 is a clone of the discontinued Emotiva BPA-1 that the Emotiva A-100 replaced. Then speaker wire to a sub with speaker level inputs or use a speaker level to RCA adapter with with the R12.

Or a PSA Sprout, NAD 3020, or DENON PMA60 are over $400.

Or down a step to a digital class T/D mini amp, Topping MX3 $129 has a subwoofer out jack to use with the R12.

u/brianf408 · 5 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

First step: have you read noaudiophile's reviews? He does very thorough reviews on a lot of budget speakers, and has corrections for many of the popular options. His corrections for the Infinity P163s that I'm currently using made them sound like completely different speakers.

First let's start with powered options:

The Micca PB42X would be a good option. They are basically a powered version of the MB42X so you don't need to purchase a separate amp. Also in the similar realm that get recommended here a lot would be the Swans D1010 and the Edifier R1280T.

Personally I'm a bigger fan of passive speakers, as you get a lot more options to expand your system.

Pioneer BS22 bookshelf speakers are great and have gone on sale quite a bit lately for $70-80/pair.

Dayton B652 I am currently using as my surround speakers, but people rave about them as a budget desktop option

Micca MB42X also get great reviews.

You could also go used for your speakers, but sometimes it can be hard to parse through all the junk out there if you don't know what you're looking for.

Take any of those passive options and pair them up with an inexpensive amp like this SMSL or Lepai for a good budget setup.

I would also recommend checking your local Craigslist or Facebook marketplace for a used receiver, you could pick up a very decent one for just a few bucks and have a great starting setup. This will give you a lot more powerful amp, and the ability later to easily add a subwoofer or expand to surround sound. Personally I'm using an older Sony home theater receiver at my desk, it's old enough that it doesn't have HDMI or optical inputs, someone was just giving it away so I snagged it.

u/Hipp013 · 3 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

College kid here, I'll try to help out.

It's generally recommended that you don't ever go for a HTIAB (home theater in a box) as they come with super shitty components and most often don't leave room to upgrade.

You'll get more flexibility and bang for your buck with bookshelves and a sub, but as you mentioned you only want a 2.0 for right now. If bass is really that important to you, I would actually recommend you get a pair of bookshelves now and invest in a sub later on. Towers are great but for a 2.0 setup you're going to want something smaller with better sound quality.

 

---

Bookshelves: used Polk Signature S15's


>Top listing is $165 for like new speakers; S15's run for $229/pair new.

This listing in particular says "Speakers only, nothing else is included" which is odd for them to mention because I don't think these speakers normally come with any accessories. Maybe he's talking about the manual which can easily be found online. But who needs manuals anyway?

 

Amp: SMSL SA-50


>Price fluctuates between $63 and $69. This listing is $63.

Puts out 50 wpc, will power pretty much any speaker you throw at it. I owned this myself and recommend it for a first setup. Just keep in mind you will have to upgrade to a surround receiver if you ever want to move past 2.1 in the future.

---

 


This puts you at $228 shipped. A bit above your absolute max of $200, but this is probably your best bet. You're also going to need to buy some speaker wire. It's only like $8.

So in total, this comes to $236 shipped. A bit above your budget, but it leaves you with some kickass bookshelves as well as the ability to add a sub in the future.

u/zeagan · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

Oh sorry, it's hard to not go all jargon-crazy sometimes.

So studio monitors are designed for mixing audio, as such they're designed to be very very accurate. The flat response means if you plot a line representing all the audible frequencies from bass to the highest treble the line would be flat, so no boosted bass or lowered midrange or any of those things people usually fiddle with knobs to do. Just dead accurate, which lots of people think they want until they hear it, mids and highs can get a little tiring to listen to and is sometimes considered not a "warm" sound.

B&W is Bowers and Wilkins, a very good brand and I just meant find some from the 1980's because they crop up for sale used from time to time and sound great (check craigslist for B&W, Mission, Elac, Mirage, PSB and Wharfedale). Other options that aren't used would be Cambridge Audio SX50's, Elac B6.2's, and Wharfedale Diamond 210's. (Tons of reviews of all of those out there) As for an amp, the SMSL SA50 is plenty for most people for normal listening levels.

As for a DAC, you wouldn't necessarily need one for active monitors, but you would definitely need some interesting cables like these shitty ones. One of the advantages of pro-audio gear is they use balanced audio signals which makes long runs of cable safe from electromagnetic interference/noise/hum, most people don't have runs long enough for it to matter in their house but they look cool and "pro". Also to actually have a balanced signal going through those XLR cables you need a balanced output, which is where a DAC with balanced outputs or volume controller would come in. Here's a cheap ok controller.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to talk you out of studio monitors, speakers are super super super subjective and if I encountered a set of studio monitors that really blew my skirt up I'd probably buy all the balanced cables and some huge volume knob to be able to listen to them and be happy as a clam. Just hasn't happened yet.

u/Thirty_Seventh · 1 pointr/buildapcforme
PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor | $329.00 @ B&H
CPU Cooler | FSP Group Windale 6 60 CFM CPU Cooler | $46.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | MSI B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard | $114.89 @ OutletPC
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory | $67.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Western Digital Blue SN500 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $64.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $54.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB Video Card | $399.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case | NZXT H500 ATX Mid Tower Case | $69.99 @ Best Buy
Power Supply | SeaSonic 520 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $41.98 @ Newegg
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $99.99 @ Best Buy
| Prices include shipping, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1330.80
| Mail-in rebates | -$40.00
| Total | $1290.80
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-04 21:19 EDT-0400 |

CPU: Good CPU for gaming and streaming.
CPU Cooler: Performs extremely well for its price. Also has blue LEDs!
Motherboard: You must update the BIOS on this before you can use a Ryzen 3000 CPU with it. Micro Center offers BIOS updates as a free service in-store.
RAM: 3200Mhz, CL16. Nothing too fancy, but should do well with this CPU.
Storage: This SSD is well worth the $5 price increase over the Intel 660p/Crucial P1. The HDD is 7200RPM and not a used/repackaged drive, so it's good enough.
GPU: Easily the best GPU that fits your budget, but if you wait until a little later this month, you can get a 5700 XT with an aftermarket cooler that's much quieter than the stock one. You might want to check with Micro Center for bundle deals with this GPU. A little while ago, they were offering $50 off when bought with an AMD CPU; I'm not sure if that deal is still active.
Case: Nice case with a side window. The one with blue highlights is $20 more.
PSU: Tier C on the PSU tier list, so it's fine if you don't overload it - you won't with this build. (It's an M12II)
* OS: You can contact Microsoft support to see if your old OS can be transferred to a new computer. If you didn't buy a Retail version, it's unlikely.

Monitor - The Dell S2419HGF (1080p, 144Hz, $160) and Dell S2719DGF (1440p, 155Hz, $300) are both really good deals. A 5700 XT should power either one well for less demanding games, but you may need to lower some settings for new titles on the 1440p one. Both monitors work with G-sync in case you switch to an Nvidia card in the future.

Speakers - I know very little about speakers, but /r/BudgetAudiophile recommends a Lepy LP-2020A ($20) amp along with Micca MB42 ($60) or Micca MB42X ($80) speakers as a low-end system.
u/givemeyournews · 6 pointsr/headphones

My Encore mDac has been working intermittently as of late. I have the pleasure of listening to headphones for about 6 hours of my work day, so having a DAC/Amp combo at my desk is nice. However, with a 4 week old baby, my budget was super limited. I came across the Syba Sonic SD-DAC63057 and decided to give it a try. It checked all the boxes. Cheap ($37). No driver install needed (work computer, can't install anything). Enough power (100mw) to drive my IEMs and more sensitive over ears. USB only power.

Full specs can be found here

The unit features variable line outs, top mounted volume knob, optical out, coax digital out, usb in (for power and signal), mic input, 3.5mm input, 3.5mm headphone out, and 1/4" headphone out (both headphone outputs work simultaneously.

The unit has indicator lights to show what signal is being received (96, 44, or 44.1), and an indicator light of sorts that flashes with the music, that comprised of a red and blue LED. Kind of neat.

The unit also features a hardware EQ that includes a 7db (yes, 7db!) treble boost, a direct no EQ option, and a 7db bass boost. The hardware EQs are a bit much for me, and I find I leave the unit set to direct most of the time. However, there is one expectation. I have set of custom reshelled Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10's, and in the process, the treble took about a 6db drop. So, for that one set of CIEMs, the treble boost is just right. However, that is a pretty oddly specific scenario, and I would imagine most people won't want to use the hardware EQ.

Of note, the device is always on, as there is no power switch. The volume knob has the most minute channel imbalance as the absolute lowest setting. And, there is an uncomfortable audible crackle / pop when plugging in sensitive headphones to the 3.5mm headphone out. All be it, it doesn't seem to be enough to damage anything.

I have successfully used the Syba Sonic DAC/Amp with my Chromebook, MacBook Air, and my Windows 7 work PC. I have not tried it on a Windows 10 device, but after scouring the Amazon “reviews” it seems that it may not play nice with all Win10 installs so YMMV. As the unit is not battery powered, it won’t work with mobile devices.

When compared head to head with my Encore mDac, the Syba Sonic unit sounds a tad better. The bass is a bit fuller and the treble has just a hair more sparkle. Detail representation is on par, if not better than anything in this price range. All in all, for $37 I am super pleased with the purchase. I love the design with the volume knob on top. And the fact that the RCA outs are variable makes this a great option for those that want a budget option to use with powered monitors.

I have run the unit, as mentioned, with my CIEM reshelled TF.10's, as well as with my UM3X, Fischer Audio FA-003 wooden cup over ears, NAD VISO HP50's, AKG K7XX, and handful of other mid-range to lower IEMs. I did find that it struggled a bit to run the K7XX with any authority, but all the other headphones / IEMs I have tried have worked just fine. The only other negative is that, with the volume knob at full tilt, there is an audible hiss on most sensitive headphones (read: 32ohm and below).

I would recommend this unit for anyone with a tight budget that wants a somewhat feature rich DAC/Amp. It would also make a great external sound card thanks to the mic input.

u/rootbeerfetish · 1 pointr/ASUS

I'm not an expert on mobo amplification I do know they have one (otherwise you wouldn't be able to hear sound at all) but generally they're tuned for 80ish-ohm or less headphones. Some headphones can benifit from amplifation even if they have low impedance. Not sure why it wouldn't be showing up in the front port but if you genually need a good headphone amp then buying an external DAC/amp combo is the best thing you can do. The SMSL 793 is a great choice. Cleaned up my audio quite a bit, gave me volume control next to my keybaord and even though my headphones didnt really "need" amplification they certainly gave them an extra umph and bite. Z reviews did a YouTube video about it if you're interested in that. What kind of headphones do you have?

Edit - One last note. If you ARE interested it seems like your mobo has an optical out. That makes the SD793II perfect as it pretty much only accepts optical audio as an in.

u/blackjakals · 1 pointr/ZReviews



I would say that the Klipsch is a lot better and worth the extra $216, but then again, you would also need an amp and that would cost you a lot more. You just need to really determine if you want to go the passive route and have the ability to upgrade more down the road or get a simple powered system that will work just fine for what you need and sounds great, but not have the ability to upgrade components.

​

Here a few good options in either category though that would fit your budget:

​

Passive Setup:

Speakers:

Fluance Signature - $269 CAD

Polk S20 - $350 CAD

Elac Debut B6.2 - $343 CAD

Elac Uni-Fi UB5 - $522 CAD (Considered to be just as good as the Klipsch RP-150M)

Klipsch RP-150M - $289 US (plus shipping and taxes to Canada [$unknown])

SVS Prime - $629 CAD (Can’t tell if this listing is for a pair)

Amps:

SMSL AD18 - $174 CAD

Yamaha RX-V385 - $279 CAD

Denon AVR-S540BT - $377 CAD

​

Powered Setup:

Fluance Ai40 - $225 CAD

Fluance Ai60 - $403 CAD

Edifier S2000 Pro - $500 CAD

Vanatoo Transparent Zero - $359 US (plus shipping and taxes to Canada [$unknown])

​

Studio Monitor Setup:

Monitors:

JBL 305P MKII - $440 CAD

Interfaces:

Behringer UMC202HD - $104 CAD

Focusrite Solo 3rd Gen - $159 CAD

Steinberg UR22MKII - $180 CAD

​

The studio monitor setup is one of my favorites. The JBL’s sound amazing on a desktop, but I would not get one without an audio interface with balanced inputs to help reduce noise.

u/fgoncalves97 · 2 pointsr/ZReviews

Aune's had some problems with the community lately and their prices don't fluctuate often. You can grab the O2 + ODAC combo w/ jacks on massdrop for around 200$ when they drop. I wouldn't go for the JDSlabs ones, kind of expensive. A Simple schiit stack smear is always nice but don't get the Uber versions unless you really need em. I'd only need one usb input for source and you can always split the dac out. The element is lovely but you're paying a high premium for user experience. I've heard really really great things about the Micca OriGen. It's a lovely 100$ usb powered dac/amp. In fact, it has similar user experience to the element. Though I've heard it has some funny issues with the pre-outs, I'd definitely recommend this one (based on what I've heard/read). Lots of great options under 250$. Here's a humble dac/amp from SMSL. Any specific features you require?

Also, check out the T50RP MkIII. You won't regret it.

edit: words + adding in the SD793/ mur wurds

u/the_blue_wizard · 1 pointr/audio

https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/speaker-system-z906

Waste your money if you want, but I gave you my answer.

Though FUSSYNYANKO has the alternate advice - DAC, Stereo Amp, Speakers - that's what I have on my computer. Onkyo TX-8255 (50w/ch Receiver), Q Acoustic 3020 Speakers. For outputs from the Computer, I just use the built in RealTek Sound Card. A USB DAC would be better, but the direct Analog Outs of the Sound Card are good enough for what I need.

Note: In a Stereo System, we can come up with components costing considerably less than my system which is about $450 to $500. If a Separate Stereo System is the way you want to go, we can make some suggestion in that area that are closer to your budget.

Here is one very good example of a very compact, powerful, and versatile Computer Amp -

SMSL AD18 - $145 -

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-AD18-Amplifier-Bluetooth-Subwoofer/dp/B071JN7GXN/

Here is a Review of the AD18 Amp highlighting all the features -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEooiaet9eQ

Possible speaker to combine with that Amp -

https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamns6490/yamaha-ns-6490-8-3-way-bookshelf-speakers-black-pair/1.html

The Above Yamaha Speakers are 8". Make sure you have room for them. Z Reviews also has a very positive review on the Yamaha NS-6490 -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez05YLveZTE

More speakers -

https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamns333/yamaha-ns-333-5-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-black-pair/1.html

https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/bosa25gba/boston-acoustics-a25-5.25-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-gloss-black-each/1.html

https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/cantplusgxl3whta/canton-plus-gxl.3-5-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-white-pair/1.html

Canton is an extremely popular brand in Europe. They are also available in Black for $10 more.

Now if you want a 2.1 speaker system or a 5.1 speaker system ... cool... your money ... your life. But those all encompass very tiny main speakers, and an overblown underpowered droning Subwoofer. I would rather it sounded good than tinny and overly bassy.

Still, that's not my choice to make. Logitech sells millions of Computer Speaker systems of all types, and for what they are, and what they cost, they are fine. Not my choice ...but fine.

u/bit_pelican_adjuster · 1 pointr/audiophile

Budget: Like to keep it under 800.
What I Need: Looking for an entry level system with a receiver to build around. Only want 2 speakers.
Where it will be used: In the family room of a 1600 square foot single level. The room is 15 x 15.
Use: Music (variety). Will use with Apple TV and PC for gaming and movie watching.

I was thinking about going with the Onkyo A-9010 https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-A-9010-Integrated-Stereo-Amplifier/dp/B00SY20TE8

Speakers: I was going with floor speakers. These look good. Pioneer SP-FS52. https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-FS52-Designed-standing-Loudspeaker/dp/B008NCD2S4

Questions:
I want the system to be a incognito as possible to placate partner. Will the system sound good? Would lay people be impressed with the sound? Or is going to sound like a glorified 5 speaker special from Best buy? I'm willing to spend more on the speakers, up too $500 if there is a significant difference that a normal person could tell. I am not interested in a loud or party system. I'm in my mid thirties and got a little one. I am interested in new right now, and preferably from Amazon. Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it.

u/Mad_Economist · 2 pointsr/CabaloftheBuildsmiths

Hmm, not a lot to spend on speakers and headphones. Shooting from the hip, around that budget, I'd probably go one of two directions:

A pair of reasonable-ish entry-level speakers - something in the vein of the Micca [MB42] (https://www.amazon.com/Micca-PB42X-Powered-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B009IUIV4A) (which is passive, and so requires an amplifier, which can be [pretty cheap for a very budget option] (https://www.amazon.com/Lepy-LP-2020A-Class-D-Digital-Amplifier/dp/B01FZKA28Y/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=class+t+amplifier&qid=1573193876&s=electronics&sr=1-7))/[PB42X] (https://www.amazon.com/Micca-PB42X-Powered-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B00NXAEPDC) (which is powered and so requires no amplifier) - which will run something a little north of $100 unless you're down to buy used, plus a reasonable lower mid end closed headphone ([NVX's branding of the Yoga CD880] (https://www.amazon.com/NVX-Over-Ear-Headphones-ComfortMax-XPT100/dp/B0093PVTPS) is a pick I like a fair bit). These speakers will be pretty alright, albeit imperfect to be sure, and there are a few decent-to-good closed-back options in the ~$100 range.

Alternatively, if speaker quality is literally of no importance, you could go for something in the budget range of those Logitechs - there really are absolutely not options that cheap that are any good at all, but if you only use speakers to occasionally listen to youtube videos, it might be acceptable. That would leave more budget to allocate to the headphone side of things, where you'd have options like [AKG's] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svAmJheRxAg) K371, NAD'S HP50,or on the used side of the street [AKG's] (https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/akg/n700nc-wireless) N700NC, which are quite robust options in the closed-back world (particularly, in my opinion, the N700NC, which sounds fantastic to my ears with its digital signal processing active, and has quite good noise cancelling as well).

It's a bit of a tight squeeze regardless - if you're down with used gear, you can get a bit more for your dollar, but at very low price points you're in a space where shipping costs may dwarf savings, so even that might not help much, outside of headphones (which don't cost much to ship, and have a quite vibrant used market).

If you'd like more information or options, just let me know - I've thrown some links in above, but I'm pretty short of time today, so I figured I'd offer what I had from the top of my head rather than leaving you waiting.

u/picmandan · 8 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

Depends on the type of setup you're looking for, the most common of which are 2.0, 2.1, or 5.1 (or more).

For simple stereo music listening, you'd need a 2 channel amplifier, (such as a the small and very inexpensive but decentish Lepai, or better the SMSL SA-50, or a full size receiver such as this Pioneer) and a way to play and input your music.

For that you could use your computer and an Aux cable, or you could use your phone and an inexpensive bluetooth receiver. This would be a 2.0 system (2 main speakers only, no sub).

You may wish to add a subwoofer for better reproduction of low frequencies. As the subs usually come with their own amplification, but accept high level (already amplified) inputs, you can just wire them together from the amplifier. This would be a 2.1 system.

Plus you need speaker wires and maybe wires for input (like Aux) depending on your setup.

For Home Theater plus music, you'd want a Home Theater receiver such as this Denon, that plays at least 5.1 channels (the .1 is for the subwoofer. This will give you a setup to power Left and Right front speakers, a Center Channel, plus 2 surround speakers. You still need a way to play your source, such as a CD player.

As u/smackdaddies pointed out, you could get four of these Pioneer speakers, plus the related center channel and a sub, plus the receiver, for under $500. It would be a pretty great sounding (budget) 5.1 system.

Once you decide on the type of setup you're interested, we can help you choose items here on r/BudgetAudiophile.

u/Kamukix · 1 pointr/simracing

I have multiple Aura bass shakers (one per corner), I have a TON of the small Dayton pucks (probably 12+ of them in the house lol, not all hooked up). I have been using the small SMSL amps to power everything with very good success. I will eventually change up and get big Clark transducers, but the money can be spent for now on other stuff that would give me a bigger benefit (like motion).

SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GkV0Cb3HB33K8

https://www.parts-express.com/aurasound-ast-2b-4-pro-bass-shaker-tactile-transducer--299-028

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-tt25-8-puck-tactile-transducer-mini-bass-shaker-8-ohm-4-pack--300-391


Those are the current things on my rig, I also have these which are the 'knockoff' brand of the Aura (Dayton bought the company of I recall correctly, so it's not a true knockoff, but you know what I mean). They're not quite as good as the Aura but still good and much more powerful than just the small pucks. They are also a little cheaper than the original Aura if you need to save a few bucks.

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-bst-1-high-power-pro-tactile-bass-shaker-50-watts--295-244


IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!!!!!!!

My rig is built of 80/20 profile tubing, and the shakers are either mounted to a thin (roughly 5 to 10mm thick depending on which transducer it is) piece of wood that's directly attached to the rig.

If you are using something like a Playseat or GT Omega rig make sure you think about how solid everything will need to be mounted and the vibrations will be stronger since the material isn't as solid or sturdy.

It's fine to use those, just pay attention to how you mount stuff to avoid buzzing or it coming loose lol.

u/rar3nativ · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

At the bare minimum include the following things if you want help and/or advice choosing or setting up amplifiers, speakers, DACS, etc

  • Budget: a little more or less than 100 u$s? I'm not sure
  • Country: Argentina. If the product cost more than 50$, I have to pay 50% of the excedent as taxes
  • I can buy from: Any amazon, b&h, I think almost everywhere
  • Use: Audioslave, RHCP, Rock in general, series,
  • Where: A desk in a Room
  • Space: 3.67m x 3.88m, NOT really loud, I will be most of the time 1.5m away from the speakers and occasionally on my bed, or taking a bath or cooking in the next room.

    Optional but also helpful

  • Powered, passive, or no preference: no preference, I've heard you can get a better quality with the same budget with passive speakers.
  • Any size limitations for either speaker or amp: no
  • To upgrade later?: not really
  • Pref certain way of sounding (Bright/forward, smooth/laid back, neutral, etc): that immersive experience (everyone here would call it the commercial one?) but I'm not sure, I don't have any speaker to listen and compare.., I only have a HyperX Cloud 1 headsets and I won't be downloading FLAC at least for the moment, I only listen from Spotify (music) or Bluray (series and movies) most part of the time

    I've made my search but I have no idea about this so... I need speakers for the pc on the desk in my room. Mostly for series, music, games. I will not update the system soon after this purchase and I don't have anything right now besides my current headphones.

    I'm from Argentina so I have 2 disadvantages: I have absolutely no idea what I'm buying because there are no places near me to try any of these speakers. For every purchase, if I spend more than 50$ I will have to pay 50% of the excedent. That means, I can buy an amp of 30$ without paying taxes or if it exists the possibility to buy a pair of headphones by separate (1 and 1 making a pair) I will probably not pay taxes... Are there places willing to do that?

    This is my room: https://imgur.com/a6UVKYU

    Questions:

    - What would you recommend and why?

    - My motherboard doesn't have bluetooth. I want to connect my pc the 99% of the time and maybe my phone 4-5mts away. What is my best option?

    - I think I can buy from any amazon. I've found better prices for some of the products there. Editing..

    Active:

    Edifier R1280T 156$ - £89.99

    Edifier R980T 115$ - £59.99

    Swan Speakers - D1010-IVB (unavailable? the 2nd best option?)

    Passive:

    Micca PB42 60$

    Micca PB42X 110$

    Pioneer SP-BS22-LR 93$ (the best ones? 1st best option?)

    Dayton Audio B652 28$

    Dayton Audio B652-AIR 45$

    Amp:

    Lepy LP-2020A Class-D 23$ (I want to connect my phone occasionally without disconnecting my pc, should I get a bluetooth or wifi amp?)

    ​

    ps: sorry for the long post and thanks in advance
u/o0jrock0o · 2 pointsr/audio

These are your best bet in my opinion. They will sound better than that logitech system, and probably last longer as well. With the logitech system you are tying yourself down to using their sub, which means that if you decide you want better bass in the future you will have to either scrap the whole system and start over with dedicated speakers, or try to reuse the Logitech speakers and end up with something sub-par. With the Miccas, you can just add an RCA splitter and a subwoofer and be good to go.

If you want even more flexibility, go with the unpowered Miccas and get an amp like the SMSL SA50, which will be more power than you would ever need for those speakers for near-field (close up) listening.

To save a little money now you could also go with the Micca MB42 instead of the MB42x. The MB42x come with an upgraded crossover and according to most reviewers it is very much worth it to get the upgraded version.

If you really want your system to last a long time, you are much better off separating your components. Get a pair of speakers, get an amp for the speakers, and get a sub all as separate components. That way, you can upgrade components individually in the future without needing to scrap the whole system like you would need to do with the Logitechs. This also applies if a component breaks; you can replace one thing at a time. And even without upgrading, you will still end up with a much, much better sounding system for not much more money.

u/jackdriper · 2 pointsr/audiophile

Sorry this doesn't (directly) answer your question, but at your budget, I think you're better off starting off with a 2.0 system than 2.1. A decent pair of speakers will have better bass extension (goes lower frequency with better clarity) than a cheap subwoofer. It's kind of only worth getting a sub if you can spend more than ~$100 on it, which would put too much strain on your budget. Wait until you save up a little more and expand a 2.0 system to include a sub.

For equipment recommendations, I'll start with the amp, since that has the least amount of flexibility. The cheapest component worth recommending is the Muse M50, but it's not great and doesn't give you a lot of room to expand. The Audiosource AMP-100 is a very capable amp at around $100. A receiver would give you A/V control, but will cost significantly more. Fortunately, there are tons of decent receivers on Craiglist for ~$50 if you're interested in going the used route.

My recommendation to those on a budget is to buy a used receiver for the amplifier. A nice balance of Good Enough quality and low cost.

For speakers, you have a ton more options that really depends on how much budget you have left after the amp. Two suggestions to get started: Pioneer and BIC. The BIC's are more home theater speakers, rather than something for a desk. They get loud, but at a higher cost.

You could also go used again. I love older B&W stuff, and you can probably find some of their speakers used in your budget.

u/explosivo563 · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

Yep. Which is why they are mostly used in a desk setup. The smsl Q5 (only 50 watts) has a remote, but for $140 I would just look for a receiver. Many more options like digital connections and room correction software. Upgrading to a receiver was the best audio upgrade I've done. Hardcore audiophiles might scoff at receivers for no good reason, but for someone starting out, they are awesome.

I scored a refurbished yamaha 375 for like $130 on amazon. Crazy good deal. The 377 is $170 from amazon warehouse.

The yamaha stereo receiver is also another option with a remote at just $150. Two pairs of 2 channel. Also much easier to connect a sub to a receiver than a 2 channel amp.

Hit up accessories4less for other refurb deals too. Yamaha, denon, onkyo are what I would look out for. Usually good amazon deals on those too.

u/KsnNwk · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

I'm not a guru, but to my understanding at 300$ price range you want to start looking at AMP + Bookshelf Speakers for music.

I came to that conclusion with couple days of looking at forums and threads.

Even more so in US and I'm from EU.

​

and even before that price point some Active Studio Monitors or Active Bookshelf are better quality than Edifiers R series already.

More clarity, more depth and tighter bass, but I cannot speak for Edifier S series, they are supposedly good.

Adam, JBL, Mackie MRT, Klipsch, M-Audio, PreSonus, KRK and some more active brands I'm forgetting.

​

But at that price you can be looking at some proper Amp + Passive Speakers combos.

​

If you need Mini-amps for desk and on budget:

SMSL SA-50 68$

Dayton Audio DTA 2.1BT2 95$ - recommend this one for punchy bass and features

You could probably find some good new and used amps, if you can use bigger sized ones.

But like I said I'm no guru.

​

Bookshelf speakers:

ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 275$

KEF Q100 357$

Q Acoustics 3020i 299$

Q3020 non i version which I tried with Dayton Audio DTA 2.1BT v1. lacked bit bass, decided to go for Mission LX-2 they still haven't arrived.

But they do not seem available in US.

​

​

u/T7S · 1 pointr/audiophile

Hey guys,


The DAC and amp guide here seems a bit old and I'm a bit of a newbie so I figured I'd ask here.


Here is my current equipment at my work desk:

  • Dell E1505 laptop - crappy, giant, old school enterprise laptop. Only audio output is 1/8th headphone jack and the sound card is awful
  • M-Audio Studiophile AV-40 Active Studio speakers with built in amp


    These are currently connected using a simple 1/8th to 1/8th audio cable, but the end result sounds awful and looks ugly as well since the 1/8th cable has to be plugged in to the front.


    I would like to hook up the laptop to send audio to the speakers, I don't usually use headphones. The speakers use RCA and 1/8th as input, but I'd like to use RCA because those inputs are behind the speaker and won't clutter my desk. In an effort to accomplish this AND improve the sound quality a bit, should I get a DAC? And should I consider switching speakers or do you guys think these are ok?


  • Audio source: laptop.
  • Audio type: music, mostly metal, some IDM, some hip-hop.
  • Willing to buy used: yes.
  • Budget: ideally <$150, the lower the better.



    Ideally, I'm looking for the DAC to run off of AC/USB power since I intend to leave it plugged in 95% of the time. A rotary volume dial would be ideal but isn't strictly necessary. Do I need something like these? And if yes, which one would you recommend?


  • Syba USB DAC
  • Nuforce Icon UDAC-3
  • Modi USB
  • Fiio E10
  • Audioengine D1
  • DAC destroyer




    PS - Could something like this Fiio D3 work maybe? Not sure what kind of adapter would be needed, but it seems unlikely.
u/Hemb · 1 pointr/audiophile

Ok, couple things.

First, looks like speakers are included. I don't know these speakers, so I can't comment on their quality. But if your current speakers still work and use regular speakers wire, then you could just keep those. Of course, it's always nice to get nicer speakers; but you don't need new speakers to get sound going.

Now the amp itself will work, and has the CD built in. However, it only has one RCA input (that is the "line" input). You can hook up only one thing to it; so a record player would fill it up.

One other thing to consider is if you will eventually want a subwoofer. The amp you linked has no sub out, so no subwoofer. This is a preference thing, but a lot of people like subwoofers.

And now the record player. They need a special piece called a phono pre-amp. Some record players come with them built in, some don't. You would hook record player to phono pre-amp, and plug the phono pre-amp to the amp. Both using RCA cables. Also some amps come with a "phono in" input, which has the phono pre-amp built in.

Now, that setup will work. But there are other options. If you want my personal opinion, I would say get a decent cheap amp, and a separate cd player. Then save up money to get speakers as good as I can afford. That will give you a good base to build off of. Then you can add the record player (and phono pre-amp) later. You can upgrade the amp or the CD players also, if you think you need to, without replacing the rest of the setup.

I'm afraid I don't have exact amp recommendations, but SMSL and Topping are pretty common cheap amps. This Topping one has gotten good reviews, but I can't say much since I have heard it: https://www.amazon.com/Topping-MX3-Bluetooth-Headphome-Amplifier/dp/B075SYC4Z5/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=topping+amp&qid=1555784891&s=gateway&sr=8-3

That amp has a subwoofer out, but still just one input. Some amps have more inputs, but generally you want a receiver. Here is an example of a cheap stereo receiver with several inputs: https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamrs202bl/yamaha-r-s202-2-ch-x-100-watts-natural-sound-stereo-receiver/1.html

That receiver does not have a sub out. Both of those amps are just ones I've seen others talk about, I haven't heard them. But hopefully this gives you an idea of what you're looking for.

One other consideration is digital inputs, but you never mentioned a computer or anything so I don't think you'll need to worry about them.

Sorry for the wall of text, I hope.its.helpful! Gotta run now, but definitely look around r/budgetaudiophile, they are always talking about and comparing cheap components.

u/Mathias787 · 7 pointsr/buildapc

I advocate using component bookshelves speakers with a mini amp unless space is at a big premium. They are better engineered, have better bang for your buck, and have a much cleaner sound.

You have the added bonus that the speakers are more flexible for other uses and, if you wanted to go from 2.0 to something else, it's a pretty easy upgrade, ala: you don't have to pitch the old system and get something new. I think you'd find a good 2.0 system to be much more impressive than a lot of the gamer sound systems out there.

Polk Audio T15 Bookshelf Speakers

Dayton Audio DTA-1 Digital Amplifier

Amazon Basics Speaker Cable

Another note: A system like this will sound way fuller without a boominess that you'd get from most gaming 2.1 sound systems. All of my friends that I have recommended go this route have loved it!

u/oddsnsodds · 1 pointr/audiophile

In this price range, you could also get an SMSL SA-50 and Wharfedale Diamond 10.1s:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A2QLGEQ/

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0079XG4TW/

The Wharfedales are a bit large for desktop speakers, but they're very good. The amp is 50W/ch, better than most powered speakers.

You'd still need a pre-amp, however. I don't know what's available there; I don't own any vinyl.

Edit: KEF Q100s are also available for $250. These are $550 speakers marked down for clearance after a new model was released. I have both speakers. The KEFs are in my home theater; they have great clarity and presence. They're a little dry, it's great for audio and video soundstage. The Wharfedale's are a little less accurate but warmer; I use those on my PC, where the nearfield experience is what I want. Both have excellent bass extension.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047K3X1M/

u/Sigmund--Fraud · 2 pointsr/audiophile

Budget 200-500 €.

I am looking for a stereo for my HTPC. I listen to all my music, watch all my tv and play all my games via it. So I'm anywhere between 2 meters in the couch to 8 meters away from it. This means I've only got one analouge audio source to bother with - the two RCA connectors on the sound card, which is an Asus Xonar Essence STX if that matters. I never play loud music 'cause of neighbours so I'm not looking for a powerful system capable of drowning out the vaccum cleaner or running water in the sink.

I'm willing to buy used but since I live in Sweden, used market is a bit smaller than the one in the US.

Bonus points if the system is aesthetically pleasing and not too intrusive. There's a regular sized slot in the TV bench that measures 30h x 60w x 60d (cm) and would take a regular sized reciever/amp. I would love to have an amp with old-school VU meters but I would guess that would be out of my price range :) ) There is space both on the tv bench for speakers and next to it for free standing speakers.

Should I go with active or passive speakers? Should I get floor standing speakers or not?


Edit/update: Would this work for me?

Klipsch RB-61 II
SMSL SA50 amp

https://www.komplett.se/product/771307/tv-ljud-bild/hogtalare/stativhogtalare/klipsch-rb-61-ii-svarta-stativhogtalare#
https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=pd_sim_23_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00F0H8TOC&pd_rd_r=47VERT43P6CEQ89E32GZ&pd_rd_w=CGnwg&pd_rd_wg=LIpy5&psc=1&refRID=47VERT43P6CEQ89E32GZ

u/Guyon · 1 pointr/audiophile

1. What is your budget?

Potentially up to $300, but I don't want to spend that much if I don't absolutely need to. It just means I won't get it sooner.

2. What are you looking for?


An upgrade to my Dayton Audio DTA-1 Amp / better alternatives to the Monoprice Stereo Hybrid Tube Amp with Bluetooth.

Something with:

  • Volume control
  • Speaker wire output, headphone output
  • Bluetooth would be a nice bonus.

    As long as audio quality is no worse than it is now (not bad), I'm happy. Currently, the closest to what I'm looking for is that Monoprice tube amp.. I know it gets a bad rep, but it fulfills the features that I'm looking for. I'm definitely not attached to it, so I'm absolutely welcome to better suggestions.

    3. How will you typically be using the gear?


    At my desk, with my bookshelf speakers two feet to each side of me.

    4. What gear do you own?


    Currently Dayton Audio B652 w/ T-amp This kit.

    5. What do you intend on using for a source?


    Two computers, and Xbox One, and potentially Bluetooth if possible. I can use splitters for these.

    6. What material will you be using your gear for?


    Gaming, generally broad music styles.

    7. Are you willing to buy used?


    Sure, if it's actually feasible. I'm not Goodwill hunting for two years.

    edit: I ended up getting a refurbished Denon AVR-S500BT for $160. I feel like this was a great improvement.

u/GothamCountySheriff · 4 pointsr/vinyl

Because your receiver doesn't have a phono stage, and unless your turntable has a built-in phono preamp (neither of the Technics you listed have a preamp), you will need an external one.

Behringer makes a basic, but solid one:

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-PP400-BEHRINGER-MICROPHONO/dp/B000H2BC4E

And if you want to step up in price a little, the ART DJ II Pre is well proven and very good (it's the one I use):

http://www.amazon.com/ART-II-Preamplifier-Output-Switchable/dp/B000AJR482/

To me, both tables seem a bit overpriced considering you can't test the working functionality of either. Of the two, I personally would lean toward the SL-B2, as it has a cartridge (assuming that only the needle needs to be replaced as you said) and the dustcover. A replacement stylus and belt are what you will need to get it up and going.

For the SL-B2 a belt will run about $10-15 and an entry-level stylus will generally run about $10-20 depending on the cart. The stock carts on Technics tables were usually pretty good. For the SL-D1 you will need a replacement cartridge. The very entry level Audio Technica 3400 cartridge-stylus combo runs about $35. Even with that you still don't have a dust cover, which substantially reduces the resale value of a turntable. You should be able to haggle both prices down, as both are project tables that need work. If you decide to test out the SL-B2, you can bring a few different size large, wide rubber bands to use as a makeshift belt and see if the platter spins.

And as an FIY: there is nothing inherently wrong with belt-drive turntables. The majority of Pro Ject, Rega and many of the vintage Pioneers (amongst others) that people have on this forum all use belt-drive mechanisms. Like any technology, there are going to be good and bad implementations of both belt-drive and direct-drive mechanisms on turntables. Your best best is to research the specific turntable and see if it has any known problems.

u/brucewillus · 1 pointr/headphones

So, I know I'll get a lot of people saying I need to spend more, but I'm trying to figure out what would be the best use of $100.

My HD6XX's are on their way, and I'm wanting to enjoy them a little more. I currently have a cheap DAC/Amp that has been decent for my HD598's and I'm wondering what you all think would be a good upgrade.

I've been torn between the Fulla 2 and the Magni 3 (I'd use my current DAC with the Magni, and possibly get a nicer DAC down the road). I'm also open to other suggestions, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Here's the DAC/Amp I've been using, and it's been pretty good so far. Syba Sonic SD-DAC63057 24bit 96KHz USB 2.0 plus Stereo Headphone Amplifier https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009WN7QT4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_koffAbZWANSCK

u/Xpress_interest · 3 pointsr/vinyl

You're going to take a lot of shit for wanting to connect a turntable to a soundbar as opposed to a proper 2.0/2.1 setup arranged to the room's acoustics (generally recommended here and in any other music-related sub over a soundbar), but any receiver with an optical out will do, as you can add a phono preamp to the chain to get a line level signal out of the turntable. You CAN find amps/receivers with optical outs and a built-in phono stage, but they're likely to be more expensive and even a $50-$100 phono pre-amp will sound as good or better than anything built into a receiver. And going to component route means if anything does go out or you want to upgrade something, the modular element means it's a lot easier to do.

Edit: the cheapest new (and decent) amp that I found in a quick search that has a phono stage and optical out in it: Onkyo A-9010 Integrated Stereo Amplifier https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SY20TE8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_J4mlxbKYNJZHB - this actually looks like a pretty decent amp for what you want to do, and it's only a little over your budget (whuch is going to be tricky going the new route anyway)

And if you're set on new for the turntable too: http://uturnaudio.com/turntables/ and add a cueing lever and upgrade the cart to the ortofon or grado in their custom build link and you've got a better table for a better price delivered to your door and ready to play.

u/radioactivetreefrog · 1 pointr/audiophile

I'm looking to get a pair of speakers to use with my pc/XBone

I'm interested in the KEF Q100s ($300), but I'm having a difficult time trying to find a nice-looking desktop-size amp with multiple inputs that wont cost my right kidney.
____
So far this is what I've found:

NuForce DDA120 $300

I like the amount of optical inputs and the addition of a Bluetooth dongle, but it doesn't have a woofer output for future upgrades and is a bit pricey for my taste.

SMSL Q5 Pro $140

Seems like a good fit, but lacks Bluetooth.

OSD AMP60 $73

Very minimalist, but includes preamp controls and is pretty cheap.
__
I'm very new to audio so I don't really know if either of these are a good fit for the KEF Q100s

Any help would be appreciated

u/Rrussell2060 · 8 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

To build a system using the minimum recommendations from this sub, let's start with this diagram: http://i.imgur.com/Z8FMJ.png
DAC is optional, so is a subwoofer but I recommend one.

DAC: Behringer UCA202 $29.99 Link: http://amzn.com/B000KW2YEI

Amplifier: SMSL SA-50 $68.99 Link: http://amzn.com/B00F0H8TOC

Subwoofer: Dayton Audio SUB-800 $99.00 Link: http://amzn.com/B0063NU30K

Bookshelf Speakers: Micca MB42X $89.00 Link: http://amzn.com/B00E7H8GG2

Wire: 16-gauge Speaker Wire $8.00 Link: http://amzn.com/B006LW0WDQ

With DAC, this cable: Stereo Male to 2 RCA Male $5 Link: http://amzn.com/B00I0HPK6O

Without DAC, this cable: Monoprice 105597 3-Feet Premium Stereo Male to 2RCA Male $5 Link: http://amzn.com/B0094A1F3S

This is a great starter system, I would have loved to had something like this starting out.
All of these pieces can be upgraded, do your research. Look for sales etc. Good luck and have fun.

u/DZCreeper · 3 pointsr/hometheater

Atmos is both an encoding format and a speaker setup, which are actually independent of each other. If your receiver supports Atmos but your speaker setup is lacking you won't get the expected effects.

Yes, each Atmos channel requires its own output, just like the surrounds. So for a basic 5.2.2 setup you could get something like a $300 Denon X1500. If you wanted 7.2.2 or 7.2.4 you need a more expensive receiver. The cheapest way to handle a full 7.2.4 installation is with a $700 refurb Marantz SR6012 + external stereo amp. The external amp doesn't need much power.

https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/marsr6012/marantz-sr6012-9.2-ch-x-110-watts-a/v-receiver-w/heos/1.html

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC

Up-firing speakers are highly inferior to ceiling speakers, and also too costly. Those RP8060FA towers are $1100 each on a good day. You could get a pair of extremely good L/R speakers for about $550, another $150 for front Atmos, and then spend the saved $1500 on a second subwoofer. I will tell you right now, a second subwoofer is the best upgrade you can make for a home theatre setup. The reduction in room modes is always more than you think.

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340m/cmt340m.html

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_107RC80I/Polk-Audio-RC80i.html

You will need a second pair of ceiling speakers behind the listening position for 7.2.4.

https://www.dolby.com/us/en/guide/speaker-setup-guides/7.1.4-overhead-speaker-setup-guide.html

If you do go for dual subs, mid-way along the side walls is usually best but you should use a measurement mic to figure out your own room.

u/Shike · 2 pointsr/audiophile

I'd take a look at these - not that some combinations of amps/speakers will go over $1K by a little bit, so if it's a hard limit keep that in mind (one will limit the other). Equally, I'm assuming you already have a phono preamp or that your TT has one built in.

Focals (Guy also has bookshelf and sub from Focal too as an alternative option for a similar price)

PSB

Monitor Audio

NHT

For amplifier I'd say Yamaha but if you have to save money and don't need digital in this pioneer should work pretty well also, but you may want an extended warranty based on possible QA issues.

If you want to look cheaper you'll need to surrender the remote.

This Audiosource offers pretty good value. It's worth noting that it may have some slight bass roll-off based on the prior version (roughly 1dB at 20hz), but it will be difficult finding something that even touches it in that price range specifically.

If you go used and up the price you get a bit better performance from this Emotiva. If going this route confirm they have the original purchase paperwork - Emotiva has a transferable 5-year warranty on this which definitely eases anxiety on a $200 used electronic device purchase IME. If not I'm not sure I would buy it, but that's me.

u/Meph616 · 1 pointr/vinyl

I remember doing some research on this sub before buying mine, some good reviews for the Behringer 4400 was tossed around frequently. So I got that. It did its job, but it had a pretty weak output honestly.

I then did some more digging and stumbled across the ART DJPRE III Phono Plus. I got this one because the gain/output was adjustable, and I've used one similar in my local record shop and liked that feature. Plus it has the function of hooking it up to my computer via a USB port and transferring some of my records I don't have digital copies of.

If the USB function doesn't sound necessary then I'd look into the DJPRE III which looks to be mostly the same minus the USB.

Volume wise if I plugged in my iPod with the Behringer it could be at '45' on the amplifier while I would have to max out to '70' to have a similar volume output. Now with the ART my records are audibly as loud as my digital files. Clarity wise I have a modest system so it's clean along with being powerful enough for my needs. For reference I have a Project Debut Carbon turntable, Sony STRDH750 for my receiver, and ELAC B6 "bookshelf" speakers (bookshelf in name only, they're large but fantastic for the price).

u/yar-itsdrivinmenuts · 2 pointsr/Music

alight, I've got two suggestions for you. In both cases we're focused exclusilvely on watts per dollar here, so there's no bells or whistles on these things. You want to play the radio? use your computer. you want to EQ? also use your computer. Both of these systems can be enhanced with a sub and/or pre-amp down the road that will improve your experience. but these should work out of the gate.

Option 1: The amplifier is tried and true and speakers are very well reviewed. This system is upgradable later and should pack plenty of punch for a party.

Audiosource AMP100! $107.00

Polk Audio Monitor 50 $126 per speaker

Option 2: These are little outside of your price range, but I wanted to throw them out there as an option. You can think of these as the most kickass computer speakers ever. Completely self powered, just plug it into the wall and feed it an RCA or 1/4" input and you're ready to go. Since you're currently using a guitar amp I'm assuming that you're something of a musician, these would be great for a small home studio as well as in day to day computer use. They'll also definitely rock the house.

KRK RP8 $249 per speaker

Let me know what you settle on.


u/kare_kano · 1 pointr/headphones

Well the HD600 is the most obvious upgrade choice.

They need amping, but they're not hard to drive and they scale well with amp quality. This means you have some flexibility when it comes to the amp. If you plan on upgrading to a better amp in the future, grab an UCA202 for the time being, and save for a $100+ amp for later. If you want an amp now and are not looking for an upgrade in the near future, get a FiiO E10K or SMSL SD793-II.

You can also try simply using them straight out of your PC for starters, if you happen to have a higher quality motherboard by any chance you may be pleasantly surprised by its ability to drive them, and you can postpone getting an amp and save the $30 for the UCA202.

u/cpostier · 20 pointsr/DIY

UPDATE

Hey guys, love all the comments and Questions, here is some info for those who care and want to know.


Products Used*


Touchscreen
Bought Mine at MCM electronics.


Raspberry Pi2


Speakers


Amp


Keyboard



Software Running


Get Noobs on a SD/MicroSD card here

Use Noobs to boot and install Rasbian

Install KODI from add remove programs or terminal "sudo apt-get install kodi"

Install NPR and VevoTV in Kodi.



Cool Idea


User /benjimons has a really cool idea on his screen showing his webcams and other good info

User/agent-squirrel mentioned Dashing for a cool UI, I looked a little into it and it seems pretty cool



Dog Info

I don't know HomeDepots official dog policy, but yes, he goes with me all the time there, employees all love him, he is NOT a service dog, and lots of Dogs are in there. I usually see this in HomeDepots that are deeper in residential areas, not so much in a more industrial area...

Thanks, he's a great pup, we call him WiFi because of his Antenna's

u/Dagon · 3 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

Strictly speaking, wattages and THD are a good guide for figuring out quality, but are certainly not a hard-and-fast rule. Knowing your brands and trusted opinions are better, listening to it yourself is best.

The link in the sidebar has some good ones.

I'm actually in exactly the same position as you at the moment, I'm considering this one as it's the cheapest (50w per channel, ~au$80 delivered), but apparently this one is much better even though it's only 30w per channel and is $20 more.

Or then again I could anticipate future upgrades and just go for this yammy amp which is 100w per channel for ~$190.

I really like that Denon one you've posted, though. Decisions, decisions.

u/musselkid · 1 pointr/audiophile

I am somewhat experienced with headphones, but not at all with speakers.

I own a Fiio e10k USB DAC/AMP combo, and it worked wonders for my setup. I use it with my Superlux hd668b's (which I modded,) my AKG k612 pros (my favorite pair and daily driver,) and my Hifiman he400's, which were a gift from a friend. (yes, the original model, just he400, not he400s or he400i)

I want to add some Micca mb42x bookshelf speakers to my setup. Through the research I have done, I realize that I will need to purchase a speaker amplifier for these speakers. I have had my eyes on the Lepy lp-2020a ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FZKA28Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_q4yDzb1TNH6V2 ) based on its positive Amazon reviews but I am not sure how good the company it because it just seems to be cloning Lepai.

So when I do purchase these products, would it be a good idea to use the line out from the Fiio e10k and connect that to the speaker amp? (I have read that the line out from the e10k puts out a low power signal for powered speakers to use that just passes the data through the dac and skips the amp.)

Thanks for the help!

u/mcaron1234 · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

I do, I use my old AV receiver with passive speakers. You have options on that though.

  • Passive speakers and a small AMP: micca MB42 for $59.95 and a small amp like this Lepai 2020 for $24.38.
  • powered speakers that won't need an amp: edifiers for just over your budget at $109. There are a lot of options for powered speakers some with Bluetooth builtin, but the good ones of those start around $130.

    That eats up all your budget with speakers and amp. Checking Craigslist or Facebook marketplace you might find deals, particularly on a nicer stereo amp or AV receiver to use with some passive speakers. If you are interested in running Volumio on a Pi, that's going to add a bit more. For the pi you need, the Pi ~$35, DAC $20+, case $15, SD card $15+, and power supply $10. The pi is pretty nice with Volumio though, it has a good mobile webpage plus iOS and android apps for a few bucks. Volumio has plugins that allow for it to be an airplay receiver or to use Spotify.
u/ITzNybble · 2 pointsr/HeadphoneAdvice

EDIT: I am dumb I just saw you wanted closed back.

​

open back or closed back? Open back is better for gaming but others will be able to hear what you hear. If it doesn't matter then open back for gaming.

OPEN Headphones:

ATH-AD700X - ~95 - 100 new https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-AD700X-Audiophile-Open-Air-Headphones/dp/B009S332TQ/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=ATH-AD700x&qid=1563901733&s=gateway&sr=8-2

ATH-AD900x - ~135 new https://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-AD900X-Open-Back-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S331VU/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ATH-AD700x&qid=1563901733&s=gateway&sr=8-3

​

HE4XX - $180 new https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-he4xx-planar-magnetic-headphones

​

Sennheiser HD 58X - 160 new - https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones

​

Closed headphones:

ATH m40x - $100 new https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M40x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR54/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ATH+m40x&qid=1563902298&s=gateway&sr=8-3

These are deemed better than the m50x's

​

DT770 80 ohm - 135 new https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-770-PRO-Studio-Headphone/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=DT770+80+ohm&qid=1563902448&s=gateway&sr=8-3

​

ATH-MSR7 - 175 new https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-MSR7BK-SonicPro-High-Resolution-Headphones/dp/B00PEUBIKM/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ATH%2Bmsr7&qid=1563902327&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1

I owned these and played CSGO and I had no issues hearing anyone. I made it to LEM (if that matters to you) Very clear audio. I also never used an amp with these so they can only get better. if you have more questions on these just message me, I can compare them to the HE4xx's as I now own those.

​

AMP & Dac:

FX Audio DAC X6 - ~54.99 new https://www.amazon.com/FX-Audio-Optical-Coaxial-Amplifier/dp/B072JJT7SF/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=FX+Audio+DAC+X6&qid=1563901865&s=gateway&sr=8-3

​

Schiit Fulla 2 - ~120 new https://www.amazon.com/Schiit-Fulla-Converter-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B07KWG13Q4/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Schiit+Fulla+2&qid=1563902076&s=gateway&sr=8-3

​

Basically I am no expert as I am just getting into the DAC/AMP world but from my research and this subreddits wiki and other sources, it seems better to put your money into better headphones and then into a better DAC/AMP. I would look for a used pair of headphones from

/r/AVexchange or /r/hardwareswap if you are wanting something better, I picked up a pair of HE4xx for 110 shipped.

​

Just my two cents. I could be wrong and anyone please feel free to correct me as I am still learning all this.

u/Srtviper · 1 pointr/indieheads

For at home use I really like my HD6xx's. (See my edited comment above) But with most $200+ desktop focused headset an amp is important to make use of it's full potential. Even a relatively cheap amp/DAC combo can make a big difference. This amp/DAC for example is $65 and would be a big improvement over built in audio from most laptops/desktops.

But if you want something less power hungry Sennheiser HD1's are also a great choice and will work great with a phone. (Also see edited comment above) Or V-Moda M100 are pretty easy to drive if you are looking for something more base focused. Also I've heard really good things about ath m60x's although I haven't tried them myself.

u/Skitch_n_Sketch · 1 pointr/audiophile

I'd recommend getting a good set of studio monitors, though your budget should allow for some pretty good passive options as well.

> Studio Monitors

  • Behringer Truth B2031A - $400
  • LSR305 - $280
  • Airmotiv 5S - $400

    I linked to noaudiophiles review for the top two in case you wanted a comparison, both prices are taken from amazon. Emotiva pretty much only sells direct so off their site is the only option.

    > Passives

  • Philharmonic AA Monitor - $210 + Shipping
  • HTD Level 3 - $320 / $350 (Depends on color)
  • KEF Q100 - $300
  • Elac B6 - $280
  • Emotiva B1 - $300

    If you choose to go passive, you'll also need an amp. How much space do you have to work with? If you don't have the space for a full sized receiver, the SMSL Q5 is the best amp I can think of off the top of my head for a desk setup.
u/Pvt-Area · 1 pointr/buildapcsales

I just ordered a pair of these tonight, but I'm lost on what amp to get. I am completely new to any sort of advanced audio like this and have only owned gaming headsets and meh-tier earbuds all my life. With that in mind, I don't think I have the most discerning of ears yet and it would probably be a waste to spend 200 on a Schiit stack or 02+ODAC combo, especially considering that's over double the price of my headphones! I would prefer to keep amp/DAC totals to be in the $100 ballpark.

 

My first question - is a DAC even necessary for these? I'm still not entirely sure what it does, since all of the explanations I've seen have been in audiophile jargon that is gibberish to me. Can I get away with running only an amp or a amp/DAC combo?

 

A cheap option I've seen while shopping around is a amp/DAC combo as mentioned previously. I've heard SUPER mixed reviews of pairing these 250-Ohm headphones with a Fiio e10k, some saying it works great, but others saying the complete opposite. I've also heard good and bad things about SMSL products like the SMSL SD793-II, one mention highly recommending the iBasso D-Zero Mk2, and another few people recommending the CMOY.

 

What are my best options here? I would appreciate any help I can get. Sorry for the long post and thank you!

u/murfman713 · 2 pointsr/audiophile

So I bought myself a teac tn-300 during a sale recently and I've been truly loving it along with the vinyl I have been collecting since. However it naturally makes me want to keep improving my system and I'm looking for a good starting point.

I have been using A bose dock by directly plugging into the rear input of the device. Works fine for the time being but it would definitely be nice to start thinking of getting some actual speakers and an amp.

Could anyone recommend a good starting point to look? How much money am I really looking at spending? I'd love to hear the recommendations for my situation.

Specs: The speakers would be mainly used to sound a 20x15 room.

considering:
http: //www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Black/dp/B00E7H8GG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453818118&sr=8-1&keywords=micca+mb42x

http://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453820918&sr=8-1&keywords=smsl+sa50

u/majorscheiskopf · 7 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

That's interesting, but unfortunately most of these builds are DIY and lack any sort of standardization, so you'll have to do most of the heavy lifting in order to figure out what you have, as well as what you need.

As to your first point, you probably do need some sort of room selection, as well as a) an amplifier which powers the speakers, and b) either a single streaming platform (e.g. Chromecast Audio, Sonos Connect, etc.) to send signal to all speakers, or multiple streaming platform to send signal to individual speakers or rooms.

As to your second question, that depends on how you want to answer the above questions, and on how they're set up. As I mentioned, there probably isn't much standardization between this build and others, so I would start this whole process by getting a basic amplifier (Lepai 2020 is fine for this purpose) and going through each wire in that bunch as well as each pair of connectors in the garage (see below). Turn off the amp, hook up a pair of speakers, turn on the amp, play something, track down the sound, label the wires by room (colored electrical tape), stop playing, repeat.

After you figure out how the speakers, wires, and wall panels are connected, you can work on picking out an amplifier, a streaming platform, and a room selection device. I would budget $1000 for this, but it can probably be done for less. If you don't want to spend that right now (understandable), you can probably wire up one room to a Chromecast Audio and an SMSL SA50 (non-plus) for less than $100 if that room has a priority (see below).

As to your last question, those are probably banana plugs. Just another termination for speaker wire, not a big deal in the context of the rest of this. If you need banana plugs, Amazon or Monoprice have them for basically nothing.

The most basic set-up for whole home audio you could have is this speaker selector, this amplifier, and this streaming device. Probably $250 for the full home, or more if you have more than 4 rooms wired.

Alternately, if you want to be able to play two different streams in two rooms simultaneously, you could put this streaming device and this amplifier in the ceiling of each room. Google Home allows for CCAs to be combined into groups rather flexibly- you could put Kitchen-Living Room- Bathroom in one group, and Bedroom 1-Garage in another, and Living Room- Bedroom 1 in another, and every CCA you have in yet another, and still have the ability to play music in any one room on its own. Very nice system, but doing this is realistically $100 per room. If you don't mind limiting yourself to pairs of rooms, you can cut down on this cost by adding a four-channel room selector to this chain.

High-end receivers also may contain their own multi-room, multi-source implementations, but you're typically limited to two rooms, and two sources. Add in two splitters like this and you can expand that capability out to two groups of four speakers, but those groups would be less flexible than the CCA setup above. This setup is $500.

u/cubiey · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

Basically it’s input (phone/computer) -> amp/receiver -> speakers -> ears. Amp/receiver basically just make the signal from whatever powerful enough to drive the speakers. General rule of thumb is to spend the most on speakers (some use the 2/3rds rule, which is good enough for most set ups especially cheap ones) then amp then accessories.

Following this logic, you’d want to spend ~$120-200 on speakers with your budget, good rule of thumb which could net you some killer equipment (see sidebar). As for an amp, old stuff isn’t bad and see below, but if you really want new stuff the R-S201 from https://www.accessories4less.com is a good one if you want to spend $100+200 for your basic set up+change for speaker wire and input cables. Otherwise, if you just need a low-volume set up, probably get something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A2QLGEQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_m6scAbN06JA08 for an amp and spend the rest on speakers. The Affordable Accuracy’s, Elac B5s and the rare ~$250 deal on KEF Q100s are all stand outs at the top of your budget, and with Black Friday coming up we might see really good deals on all the equipment you’re looking for.

But if you’re in a big college town, def recommend checking out the local craigslist and shops in town. I went to a big college and the local shops had quite a lot of equipment at great deals, probably from a few too many kids away from parents with credit cards they couldn’t pay off looking to unload their stuff to pay it off. I still check that areas craigslist for good stuff, cause my area is a bit dry for that sort of stuff (or at least isn’t full of people who don’t know what they have or are desperate to get rid of it).

u/AMLRoss · 3 pointsr/HeadphoneAdvice

If you like Sennheiser then the 660S are pretty good. Only 150ohms so they are much easier to drive. (compared to other 600 series that are 250ohm)
660S

I would still recommend getting a dac/amp because that will usually make a difference over a direct plug to the motherboard. Something cheap like the FX Audio Dac X6 would be a good starting point.


The Beyerdynamic DT1990 get very good reviews for open sound stage:
DT1990

These are all around the $500 mark and will be a huge improvement over your old ones. These are also open back.

Im sure others can list some other options.

u/adrianmonk · 2 pointsr/audio

Those are regular passive speakers. They do not contain an amplifier (hence no power cord or batteries), so you will need an amplifier to put between them and your laptop. The amplifier makes the signal strong enough to physically moves the speakers. (Your laptop has a weak amplifier in it, but only strong enough to power headphones.)

One popular cheap amplifier is the SMSL SA50. I've never used it, but it's less than $70 and should be pretty adequate for your purposes. A nicer way is to buy a stereo receiver, which will have a remote, better circuitry, the ability to switch between several sources, and more, but those start at around $150-200 minimum. (Although if you are knowledgeable and careful, you can find used receivers on craigslist for far less.)

Anyway, most amplifiers have RCA inputs, so you will need a 3.5mm (same connector as headphones) to stereo RCA cable for connecting your laptop to the amplifier. Then you need speaker wire for connecting the amplifier to the speakers.

u/Vaga13ond · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

These will all do great for a multimedia speaker system.

Kanto Yu4 (4" speaker) -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kanto-Powered-Speakers-Bluetooth®-Preamp/dp/B01N7OMH3M

Kanto Yu6 (5.25" speaker, bigger but will have better output)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kanto-Powered-Speakers-Bluetooth®-Preamp/dp/B01N1YSXWE

or

Vanatoo Transparent Zero's
https://www.amazon.com/Vanatoo-Transparent-Powered-Speakers-Black/dp/B01N33WUJ9

As for subwoofers you really can get anything you like. From the budget Bic F12 to the matching Yu Sub8 to anything SVS makes. I know you listed your budget in Euro's, but I don't know a common site like Amazon to just get you basic pricing in Euro's so forgive the links to all over the world.

The other option is to go passive.

Amplifier: SMSL AD18 w/ subwoofer output
https://www.amazon.co.uk/AD18-Hi-Fi-Stereo-Amplifier-Bluetooth/dp/B071JN7GXN

Speakers/sub: Anything really. This more depends on regional pricing and availability. Here we can get the KEF Q100's for around $250-$300 US. But anything well reviewed that only needs around 40w of power will work well with that amplifier. There's a good number of well reviewed subs that will work for you with the €350 ish left after the DAC/amp and speakers.

u/usul1628 · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

Well, nice is a relative term when spending $300 on speakers and a subwoofer. Its alot to ask for on that budget IMO, but it can certainly be done if it just plugs into a computer. /r/zeos has lots of good info, using his guide, I'd pick the Polk On-Walls for $100, Martin Logan 8" Subwoofer for $130 and an SMSL SA50 for an amp. You'll need banana connectors, speaker wire and a 3.5mm to stereo RCA for connectivity. That should be a good balance of sound. Don't get this setup without the subwoofer though, those speakers are designed presuming you have a sub, and will fit nicely on your desk, and the sub is small enough to fit comfortably underneath.

u/Nixxuz · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

Funny thing about those comments...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072Q157FY/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B072Q157FY&pd_rd_wg=fO7Oq&pd_rd_r=T5TSGRD5NWGQ9E3YPZ5K&pd_rd_w=rmYwa

Because there's 100 reviews that give the EXACT same amp 4 stars. (On average)

Also, whenever someone around here mentions that something gets a lot of good reviews on Amazon, the consensus is that they're all fake shill reviews. And then when something, like that amp for instance, works great for me, people bring up the bad reviews.

(There is this one too, also the same amp. Also averages 4 stars.)

https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Channel-Amplifier-Bluetooth-Receiver/dp/B01N34QK4N/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

So apparently I'm not just a WOO HOO sample size of one, but also part of a fair number of people who didn't have any problems and enjoyed it.

And it seems the beloved SMSL SA-50 doesn't do any better for customer satisfaction when the same number of reviews are counted...

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter-Silver/dp/B00A2QLGEQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1525879126&sr=1-4&keywords=smsl+sa50

Same with the 36A...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017W13O5W/ref=sspa_dk_detail_4?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B017W13O5W&pd_rd_wg=2xLZA&pd_rd_r=KTF0ZNPRXJB6QHVJ0BCN&pd_rd_w=jRFGv&smid=A2Q0JVLI22BSVA

And if you check my post history you know I'm usually the FIRST to note the inflated wattage rating of all these cheap, and not so cheap, chip amps. (Looking at you AD18)

Especially the AD18, as it's usually $5 less that a Denon AVRS530BT, which makes it an awful ripoff unless you ABSOLUTELY need the space.

So I clearly DO have an idea of how amps are built and what determines output power. And those beloved SMSL and Topping amps are just as complicit in the number inflation game.

u/GlowKitty · 1 pointr/vinyl

Ok, lets try this again, I completely missed the "Submit a New Question" button >.< sorry mods! (I guess I should skim the submission guidelines better next time >.>)

I have a Technics SL-Q200 turntable, nothing too special but I love it. I'm going off to college soon so I have to downsize my Hi-Fi setup for dorm life.

My plan was to get a mini amplifier like [this] (https://www.amazon.com/LP-2020A-Class-D-Amplifier-Digital-Adapter/dp/B01FZKA28Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1499830027&sr=1-2&keywords=mini+amplifier) one, get a phono preamp, and use some smaller speakers that I use on my desk right now.

But my best friend made the point that what if one of the people in my dorms is drunk and falls over on it, or damages it, I'd be devastated. So they suggested to get a Crosley Cruiser, and after looking into it, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Is there anything in the price range of that (not too much more expensive) that would work for me? Something that won't damage my prized records but also sounds decent and is under $100?

Also if you think it would be best to take my current turntable, feel free to let me know.

Any help is appriciated thanks \^w^

u/ajjjas · 1 pointr/audiophile

The Onkyo is nice, I've had one for a while, and I like it, but it doesn't have a remote. I would consider the SMSL Q5 Pro if you can deal with the inputs, but if you're looking for something higher end, I've enjoyed listening to the Teac AI-301DA.

If you're fine without the remote, the Onkyo has been a solid performer for me. As for subs, I've heard and enjoyed a friend's Hsu Research VTF-1. I have a Klipsch R-12SW that has served me fine, but I got it for a song new, and if you're paying full price, the Hsu is a much better value.

Also, if you go with the Hsu, it has speaker-level pass throughs, so that opens up the avenue for 2ch amps without discrete sub outs, and I'm always quick to recommend the Emotiva A-100.

u/Elnrik · 2 pointsr/ZReviews

Two of these amps? https://amzn.com/B00ZSEFU94

Assuming the speakers match up fairly well with those amps in terms of sensitivity and power requirements, I think you should be fine. The line out from the Origen+ can control the volume. You would then split the Left / Right signals with a 3.5mm to RCA Y adapter, and connect the R channel to 1 amp, and L channel to the other - is that correct? Reading the Amp owner's manual, it shows the amp only needs a single input using the bottom-middle RCA connector for bridged mono mode.

I don't see anything wrong with this setup. It is a little unusual - an inexpensive home theater receiver might provide better overall features and power without the connectivity issues.

I digress... The number of connectors and length of cable used would probably influence distortion more than the output of the Origen would. Keeping the signal path away from power sources will help as well.

Also, I don't see how replacing the Origen with a Magni 2 Uber would net you massive audio quality improvements, especially where budget is concerned. Unless you need the coax input for some reason.

I hope that helps? Pretty unique situation. Good luck.

u/_jackeane · 1 pointr/audiophile

So I don't really know too much about setting up a system. Right now, I'm mainly planning on using it for music and some gaming/tv from my pc. Have a small room and not a big budget (college student), so following the recommended speakers above I'm planning on getting the Micca MB42X speakers (https://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2).

Following this 2.1 setup (http://i.imgur.com/Z8FMJ.png), it looks like I'm gonna get this DAC (https://www.amazon.com/BEHRINGER-U-Control-Low-Latency-Interface-Digital/dp/B000KW2YEI).

The recommended amp from above, the SMSL SA 60W, is unavailable from most places. Out of these two options which one is the best for their value?

Pyle (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036VO6G4/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza)

Dayton (https://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-DTA-1-Digital-Amplifier/dp/B001PNOH2I/ref=sr_1_17?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1322387040&sr=1-17)

Feel free to recommend me any other amp you think would work for ~$75 or less, it just has to have a 3.5mm input as well as an RCA input. Thanks for the help in advance friends, means a lot.

u/leica_boss · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

A DAC's purpose is simply to decode the audio stream (usually PCM) and provide an analog output, outside of the computer, free from interference. Nearly every external DAC will do a better job than internal soundcards. They can be connected via USB, Coaxial, or Optical. If you have an optical/coax jack on your motherboard or existing soundcard, you are set. Otherwise, look for a DAC with USB input, and you will not need a soundcard on your PC at all.

When using optical/coax output from the PC, if configured right, the built-in soundcard does nothing to the audio signal. Ideally it's sending the PCM signal straight from an audio file or CD, to the DAC. A DAC in most cases is an external sound card.

A Headphone amp's purpose is to take the line-level input, amplify it and provide a volume control. A DAC/AMP does both.

With an external DAC you can expect less noise/hiss in the background, and if you can hear it, a better SNR (signal to noise ratio) or dynamic range. Most of the sound characteristics you will hear will be coming from your headphones or amplifier.

For PC audio, there are many combinations of devices. Some are combined DAC/AMP. Some combine a loudspeaker amplifier for desktop speakers.. You can get any combination. Some provide line-level outputs for chaining multiple devices together, or pre-amp level outputs allowing for a common volume control.

It sounds like you just need a single device solution for your headphones. Have a look at the SMSL SD793-II. This is a very nice DAC with optical/coax input (no USB), and a good headphone amplifier. It also has an RCA input for use with an analog source to feed your headphones. It also can be used as an RCA output from the DAC, so this DAC can function as a headphone amplifier, and feed a power amplifier for loudspeakers you might get down the road. I have one and really like it.

u/verdesauceisback · 1 pointr/headphones

I had Fiio E10K and ended up returning it after I got this hybrid tube amp, felt bad for recommending the Fiio to a friend after I got the tube amp and am still trying to get him to return it and try the tube amp.

The stock tubes are pretty mediocre but still better than the Fiio in my opinion. I immediately swapped the stock tubes out for GE E180F NOS new old stock tubes which gave significant improvement after they burned in. Planning on getting some Valvo Holland E180F new old stock tubes in the next few weeks as a Christmas present for myself. The GE tubes aren't lacking in any way, especially after burning in, so the Valvo's are really just for epeen sake/hobbyist mentality type shit.

Keep in mind that a hybrid tube amp is not a DAC but I personally think it sounds better than the Fiio did. I'm outputting lossless files from my motherboard's onboard audio (Realtek 1150) at 24bit 192khz and I get no chatter or background noise at all even when I turn everything all the way up so realistically I don't need a DAC at all as my output device is fine. If I ever start having problems with my onboard audio it I plan to get a JDS Labs standalone USB ODAC unit.

Oh yeah, headphones are Sennheiser PC350SE's which are 150 Ohm and I can't turn amp up too far past half or I'll blow my eardrums out with the volume tray on side of headset at 75% and PC output at 95%. EQ just barely boosted from flat, it could use a little more bass, considering Hero mod but still doing research and may just end up getting a dedicated headset instead of headset mic/combo. Only have the PC350SE's because I snagged a brown box special on Amazon for $66 on Black Friday.

u/ldeas_man · 4 pointsr/audio

well to start, those are crap speakers either way. two 3.5" woofers means they will have zero bass, which completely defeats the purpose of tower speakers

second, you screwed up by not doing proper research. most speakers (aka passive speakers) have wire terminals where you connect them to an amplifier

you can buy a cheap amp on Amazon for $20 which will work. but my honest recommendation is to sell those speakers for whatever you can get and getting these Dayton bookshelf speakers and this Lepai amp. it'll sound better than those 'towers' and take up less room. yes, it'll cost a bit more (depending on what you can sell the Monster towers for), but if you plan on listening to anything bass heavy, you'll appreciate the better quality speakers (note: yes I know the B652s don't measure anywhere near flat, but for a layman, they're a good first step)

u/The_BallCrusher · 1 pointr/vinyl

Like people have said vinyl is a for those who love to tinker, and to hunt for that new record or upgraded component. If you just want to be able to listen to great sounding music and not worry about the stuff in the middle, download some FLAC files, buy a nice USB DA converter and enjoy, there is noting wrong with digital audio. If you still want to see what its all about, surf the craigslist list, get a turn table. then get a $30 pre-amp from Amazon, and a small headphone amp. the one i linked to actually has a built in USB DA converter so you can get your good sound card too. That will be the cheapest way to get in to vinyl, for just over $200 if you end up having to pay a high price for the turntable on craigslist list. those components i linked to with a decent vintage turntable and your nice headphones will sound great.

Pre-amp: http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-PP400-BEHRINGER-MICROPHONO/dp/B000H2BC4E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1422075043&sr=8-4&keywords=phono+preamp

headphone amp: http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-111567-Desktop-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00KVVX2QW/ref=sr_1_23?s=audio-video-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1422075678&sr=1-23&keywords=headphone+amplifier

u/rpbtz · 3 pointsr/vinyl

The good thing about separate preamps is that you can always upgrade later on when you can afford something better, but it's also worth noting that most of the built-in preamps aren't particularly good. If you want something ok but affordable, then you can try the Behringer PP400, which is pretty cheap. Nothing amazing but it'll do the job. If you feel like something somewhat better try out the Art DJ Pre II. Additionally Rega, Pro-Ject and Cambridge also make some nice and popular phono preamps, so there's plenty of fairly affordable solutions to go from.

You could also try to find a receiver with a built-in phono preamp instead. Although most newer ones don't come with one.

u/wsteineker · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

I have that particular turntable, though mine is hooked up to a much smaller set of speakers. To put it in the simplest terms possible, you're going to need an amp and some speaker wire. Connect the turntable to the RCA input on the amp, then run speaker wire from the outs on the amp to the corresponding ins on the speakers themselves. That's it.

It looks like those Sonys can handle up to 60 watts @ 8 ohms, so they seem pretty efficient. You shouldn't need a ton of power to get them a little loud while still sounding good. As far as hardware recommendations go, I've been very happy with my little SMSL SA50. It should get you a nice, clean sound for less than $70 shipped. I went with these Mediabridge 16 gauge pre-finished cables, but you can always just cut your own and screw the bare ends down/clip them in if you're looking to save a few bucks or if your speakers lack binding posts.

There are also loads of vintage stereo amp options out there for less than $100 if you're willing to dig a bit and are comfortable with something that might have a few miles on it. I recommended the SMSL because it's compact, solid, and new in the box. Either way, enjoy your turntable and those Sonys you saved from the scrap heap!

u/wolfcry0 · 1 pointr/audio

Oh ok, I looked through the manual but it's very sparse with any info.

Sounds like it does have inputs you can use, do they look like this? If they do you just need a basic 3.5mm to RCA cable to connect your phone to the system.

>so could you tell me how to use those speakers to work for my phone/laptop? Using an amplifier like you mentioned?

If you don't want to use the main sony unit, yeah you could buy an amplifier and connect the speakers to that instead.

Something like this for a cheaper one that you'd connect with a cable to your phone, or if you wanted a nicer one with bluetooth this would be a good option.

u/b1g_bake · 2 pointsr/homeautomation

I know you already have a receiver, but for simplcity I would recommend a small class D amp like this. Chip amps like these run off a laptop charger basically and are very efficient. I leave mine on 24/7 and it only uses real power when it's amplifying music. You pair that with a 3.5mm to RCA adapter and a Chromecast Audio and you're set.

Easy control of the music by voice or by phone. We use spotify with our Google Home's and love it. Currently running my setup on 4 in-ceiling speakers. I plan to replicate this to outdoor speakers for my back deck. When you starting adding more zones my method is pretty economical compared to other multi-zone amplifiers.

u/mattycmckee · 1 pointr/audio

Lots of stuff here.

First and foremost, no one is going to be able to tell the difference between 320 kbps MP3 and flac. If they say they can, they're lying. The difference is just so small that it's not even perceivable. Maybe in a very specific circumstance, with a very specific sound, would someone with a very well trained air be able to tell the difference, but 99% of the time, no.

When you say 24 Khz, I think your referring to sample rate. Sample rate and bitrate (the 320 kbps part in a 320 kbps MP3) are the resolution of the audio. Sample rate is the number of samples in a given time and bitrate is the quality of the stream. The best place for sample rate is going to be 44.1khz (ideally you want double the original frequency to reproduce the sound perfectly, so 20khz multiplied by 2 is 40khz, then 44.1khz is the actual setting). 192khz is a waste of space.

Human hearing range is from 20hz to 20khz, and even at that, most people struggle to hear anything after about 17khz anyway.

Onboard audio (on mobos) is normally pretty poor (why your Samsung sounds better, they have pretty high quality DACs iirc), so I'd recommend getting at least a cheap DAC/AMP, I recommend this one as I've personally used it and it's great.

u/ygaddy · 1 pointr/audiophile

You don't need a Sonos (or Apple gear for that matter), there are much cheaper DIY solutions. A Raspberry Pi + a decent DAC (like HiFiBerry) + VolumeIO software gets you functionality on a par with Sonos for around $100 or so.

You could save a little more money by picking a cheaper integrated amp. The Yamaha A-S500 goes for $400. Amazon has had the Onkyo A-9050 for as little as $300.

You don't necessarily need floorstanders, 2.1 systems comprised of good bookshelves and big bad subwoofers can be sonically more impressive than floorstanders (and cheaper to boot). An $800 sub with $500 bookshelves is very frequently going to be a better choice than whatever $1,300/pair floorstanders you can find.

If you are intent on getting a relatively low-wattage amp (like some of that entry level NAD stuff), I would second the idea of the guy that suggested Klipsch. Their stuff is a good value and is much more efficient than most speakers.

Good luck.

u/OfficialJeZeus · 1 pointr/audiophile

I recently purchased the SHP 9500s and the Vmoda boom mic. Upgrading from an old $20 Turtle Beach PSL headset to this new setup, it's amazing, but I'm having issues with the Vmoda boom mic. For reference my setup is SHP 9500s to Vmoda mic and cable through Y splitter to onboard audio with latest realtek drivers (the drivers' supplied by the motherboard's manufacture had issues for me).



The cables are plugged into the back ports, as for whatever reason the mic and headphones are a little louder when plugged in through the back. (Speaking of which, does it matter whether realtek detects my headphones as speakers or headphones? I tried re-tasking the rear jacks but it didn't work). My issue is there is some static noise in the mic and the volume is sorta quiet even when set to 100 (and with any +DB boost the static in the mic is amplified and is terrible). Would the y-splitter provided by Vmoda have anything to do with the static interference?



I've read that this can be possibly fixed with the use of a usb soundcard or something of the sorts. What would you guys recommend to help solve this problem?



For example something like this : https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B009WN7QT4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=zeos-20&linkId=b8ce2562abea8f32caffaa00c757509c&th=1 Z mentioned it in one of his reviews and said it was a perfect add on to the Vmoda mic and SHP9500s combo.

u/TheDruid666 · 1 pointr/audiophile

I'm looking to build a semi-affordable home audio system this year. I'm gonna start buying components with my tax money, so it's time to seek some quick suggestions. I am pretty much set on the turntable and receiver. And I have narrowed my speaker options down to 3 final contenders. Basically I need help deciding which of these 3 speaker setups will sound the best for my personal taste (music only, no movies. Mostly stoner rock, doom, classic rock, hard rock, blues, reggae, funk... you know, mostly bass heavy rock).

The turntable I chose is the U-Turn Orbit Custom with acrylic platter and Ortofon 2M Red cartridge.

The receiver I chose to go with this turntable is the Onkyo A-9050. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009JBZFVK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_RsWMybSP4ZYZR

Now onto the speakers. My budget is $500 but I can go over a little bit. This setup will be in my living room which is smallish to regular in size. Also, I have hardwood floors if that matters. Sooooo... Which of these 3 setups will sound best with this turntable/receiver???

  1. ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 Bookshelf Speakers ($499 a pair) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CRYWVG2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8EWMyb1SZ3EMZ

  2. Klipsch R-26F Floorstanding Speakers ($279 each, $558 a pair) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LMDYM6W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_sFWMybEGZCMSZ

  3. ELAC Debut F5 Tower Speakers ($279 each, $558 a pair) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014GSEPY8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rGWMybR17AP0S

    Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone!
u/chadochocinqo · 1 pointr/buildapc

I do plan on picking up a DAS, found a pretty good one under $100 here.

I did have my heart set on a build with the AMD RX 480 and I found a good deal on newegg for this GPU and power supply in my build, Along with the optical drive and the storage solutions I have listed in my build.

So basically the GPU/PSU, optical drive, and storage drives are all aspects I would like to keep. If the motherboard has optical audio then I won't need the sound card. But other than that I don't mind about the rest of the parts. And black and red.

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it!

u/Snaxmaster93 · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

I would probably try to save up for a dac/amp combo for computer use instead of the tv dac.

The Topping Mx3 is good, has a sub out for down the road ( r/https://bit.ly/2xhzTMu )

This Smsl would be great too ( r/https://amzn.to/2D4FXgK )

Otherwise, you could go with the amp you linked and spend more on the speakers. Micca mb42x would be good for cheap. I personally love the Parts express c-notes ( they are diy $100 r/https://bit.ly/2H3Jom8 ) and are not much more then the micca's and are superior in every way. Can't go wrong with pioneer bs-22 LR as well, although they are kind of awkwardly sized. I would consider these great budget options.

u/SaltedKittyBits · 1 pointr/headphones

Hello everyone, just picked up some Beyerdynamic 770 Pro 32 Ohms over the weekend and I'm absolutely loving them so far.

Even at the risk of sounding like a dumbass, I'm stumped. They sound great but I'd love for them to potentially sound even better. I have a SMSL SA-50 Amplifer which powers my Micca MB42X speakers. This setup worked extremely well in the past as all I had were some crappy Steelseries Siberia V2's for gaming.

But now do I need more equipment to have my headphones sound as good as they possibly can? I know very little about DACs/Amps or audio equipment in general but from what I do know I'm missing something crucial.

Sorry if my question is vague and please let me know if you need more information!

Thanks for any help you can provide.

u/The_Aux · 1 pointr/headphones

I would use your headphones for a bit and see how much you enjoy them as is before adding a DAC. There are also some more economical DAC/Amp combos like the SMSL AMP/DAC(63$ and the one I'm currently using for my K7XX's).

People also recommend the FiiO E10K 76$

/u/zeospantera who seems to be pretty knowledgeable about this stuff has a good guide here where he says

"DAC's and Amplifiers. Do I need? I'm not going to say everyone will benefit from a good dac and amp. But everyone can benefit from a good dac and amp. Soundstage, Low-end, clarity in highs can all be improved by an amp no matter if a set of cans is Easy or Hard to drive. A dac or an amp or combination of both can make a world of difference but unfortunately you won't know if you benefit until you try."

Hopefully that helps.

u/SchroedingersHat · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

Anything bluetooth/portable will be way less value for money so only do that if you need it to be bluetooth/portable.

I would second the recommendation for passive speakers, but for your use case maybe also consider slightly cheaper speakers than most around here would recommend, and pairing it with a sub.

Something like this sub or this
With a small amp like this

And then spend the remaining 120-170 on some passive bookshelf speakers [(a list)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AverageJoeAudiophile/comments/3uoksp /i_have_xxxxx_to_spend_what_should_i_buy_bookshelf/)

Someone else may help you narrow down which speakers. Edit: The Pioneer BS22 looks like a good option.

u/MistaHiggins · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

Have you ever heard a pair of Klipsch speakers? Reason I ask is that they can be fatiguingly bright, especially when not using any room correction that might tame them down a bit. I had a pair of unpowered R-14 that I only listened to for about 15 minutes before returning them to Amazon.

I would recommend considering something like the Micca RB42 which have been highly praised to the point of consistently selling out as soon as they come into stock. Review.

You should keep an eye on this auction for Jamo C103 which are originally $1600/pair and sound incredible down to 45hz. Review If these end up around your price range, try and snag them.

Third option: Jamo C93 on ebay. Same tweeter as above, smaller woofer, will still fill a family room. Review.

You might be wanting to stay away from a home theater receiver which I can understand for space, but going with powered speakers really does limit your options. I would entertain looking at a smaller amp like the AD18 that includes bluetooth connectivity and optical for your TV.

EDIT: Would actually recommend playing your music off your TV => optical instead of bluetooth. Spotify connect/airplay is great and then other people can change the song using the TV remote.

u/willardthor · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile
  1. Maybe I misunderstood you (or I wasn't clear); the effect I desire, is that there is one place I raise/lower volume (be it a knob or a remote control), which causes the volume of both the bookshelf speakers and the sub to be raised/lowered accordingly.

  2. @ better to manage bass w/ receiver: Even if the sub is powered? OK, good to know.
  3. That is a good suggestion; thanks.
  4. OK; I'll check out used towers; if I find them dirt-cheap, I'll grab them instead of doing a bookshelf+sub combo. And that 100Hz bit is great piece of info; thanks for that.
  5. I'm finding it difficult to find used receivers / preamps that have TOSLINK / SPDIF input (the manufacturers only advertise their newest products); is there a convenient list of products-by-manufacturer somewhere I can browse to find a receiver / preamp that is new enough to have this?

    Assuming I find no cheap used amps that fit the bill, would these do the job? (or are they too weak?)

u/Mungbunger · 2 pointsr/audiophile

I am planning on buying some ELAC B6s but I need an amplifier. I will mostly be listening to music through streaming services like Spotify in my room. I had this SMSL SA50 amplifier recommended to me. I was told it'd be fine for my purposes and if so I'll buy it but if you've got other recommendations, I'd love to hear them. I'm willing to buy used. I live in the Salt Lake City, UT area. I'd like to not spend much more than $100 for one though. I'm planning on using Chromecast Audio to make it a wireless setup. I'd love to hear any thoughts and suggestions or advice.

u/SmittyJonz · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

the Lepy amp or the Kinter will Drive them. Supposed to be 20RMSx2 so a 40 or 50 x2 amp........I'd buy an amp that comes with power supply to make it easy. You'll have Better Highs than the Bose, maybe less Bass but more Balanced Overall.

3.5mm to rca cable to hook to PC........

Need 1 - https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-3-5mm-2-Male-Adapter-Cable/dp/B01D5H8KO2/ref

Banana Plug speaker wire makes it Easier to hook speakers to amp - just plug in like rcas But Not necessary

Need 2 - https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Speaker-Cable-Gold-Plated-Banana/dp/B07FKJDTPY/ref

​

I run Micca MB42Xs on Desktop with a Topping MX3 Dac/headphone amp/amp combo with Bluetooth. Room is 14x18' and Open to Kitchen on One side with a bar separating them. Fills Room(s) Pretty Well.

Recorded on Iphone so does Not convey the Sound Quality.........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjg7uIg11_Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6pYIp7OUGY

other amps:

https://www.amazon.com/%E3%80%90Update%E3%80%91-Audio-Amplifier-Receiver-Integrated/dp/B076P2VS9H/ref

https://www.amazon.com/Nobsound-Bluetooth-Amplifier-Wireless-Audio/dp/B07DPKSKVQ/ref (Bluetooth)

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref

this One has Bluetooth and supposed to be Clean. My Choice if not a Topping MX3.........

https://www.amazon.com/Amplifier-TPA3116D2-Bluetooth-Adjustment-Amplifiers/dp/B07Q2XC7K3/ref=

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAN8IKXcFtQ&t=828s

​

MB42X + SMSL SA100 amp+ 3.5mm to Rca cable+ 2 Amazon Basics Banana Plug Speaker wires = $173.69 plus tax

u/DarkLordGwyn · 1 pointr/vinyl

Hello,

I just wanted some opinions on my setup that I'm asking for Christmas. and yes I know buying used gear is a better choice but I can't expect people giving me gifts to go hunt at thrift stores and craigslist.

Denon DP 300F

Onkyo A-9010 Integrated Stereo Amplifier

Polk Audio T15 Bookshelf Speakers

The Denon has a pre-amp right? So, do I need the Onkyo Amp? If I don't "need" the Onkyo amp would it still be worth the money e.g. improve the sound a noticeable amount?

Is anything I'm buying too cheap or too expensive for my setup? (I'm looking for an entry level setup)

How much more will I get out of a better turntable like the Orbit U-Turn would I, a novice, notice a difference? And if I do get the Orbit (and the Onkyo) should I get the Orbit with or without the pre-amp?

Finally am I making any huge mistakes? Are there any better value options than the parts I've chose?

u/[deleted] · 1 pointr/audiophile

I posted in last weeks thread but it was switched with this one before my question was fully answered.

After experiencing music in an entirely different way after finally listening to some songs on a half decent pair of headphones I want to get into the audiophile game. I've done a bunch of reading but am still feeling pretty lost amongst all of the different choices. I'm looking for a bedroom system used primarily to play lossless files from my 13'' mid-2012 MacBook Pro; it won't be part of a larger av system. I am familiar with all the different components but not sure where to begin, or what I need. I've got an ~$500-$1k budget but am looking to build up in stages, I'd like to invest in quality essentials with the possibility of future expansion. I don't really understand the difference between receivers, amplifiers and pre-amps, as well as where DACs come into the mix. Some clarification on this would be great.
If I went with a USB Schiit Modi dac, this amp, and these bookshelves, would everything work all right? Am I spending too much in one area and skimping on another?

Thanks

u/AlienStag · 1 pointr/ZReviews

This is the DAC/amp combo I use for when I need a mic input. Also has pre-outs that I use to send the signal to my O2 amp. Relatively cheap, amp isn't the strongest but strong enough for most gear, and definitely enough for the X2. The noise floor is also significantly better than onboard (tested with highly sensitive IEMs, like the RE-400, ZS6, and AS10). Been happy with my purchase, which I had made about 1.5 years ago.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009WN7QT4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_pPlpDb0D49TVX

u/jackasher · 3 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

I'm on a tighter budget than you, but I just set up a nice little system with a SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier and a set of Pioneer SP-BS22-LR Andrew Jones Designed Bookshelf Loudspeakers without a sub. Add a sub to that you'll have a nice sounding set-up under budget that should last you well beyond your time at college.

In addition to this subreddit, here's what I used for guidance:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/66ylk9/guide_speakers_2021_desktoproom_systems/
and
https://www.reddit.com/r/AverageJoeAudiophile/comments/3uoksp/i_have_xxxxx_to_spend_what_should_i_buy_bookshelf/

For considering which sub you want:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AverageJoeAudiophile/comments/3w9tdw/i_have_xxxxx_to_spend_what_should_i_buy_subwoofers/
and
https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/5b1u99/guide_subwoofers/

If you sign up for promo codes for Fry's and check every Sunday, the SP-BS22-LR Pioneer's can be had for $62 as they seem to go on sale around once a month. Actually if you can get a promo code from someone today, you can order them this evening at that price. Even at $129, they're considered a good value.

Pricewise you'd be looking at: $62 Pioneer SP-BS22-LR + $69 SMSL SA50 + $180 for the ELAC S10 or something comparable + $30 for speaker wire, plugs and cables to connect to your source and $341 total

This will be plenty loud to fill any dorm room (and drive your neighbors crazy if you're not careful) with much better sound quality than a soundbar or a 2.1 system like a Klipsch Promedia 2.1.

As for the bluetooth, buy a separate bluetooth adapter. You'll have more utility that way rather than buying one that's integrated into your receiver or amp. This way you'll only need to upgrade your bluetooth receiver when bluetooth is inevitably upgraded in the next few years. Your receiver and speakers can last you decades.


u/iHateJimbo · 2 pointsr/buildapc

Okay, just making sure there wasn't some technical reason that you needed a discrete card.

If you're just used to them from building PC's years ago, it's different now. The only discrete sound cards I know of are the SoundBlaster AE-7 / AE-9 and the Nu Audio from EVGA. Supposedly they're both really good, but if you have a GPU they'll probably get in the way of airflow. (Unless it's water cooled)

If you just want a better option than your on-board sound, look into some DAC/Amp combos as well.

Mayflower Arc

Topping MX3

SoundblasterX G6

and a cheap but very effective option. I used this one to drive my 6xx's for a while. Was surprised how good it was compared to the price. Would reccommend.

u/whatdidshedo · 1 pointr/buildapcsales

small stereo amps are very popular with bookshelfs like these on pc setups lmore poular ones are smsl 60 they also have others with sub out (don't know if you planing to add powered sub) like a2 or q5 all made by SMSL, but if budget is real tight Lepai or lepy they are like 25 bucks but smsl stuff is much better for around 60-70 bucks like smsl 50 or 60

Plus they are small and fit very nicely on desks with pc setups

u/dereklillard · 4 pointsr/Music

A "vinyl player" is referred to as a turntable or record player. I can't tell you what table to buy because I'm not that familiar with newer quality tables but I can tell you to avoid Crosley and sub-$100 players with USB built in. For not much more $ you can get a better item used. Also be sure to get something with a replaceable cartridge because you will need to replace it eventually. Unless your planning to DJ you can probably save a bit of $ by going belt drive as opposed to direct drive. If you have a local record store take a look at their used equipment. Also whoever is working there should have good advice as long as you tell them a price range. Keep in mind you'll need something to send the audio signal to as well. That will vary in cost. I use this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ULRFQ1A/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1467417822&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=stereo+amplifier&dpPl=1&dpID=41phZQk-zFL&ref=plSrch. Some folks may think it's a bit of a joke but it satisfies my needs. It powers my speakers, fills my house with sound, and has an EQ.

u/Aco2504 · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

I don't think you should go 5.1. It is possible to setup gaming with it... but I've never done so, successfully.

My suggestion? Go 2.0 for now, add a good subwoofer later.

Klipsch RB-51's

Topping MX3

Hook up via optical. As a bonus, this will be an exceptional headphone amp and DAC, too. Also save a few bucks to buy stands or angled foam bases for the speakers to angle them off the deck.

Use this setup for now, and save up money to buy a decent subwoofer... BIC PL200 at minimum, or better yet, an HSU, REL, or SVS unit.

u/hanbearpig · 2 pointsr/audiophile

I just got a set of Kef LS50s for a desktop setup. I got a good deal so I picked them up without thinking how I'll be powering them. Then without much thinking I thought the PS Audio Sprout looked good so I ordered it off Amazon, as I'm looking for a clean/simple setup. It turns out it's a bit of a no-no and isn't a great product the more I look into it.
So what's the recommendation around the $500 mark for a desktop unit that I can use to power the speakers to play music off my laptop while I'm working? I'm willing to buy used.
Any help or advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

EDIT: I also have a Schiit Magni/Modi 2 Uber. Could I just use the preamp and hook it up to something like this SMSL SA50 or does the LS50 deserve a better setup?

u/GeneralDouglasMac · 2 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

Options for the 650 are fairly wide open as it is driven pretty easily.

From a $45 dac amp that is the sleeper king of budget setups: https://drop.com/buy/fx-audio-dac-x6#overview

to a Schitt Stack (modi/magni) or JDS Labs (Ol Dac/Atom Amp) for around $200

Topping Mx3 for about $130 for a great combined unit that allows for future expansion to speakers too.

and very much beyond in prices well above several thousands of dollars

If none of those tickel your fancy you'll probably get a more varied response from r/HeadphoneAdvice

But before you do; make sure you know a few things first:

What type of connections you want (USB, RCA, Optical), where you are located, where you can buy from, and your budget.

I answered with amps/dacs that won't break the bank, preform pretty good, and fit with the mid-fi level of your headphones.

u/edubiton · -1 pointsr/buildmeapc


I don't know about "under $50" but I listed the parts I used below and it's an amazing sound that can /will rumble the floor if I need it to.

You'll also need the standard speaker wire and connectors but this is a good price for the results. That last bit (the Amp) is the important part to this.

Polk Audio PSW10 10" Powered Subwoofer - Featuring High Current Amp and Low-Pass Filter | Up to 100 Watts | Big Bass at a Great Value | Easy integration Home Theater Systems https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002KVQBA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Al1ACbH3SJ7RX

Micca MB42X Bookshelf Speakers With 4-Inch Carbon Fiber Woofer and Silk Dome Tweeter (Black, Pair) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E7H8GG2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-l1ACbF5GWJRY

SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier + Power Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3m1ACbWVAMEAT



u/soundblastmm · 1 pointr/livesound

I agree, you'll likely have better luck in a more home audio forum, however I do have some advice.

Your best bet would probably be to shop around at yard sales/flea markets and look for a used home theater stereo receiver. For the most part (if they support 5.1 surround), you'll get the two amplified speaker outs that you need, plus a subwoofer pre-amp out (and the 3 additional speaker outs if you decide to expand later). I've picked up many of these over the years and they usually run from free to $40.

​

If you want this faster, you can take a look at the Mini Class D "tripath" amplifiers for sale on Amazon, like this one. Run the speaker outs from the amplifier into the "speaker level in" ports on the sub. Then run the "speaker level out" ports to the speakers.

u/starkimpossibility · 2 pointsr/audiophile

A little better ;-)

The SMSL SA-60 is fine for your budget but note that you can't plug headphones into it. You might want to look at something like the SMSL SD793-ii, which is a combined DAC/headphone amp, but tbh I don't know much about headphones so I don't know how good the headphone amp in it is. Also, the SA-60 plus the SD793-ii would be nearly the same price as the Onkyo TX-8020, which is a better speaker amp than the SA-60, though I'm not sure how the headphone amp in the Onkyo compares to the SD793-ii, and the SD793-ii has a DAC which the Onkyo doesn't, so... Anyway, lots for you to think about.

The only speakers you linked that I've heard are the Pioneers, and they are just ok (good for the price I guess) but tbh I think you should be looking at the next level up. Look into the Elac Debut range, Wharfdale Diamond range, Klipsch RM-15, Cambridge Audio SX, Q Acoustics 3020, etc. You might also want to consider active speakers like the JBL LSR305, though you'd need a separate headphone amp to run your headphones.

u/Matt3989 · 4 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

On this sub, most of us are going to recommend passive speakers, and a amp/preamp or receiver. The reason being, that it gives you more options in the future; Once you've made the decision to come to a reddit sub and get recommendations, chances are at somepoint in the future you're going to want to upgrade the performance (whether that's when you move into a new house, need a system in a different room, or just get bored and have money burning a hole in your pocket).

So, that being said, start with the amp. If you're short on space, some small class D Tripath style amp is what you'll want: pretty much anything by SMSL like this guy. But, if you have the space, I'd go with a really receiver like this onkyo mostly because of the method it uses to power the speakers (a/b class) and the LFE out for a sub.

Now for speakers, I'd check out Elac, like these B6's

Adding a sub will be big too, but it can be added later if you still want more base. You can also check craigslist, you can often find great deals on home theater receivers with obsolete video components (but great for audio still), and sometimes good deals on used speakers or subs.

u/flowstone · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

So I was looking at this guy, the SMSL SA50 50Wx2 TDA7492 Class D Amplifier. That price seems like a good range but if there's an awesome say, DAC/AMP combination that I could plug a USB into to hook it up to a laptop along with the traditional audio in ports like the linked item, I'd be willing to spend more. That size, however, is fairly ideal.

Aaaand I just realized that I linked the SMSL SA-50 that you mentioned... did not recognize the shortened name! I feel like a "full sized" receiver would necessarily be too big. Again, the only speakers getting plugged in here are bookshelf speakers, maaaaybe a sub but likely just bookshelf.

u/iBuildSpeakers · 4 pointsr/diysound

Excellent input- I completely agree with JohnBooty's assessment of the OS sound. Definitely not for home studio usage.

As far as amp - unless you're pushing them super hard, (since you're in nearfield) you can go with a SMSL amp. Good price, decent build quality, and it should hopefully free up more budget to spend on speakers.

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465509439&sr=8-1&keywords=amplifier+smsl

u/araspion · 2 pointsr/vinyl

Hi there,

I'd like to upgrade my audio setup, which is OK, but not great. Here's what I currently have going on:

Turntable: Pro-Ject - Debut Carbon DC (Black)

Speakers: Audioengine A2+ Premium Powered Desktop Speakers - Pair (Black)

Preamp: BEHRINGER MICROPHONO PP400

I think the Pro-Ject is OK for me right now, but I'm thinking about upgrading my speakers, and potentially purchasing a receiver (as opposed to my preamp into speakers set up right now). I've started buying some cassettes, so would also love to buy a cassette deck at some point and also be able to plug it into my receiver.

Anyone have any tips? I am admittedly still a bit of a novice, so any advice much appreciated. :)

I also have a couple of these: Audio-Technica AT95E/HSB Headshell/Cartridge Combo Kit (AT95E Cartridge and AT-HS10BK Headshell) lying around the apartment. Is it possible to replace my Pro-Ject needle with one of these bad boys / if so, anyone know of a good explainer for how to do it?

Thanks!