Looking for some decent speakers for music

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dkedr

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Topic # 114770 2-Mar-2013 19:55

I have a smallish room(4m by 3m) and I'm in need of some decent speakers to listen to some music.

I've had some really cheap speakers before and they were fine until I got some Sennheiser HD202 headphones. And now those old speakers don't sound like they used to. So I'm in search of some nice speakers with good sound quality.

I'm not going to turn the volume up to 11, loud isn't the objective.

I've a couple hundred to spend on some nice speakers. I'm not really looking for anything more than 2.1 I think.

So yea if any one has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.

Thanks

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Reply # 773703 2-Mar-2013 20:17

So, the general rule of thumb is...
Don't put small speakers in a massive room, and at the same time, don't put big speakers in a shoebox.

So, as you say the room is small, take a look at some decent stand mount speakers.
By stand mount speakers, I mean 'bookshelf' speakers. The reason why I call them stand mounts? They sound better on dedicated speaker stands, sitting in free air, compared to speakers that are jammed on a shelf / TV cabinet. The bass sounds tighter, they tend to be away from the wall so they can breath / the bass won't suffer.

Next up, what sort of amplifier do you have? And what is your source? What music do you listen to the most (your go to artist after a tough day at work) and of course, do you want to go new or second hand?
That will dictate what you're advised to look at...

dkedr

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Reply # 773715 2-Mar-2013 20:43

So, as you say the room is small, take a look at some decent stand mount speakers.

Could you provide some examples? Good brands?

By stand mount speakers, I mean 'bookshelf' speakers. The reason why I call them stand mounts? They sound better on dedicated speaker stands, sitting in free air, compared to speakers that are jammed on a shelf / TV cabinet. The bass sounds tighter, they tend to be away from the wall so they can breath / the bass won't suffer.

Position away from the wall, got it.

Next up, what sort of amplifier do you have? And what is your source?

I actually need an amplifier too. Source is PC.

What music do you listen to the most (your go to artist after a tough day at work)

A bit of everything. Don't normally pick any artist, just chuck it on shuffle.

and of course, do you want to go new or second hand?
That will dictate what you're advised to look at...

If it's within my price range I'll go for new, but I don't have a problem with second hand.

Dunnersfella

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Reply # 773727 2-Mar-2013 21:10

Go secondhand for quality speakers within your budget.
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1's, or, if you can, 10.1's.
Kef will be a fairly safe bet as they offer nice speakers, but JB Hifi have sold them for very little in the last few years, meaning their second hand value is shot. B&W's (within a few years old) could be worth considering too.
As with all speakers, you should figure out a speaker / amp combo as the sound is a combination of the two... buying over Trademe makes this a particularly difficult exercise, especially as you don't have any bass-performance level to work from.

dkedr

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Reply # 773763 2-Mar-2013 23:27

Thank you for the information.

I've done some looking around there are a few people with the Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 speakers for $340-400(new). Is this a decent price?

I've also found a Samson Servo 240 amp on trademe for $140 + shipping. Would there be a problem using this guy to power the Wharfedale speakers? I do realise the impedance is mismatched. But since the amplifier is lower impedance than the speaker I believe the only down side is reduction of maximum power attainable, so not a problem for me.

Also there seems to be a lot of hate out there for running fine speakers and amplifiers with a PC sound card, so would investing in a DAC such as a Behringer UCA202 be of any value?

kiwijunglist

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Reply # 774056 4-Mar-2013 00:13

If wanting to go cheap with good sound

MicroLab 7c speakers $230
Asus Xonar DG sound card $43

Total = $273

If wanting to listen to a lot of music at very quiet/low volume then I wouldn't recommend the 7c as they excel in the medium+ volume range.

HTPC: Intel i3-2100 / 12GB RAM / AMD HD7750 / 480 GB SSD / 58TB Storage / MediaPortal / MadVR / Win10
AVR: Pioneer Elite SC-LX87 220W 9.2 Ch AVR
Speakers: Wharfedale Jade 7 Fronts / Jade 2c Center / Jade 5 Rears
Subs: iNuke 3000dsp 3000W proamp with 4x 15" JBL Sealed Subs
Display: Samsung 60" UA60H6400 LCD TV
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Dunnersfella

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Reply # 774206 4-Mar-2013 11:37

I must admit that I know nothing about the Samson amplifiers...do you have a link?
You can buy a set of Diamond 10.1 for new for $400, so don't go too over board with the 9.1's.
The thing is, you won't need a DAC to start with, you may / may not hear a difference later down the track when you move to a DAC. It depends on the quality of files you're listening to, as well as the amp you end up with. Are you running with Lossless files?

dkedr

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Reply # 774282 4-Mar-2013 14:00

Dunnersfella: I must admit that I know nothing about the Samson amplifiers...do you have a link?

Here's what I meant: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=566185728

You can buy a set of Diamond 10.1 for new for $400, so don't go too over board with the 9.1's.

Where would this be from and what kinda money would a set of 9.1's be?
I'm leaning more towards the 9.1's rather that the 10.1's as the front ports would mean I could put the 9.1's against the wall and save a bit of space.

The thing is, you won't need a DAC to start with, you may / may not hear a difference later down the track when you move to a DAC. It depends on the quality of files you're listening to, as well as the amp you end up with. Are you running with Lossless files?

I've some in flac files, but most of my music is in mp3.

Dunnersfella

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Reply # 774386 4-Mar-2013 16:27

Sorry, still clueless on the Samson's.

The Diamond 9's will work close to a wall, so they could be a go'er for you. I haven't seen them sold as seperates in retail stores for some time. They are quite an old model really, so the days of stores buying them to sell against other brands has gone, they tend to buy Diamond 10's. Some retailers may still have Diamond 9's they can't move, so they'll be keen to flick them on.

dkedr

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Reply # 774855 5-Mar-2013 10:22

I went ahead and bought the samson.

For the speakers: I don't mind getting the 10's and placing the away from the wall but the internet seems to be divided on which is better(the 9 or the 10).

Also I couldn't find the $400 10's you mentioned. Could you tell me where you've seen them?

networkn

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Reply # 774877 5-Mar-2013 10:52

Depends on Budget. Monitor Audio Floor RS6/8 standers are breath taking. I saw some second hand a while ago $1500 which was a great deal!

dkedr

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Reply # 774911 5-Mar-2013 11:51

networkn: Depends on Budget. Monitor Audio Floor RS6/8 standers are breath taking. I saw some second hand a while ago $1500 which was a great deal!

That's way out of my price range. Since the Wharfedale diamond 9.1's can be had for 330 new I don't want to spend much more on alternatives. Maybe 400 with a stretch.

dkedr

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Reply # 774912 5-Mar-2013 11:55

kiwijunglist: If wanting to go cheap with good sound

MicroLab 7c speakers $230
Asus Xonar DG sound card $43

Total = $273

If wanting to listen to a lot of music at very quiet/low volume then I wouldn't recommend the 7c as they excel in the medium+ volume range.

I had a look at the Xonar and it looks like a decent piece of hardware, but I'm not sure my PC will have a PCI slot in the near future.

Also I would prefer speakers that can do both quiet and loud. Most of the time I won't listen to them loud at all, shouldn't need to in a small room.

kiwijunglist

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Reply # 774913 5-Mar-2013 11:59

you wouldn't buy those speakers now anyway as they are powered monitors and you just bought an amplifier

Dunnersfella

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Reply # 775136 5-Mar-2013 18:04

I've seen Diamond 10.1's at HNorman's for $400'ish in the past.
At that price there'd probably be a few speakers in their larger stores that you could demo.

alasta

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Reply # 775328 5-Mar-2013 22:31

Dunnersfella: I've seen Diamond 10.1's at HNorman's for $400'ish in the past.
At that price there'd probably be a few speakers in their larger stores that you could demo.

Hmmm...that would be tempting for me if I could get them for that price. I always thought the going price for the Diamond 10.1 was around $800, at which price I'd rather get the KEF Q300.

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