[H]ardOCP Spec Bookshelf Speaker Setup

MrCaffeineX said:
I have been running optical to my AV receiver from my PC for years now. I definitely prefer it to traditional analog setups. When I was forced to use a PC without an optical output for audio I remembered why I went optical in the first place.
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Yep. Some computers handle the noise better than others, but it appears to become more and more of a problem the higher up you get in the performance echelons, especially when we are talking overclocking and running stuff out of spec.
 
I'm literally going through a ton of research for an upcoming home theater setup that I'm setting up (my first decent one).

So far I'm this close to going with HSU bookshelf's or SVS. Those two seem to be well regarded as the best "bang for the buck" quality speakers. Then getting some Elac A4's for Atmos sound and a HSU VTF subwoofer.

The main PITA from all of this hasn't been finding good bookshelf speakers/sub, but a damn receiver. They are soooooooo expensive if you want one that supports Atmos + 11 speakers, actually considering just using 9 because of how much the receivers set you back.
 
Azphira said:
I recently picked these up for my pc. http://www.sony.com/electronics/wireless-speakers/cas-1
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Did you pick up a matching ponytail as well? :p

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I just upgraded my sound to. I was given a 280w Sony receiver from the 90's, 2 Bose speakers, and two ESS speakers from the 80s. So if im not on the headphones then im rocking the place. Im still debating on upgrading the woofers and getting a preamp.
but anyways i started with a some ugly old speakers
DSCF2492sgwr_zps0lc3gond.jpg

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After a little paint job i did
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i touched them up with some new amp speaker grill cloth
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So much for my left wing desk. Ill have to find something for the right side now.
 
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Oh i find that hooking up a older stereo doesn't like html5 videos that much.
 
P4B said:
I just upgraded my sound to. I was given a 280w Sony receiver from the 90's, 2 Bose speakers, and two ESS speakers from the 80s. So if im not on the headphones then im rocking the place. Im still debating on upgrading the woofers and getting a preamp.
but anyways i started with a some ugly old speakers
DSCF2492sgwr_zps0lc3gond.jpg

DSCF2543_zpssn0ejgkh.jpg


After a little paint job i did
DSCF2498_zpsgdsi6wnm.jpg

DSCF2528_zps13t81xjn.jpg

DSCF2532_zpsj6cttk3d.jpg


i touched them up with some new amp speaker grill cloth
DSCF2542_zpsxl6cpvbm.jpg


So much for my left wing desk. Ill have to find something for the right side now.
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Nice.

How was the foam on those? It can be difficult to find speakers more than ~25 years old that still have good intact foam.

Thankfully they sell foam repair kits for most brands.
 
fine. one has a wrinkle but not torn. I turned them up enough to make the cotton filler inside work its way out of the port hole with the bass beat. Had to rearrange the stuff. but was fun to watch. granted they are not 18s in a small car kinda fun to watch but fun going through a few youtube bass test. the coils and cones are still solid. replaced the tweeters in both. the paper on the mids are weak. i put a one inch tear in a mid cone and had to repair it. easy repair. took a min.
 
Fuck that, the minute I click "order" fucking Nvidia or AMD will come out with a better cheaper speaker system and I'll feel like a fucking moron.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
That is odd. Why? Once it hits your amp it's all analogue sound anyway?
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Im not sure but 1 out of 20 videos on youtube gives no sound and over a twitch if i get no sound from a streamer i turn off the html5 and revert back to there older standard and the sound works. im just now starting to track down the cause. but it is looking like html5. I have tried to reload videos, restart pc and nothing that easy has worked at youtube.
 
P4B said:
Im not sure but 1 out of 20 videos on youtube gives no sound and over a twitch if i get no sound from a streamer i turn off the html5 and revert back to there older standard and the sound works. im just now starting to track down the cause. but it is looking like html5. I have tried to reload videos, restart pc and nothing that easy has worked at youtube.
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That makes.absolutely no sense.

What are you using as your DAC?
 
im running a SB sound card to the sony receiver , just using the reg analog out from the sound card to the cd input, it doesnt have a spdif input. and when i run it off of the mobo audio i hear hiss's and pops. Asus Z170-AR didnt get a good onboard audio as i have found out.
 
P4B said:
im running a SB sound card to the sony receiver , just using the reg analog out from the sound card to the cd input, it doesnt have a spdif input. and when i run it off of the mobo audio i hear hiss's and pops. Asus Z170-AR didnt get a good onboard audio as i have found out.
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Yeah, that makes absolutely no sense. If you are using the analogue out from the soundlaster, it should not matter what is on the other end amplifying it at all.

I feel fairly certain something else is going on.
 
I have tried the tape/phono/ and the dat/MD inputs. works on all of them. but tape and phone hiss and my other pc is hooked to the dat/md
 
yeah im lost on this. i just ran into another video on youtube linked from rocksmiths forums and didnt get sound. Ill have to put some time into this and see if i can get a work around. Its only mildly annoying. but this is still the first week using this set up.
 
lol that didnt take long. setting where still set to 5.1 in the sb settings. didnt even think about that since it wasnt on the first page.

you would think i would still get one channel out of it though.

And the Sony is a 5.1 stereo but i didnt even have that turned on yet. ill have to look up the manual for that.
 
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nice setup. i just picked up an smsl a2 stereo amp. Trying to figure out what speakers iwant. Im thinking possibly the micca mb42s if i could find a way to fit them on my desk.
 
Still using my Klipsch ProMedia 4.1 set for going on damn near 20 years now. Amp lost the right rear channel so just using it as a 2.1 system now.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
TYVM. high frequencies are not a problem at my age- i hear up to13-15Khz only.
After investing $60 on this amp + speakers, is there any subwoofer to cover low frequencies? i am still able to hear low frequencies...
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Dayton sub 800 is excellent value for a small office. I have a sub 1200 but it is fucking enormous and overkill for an office. I like to feel the boom though.

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-sub-800-8-80-watt-powered-subwoofer--300-627
 
I have those bookshelves and they've served me well for years. I have been on the look out for a new set with larger woofers (the BS22s are 4-inch, I'm wanting to go up to 5.25-inch or 6), but so far the BS22s have the best combo of highs, mids and lows that I've heard.
 
Chaos Machine said:
Dayton sub 800 is excellent value for a small office. I have a sub 1200 but it is fucking enormous and overkill for an office. I like to feel the boom though.

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-sub-800-8-80-watt-powered-subwoofer--300-627
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Yeah, my SUB-800 does OK in the kitchen, but I have the gain turned all the way up due to a combination of the room size and the really long speaker wire run I had to run to make it work.

In my office even the SUB-800 would likely be overkill though, as long as you don't need to go below 40hz.

And honestly, except for dedicated home theater applications, who really needs to do that?
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Yeah, my SUB-800 does OK in the kitchen, but I have the gain turned all the way up due to a combination of the room size and the really long speaker wire run I had to run to make it work.

In my office even the SUB-800 would likely be overkill though, as long as you don't need to go below 40hz.

And honestly, except for dedicated home theater applications, who really needs to do that?
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Having awesome bass (sub is tuned to 16hz) is good even in a living room, but my wife doesn't like the mini-fridge sized behemoth(s) I built. Currently building fake end tables with downward firing Dayton UM18's to make her happy and upgrade at the same time.

gJXrHHC.jpg
 
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Geno750 said:
Having awesome bass (sub is tuned to 16hz) is good even in a living room, but my wife doesn't like the mini-fridge sized behemoth(s) I built. Currently building fake end tables with downward firing Dayton UM18's to make her happy and upgrade at the same time.

gJXrHHC.jpg
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That's quite the bass cannon you have there. Yar!
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Yeah, my SUB-800 does OK in the kitchen, but I have the gain turned all the way up due to a combination of the room size and the really long speaker wire run I had to run to make it work.

In my office even the SUB-800 would likely be overkill though, as long as you don't need to go below 40hz.

And honestly, except for dedicated home theater applications, who really needs to do that?
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I play alot of elite dangerous having the sub-1200 right behind my chair definitely adds to the immersion when I slam into FTL. Also sprach Zarathustra isn't the same without that 19hz pipe organ.
 
You dumb fuck :p You only have a single pair of ears, if you're going to destroy them or slowly deteriorate over your life, you may as well do it with GOOD SOUND :)
Welcome to the club.

TBH the 'good sound' revelation is as big as a 'good screen' revelation. I took too long to figure the screen one out. Your physical/audible user interface is critical for a computer experience. I wish I learned that (about screens) in my late teens.

I would angle the speakers in a little to form an isosceles triangle where your head is. Basically aim them to converge just behind your head.

At higher volumes you will get resonance and 1/2 space loading or worse having them like that though. It's not optimal but it's a shit load better than JS9000 inbuilt plastic speakers lol.
 
dergreg said:
The look of DIY subs has always been simultaneously alluring and off-putting to me. I really should build myself a dual 18" sub...
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If you're considering dual 18, go 21"-24". If you go for a decent driver, you'll get all the same swept volume with less group delay and a single radiator = cleaner output with less dips/troughs/peaks in room response. Also it ends up being a little smaller and just one big hole instead of two, less construction bs.

When you get to that size though consider furniture/ottoman/etc sub builds if you have to deal with WAF.

Marble top on a curved cabinet does work for most WAF too.
 
N4CR said:
If you're considering dual 18, go 21"-24". If you go for a decent driver, you'll get all the same swept volume with less group delay and a single radiator = cleaner output with less dips/troughs/peaks in room response. Also it ends up being a little smaller and just one big hole instead of two, less construction bs.

When you get to that size though consider furniture/ottoman/etc sub builds if you have to deal with WAF.

Marble top on a curved cabinet does work for most WAF too.
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Yeah, either that, or do two separate 18's and put them on opposite sides of the room, for more even bass distribution.
 
You've taken your first step into a larger world. I caution you, however. Computer audio is quicker, easier, more seductive. Easily it flows, quick to drain your life and finances. If once you start down that dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did so many of us...
 
Commander Shepard said:
You've taken your first step into a larger world. I caution you, however. Computer audio is quicker, easier, more seductive. Easily it flows, quick to drain your life and finances. If once you start down that dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did so many of us...
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You sure you don't have this confused with smoking meth?
 
Nice, I should consider upgrading my sound system for my PC. I'm using some Altec Lansing speakers that are at least 12 years old and a cheap Creative USB sound card.
 
dergreg said:
The look of DIY subs has always been simultaneously alluring and off-putting to me. I really should build myself a dual 18" sub...
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When you go down firing with the sub it opens up a lot of options. This isn't my work, but is one of many who've turned a diy sub into something nice.

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I'll likely be using a granite top for the new cabinets.
 
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