What do you thin of this for a cheap 2.2 music system

[ImcLoud]

So I want to put a decent 2.2 system on the lanai of the lake house.. I can get a great deal on a pair of SVS sb1000's and I have a pair of svs bookshelfs I can put with them {but them will change a few times I am sure}...

that stuff aside instead of using a preamp or i-amp, what do you think about me using an Emotiva Control Freak with a mini dsp 2x4 in a box and my old teak cd player feeding my old bk st2140 amp????

 

[jcparks]

I am definitely a fan of re-purposing old equipment. IMO the Lanai of a lake house sounds so peaceful and relaxing though, a place where you go to relax and enjoy the visual. Music should be a background element to enhance that, but not take over. I don't have a lot of experience in the matter, but I think I would cut the subs and just use the book shelves at low volume with the other equipment you have listed. I think 2 subs would over power the whole nature and relaxation element of the experience...

 

[shadyJ]

The subs he is talking about aren't tremendously powerful, and the system he is describing is hardly a house party system. Anyway, over-powering bass is going to be due to bass mis-management or a room acoustic peak, but it isn't ever going to be the fault of the subwoofer. You can always turn the sub's gain down. The system sounds fine for a simple two channel stereo. What's nice about those subs for a system like that is the high-passed outputs. They look pretty weak for anything below 50 or 60 Hz though. You can't expect much from a low xmax driver in a small cabinet.

 

[TheWarrior]

Despite my desire to upgrade to a DIY Seas kit, I still love my wall mount RBH WM-30's. And they are run as a 2.2 with dual PC-12's. Grab yourself the new Emotiva XDA-2, a pair of the cheap mono blocks, and transport of your preference! And I do have 3 WM-30's sitting in a closet, PM me if you'd have any interest in them. I'd let two go for cheap just so they can see some use!

 

[ImcLoud]

I am definitely a fan of re-purposing old equipment. IMO the Lanai of a lake house sounds so peaceful and relaxing though, a place where you go to relax and enjoy the visual. Music should be a background element to enhance that, but not take over. I don't have a lot of experience in the matter, but I think I would cut the subs and just use the book shelves at low volume with the other equipment you have listed. I think 2 subs would over power the whole nature and relaxation element of the experience...

The lake house is a weird place, nights are tranquil and quiet, the landscaping lights glowing off the lake reflecting back just enough to illuminate the back of the house but during the day the boats flying around music blasting {my boat has a 2500 watt stereo lol}, wake boarders doing back flips, ect...}, so the system will have to be decent for during the day when we are wakeboarding and tubing and at night for when we get back from a night time cruise on the pontoon boat...

I already own the amp, bookshelfs, and cd player {not worth much in resale, I bought the bookshelfs used to hear what they sound like, they were a little scratched up when I got them, hence the awesome deal I got, the amp is old but hardly used and works well {not worth much ebay has them for $125 all the time}, and say story with the cd player, older but works well...

So all I need to buy is the pair of subs, the emotiva control freak, and another mini dsp.... Not too sure how the control freak will work, but I figure $50 is better than using a preamp, and I like the mini dsp for $100, I could save a few bucks and use some spitters and fmods but the dsp will make me happier... Plus I want to keep it small the teak cd player is small it will all fit under a shelf I have out there stacked on top of the bk amp...

I may call him about the subs today, I just hate to have more gear in the basement storage area if I don't like it...

 

[jcparks]

So I was trying to envision how the system would work and I created this amazing paint diagram..

So the Emotiva is essentially just a analogue Volume knob that stands in for the pre-amp. The CD player is the only source and the mini DSP is a crossover for the bookshelves and the subs. It seems like it would be very simple after you get the miniDSP programmed. However you are limited to only one source, and you don't have any sort of remote for volume... So in a way the over simplified system almost ends up being more complicated from a convenience stand point. If that is all you are looking for the it's perfect, it just seems so limited...

 

[Steve81]

It will just suck to not have a remote for the volume, and one source is very limiting. So the systems simplicity almost creates more complication...

Personally I'd just assume spring the extra cash for an XDA-2 over the control freak. Yeah, it's another box, but you can add other digital sources to the mix (something for wireless streaming perhaps?), you get a remote, not to mention a high quality DAC.

 

[jcparks]

Not to mention that the form factor if the Control Freak is very weird... a volume knob with 2 sets of wires coming off it actually has potential to look less attractive then a clean box unless you do some clever wall mounting fabrication with it.

 

[ImcLoud]

JC that is indeed exactly how it will be wired..

As far as a dac, I have one in every system, I guess I could use an audioengine d1, But I was trying to do this cheap then I would need another cd player {the teak is a 1260 no digi out}, and I will take a picture of the shelf next time I go there, the amp and the cd player fit under it with about 5/16' to spare {And I own them both}... Plus I was going to run the wires to the wall next to my lounger and build the control into the shelf, its a piece of wood over the foundation knee wall cap... Its the perfect height for me to control it from my seat...

I don't know how it will be, I kind of like the idea of the control freak, I played with one at an emo event and they are well made all billet, a pretty serious looking little toy... I promised my wife I wouldn't stack audio gear all over the place like our house, lol... As far as the single source goes I was thinking y splitters and a simple 3.5mm plug incase someone wants to plug in their phone or ipod...

Its obviously not going to be for critical listening, more or less just for music at the lake house {outside, I have a system inside already lol, just bookshelfs though} and I have no doubt it will sound better than most people have heard, lol... The svs subs with the svs bookshelfs, which I fixed the scratches on today, minwax black wood stain, I'll admit I tried to use a sharpy first, but it stuck out like someone scribbled on my speakers with a sharpy, so I stripped that and bought a small can of blac stain, rubbed it on with a rag and done... I put everything at the lake house except what I don't have obviously....

 

[Steve81]

As far as a dac, I have one in every system, I guess I could use an audioengine d1, But I was trying to do this cheap then I would need another cd player {the teak is a 1260 no digi out}, and I will take a picture of the shelf next time I go there, the amp and the cd player fit under it with about 5/16' to spare {And I own them both}...

Well, as far as space goes, the XDA-2 is pretty thin, and combined with a slim DVD or Blu-ray player, probably wouldn't take much (if any) more vertical space than the TEAC (presuming there's some relation to this model which is 4" tall). Of course that's more cash, but that's what we're here for

 

[ImcLoud]

Well, as far as space goes, the XDA-2 is pretty thin, and combined with a slim DVD or Blu-ray player, probably wouldn't take much (if any) more vertical space than the TEAC (presuming there's some relation to this model which is 4" tall). Of course that's more cash, but that's what we're here for

Half of the thought was to get some gear out of my basement and plugged in, not buy more, lol... I have a couple dvd players down there and I have a pre amp too, you may remember I bought the Pre1 when sherbourne was clearing everything out, well I ended up with another one so have one opened in the box and another never opened, I also have a parasound 2100 that is always on extended bass {I think the button is stuck} down there, so I kind of want to keep it under that shelf and use the bk and teak {I fit them in there they fit good}.. I can't buy any more gear, I actually want to sell a bunch, and I have sold a lot, but there is still a lot there...