Desktop 2.0 Stereo Speaker Advice

[snakeeyes]

I saw you mentioned QA. I don’t know if the Q Acoustics 3020 is out of your price range but I got mine on 15% discount on a sale in February so they do go on sale. I also heard someone mention they got 10% off from joining the newsletter. Probably could double up and do both discounts at the next sale possibly. I really love my pair in my master bedroom. (I do use a sub though as well).

 

[geniusmusicman]

I saw you mentioned QA. I don’t know if the Q Acoustics 3020 is out of your price range but I got mine on 15% discount on a sale in February so they do go on sale. I also heard someone mention they got 10% off from joining the newsletter. Probably could double up and do both discounts at the next sale possibly. I really love my pair in my master bedroom. (I do use a sub though as well).

I heard those speaker were amazing as well. Maybe it would be worth it to wait until the weekend when the Memorial Day sales pop up.

 

[MrBoat]

I had my LSR305's hooked up to my PC and it was a match made in heaven. It is said that is best to turn the input signal all the way up and control the volume via the amp's volume cntrl, but I had no issue doing it the other way around using the PC, cell phone, or whatever else I had hooked to them as the volume cntrl.

I currently have my LSR305's at work hooked up to the Echo Dot and use that for the volume cntrl.

"Alexa, play Stevie Ray Vaughn."
"Alexa, volume 10."

The one black thing to the right is not a speaker. That is a coffee maker. The second most important piece of equipment in the shop. The other speaker to the right is atop the Radar Range. . .just out of the picture. These speakers light up the whole shop.

 

[geniusmusicman]

I found this pair of JBL LSR305's locally for $200. The guy just posted it 16 hours ago so I'm crossing my fingers he still has it and hasn't sold them.

 

[geniusmusicman]

I had my LSR305's hooked up to my PC and it was a match made in heaven. It is said that is best to turn the input signal all the way up and control the volume via the amp's volume cntrl, but I had no issue doing it the other way around using the PC, cell phone, or whatever else I had hooked to them as the volume cntrl.

I currently have my LSR305's at work hooked up to the Echo Dot and use that for the volume cntrl.

"Alexa, play Stevie Ray Vaughn."
"Alexa, volume 10."

The one black thing to the right is not a speaker. That is a coffee maker. The second most important piece of equipment in the shop. The other speaker to the right is atop the Radar Range. . .just out of the picture. These speakers light up the whole shop.

I feel like I'm looking through a Where's Waldo book again. Which one is the JBL speaker again? lol

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I feel like I'm looking through a Where's Waldo book again. Which one is the JBL speaker again? lol

it's right on the [tig?] welder

 

[KEW]

I had my LSR305's hooked up to my PC and it was a match made in heaven. It is said that is best to turn the input signal all the way up and control the volume via the amp's volume cntrl, but I had no issue doing it the other way around using the PC, cell phone, or whatever else I had hooked to them as the volume cntrl.

I think what you did is actually what you should do.
I would not generally max out any volume other than the one on true monitors (which were designed with complete knowledge of exactly what is downstream).
Generally maxing out a source could over-saturate an amp depending on the gain structure.
My rule of thumb is to try not to go more than 3/4 volume on any one device, with monitors as an exception. If that doesn't get enough volume, I break my rule!

Edit: Manual Correction of Auto correction error (on tablet)!

 

[MrBoat]

I think what you did is actually what you should do.
I would not generally max out any volume other than the one on true monitors (which were designed with complete knowledge of exactly what is downstream).
Generally maxing out a source could overestimate an amp depending on the gain structure.
My rule of thumb is to try not to go more than 3/4 volume on any one device, with monitors as an exception. If that doesn't get enough volume, I break my rule!

In the case of the LSR305, There is information somewhere by JBL about how they let them play for a (an hr?) length of time at full volume. I think they must have the amps limited and optimized perfectly with the drivers.

 

[geniusmusicman]

it's right on the [tig?] welder

Oh yep, there it is!

 

[MrBoat]

it's right on the [tig?] welder

That's actually a plasma cutter which we use very seldomly. Good eye seeing the true blue color. It could have very well been a tig machine. There is limited places to put them where I can hear them. They manage to sound decent there at any rate.

 

[geniusmusicman]

So... I purchased the JBL's. They sound amazing and I don't regret my decision one bit. Here they are.

 

[KEW]

There is limited places to put them where I can hear them. They manage to sound decent there at any rate.

The dispersion of that horn is amazing! You'd have to deliberately try to make them sound bad (regarding placement).
I had a couple of guys listening to mine and picked one up and moved it around as much as 30 degrees off-axis in all directions and they both said that they did not hear any change in the balance of the sound (normally you'd expect the higher frequencies to drop out as you pointed them off axis)!
So if anyone does a review and talks about how critical getting the toe-in just perfect is, is just full of it! Put them anywhere and point them in your general direction and you are good!
Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but not much - try it out!

 

[KEW]

So... I purchased the JBL's. They sound amazing and I don't regret my decision one bit. Here they are.

Glad they work for you! You never know about individual preferences, but these are a well developed design that just does everything so well!
I end up listening to mine more than any other speaker I have simply because I have them as part of my effortless "Alexa, play Pandora" system that goes on first thing every day!

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

So... I purchased the JBL's. They sound amazing and I don't regret my decision one bit. Here they are.

I guess I'm not entirely full of poop
Congrats and welcome to the club

 

[geniusmusicman]

One question though about the JBL's. What should I set the input sensitivity at? +4dB or -10dB?

I notice very audible hiss at the -10, but the volume can get much louder and I can get a ground loop isolator to solve the hiss. The +4 also has a hiss, it's just very quiet.

 

[geniusmusicman]

One question though about the JBL's. What should I set the input sensitivity at? +4dB or -10dB?

I notice very audible hiss at the -10, but the volume can get much louder and I can get a ground loop isolator to solve the hiss. The +4 also has a hiss, it's just very quiet.

By the way, I have the monitors connected to my Micca Origen DAC and the DAC going into my PC.

 

[MrBoat]

The dispersion of that horn is amazing! You'd have to deliberately try to make them sound bad (regarding placement).
I had a couple of guys listening to mine and picked one up and moved it around as much as 30 degrees off-axis in all directions and they both said that they did not hear any change in the balance of the sound (normally you'd expect the higher frequencies to drop out as you pointed them off axis)!
So if anyone does a review and talks about how critical getting the toe-in just perfect is, is just full of it! Put them anywhere and point them in your general direction and you are good!
Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but not much - try it out!

I was counting on both the horizontal and vertical in this scenario. That would be a pretty unforgiving placement usually. I don't notice and errors with regard to the off angles these are placed at. I keep them covered with plastic bags when I leave for the night.

 

[MrBoat]

One question though about the JBL's. What should I set the input sensitivity at? +4dB or -10dB?

I notice very audible hiss at the -10, but the volume can get much louder and I can get a ground loop isolator to solve the hiss. The +4 also has a hiss, it's just very quiet.

IIRC, it depends on what cables you have hooked up to them. I use the balanced XLR cables and I think it is at the +4 setting. I have no audible hiss whether hooked straight to the PC's analog out, or the Echo Dot. Also had them hooked up to a phone without issue.

 

[geniusmusicman]

Cables make no difference. I have them hooked up with a dual 1/4" to single 3.5mm cable that is unbalanced as my DAC can only accept an unbalanced connection. They are fine when hooked up to my phone, but the hiss is only present on the computer. I am sure it is a ground loop and I solved it with THIS on my last set of monitors because they had the same problem and it worked like a charm.

I think my last set of monitors (KRK Rokit 5's) were automatically set at the -10dB because the hiss was much louder and the volume was much louder as when I have the JBL's at the -10, but the KRK's never had a setting for input sensitivity. I just want to know which is the right setting, that's all. I just don't know the difference, it just seems under powered at the +4 setting.

 

[MrBoat]

Cables make no difference. I have them hooked up with a dual 1/4" to single 3.5mm cable that is unbalanced as my DAC can only accept an unbalanced connection. They are fine when hooked up to my phone, but the hiss is only present on the computer. I am sure it is a ground loop and I solved it with THIS on my last set of monitors because they had the same problem and it worked like a charm.

I think my last set of monitors (KRK Rokit 5's) were automatically set at the -10dB because the hiss was much louder and the volume was much louder as when I have the JBL's at the -10, but the KRK's never had a setting for input sensitivity. I just want to know which is the right setting, that's all. I just don't know the difference, it just seems under powered at the +4 setting.

I am not sure about the cables. Just thought I read that somewhere when I first got them last year sometime.

This from jblpro.com: "Selectable Input Sensitivity - The -10 dB/+4 dB sensitivity switch ensures compatibility with a broad range of signal sources, allowing you to connect the 3 Series to high output professional gear without any danger of input overload."

And this regarding the other thing I sort of remembered, albeit for much longer than I recalled: "JBL Professional Reliability - Prior to becoming a production-ready design, each 3 Series model is subjected to JBL’s tough 100 hour power test, in which the speaker is required to play continually at full output for 100 hours without failure. This demanding test ensures your 3 Series speakers will deliver years of reliable performance."

I don't find that extraordinary for testing a design before being put into production.