Noob looking for a good music only setup.

[gsilas2007]

Hey everyone, just found this site in search of something better than my crappy Logitech computer speakers.
Little history, I've dealt with the world of car audio and loved it. Wasn't exactly building a high sound quality system, but tried to find a balance between loud, and crisp. I absolutley fell in love with the brand Digital Designs, which may not be well known in the home audio/ hi fi community.
I've decided to move "in house" with my music so that I can get loud at home. I by no means need the best quality sounding system out there, as I'm sure there are sacrifices to make as I would like to be loud.
Currently I listen to a lot of electronic music with lots of bass, so this makes a subwoofer crucial. I'm sure there will also be rap and hip hop played when I have people over which will also be very "bassy".
To make this even more complicated, I listen to a lot of Rock as well, so a well diversified system is what I'm looking for.

Part of what sparked all this was the fact that my favorite car audio company has just started doing some home audio stuff that sparked my interest. Their products can be seen "ddproaudio.com" (Can't direct link as this is my first post, my apologies). What I was interested in them was a set of their power monitors along with their 12" powered subwoofer that they offer. This setup would ultimately cost me about $1200 (give or take say $100). So before I commit to something like this, I was wanting to get some opinions on the monitors and subwoofers they offer compared with maybe some other similar priced systems.

All I'm looking for is a set of 2 speakers or monitors, and a subwoofer. The system will be used strictly for music and will not necessarily remain in on spot after it is purchased. I would like to limit the budget to right around $1,000-$1,200 if possible.

Lastly, any reccomended readings for learning some of this stuff would be greatly appreciated as I am finding myself getting more and more curious about all of this stuff .

Thanks Guys,
Glenn

 

[Matt34]

So is it safe to say these will be primarily used as party speakers rather than for critical listening?

If so you may want to look at Cerwin-Vega, they are very sensitive so should be easy to drive to a high spl, I've never heard of DD Pro Audio.

http://www.cerwin-vega.com/CLS.php

For example, your budget could get you a pair of the CLS-215 which should be able to drive you out of the house and have the bass your after.

 

[gsilas2007]

So is it safe to say these will be primarily used as party speakers rather than for critical listening?

If so you may want to look at Cerwin-Vega, they are very sensitive so should be easy to drive to a high spl, I've never heard of DD Pro Audio.

For example, your budget could get you a pair of the CLS-215 which should be able to drive you out of the house and have the bass your after.

Actually these speakers will mostly be used for personal listening. I guess with the occasional "party" use. How well made are the Cerwin-Vegas? I know my dad used to have a pair of their 15's in house, and the surround just completely detached from the frame on both of them. Whether it was from age, or poor quality, I do not know, but I have not had any experiences with any other Cerwin Vega Product.

I would also like to have some quality to the music, although it does not have to be top notch. It looks as if with those CLS-215's I would be over budget after purchasing power equipment and stuff. Besides an amp, what other equipment would you reccomend for a set of unpowered speakers. I would usually be hooking up my computer to them if that helps.

Thanks for the effort, and info,

Glenn

 

[Matt34]

Actually these speakers will mostly be used for personal listening. I guess with the occasional "party" use. How well made are the Cerwin-Vegas? I know my dad used to have a pair of their 15's in house, and the surround just completely detached from the frame on both of them. Whether it was from age, or poor quality, I do not know, but I have not had any experiences with any other Cerwin Vega Product.

I would also like to have some quality to the music, although it does not have to be top notch. It looks as if with those CLS-215's I would be over budget after purchasing power equipment and stuff. Besides an amp, what other equipment would you reccomend for a set of unpowered speakers. I would usually be hooking up my computer to them if that helps.

Thanks for the effort, and info,

Glenn

I can't really speak on CW quaility just that they will play loud, I think my assumption of what you're after was wrong.

You might want to start checking out what brands are available locally to you and take a listen yourself to see what you like. It would give us something to go off of.

 

[gsilas2007]

Thanks, I'll have to try and find some places other than Best Buy haha.

Edit: What would I use to power those CLS-215's. I'm a little confused as Cerwin Vega doesn't provide impedence values or anything. Is there something about these setups and amps that I dont know?

 

[unreal.freak]

+1 on the Cerwin Vegas. I have had a 12'' sub in my truck for 10 years and the speaker surrond foam is still hanging in there. They have made quality products for years. I havent purchased anything from them in the last 10 years, as i havent needed anything. I have been witness to some serious jam sessions with Cerwin Vega 15's.

Peace,
Tommy

 

[gsilas2007]

+1 on the Cerwin Vegas. I have had a 12'' sub in my truck for 10 years and the speaker surrond foam is still hanging in there. They have made quality products for years. I havent purchased anything from them in the last 10 years, as i havent needed anything. I have been witness to some serious jam sessions with Cerwin Vega 15's.

Peace,
Tommy

Hmm...I'm kinda wondering if they would be worth it. What would I power these things with anyways? It says they handle a peak of 500 watts, but all the receivers and stuff I see are only like 2x80 and stuff. It has left me confused. Plus I'm wondering if there are seperate terminals for the subs, woofers, and tweeters. The site didnt go into that sort of info, so I'm guessing there is something I may not know about all this HT stuff.

 

[unreal.freak]

Hmm...I'm kinda wondering if they would be worth it. What would I power these things with anyways? It says they handle a peak of 500 watts, but all the receivers and stuff I see are only like 2x80 and stuff. It has left me confused. Plus I'm wondering if there are seperate terminals for the subs, woofers, and tweeters. The site didnt go into that sort of info, so I'm guessing there is something I may not know about all this HT stuff.

I would buy a nice high power 120 watt per channel 5.1 amp and use it. I think some of the dual woofer speakers like the one with two 15's is bi ampable. You could run them well with a 120 watt 5.1 amp. I think that would be all you need. Im pretty sure with set of dual 15'' speakers you wont need a Sub.


Peace,
Tommy

 

[Pyrrho]

Actually these speakers will mostly be used for personal listening. I guess with the occasional "party" use. How well made are the Cerwin-Vegas? I know my dad used to have a pair of their 15's in house, and the surround just completely detached from the frame on both of them. Whether it was from age, or poor quality, I do not know, but I have not had any experiences with any other Cerwin Vega Product.

I would also like to have some quality to the music, although it does not have to be top notch. It looks as if with those CLS-215's I would be over budget after purchasing power equipment and stuff. Besides an amp, what other equipment would you reccomend for a set of unpowered speakers. I would usually be hooking up my computer to them if that helps.

Thanks for the effort, and info,

Glenn

If you still had your Dad's old Cerwin-Vegas, the woofers could be refoamed. The problem you describe is very common with speakers with foam surrounds, as the material that was used in many different models (from many different companies) "rotted" away after 10-15 years or so (it is not literally "rot", but it commonly is called "foam rot"; it is really that the foam is eaten by microbes). Supposedly, they now can make "treated" foam surrounds that will last indefinitely, though I do not know how well they really last these days. I am hoping that it is true, however, as my current speakers have foam surrounds that supposedly will last indefinitely, but I have not had them long enough to know if it really is true or not.

Anyway, foam rot in older speakers is not a sign that the company that made the speakers had no interest in quality. But, if any current models rot, then it would show either a lack of interest in quality, or a mistake. The thing is, of course, that you won't know about it until about 10 or 15 years after buying them, and by then, they will probably be out of warranty.

I suggest you go and listen to speakers for your selection. You can go to Cerwin-Vega's web site to see if there are any local dealers in your area. And listen to as many different brands and models as you can that are in your price range.

For amplification, you may wish to consider:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=248-749

And perhaps this as well:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=302-606

You could use the following speakers, if you wished (pay attention to pricing, as prices may be listed for each speaker rather than per pair):

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=245-580

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=245-814

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=245-812

Please note, I have not auditioned the above, and am not particularly recommending them. But, if you want really loud, they are the kinds of things you should be looking at.

And, of course, I do not really recommend that you listen to music really loud, as that leads to hearing loss. Just do a search on line for the correlation between listening to loud music and losing one's hearing for more on that.

 

[gsilas2007]

Thanks a lot. That information helped out a bunch. Could you tell me what exactly the Pre-amp is for? I will continue to research and definitely try to find some places where I can listen to stuff first.

 

[Matt34]

Thanks a lot. That information helped out a bunch. Could you tell me what exactly the Pre-amp is for? I will continue to research and definitely try to find some places where I can listen to stuff first.

It's basically a receiver without a built in amp. It does all your processing and switching but does not provide power to the speakers.

Pre-amp-------> Amp -------> Speakers

 

[gsilas2007]

Ahh I see....So one would normally go this route when they need more power than a Receiver can offer? I'm just trying to put all of this together in my head as the receivers dont seem to put out much power. (At least with what I'm used to, my sub I had in my truck took 600 Watts RMS, and that was a relatively low powered 10" sub, so I see these 2 15's with a 500 watt max and dont think its that much).

 

[Matt34]

Ahh I see....So one would normally go this route when they need more power than a Receiver can offer? I'm just trying to put all of this together in my head as the receivers dont seem to put out much power. (At least with what I'm used to, my sub I had in my truck took 600 Watts RMS, and that was a relatively low powered 10" sub, so I see these 2 15's with a 500 watt max and dont think its that much).

That is usually the case but don't get too caught up in the watts ratings. Best advice I can give you is decide on your speakers first as that will determine what type of amp you will need.

Also check out AV University on the Audioholics home page. It has a live search feature and tons of get smart articles dealing with all aspects of home A/V.
http://www.audioholics.com/education

 

[Matt34]

Glenn,

Here is another option if your not opposed to DIY.

http://www.partsexpress.com/projectshowcase/indexn.cfm?project=MagnaCumLaude

The parts end up being about $650 you would have to put the crossovers together and build the cabinets.

 

[gsilas2007]

Thanks alot. I appreciate the info you've provided me.

Hmm, I'm not sure that I want to go the DIY route, as I don't have a router or table saw for making the boxes.

I'm thinking I may just go with the Digital Designs power monitors, but won't be able to do so for another month. This leaves me with plenty of time to continue my research and learning on the subject.

 

[Pyrrho]

Thanks a lot. That information helped out a bunch. Could you tell me what exactly the Pre-amp is for? I will continue to research and definitely try to find some places where I can listen to stuff first.

A preamplifier is also sometimes called a "control amplifier". It is used for switching between various inputs, adjusting the volume, and typically (though not always) has tone controls. Typically, a preamplifier can slightly amplify a signal to get it at an appropriate level for a power amplifier to use. (The power amplifier is what drives the speakers.)

You may or may not need a preamplifier, based upon what else you are using, and what you want to be able to do. But unless you are sure you don't need one, you will want to leave enough money in your budget to be able to buy one.


A receiver is a tuner (radio), preamplifier, and power amplifier, all in one box.

An integrated amplifier is a preamplifier and power amplifier in one box.

The quality of each is not determined by whether it is all in one box or in several boxes. Either way can be fine, and either way can get you garbage.

Obviously, if you bought an integrated amplifier or a receiver, you will have purchased a preamplifier, and therefore need not budget money for another preamplifier, unless you wanted one that could do something that the built in preamplifier could not do.

It is generally best to select one's speakers first, and then select appropriate amplification for it. The reason is that some speakers require more power than others, and some speakers are harder to drive (i.e., lower impedance) than others. However, the power amplifier I suggested previously is inexpensive for what you get, and will drive most speakers more than adequately. Still, select your speakers first, just in case.


If you had tons of money to spend, given what you have said about what you want, I would suggest some very high end Klipsch speakers, such as the Klipschorn or the La Scala:

http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/klipschorn.aspx

http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/la-scala-ii.aspx

http://www.klipsch.com/products/discontinued/details/la-scala.aspx

Or the discontinued Belle Klipsch:

http://www.klipsch.com/products/discontinued/details/belle-klipsch.aspx


You might be able to get a used pair within your budget, but you will be lucky to be able to do so. With any of the above, ANY decent amplification would be adequate for deafening levels of sound.

One of the downsides of the above speakers is that they are large and heavy. Typically, this means you must buy locally, and you must have a truck to get them home.