Best speakers for music listening!!!

[nikonf3]

Jostenmeat

Hey Jostenmat,
Thank you for the info, "The Electronics are the last thing on my mind", great point, having said this, this means I am going to spring more of the budget on speakers and Just go for a decent amp like the outlaw audio rr2150? any suggestions between which amp like the cambridge azur 650a - electronics are the last thing on my mind which is why I am asking for a recomendation.


Thanks again!

 

[jostenmeat]

Hey Jostenmat,
Thank you for the info, "The Electronics are the last thing on my mind", great point, having said this, this means I am going to spring more of the budget on speakers and Just go for a decent amp like the outlaw audio rr2150? any suggestions between which amp like the cambridge azur 650a - electronics are the last thing on my mind which is why I am asking for a recomendation.


Thanks again!

You're welcome. OK... Just to clear something up, you don't HAVE to spend MORE than intended on the speakers; just don't think you have to spend a certain proportion/amount on the electronics. IOW, get the speakers that you really want, that really do it for you, within your comfortable budget. Everything falls into place after that.

As an owner of a superceded 840A, I'm going to vote for the Outlaw. The RR2150 is on the classifieds only now and then. 1) It will be *very* easy to sell. 2) You can try it out and return it if not satisfactory within 30 days. 3) It has onboard bass mgmt in case you wanted to easily add a sub. 4) Has more power.

My complaints with my own Cambridge, and they're mostly ergonomic/aesthetic, are 1) I wish the dimmer was continuously variable, as I find both settings to be too bright (and I don't like how the display is all white). 2) I wouldn't mind losing the unit's "clicking" sound everytime I change the volume, but this is not a big deal really.

On the topic of ergonomics, one reason that might* sway me towards Cambridge is if you also got a Cambridge CD player. I don't necessarily "match" my electronics, but in this case your amp's remote can control the CDP too. Sure, you can just buy a universal remote... but you wouldn't have to. I don't know what the going prices are on Cambridge CDPs. I use two remotes, and it's slightly bothersome, but not to the point I've done anything about it.

 

[nikonf3]

Josenmeat;

Thanks again, I think I will spring for the rr2150 and give it a try. Thanks again for the info.

Curious, why or how does one amp sound better with x brand of speaker and vise versa - does it come down to the power of the amp being able to push the speakers? and how can a amp sound "bright", "forward" or not? i thought it was the speakers that determine the "soundstage" and not the amp.

Thank you again. Very helpful advise on the electronics verses speaker importance.

 

[nikonf3]

thanks you for all the info - very helpful, glad to see some paradigms in here - they are great speakers also. Thanks again.

 

[JerryLove]

Curious, why or how does one amp sound better with x brand of speaker and vise versa - does it come down to the power of the amp being able to push the speakers? and how can a amp sound "bright", "forward" or not? i thought it was the speakers that determine the "soundstage" and not the amp.

I don't think they do ( http://www.roger-russell.com/truth/truth.htm#goodamplifiers ).

Mind you: not all amplifiers have the power they claim, nor the ability to sustain that power for a very long time, but generally speaking the important thing is getting a good-quality amp with enough power for your speaker/listening level needs.

For reference I have the following at home:
Pioneer VSX9700 (125w x 2)
Sony near-top-of-non-ES 5-channel Receiver from 1998 (forgot model).
Marantz 7002 110w x7
McIntosh 2120 120w x2

 

[lsiberian]

Josenmeat;

Thanks again, I think I will spring for the rr2150 and give it a try. Thanks again for the info.

Curious, why or how does one amp sound better with x brand of speaker and vise versa - does it come down to the power of the amp being able to push the speakers? and how can a amp sound "bright", "forward" or not? i thought it was the speakers that determine the "soundstage" and not the amp.

Thank you again. Very helpful advise on the electronics verses speaker importance.

In Theory, some amps attenuate more than others. In practice, it's an inaudible difference at best and many amps are re-branded from a single company.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--YAMP2500S

Is the best amp for home theater IMO, because it's quiet, it's stable with low ohm loads, and it's got plenty of power for most speaker systems. Plus it's easily interfaced with a Behringer DCX2496 or a behringer BFD 1124DSP for eqing.

 

[JerryLove]

Is the best amp for home theater IMO, because it's quiet, it's stable with low ohm loads, and it's got plenty of power for most speaker systems. Plus it's easily interfaced with a Behringer DCX2496 or a behringer BFD 1124DSP for eqing.

But... it's ugly. How are you supposed to impress people with that?!?

 

[nikonf3]

Oh my.... what in the world is that amp!!!!

I clicked on the link you provided for the yamaha.. hey! I say it looks cool!
Can someone please fill me in on this amp?!!!

the site states it was meant or should be paired with yamaha speakers...? is that to be the case.. any speakers that would go well with this yamaha amp.. I must say this is the most radical looking amp i've seen compared with the ones mentioned so far.

Gary

 

[jostenmeat]

Oh my.... what in the world is that amp!!!!

I must say this is the most radical looking amp i've seen compared with the ones mentioned so far.

It is a pro amp. For the equivalent type of product from other companies, you can look at Crest, QSC, Behringer, and the like.

If you buy this separate type of amp, you are going to need a pre/pro. Another electronics piece to research, and again, IMO, you're possibly wasting valuable time by not focusing on speakers for the moment.

That pre/pro will need XLR outputs, and if not, you'll need adapters to use the XLR inputs (notice there aren't any RCA inputs).

There is no matching amps to speakers, except for the amount of power to avoid clipping. Do you really think a speaker designer would implement one type of compromise over another, just because it might match better with a certain amplifier? C'mon now.

...the site states it was meant or should be paired with yamaha speakers...? is that to be the case.. any speakers that would go well with this yamaha amp..

As stated, there's no need to match sonically with amplifiers. That said, Yamaha monitors have fared very well here in this budget speaker shootout:
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/bookshelf/budget-bookshelf-shootout-2009


However, I imagine that a pro amp like that Yamaha could* be overkill for some of those speakers (even if overkill is not necessarily a bad thing). The Behringers that also did well are talked about quite a bit at these boards as a serious bang for buck. Excellent offaxis response for the money, with perhaps the compromises of power handling and extension.

Pro monitors usually don't come with any grilles, fyi. I'd throw in KRK as another candidate if you're considering them.

 

[lsiberian]

But... it's ugly. How are you supposed to impress people with that?!?

With the limitless power of course.

Agreed it's best to start with speakers, but an EQed pair of speakers can be quite nice.


The line you cross by going this route is like going from beer to hard liquor.

JLove is going for the wine

I'm going for the JD since it's my real initials.

 

[nikonf3]

Hey there fellows,
The speakers by Behringer are self powered!, I contacted Behringer and they did verify that their monitor speakers are all self-powered and no amp is required, now that really changes things a bit...

Question: Are self-powered speakers better or not for music listening if any effect what so ever?

 

[JerryLove]

Question: Are self-powered speakers better or not for music listening if any effect what so ever?

Up-side? Amps matched to the speakers. Simple to add more speakers later. Can be run from a source (with volume control) like a computer without having to add an amp.

Down sides? Amp failure = speaker failure. Need pre-amp outs on receiver (or a pre-amp), and those need to be the right type (balanaced / unbalanced). Speakers heavier. Speakers need power cable / near power outlet. Patch-cable more expensive than speaker wire.

 

[lsiberian]

Hey there fellows,
The speakers by Behringer are self powered!, I contacted Behringer and they did verify that their monitor speakers are all self-powered and no amp is required, now that really changes things a bit...

Question: Are self-powered speakers better or not for music listening if any effect what so ever?

Not the ones we suggest. They are indeed passive speakers. This fact is indisputable. I've seen them and there ain't no amp on them.

Don't buy an active speaker from Behringer. The amps have issues.

The 2030p/2031p's are the way to go.

Powered vs. Passive makes no difference in sound quality.