New to audio scene

[Ulrezaj]

Hi all! I'm new to the concept of quality sound systems, and hoping I can get some advice from the veterans out there.

First some background. I've been a musician as long as I can remember (violin since 3, piano since 5, various brass & guitar on the way) so I consider my hearing fairly trained. That said, I've only ever had computer-grade speakers (my best and current set are Z-5500s) so I'm completely uninitiated as to the ways of high quality sound.

So now that I've decided I want to take a step into this world, I'm finding myself with a lot of questions. I know this is the "home theater" forums but due to my profession and hobbies I find myself in front of my computer most of the time, so I'm wondering if it's normal at all to hook up a sound system to a desktop at all?

As far as parts go, I've got an Onkyo TX-SR606 to work with, and from reading around it seems to start with most would recommend 2 standing speakers to go with it. I've seen the Kef IQ9s going for $800 (canadian) a pair which seems to be a good deal, but I can also get the IQ7s for $140 cheaper, and there seems to be mixed opinion as to the real difference between the two. Both would fit my ~$1000 budget, but are there recommendations as to what else I should be considering at that price point? I haven't decided whether I'm going to add a subwoofer to the mix or not - I haven't really had time to read up on what matches up well with what yet, but if I were to go that route I wouldn't mind adding another $300-400 to the budget.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[John Bailey]

Welcome to the forum. I'm in a similar situation in that I have a music background. As far as hooking the computer up for music, I have mine hooked up 99% of the time I'm on the computer. Right now I'm listening to classical music from a radio station through my computer as I type. I live in the boonies and could only get most stations through the computer. AOL Radio often. So, it makes good sense.

As to the type of speakers, we all have different ears and only you will be able to tell which speakers fit you best. I use an Onkyo stereo receiver and have been pleased with it, so I think you're in good shape there. So, I think you'll have to try some speakers to get an idea of what you like. You will get a lot of advice for your price range as there are many fine speakers out there. My standard advice for new folks asking me is to try Monitor Audio if you listen to mostly classical and PSB if you listen to mostly rock. I think, overall, PSB's are better, but I chose Monitor Audio because I think they work better for classical. B&W are also on my short list for new folks.

I would offer a word of advice, because you have a music background. Some of our brains listen in a way that like to have the separate instruments mixed together for us. Some, like me, like to hear the parts separated and detailed and our brains are able to mix it. It's my belief that the more background in music you have, the more we like the separated sound and detail of the different instruments. For that, I've heard a very positive difference when listening to 3-way speakers over 2-way speakers. Many of those speakers may be out of your budget. I would encourage you, however, to give a listen to Axiom M-60's. They are Canadian, get rave reviews and are 3-way. I've never heard them, but they seem to fit the bill for what I've always looked for and are in your budget. I would also suggest considering stand-mount speakers and a sub. Again, this combination will give you good separateness and detail. Be careful to get a musical sub instead of a "boomy" sub if music is your goal, as it is mine. REL subs are the best that I've heard, but there are many good ones out there that I've not heard and folks here will suggest these.

Good luck with your search as it is a great hobby for musicians.

John

 

[CraigV]

I very much enjoy my KEF IQ7’s which for the record are a 3 way speaker. You should plan on getting a good subwoofer for future use in a HT, and buying the 7’ instead of the 9’s will give you some $ to go towards the sub.

 

[fredk]

Can you describe your setup a little bit? I see you are looking at floor standers. When I first read your post, I was thinking computer at a desk and was thinking along the lines of bookshelves for nearfield listening.

I disagree with what John Bailey writes. We all process sound the same and in blind listening tests we all prefer the same sound: neutral with a slight roll-off in the high end.

As for musicians being better at processing sound, having played the guitar for a long time, I like to think I am more in tune with what a guitar is supposed to sound like, but I have no idea if that makes my ears 'better' at identifying a good speaker.

Your room will also have a major influence on sound that may lead you to different conclusions about what is good.

Both PSB and Axiom build excellent speakers that are neutral in their presentation. There are lots of other speakers out there that also do so. Paradigm (studio) comes to mind as well.

I don't know anything about Kefs.

Rather than narrowing down to a very short list of speakers and then going out to listen, I would suggest going out and listening to lots of speakers to get a sense of what sounds good to you. Make sure you bring your own material, stuff you are familiar with and know is well recorded, take notes if you can, and listen in dedicated listening rooms rather than in a crowded noisy space.

 

[oppman99]

Something else to consider is the sound card in your computer. I didn't like mine, so I ended up getting an external DAC with USB inputs and am now very happy. I have read that some sound cards do an excellent job. If that's the route you take, maybe someone more knowledgeable will chime in.

 

[GomGom]

I've seen the Kef IQ9s going for $800 (canadian) a pair which seems to be a good deal, but I can also get the IQ7s for $140 cheaper

Do you mind sharing where do you get that price?

 

[Ulrezaj]

Thanks for all the help so far!
My computer room is about 18' by 15'. My desk is a corner desk that sits halfway down the room, so I basically sit in the middle. No carpet, and ceiling is standard (8'?) and I don't have much else in the room.

The advice on going out and listening makes sense. There's not many places that sell high end audio in my area but I'll see what I can find. In terms of overeall setup, is it more worth it to get a set of higher end speakers, or spend less on speakers and get a subwoofer? For computer grade speakers, usually they have absolutely no bass so a subwoofer is needed but I notice a lot of these tower speakers have supposedly good lows as well, so is it still a necessity?

And for the kef prices, I found them on ncix.com. They're having a promotion on kef speakers currently.

 

[Ulrezaj]

Additional info: a local store is selling Energy RC-70s for $700 each.. Is jumping to a $1400 price point (as opposed to $700 with IQ7s) justified by these speakers? Reviews of the RC70s seem good, but there's no direct comparison between the RC and IQ series that I can find...

 

[Djizasse]

For a computer desk I chose nearfields. I went for passive Tannoy Reveal 6s. I could be happier, but my room is almost square and the acoustics are really bad.
In this case it helps to be near the speakers, this is one of the reasons you should get bookshelves and place them near you, the direct sound from them will be much stronger than the reflexions.

I could tell you to listen to various bookshelves, but it seems that you're standing at the worst place of the room, the center. The sound in your room will certainly be much different from what you hear in the shops, and standing at the middle you'll have several peaks and nulls in the frequency response. This is awfull, especially for a musician.

Try to choose bookshelves with flat response and if you can, treat your room at least with bass traps to mitigate the low frequency peaks and nulls you most certainly have (like I do). I can't use basstraps so I had to do some EQ on the room :\ It seems to help.

Another step is to get a good soundcard, but this is another story, as it will depend on your requirements. I got a M-Audio Profire 610 and I am deligthed with it, the pre-amps are very nice for the price (no more noise from my mic and guitar) and the headphones outputs are very nice with the Sony MDR 7506. This way I can make some late night mixes without awaking up the rest of the building and not having to worry about lousy acoustics.

 

[fredk]

I get the feeling you are trying to do two different things with one set of speakers.

The requirements for nearfield listening (at the desk) and what most of us do here when we listen to our system in our living/ht rooms are quite different.

Nearfield you are only listening to the direct sound from the speakers. to get a coherent soundfield, the drivers need to be fairly close together (like in a bookshelf.)

For HT and the like, the soundfield consists of what comes directly from the speakers, plus room reflections. If you are too close to a floor standing speaker, the different drivers can be percieved to be separate sound sources. I think this also messes with your imaging/soundstage.

Hope this helps a little.