Newbie needs help =D

[Stella C]

Hi Guys and Gals,

I'm brand new to the forum, and in fact the audio world!! I've always wanted to become an audioholic, and having saved up some money I bought a pair of speakers. Now the Bose stuff is pretty easy, like i just plug and play, but i look at these bookshelf speakers and i'm going like wtf?!?!


Someone please tell me what I need to connect these speakers! What other stuff do I need to make them play??

Please don't make fun of my newbiness, I really wanna learn about this stuff!

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum, Stella!

Which speakers did you buy?

In general, you need one or more audio sources (e.g. TV, disc player, iPod), a way to switch between those audio sources (call a "pre-amplifier"), a way to amplify the signal (an "amplifier"), and a connection between the amplifier and your speakers (e.g. speaker wires).

There's more than one way to do all that, but here's the typical way - get a receiver (which is both a "pre-amplifier" and an "amplifier" in one package), and get some speaker wires (available locally or online for cheap - these are just copper wire, nothing fancy needed) to connect the receiver to your speakers.

Do you have any of that already? Once we know what you have, we can help you get things connected and/or help you pick what to get.

 

[Stella C]

Thanks for your reply! =D

i saw this half price speaker on musicdirect.com, Wharfedale Diamond 10.2. It looked pretty nice, and the price was good, so I got it. I thought the $450 speaker would be a simple upgrade and just plug into my computer or ipod to play.

I bought a roll of speaker wire, after seeing no wires in the box, but unlike the Bose, there's no plugs!!!

Do you need a list of specs for the speakers?

About how much more do I need to expect to spend?

 

[Adam]

Congrats on the new speakers!

Outside of the surface finish/color, is this what they look like?

I can understand how it would be confusing if these are your first set of unpowered speakers. The ones that most people buy to connect to their computer or iPod have built-in amplifiers, so all you have to do it plug them in. These don't have that, so you need to have something that will amplify the signal from your computer/iPod to make them play.

There are a number of options, but I think a good one is to get a stereo receiver (or surround sound receiver if you plan on getting more speakers). The Onkyo TX-8255 is a nice one, and there are others for under $100. The best choice comes down to your wants/needs and your budget. This is just a starting point, and we can help you identify the other options.

Your new speakers can accept the bare speaker wire that you bought, and they also accept other connections. For example, you could get banana plugs like these (which often go on sale for $1/pair). For starters, I'd say just go with the bare wire. Definitely read the owner's manual for your speakers on how to connect up the wires, and don't hesitate to ask us any questions that you have. The four terminals and metal straps in between the terminals can be confusing at first, especially if you've never owned speakers before.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Thanks for your reply! =D

i saw this half price speaker on musicdirect.com, Wharfedale Diamond 10.2. It looked pretty nice, and the price was good, so I got it. I thought the $450 speaker would be a simple upgrade and just plug into my computer or ipod to play.

I bought a roll of speaker wire, after seeing no wires in the box, but unlike the Bose, there's no plugs!!!

Do you need a list of specs for the speakers?

About how much more do I need to expect to spend?

Stella,
Do you happen to know someone named humsin94

btw - STELLLAAAAAAAAAA !!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVrU0JNAgqI

oh and btw - what made you think that $450 is a half price?
It's actually full retail

 

[Stella C]

Yes, that's what they look like! How do these compare with other speakers? Are they any good?

When choosing the receiver, what do I need to keep in mind for the ohm rating? Is it okay for the power of the receiver to be bigger than that of the speaker?

 

[Stella C]

um, no?? why would I know anyone from this forum??? <3

The website says it was originally $900

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

um, no?? why would I know anyone from this forum??? <3

The website says it was originally $900

well, assuming you are not trolling or spamming and jokes aside - the website doesn't show it was $900
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-15479-wharfedale-diamond-102-bookshelf-speaker-pr.aspx
or it doesn't anymore

 

[Adam]

Stella,
Do you happen to know someone named humsin94

Play nice, dude. There's no reason for that.

How do these compare with other speakers? Are they any good?

I've never heard them - the important thing is whether you like them. I know that you haven't heard them, yet, but hopefully soon.

When choosing the receiver, what do I need to keep in mind for the ohm rating? Is it okay for the power of the receiver to be bigger than that of the speaker?

The lower the impedance (Ohm rating), the more current the speaker will draw from the receiver, and the harder it is for the receiver. So, anything rated at 6-Ohms or lower will handle those Wharfedale's just fine. The Onkyo that I mentioned is rated for 4-Ohm speakers.

It's definitely okay for the rated power of the receiver to exceed that listed for the speakers. You'll want to use your ears and common sense to not play them so loud that you damage them.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Play nice, dude. There's no reason for that.

My troll alert was triggered, maybe it was a false alarm...
If I was really wrong - sorry

 

[Adam]

If I was really wrong - sorry

No worries, man. That's a hair trigger that you've got, though. If you'd seen where Stella was reading on the forum (definitely doing research), you'd have a different opinion.

 

[GranteedEV]

These speakers, should be plug n play as well:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--ADPA7X

 

[Adam]

These speakers, should be plug n play as well:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--ADPA7X

Am I reading that right - $1400/pair for new?

 

[Stella C]

It used to show it as $900 with a price cut. They had one called the Evo2-10 like that too, but it didn't have the cool shiny front so I didn't get that one.

BoredSysAdmin: humsin94 has the same speakers as me?!?! Maybe I should ask him for some advice =D

Thanks for your help Adam. So I don't want a receiver with higher ohms than the speakers?

 

[Adam]

Thanks for your help Adam. So I don't want a receiver with higher ohms than the speakers?

Always happy to help if I can! Correct - you don't want to get a receiver that's rated for speakers with a higher Ohm rating. In the case of your new speakers, you don't want to get a receiver that says that it requires 8-Ohms or higher.

 

[Stella C]

Why do they make 6ohm speakers then?? why can't they just all make higher ohm speakers?

 

[GranteedEV]

Am I reading that right - $1400/pair for new?

Do you want speakers named after you, OR NOT?

 

[GranteedEV]

Why do they make 6ohm speakers then?? why can't they just all make higher ohm speakers?

That's like asking 'why do they make cars that do less than 50mpg'

 

[Adam]

Do you want speakers named after you, OR NOT?

I like that part, but they aren't true to the name. After all, I'm extraordinarily CHEAP.

 

[Adam]

Why do they make 6ohm speakers then?? why can't they just all make higher ohm speakers?

There's probably more that goes into the impedance of a speaker than you want to know, and there's definitely more to it than I know. There are reason to make speakers with different Ohm ratings, though. To borrow from Grant's analogy, some cars use regular gas, and some use premium.

A lot of receivers can handle 6-Ohm speakers, but not all. You won't have a problem finding a receiver that will work just fine with those speakers.