Second “Thoughts”

[Streak01]

Something in the power range you want and can deal with a 4 ohm load would be sufficient and of course within your budget and aesthetic needs. There's a wide variety of suitable gear available from inexpensive to silly expensive. Also depends what you mean by amp...power amp, integrated amp, receiver.....

OK.. I've sent an email on these.. figure if they are available, will be a 1st step..

 

[Streak01]

OK.. I've sent an email on these.. figure if they are available, will be a 1st step..

Available and talking to them now ... they are willing to negotiate...

 

[lovinthehd]

On most keyboards I've used you need to shift to upper case for the @ sign....virtual keyboards sometimes provide for one in the lower case area, tho....

I remember the Bose 901s back in the 70s, experienced them at parties a coupla times....kinda fun but yeah pretty much low end limited but typical of Bose's offerings (their "subs" are mediocre bass modules). Polk speakers vary a lot with model these days, and I wouldn't bother with their subs generally. Subs weren't much of a thing back then. I'd a been dangerous with one back then

As to spending $4500 on a piece like a McIntosh....they do work well if not a bit overpriced but then again they tend to hold their value well over the years and are durable, and they're an iconic US brand, and they have some very dedicated fans. Personally too much to spend on something like that, I'd rather put the money towards speakers/subs. Some like the pretty lights and meters a lot....check out the logo'd merch you can get!

LB200 Light Box

Removable rear panel provides access to a large storage compartment where you can place unsightly components to declutter and beautify your home audio system.

www.mcintoshlabs.com

MCLK12 Clock

Illuminated meters for ease of sight Temperature compensated Quartz movement ----SPLIT---- The McIntosh MCLK12 mantle clock is a celebration of time while being a tribute to classic McIntosh design. Constructed with the signature McIntosh blue watt meters, the MCLK12 demonstrates the same easy...

www.mcintoshlabs.com

The M2 is a nice dac/adc and probably even more helpful if you record with it. I think a more consumer friendly model from the likes of Topping or SMSL or some others like even Schiit might be an idea. Don't remember if this was posted before, the review/thread may help a bit fleshing it out https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/motu-m2-review-audio-interface.19911/

Setup of a active speaker is similar to a passive speaker generally when it comes to placement. Gotta keep in mind you need to provide both a power cord and proper type of interconnect to whatever source unit you're feeding them from. Whatever is feeding signal needs to have an appropriate signal level for the sensitivity of the speakers' amp. Using a sub would vary with what features the sub has as well as what the active speakers have and/or what you use as a streamer/pre-amp/dac/volume control. What were you looking for in terms of setup info?

 

[lovinthehd]

Available and talking to them now ... they are willing to negotiate...

What deal/offer?

 

[Streak01]

What deal/offer?

Hi, I agree LS50 is one of the best options to get into hifi. Best bang for the buck, especially used. All the great reviews are not for nothing. There’s some wiggle room if you are committed. Thanks.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 8, 2021, at 21:37, Wayne Truitt <675025ffe06638e7aa0c3c3fd70422a7@reply.craigslist.org> wrote:

I am in Wake Forest and interested in getting more into hiifi .. I've heard great things about these speakers.. still available and is price firm?

KEF LS50 BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS - electronics - by owner - sale

In near mint condition. Sounds amazing. Comes with original box.

raleigh.craigslist.org

 

[lovinthehd]

Ah back to the original deal. Yes, nice speakers with a good reputation. Cones are a bit fragile from what I remember so inspect carefully.

 

[shadyJ]

Using powered speakers with a good DAC is actually a bit simpler than using passive speakers. There is no chance for error between the amp and speakers in an active speaker system. It cuts out a middleman in the signal chain.

@shadyJ .. Currently my source has been streaming from my iPhone X (using Spotify) I tried streaming through computer and sound was actually worse...how would I connect phone or computer into the Motu M2?

The reason that your computer sounded bad through your speakers is probably because the built-in DACs in computers tend to be terrible. That is why I suggested the MOTU. Garbage signals will sound that much worse on actual high-fidelity loudspeakers. A good audio interface or DAC like the MOTU will take the digital signal and turn it into a nice clean analog signal.

The MOTU will help with a hard-wired connection but it won't transmit a wireless signal. This might do the trick for a wireless bluetooth reciever. The problem is that doesn't have a digital input, so you still need a good DAC. You don't have to get the MOTU, that was just one recommendation, and I don't know when it will be in stock. You can use others like this guy. You could also just get a simple DAC like this one or this one.

So you would connect that PreSonus Bluetooth receiver to your powered speakers. That gives you streaming from your iphone. When you want to listen to stuff coming from your computer, get a DAC with balanced outputs, connect the DAC to your computer, and run the outputs of the DAC into the 1/4" inputs of the Presonus bluetooth receiver. Tha PreSonus Bluetooth reciever also has a subwoofer output which makes it easy to add a subwoofer if you wanted deeper bass extension. What is nifty about the PreSonus Eris E8 XT monitors is that they have a high-pass filter switch that makes it easy to integrate with a subwoofer without external bass management. A PreSonus Bluetooth receiver plus the PreSonus Eris E8 XT monitors plus one of those DACs or Audio interfaces should come in at just under $1k.

The KEF LS50 is a very good speaker, but it won't have the dynamic range of these powered monitors. So if you ever wanted to rock with the LS50s, they will hit their limit pretty quickly. The PreSonus and Kali monitors will get as loud as you can stand.

 

[Streak01]

This is a phenomenal write up and greatly appreciated. If you had $1000 to spend and did want streaming (prefer wifi to Bluetooth hence looking at a Chromecast Audio with toslink ) what would you purchase ? I see the motu m2 highly reviewed so willing to go that direction if I could couple it with something to give me streaming ability. All 3 speakers have great reviews

Note.

PreSonus Eris E8 Two-Way Active 8" Studio Monitor (Pair) | Reverb

The Eris E8 Two-Way Active 8" Studio Monitor from PreSonus delivers an accurate response with tight bass and a clear upper end. The Kevlar low frequency transducers, low-mass silk-dome tweeters and responsive Class AB amplification combine with acoustic-adjustment controls to create a versat...

reverb.com

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[shadyJ]

This is a phenomenal write up and greatly appreciated. If you had $1000 to spend and did want streaming (prefer wifi to Bluetooth hence looking at a Chromecast Audio with toslink ) what would you purchase ? I see the motu m2 highly reviewed so willing to go that direction if I could couple it with something to give me streaming ability. All 3 speakers have great reviews

Note.

PreSonus Eris E8 Two-Way Active 8" Studio Monitor (Pair) | Reverb

The Eris E8 Two-Way Active 8" Studio Monitor from PreSonus delivers an accurate response with tight bass and a clear upper end. The Kevlar low frequency transducers, low-mass silk-dome tweeters and responsive Class AB amplification combine with acoustic-adjustment controls to create a versat...

reverb.com

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Given your budget and your criteria, I would go with something along the lines of what I outlined. To wit:
PreSonus Eris E8 XT (the one you linked to above is not the XT, in fact, it is an older design and would probably suffer in comparison). FYI, I have reviewed a lot of speakers, and the Eris E8 XTs are the only ones I have purchased after completing the review.

PreSonus Micro Station BT 2.1 for your Bluetooth connectivity.

Schiit Modius DAC to get a clean signal from your computer. If I were you, I would opt for this as it is simple, and Schiit should have good support if something goes wrong. It has been measured here and found to have excellent performance, especially for the price. A decent-looking alternative is the SONCOZ LA-QXD1 which has also been measured and found to have superlative performance. It costs a little more and only comes with the post-purchase support you can get from Amazon. The MOTU M2 or Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 are good audio interfaces, however, they do complicate things just a little by needing you to install drivers on your computer. Their advantage is that they have headphone outputs, and they can also do a lot more than just deliver clean sound output if you ever wanted to do something like content creation; they can record clean sound as well as output it.

Now you will need balanced cables to get the most from this gear. To go from the DAC to the Bluetooth receiver, you will need either a set of XLR-to-TRS or TRS-to-TRS depending on what DAC or audio interface you choose to go with. The DACs will want female XLR to male TRS cables (like this one) and the audio interfaces will require male TRS to male TRS cables. You will need cables to go from the Bluetooth receiver to the speakers, and I would just get another set of TRS-to-TRS for that in the length that you anticipate needing.

If you need speaker stands for the monitors, look at Monoprice stands for that. Here are a few:
24" glass stands
23" glass stands
more 23" glass stands
Heavy-duty 24" stands
Keep in mind that the PreSonus Eris E8 XT speakers sound the best when you use them with the tweeter aimed at or below ear level. They won't have as full of a sound if they are elevated above your ear level, so get stands that are lower to the ground as opposed to higher. I wouldn't get anything taller than 24" stands.

 

[Pogre]

FYI, I have reviewed a lot of speakers, and the Eris E8 XTs are the only ones I have purchased after completing the review.

That's pretty high praise, imo. I also like that you have bass management options with them too. Even if you don't get a sub right away, I suspect you may end up wanting one down the road. After speakers and source a sub can really round out the experience.

 

[shadyJ]

That's pretty high praise, imo. I also like that you have bass management options with them too. Even if you don't get a sub right away, I suspect you may end up wanting one down the road. After speakers and source a sub can really round out the experience.

I should add that I did receive a good discount on them since it saves them money on return shipping, and also I put a couple of scuffs on it during the testing. Nonetheless, I do like them, and I found them to be a pleasant surprise for the review. I honestly wasn't expecting them to be so good.

 

[Streak01]

Given your budget and your criteria, I would go with something along the lines of what I outlined. To wit:
PreSonus Eris E8 XT (the one you linked to above is not the XT, in fact, it is an older design and would probably suffer in comparison). FYI, I have reviewed a lot of speakers, and the Eris E8 XTs are the only ones I have purchased after completing the review.

PreSonus Micro Station BT 2.1 for your Bluetooth connectivity.

Schiit Modius DAC to get a clean signal from your computer. If I were you, I would opt for this as it is simple, and Schiit should have good support if something goes wrong. It has been measured here and found to have excellent performance, especially for the price. A decent-looking alternative is the SONCOZ LA-QXD1 which has also been measured and found to have superlative performance. It costs a little more and only comes with the post-purchase support you can get from Amazon. The MOTU M2 or Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 are good audio interfaces, however, they do complicate things just a little by needing you to install drivers on your computer. Their advantage is that they have headphone outputs, and they can also do a lot more than just deliver clean sound output if you ever wanted to do something like content creation; they can record clean sound as well as output it.

Now you will need balanced cables to get the most from this gear. To go from the DAC to the Bluetooth receiver, you will need either a set of XLR-to-TRS or TRS-to-TRS depending on what DAC or audio interface you choose to go with. The DACs will want female XLR to male TRS cables (like this one) and the audio interfaces will require male TRS to male TRS cables. You will need cables to go from the Bluetooth receiver to the speakers, and I would just get another set of TRS-to-TRS for that in the length that you anticipate needing.

If you need speaker stands for the monitors, look at Monoprice stands for that. Here are a few:
24" glass stands
23" glass stands
more 23" glass stands
Heavy-duty 24" stands
Keep in mind that the PreSonus Eris E8 XT speakers sound the best when you use them with the tweeter aimed at or below ear level. They won't have as full of a sound if they are elevated above your ear level, so get stands that are lower to the ground as opposed to higher. I wouldn't get anything taller than 24" stands.

ShadyJ I’m going this route. Only question is … could PreSonus Micro Station BT be replaced with a Chromecast Audio ?




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[shadyJ]

ShadyJ I’m going this route. Only question is … could PreSonus Micro Station BT be replaced with a Chromecast Audio ?




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I wouldn't expect the Chromecast audio to have a really good DAC although it might have a passable one, maybe. Technically it would work, and what you would have to do is use an adapter to go from a stereo 3.5mm jack to right and left RCA jacks. You could try it to see if it works, but I think it would be electronically noisy since the inputs on the PreSonus speakers are fairly sensitive. I am guessing it wouldn't sound great for the same reason that your analog computer output didn't sound great: poor DAC.

 

[lovinthehd]

I wouldn't expect the Chromecast audio to have a really good DAC although it might have a passable one, maybe. Technically it would work, and what you would have to do is use an adapter to go from a stereo 3.5mm jack to right and left RCA jacks. You could try it to see if it works, but I think it would be electronically noisy since the inputs on the PreSonus speakers are fairly sensitive. I am guessing it wouldn't sound great for the same reason that your analog computer output didn't sound great: poor DAC.

While its built in dac may not please all the dacophiles, I find it perfectly useable. You can also use an optical cable if the dac has an optical input.....

 

[shadyJ]

While its built in dac may not please all the dacophiles, I find it perfectly useable. You can also use an optical cable if the dac has an optical input.....

If it has optimal output, then it can be connected to those DACs which do accommodate an optical input. The speakers themselves do not have optical inputs, of course.

As for the analog output, it might work fine with other consumer equipment, but these monitors have very sensitive inputs and will pick up and amplify electronic noise from suboar DACs. I wouldn't trust the Chromecast to have that clean of the DAC, but maybe it is fine.

 

[lovinthehd]

If it has optimal output, then it can be connected to those DACs which do accommodate an optical input. The speakers themselves do not have optical inputs, of course.

As for the analog output, it might work fine with other consumer equipment, but these monitors have very sensitive inputs and will pick up and amplify electronic noise from suboar DACs. I wouldn't trust the Chromecast to have that clean of the DAC, but maybe it is fine.

Sure, there's better, but how about in terms of audibility? YMMV. Here's the review of the digital side https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-chromecast-audio-digital-output.4544/

 

[lovinthehd]

The other downside of Audio Chromecast is that its no longer in production and the prices have gone up a fair bit for NOS on ebay. I have three of them, they're very nice as you can have multiple sound systems all playing the same thing together, while there are other ways of doing that now....couldn't find anything else at the time that was close in price/functionality. YMMV. There are many possible combinations of gear out there, tho....

 

[Streak01]

[mention]shadyJ [/mention] [mention]lovinthehd [/mention] I thought of the chromecast as it’s cheaper (but only $50) has toslink connection and allows WiFi vs bt streaming. Will try the bt


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[lovinthehd]

Well I doubt audio quality wise between BT and the Audio Chromecast there'd be any obvious differences even if the Audio Chromecast isn't the cleanest digital device but probably still has an edge....BT is pretty good these days, tho.

 

[panteragstk]

I should add that I did receive a good discount on them since it saves them money on return shipping, and also I put a couple of scuffs on it during the testing. Nonetheless, I do like them, and I found them to be a pleasant surprise for the review. I honestly wasn't expecting them to be so good.

Good to know presonus has stepped up their game. I'll have to add those to my list.