Sprout 100 with Polk Audio RTI-A7 Speakers

Yohansen

Yohansen

Audioholic
I just bought the Sprout 100 and I thought I make a demo video. You can find it at:

Hopefully, I’ll be looking for a pair of ELAC speakers up to $600.
I would appreciate your advices, since my budget is kind of limited.

Thank you
Yannis
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Yeah, more interested in your experience than watching a video of an audio system (which is generally useless with me viewing such on a computer let alone the audio problems in making and posting such a recording).
 
Yohansen

Yohansen

Audioholic
Work well with the speakers?
Surprising well enough so I don’t throw it out of the window LOL. Seriously now, it’s satisfying but I wanted to be even better and that means mooore money...Arggggg
 
Yohansen

Yohansen

Audioholic
Yeah, more interested in your experience than watching a video of an audio system (which is generally useless with me viewing such on a computer let alone the audio problems in making and posting such a recording).
What do you mean my friend?
In my understanding, how can I make a better video because I’m not happy with the phone recording of the video. On YouTube it sounds terribly boomy without satisfying highs and mids....Heeeeeelp Audiophiles!
On the other side, it sounds surprisingly good in my living room. I don’t know how to make it sound the same on YouTube.
 
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lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
What do you mean?
The audio portion of the video is dependent on microphone quality as well as where you upload the video is likely to further compress the audio. Just really a useless way of demonstrating audio to others....
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Surprising well enough so I don’t throw it out of the window LOL. Seriously now, it’s satisfying but I wanted to be even better and that means mooore money...Arggggg
What is lacking?
 
Yohansen

Yohansen

Audioholic
The audio portion of the video is dependent on microphone quality as well as where you upload the video is likely to further compress the audio. Just really a useless way of demonstrating audio to others....
Oh my God!!! How can I do a better recording? The phone has messed up all the frequencies.....bummer
 
L

Leemix

Audioholic General
We wont really be able to hear how it sounds unless in the room so. But what do you feel is missing or not right?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Yohansen

Yohansen

Audioholic
I want the highs to smoothen out, the base is surprisingly good without activating the base boost. My living room is small and I think that helps a but.I don’t say that the mids and highs are bad but I wish they will smoothen after breakin in. PS Audio claims it requires 100 hours of breaking in...oh myyy
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Maybe I’m showing my lack of electrical knowledge...
I’ve never heard that an amp needs to break in.
*shrugs
Is this just their way of making the recipient feel uncomfortable with not liking the product?
 
Truthslayer

Truthslayer

Full Audioholic
Maybe I’m showing my lack of electrical knowledge...
I’ve never heard that an amp needs to break in.
*shrugs
Is this just their way of making the recipient feel uncomfortable with not liking the product?
Yep, it's ps audios way of hoping after a 100 hours of use, you will have come accustomed to the product not living up to your expectations. And the placebo effect will kick in.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
This is why we call PS Audio BS audio :) what a bunch of nonsense for the amp to break in. As to the highs, could be your room reflections to an extent. Try adjusting the high frequencies down a bit with the treble control perhaps. Or reposition the speakers some. As to the video I'm just saying don't bother....it doesn't convey any useful information.
 
Yohansen

Yohansen

Audioholic
Yep, it's ps audios way of hoping after a 100 hours of use, you will have come accustomed to the product not living up to your expectations. And the placebo effect will kick in.
Really don’t know
 
Yohansen

Yohansen

Audioholic
Ok guys. Open cards.
I can afford $500 for amplifier and $500 for speakers.

What would you recommend me?
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Increasing the ratio of speaker spending to amp is a better idea than making them equal....altho that may depend on av (audio/visual) functionalities you wish.
 
SwedishChef

SwedishChef

Junior Audioholic
You mentioned Elacs? If you watch prices (or set a watch on a site like camelcamelcamel or whichever you like) you can find the UB5 for as low as $300 per pair on rare occasion (I think that was a one-day flash sale). More often around $350. You definitely don't need to pay the full $500 if you're willing to watch for sales. However, you JUST (literally ended yesterday) missed a bunch of Elac sales. Not sure when they might recur.

There are some who actually prefer the cheaper B6.2 to the UB5. I am not in that camp, and feel strongly about that position (unless maybe someone wants to literally put them on/in a bookshelf and needs the front port). I very much like the UB5, and somewhat dislike the B6.2.

However, I continue to find that 4-ohm (ish) speakers don't do well with some inexpensive amplification. I did not find the UB5 to pair well with either the inexpensive Topping MX3 or the NAD D3020 v2. Not only was it harder to get them loud enough (and I'm not one to play things loudly), but they just didn't sound very good, as opposed to when paired with something with more power like the Outlaw RR2160 or a decent home theater receiver. (Yes, I actually tested all these, and did level-matched A/B comparisons with some older KEF and Paradigms before deciding to keep the UB5s.) I hesitate to recommend the cheaper Micca RB42 speakers to anyone on a budget for similar reasons - whatever you save on the speakers you're going to have to spend on the amplification just to get them to sound good, and many seem to think that's the wrong way around.

I think the UB5 go decently low for their size and price, though bass hounds might disagree. Obviously, like any bookshelves, they do benefit from a decent sub. They sound pretty neutral and measure pretty flat - if your experience leads you to think you'd like that, I would recommend keeping them on your shopping list. (You might be able to hear the B6.2 at a Best Buy, but I think they sound pretty different.)

There have been some other threads about inexpensive floorstanders from a few companies lately - if you look at recent threads you'll see them discussed. I don't have experience with those.

The Polk LSIM 703 may still be available on sale for about $450-$550/pair, depending on the deal (somebody mentioned Slickdeals and Adorama). I also like those, and I feel like they go lower. They are pretty big/heavy for bookshelves.

I'm not sure what to recommend for amplification in the $500 range. If it's home theater, probably something like the Denon X3500h, but if it's 2 channel, I'm not sure. Others may have recommendations. (I continue to be suspicious of all inexpensive class D digital amplifiers, because I'm yet to hear one I like much. But good ones may be out there.)
 
L

Leemix

Audioholic General
On the video your room looks very bare, big walls with nothing on them and hard floor without any carpet, that might be the video not showing enough of the room but you should fix that before looking at speakers or electronics to fix something they cant really fix. The sound, even if hard to say much about it, sounded a bit lively like from a pretty bare room, which would fit your description of a bit too much up top.

The room is always very important for sound.

Even if it needed 100h of breakin by far most of that would be done in the first hour. But again check your room, might be you save a lot of money and frustration.
 
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Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Ok guys. Open cards.
I can afford $500 for amplifier and $500 for speakers.

What would you recommend me?
I'd recommend putting much more of your budget into speakers and spend much more conservatively for amplification.
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
Ok guys. Open cards.
I can afford $500 for amplifier and $500 for speakers.

What would you recommend me?

As far as youtube and audio:

Your recording mic has a frequency response (FR) that alters the sound when you record.
What does your recording software do to alter the sound? Are you recording at high bit rate?
When someone plays the audio off youtube, their speakers have a FR that changes the sound.
Not to mention the room interactions in your room when recorded, and their room when played back.
Which gets to the point, that was absolutely an exercise in uselessness.
 

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