i hear bill speak about high end equipment, flac, etc.
are there any recommendations or some site that covers the spectrum?
naim and bluesound seem very good but somewhat expensive
just curious
thanks
p.s. i actually use some wireless headphones too
Yeah if you line out some goals of what you are trying to achieve people here can help I am sure. there is also https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/
www.audiogon.com is a good place to look for high end used equipment and they have forums there as well but be warned there is much audiophilia there.
Music Direct my current 1st choice for anything sound related. They also own MOFI.
. Edit: upon further review, I kinda like what the Bluesound does as far as tying everything up in a neat little bow. It sure would simplify everything I could think of, including leaving the puter behind and accessing my NAS for audio files which is one of my long term goals. The bonus I see is that I can build playlists on my tablet that are sourced on the NAS. Gamechanger. Wasn't looking for something like this ... yet, but here it is.
i'm satisfied with my audioengine speakers A5 (i do wish i had a headphone jack out front)
however if space is an issue and bluetooth is desired a pair of these may do the trick
pretty thorough review here
I concur, the A5s sound great...two speakers and built in amp all for $400 (or $500?). Only issue is if you want to connect more than one source, but a simple swap of interconnects is all that is needed.
Having been a teen, I know from experience they have a tendency to break/lose things. Or have them stolen by unscrupulous band members/groupies/hangers-on. Get him a decent used rig for starters.
He wants speaker(s) to use for DJing. (He does electronica and trance style djing mostly).
He wants these: Behringer B415DSP 600W 15" ACTIVE SPEAKER
I think if we all pool our money, we'll be able to buy him ONE.
What do you all think? Worth the money?
My son's band uses a Fender Passport system, bought used on eBay. A very slick system but not as much power as the above. It packs up into one neat (but very large) unit with a separate duffle for speaker and mic stands. They are going on eBay for about the same as that system but include a mixer board and usually speaker stands and mics.
The one they use has proven to be super durable and loud enough for the dance hall gigs they play.
He wants speaker(s) to use for DJing. (He does electronica and trance style djing mostly).
He wants these: Behringer B415DSP 600W 15" ACTIVE SPEAKER
I think if we all pool our money, we'll be able to buy him ONE.
What do you all think? Worth the money?
check craigslist...I always see folks selling DJ equipment there...and its local so you can demo the gear before purchasing (not a big fan of using ebay or other online sites for this type of equipment).
He wants speaker(s) to use for DJing. (He does electronica and trance style djing mostly).
He wants these: Behringer B415DSP 600W 15" ACTIVE SPEAKER
I think if we all pool our money, we'll be able to buy him ONE.
What do you all think? Worth the money?
Wow. Them's kind of expensive. If he DJs often, I would think that he would have some money (and the willingness) to help buy them. Spend what you would spend and let him pick up the rest. Or just go to guitar center with the specs of his current speakers and what they're used for and tell them you are interested in upgrading them. Maybe you can find something he would be happy with for less money.
I agree about matching components. This is what I am currently using in my setup and it took a while to get the components that sound good in the entire system.
I note that your pre and power amps together cost about.....$3,000, thus proving my point. If you spend the money there is some great stuff out there, but anything you find at Best Buy (including many brands that used to be good) isn't worth having. And I'd still put my $55 Marantz up against it knowing that at the very least it would be comparable.
If you're listening to mp3s you'll hardly notice any difference between your modern whatsit and something old and nice, but with CDs, records, DVDs you sure should. And always consider the magic of component matching. I have lots and lots of gear and all of it sounds great...when combined with the right other gear. I am not a fan of my H/K CD player with the Marantz reciever, but it sounds good with the H/K reciever and great with my Pioneer integrated. My Marantz HD770 speakers only really work well with the Pioneer, with everything else they sound like they have a whole in the mid-range (and they do really, the Pioneer just turns them into this great rock system).
Outlaw 990/7700 - pre/pro amp combo Behringer A500 - 2nd zone amp SVS 20-39 PC +, SVS MTS-01 towers, SVS MCS-01 center, SVS MBS-01 surrounds - 5.1 speakers Samsung PN58B650, DirecTV HR-20 700 - TV and tuner Sony CDP-545, Phillips CDR 765, Oppo BDP-83, Panasonic DMR E515, Technics SL-DL5, Squeezebox 3, - media sources Remote MX-850 - Universal remote
I agree about matching components. This is what I am currently using in my setup and it took a while to get the components that sound good in the entire system.
Do you really believe this? There is a load of equipment well under 4 figures that will provide stellar performance. Have you sonically compared equipment from the '70s with equipment from today? You would spend probably two thirds the price of a new receiver to fix the old one....IF...you could find someone that knows how to do component level repair. Most repairs today are done only to board level....problem on a board, that's as far as you go, replace the whole board. Not sure that would work with a '70s era receiver if the parts are available. You can get more performance for less money in a modern receiver.
Though they may not be "elite" equipment you can get more performance for less money in a number of moderately priced receivers.
The attitude that it is better just because it is older is silly.
Of course this is just my opinion as a serious A/V fan for over 40 years that would not trade my current setup for my 1974 receiver for all the money in the world.
Yes.
There is of course old crap and new crap, new good stuff and old good stuff, but as a general rule bang for your buck with the old stuff is much better. Just for starters, modern power supplies are feeble. I have done many back to back comparisons, including between my HK730 (40 watts RMS a side) and my Marantz 2245 (45 watts RMS a side) against the receiver they replaced, an Onkyo model from the 90s (100 watts RMS a side). The Onkyo didn't have a chance, both in terms of warmth and quality of sound and overall power. When I bought it I thought it was a great amp, as soon as I bought the Harman/Kardon it was obvious just how much it was lacking.
There is a chicken and the egg type situation with modern music recordings and modern music reproducing electronics. In both cases they tend to sound cold and as though the loudness button is depressed at all times. I suspect the records are EQed to work with the sound systems, though it is possible that it is the other way round. I listen primarily to older music, acoustic music, jazz, etc, both of which sound amazing on both of my systems. Modern rock, sounds great too. At times in the past, though not currently, I've had a system (also vintage, but different brands) set up that sounds fantastic with modern rock recordings. Older recordings, acoustic music, jazz, etc sound like crap on it because its got a sharper, harder, bassier and treblier sound.
If you're listening to mp3s you'll hardly notice any difference between your modern whatsit and something old and nice, but with CDs, records, DVDs you sure should. And always consider the magic of component matching. I have lots and lots of gear and all of it sounds great...when combined with the right other gear. I am not a fan of my H/K CD player with the Marantz reciever, but it sounds good with the H/K reciever and great with my Pioneer integrated. My Marantz HD770 speakers only really work well with the Pioneer, with everything else they sound like they have a whole in the mid-range (and they do really, the Pioneer just turns them into this great rock system).
I spent $30 on the Marantz 2245 and $25 in parts to fix it up. Nothing you can find at the store for under $500 has a chance and you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands, because I will never ever give it up. But you're welcome to come and listen to it anytime.
Problem solved. I just opened up the top, grabbed some compressed air and contact cleaner from my gig bag, blew away about 30 years of dust, cleaned all the contacts, and now I'm listening in ridiculously great stereo sound again! The thing is blasting RP as I write this.
Since I never had a problem before, the amp was 30 years old and in storage for a year, I just figured it was probably toast.... and time for a new one when I "lost" the right channel. Anyway, thanks to all who posted on this. I learned a bunch and saved some serious dough too!
Outstanding! Some of that dust was prolly shorting across something. Glad to hear all is well!
Yup, kind of embarrased that I posted the problem BEFORE I opened it up and looked under the hood, but actually I was inspired to dig into it when I read some of these posts. It's a great piece of gear, and I can't say any of of my other electronics has lasted that long (except a couple guitars.)
Problem solved. I just opened up the top, grabbed some compressed air and contact cleaner from my gig bag, blew away about 30 years of dust, cleaned all the contacts, and now I'm listening in ridiculously great stereo sound again! The thing is blasting RP as I write this.
Since I never had a problem before, the amp was 30 years old and in storage for a year, I just figured it was probably toast.... and time for a new one when I "lost" the right channel. Anyway, thanks to all who posted on this. I learned a bunch and saved some serious dough too!
Now for those speakers...
Lets rock!
Outstanding! Some of that dust was prolly shorting across something. Glad to hear all is well!
