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Active monitors as hifi speakers

BDWoody

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And obviously the basic inexpensive XLR cables from Thomann :)

Any competent XLR cables will be all you need. The whole cable 'thing' is generally an attempt to separate you from your money. No improvement once you have competence for the application...no snake oil needed.
 

BDWoody

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KSTR

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This is the section of the song.....if your dac and speakers are trusted but still this section sounds slightly nasty/pointy and make you grinch....it might be the cable..genelec glm with 8330 was fine too in my test no nasty sound..

Piezo pickup of Nils Lofgren's steelstring acoustic guitar (not a "real" acoustic guitar sound) picked with metal thumb-ring pick... it has to sound that piercing.
 

Oukkidoukki

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Yes absolutely, if you can get competent cable for 10$.....do it........i would say get expensive cables in... Compare them with cheap ones and if u feel like there is some magic in those , figure out the science behind it and make your own....you might survive with 10$....thats the smart way.....i was lazy and paid 300$.......i was stupid but sound amaze me every time
 

Oukkidoukki

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Piezo pickup of Nils Lofgren's steelstring acoustic guitar (not a "real" acoustic guitar sound) picked with metal thumb-ring pick... it has to sound that piercing.
This is intresting point......if the bad sound is original.....then bad cable is more real and vovox creates nice harmonics to soften the sound and make it more enjoyable......this is not true though..........it was also enjoyable in genelec glm set....recording is fine and nice....when output is right
 

Oukkidoukki

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Ok
I have the acoustic research hi res ar9 they are full range
Amp and speakers just a bit large for the room there in
Heres the spec
Yes could go smaller midrange
Local shop has hs8 so could go listen
Hs8 will sound absolutely shit (as any speaker) if placement and acustics are not right, hopefully people in the shop understands this
 
OP
J

Jaysz

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Not sure till i go there
They were going to use spotify for a demo
Can take a set home for a try if i want
So if cable company makes a cable for £3000 and another for £20 they don't make the cheap cable sound worse some how
 

Oukkidoukki

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Never ever pay 3000 for cable.....not even 500......but you can take one or two praised 200 or 300 cable pair for test to your home and make your own conclusion......then return them .......and make your own if it is worth it...if you got the talent to figure out how to make them.........but like i said this is dieing part of hifi ......digital speaker systems will probably soon demolish this cable depate..........
 

BDWoody

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So if cable company makes a cable for £3000 and another for £20 they don't make the cheap cable sound worse some how

Not unless they are sabotaging it somehow.
Once it gets to the level of being competent (Blue Jean Cables for example IME), you aren't going to get better sound quality. You are going to get more expensive cables.
 

Oukkidoukki

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But like you can see ....there is difference between the cables....."competent " and so on.....so listen carefully and choose wisely........and if you have something more important in your life.....choose that every time
 

BDWoody

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But like you can see ....there is difference between the cables....."competent " and so on.....so listen carefully and choose wisely........and if you have something more important in your life.....choose that every time

Difference in price...
Not a difference in sound quality. Basic $30 cables from Amazon Basics to $10k/meter custom unicorn hair (twisted), gold plated, blessed by the shaman cable, assuming basic competence, will perform competently. Much like your power cord, your USB cables, and anything along that line.

People will often hear the things they expect to hear...which is why price is so closely correlated (commonly) with sound quality. Disconnect the bias through controlled listening (match levels and don't peek at what's playing), and the differences tend to go away in any real world environment and human ears.
 

LTig

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Hiss is not the problem.......amazing is subjective...it´s amazing until there is something more amazing.......great cable can be the cause of goose pumps.....without no pumps....just right fidelity....have heard some stuff..... linn and vovox were my favourite, in the same level.......vovox so far only to give goose pumps.......ofcourse there must others in same level that i dont know........and new room correction digital stuff will kill vovox / linn soon i guess.......havent get goose pumps from all the way digital speakers yet...

Uh huh.
 

LTig

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This is the section of the song.....if your dac and speakers are trusted but still this section sounds slightly nasty/pointy and make you grinch....it might be the cable..genelec glm with 8330 was fine too in my test no nasty sound..

Uh huh.
 

LTig

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The shop sells all those speakers
So I can listen to them
If it's difficult to decide then listen to one speaker only (mono). Science has shown that it's much easier to disinguish between god and bad speakers when listening to one only. It's more difficult in stereo and especially difficult in surround. It seems that a good soundstage can hide flaws in speakers.
Do different xlr cables make a difference
No. Just buy what the pros buy - skip hifi shops.
System will be pc connected into my dac using usb then xlr into speakers and maybe a sub
Sounds like a good plan. Same here.
 

Wombat

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I have hs8 here....they are crazy good for the price, no need for sub....jbl cant touch in music listening, in imixing yes........there is bass dip in hs8......you can cut low rumble in small room......however.........you need also suberb xlr cables and good dac for high fidelity........then the price gets closer genelec 8330 digital glm system which is probably superior..........anyhow......hs8, rme adi 2, and vovox sonorus xlr.....and you are golden.........your hair will stand up if song is right.........there is some magic when bass comes straight from the speakers vs sub and hs8 will do that....if you give them right cable .....the one with great sub bass delivery...View attachment 35759


Can you further elaborate on your cable comments beyond personal anecdotes?
2help.gif
 

Wombat

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Oukkidoukki

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Well........any xlr cable from pro audio shop (where you buy synths and stuff) is pretty good.....costs 30dollars.....that from dac to speakers and you can make great music.....or listen great music and its pretty good......... and because its xlr/balanced signal is noise free........but if you have chance to compare premium cables to those in good room you might hear some differences.......good or bad is up to you...........market economy usually follows the need so if there is no need for something or it reveals to be total hoax it usually dies away pretty soon...........still premium cable stuff remains around......is it a hoax, let your ears decide.........but really, u should not pay premium money....just to figure out why some cable sound so good for you and then make it cheap
 

BDWoody

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Well........any xlr cable from pro audio shop (where you buy synths and stuff) is pretty good.....costs 30dollars.....that from dac to speakers and you can make great music.....or listen great music and its pretty good......... and because its xlr/balanced signal is noise free........but if you have chance to compare premium cables to those in good room you might hear some differences.......good or bad is up to you...........market economy usually follows the need so if there is no need for something or it reveals to be total hoax it usually dies away pretty soon...........still premium cable stuff remains around......is it a hoax, let your ears decide.........but really, u should not pay premium money....just to figure out why some cable sound so good for you and then make it cheap

You keep gong back to the idea that they will sound different. They won't. It isn't about shopping for one you like the sound of...

The idea that snake oil products must have value because they cost so much is pretty much what this site is about debunking.

You asked this about a month ago...

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s-do-you-use-in-your-systems.5398/post-223116

Did you not like the answer? Do you not believe it?

No snake oil needed for XLR cables. Save your money for something that might matter.
 

DownUnderGazza

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Would speakers like Yamaha hs8 or jbl 308p with sub be ok for hifi
Yes!! Totally yes!

Honestly, it should be no surprise, let's use what the music makers use to listen to their music!

There are a lot of music makers around the world, which means economy of scale kicks in, which means we get access to stupidly great gear at ridiculously low prices. What's not to love!

My thoughts:
-- good active monitors sitting on vibration absorbing pads, symmetrically lined up in your listening space;
-- Monitors with 4-5" mid-bass drivers are good enough if their Max SPL meet your requirements, crossed over to a one or two subs;
-- well made XLR cables to connect everything, purchased from music stores not HiFi shops!
-- a judicious amount of acoustic treatment in your listening room backed up with measurement to get the right balance;
-- topped off with DIRAC or similar loudspeaker / room correction as the icing on the cake.

You'll end up with a killer music enjoyment system for probably similar money of your first ever stereo... or less.

I've used DEQX, MiniDSP and am now trying out SonarWorks. Whichever works best for you and your budget. The key differentiator is to get both frequency AND phase correction.

My personal approach for DSP EQ etc from when I used DEQX, was:
-- to measure and EQ/Phase correct at 1m for each loudspeaker, ideally of each driver individually and then apply linear phase crossovers. That way I'm ensuring that I get a frequency and phase coherent wave front from each loudspeaker, including the immediate near-field reflections and corresponding phase anomalies. Thus the point of origin sound is as good as I can get it.
-- then measure at and around the listening position for overall loudspeaker / room balance. It's at the listening position where I'd apply Harmon-type overall EQ to get 10dB downward tilt from 20hz-20khz. I'd also apply judicious minor corrections to flatten any room induced bumps, leaving the valleys untouched.
-- Any fine tuning would be by adding, removing or re-positioning any sound absorbing treatments.

MiniDSP DIRAC processing and SonarWorks correction takes a much more focused approach to the broader listening position. I liked the fine grained correction that DEQX gave me, which I miss, but I honestly can't complain about the results i get from MiniDSP processors.
 
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