Advice on improving home & office setup

[atonik]

Hi,

please allow me to preface that I'm completely illiterate about sound equipment - in the past I've usually bought what came recommended and while I listen to music every day I don't really listen to it - it's more used as background noise while I'm working :|. Hope you can get past that.

My office speakers died on me and I've been reading these past days on what to get and that's how I came to find about this great forum.

Here's my current situation;

• office (room is 7 by 13 feet)
  • looking for active speakers(unless there's dac & amp combo to drive passive), ideally white and as small as possible
  • they will be connected to PC (SupremeFX S1220A)
  • I'm also looking for dac, mainly to achieve the following
    • more accessible volume control as it would sit in front of the keyboard
    • more accessible headphone connector. it would be nice if dac had physical output switch
      • headphones in possession; sr80, akg k271, ath m50
    • option to connect chromecast audio sometime in future
• living room currently has
  • chromecast audio (only input)
  • yamaha as500
  • monitor audio bronze 2
  • here I'm wondering if I'd benefit in adding dac. not sure of the benefits - just thinking out loud here

Budget for all (1x to 2x dac, 1x speakers) would be around 500 euros.

Thank you

 

[LightninBoy]

For speakers, I'd recommend the JBL 305mkII (or the original 305 if you want to go used). The one caveat is that they do output some hiss at idle, so if you are going to be very close and have very little ambient noise in the room, the hiss might be a distraction. I have the JBL 306mkii and while they do hiss, it is inaudible at my near field seating position (my ears are about 3ft away from the tweeters). But I'd recommend buying from a vendor with a good return policy just in case.

For a DAC, there are so many good options and new ones are coming out fast, so I won't recommend a specific one. I would generally recommend a DAC/headphone amp combo. A few good ones from SMSL and Topping as measured on this site. If you can find one with XLR (balanced) outputs that would be ideal if you get the JBL monitors (or any active speaker with XLR inputs). A cheap way to get a DAC/Headphone amp with balanced outputs is to buy a recording interface. Behringer and Focusrite have good budget options here. The downside of these is that the headphone amps are just ok, and they are more complex given that they have features for recording audio.

 

[q3cpma]

Adam's T5V is also a good cheap speaker, with provided measurements. If you really want white, Yamaha's HS7/HS5 and Kali's LP6 can be found, but the HS5 is quite bad. What about painting the cabinet yourself?

Ideally, there's Genelec's home serie (G two or G three), but the price isn't right.

 

[atonik]

@LightninBoy you bring up a good fact I wasn't aware off - hissing. I'd add that as a requirement as I've never had experienced it. Same distance as you ~3feet from current(dead) speakers. Re dac - I was looking at DX3Pro. If I comprehended it correctly - it ticks the boxes and has output switch via remote control? Although if I forgo that - there's Topping E30 (no xlr here, don't really know about its impact/value though)

@q3cpma adam's are a bit larger than I'd prefer. they'll be behind/under monitor (screens extend the length of the table) so something smaller would be preferred. genelec's I've seen recommended many times browsing through this forum. Unfortunately - out of current budget.

Thank you both.

P.S. If it's gonna make any difference - I could spend 500€ only on speakers.

 

[q3cpma]

@LightninBoy you bring up a good fact I wasn't aware off - hissing. I'd add that as a requirement as I've never had experienced it. Same distance as you ~3feet from current(dead) speakers. Re dac - I was looking at DX3Pro. If I comprehended it correctly - it ticks the boxes and has output switch via remote control? Although if I forgo that - there's Topping E30 (no xlr here, don't really know about its impact/value though)

@q3cpma adam's are a bit larger than I'd prefer. they'll be behind/under monitor (screens extend the length of the table) so something smaller would be preferred. genelec's I've seen recommended many times browsing through this forum. Unfortunately - out of current budget.

Thank you both.

P.S. If it's gonna make any difference - I could spend 500€ only on speakers.

Maybe the IK Multimedia iLoud? There's even a white version. The Eve SC203 should also be good.

 

[atonik]

@q3cpma thank you. I've thought about it more and I've dropped white requirement + max speaker height I could accommodate rearranging desk would be ~24cm.

- Would you recommend SC204 so I get XLR
- would you get dx3pro or something else

 

[Berwhale]

My Tannoy Reveal 402's are 24cm tall (not including the stand)...

If you are not bothered about headphones, you could pair the Tannoys with a balanced DAC with volume control like the Soncoz: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/soncoz-la-qxd1-balanced-dac-review.13459/

You might also consider adding a small sub like the Fostex PM-SUBMini 2: https://www.thomann.de/gb/fostex_pm_submini_2.htm

My Topping D50s DAC is driven by my personal PC, but I also have a Chromecast Audio connected to the optical input. This means I can control music from my phone (Spotify or Tidal) when I have my main screen switched to my work laptop.

 

[atonik]

Thank you for the suggestion. I'd prefer to avoid adding sub and while I don't use headphones often I'd like to keep the convenience of just plugging them in.

 

[LightninBoy]

The 24cm height limit is a highly impactful constraint. Thats going to limit you to 4" drivers and present a lot of sound compromises*. So I highly recommend changing what you need to change to accommodate larger speakers - particularly if you are also not going to add a sub. You'll have soooo many more good options for reasonable money if you can at least fit a typical 5.25" driver two way monitor.

For a DAC/headphone amp - The DX3pro is a good option and I would have recommended that because I have one, but other products may have eclipsed it. I just haven't looked recently.

* I think this is where a high quality active coaxial for < $500/pair would be really nice because they can squeeze larger drivers into a smaller package. But I don't know of any product matching that description. Tannoy Golds are close, but they are still too tall.

 

[atonik]

Got it. Here's what I have to work with;

desk is 160x65cm (next to the wall) and screens extend its length. Given that they form curve, at both ends of the desk there's enough room for them to stand there - behind * under screens (current placement). Other than that my only other option would be to wall mount speakers above the screens (which I'd like to avoid if possible).

I've googled Edifier R1700BT and Kali Audio LP-6. Both are similar size to SC204.

If none of these are recommended by you guys, in that case iLoud Micro or SC203 would fit the bill although some other DAC might be better given that I wouldn't need XLR.

 

[q3cpma]

Got it. Here's what I have to work with;

desk is 160x65cm (next to the wall) and screens extend its length. Given that they form curve, at both ends of the desk there's enough room for them to stand there - behind * under screens (current placement). Other than that my only other option would be to wall mount speakers above the screens (which I'd like to avoid if possible).

I've googled Edifier R1700BT and Kali Audio LP-6. Both are similar size to SC204.

If none of these are recommended by you guys, in that case iLoud Micro or SC203 would fit the bill although some other DAC might be better given that I wouldn't need XLR.

Now that I've looked, the SC203 are actually more expensive than the SC204, so if you can accomodate their size, there's no need to ponder anything. For that price, you could also consider the Genelec 8010A, which are very small, but still Genelec (indestructible, very well measuring, sober/modern design, exist in white).

 

[atonik]

right, very similar price. I see SC204 for €244 per unit. 8010A are actually the same price in my country so both are an option. What to do?

Any suggestion on anything newer than DX3pro? Also it doesn't have to be one device, it can be combination of two if that's better with price of combo being under €300. Important is to have volume knob to control everything, input for chromecast and ideally output switch.

P.S. Do xlr cables come with speakers or do I have to get that separately and if so which ?

 

[LightninBoy]

Got it. Here's what I have to work with;

desk is 160x65cm (next to the wall) and screens extend its length. Given that they form curve, at both ends of the desk there's enough room for them to stand there - behind * under screens (current placement). Other than that my only other option would be to wall mount speakers above the screens (which I'd like to avoid if possible).

Ok that helps. Instead of wall mounting you could put the speakers on adjustable stands to lift them over the monitors.

Otherwise, if you are sticking with the 24cm height restriction and willing to stretch the budget a bit (since the Genelec's are an option), I'd consider the iLoud MTMs. They are cheaper than the Genelec's, go much lower, and come with a mic and room correction.

 

[atonik]

Oh, that's interesting. Yes I can stretch for MTMs if that's really what's the best for my situation. Btw they are quite a bit more expensive than 8010(DAC difference). How would these work, do I connect them to something like DX3 or do they require something else?

 

[q3cpma]

Oh, that's interesting. Yes I can stretch for MTMs if that's really what's the best for my situation. Btw they are quite a bit more expensive than 8010(DAC difference). How would these work, do I connect them to something like DX3 or do they require something else?

While the iLoud MTM are probably quite good, I'd mention the extremely worrying warranty of "One (1) Year Warranty PARTS, Ninety (90) Days Warranty LABOR", where Genelec is 5 years parts and 2 years labor. And they're 8020 money.
The all integrated DRC solution of iLoud can be attractive, but if you want to save money (which seems to be your situation), you can buy a cheap mic and do it yourself with software free of charge.
The bass figure given is mostly marketing, as this review's measurement show https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/ik-multimedia-iloud-mtm?page=2.

While I may seem outspoken, I do think that the performance is quite good and not that far (but at the same time, definitely not on the same level) from the much more expensive KH80DSP or 8320. It's just too expensive for something with such a low warranty and not a reputation good/long enough to justify being priced like Genelec/Neumann. Their Micro Monitor is still incredible for the price, though.

 

[LightninBoy]

Oh, that's interesting. Yes I can stretch for MTMs if that's really what's the best for my situation. Btw they are quite a bit more expensive than 8010(DAC difference). How would these work, do I connect them to something like DX3 or do they require something else?

Really? Must be a regional difference, the MTMs are much cheaper in the US ($280 MTM vs $350 8010). If the MTM is indeed more expensive where you are, then that does change things. q3 makes some valid points. Me, personally, I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a single 3" driver speaker regardless of the brand name on it. But you've got a couple options now to choose from that meet your specs but kinda blow out your budget.

Anywho - you could connect either the MTMS or 8010s to the DX3. The MTMs accept XLR, balanced 1/4", and unbalanced 1/4". The 8010 accepts XLR. The DX3 has only RCA outputs, so you will need RCA->XLR cables to run from the DX3 to the speakers. Now here is where it gets tricky. This will most likely work fine with no issues, so if you connect them up and it sounds good with no noise, you are golden. However, in some cases noise will leak in and that's when having balanced XLR outputs on the DAC would be of great benefit. But you really aren't going to know until you hook it up. If it were me, and given I just blew out my budget already on the speakers, I'd buy the DX3 (or similar DAC/amp with RCA outputs) from someplace with an easy return policy if the RCA outputs don't work.

 

[atonik]

@q3cpma warranty is great point. I totally forgot about that which is sort of ironic given that current speakers have died on me.

@LightninBoy Oh dear, for work I travel to the US every 2 months and if it weren't for covid I'd get those to the US office and bring them back home with me.

Thank you for covering connection setup. For some reason I though DX3 had XLR.. which changes.. everything. I'd prefer to have that if I'm already going after XLR speakers. Re budget, yeah no comment there. Think I've stopped caring about exact budget but still want to stay lean.

Would SMSL 500 work? I could wait and get that when I'm in the US and use speakers without DAC - is that even doable or if I could use V-CAN dac (have that lying around)?

Think I'm leaning towards 8010 or 8020 as used are the same price as 8010 albeit I'd risk warranty here. Haven't asked but do I have to use something like Tidal to experience this higher level of speakers or is it fine to use youtube/pandora/spotify for music?

@all I appreciate your input and thank you for trying to help me decide.

 

[LightninBoy]

SMSL 500 would work great.

I'm not sure how you would connect the speakers temporarily while you wait for the SMSL 500. The V-CAN is a headphone amp - so that won't help. If your computer has line level audio outputs you could rig something up with the right cables/adapters. Usually, there's a 3.5mm stereo line out jack somewhere to connect external computer speakers.

As far as sources go, good speakers help pretty much everything sound better. Shoot for at least CD quality sources to get the most out of them.

 

[q3cpma]

@q3cpma warranty is great point. I totally forgot about that which is sort of ironic given that current speakers have died on me.

@LightninBoy Oh dear, for work I travel to the US every 2 months and if it weren't for covid I'd get those to the US office and bring them back home with me.

Thank you for covering connection setup. For some reason I though DX3 had XLR.. which changes.. everything. I'd prefer to have that if I'm already going after XLR speakers. Re budget, yeah no comment there. Think I've stopped caring about exact budget but still want to stay lean.

Would SMSL 500 work? I could wait and get that when I'm in the US and use speakers without DAC - is that even doable or if I could use V-CAN dac (have that lying around)?

Think I'm leaning towards 8010 or 8020 as used are the same price as 8010 albeit I'd risk warranty here. Haven't asked but do I have to use something like Tidal to experience this higher level of speakers or is it fine to use youtube/pandora/spotify for music?

@all I appreciate your input and thank you for trying to help me decide.

For the DAC, something like the Motu M2 is probably your best bet. It has everything you want and is cheap; and I think the headphone out is actually quite good for a USB powered interface.

For the speakers, if you do spend on Genelecs, you won't regret it.

For the source, Youtube is always a bad idea, it's like going back to Emule/Limewire days where encoded MP3 were the equivalent of mystery meat: encoded with a joke encoder, unknown source, possibly transcoded multiple times from lossy, etc... Spotify should be OK as far as quality goes, I think it's using 160kbps AAC.
But in the end, there's nothing better than building your collection yourself by choosing a release, buying a CD followed by ripping or downloading it in FLAC somewhere. Especially the "choosing a release" part, as remasters are often cash grabbing garbage.

 

[RickSanchez]

Any suggestion on anything newer than DX3pro? Also it doesn't have to be one device, it can be combination of two if that's better with price of combo being under €300. Important is to have volume knob to control everything, input for chromecast and ideally output switch.

A little above your price point of €300 but the Sabaj D5 goes on sale regularly and may be worth researching.

• Measurements: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ew-and-measurements-of-sabaj-d5-dac-amp.8337/