Edifier MR4 and the T5 sub. Best signal path practice advice? Random ideas?

[5ynth3t1k]

Hi there.

I have the MR4's . I am not super unimpressed by the low end.
Seems adequate for such a little box.
( Ageispolis by Aphex Twin really does show the not "something actually remotely competent " is not too shabby. )

The T5 sub monitor is arriving soon.

This now begs the question: how do I really want to set this all up. hook them up ?

Pleez note: This is not a question about how to place them in a room. I am not worried about that yet.
( A heretic ! I hear you shout. and waving pitchforks etc... )

I have various way to send a signal to both systems. ( the Mr4 is one and the T5 is the other. )

The T5 has some kind of pass through, which you use to drive the MR4's ? I will know for sure in a few hours.
Is this the best way to use the two things together OR is there a smarter way. ( so many questions...)

Note:
I can send out two stereo signals. or four mono. or one stereo and two mono's or actual quad ( this is I believe four mono's...) or a triereo and one mono...

So.... if I drove the MR4's with one stereo out. and then the T5 with the other stereo out.... would this be ok?
If this was OK, then I could EQ the program to both systems. The MR4 gets a Bass cut and the T5 gets a Treble cut.
( how you want to talk about cut vs pass vs shelf vs bandsawed it off in a rage.... )
( I set up two stereo outs in REAPER with EQ's in the FX chain. Too easy. A stereo send is to the MR4 B stereo send is to the T5 )

I respect that purists are going to wail and gnash their teeth at what ever gaping chasm I might create between the two systems or
the overlap, possible phasing issues etc.
However right now "rough enough" is fine right now. I will get a diagnostic microphone widget set up at some stage.

So, here we are.

I will read and follow the instructions with the T5 unit. Then I will eat them and consider how badly I can muck this up in the name of "the enquiring mind".

Any really neat ideas or advice is welcome! ( Oh yes, banging on about how cheap and rubbish the MR4's and the T5 are is not welcome, thanks! )

Kettles on, tea or coffee ? Pancakes?

Cheers!

Bob. ( Yes that's my actual in real life name. Don't tell anyone. )

 

[TonyJZX]

T5

Powered Active Subwoofer

www.edifier.com

interesting device

$150 subwoofer

you can d/l the manual and work it out - to them the way they do it would be to loop to the sub first and THEN route to the MR4s?

that's how they want it but it sounds like this then puts the main VOL control on the sub??? that seems not ideal

i dont see any way to realistically control this from the MR4 which is what I would like

but ultimately I think you need a preamp like device that controls the whole box and dice

 

[ZolaIII]

Do you have four real chenels and from what are you planning music?
Even with a price hike you could for that money probably still buy a better 10" budget sub. T5 doesn't go lower than deacent mid size ported speakers.
Edit: didn't even ask if you have measurement mic. Well at least some measurements if you don't to see where high/low pass should be.

Edifier R1280DBs (sub-out) + T5 review

For the first time the delivery is not in a 20kg box, that's refreshing. Oh hey it says Bluetooth 5.0 on the box. Unboxing The bag tells you to keep it away from babies. This is a grown man's speaker. The double-layer of wrapping is what we've gotten used to seeing from Edifier ...as...

forums.hardwarezone.com.sg

 

[5ynth3t1k]

T5

Powered Active Subwoofer

www.edifier.com

interesting device

$150 subwoofer

you can d/l the manual and work it out - to them the way they do it would be to loop to the sub first and THEN route to the MR4s?

that's how they want it but it sounds like this then puts the main VOL control on the sub??? that seems not ideal

i dont see any way to realistically control this from the MR4 which is what I would like

but ultimately I think you need a preamp like device that controls the whole box and dice

The sub box has a pass through to the tops. The sub has a High cut and a Volume control.
The vol is for the sub. It's post pass through , on the way to the sub, ( Pre pass through (a Y junction ) would affect the entire system).
Which makes things tricky. it's not rocket science. mmm... but then the summing amp... never mind.

Focusrite 6 USB DAC. 2 in 4 out.

Has a Monitor volume control. This is my goto volume control. Seems to work...

The balance between Tops and Sub is my new issue. So far I am just winging it.
Setting the sub vol and high cut to what sounds nice. Not very scientific...

Sounds pretty nice right now. I'm swimming in low frequency Synth Gaze Electro Dance Alt Rock ( my tune...)

I can get used to this.

:- )

 

[5ynth3t1k]

Do you have four real chenels and from what are you planning music?
Even with a price hike you could for that money probably still buy a better 10" budget sub. T5 doesn't go lower than deacent mid size ported speakers.
Edit: didn't even ask if you have measurement mic. Well at least some measurements if you don't to see where high/low pass should be.

Edifier R1280DBs (sub-out) + T5 review

For the first time the delivery is not in a 20kg box, that's refreshing. Oh hey it says Bluetooth 5.0 on the box. Unboxing The bag tells you to keep it away from babies. This is a grown man's speaker. The double-layer of wrapping is what we've gotten used to seeing from Edifier ...as...

forums.hardwarezone.com.sg

Yes four real channels. They only go up to 48Khz 24bit but so far I am fine with that.

I plan to use this set up to mix dance oriented electronic music. But I intend to to listen to a wide range of music to really understand
what the stereo sounds like.

Right now I am listening a track by that cancelled chap ( for good reason I might add ) that goes "She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene" .
I adjust the sub to fill the bottom end in but not make it obvious that there is a third "channel" in the middle of the sound space. I rolled the high cut down till it
took any kind of upper bass out. Nestled it in there. Like a nice warm bass nest.

When I A/B test my track with "That Track" the difference is very interesting. My mix is bass heavy and a bit muddy. This kind of testing is mandatory really.

I can't stand brittle, bright or "HiFi" sounding music. Does my ears in. I'm looking at you Captain Beef Heart...

The MR4 seems to do mid lows ok. Depends on the program. The T5 just dove tails in there.

All up for $400 NZD I think it's fine for my projects.
If I can get close to a famous mix sound on this stereo then I'm heading in the right direction. I guess..

Yes looking carefully at the X over of the sub and tops is next. At the moment I do it by ear.

Have a nice day!

 

[TonyJZX]

i mean yeah... the MR4 + T5 is like less than the Fosi V3 monos here so... i mean. this is what you get for the money... which isnt bad at all.

its pointless to tell people you can get better for more money, of course you can... my current amp I'm listening to right now is many multiples of this but i couldnt afford this amp when i was a poor university student!

I think OP has the right setup with a seperate dac

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000127530845.html

this???

 

[ZolaIII]

@5ynth3t1k buy a measurement mic, any will do especially as you already have pre input on interface. Get yourself familiar with REW and preferably EQ-APO. Learn to use it and to do proper digital crossovers. I do Butterwort second order 120 Hz in 2.2 system and prior I PEQ sub's out flat. Learn about room modes, EQ-ing in general and FIR convolutions and about importance of equal loudness compensation. Take it easy as there is a long road ahead of you. I wish you luck and welcome to ASR.

 

[5ynth3t1k]

This one here. It's old, discontinued and barely works on Win 10. I'm still on win 7 ....

I am still poor! Uni was a long time past, Political Science. I should have kept at it. Never mind.

The sound out of the MR4's is very clear. I guess they are Digital amps. I have not looked inside yet.
I like them. I do. and like all stereos they like somethings more than others... horses for course.
My pal swears by JBL and QSC for FOH. But then he does really loud...

These speakers really like Karen Carpenter.

Am using the bass guitar as a guide to mix the sub with the tops.

This song is amazing. It has a great range of instruments all through the track.

:- )

 

[staticV3]

You can do the intended way, which is:
PC->DAC/interface->RCA->T5->RCA->MR4

The T5's volume knob sets the bass<->mains balance and the DAC/interface volume knob sets the volume of the entire system.

Doing it that way is simple, but does not give you full control over each component.

For example, it seems like you would not be able to apply a high-pass filter to the MR4 to potentially reduce distortion some.

The alternative is to use an external crossover and connect to the T5 and MR4 separately.

You can then precisely set the crossover frequency and slope, set phase, and individually correct the frequency response of each component.

This can be done in software (Reaper, Equalizer APO etc), or in hardware (miniDSP 2x4 HD). There are trade-offs for both.

No matter which method you choose, your next step should definitely be to get a measurement microphone.

 

[5ynth3t1k]

You can do the intended way, which is:
PC->DAC/interface->RCA->T5->RCA->MR4

The T5's volume knob sets the bass<->mains balance and the DAC/interface volume knob sets the volume of the entire system.

Doing it that way is simple, but does not give you full control over each component.

For example, it seems like you would not be able to apply a high-pass filter to the MR4 to potentially reduce distortion some.

The alternative is to use an external crossover and connect to the T5 and MR4 separately.

You can then precisely set the crossover frequency and slope, set phase, and individually correct the frequency response of each component.

This can be done in software (Reaper, Equalizer APO etc), or in hardware (miniDSP 2x4 HD). There are trade-offs for both.

No matter which method you choose, your next step should definitely be to get a measurement microphone.

Yo.

I'm going to try the RTFM way for a while.
Then later I will fiddle with REAPER to drive the bass and tops somehow.
I am picking there is a two way Xover plug in that should be able to assign to 1/2 and 3/4 ... fingers crossed.

I hear you on the measurement mic. Paying attention I am.

Question: what do I do with my Marantz 1060 amp and Diamond 6.1 system? Ah, sell them !!!

For what it is worth the clarity of the MR4 and the T5 is a breath of fresh air. I can hear things...

For $144.14 the MR4 are fine for anything that has no low bass. With the sub they are great.

My vocals are popping. This is great. Worth it.

Cheers!