Finished setup NAD d3020v2 + DBR-62 + desktop PC - is there anything more to do?

[Offler]

So...

After roughly month I finished setup of new speaker system, and I would like to run down what I have learned during the process on this forum and ask you guys, what else can be done to improve the sound quality.

I will start at the speakers, moving to the source.

a) Speakers
I puchased Elac DBR-62s mainly because I found review on this forum, with all needed technical data. Price/performance ratio is excellent and I really like how they sound. Cables to amp are quite common copper speakers wires, 1.5m long.

b) Amplifier
I was looking for a small, integrated, power-efficient solution, which can fit on the table. To me were available just Yamaha WXA-50 and NAD d3020v2. The goal was to achieve values close to CD audio requirements. Unfortunately there are no scientific reviews, I did measurements myself - SNR is105dB and THD -81.5dB, and under normal circumstances, power consumption is at 16Watt.

c) Connection
I planned to use OPT for 44,1KHz 16bit sound output from PC and AUX for 48KHz 24bit. First should be used for normal daily use and mainly gaming, the other for DVDs and BluRays, in order to minimize re-sampling distortion.

AUX cable costed 40 Euro, its gold plated and shielded QED 3.5mm jack to 2xCinch, OPT Toslink costed 15 Euro and its AudioTuning 10, both cables are 1.5m long.

After initial hearing tests, I was convinced that AUX somehow sounds much better. Then I read about used DAC in the amplifier and realized that there must be a different issue. I did some measurements, learned about CAudioLimiter in Windows, and fixed issue in Windows Audio Stack and balanced audio output of OPT and AUX. Now both inputs sound the same, measurements say that OPT has lower noise levels as it isolates DAC from the rest of the system.

Due this I will probably just use OPT and switch between 44.1KHz 24bit / 48KHz 24bit.

d) ALC1220
Internal soundcard in my PC. 3.6 Roentgen, not great not terrible. Unfortunately, all of its analog outputs and inputs can carry EM coilwhine from my GPU. Mainly used for its optical SPDIF Out, while in case of a problem I can revert to analog.

e) Equalizer APO
Kind people on this forum provided great EQ profile for DBR-62s, -0.14dB gain avoids triggering CAudioLimiter on OPT and -3.76dB to balance AUX with OPT. This way sound of any game in my system gets equalization and both inputs are of same loudness.

f) Foobar2000, MPC-HC, PowerDVD20
I use Foobar2000 as a primary music player. It allows use of Wasapi Exclusive mode via plugin if necessary and gapless playback.

MPC-HC in combination with LAV Audio filters is used for DVDs and BluRays. Source audio is usually multichannel 48KHz 16 or 24bit, downmixed to stereo 32bit Float and then sent to DAC (where is converted to 24bit again). At this point I am not really sure if EQ APO is needed or useful for movies, therefore I am not sure whether to use Wasapi Exclusive. It would make playing movies much more convenient - no need to switch between sampling rates.

PowerDVD20 serves as a default player when other software fails and I kept it set to Exclusive mode. It allows and DVD/BluRay, or to view Youtube in exclusive mode.

g) Sources
Mostly I would like to use lossless media, preferably CDDA, FLAC, Lossless DTS-HD MA. Rest are compressed 5.1 audio formats on DVDs and audio in PC games (often a real treat).

To play media, possibility to set Wasapi exclusive mode is a must, however PC games do not offer this feature. EQ APO was therefore solution to possible distortion by the system. Also I use movie streaming, however I dont have much information about the audio quality.

Anything else?
I am not going to perform room measurements, speakers are used in near-field situation.
I got myself new more powerful surge protection (2690 joule), but no noise filtering equipment - not much help as most of the EM noise comes from the PC and that was solved by Toslink

 

[gsp1971]

Will you be listening to music near your PC?

 

[Offler]

Will you be listening to music near your PC?

Yes. There are good news and bad news in that regard.

Bad news:
PC is actively cooled, so there is some noise due fans and water pump.
I cannot turn fans down for certain gaming scenarios.
USB Optical drive is surprisingly loud.

Good news:
Silent mode turns down fans to about 3-5dB, 1,5m away from computer, ambient noise outside is usually louder.
Fans are not much a problem when playing media.
Most of my music is loud and aggressive creating "wall of sound".
PC is partially dampened and placed behind the table.

I might build new completely fanless system, with much lower power consumption.
Putting display, speakers, and peripherals to completely different room than PC is not completely out of question, but not viable.

 

[gsp1971]

I understand. And how far away are you from the speakers?

 

[daftcombo]

You've finished hifi. Congratulations.

 

[Offler]

I understand. And how far away are you from the speakers?

About 50-75cm when working and listening or gaming, bit further when watching movies.

In this configuration it forms "phantom center" - sound apparently comes from the screen. It has enough "punch" for bass even without subwoofer.

 

[gsp1971]

I think it works. I was afraid the NAD might not be powerful enough but you are sitting fairly close so it's fine. Enjoy your new gear!

 

[Offler]

I think it works. I was afraid the NAD might not be powerful enough but you are sitting fairly close so it's fine.

Well, the speakers dont make any sound until its on 35%, at 50% its still quite silent, mostly has to run on 60-80% (as per indication, power consumption is mostly all the time at 16 watts, unless I turn it to 100%) and it jumps a lot aftewards, so I understand the concern.

I was quite limited by dimensions and purpose. Getting separate DAC, Preamp, Amp would be impractical, and probably way too good given PC as a source.

There isn't many integrated amps I could put on the table, with optical SPDIF, speaker output and low power.
1. Denon PMA-50 or 150
2. Yamaha WXA-50
3. NAD d3020v2 or d3045.

Others (like Loxjie a30) were and still are not available here. Denon option was quite expensive for what it is, and then I narrowed it down to d3020v2 and WXA-50 due price.

Yamaha has smart features and maybe is better choice (the only with review on this forum). I was bit afraid it "cheats" with EQ instead of producing natural sound. I got more basic d3020v2 made my own amp measuring and fixed bunch of measurable issues during the process .

I would like to see d3020v2 to be tested by Amir but I am probably not going to replaced it in a while.

 

[gsp1971]

Well, the speakers dont make any sound until its on 35%, at 50% its still quite silent, mostly has to run on 60-80% (as per indication, power consumption is mostly all the time at 16 watts, unless I turn it to 100%) and it jumps a lot aftewards, so I understand the concern.

I was quite limited by dimensions and purpose. Getting separate DAC, Preamp, Amp would be impractical, and probably way too good given PC as a source.

There isn't many integrated amps I could put on the table, with optical SPDIF, speaker output and low power.
1. Denon PMA-50 or 150
2. Yamaha WXA-50
3. NAD d3020v2 or d3045.

Others (like Loxjie a30) were and still are not available here. Denon option was quite expensive for what it is, and then I narrowed it down to d3020v2 and WXA-50 due price.

Yamaha has smart features and maybe is better choice (the only with review on this forum). I was bit afraid it "cheats" with EQ instead of producing natural sound. I got more basic d3020v2 made my own amp measuring and fixed bunch of measurable issues during the process .

I would like to see d3020v2 to be tested by Amir but I am probably not going to replaced it in a while.

For PC use, gaming, etc. the set-up is fine. If in the future you decide to go for a more traditional 2-ch setup in the living room or something, you can invest in a pair of stands for your speakers and an integrated amp and you are good to go. A good Blu-Ray player can complete the set-up - fairly affordable these days - and most of them also play SACD, DVD-Audio, accept USB sticks or drives etc.

Let us know your thoughts on the DBR-62s, once you have had them for a while and you have played a wide range of material through them. Are they as good as Amir says? What about quality of cabinet construction? Is it decent or does it look cheap-ish?

 

[Offler]

[QUOTE="gsp1971[/QUOTE]

I have them about a month and I went through some jazz, blues, classical music but mostly extreme metal also through some movies with DTS-HD MA (Blade Runner 2049, Chernobyl, Constantine, original Ghost in the Shell). Movies definitely sound like in the cinema.

However I did not had Hifi equipment before, so everything now sounds absolutely perfect.

 

[Beershaun]

I'd suggest a powered subwoofer to fill out the low end. That would be the biggest thing you could do to increase your enjoyment and preference score.

 

[TimW]

How far below your ear level are the tweeters? Amir usually measures speakers on axis with the tweeter because that is the intended listening axis and the speaker measures best that way. If you look at the vertical directivity graph for this speaker, it should sound best on tweeter axis.

Also, when a speaker is placed on a desk the low end is affected by boundary effect. This is why studio monitors often come with switches for adjusting the bass response based on their placement:

You can correct the low frequencies by measuring the response at your listening position and correcting for it with EQ. But using stands to raise the tweeters up to ear level will ameliorate the boundary effect issue while also giving you a flatter frequency response in the rest of the spectrum.

 

[Offler]

Tweeters are perfectly on axis with my ears. I did not needed to adjust display nor table, nor chair.

Speakers are front ported, bass sounds (and feels) right. There is like 1 meter space behind the speakers.

 

[spacevector]

Only two things I can suggest are:

1. Buy/borrow a measurement mic like UMIK-1 and use it to EQ the bass region.
2. Already suggested above - buy subwoofer for THE BASS.

 

[Offler]

Only two things I can suggest are:

1. Buy/borrow a measurement mic like UMIK-1 and use it to EQ the bass region.
2. Already suggested above - buy subwoofer for THE BASS.

I am trying to stay low-power, and the bass sound is OK within the small room.

Anyway, even when its inaudible, i want to solve this first.

It does not get to the speakers as those are isolated behind Toslink. This is Line-In without any signal, and its present in USB as well. I wanted to measure amp SNR and THD. I have some rough numbers (SNR around 97db, THD -93db) but those seem to be still affected by the noise.

Trying to measure anything had to be done using different DAC over USB.