Recommended source setup for desktop with subwoofer? And how to connect it all/what accessories to get?

[kawauso]

oh wow japanese stuff is behind in terms of speakers eh?

and dang someone else who likes crinacle's stuff haha! I use the Moondrop x Crinacle DUSK, pretty much my iem endgame lol

JBL speakers? At first I was confused cus when i hear JBL i think of a boombox or those small wireless speakers but WOW i forgot they're part of Harman and that the whole harman group just makes esoteric stuff in general. But their research makes their products great as well lol. But yeowzers the prices! I went through your page, brilliant writing! And DANG the prices are sky high! They're not just endgame, they're endgame for my endgame lmaoo

Oh and sorryyyy I can't really disclose much personal info, I use this name on a number of sites and forums and I don't want to keep a lingering trail, my government is quite nosy with most stuff and I can't imagine what someone who's mad at what i said to them would do.

Just got myself a new pair of headphones lol.
Haven’t tried any other planar ones before, but people say these handle EQ really well since the distortion’s super low.

Moondrop Para 2 Planar Headphone Review

If you're "pragmatic", try to see what the Hifiman Edition XS goes for in AUSD - in USD, the XS + a Capra Audio strap to fix the comfort is about half the price of the Para 2 and responds just as well to EQ. And I say this as someone who is not a big fan of HFM generally - but you really can't...

www.audiosciencereview.com

You like Touhou and Miku too? I’m totally into Touhou: Perfect Cherry Blossom and Melt.

 

[Jiraya369]

Just got myself a new pair of headphones lol.
Haven’t tried any other planar ones before, but people say these handle EQ really well since the distortion’s super low.

Moondrop Para 2 Planar Headphone Review

If you're "pragmatic", try to see what the Hifiman Edition XS goes for in AUSD - in USD, the XS + a Capra Audio strap to fix the comfort is about half the price of the Para 2 and responds just as well to EQ. And I say this as someone who is not a big fan of HFM generally - but you really can't...

www.audiosciencereview.com

You like Touhou and Miku too? I’m totally into Touhou: Perfect Cherry Blossom and Melt.

omg another moondrop enjoyer and holy molyyyy that box art is so cute! reminds me of my own moondrop aria's waifu, it's my fav moondrop/iem waifu ever! The art was REALLY nice!

And dang! The Para 2 does indeed look like it's only matched by the Hifiman Arya Stealth at this price point, so great buy! A word of caution though, Moondrop and Hifiman aren't known for their qc (well they're known for bad qc lol). Make sure to be a bit gentler than usual.

Would love to hear your impressions after a little while when you get more used to the sound!

Also, I'm not going to act pretentious and say I'm a Touhou or Miku fanboy or anything lol. I'm just someone who loves the art pieces and memes that the fanbase produces, that's it lol. I'm personally not a fan of Miku's stuff, most songs sound too robotic and i only really love 2 songs : Gintama - Mantama and Watamote - Natsu Matsuri. And the only thing I actually know about from Touhou is Night of Nights/Flowering Night lol.

I must say, I highly respect producers of Miku songs, the production quality is outstanding. And ZUN is an insane person imo, how someone makes such iconic games, designs AND games is absolutely beyond me.... It's tough to excel in one of these fields and that guy does all 3!

 

[Jiraya369]

Welp.... Ascilab got back to me and said that 2 meters is recommended and 1.5m+ is good enough. That's just not possible where I am. I think I'm just gonna have to settle for headphones then lol

 

[10PSPMemSticksForMiku2007]

It's not like you have to buy $1200 bookshelf speakers or nothing. My whole surround sound system cost less than that and sounds pretty good to me, although I bought used stuff and built or modified my speaker cabinets. A couple hundred bucks on ebay, or parts express, can go quite a long way. Or you could get some that are more powerful for that amount. That said, saving up for what you really want might be wise if your heart is set on that model.

 

[Jiraya369]

It's not like you have to buy $1200 bookshelf speakers or nothing. My whole surround sound system cost less than that and sounds pretty good to me, although I bought used stuff and built or modified my speaker cabinets. A couple hundred bucks on ebay, or parts express, can go quite a long way. Or you could get some that are more powerful for that amount. That said, saving up for what you really want might be wise if your heart is set on that model.

it's not that, i just really wanted an endgame type setup. The Ascilab stuff was basically as good as a Neumann or Genelec monitor and i kinda dug that a LOT!

Well, I went out and splurged out on a Hifiman HE1000 V2 Stealth with a DX5 II DAC. And I must say I think the speaker would've been a poorer choice at nearfield at least.

 

[kawauso]

it's not that, i just really wanted an endgame type setup. The Ascilab stuff was basically as good as a Neumann or Genelec monitor and i kinda dug that a LOT!

Well, I went out and splurged out on a Hifiman HE1000 V2 Stealth with a DX5 II DAC. And I must say I think the speaker would've been a poorer choice at nearfield at least.

Oh nice, you grabbed the Hifiman HE1000 V2 Stealth and the DX5 II — congrats lol.
I was listening to my Para 2 yesterday and honestly, it feels like headphones have this kinda “unfair” bass you just can’t get from speakers lol.
Sure, my JTRs can crush them in max SPL, but headphones don’t have room effects so everything’s stupid clean.

By the way, I’ve been into this track lately — try it with the bass turned into full cannon mode.

 

[kawauso]

Speakers really are amazing too.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1989233237164716176

 

[Jiraya369]

Oh nice, you grabbed the Hifiman HE1000 V2 Stealth and the DX5 II — congrats lol.
I was listening to my Para 2 yesterday and honestly, it feels like headphones have this kinda “unfair” bass you just can’t get from speakers lol.
Sure, my JTRs can crush them in max SPL, but headphones don’t have room effects so everything’s stupid clean.

By the way, I’ve been into this track lately — try it with the bass turned into full cannon mode.

damn, if even you are impressed by headphones ig it makes sense why most people who are scared off by speakers are so willing to spend so much on headphones, like Audeze LCD-4 or LCD-5 for instance.

And woah, that song's crazy! just listening with my tws rn and it goes so deep, the slowed version really pulled the bass notes down to the depths!

My reference track for bass is Daft Punk's Get Lucky. Perfectly mixed song and can make any piece of equipment sound good. And the one track I use to compare all audio equipment, Illenium's Free Fall, it's just got both really nice lows and really nice highs which can test any setup and since I've listened to it like a billion times now, i also know it quite well so it helps in comparisons. It got me into the audio hobby as both a listener and as a bit of a producer, i didnt produce much and only mixed random stuff but yeah, this is the song that got me into it all lol

 

[Jiraya369]

Speakers really are amazing too.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1989233237164716176

damn brother, that looks insane! must sound insane too

i had to forego speakers cus of impossible to fix (in my scenario at least) issues and now you're giving me FOMO

 

[kawauso]

damn brother, that looks insane! must sound insane too

i had to forego speakers cus of impossible to fix (in my scenario at least) issues and now you're giving me FOMO

Yeah, Jiraya369 reference tracks make total sense — they’ve got everything in there: solid lows, clean highs, vocals, the whole balance. Perfect stuff for checking a system.
And hey, the road back to speakers is always waiting for you.
AsciLab is an insane speaker, but man… that delivery time is a little too mythical lol.

 

[Jiraya369]

Yeah, Jiraya369 reference tracks make total sense — they’ve got everything in there: solid lows, clean highs, vocals, the whole balance. Perfect stuff for checking a system.
And hey, the road back to speakers is always waiting for you.
AsciLab is an insane speaker, but man… that delivery time is a little too mythical lol.

I talked with some Ascend Acoustics guys and they said I can use the Sierra 1 V2 nearfield. Really tempted to get em later on instead of the Ascilab as the manufacturers have given me explicit minimum distance numbers.

18 inch inches is what they said was the minimum for the drivers to blend properly and that my distance was fine. That means i can use them on my desktop with stands!

Unless Ascilab either explicitly states it or is somehow able to provide their speakers at the time im going to be back in the market, i dont think im getting their stuff anymore, not a fan of their communication compared to Ascend Acoustics

 

[kawauso]

I talked with some Ascend Acoustics guys and they said I can use the Sierra 1 V2 nearfield. Really tempted to get em later on instead of the Ascilab as the manufacturers have given me explicit minimum distance numbers.

18 inch inches is what they said was the minimum for the drivers to blend properly and that my distance was fine. That means i can use them on my desktop with stands!

Unless Ascilab either explicitly states it or is somehow able to provide their speakers at the time im going to be back in the market, i dont think im getting their stuff anymore, not a fan of their communication compared to Ascend Acoustics

Jiraya369, just a bit of real experience for you. I own the Ascend Sierra-LX (the one in the photo I posted before). Honestly, I don’t dislike them, but they’re not “this is my endgame!” either.

The reason is simple: their sound-power DI fluctuates too much across the band. Around 5 kHz it spreads too wide, then from around 10 kHz the treble suddenly narrows and beams. Because of that abrupt change in dispersion, the soundstage can feel a bit messy at times.

Some people care about this, others don’t. The 5 kHz wide spread can make the room sound a bit too bright if the walls are close, and the vertical sweet spot is pretty narrow too. Spinorama scores heavily weight frequency response, so for someone like me who values directivity quality, LX just doesn’t line up perfectly with my taste.

Now, the Sierra-1 V2… I think there’s a good chance you might like them. They show Ascend’s strengths and weaknesses in a cleaner, more predictable way.

…but honestly? For nearfield, KEF is the safe best choice. Their vertical directivity is among the best in the world, super easy to live with, and if you don’t love them, resale value is strong enough that you’re never stuck.

If you’re using PEQ and a sub, LS50 Meta is basically the gold standard. If there are days you won’t use a sub, or if you prefer a slightly calmer, naturally narrower top-end “air”, then the Q Concerto Meta might match your taste better.

Anyway… take your time and enjoy thinking about it. That part is half the fun.

 

[Jiraya369]

Jiraya369, just a bit of real experience for you. I own the Ascend Sierra-LX (the one in the photo I posted before). Honestly, I don’t dislike them, but they’re not “this is my endgame!” either.

The reason is simple: their sound-power DI fluctuates too much across the band. Around 5 kHz it spreads too wide, then from around 10 kHz the treble suddenly narrows and beams. Because of that abrupt change in dispersion, the soundstage can feel a bit messy at times.

Some people care about this, others don’t. The 5 kHz wide spread can make the room sound a bit too bright if the walls are close, and the vertical sweet spot is pretty narrow too. Spinorama scores heavily weight frequency response, so for someone like me who values directivity quality, LX just doesn’t line up perfectly with my taste.

Now, the Sierra-1 V2… I think there’s a good chance you might like them. They show Ascend’s strengths and weaknesses in a cleaner, more predictable way.

…but honestly? For nearfield, KEF is the safe best choice. Their vertical directivity is among the best in the world, super easy to live with, and if you don’t love them, resale value is strong enough that you’re never stuck.

If you’re using PEQ and a sub, LS50 Meta is basically the gold standard. If there are days you won’t use a sub, or if you prefer a slightly calmer, naturally narrower top-end “air”, then the Q Concerto Meta might match your taste better.

Anyway… take your time and enjoy thinking about it. That part is half the fun.
View attachment 490372


View attachment 490374

I know about the KEF, they were actually my first choices lol. I first wanted the LSX II LT, then discovered the LS50 Meta when i thought the LS50 Wireless II was completely out of my budget and then discovered the Q Concerto Meta. Was thinking of waiting and saving up for the R3 Meta (this vid also influenced me a little) till next year but then I saw that for the most part, the Q Concerto Meta was as good as I'd have wanted nearfield.

This was all after me deciding that the Neumann KH310A was gonna be my endgame lol. I first looked at the Neumann, thought it looked sweet then found kef and kind of fell for the design, especially the 3 way bookshelves, just stunning really. And the brand's transparency with measurements and stuff was also something I loved and I'm a man who loves technically sound products, the KEFs have narrow but tight/constant dispersion and im sure I'd have loved that.

Then I saw the Ascilab C6B from Erin and the F series stuff from ASR, then saw these people post the Klippel measurements, really liked that. And the distortion performance with subs was mind boggling, especially considering the price. It was exactly around the price I was looking at.

But it kinda sucks that not only is the stock not easy to find, but they dont even reply that much or that quick. Ascend Acoustics on the other hand gave me a reply instantly and answered exactly what i wanted in a day, ascilab gave a vague answer after 10 days, i asked another question and no updates yet. Kind of frustrating knowing whether or not I should've saved or not, that's why I went ahead and got the headphones, what's the point of saving up if the speakers aren't even going to be usable for me?

And since I have headphones, I think I can get "tight" imaging and that's why I was curious about the Sierra 1 V2, speakers giving me the "wide" sound and immersing me, headphones giving me the open, yet still comparatively intimate sound.

If we just base off of specs/measurements though, to my eyes, the Adam Audio T5V, Genelec 8331, Neumann KH80 and all the other monitors in the upper and lower classes from these companies and Ascilab's speakers have the same/quite similar horizontal directivity, meaning tight imaging. Genelec providing better verticality with its coaxial but if i have stands it wont matter, the main issue is distance and that's where even Genelec's big speakers win due to the coaxial nature not needing distance for the tweeter and woofer to blend together. The reason why I was even more keen on the Ascilab stuff was just this, they were so close to the studio monitors but where i live, at the cost of the Neumann KH120 II, i can get a whole Ascilab C6B+subwoofer setup, that's what intrigued me even more.

But anyways, i said why i was frustrated, and unless ascilab gives a good, concise answer, i dont think i'll be dealing with someone like that. Slow and vague answers are what i expect from reddit blokes, not science based technically proficient speaker manufacturers.

 

[kawauso]

I know about the KEF, they were actually my first choices lol. I first wanted the LSX II LT, then discovered the LS50 Meta when i thought the LS50 Wireless II was completely out of my budget and then discovered the Q Concerto Meta. Was thinking of waiting and saving up for the R3 Meta (this vid also influenced me a little) till next year but then I saw that for the most part, the Q Concerto Meta was as good as I'd have wanted nearfield.

This was all after me deciding that the Neumann KH310A was gonna be my endgame lol. I first looked at the Neumann, thought it looked sweet then found kef and kind of fell for the design, especially the 3 way bookshelves, just stunning really. And the brand's transparency with measurements and stuff was also something I loved and I'm a man who loves technically sound products, the KEFs have narrow but tight/constant dispersion and im sure I'd have loved that.

Then I saw the Ascilab C6B from Erin and the F series stuff from ASR, then saw these people post the Klippel measurements, really liked that. And the distortion performance with subs was mind boggling, especially considering the price. It was exactly around the price I was looking at.

But it kinda sucks that not only is the stock not easy to find, but they dont even reply that much or that quick. Ascend Acoustics on the other hand gave me a reply instantly and answered exactly what i wanted in a day, ascilab gave a vague answer after 10 days, i asked another question and no updates yet. Kind of frustrating knowing whether or not I should've saved or not, that's why I went ahead and got the headphones, what's the point of saving up if the speakers aren't even going to be usable for me?

And since I have headphones, I think I can get "tight" imaging and that's why I was curious about the Sierra 1 V2, speakers giving me the "wide" sound and immersing me, headphones giving me the open, yet still comparatively intimate sound.

If we just base off of specs/measurements though, to my eyes, the Adam Audio T5V, Genelec 8331, Neumann KH80 and all the other monitors in the upper and lower classes from these companies and Ascilab's speakers have the same/quite similar horizontal directivity, meaning tight imaging. Genelec providing better verticality with its coaxial but if i have stands it wont matter, the main issue is distance and that's where even Genelec's big speakers win due to the coaxial nature not needing distance for the tweeter and woofer to blend together. The reason why I was even more keen on the Ascilab stuff was just this, they were so close to the studio monitors but where i live, at the cost of the Neumann KH120 II, i can get a whole Ascilab C6B+subwoofer setup, that's what intrigued me even more.

But anyways, i said why i was frustrated, and unless ascilab gives a good, concise answer, i dont think i'll be dealing with someone like that. Slow and vague answers are what i expect from reddit blokes, not science based technically proficient speaker manufacturers.

Ascilab not replying is… yeah, that’s not great.
Especially if it’s a prepaid situation — that would bother me too.

Ascend, on the other hand, answers fast and actually gives useful details, so the contrast feels even bigger.

The safest picks are still KEF, Neumann, and Genelec of course.
If you want something a bit more boutique, Audio First Designs could be an option.
Harry is super responsive and gives off a genuinely helpful vibe.

 

[Jiraya369]

Ascilab not replying is… yeah, that’s not great.
Especially if it’s a prepaid situation — that would bother me too.

Ascend, on the other hand, answers fast and actually gives useful details, so the contrast feels even bigger.

The safest picks are still KEF, Neumann, and Genelec of course.
If you want something a bit more boutique, Audio First Designs could be an option.
Harry is super responsive and gives off a genuinely helpful vibe.

i really liked the audio first fidelia, if it were pre-built i'd have gotten it, i dont think i have the time to set it all up so i forgot about it lol

and ofc kef and stuff are safer picks but their costs are higher in multiples for the same/similar performance lol though they do have better designs/better availability so there's that.

 

[kawauso]

i really liked the audio first fidelia, if it were pre-built i'd have gotten it, i dont think i have the time to set it all up so i forgot about it lol

and ofc kef and stuff are safer picks but their costs are higher in multiples for the same/similar performance lol though they do have better designs/better availability so there's that.

You even know Audio First Fidelia? Impressive.
Ascilab’s cost-performance is just crazy good, so everything else looks “expensive” next to it,
but KEF is absolutely not low value for what you get.

And when you factor in things like resale value and proper warranty support,
it’s not always clear that small manufacturers are truly better value.

The LS50 Meta can sound a bit sharp without EQ,
but once you tune it properly, it becomes like this.

 

[Jiraya369]

You even know Audio First Fidelia? Impressive.
Ascilab’s cost-performance is just crazy good, so everything else looks “expensive” next to it,
but KEF is absolutely not low value for what you get.

And when you factor in things like resale value and proper warranty support,
it’s not always clear that small manufacturers are truly better value.

The LS50 Meta can sound a bit sharp without EQ,
but once you tune it properly, it becomes like this.

View attachment 490385

Yesss! You're so right! The fact that despite being a "big" brand with well designed consumer friendly models AND extensive distribution, KEF's speakers are surprisingly well priced! The Q Concerto Meta in particular looks like a steal compared to every other thing around the price point!

i dont hate how the ls50 meta looks but at least where i live, it's 300 dollars more expensive than the Q Concerto Meta. So it's a smaller speaker, that's less good looking (imo), which goes less deep and has less headroom. Like, apart from the uniqueness of the design and the size, i don't really get why it's more expensive, special edition ig?

Honest to God bro, if it weren't for the fact that im a massive sucker for technical ability, thus imaging ability, i'd have just said the Q Concerto Meta is still the no brainer at this price point. KEF's good looking design along with their coaxial setup are just great positives already, add in the excellent performance and dang... hard to complain!!! On-axis and estimated responses are accurate but a bit bumpy compared to the C6B, and harmonic distortion looks worse but the KEF has similar multitone and better compression (based on Erin's data). Oh and better vertical directivity as well. I think if you consider room variations and the fact that everyone has to EQ anyways, both are just mighty close, ofc Ascilab's one being better in imaging and stuff

 

[kawauso]

Honestly, the best thing about the LS50 Meta is just how clean and consistent the directivity is.
With EQ and a sub, it sounds so good that even after listening to my Reference 1 Meta in the other room, I still go “damn, this thing is nice.”

The Q Concerto Meta has that chilled-out treble, so I get the appeal. It’s a comfy speaker for sure.

Yeah, the LS50 Meta doesn’t have huge headroom, but once you add a sub it’ll still do around 95 dB and fill the room just fine.
But if the looks don’t click for you, then it’s game over. I actually think the colors are cute though lol.

 

[Jiraya369]

Honestly, the best thing about the LS50 Meta is just how clean and consistent the directivity is.
With EQ and a sub, it sounds so good that even after listening to my Reference 1 Meta in the other room, I still go “damn, this thing is nice.”

The Q Concerto Meta has that chilled-out treble, so I get the appeal. It’s a comfy speaker for sure.

Yeah, the LS50 Meta doesn’t have huge headroom, but once you add a sub it’ll still do around 95 dB and fill the room just fine.
But if the looks don’t click for you, then it’s game over. I actually think the colors are cute though lol.
View attachment 490386

yeah it's cute but i like the meaner but still just as nice look of the Q Concerto. Adding higher headroom on top of a lower price makes that a no brainer for me in the KEF lineup lol

 

[kawauso]

yeah it's cute but i like the meaner but still just as nice look of the Q Concerto. Adding higher headroom on top of a lower price makes that a no brainer for me in the KEF lineup lol

Have you had a chance to listen to any KEF speakers?
Q7 Meta is honestly really good, you should give it a try!