Seeking advice for pc hifi

[mango.xis]

hi, i'm newbie and english is not my first language, so please bear with me…

Q
1. which option sound better?
A) D10Balanced-PA3S-Dali Spektor 2
B) D30ProBalanced-PA3S-Dali Spektor 1
C) D10Balanced-PA5-Dali Spektor 1
D) D10Balanced-Aiyima Tube T7-PA3S-Dali Spektor 1
ps. is spektor "ok" for "near-field"?

2. beside of music, if i use d10 as pc dac for gaming or movie, will the audio and video out of sync?

3. with this budget, will a all in one product like airpulse a100 be a better option?

4. can i use zx300 walkman as speaker dac?

i use headphone for years, but after discovering this forum, i decided to give it a try.
i know nothing about bookshelf speaker, any advice will be greatly appreciated

 

[xaviescacs]

Why not actives (adam, KRK, Kali) and a DAC with volume control?

Or if you want to control the volume with the PC, then with the D10Balanced you are done.

 

[ZolaIII]

I would really spend more money on the speakers (both better and bigger one's) and less on the amplifier and DAC.
If you want to go integrated speakers amp path do try out Yamaha HS8.
I wouldn't use a Walkman even if it could give enough power (unbalanced 2V, 4V balanced) as a line out. Eventually temporarily and if I really must.
Regarding number 2 no you won't have problems (with any wired type of connection) regarding latency and sync.
For gaming how ever you can get better with adapted DSP pressets and integrated Dolby (still older basic one) support if you are into those things (personally I don't and find it a little bit on cheating side regarding gaming). And please in the future put a full manufacturer and product name (or resignation) when you ask about it.

 

[bravomail]

hi, i'm newbie and english is not my first language, so please bear with me…

Q
1. which option sound better?
A) D10Balanced-PA3S-Dali Spektor 2
B) D30ProBalanced-PA3S-Dali Spektor 1
C) D10Balanced-PA5-Dali Spektor 1
D) D10Balanced-Aiyima Tube T7-PA3S-Dali Spektor 1
ps. is spektor "ok" for "near-field"?

best combo from ur list
C) D10Balanced-PA5-Dali Spektor 1

But there r some other good passive speakers.
or u can go with powered speakers and forego PA5.

 

[ThatM1key]

I personally don't think your gonna notice the difference between unbalanced or balanced, unless your gear is separated around your room and have terrible electricity, but it's your call.

It's better to spread out your components than to have them all in one. A good pair of speakers and an amp is gonna punch harder than some active speakers.

It turns of volume control, rely on your amp's volume not a DAC & Windows 10.

These days, its very hard to have delayed video audio sync so you should be good.

 

[Triliza]

For near-field powered speakers would be a better choice imo. Have a look at Kali LP-6 V2 (2nd Wave), they are about $400 a pair. You would need to get a dac with volume control, D30 Pro should be fine, but read the thread about it because it has some problems pairing with some gear. If you think you'll want to use bluetooth you'd have to look at a dac that can do that. Best write down your needs and have a look at the Review Index to find what you need.

 

[mango.xis]

Why not actives (adam, KRK, Kali) and a DAC with volume control?

Or if you want to control the volume with the PC, then with the D10Balanced you are done.

Kali LP6 looks great! thank you!

 

[mango.xis]

I would really spend more money on the speakers (both better and bigger one's) and less on the amplifier and DAC.
If you want to go integrated speakers amp path do try out Yamaha HS8.
I wouldn't use a Walkman even if it could give enough power (unbalanced 2V, 4V balanced) as a line out. Eventually temporarily and if I really must.
Regarding number 2 no you won't have problems (with any wired type of connection) regarding latency and sync.
For gaming how ever you can get better with adapted DSP pressets and integrated Dolby (still older basic one) support if you are into those things (personally I don't and find it a little bit on cheating side regarding gaming). And please in the future put a full manufacturer and product name (or resignation) when you ask about it.

thank you for letting me know Yamaha HS, they are so beautiful!
however, the Yamaha HS8 is too big for my computer desk.
how is the sound quality of the Yamaha HS7/HS5? can i consider it?
sorry! i will edit my post.

edit
no, i can't, it's say: The time limit to edit this message (1400 minutes) has expired. sorry!

 

[mango.xis]

best combo from ur list
C) D10Balanced-PA5-Dali Spektor 1

But there r some other good passive speakers.
or u can go with powered speakers and forego PA5.

i have started looking for powered speakers. thank you very much!

 

[mango.xis]

I personally don't think your gonna notice the difference between unbalanced or balanced, unless your gear is separated around your room and have terrible electricity, but it's your call.

It's better to spread out your components than to have them all in one. A good pair of speakers and an amp is gonna punch harder than some active speakers.

It turns of volume control, rely on your amp's volume not a DAC & Windows 10.

These days, its very hard to have delayed video audio sync so you should be good.

thank you so much for sharing your experience!
so in powered speakers, isn't DAC a necessity?
if i choose Yamaha HS, do i still need a DAC to improve the sound quality?

 

[mango.xis]

For near-field powered speakers would be a better choice imo. Have a look at Kali LP-6 V2 (2nd Wave), they are about $400 a pair. You would need to get a dac with volume control, D30 Pro should be fine, but read the thread about it because it has some problems pairing with some gear. If you think you'll want to use bluetooth you'd have to look at a dac that can do that. Best write down your needs and have a look at the Review Index to find what you need.

is there any way to distinguish whether it is V1 or V2?
do you have any other DAC that suitable for Kali LP6 V2 you can introduce to me?

 

[Offler]

2. beside of music, if i use d10 as pc dac for gaming or movie, will the audio and video out of sync?

It will be perfectly fine.

Just one thing, you might consider to use Optical SPDIF Input from PC if its available. My GPU produces audible noise which does get to the speakers if using analog input, but does not get through optical connection.

 

[ZolaIII]

thank you for letting me know Yamaha HS, they are so beautiful!
however, the Yamaha HS8 is too big for my computer desk.
how is the sound quality of the Yamaha HS7/HS5? can i consider it?
sorry! i will edit my post.

edit
no, i can't, it's say: The time limit to edit this message (1400 minutes) has expired. sorry!

Nope smaller ones simply don't sound right, only the one's with 8" driver do lo end satisfactory and in line. What you get with Yamaha HS line is good AB class amplifier which also should be deacent regarding longevity and the main down side is balanced inputs only (which I don't think is a problem for you). So me by you end buying a larger desk. They aren't great (HS8's) but they are more than good enough, especially for the price.

 

[Triliza]

is there any way to distinguish whether it is V1 or V2?
do you have any other DAC that suitable for Kali LP6 V2 you can introduce to me?

V1 costs about $150 each while V2 is about $200 each. They look identical as far as I can tell, but vendors will say in the description if it's V2. Also it says in the back of the speaker which version it is, see the attached picture.

A balanced dac would be the best choice, it all depend what your needs are and how much you are willing to pay. For example you may prefer for convenience a dac/headphone amplifier since you use headphones also. Needs and budget are very important to understand when building a system, it needs some thinking to get the best results.

 

[mango.xis]

Nope smaller ones simply don't sound right, only the one's with 8" driver do lo end satisfactory and in line. What you get with Yamaha HS line is good AB class amplifier which also should be deacent regarding longevity and the main down side is balanced inputs only (which I don't think is a problem for you). So me by you end buying a larger desk. They aren't great (HS8's) but they are more than good enough, especially for the price.

I think a pair of adjustable stand can solve the problem. How about Kali LP6 2nd wave? Do you recommend they?

 

[mango.xis]

V1 costs about $150 each while V2 is about $200 each. They look identical as far as I can tell, but vendors will say in the description if it's V2. Also it says in the back of the speaker which version it is, see the attached picture.

A balanced dac would be the best choice, it all depend what your needs are and how much you are willing to pay. For example you may prefer for convenience a dac/headphone amplifier since you use headphones also. Needs and budget are very important to understand when building a system, it needs some thinking to get the best results.

my budget is $800 max (including speakers). i donnt need a headphones output, im happy with my sony. but i want to try something new, so maybe a balanced dac with tube? is there something like this?

 

[ZolaIII]

I think a pair of adjustable stand can solve the problem. How about Kali LP6 2nd wave? Do you recommend they?

If you think recommending things to people is something easy you are wrong it isn't. Just audition that Yamahas. What ever you buy insist that it doesn't have twitter hiss (either AB class amp or good G-H one). There is a lot of those that are already mesured either hire or elsewhere (including better Kalis which didn't exactly shine) so pick what you like and good luck to you.

 

[AnalogSteph]

That's US$800, right? Definitely a decent budget.

I'd see whether you could fit some Kali IN-5s ($349 a pop). Add a $99 Arturia Minifuse 1 as an audio interface, and we're almost there... now you can't really get a pair of TRS to XLR (male) patch cables for $3, but I hope $21.10 for a pair of 5 ft Hosa STX-105M won't be bankrupting you right away. (As a bonus, you'd get an XLR microphone input complete with phantom power in case you don't already have something decent in this regard.)

If you're located somewhere else, please say so. The above are US prices at Sweetwater.

The ZX300 should basically work, even if 4.4 mm Pentaconn to XLR cables typically sell for around $99 by themselves.

 

[Katji]

so in powered speakers, isn't DAC a necessity?
if i choose Yamaha HS, do i still need a DAC to improve the sound quality?

"Powered" means it has amplifier/s, "active" means it integrates DAC.

Powered speaker has only TRS and/or XLR input connectors, active will also have digital inputs like S/PDIF coaxial and TOSlink.
TRS and/or XLR means analog input, so needs DAC in front of it.
Input from computer headphone jack or RCA, or from DAC RCA or XLR outputs. DAC in computer/device, or DAC input connected to computer/device USB or S/PDIF coaxial/TOSlink.
Like Yamaha HS...

Active speaker...

 

[Triliza]

my budget is $800 max (including speakers). i donnt need a headphones output, im happy with my sony. but i want to try something new, so maybe a balanced dac with tube? is there something like this?

I don't know much about tubes and I wouldn't recommend getting anything with tubes for your first desktop system, balanced or not. There is this tube dac that Amir measured, see for yourself how it performed:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/mhdt-labs-pagoda-review-r2r-tube-dac.28575/

It's your choice though, good luck with whatever you decide to get.