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Seeking advice on an "upgrade"

ripwire

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Well, not quite an upgrade... but I'm not sure what else to call it.

The background:

I have a pair of Emotiva Airmotive 5s' (powered speakers) hooked up to a Topping E30, and I've really enjoyed this setup. There's just one snag with it and it's that for the past few years there's been a random scratching sound coming out of one tweeter. The power LED on that unit also flickers constantly and I figure something in the electronics is bust. I've decided that it's about time I finally did something about it.

Sending them back for repairs isn't really an option for me, plus they're a discontinued model. Given how much I've enjoyed them, and that the Emotiva B1+s appear to be physically identical, I figured I'd replace the 5s' with the B1+s.

The thing of course is that the B1+s are unpowered, so I'm going to need an amp. The way I see it, I've got a few options:

Option 1 - E30 + PA3s
The most straighforward and cheapest option is to get a PA3s to go with my existing E30. I'm tempted by the draw of higher performance figures though.

Option 2 - E50 + PA5
A nice bump up the performance charts, but also a bump up in cost. There's also the concern about issues with the PA5. After the annoyance with my 5s', I'd really like a setup that's as hassle free as possible. Another point about this combo is that it appears to be balanced only? (More on this later.)

Option 3 - E50 + LA90
This solves the reliability concerns with option 2, and it's a further nudge up the charts, but at this point it's not quite the "budget" solution I originally intended. Does still seem to be great value compared to what else is out there. Again, also balanced only.

Other thoughts:

Unless something comes along that stands out enough, I'm probably going to go with the B1+ speakers. This wouldn't change much even if I went with something else as they'd very likely also be unpowered. I have wondered if I might want to get an accompanying subwoofer down the line, but that's nowhere in the near future. But if I do, the question then is how do I hook that up ? I haven't spent much time looking at them, so my current understanding is that I'd need to pass an unbalanced connection through the subwoofer, with volume control at the DAC, something I don't seem to be able to do with options 2 and 3 above.

Appreciate any thoughts and inputs. And apologies in advance if I don't reply promptly. Life's been getting busy of late.
 

Galliardist

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How is your current system set up? Speakers on stands, or is this a desktop system? What distance are you listening from, and what size room?

The B1+ doesn't appear to be a particularly sensitive speaker. I'd keep the E30 with any of these options. The LA90 looks like a better choice than the others for the B1+ for a standard in room setup, but may not be needed for a desktop or nearfield system.

Just because the B1+ appears identical, it doesn't guarantee similar sound to your current speakers because the crossover design will be different. So you really should consider other speakers. It gives you the chance to stay with an active setup, as well.

If you have the money, I'd look to add any sub at the same time as the speaker replacement. The best upgrade is one that adds capability - a chase for your "best sound" is likely not to work out so well. At the very least, make sure your system will integrate a sub easily when the time comes. I'm sure there are PA5 and LA90 users with subs here who can explain how to do it - search for it because they may already have!
 
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ripwire

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Current system is a desktop, I'm seated I guess 2 feet away from the speakers and they're mounted on foam blocks. The room isn't huge, Maybe 10 x 15 ft? Apartments tend to be small around here, so even if I move, it's almost certainly not going to be a big space.

Just because the B1+ appears identical, it doesn't guarantee similar sound to your current speakers because the crossover design will be different. So you really should consider other speakers. It gives you the chance to stay with an active setup, as well.

If you have the money, I'd look to add any sub at the same time as the speaker replacement. The best upgrade is one that adds capability - a chase for your "best sound" is likely not to work out so well. At the very least, make sure your system will integrate a sub easily when the time comes. I'm sure there are PA5 and LA90 users with subs here who can explain how to do it - search for it because they may already have!

True, but the B1+ also appears to review well, so I'm comfortable taking that chance. I've been looking around at other speakers, and at the moment I haven't seen anything I really like.

A sub would be a space issue for me, so there's no way that can happen in the near future. I did a quick look around, and it appears that it's possible to run both a balanced amp and subwoofers off an E50 at the same time, but volume control is from the source or the E50. Not sure if that works for me.
 

Galliardist

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Current system is a desktop, I'm seated I guess 2 feet away from the speakers and they're mounted on foam blocks. The room isn't huge, Maybe 10 x 15 ft? Apartments tend to be small around here, so even if I move, it's almost certainly not going to be a big space.



True, but the B1+ also appears to review well, so I'm comfortable taking that chance. I've been looking around at other speakers, and at the moment I haven't seen anything I really like.

A sub would be a space issue for me, so there's no way that can happen in the near future. I did a quick look around, and it appears that it's possible to run both a balanced amp and subwoofers off an E50 at the same time, but volume control is from the source or the E50. Not sure if that works for me.
Thanks. For a desktop setup, it may be worth looking at alternative active speakers, but if you go with the B1+ you shouldn't need more than the PA5 or an equivalent. But if you aren't using an integrated amp watch out for low gain. I doubt that in a nearfield setup much will go wrong though. I presume that some alternatives at least have been reviewed here.

Make sure you have space for the amp and ventilation, as well.

If you move away from a desktop setup to one for a room, standmount, etc, it may well be better to start from scratch for amp/speakers/sub at that point. There is some advantage in getting a better amp at this point if you know you are going to make that change in the not too distant future.
Why must the speakers be Emotiva?
No need for the amp to be Topping, either, come to that.
 

Recluse-Animator

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What's your budget?
For near field I always recommend coaxial speakers for best soundstage and imaging.
 

Webninja

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JBL 305/6/8 if you are not sensitive to hiss. Genelec/Neumann if your budget allows.

I wouldn’t go from actives to passives, but that’s just me.
 
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ripwire

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Why must the speakers be Emotiva?
It doesn't.

So far I've had a listen to Q Acoustics, didn't like them. Elac - was nice, but the particular model I was listening to cost quite a bit more than the B1+. Am planning to see what their other options are like. It's just that so far the B1+ seem to offer a lot of bang for the buck.

As for the DAC/amp being Topping, there's no requirement there either. It's just that I've spent more time looking at their product line. Am open to suggestions - really it's about the value/quality and not about the brand.

As for active vs. passive, the trouble with an active is when the electronics act up, that's the entire thing out of commission. Keeping them separate, to me, just makes things easier.
 
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ripwire

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What's your budget?
For near field I always recommend coaxial speakers for best soundstage and imaging.

Budgetwise I'd like to keep it as low as possible. I'm a little flexible, but the LA90 is already pushing into "do I really want to spend that much?" territory.

How far does "nearfield" extend before it stops being nearfield?
 

Recluse-Animator

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I would say everything under 1m is nearfield.

Here's a list of active coaxial speakers;

Fluid Audio FX50 / FX80 / FPX7 / CX7
Kali IN-5 / IN-8
Presonus Sceptre S6 / S8
KEF LS50 Wireless II
KS Digital C5 / C8 / C88 / C120
 

sealman

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Well, not quite an upgrade... but I'm not sure what else to call it.

The background:

I have a pair of Emotiva Airmotive 5s' (powered speakers) hooked up to a Topping E30, and I've really enjoyed this setup. There's just one snag with it and it's that for the past few years there's been a random scratching sound coming out of one tweeter. The power LED on that unit also flickers constantly and I figure something in the electronics is bust. I've decided that it's about time I finally did something about it.
Have you done any troubleshooting regarding the problem speaker to rule out possible bad cables or wall plugs? You might also try cleaning all of the audio and power connections.
 
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ripwire

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Have you done any troubleshooting regarding the problem speaker to rule out possible bad cables or wall plugs? You might also try cleaning all of the audio and power connections.
Yes, it's definitely not a source or connection problem. Plus the power indicator lamp on the speaker started flaking out just before the static started.


I think looking at the overall problem, my core question is what amps are out there that would fit my needs. I've aware of what Topping has, have recently heard about the SMSL SA400 and A300, the Loxjie A30, and only just found out about the SABAJ A30a.
 

AnalogSteph

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Plus the power indicator lamp on the speaker started flaking out just before the static started.
I'd be willing to bet that both are related, with amplifier PSRR keeping the worst out of the output. Not only that, it's also likely to be a fairly simple fault, such as a bad solder joint in the mains wiring (a typical assembly issue that escaped QC at the time) or perhaps a bad power switch. Definitely worth investigating.
 
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ripwire

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I'd be willing to bet that both are related, with amplifier PSRR keeping the worst out of the output. Not only that, it's also likely to be a fairly simple fault, such as a bad solder joint in the mains wiring (a typical assembly issue that escaped QC at the time) or perhaps a bad power switch. Definitely worth investigating.
I did try taking it apart to check for that or a bad cap or something. Unfortunately I only got so far. It was a bear to open up, the cables leading to the speaker units are plugged in at very awkward points, and there's copious use of potting compound or something similar. If I went further there was a decent chance I'd break more than I'd have fixed.
 
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