Where to go from here?

[deafaudiophile]

Hi all.
My current setup for TV and music is an NVIDIA shield connected via HDMI to the TV then via optical to the Fosi Q4 DAC and Fosi BT20A pro that connects to a pair of old and trusty B&W DM302 speakers.

I'd like to take the next step in improving my setup, but I'm mindful of the law of diminishing returns (to get the last 10% gains, you need to spend exponentially more, where it no longer makes sense, to me)

So, what can I do to jump to the next step of accuracy in a way I can hear, without spending unnecessarily for top of the line gear?

I managed to get frequency charts for the DM302s if that matters

B&W DM302 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 4: Measurements The DM302's specified sensitivity, 91dB/W/m, is high for a small speaker, but indeed I measured a B-weighted figure of 90.1dB/W/m—this mini will play quite loud with only a few amplifier watts. However, its impedance plot (fig.1) reveals that it drops below 4 ohms for...

www.stereophile.com

Thanks in advance

PS: I have a Jamo sub with a blown power supply that I could repair and reuse somehow if needed, I also have a B&W CC3 centre channel, but I don't think I can do much with it without an AVR and that might not be worth the expense, since I'm not much into full surround sound.

 

[staticV3]

Hi @deafaudiophile! How much are you looking to spend?

 

[BDWoody]

So, what can I do to jump to the next step of accuracy in a way I can hear, without spending unnecessarily for top of the line gear?

Welcome!

First suggestion is to learn to use some free software with a calibrated microphone to take some measurements, so you can learn more about arguably the most important part of the reproduction chain, the speaker/room system.

Being able to see the frequency response in your room will open up a whole new world of awareness.

REW room acoustics and audio device measurement and analysis software

REW is free software for room acoustic measurement, loudspeaker measurement and audio device measurement and analysis

www.roomeqwizard.com

UMIK-1

The UMIK-1 is an omni-directional USB measurement calibrated microphone providing Plug & Play acoustic measurement. From speaker & room acoustic measurement to recording, this microphone provides low noise and accurate results you can rely on.

www.minidsp.com

 

[deafaudiophile]

Welcome!

First suggestion is to learn to use some free software with a calibrated microphone to take some measurements, so you can learn more about arguably the most important part of the reproduction chain, the speaker/room system.

Being able to see the frequency response in your room will open up a whole new world of awareness.

REW room acoustics and audio device measurement and analysis software

REW is free software for room acoustic measurement, loudspeaker measurement and audio device measurement and analysis

www.roomeqwizard.com

UMIK-1

The UMIK-1 is an omni-directional USB measurement calibrated microphone providing Plug & Play acoustic measurement. From speaker & room acoustic measurement to recording, this microphone provides low noise and accurate results you can rely on.

www.minidsp.com

Thanks woody, great idea, I might have some questions later about how to approach it all.

 

[kemmler3D]

Thanks woody, great idea, I might have some questions later about how to approach it all.

In my last place, I had a setup very similar to yours, down to the Shield, questionable sub, and old B&W speakers...

In my setup, I ran the TV's optical out, to a Creative G3 (which has optical in) to a cheap mini-PC (refurbished Lenovo Thinkcentre for about $100) which was running Windows and EQAPO. From there, just out to the DAC via USB as before.

This gave me the ability to run as many bands of PEQ as I needed to correct the bass for not too much money.

If you have a budget of more than $150 (+ UMIK) though, I'd upgrade the speakers also. They've got some pretty objectionable resonances and really funky dispersion pattern. Something like the Elac DBR62 or even JBL 308p will give you a nice upgrade at a moderate cost. IMO you are not at the point of grinding out the last 10% yet, maybe more like the last 30-40%.

The good news about 90s-2000s B&Ws is they tend to hold their value reasonably well due to name recognition. So you can probably get a few bucks for them if you decide to upgrade.