so the tax return finally came today, which means I have some money to throw at new stuff (at least until my senses kick in and stop me), so I'm looking at experimenting with new gear
right now I'm looking at either a calibration mic, since I think that'll provide the best improvement, however since I'm in Canuckistan, the UMIK-1 is $217CAD (roughly $165USD), so I'm wondering if there's a cheaper alternative
I'm also thinking of getting something like this. I've always been tempted by big power pro gear, and I'm curious how it sounds in a home environment. has anyone used this particular amplifier in their home setup?
Coworker is looking to pawn off Cerwin Vega AT-12 speakers. Wants $100 for the pair of them, which seems like a good price to me.
The little bit of research I have done makes them seem like they are tailored for heavy bass, and that the mids and highs lack accuracy. These speakers would be for my record player which is currently hooked up to my headphone amp. I'd like to be able to play vinyl over speakers in my bedroom (not a small space).
New to home speaker setups. I was thinking about getting a Behringer A500 to power the two of these (2 x 300 Watts into 4 Ohms). I can't find detailed specs for these speakers online, I think they are 8 Ohm speakers though.
Questions:
Will these speakers produce a reasonable sound off of vinyl? Or are the mids and highs sloppy enough to noticeably muddy the music?
Is the price point on the speakers good enough not to care and get them anyway?
Is the Behringer A500 enough power given the 8 Ohm impedance on each speaker, or could anyone recommend an amp that would be better suited for these?
Thanks for your time!
Would work perfectly
Do the speakers have their own volume control (knobs or sliders in each room)? If so, you really need a multi - zone amp to run the system properly, like this amp from Parts-Express. If it's just the speakers run to a central point, and no individual volume control, then the speaker selector will work fine, but I'd look at something a little beefier to drive the system, like this Behringer amp. Too much power is always better than not enough. Too much power just blows speakers, not enough can destroy an entire system when the amp starts clipping, and can even destroy your house if it shorts and/or overheats.
Ah, interesting. You're still going to want a separate amp to drive them as the Onkyo is not setup to power subs like that. Something like this will work: http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-A500-BEHRINGER-REFERENCE-AMPLIFIER/dp/B000CZ0RL0
The best part about those slimlines is that they have pre outs for the front channels. You could totally get the slimline and one of those Behringer amps everyone loves. It would sound great on 5.1 as well since you'd only be running 2 or 3 channels off the receivers amp. For speakers, I'd watch craigslist and get the best towers you can find for $200-300 (but thats just me) Fry's has good deals on subs. The Klipsch Sub-12HG is on sale all the time, I might get me another one this week.
Behringer A500 drop just started.. $160 is cheap for that amp.
I am ~~considering~~ buying a second one so I have 600wpc at my disposal.
bought
I also saw http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CZ0RL0?ref_=gb1h_img_m-6_6222_bfa46c76&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER for those of you interested :)
Doesn't get any better than this for the price.
I've had one powering my MMGs for 3 or 4 years now. Seriously the best per dollar piece of audio gear I've ever bought. But don't take my word for it.
Ohh, and to hook it up, go with optical out of the macbook through this inexpensive DAC. This DAC is completely transparent, I replaced a $1000 PS Audio DAC with this Fiio and couldn't be happier.
The Denon receiver is good if not a bit overpriced. But those speakers are not going to live up to expectations. Those ratings are inflated at best and will not have an actual output anywhere near those numbers.
Instead of those I would go with the following:
Amplifier - Behringer A500
Speakers - Paradigm Micro V2 (I have their big brothers and I love them)
DAC - Behringer U202
Behringer A500 is a pretty much transparent amplifier. The only problem is that some people have complained of high distortion at 70% volume, so you should drive it at 100% volume (as at that volume level there's no distortion) and use something else to control the volume (pre-amp or digital volume control).
I have to object with you here...Behringer are not a quality brand for speakers.
Also, for that money you have to also buy an amp....I've seen many a young audiophile purchase these and the Alesis equivalent only to be disappointed that they have to shell out another $200 for an amp to run them..
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-A500-Reference-Studio-Amplifier/dp/B000CZ0RL0/ref=pd_sim_MI_2
So for the total price of some pretty crappy monitors IMO....you could of gotten a set of nice active reference monitors like these...
Nothing beats this for price to stupid amounts of power ratio