Buying a hi-fi system, need advice please! :)

[daveh75]

I am interested in either the Seiwin 5a or Seiwin 4. I looked at the prices and if I bought the Seiwin 5a I'd have to spend £40 on stands or foam which really sucks, do you think I should buy the Seiwin 4? It seems like it might even be better for me, the bass driver is bigger.

Eh? The bass driver on the SN4 is 4", and the Seiwin 5As 5" (hence the model nos)

I have both the SN4 and Seiwin 5.

If you like bass of any description go with the 5s.

Those little 4s with there 4 inch driver will only go down to about 100Hz.

 

[davedotco]

I am interested in either the Seiwin 5a or Seiwin 4. I looked at the prices and if I bought the Seiwin 5a I'd have to spend £40 on stands or foam which really sucks, do you think I should buy the Seiwin 4? It seems like it might even be better for me, the bass driver is bigger.

Eh? The bass driver on the SN4 is 4", and the Seiwin 5As 5" (hence the model nos)

I have both the SN4 and Seiwin 5.

If you like bass of any description go with the 5s.

Those little 4s with there 4 inch driver will only go down to about 100Hz.

Which is why the baby makes such a nice desktop speaker, there is output below 100hz but it is very modest so ideal for that environment.

I have to say that given the current price of the Activ5, they are very tempting just to have a play with, depending on traffic I am only about 15 mins from Staples Corner.

 

[steve_1979]

Studiospares Activ5 doesn't look aesthetically appealing and that's something I do care about. I would prefer a black speaker.

What about the Yamaha H5S (or some secondhand previous generation Yamaha HS50M speakers)?

Pretty funky aesthetics IMO.

 

[daveh75]

What about the Yamaha H5S (or some secondhand previous generation Yamaha HS50M speakers)?

Almost twice the OPs budget

 

[steve_1979]

What about the Yamaha H5S (or some secondhand previous generation Yamaha HS50M speakers)?

Almost twice the OPs budget

The previous generation HS50M can often be found for under £200 per pair on eBay.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_575432602]

Hello guys, I have the money now and so I'm going to go ahead and buy speakers. I've decided on either the Seiwin 4a or the Yamaha HS50M, based on your recommendations. I found a pair of Yamaha HS50M speakers on eBay and I'm going to make an offer of £150, do you think this would be a better option than buying the Seiwin 4a's for £120?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YAMAHA-HS-50M-STUDIO-MONITORS-/251844729048?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aa31d98d8

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_575432602]

Also, I've learned that the Yamaha HS50M's are considered reference speakers. Are Seiwin 4a's also considered reference speakers?

 

[rainsoothe]

hi. Haven't heard the Selwins, but own a pair of HS80M and also heard the HS50M countless times. Imo they're great.

 

[davedotco]

hi. Haven't heard the Selwins, but own a pair of HS80M and also heard the HS50M countless times. Imo they're great.

The Yamahas are great value, the newer HS 5, 7 and 8 are a little better than the older HS50, 80 models so get the HS5s if you decide to go down that route.

The SN4a are small desktop speakers so have linited bass to avoid rattling about on a desktop. I use then as normal speakers but the bass depth is clearly lacking. This is all about the right speaker for the right job, SN4s for the desktop, HS5s for normal listening, on stands preferably.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_575432602]

Hello

I managed to get new HS5's off eBay for £185 so I'm going to be using them. I'm eventually going to be making my own music and I think it's better I get used to good monitors. Thanks for all the help, especially Davedotco All I need to do now is buy cables and something to decouple the speakers.

 

[davedotco]

OK. These speakers are very potent, much more so than you might expect for the price paid, positioning and supporting them correctly will make a big difference.

Also cableing will depend a lot on what you are using to drive them, have you decided on that yet?

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_575432602]

Okay, I've had a look at cables and speaker pads (I decided I'm going to have the speakers on my table rather than on stands). For speakers, I found these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/StudioSeries-Editors-Keys-Monitor-Guards/dp/B007Z1WNKC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424457927&sr=8-1&keywords=speaker+pads

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007YFWUDO/ref=s9_simh_gw_p267_d0_i4?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1CWHG5QFE454EC40H2Z3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455333147&pf_rd_i=468294

I really want something that keeps the speaker level and doesn't have a bit covering the front, I'm afraid it'll cover the Yamaha logo that lights up. I found a picture that shows this but I haven't found the product. Is it available, would I have to get it custom-made, etc.? I have no idea...

http://www.technicsforum.de/downloads/yamaha%20hs5_If2.jpg

http://studiomonitorshq.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/650063_20131011080916.jpg

Also, concerning cables I found a cheaper cable that is 3m instead of 5m. Do cables differ in quality based on price? It has good reviews but I don't know anything about cables. I looked at the reviews and I believe it's splittable. Also, the speakers have an XLR output. Is this preferred for music or is it strictly for microphones?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/3-5mm-Stereo-Phono-Plugs-Cable/dp/B003PTXD0W/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1424464051&sr=8-12&keywords=3.5mm+to+phono+cable

Thank you

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_575432602]

I've heard that the Yamaha speakers should be placed at least 5 feet away from the nearest wall, is this ever feasible in most rooms?

I'm going to be plugging the speakers into my Airport Express and listening to the music over Wifi. I initially thought the music would be reduced in quality before being sent to the AEX but, after some research, I found that wasn't the case at all. I couldn't find anything comaparing the DAC of the latest Macbook Air to the DAC of the Airport Express, which is disappointing. I've found really good evidence to the support the DAC of the AEX and have found good reviews for the DAC of the Macbook Air, but most still recommend an external DAC when connecting speakers directly to the Macbook. I will probably need to plug the speakers directly into the Macbook for recording (I will be doing a lot of multitracking and need to reduce the delay) so I will assess then whether an external DAC is required... It probably is though, isn't it

Still not sure whether to get Bitperfect... Most of my music collection is ALAC. If that isn't available I've gone for 320 mp3.

 

[davedotco]

The monitor isolation pads are simply blocks of foam, cut to shape. They are not great but better than nothing and relatively cheap. A better but more expensive solution....

https://www.studiospares.com/Accessories/Stands-Speaker/IsoAcoustucs-L8R130-Speaker-Stands-Pair_403872.htm?catargetid=120173110000060675&cadevice=c&gclid=CJrRzvPT8sMCFcHHtAodQxQAnQ

The phono cable you show is absolutely fine, but remember, the Yamahas do not have phono sockets, only 6.3mm jacks, you will need the phono/jack adaptors I mentioned earlier in the post.

As for the external sound card, I would hold off for a while and see what your real requirements are in use, might be different to what you think. In the meantime look at pro interfaces, the Focusrite brand is a good place to start.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_575432602]

These are the adapters I need right? I don't understand why there isn't a 3.5mm to x2 6.5mm cable :/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phono-6-35mm-MONO-Jack-Adapter/dp/B004VGADY2/ref=pd_cp_ce_2

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_575432602]

Yeah that's triple the price of the foam :/ Thank you for the recommendation though, I didn't even know those existed. I think I'm going to try and get some custom sized styrofoam so it fits perfectly underneath my speakers while keeping them level.

 

[davedotco]

Those adaptors will be fine.

Speaker support and isolation is important and will make a difference. Sometimes good supports can be improvised, sometimes not.

Desktop mounting is always a compromise, if you have space to fit these, you will be doing so much better.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SU-Pair-Heavy-Duty-Floor-Standing-Studio-Monitor-Stands-Hi-Fi-Speaker-Stands-/171677514389

 

[EvPa]

I don't understand why there isn't a 3.5mm to x2 6.5mm cable :/

But there is:
http://www.thomann.de/intl/cordial_cfy_30_wpp_long.htmorhttp://www.thomann.de/intl/pro_snake_tpy_2030_kpp.htm

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_575432602]

That includes €10 delivery cost and it's too late but thanks anyways

I found Isoacoustics L8R130 for £50 but on the site it recommends L8R155 for Yamaha HS5, which costs £75. Would I be okay using the L8R130? I would buy stands and I do have space but I'm going to be making music on my desktop so it makes sense to put the speakers there.

 

[davedotco]

That includes €10 delivery cost and it's too late but thanks anyways

I found Isoacoustics L8R130 for £50 but on the site it recommends L8R155 for Yamaha HS5, which costs £75. Would I be okay using the L8R130? I would buy stands and I do have space but I'm going to be making music on my desktop so it makes sense to put the speakers there.

L8R130 will be a touch on the small side but otherwise fine. They are 150 x 130 mm, the base of the HS5 is 220 x 170mm, both depth x width. The bigger models will be a little more stable to knocks or whatever but if that is not going to happen they should be OK.

 

[Mr Magoo]

I am selling a marantz pm6004 which has USB/iPod input together with quad l-ite speakers and chord aircore cable within your budget if interested. I'm in Oxfordshire.