Help to get quality sound???

[CJSF]

Having problems with my 'Computer HiFI' an old audio file wishing to listen to decent quality music from my computer. I have looked at the separate Receiver option Marantz/Denon? Finding it very OTT? or more to the point, overwhelming . . . I can cope with the computer but what is on offer on the receiver, as a silver surfer, its to much . . . !!!

I wont go into the story, it gets a bit 'but why?' . . . its personal, and drags on for 30 years with a 'no HiFi music!!!' gap from 1995 to now, thats all you need to know, no offence to anyone. However I have a surprising sound quality already with an old pair of 'Yamaha Active Servo' speakers. They are old, plastic, but my audio file ears (discovered I still have the ear) tell me there is something there to dig out?

I see mentioned Audio Engine A2's, What HiFi say, they are good, but there are now better? But they dont give any indication of direction to be looking??? I can cope with a speaker size up to shelf size, LS35a'ish. Heard the AE 5's are worth it? or is there better again?

Any one give me a nudge in the right direction???

CJSF

 

[Anonymous]

I'm confused. What are you looking for? An amp? Speakers? A better source?

It might help if you tell us what your current system is (PC, via sound card, directly into AS speakers?), what you feel is lacking with the sound, and what your budget is. Also, if you're looking for a full-blown hifi system or just better PC speakers...

 

[chebby]

The Denon/Marantz CD receivers/all-in-one options are fairly easy to cope with. They have 'old school' CD player and FM/DAB tuners built in and the option to plug in a turntable + phono pre-amp should you want to go that way.

For computer music you don't have to do any more than swing an optical digital cable across to either (a) a suitably equipped Mac or PC with optical digital or you can forget the computer and just (b) plug the optical into your TV or Blu-ray for decent stereo sound from those.

The internet radio is not compulsory and you can plug an ethernet cable in now and then just for firmware upgrades should you choose to. (Again not essential.)

However, I sense you want a step up in quality from things like the M-CR603 we discussed a while ago and there are plenty of excellent options from a basic Rega system of CD (or Rega DAC) + Brio-R amp + RS1 speakers for about £1400 or something like the fully active AVI ADM9Ts for about £1200. (They have a DAC and digital inputs and one analogue input built-in and a simple remote control.) However, if you are 'overwhelmed' by all things digital then they may not be the direction to go in because they are - fundamentally - designed to exploit digital sources like Blu-ray players/recorders, computers, PS3s, Mac Mini, Apple TV, iPod transports, PVRs, Aiport Express etc.

The AE2s and AE5s are not true active speakers (merely internally powered) without active crossovers. You might want to look around and see if someone is still selling the now discontinued Quad 11L actives and feed them with the pre-out from an amplifer that also contains a built-in DAC, or something like the Audiolab 8200 CDQ (CD player + DAC + digital and analogue preamp all in one box).

 

[CJSF]

I'm confused. What are you looking for? An amp? Speakers? A better source?

It might help if you tell us what your current system is (PC, via sound card, directly into AS speakers?), what you feel is lacking with the sound, and what your budget is. Also, if you're looking for a full-blown hifi system or just better PC speakers...

See Chebby, you ar blinding me with abbreviations that mean nothing to me . . . I cant cope with modern . . . I'm trying to get something that I understand, I suppose my reclusive nature and dyslexic ways dont help. No one to show me. The only way for me to understand is turn things round my way??? thats seems to be a problem, I frighten myself this morning on the 630 dem, not with the music, its all the streaming, iplayers . . . . . . . !!!! CDs and spotify seems my level?

Tremon, I want better music reproduction (I am an old hiFi Audi file, still with a good ear!) than I have, Comp+Yamahars, but at the same level in handling (plug in) term, ie plug into my computer . . . After many years of self teaching and fighting against!!!! reclusive tendencies and dyslexia, I understand, just about whats going on? What takes Mr average a few months, takes me a few years, with much frustration along the way. As I said in the beginning, I really dont want to go down this 'why' rout, I just need simple answers . . . which there dont seem to be many of . . .

CJS

 

[chebby]

See Chebby, you ar blinding me with abbreviations that mean nothing to me . . . I cant cope with modern . . . I'm trying to get something that I understand...

Sorry, it is difficult to mention a product like Rega RS1 speakers or a Rega Brio-R amplifier or Rega DAC or AVI ADM9T active speakers without using the very acronyms that constitute all (or part) of their names. So I have put in links to the products this time.

A DAC is a Digital Analogue Convertor. It is either contained within a component (like those in a CD player or DVD player or digital tuner for instance) or can be bought as a seperate hifi 'box' like the Rega DAC I linked to just now. As a seperate entity it allows you to plug in items like computers and/or games consoles or Blu-ray players (the list is long) or anything else with a digital audio output that can be considered a 'source'.

For many years (since the 1980s in fact) some people have been plugging in their CD players to seperate DACs (like the earliest ones including the Arcam Black Box and the seperate DAC in Stan Curtis' Cambridge Audio CD1 two box CD transport/DAC system).

In recent years such 'seperate box' DACs have accomodated anything sprouting a USB or digital optical (or digital coax) output like games consoles, computers, Blu-ray players, Sky boxes etc. (You name it.)

The AVI ADM9T active speakers that I mentioned earlier have such a DAC, and power amps, and a preamp (even an analogue RCA phono plug input) built in - with a remote control handset too - to make almost an complete system requiring the user to only plug in a computer. (Or some of those other digital audio sources.)

Stand-alone DACs (like the Rega DAC) are superior to a computer's built-in sound card and are hifi quality. (In fact better than the internal DACs in most CD players.)

 

[CJSF]

ADM9T, grate idea Chebby . . . but £1100.00? Want to keep away from the money bags rout . . . thats where I've come from 15 years ago!

I am happy with cheap(ish) and simple, 'simple' is the word!!! I know its possible, I set my Dads system up in the early 90's, it was a real value for money Hi Fi system. Its strange, I was digging about in the loft this morning . . . came across Dads old Rotel amp . . . There is a possibility? a set of my own design phono leads, silver coated central signal core, about the thickness of a hair, and silver coated screen made of similar fine plated wire, Nickle plugs! knocked spots off the 'audio file' interconnects of the time . . . plug in a pair of speakers, they are there and his cassette player! . . . lol

CJSF

 

[chebby]

ADM9T, grate idea Chebby . . . but £1100.00? Want to keep away from the money bags rout . . . thats where I've come from 15 years ago! I am happy with cheap(ish) and simple, 'simple' is the word!!! I know its possible, I set my Dads system up in the early 90's, it was a real value for money Hi Fi system. Its strange, I was digging about in the loft this morning . . . came across Dads old Rotel amp . . . There is a possibility? a set of my own design phono leads, silver coated central signal core, about the thickness of a hair, and silver coated screen made of similar fine plated wire, Nickle plugs! knocked spots off the 'audio file' interconnects of the time . . . plug in a pair of speakers, they are there and his cassette player! . . . lol CJSF

Ok, its sounds like all (or most) of your needs can be fulfilled from your attic.

Run a set of phono leads from the Rotel amp to your PC. Job done.

 

[CJSF]

Mmm . . . possible, if it still works after 10 years? he died in 2000. But, one would like, at least, modern, reliable kit? . . . back in the shell I suppose . . . 'its a big wide world out there' . . . which it seems, I cant cope with . . . ?

The original question still has not been answered; What HiFi say the Audioengine A2 active speakers are good, but there are better alternatives, what are the alternative? I presume they are referring to 'alternative active speakers'?

CJSF

 

[chebby]

The original question still has not been answered; What HiFi say the Audioengine A2 active speakers are good, but there are better alternatives, what are the alternative? I presume they are referring to 'alternative active speakers'?CJSF

Possibly the B&W MM-1s or the Epoz Aktimate Minis (designed by Epos).

 

[CJSF]

The original question still has not been answered; What HiFi say the Audioengine A2 active speakers are good, but there are better alternatives, what are the alternative? I presume they are referring to 'alternative active speakers'?CJSF

Possibly the B&W MM-1s or the Epoz Aktimate Minis (designed by Epos).

Thanks Chebby, thats more like it. Hazel wants me to go the Denon?Marantz rout . . . she suggests I ignoring most of the computer guf . . . which is what is messing my brain up at the moment, the actual Hifi is the easy bit . . . I know I will try to get in to it, one has to if one has the kit? . . . Inevitably one will get bogged down and frustrated, but, as I have found in the past, I do 'crack it' in the end! it just takes 'me' a long time, few can tread water long enough? The other way is active speakers . . . cost is obviously a problem in terms of 'value for money and sound quality delivered', it seems that I can use a pair of my old HiFI speakers linked to a dedicated Denon CD/receiver amp at the same sort of money or a little more cash to go to a Morantz 603? Looks like I'm going around in circles . . . not really, the mist is clearing. I need to clear my study first, oh I do need to clear it!!! Then get the Rotel down from the loft, listen (if its still works?) and think . . . then slowly make my moves, first how to make the study a listening space . . . its 11ft square, small and equal dimensions, solid Victorian brick work, not the best space, but thats what we have! Now you see why I was thinking small computer system, would fit the small available space. By the time I get sorted I will have a better view in my mind, then I can decide which way to jump . . . well . . . it seems like a plan . . . with options . . . ? CJSF

 

[Andrew Everard]

Thread pruned.