I am completely new to speakers and sound systems.

I was considering buying a pair of JBL LSR 305s after they were recommended on another tread on this forum, along with a DragonFly DAC (3.5mm jack) to connect to my laptop.

I have tried to find out myself what cables and setup I would need for these to work together, however I still do not have a clue what I require.

Thank you in advance for any help.

Sam.
 

lpv

New member
Mar 14, 2013
47
0
0
Visit site
Sam Allen said:
*Dragonfly

ok.. is there any particular reason why dragonfly? or is it purely copied from another thread? It will all work just fine and you need this cable to connect firefly with monitors

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200306397257

btw, what's your laptop?
 

davedotco

New member
Apr 24, 2013
20
1
0
Visit site
Budget ones at that. Like all such speakers they will have strengths and weaknesses that may or may not be suitable for your requirements. There are a number of decent alternatives around tha price of the LSR305s most notably from Yamaha and Presonus.

From a purely practical viewpoint I would prefer a DAC with 'proper' connectors, the mini jack to 1/4in jack or XLR required for a Dragonfly would limit options and would not be my choice.
 

lpv

New member
Mar 14, 2013
47
0
0
Visit site
davedotco said:
Budget ones at that. Like all such speakers they will have strengths and weaknesses that may or may not be suitable for your requirements. There are a number of decent alternatives around tha price of the LSR305s most notably from Yamaha and Presonus.

From a purely practical viewpoint I would prefer a DAC with 'proper' connectors, the mini jack to 1/4in jack or XLR required for a Dragonfly would limit options and would not be my choice.

can you explain how dragonfly connectors limit options? what kind of options do you have in mind?
 

rainsoothe

Well-known member
Hi - why not just get something like Behringer UCA202?That would let you budget for a pair of Yamaha HS5 or even Adam F5 maybe? And just get a pair of RCA to 6.4 inch TS jacks (TRS are balanced, but RCA is unbalanced, which means the whole cable is unbalanced - it's recommended to get balanced connections for anything over 1.5 meters - I THINK, I don't exactly remember, but it helps with interference etc).

I think if you want balanced outputs, you need something like Steinberg UR22 mk2. Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 might also have balanced outputs - with these two, you can use balanced TRS cables (which have 6.4 jacks at both ends).
 
I have already purchased the pair of LSR 305s, the reason I asked on this thread was to find what cables I would need for this set-up, I understand there may be 'better' kit available but this is what I have.

Can you or anyone else offer some advice on how to set up this equipment please?
 

ID.

New member
Feb 22, 2010
207
1
0
Visit site
Don't you have the manual for the speakers? Easiest would be something like this

https://www.amazon.com/GLS-Audio-Y-Cable-Splitter-Cord/dp/B0062QPERU

with a single 3.5 mm at the DAC end and 6 mm trs plugs for the speaker end (I think I checked the manual and the JBLs can take 6mm trs or RXL inputs).

While you may be able to find cables with RXL on one end and a single 3.5mm plug on the other, ones like the one I linked to above are more common. I use a cheap one I picked up at an electronics store to connect my iPhone or iPod to some cheap Fostex actives in my bedroom.
 

ID.

New member
Feb 22, 2010
207
1
0
Visit site
lpv said:
Sam Allen said:
*Dragonfly

ok.. is there any particular reason why dragonfly? or is it purely copied from another thread? It will all work just fine and you need this cable to connect firefly with monitors

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200306397257

btw, what's your laptop?

ah, I see someone has already answered your question. See eBay link here.

So so why are you still asking for advice on setup when your question has been answered?
 

davedotco

New member
Apr 24, 2013
20
1
0
Visit site
lpv said:
davedotco said:
Budget ones at that. Like all such speakers they will have strengths and weaknesses that may or may not be suitable for your requirements. There are a number of decent alternatives around tha price of the LSR305s most notably from Yamaha and Presonus.

From a purely practical viewpoint I would prefer a DAC with 'proper' connectors, the mini jack to 1/4in jack or XLR required for a Dragonfly would limit options and would not be my choice.

can you explain how dragonfly connectors limit options? what kind of options do you have in mind?

The mini-jack connector limits your choice of cable to the inexpensive, molded type shown in the link above. Personally I would rather use something better, ie better construction, more robust etc. In an ideal world I would like to avoid the mini-jack altogether, I find them unreliable.

In fact I would prefer the £25 Behringer to the Dragonfly for that reason alone, but I would probably go for the £85 Fostex PC100usb in this context.

I would then use Van Damme cable, phono to jack connectors made up to my preferred length by someone like DesignaCable, expect to pay around £25 + postage for a 3metre pair.
 

ID.

New member
Feb 22, 2010
207
1
0
Visit site
davedotco said:
lpv said:
davedotco said:
Budget ones at that. Like all such speakers they will have strengths and weaknesses that may or may not be suitable for your requirements. There are a number of decent alternatives around tha price of the LSR305s most notably from Yamaha and Presonus.

From a purely practical viewpoint I would prefer a DAC with 'proper' connectors, the mini jack to 1/4in jack or XLR required for a Dragonfly would limit options and would not be my choice.

can you explain how dragonfly connectors limit options? what kind of options do you have in mind?

The mini-jack connector limits your choice of cable to the inexpensive, molded type shown in the link above. Personally I would rather use something better, ie better construction, more robust etc. In an ideal world I would like to avoid the mini-jack altogether, I find them unreliable.

In fact I would prefer the £25 Behringer to the Dragonfly for that reason alone, but I would probably go for the £85 Fostex PC100usb in this context.

I would then use Van Damme cable, phono to jack connectors made up to my preferred length by someone like DesignaCable, expect to pay around £25 + postage for a 3metre pair.

i agree that it isn't particularly robust, and combined with the fact that the dragonfly is a single sticking out of a USB port it feels even more fragile. I'd be worried about damage from slight tugs on the cable.
 

lpv

New member
Mar 14, 2013
47
0
0
Visit site
davedotco said:
lpv said:
davedotco said:
Budget ones at that. Like all such speakers they will have strengths and weaknesses that may or may not be suitable for your requirements. There are a number of decent alternatives around tha price of the LSR305s most notably from Yamaha and Presonus.

From a purely practical viewpoint I would prefer a DAC with 'proper' connectors, the mini jack to 1/4in jack or XLR required for a Dragonfly would limit options and would not be my choice.

can you explain how dragonfly connectors limit options? what kind of options do you have in mind?

The mini-jack connector limits your choice of cable to the inexpensive, molded type shown in the link above. Personally I would rather use something better, ie better construction, more robust etc. In an ideal world I would like to avoid the mini-jack altogether, I find them unreliable.

In fact I would prefer the £25 Behringer to the Dragonfly for that reason alone, but I would probably go for the £85 Fostex PC100usb in this context.

I would then use Van Damme cable, phono to jack connectors made up to my preferred length by someone like DesignaCable, expect to pay around £25 + postage for a 3metre pair.

ok..

fostex or behringer models you've mentioned could be more a desktop computer recommendation rather than laptop/ mobile solution.. both limits the following options: pc/ laptop only ( dragonfly can be used additionaly with smartphones/ tablets), lower sampling frequency, limited use for mac users ( fostex), size.. finally dragonfly black is £89
 

davedotco

New member
Apr 24, 2013
20
1
0
Visit site
lpv said:
davedotco said:
lpv said:
davedotco said:
Budget ones at that. Like all such speakers they will have strengths and weaknesses that may or may not be suitable for your requirements. There are a number of decent alternatives around tha price of the LSR305s most notably from Yamaha and Presonus.

From a purely practical viewpoint I would prefer a DAC with 'proper' connectors, the mini jack to 1/4in jack or XLR required for a Dragonfly would limit options and would not be my choice.

can you explain how dragonfly connectors limit options? what kind of options do you have in mind?

The mini-jack connector limits your choice of cable to the inexpensive, molded type shown in the link above. Personally I would rather use something better, ie better construction, more robust etc. In an ideal world I would like to avoid the mini-jack altogether, I find them unreliable.

In fact I would prefer the £25 Behringer to the Dragonfly for that reason alone, but I would probably go for the £85 Fostex PC100usb in this context.

I would then use Van Damme cable, phono to jack connectors made up to my preferred length by someone like DesignaCable, expect to pay around £25 + postage for a 3metre pair.

ok..

fostex or behringer models you've mentioned could be more a desktop computer recommendation rather than laptop/ mobile solution.. both limits the following options: pc/ laptop only ( dragonfly can be used additionaly with smartphones/ tablets), lower sampling frequency, limited use for mac users ( fostex), size.. finally dragonfly black is £89

And make your choice.

There are plenty of options from both hi-fi and pro companies. For example, I have always liked the Audio Engine D1 £139 as a solution, usb and optical input, separate line and headphone outputs or even wireless solutions such as the Bluetooth QEDuPlay+, currently just £30 or an Arcam miniBlink, etc, etc.

Just looking beyond the single solution.
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts