Newbie need advice for hi-fi set-up!

[hybridauth_Google_115270612770022991994]

Hi all! I recently bought a turntable (Rega Rp1) and a pair of speakers(Klipsch RB61 II). I bought these speakers because I had a very good deal for. I plugged everything to a Cambridge Audio 551P preamp and a Maverick Audio tubemagicA1 amplifier I had already. I don't know much about audio equipment and I am obviously not an audiophile but I realised that I don't have enough bass with those speakers... I am totally satisfied with the highs and the mids the RB-61 delivers. Like I said, I am not an audiophile but I like to have a good sound. lol I added a temporary subwoofer from a old computer speaker kit I had (logitech z2300) but I want to upgrade because the conectivity is not very optimised and I have some interferences when it's plugged. I also thought about two subwoofers... Is it a good idea to have "stereo subwoofers set-up"? I thought two subwoofers would be nice because I can't put the subwoofer in the center because I have the furniture itself to hold the turntable/amp. After that, I had another idea... I tought about selling the RB61s, even if it does not tempt me and buy two full tower speakers will good bass and forgot about the subwoofers... I only want a bass who adds "body" to the sound. I don't want my sound to become "boomy" and "muddy". So here is it! English is not my first language so tell me if you don't understand something and ask me if you have question!

Thanks!

 

[Al ears]

Hi all! I recently bought a turntable (Rega Rp1) and a pair of speakers(Klipsch RB61 II). I bought these speakers because I had a very good deal for. I plugged everything to a Cambridge Audio 551P preamp and a Maverick Audio tubemagicA1 amplifier I had already. I don't know much about audio equipment and I am obviously not an audiophile but I realised that I don't have enough bass with those speakers... I am totally satisfied with the highs and the mids the RB-61 delivers. Like I said, I am not an audiophile but I like to have a good sound. lol I added a temporary subwoofer from a old computer speaker kit I had (logitech z2300) but I want to upgrade because the conectivity is not very optimised and I have some interferences when it's plugged. I also thought about two subwoofers... Is it a good idea to have "stereo subwoofers set-up"? I thought two subwoofers would be nice because I can't put the subwoofer in the center because I have the furniture itself to hold the turntable/amp. After that, I had another idea... I tought about selling the RB61s, even if it does not tempt me and buy two full tower speakers will good bass and forgot about the subwoofers... I only want a bass who adds "body" to the sound. I don't want my sound to become "boomy" and "muddy". So here is it! English is not my first language so tell me if you don't understand something and ask me if you have question!

Thanks!

Welcome to the forum Jeremy,

I am surprised you are not getting enough bass, perhaps this is down to the amplifier although your speakers are very efficient and the amp should drive them quite nicely. Are you using them in a large room? Pehaps moving them closer to the rear wall might assist.

You can integrate subwoofers into a system but I would not call it ideal. It is better, in my opinion, to get speakers that fit your requirements instead. Attempting to integrate 2 subwoofers can be done but could work out to be an expensive option. Perhaps it best to sell your speakers and put some money into a pair of efficient floorstanders.

If you do go down the subwoofer route then perhaps you should be looking at a pair of REL T-Zeros, looking at the rest of your system this may be outside your budget however but we do not know what that is.

Oh, and finally perhaps changing the cartridge on that turntable of yours might help.

 

[Karlos83]

I'm just a guy who enjoys music if it sounds good, so I'm not an expert or anything. I speak from experience and perhaps common sense, so here goes; running two subs isn't actually stereo, subs run in mono, so actually what you would have is 2x mono. Unless your room is rather on the big side and would need the extra subwoofer to help fill it with bass, I don't think you'd benefit from two subwoofers both playing the same signal in an average sized living room. I've seen the wharfedale sw150 for £139.95, i know wharfedale is a reputable brand and I've heard good stuff about this sub too. Just a general suggestion. (sorry not sure where you are in the world or what your currency is, but that's a pretty good price here. Maybe you can translate that into your local currency).

 

[lindsayt]

Two Subs can be run in stereo. It all depends how you do it.

 

[Al ears]

Two Subs can be run in stereo. It all depends how you do it.

Which was the point I was trying to make. If you are not sure on what you are doing then forget the sub route completely and just get a pair of speakers that work for you.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Two Subs can be run in stereo. It all depends how you do it.

+1

 

[hybridauth_Google_115270612770022991994]

nevermind this post...

 

[hybridauth_Google_115270612770022991994]

Hey thanks all for your answers! I am a bit reluctant to sell my speakers for buying full tower speakers because I am in a small town in Canada(Quebec) and it's tough to sell something like that, and it's also expensive to ship! I also don't have a lot of money... It's a bit contradictory but I am not too much motivated to add a subwoofer(or two...) either because it needs space, wires and it complicates the set-up. I like it simple. Here is an important thing I just tested! My computer is also plugged in my amp with a DAC (Schiit modi). I unplugged my subwoofer and I tried the "bass boost" option on my DAC's settings in windows! And wow! I have the bass I wanted now! A good bass sound! Punchy! It's waaayyy better than my actual subwoofer.

Because of that, I know that my speakers are capable of delivering bass! So, this makes me think that I should change the amplifier to have this bass with my turntable. What do you think guys? Am I right? I guess a dedicated hi-fi amp should work with bass/treble setting buttons? It's easy to have Cambridge Audio equipements here so I spotted the Azur 351A, it's in my price range. Let me know what you think guys!

 

[rainsoothe]

Hi. Doing some reading on your speakers says that they're great with highs and mids, and they are bright-ish speakers. A natural partner woudl be a warm sounding amp. Also, Cambridge Audio don't really do bass, so it might not be what you're looking for - BUT if you can, do audition, maybe you'll find it's enough.

1. Personally, I would look at Nad C326BEE + Rega Fono Mini A2D (careful, it's only for MM cartridges, but it's all that you'll ever need most likely). Nad are known for having an emphasis on bass, that's their house sound - and it's not the bad kind of bass

Alternatively, you could look at second hand Arcam A19.

2. Another option is sell everything (except for the turntable), get a Maverick Audio Tubemagic D1 (with integrated dac) + Rega Fono Mini A2D phono stage (the Tubemagic D1 has an analogue input iirc) + a pair of Yamaha HS5 (or HS7 if you got a bigger room) studio monitors. This kind of setup will sound way better then hi-fi passives in this price range, but not everyone likes their looks and perhaps limited connectivity.

If you wanna change as little as possible though, I would look at the NAD + phonostage variant. If you can afford it and only sound quality matters, studio monitors will walk all over budget hi-fi.