Some Advice needed

[davecalder]

Hi,

I'm pretty much brand new to the decent Hifi scene so bear with me.

I've just bought Q Acoustics 2050i's and a Marrantz MCR 610 mini amp, and I'm looking for some advice on cabling and the initial set up. A lot of what I've been reading on the forums is fairly complex and just some pointers would be good. Also, FLAC or WAV?

I'm aware the acoustics of the room matter a great deal, so how do I go about testing this?

Thanks in advance,

Dave

 

[nopiano]

Hi Dave, and welcome to the madness!

Cables are a controversial topic, as you will see when you read a few old threads here. Nice system, and you only need modest speaker cables, which your dealer should recommend (or even include if you bought the system as one).

You can't go wrong with QED 79 strand cable which you should be able to get for under £2 a metre. For a more "hifi" brand then the mag's current faves are Audioquest's FLX 14/4 at £5.80/m and Wireworld Luna 7 at £6.50/m.

As to FLAC and WAV I suggest you do a bit of googling and you will find differing views. Just decide before you rip your entire collection. Or save yourself the bother and sign up for Spotify or Qobuz!

Good luck.

 

[BigH]

Yes just speaker cable, if you have a Maplin near you, you can buy Van Damme for about £3 pm, allow some extra for positioning speakers etc. Positioning you need to experiment, I found about 6 feet apart and listening about 9 feet away works in my room, have the tweeter height about level with your ears, so u mau need about 60cm hight stands. STands are about £50+ but can be found on ebay for about £10-££30.

 

[davedotco]

Hi,

I'm pretty much brand new to the decent Hifi scene so bear with me.

I've just bought Q Acoustics 2050i's and a Marrantz MCR 610 mini amp, and I'm looking for some advice on cabling and the initial set up. A lot of what I've been reading on the forums is fairly complex and just some pointers would be good. Also, FLAC or WAV?

I'm aware the acoustics of the room matter a great deal, so how do I go about testing this?

Thanks in advance,

Dave

Nice setup.

The only thing you will need to take into account is that your speakers are at their best in plenty of space. Adjacent walls will reinforce the bass and could cause boominess, you will need to experiment. Speaker cables will not make a significant difference in this respect.

Room acoustics are an issue, but the usual remedy is to choose speakers that are suited to the room. In most rooms this is enough, though their are exceptions.

Generally the thing to avoid is to have speakers that due to their type and positioning excite room resonances and become wooly and overbearing in the bass. Other issues can normally be addressed by normal funishings and funiture.

Flac is a lossless system that should sound the same as WAV, but different algorythms are used in each case and some are convinced they can hear a difference. Frankly I can not see it being an issue, use the one you are most comfortable with. Check for other features such as tagging, maybe try a couple of tests, not a big issue, just be sure in your own mind that you are not missing out on something when you make your choice.

 

[slice]

Yes just speaker cable, if you have a Maplin near you, you can buy Van Damme for about £3 pm, allow some extra for positioning speakers etc. Positioning you need to experiment, I found about 6 feet apart and listening about 9 feet away works in my room, have the tweeter height about level with your ears, so u mau need about 60cm hight stands. STands are about £50+ but can be found on ebay for about £10-££30.

+1

Also Van Damme Blue is on Amazon

There is a slight variation in price according to what thickness of cable you need. The longer the length you need, the greater the thickness required. If you search "speaker wire" on Wikipedia it will give you an idea of what specification you need.

 

[davecalder]

Thank you very much guys, really appreciate it.

Surprised that spotify is that high quality tbh.

I did get 5m of Chord leyline 2 cable but with no connections - ok to solder these on myself or get a professional to do it?

Thanks again, looking forward to setting it up - been sitting at home while I've been away with work .

D

 

[nopiano]

No need to solder anything. I checked your QA manual and it shows you how to use bare wire, and the Marantz will accept that too.

Re positioning your speakers, it says:-

The 2050i loudspeakers should be positioned at least 200mm from a back wall and 500mm from the side walls. Placing the speakers closer to the wall will increase bass but could cause the sound to boom and lack precision and detail. The speakers should be 2m - 4m apart and central to the seated listener. Turning the speakers slightly inwards will sharpen a stereo image but may cause narrowing of the sound source.

 

[nopiano]

Oh, and as for testing your room, you can't unless you are an acoustics expert, so stick to experimenting with where they sound best. If you want to describe your room dimensions and construction, e.g. Solid floors or not, plasterboard etc., and where you sit relative to the speakers, e.g. Acros the room, down the length, etc., you may get some suggestions.

Too close to back wall or corners and the bass will boom; too far away, the bass will be too light. Point the speakers at you for most treble, or cross behind you or in front to alter the stereo 'stage'. You can google lots of advice, and for more info try here:-

http://www.cardas.com/room_setup_main.php

 

[davecalder]

Lovely - I've not even got them out the box!

Got a slightly different question - was going to buy the B&W P3's for a travel/work headphone but people on here seem to say they're crap. Any recommends <200 quid?

Looks like parties back at my apartment are going to be large...

 

[davedotco]

@ nopiano

My experience suggests these are minimum distances. Rather perversly if the room is on the small side you need to get the speakers even further from the walls.

Be aware and be prepared to experiment, depends on how you like your bass, I can't stand even a hint of boom so take this very seriously, others feel different about it.

@davecalder

I do not usually do expensive headphones but I see that the Audio Technica ATH-M50s are currently available under £100. If you want closed back (sealed) phones, these are fantastic value. You can probably do better nearer to £200 but most are not as as good as the ATH-M50s, which used to cost nearer £150.

As an aside, I personally I can only really enjoy open back phones, limits the usage a lot though, given that I tend to play quite loud.