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Stereo Talk

#41
Hello again, everyone.
There might be a temporary change of plans.
As I mentioned in post #11, I have a pair of passive QSC speakers which sound very clean. They're model AD S52. 5.5 inch woofer with a horn tweeter.
I cleaned them up tonight, but didn't hook them up yet.

So, my idea is: try these speakers again, and then add a small sub woofer to fill out the bass.
But first, I was thinking of getting an integrated amp, which is bluetooth capable, and go from there. My main music source is probably going to be my phone, that's why I want the bluetooth.
What does everyone think of this?
Here are the QSC AD S52s.
20200303_181907~2.jpg
 
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#43
I don't know anything about these QSC speakers, but I did have a pair of K10s several years ago. They did okay with music (the K10s were the mains in my old PA system) but wouldn't be something I'd use for a stereo system (short-term, perhaps, but not for the long haul). If you get a subwoofer, make sure it will be compatible/sound good with whatever you end up using for the mains down the road.

As to integrated amps with BT, no ideas there as I still use my old system, with sources plugged in to the preamp with cables.
 
#44
Jeff, are K10s made by QSC?

The speakers I have aren't made anymore, and when I went to the QSC site, it looks as though they don't make anything for home use. Many of their amps are all in the thousands of watts! :eek:
QSC

I also thought a little more, and I found a few amps in the $300 - $700 range that are Bluetooth compatible.

Then, I realized I don't really need Bluetooth; I can run my phone into the amp with a wire.

I'll figure something out.

I know me; I just want to spend money right now, and I must use self control.

I am happy I remembered the QSC speakers, which I incorrectly remembered as monitors, which they are not.

I'll start with getting the QSCs going, see how they sound, add a sub if I need it, then buy a more expensive pair of speakers.

That place, Audiokarma.org is a nice place, but for someone like me, the more I learn there, the more I'll spend.

This is a nice distraction, though.;)

Mike
 
#45
I think you're on the right track with the bookshelf speakers. I've been running Klipsch RP160's on stands for a couple of years and love them. Like you, I'm looking for big clear sound in a smallish room, and these are about as big as I can reasonably fit in here without causing marital strife. I'm using a cheap Sony integrated amp that will be the first thing I upgrade, and most of my listening is jazz played on a vintage Thorens TD160 turntable.

The Klipsch's are super clear, not super bright or edgy like Klipsch speakers have a reputation for being. I've thought about adding a sub, but I don't really think it would add much in my system. The bass in the RP160's is very natural sounding and open. I think the RP600's you were looking at are the updated version of my speakers.
_DSC2245.JPG
 
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#47
#48
Here's another possible avenue:

A pre amp with Bluetooth.

Invalid Link Removed

Brad, and a few other people have been telling me to hold onto my S.A.E. power amp, but I'd have to get either a new integrated amp with Bluetooth, or the pre amp above, which I just stumbled upon.

I want to use my phone to get whatever music I want from Youtube, at least in the beginning.

I like doing research at slow speed. ;)

Mike
 
#50
Another possible option:

A low-power integrated amp. No bluetooth, but it has a 3.5mm input for a phone! :hyper:
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Why would I be interested in a low-power amp, when I have 200 watts per channel sitting idle?

I realized, that rather than abandoning the old system, I'm interested in building another system.

I'm not interested in volume, so this 35 watt per channel amplifier would have all the power I need for low to mid-level volume listening, and this amp is in stock, in the store in B&H!

This is what I could do:

1.) Arise, and greet the morning. :rolleyes:
2.) Grab a bagel.
3.) Take Duke Ellington's advice, and take the A train to Manhattan.
4.) Buy the amp, and begin setting up the new system.

By the way, for those who live close enough to visit B&H or Adorama in person take note:
When an item says, in stock, that means it's in stock in their warehouse, not the store.
If you're going to make a special trip into Manhattan thinking you can pick up an item and go home, make sure the item says, in stock, in store.

I'll have to dwell on this.

Mike ;)
 
#52
Michael Jewels said:
Another possible option:

A low-power integrated amp. No bluetooth, but it has a 3.5mm input for a phone! :hyper:
Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...
Looks good to me. Plus, I like how the connections in the back are labeled to read from looking over the top, just like they are on my Aragon components. :thumbsup:
Michael Jewels said:
This is what I could do:

Grab a bagel.

I'll have to dwell on this.

Mike ;)
Click to expand...
Yeah, what kind of bagel is very important in these situations. :woot: Especially if it's just a bagel with no lox and creamcheese. ;)
 
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#53
Hello again, everyone.

I bought something.

I hope you didn't think I started this thread just to talk, did you? :p

I bought a Cambridge AXA 35 integrated amp.


After doing a lot of thinking, and reading reviews and watching videos, I settled on this amp, because it seems taylor-made for my needs.

I also realized, that I'm not trying to replace my old stereo, but build a second one.

I bought it yesterday, but didn't get a chance to set it up yet.

I'll start with the QSC speakers, see how they sound, and go from there.

That S.A.E. amp I have that's 200 watts per channel, is also 600 watts bridged in mono.

I wonder if I should try it out as a bass amp?

Nah, I don't need that much power.

So, the saga continues.

Thank you to everyone who contributed advice, and please, keep it coming!

I will post my thoughts on this amp and speakers as soon as I set everything up.

Mike ;)
 
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#54
OK, I set the system up just to see if everything works, and how it performs.

Firstly, the QSC speakers sound just as I remember them: very clean, but very bass light.
If I stay with these speakers, I'm going to need a sub woofer.
How is the overall volume?
It depends on the source.
Right now, I'm only using my phone playing videos off Youtube. The first video wasn't that loud at all, then I realized my phone was at half volume.
I pushed it to maximum, and the volume was much better.
Then, I tried a different video, and it was much louder. It seems that it depends on the quality and at what volume the video was uploaded at.
So, the amp goes plenty loud, but not extremely loud.
Perfect for most people.
How does the amp sound?
EXCELLENT!
The amp has a natural, warm tone, and you can listen to it for hours. No harshness at all.
I'll write more tomorrow, but right now, I am very happy with it.
Here it is on my messy workbench.
Mike
20200309_193051~2.jpg
 
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#55
A few more thoughts on this set up.

The amp is very nice, and really has a very nice sound to it. If you watch the video I posted in post #53, I agree with just about everything the guy in the video said.

The volume is digital. It goes from -80 (no volume) to 0.0 (maximum volume.) A normal listening volume is about -30; above -20 it gets loud, but you don't hear any distortion until you get to about -10.

If anyone is considering a new amp, I can honestly recommend Cambridge. I haven't A/B ed it side by side with my more powerful system, but it does sound smoother to me.

The speakers sound nice, but are bass shy, and instead of a sub woofer, my next step is to get another set of speakers. Remember: these speakers were free, and that made me use them first.

These speakers have a sensitivity of 86.5. I read that to get the maximum out of this amp, you should use speakers with a sensitivity of 90 or higher. The Klipsch RP-600s I want to get have a sensitivity of 96!

There must be some difference when you plug in a pair of speakers which are 10db more sensitive.

So, my first choice for now are the Klipsch RP-600.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Does anyone have suggestions for a pair of bookshelf speakers in the $500 - $700 range that are efficient?

I know some of you have recommended speakers already, but, hey - we can do it all over again. :D

Thanks,

Mike
 
#56
Michael Jewels said:
How is the overall volume?
It depends on the source.
Right now, I'm only using my phone playing videos off Youtube. The first video wasn't that loud at all, then I realized my phone was at half volume.
I pushed it to maximum, and the volume was much better.
Then, I tried a different video, and it was much louder. It seems that it depends on the quality and at what volume the video was uploaded at.
Click to expand...
That will always be an issue with youtube, that, video dependent, unevenness in volume levels. Your remote/fingers on the volume control will be your best friend when using youtube as a source.

Michael Jewels said:
So, the amp goes plenty loud, but not extremely loud.
Perfect for most people.
Click to expand...
I have used my Marantz 1030 integrated amp (15 watts/channel) with my Maggies (MG-1c - 85dB sensitivity) and it sounded fine, volume-wise, in my old apartment.
 
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#59
Back to the amp and QSC speakers.

I put both a little more to the test, and the amp is fantastic, the speakers good.

The amp just has a very nice, non-harsh sound to it.

The QSC speakers have excellent midrange, slightly harsh highs, and barely sufficient bass, but they are acceptable.

But, not to me! :p

Seriously, if the QSCs sound as good as they do through this amp, a good set of speakers must sound a lot better.

I'm still looking, and decided to stop by my local Best Buy just to see what they had, which was not much.

They did have a pair of these Polk Towers, which surprised me at how inexpensive they were.
Link Removed

They also had a pair of these Sony bookshelf speakers.
Sony SS-CS5 - Speakers - bookshelf - 3-Way | Dell USA

Neither of these were on display, only in boxes, and anything in the sound room started at about $800 per pair going up to $4,000.00! :eek:

I'm not in a real hurry, but would like to get a nice set of bookshelf speakers.

Maybe this weekend.

The piano and horn of this song sound great through the QSCs.


Listen to it through good speakers if you can.

Yes, I am a Jazz man. :thumbsup:

Mike
 
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