Stereo Talk

[Michael Jewels]

Man, your Best Buy is nothing like my Best Buy! $4000.00 speakers? At Best Buy?

I almost couldn't believe it either.
Link Removed

In store only. I guess they figure if sent through UPS, USPS, et cetera, they'll be stolen for sure.

Even if I had the money, I'd put a cap on speakers at about $1,000.00 each. I don't have to worry about that.
Mike

 

[fdeck]

I'm testing a new thing called Volumio:

Volumio - The Audiophile Music Player

It's a "headless" music player that runs on a small computer such as a Rasberry Pi. You download a special version of Linux that boots on the Raspberry Pi, and it comes up as its own WiFi hot spot, then you connect to it from any computer or phone in your house, via your browser.

Right now I have the audio output jack of the Raspberry Pi plugged into the bookshelf stereo that's in our living room. Supposedly it's not the best audio quality, but it supports an audio adapter plugged into either the USB or HDMI ports. I'll experiment with that. I've also got the entire family CD library on a USB drive plugged into the Raspberry Pi.

The whole point was to get the CD collection out of the living room and have something that's easy for everybody in the family to use. We'll see how it goes, but it's worked pretty well so far.

 

[Yango]

If I had a 30 year old system that sounded great, I’d probably just stick with it.

 

[Michael Jewels]

If I had a 30 year old system that sounded great, I’d probably just stick with it.

I hear you, Yango, but it's the fact that, as good as it sounds, I've heard other systems that sound different.
More modern-sounding.
Not better-sounding, just different.
And after all these years of listening to a good-sounding system, it's nice to hear music in a slightly new way.
Mike.

 

[Michael Jewels]

I'm testing a new thing called Volumio:

Volumio - The Audiophile Music Player

It's a "headless" music player that runs on a small computer such as a Rasberry Pi. You download a special version of Linux that boots on the Raspberry Pi, and it comes up as its own WiFi hot spot, then you connect to it from any computer or phone in your house, via your browser.

Right now I have the audio output jack of the Raspberry Pi plugged into the bookshelf stereo that's in our living room. Supposedly it's not the best audio quality, but it supports an audio adapter plugged into either the USB or HDMI ports. I'll experiment with that. I've also got the entire family CD library on a USB drive plugged into the Raspberry Pi.

The whole point was to get the CD collection out of the living room and have something that's easy for everybody in the family to use. We'll see how it goes, but it's worked pretty well so far.

Very interesting, fdeck.
Keep us updated, and thank you for posting this.
This is the reason I started this thread: not just to have others listen to me about the progress I'm having with new components, but for stereo talk about every one's experiences and discoveries in all things audio.
Mike

 

[Michael Jewels]

Another update on the speakers.

As I've said: Minimum volume is -80, maximum is 0.0.

I always make sure my phone is at maximum volume now, won't make that mistake again.

With most music videos on Youtube,
-30 gives a comfortable listening volume,
-25 gives a louder listening volume in which you can hear more detail and nuances of acoustic instruments.
-20 gives about the loudest this amp/speaker combination should go, in my opinion. It's loud, but not deafening.

Pushing the amp to -22, and you can hear breakup/distortion creeping into the sound, so that's where I back off.

These QSC speakers have a sensitivity of 86.5, so speakers above 90 should have more volume.

I also noted that a number of speakers other than Klipsch are rated at 6 ohms.

I researched it, and most sites said that unless pushed hard, 6 ohms with an amp rated at 8 ohms should not be a problem. But stay away from speakers rated at 4 ohms.

The speakers I want, the Klipsch RP-600s are not in stock at B&H, in the store, Invalid Link Removed
but the smaller, RP-400s are.
Invalid Link Removed

I may be impatient Mike and buy a pair this weekend.

Mike

 

[Michael Jewels]

I bought speakers.

I went a little smaller than I wanted, but do not regret it.

I bought a pair of Klipsch RP-51Ms, and they sound very good.

As you read this review, bear in mind that I am just a regular guy, and am not trying to imply I am an expert in stereo equipment, because I am not.

For the last few weeks, I've been running my new, Cambridge AXA35 integrated amp through a pair of QSC AD-S52 speakers, which sound pretty good, but are lacking in bass.

The Klipsch RP-51s are only slightly bigger, but they have more than sufficient bass, and the highs are much smoother.

Their sensitivity, how loud they sound with X amount of power is 93db, while the QSC's are 86.5db.

You can hear this right away in how much louder the Klipschs go with the same amount of power. It's very noticeable.

I feel that a subwoofer is not necessary for these speakers, as they have more than sufficient bass for what they are. I am just running a moderate level 2 channel stereo, and not a home theater.

I still may upgrade to a pair of Klipsch tower speakers, but for now, and for a small 2 channel stereo sytem, these speakers are more than enough.

And they do get loud.

I also plugged in my old Bose 501V speakers, and they seem to have lost a lot of their superior sound quality when compared to the Klipsch. The Bose have a lot more bass, but their magic which I loved for so long seems to be gone.

Perhaps modern speaker technology has overtaken them? More on them later.

For a $289.00 pair of speakers, these Klipsch are excellent all around.

Mike

 

[Michael Jewels]

Proof of purchase.
My dirty workbench again.

 

[bassdude51]

The Klipsch are nice. They sound very good and they are a VERY efficient speaker producing volume with low watts.

You can check out your local Craigs List for decent speakers at a low price. Example in my locale. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (these are 2 way)

Google recommended speakers for Jazz.

One of my favorite on line stores.............. Audio Advisor, Inc.

 

[Pilgrim]

All three of the surround/stereo systems in my house were built via Ebay or pawn shops, because I'm cheap and don't spend a lot of money on speakers. "A lot of money" is defined as more than $200 per speaker pair.

I have a nice surround/stereo system in the basement - four 1990's Paradigm Titans, plus a Paradigm center channel and a Kilpsch sub. The larger end of the "bookshelf" series like the OP's Klipsch can be very good speakers. They often need some help on the low end, but that's no surprise. Depends on what you're looking for, and adding a sub is easy.

I have two surround/stereo systems on the main floor. One is all Design Acoustics (using PS10 main speakers, which have surprising 10" woofers in their base). he other is all Polk (with RT16 towers for the main speakers.) The Design Acoustics stuff dates to the 80's and the Polk to the 90's.

Once I like a system, I seldom move away from it. I'm not willing to spend thousands on a system, so I may be cheap. But I can sure get some nice sound from used equipment that others have moved on from.

 

[Michael Jewels]

First of all: The speakers I bought are the Klipsch R51-M, not RP-51M.

As I said, they have a lot more bass than the QSC speakers I have, but a small subwoofer would help the overall sound. I think they're very crisp and balanced for the volume I'm using them at.

And, as far as the amp goes, the longest I've played any speakers at relatively high volume, about 30 minutes, does not cause the amp to heat up at all. I think this amp is either underrated power-wise and/or very well built.

As far as bass and treble go, this seems to be dictated by the quality of the video you're watching/listening to, and the volume you have the amp at.

I generally have the bass at +4, and the treble at +6. the range is: -10 through 0 then +2 through +10 in two decibel increments.

What have I been listening to?

I'll give you five videos that I like, and feel are recorded and uploaded at youtube very well.

Listen particularly to the Gary Burton video through good speakers.











Now do you see why I don't need high volume?

Yes, I am a Jazz man.

Mike

 

[Jeff Scott]

I also plugged in my old Bose 501V speakers, and they seem to have lost a lot of their superior sound quality when compared to the Klipsch.

You have, simply, discovered the truth.............

...a small subwoofer would help the overall sound.

Check out Definitive Technology. The smallest current subwoofer model is their SuperCube 2000. I have an older SuperCube II that I got about 10 years ago. Perhaps, look for a used model (they made one even a bit smaller/less expensive than than the one I have). The older one have more comprehensive capabilities as to connectability to other system components; the current ones seem to be more home theater friendly than they are with stereo systems in that regard.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Michael Jewels]

You have, simply, discovered the truth.............

What is it about Bose that a lot of people don't like?
Is it that reflected sound thing?
Over at Audiokarma, there doesn't seem to be a lot of love for Bose.

On the other foot, I listened to the Klipsch again after work, and they sounded so good!
Mike

 

[Jeff Scott]

What is it about Bose that a lot of people don't like?
Is it that reflected sound thing?
Over at Audiokarma, there doesn't seem to be a lot of love for Bose.

On the other foot, I listened to the Klipsch again after work, and they sounded so good!
Mike

There's your answer.

The reflected sound was a part of it, although not the worse part of it. The main thing was, especially with the 900 series (901 and descendents), was that what Bose was doing was using a small midrange driver (a bunch of them - nine, IIRC) and EQing the out of them to expand the frequency range downward and upward. This required lots of amplifier power, and mucho distortion along with it.

 

[Michael Jewels]

I remember the 901s when they first came out, and, I remember some people saying they were the best speakers ever, and others saying Bose tricked everyone, and charged top dollar.

I must say, the 25 years I used my Bose 501Vs, they sounded good to me if they were positioned correctly in the room*, and if they were played loud. I never had a problem with the loud part, as I had a 200 watt per channel amp.

I am loving the clarity of these Klipschs. The spender in me wants to buy Klipsch towers now.

Down, boy, down!

Mike
* For the best sound, the speakers had to be so far from the back wall, and so far from the corners of the room. I forget the exact distances.

 

[Jeff Scott]

The spender in me wants to buy....

Spendor

 

[Michael Jewels]

OK, the speakers sound better every time I listen to them.

I also got money back.

I bought them on Saturday for a total of $318.00 tax included.

They then went on sale for $60 off.

Best Buy honors the sale price if you bought something within the 14 day return period, so they credited me the difference. Cool. Final price for the speakers, $251.00

Cambridge Amp $381.00
Klipsch speakers $251.00
Total $632.00

So far, I've spent a lot less than the $1,500 I had planned, and have a good-sounding second stereo system.

I want to let this system ferment in my ears before I buy anything else.

Most of you don't know me; If I allocate $1,500 for something, I can easily justify spending twice that, but self control will prevail here. The name of the horse I ride is discipline!

All silliness aside, what would you buy next?

Remember, I have a tuner, so I don't need that. I also have a CD player.

I am on the fence between getting a small subwoofer, and buying bigger Klipsch speakers.

Buying these small Klipsch speakers is selling me on their larger ones.

Right now, I'm using my phone as the only music source. This way, I can get almost any song I want off Youtube.

Is there a better music source with better fidelity to consider? Most of the videos on Youtube sound pretty good.

Jack, thanks for the Spendor link, but the only dealer in North America is in Toronto.

Mike

 

[Michael Jewels]

Ok.

I know most of you can't sleep unless you can read an update on my stereo.

Anyway, rather than report on the speakers, which are very nice, I just want to say that this amp, the Cambridge AXA35 is absolutely fantastic.

It's basic; it doesn't have any bells and whistles, no bluetooth and you can only hook up one set of speakers to it, but the sound is very warm and it never distorts or gets hot. I also don't push it to ridiculous volumes, but I have been pushing it kind of hard.

As I've stated, the volume goes from -80(no sound) to 0.00 (Maximum volume).

When you turn the amp on, it automatically is set at -40.

-40 is a background volume, -30 is a nice, listening volume, -25 is loud, and -20 is very loud.

Once you start going into the teens, -18, -15 it is VERY LOUD!

I don't listen to it at this volume, but I had two videos playing at this volume, and there was no audible distortion or break-up from either the amp or speakers, though I suspect I was getting close.

If anyone is looking for a low watt, great-sounding amp, check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Here are two more videos.

This one, by Steely Dan is the best-sounding video I've come across so far. It's loud with no distortion or compression.


And here's another very good one if you like 40s-type Jazz from Catherine Russell.

Listen to them both, LOUD!

Mike

 

[Michael Jewels]

Opps!

I forgot the #1 approval rating sign from my wooden, articulated artist's hand.

 

[Michael Jewels]

BIG SALE AT KLIPSCH!

You've heard me rave about the small Klipsch speakers I bought, and they sound very good for their size and price.

I highly recommend them, and as I've said, am seriously considering getting a pair of bigger, floor standing speakers.

Well, here's my chance, and yours: Klipsch is having a pretty good sale 'till the end of March.

The speakers I have, the R-51M, normally $289.00 per pair, on sale for $229.00.

The R-610F, normally $289.00 each, on sale for $187.00. That's $102.00 off!

I'm thinking about the R-810F, normally $499.00 each, now, $374.00.

Here's the site: Floorstanding Speakers | Klipsch

This is just for the floor speakers, many other items are on sale.

Mike