I've mentioned it before but powered bookshelf speakers work great for a computer setup. My Kantos have USB, 3.5mm, RCA and two optical inputs. It also has Bluetooth, sub out, and a phono preamp. It even comes with a remote so I would happily use them in a small home theatre over a soundbar.
Then again, I'm running an old ass Logitech LS21 system which at one point in time was available new for a mere $20 and the ones that succeeded them (Z213s) are currently a whopping $50 from Memory Express. They aren't anything special, and if I want good sound, I'm usually throwing on my Arctis 5 USB headset.
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Then again, I'm running an old ass Logitech LS21 system which at one point in time was available new for a mere $20 and the ones that succeeded them (Z213s) are currently a whopping $50 from Memory Express. They aren't anything special, and if I want good sound, I'm usually throwing on my Arctis 5 USB headset.
I paid a lot less than that. You can also get cheaper ones that are still great, like the Audioengine A2+. I had them and paid something like $150 on sale.
I paid a lot less than that. You can also get cheaper ones that are still great, like the Audioengine A2+. I had them and paid something like $150 on sale.
That's what I have. I've been eyeing up the Kanto for a while though. IIRC there's a really nice Klipsch option too.
From cost vs performance I can't say there's a better option. I got this set off marketplace for 120 bucks. The klipsch were 30 dollars from a while back. So for 150 I have the pre amp, the sub, and 2 bookshelf speakers. Could a dedicated amp help? Probably but then I'm having to buy a sub and receiver as well. I don't think I would be able to spend so little to justify any marginal gains in sound
I also don't think it's an audiophile setup. Was simply looking for advice from people who believe themselves knowledgeable about equipment. This is very much a low rent setup... But I think the results are really amazing for the price. I'm very much a value proposition buyer. I have Vizio tvs, I always go mid end on my PC but spend a lot of time making sure each part is exactly right, I buy clothes off amazon etc.
I'm a value buyer in general too. I get it. I was mainly suggesting putting a power amp between your pre amp and bookcase speakers, 64W means you're starving those speakers. $80 gets you 2x 160W or a 2x 100W power amp. I think you'd definitely hear a difference through your Klipsch if you did that. The B10 are rated 50-200W.
If I were to splurge on sound, I'd go headphones all the way rather than speakers. I currently use an astro gaming mixamp set up for movies and gaming and replaced the astro headphones with Sennheiser HD 595. I'm kinda tempted to get a pair of AKG 701/702 with a Fiio LDAC mp3 player (can double as usb DAC) again. I never should have let go of my 701.
Last edited by DoubleF; 05-21-2020 at 01:35 AM.
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I'm a value buyer in general too. I get it. I was mainly suggesting putting a power amp between your pre amp and bookcase speakers, 64W means you're starving those speakers. $80 gets you 2x 160W or a 2x 100W power amp. I think you'd definitely hear a difference through your Klipsch if you did that. The B10 are rated 50-200W.
If I were to splurge on sound, I'd go headphones all the way rather than speakers. I currently use an astro gaming mixamp set up for movies and gaming and replaced the astro headphones with Sennheiser HD 595. I'm kinda tempted to get a pair of AKG 701/702 with a Fiio LDAC mp3 player (can double as usb DAC) again. I never should have let go of my 701.
Edit: looks like has RCA input so it's a no go I think
I'm a value buyer in general too. I get it. I was mainly suggesting putting a power amp between your pre amp and bookcase speakers, 64W means you're starving those speakers. $80 gets you 2x 160W or a 2x 100W power amp. I think you'd definitely hear a difference through your Klipsch if you did that. The B10 are rated 50-200W.
All well and good except the amp you link is 160W (max) into 4 ohms, but the Klipsch B10s are 8 ohms. Specifications for the TDA7498 are all over the map. For example:
Audiophonics TDA S50
2 x 50W @ 8 ohms w/36V power supply
2 x 100W @ 4 ohms and 1% THD
SMSL SA-98E
2 x 160 watts max @ 4 ohms (12% THD)
2 x 80 watts max@ 6 ohms (10% THD)
2 x 60 watts max @ 8 ohms (10% THD)
Here is an independent test from Big Wiz:
I don't want to imply that the chip amps are bad, but be very careful touting them based on their advertised power output. This particular chip seems to be highly regarded and I think it's a decent solution for a home office and they are more than capable.
The B10 sensitivity is 90 dB at 1W/1m. By way of comparison, one of my set-ups in my home office is a Pioneer SX 680 (30W) driving a pair of JBL 4401 studio monitors (88 dB). The 30W receiver is more than sufficient to drive those speakers at the listening levels I enjoy and what the Baroness lets me get away with. So, I don't necessarily agree when you state that 64W starves the B10s but it depends on what the listener's goal is.
In a near field monitoring situation, such as in an office, 85 dB SPL (with 15dB peaks) is loud enough, in my opinion, and a 25W amplifier is sufficient. I typically average about 72 dB.
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I really hate seeing electronics like that with a crappy little fan that is going to last about 3 years before it starts squealing, then one day goes silent. Then it overheats and dies.
I don't think Baron is saying you shouldn't buy it. He's pointing out that you won't be getting the power you're expecting because of the difference in impedance but it will probably still drive your speakers well enough to get plenty loud, with better quality sound.
Not knowing what your situation is with respect to room size and listening habits, I'm going to assume this little amp is sufficient for your needs based on what you've written so far. Give it a try.
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The power rating of speakers is generally referring to the maximum level where the speaker won't be damaged or distort but typical listening levels require much less power. The sensitivity of the Klipsch B-10 is 90 dB, which means that at a distance of 1 metre, 1 watt of input power would generate audio at around 90 dB, which is quite loud.
Other than home theater usage, you usually don't need much power.
All well and good except the amp you link is 160W (max) into 4 ohms, but the Klipsch B10s are 8 ohms. Specifications for the TDA7498 are all over the map. For example:
Audiophonics TDA S50
2 x 50W @ 8 ohms w/36V power supply
2 x 100W @ 4 ohms and 1% THD
SMSL SA-98E
2 x 160 watts max @ 4 ohms (12% THD)
2 x 80 watts max@ 6 ohms (10% THD)
2 x 60 watts max @ 8 ohms (10% THD)
I don't want to imply that the chip amps are bad, but be very careful touting them based on their advertised power output. This particular chip seems to be highly regarded and I think it's a decent solution for a home office and they are more than capable.
The B10 sensitivity is 90 dB at 1W/1m. By way of comparison, one of my set-ups in my home office is a Pioneer SX 680 (30W) driving a pair of JBL 4401 studio monitors (88 dB). The 30W receiver is more than sufficient to drive those speakers at the listening levels I enjoy and what the Baroness lets me get away with. So, I don't necessarily agree when you state that 64W starves the B10s but it depends on what the listener's goal is.
In a near field monitoring situation, such as in an office, 85 dB SPL (with 15dB peaks) is loud enough, in my opinion, and a 25W amplifier is sufficient. I typically average about 72 dB.
The spec sheet says that Whiteout's set up will be able to do 62W x 2 into 8 ohms @ 1 kHz @ 10% THD.
I'm going to be straight up, I have no idea what that means. Your comment about advertising chip amps purely based on wattage is fair. I agree. I don't get the whole sound calculation stuff though. I just know whether or not those power amps are well reviewed and that I also do know that the advertising wattage isn't necessarily the actual performance.
I'll also be frank about my assumptions. Most of the basic/mid level pre-amp/receiver I've used from around a decade ago has been pretty darn disappointing with book case or tower speakers. It wasn't until I nabbed that style of chip power amp with a "2 x 100W output" did I realize that the bookcase speakers I owned didn't suck, but I wasn't setting it up to perform properly. I did perceive that the 2 x 160W wasn't actually 160, but I also ball parked that it potentially should out perform the Z5500 at 64W.
I don't disagree with your assumptions that the book shelf speakers might not be starved. I literally made an eyeball assumption. You actually have an idea what you're talking about. I'm more of a, "The reviews on this are pretty damn good so it seems like it should be an adequate combo/set up. Trust your ears over specs, return if you're not happy with the performance."
Also, the comment was also based on Whiteout's previous comment which mentioned floor standing speakers. I kinda just went down the route of assuming that the chip amp setup with the book case speakers is a better approach IMO than the floor speakers and if Whiteout doesn't seem completely convinced by his current set up.
I will not boast of any technical knowledge relating to audiophile equipment. I only rely on my ears which IMO are quite decent because I played a string instrument and sang growing up. I am assuming I'm not pretending to be able to hear a difference. I also based my comments around the concept that I liked the performance and sound quality improvement using that style of chip power amp vs entry/mid level receivers and pre amps which were common a decade ago. I could be dead wrong and that Z5500 set up is really good.
Hey folks, Looking for some help on getting a Soundbar.
Key use cases:
- primary use will be for when I bring out my HD projector out (which has been stored away for 5+ years, but now kids big enough, and will be able to create a nice theatre experience in the long, lockdown winter)
- playing some music (though I already have a Sonos speaker for light music in the kitchen/family room
- if possible, will use it for the main tv (in same family room as where I'd set up my temporary projector nights). I would only really ever do this IF the sound bar has a dialogue/speech enhancer, where I can keep the woofer off, but ideally increase the speech sound when the kids are off to sleep.
The family room space is ~20'x15', with 10' ceilings.
Am looking for ideally a 3.1 or 2.1 sound bar (wireless), that's powerful enough to get some music going in the room but also provide audio for the above use cases. Budget < $400 ideally.
I've been really happy with our Vizio SB3651-E6, and the newer model does Dolby Atmos. It's a 5.1 soundbar (the rear satellites plug into the subwoofer and the subwoofer is wireless), but you don't have to plug in the rear speakers if you don't want to.
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Last edited by TorqueDog; 10-28-2020 at 10:44 AM.
Reason: Flubbed the model number.
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Ya, with that budget you can't go wrong with the Vizios. I have two of them, bought on sale at $200 each. I'm sure there's better out there but not at that price point.
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So a question/advice for some smarter people than me.
We're going to be purchasing a new TV in the next few days and are very excited. We've settled on the 85" X900H - it gives us the size we need, the features that seem to be handy, and all at a decent price point.
So the thing is I don't know much about the home theatre aspect when it comes to the new technology. We have an 80" Sharp connected to a reciever and we have everything plugged into the receiver. Now, in order to take advantage of the new features, plus the new XBox and PS5 that should both arrive soon, I'm going to need a new receiver I'm guessing.
The thought was I would plug everything into the TV:
HDMI 1: Telus Optik
HDMI 2: XBox Series X or PS5
HDMI 3: XBox Series X or PS5
HDMI 4: eArc to the receiver for lossless audio procesing
I appreciate that only one console will be able to use HDMI 2.1. Im fine with that...4K/60 seems good enough even though the internet says it's not.
Now do I go with that setup or do the traditional thing with the receiver, and forgo the eARC? And if so, do I need to get a super fancy receiver? I'd like to spend around $500-800 on a receiver if that's doable,
So a question/advice for some smarter people than me.
We're going to be purchasing a new TV in the next few days and are very excited. We've settled on the 85" X900H - it gives us the size we need, the features that seem to be handy, and all at a decent price point.
So the thing is I don't know much about the home theatre aspect when it comes to the new technology. We have an 80" Sharp connected to a reciever and we have everything plugged into the receiver. Now, in order to take advantage of the new features, plus the new XBox and PS5 that should both arrive soon, I'm going to need a new receiver I'm guessing.
The thought was I would plug everything into the TV:
HDMI 1: Telus Optik
HDMI 2: XBox Series X or PS5
HDMI 3: XBox Series X or PS5
HDMI 4: eArc to the receiver for lossless audio procesing
I appreciate that only one console will be able to use HDMI 2.1. Im fine with that...4K/60 seems good enough even though the internet says it's not.
Now do I go with that setup or do the traditional thing with the receiver, and forgo the eARC? And if so, do I need to get a super fancy receiver? I'd like to spend around $500-800 on a receiver if that's doable,
I'm in the same boat soon, but I'm going to forgo the receiver entirely. Soundbars have come a long way in the last few years, and even if they don't sound quite as good as a receiver and full discreet 7.1 setup, the Dolby Atmos bars get close enough. I'm willing to sacrifice a little in audio quality to simplify my setup and have everything connected directly to the TV
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