Which speaker cable to RP6 speakers from M-audio 2496?

mart981

mart981

mart981

Associate
Joined
27 Jan 2007
Posts
1,737
I've decided to get back to playing some keyboard and so reinstalled my M-Audio 2496 soundcard for the lag free midi connection compared to the midi to USB I have tried and found impossible to work with.

Now I'm wondering what would be the best option for cabling to connect my powered monitor speakers in terms of sound quality, no matter how insignificant that may be :)

At the moment I'm using the TRS to minijack cable I used with my previous soundcard and then a minijack to RCA adapter lead to plug into the m-audio soundcard.

Here are my options,

- stick with the above setup,
- A pair of phono RCA leads, no adpaters at all but an unbalanced connection which may be effected by surrounding equipment? (although the leads only need to be 1.5m long max)
- A pair of XLR male to RCA phono male leads.
- A pair of TRS male to RCA phono male leads.

- sell my KRK RP6's, go back to using a pair of half decent computer speakers and spend the difference on wine, women and song?

edit: Just in case anyone was wondering - Been speaking (email convo) to my new mate at Leads Direct and he's recommended to get a couple of decent single RCA phono cables because it's best to go for same ended cables over any sort of convertors/adaptors, getting them made and picking up on Monday, sorted!
 
Last edited:
Probably what I would have suggested. Keeping it simple (without adaptors) can only be a good thing.

I assume by "monitor speakers" you mean actual monitor speakers and not speakers attatched to your monitor? Because if it was the latter you might as well just keep whatever you have.
 
RE;speaker cable to RP6 speakers from M-audio 2496

Dont create a mess use one brand system and accessories if you want to enjoy high quality sound with deep and fine bass .
 
DTWD said:
Probably what I would have suggested. Keeping it simple (without adaptors) can only be a good thing.

I assume by "monitor speakers" you mean actual monitor speakers and not speakers attatched to your monitor? Because if it was the latter you might as well just keep whatever you have.
Click to expand...

Yep KRK RP6's (although mine are the old style rectangular ones, same specs though), the only downside to having them is the power switches on the back, it can be a pain switching them on and off when I use the PC as I've had place them about 5 foot away from where I sit behind my desk.
 
Yer try to stay away from adapters mate.

It's a shame the Audiophile doesn't offer balanced outputs. This is one of the reasons I went for the M-Audio Firewire Solo over anything else as I run watercooling and don't want any EFI from the pump on my mastering rig.

KRK RP6s are good monitors mate - definitely stick with them!

What I would say is (and I say this a lot) - it might be worth investing in either some

Speaker stands

or

Auralex Mopads

To decouple your monitors from any surface they might be on. Personally, I would always go for speaker stands (and remember the shorter they are the better).

Hope this helps

Tom
 
My brother gave me some of his old speaker stands, they are pretty heavy duty but they're the type that attach to a desk. It's only made of 18mm chipboard so I don't want to risk it!

Will have a look round for some decent stands sometime. Hmm, shouldn't of searched around for the MoPads, now I want to cover my walls in studio foam :)

I might just make a sound barrier between my desk and the PC though.
 
Last edited:
Go for the XLR or RCA option, probably the latter.

hughythomas said:
Personally, I would always go for speaker stands (and remember the shorter they are the better).
Click to expand...

With monitors you want the tweeter at ear level, so either very short desktop stands or fairly high-ish floor stands.
 
At the moment they are on a shelf behind my computer desk, they have a neoprene base. Decent stands are pretty costly, not sure if I really have room for them anyway. Maybe wall brackets in the future, they weigh 23lbs though and I was nervous enough after putting up the 36" telly on the wall, let alone a speaker bracket that hangs 12" off the wall!
 
I have the same speakers as you, although I think mine are the newer version (rounded). I have 2 concrete slabs that I picked up from a builders yard underneath them and they're sitting on a piece of foam that was used in the packaging when I ordered Logic.
The concrete slabs were 50p each and I sprayed them black :)
 
Yup concrete slabs work well to - I like the spray painting idea to thats just class :D

If you can get some speaker stands I'd say do it - also think aboot filling them with something like the Atabites high density carbon filler (or just sand).

You running Logic 9 maccy? I recently made the upgrade from 7 and I've fallen in love with it - never use Tools/Cubase/Reaper anymore...
 
Yup, picked it up on education discount when it was released last year, £118 for the full version isn't too bad ;)

Although I prefer Pro Tools for proper recording sessions, seems to work a lot better with my ProjectMix and I feel that it's more of a "producer's" software whereas Logic is more suited to combined audio and MIDI work.
 
Yer same

It's all aboot educational discounts ;)

To be honest, I prefer Logic for everything nowdays - once I had got used to its 'take' system - I prefer it over PT any day of the week. In my opinion, Logic offers better plugin suite (out of the box - bear in mind I use mostly UAD-2 stuff anyway), better handling of MIDI (as mentioned) and more streamlined workflow although I do like Tools and am missing the ease of snap to transients etc when it comes to audio editing.
 
Yeh I see where you're coming from. I think the only other reason for using Pro Tools is because we use it in the studios, so I'll spend a few hours recording there and then take the project back home with me for mixing down - I feel a bit daunted by all the plug-in effects and racks in the studio!
 
I run balanced XLR to Jack from my M-Audio Fast Track Pro to M-Audio BX5A's. Sound is bob on however I wish I had the room for some Yammy HS80M's. Mate has just got some RP8's, bloody monsters they are!
 
Last edited:
Hey sorry to butt in but im looking to get some KRK RP8 G2's. And i've seen a few of you have krk speakers so was wondering if you could tell me what you think of them. Thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom