Headphone or portable speaker upgrade - *all working now*

rodders

rodders

rodders

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Hi all

Currently have a pair of Sony MDR-1A headphones and a Sony X33 portable speaker.

Considering upgrading one, but not sure what will give me the most bang for £

I listen to music on my phone with both items and on my PC with the headphones. I plug them into my speakers on the PC, is this the best place to plug them in for the best quality? They are Creative Gigaworks T20's

I have about £250 burning a whole in my pocket, which I don't think will be enough to 'upgrade' my headphones, but should make a good difference to the portable speaker
 
Plugging the headphones into the T20's, while convenient, isn't really the best. Ideally, you'd want to get a DAC/amp as well if you're considering a headphone upgrade. The HE400i for £180, do look like a very good buy and would leave enough for a decent DAC/amp. Should be noticeable improvement on the 1A's I would have thought. Like the 1A's, they aren't demanding headphones, so either a FiiO E10K or SMSL SD793II would be a good choice. Being easy to drive, means they'll also work great with smartphone as well.

As for whether to get headphones or speaker/s; £250 is enough to buy a Bluetooth speaker better than the SRS-X33, but you'd still be limited to a portable speaker. Portable Bluetooth speakers have their place, but they aren't going to compete with what larger non portable stereo speakers, for similar money. If a portable speaker is preferable, then going down the headphone upgrade route with the HE400i will be better bang for buck in my opinion. If you were considering some bookshelf sized stereo speakers as an alternative to upgrading the headphones, then that would be tougher decision.

Ultimately though, it depends on which you prefer to listen more, speaker/s or headphones.
 
I was comparing my music through the T20s and my phone and the speakers were awful. Never noticed until making a comparison!

I'll have a look at amp/DACs. Something else to think about.

The portable speaker is for taking to work, garage etc... I guess my headphones are when I sit and actually 'listen' to music. Speaker is just something the background.
 
Rather than spend maybe £200 on a better Bluetooth speaker, just for background music, what about considering getting some better speakers to replace the T20's. T20's are decent enough for what they are, but a pair of JBL LSR305 for £200 would really put them in the their place. That and a SMSL SD793II to connect them to should be around £250, and you'd have a decent DAC/amp for the headphones too.
 
Yeah, that's a good shout. I did think about upgrading the PC speakers. But I don't have a lot of room. I'll check out sizes and see what fits.
 
hmmmmmmm, cant fit the JBL's in!

Alterations made!!!!!!! and the wife is happy....wtf...lol
 
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Alterations made, meaning they will fit?

Good news if so. :D

To throw another recommendation into the hat; I see Q Acoustics 3020 are currently £120 at a few places, down from £200. They're passive speakers though and need an amp. SMSL SA36 is a small amp for £45. Could connect to the SD793II line out.

I have a similar set up to that, except with a Topping DAC/amp and Topping speaker amp.

Must admit, I'm temped myself by the 3020 at that price.
 
Yes I can fit some speakers in now :D and I'm quite liking the idea

Is the SA36 powerful enough to drive them?
 
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Yes; even though the recommended power handling on Q Acoustics site is 25-75W. The SA36 only puts out around 12W into 8 Ohm, which does sound like a feeble amount of power, but when you're actually listening to how loud the speakers are, it's more than it sounds, so to speak. My Topping outputs about the same and my Roth speakers are 8 Ohm; 50% volume is much too loud sitting at my desk. The Q Acoustics are 6 Ohm, so compared to the Roth's, so you should get a few more watts of power. Really more than enough, unless you have ears of steel. :p

Just noticed that the SA50 can still be bought from the jungle site. I thought it had been discontinued. That will provide a bit more power for an extra £10. 25W per channel into 4 Ohm, so maybe 17W into 8 Ohm.

Ideally, these little amps are best suited for use on a desk for close listening. That's the beauty of them, being able to use passive hifi speakers on desk without having to place a much larger amp, but it shouldn't be much problem to fill a small to medium sized room with sound if need be. Trying to fill a larger sized room with sound is when they may start to struggle and lose out to a more powerful larger amp.
 
Marsman said:
Yes; even though the recommended power handling on Q Acoustics site is 25-75W. The SA36 only puts out around 12W into 8 Ohm, which does sound like a feeble amount of power, but when you're actually listening to how loud the speakers are, it's more than it sounds, so to speak. My Topping outputs about the same and my Roth speakers are 8 Ohm; 50% volume is much too loud sitting at my desk. The Q Acoustics are 6 Ohm, so compared to the Roth's, so you should get a few more watts of power. Really more than enough, unless you have ears of steel. :p

Just noticed that the SA50 can still be bought from the jungle site. I thought it had been discontinued. That will provide a bit more power for an extra £10. 25W per channel into 4 Ohm, so maybe 17W into 8 Ohm.

Ideally, these little amps are best suited for use on a desk for close listening. That's the beauty of them, being able to use passive hifi speakers on desk without having to place a much larger amp, but it shouldn't be much problem to fill a small to medium sized room with sound if need be. Trying to fill a larger sized room with sound is when they may start to struggle and lose out to a more powerful larger amp.
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I'm sure it will be powerful enough then, the T20's don't do a bad job.

Been reading some people say the 3020's don't have much base, how could I integrate a sub in the future if I wanted one? there's no output on the SA36?
 
Could I go for something like:

SMSL A2 HiFi 2.0 Pure Digital Audio Amplifier TDA7492
then I can put a sub in if I'd like later
 
Well bass output is largely dependent on size. A 5" woofer can only do so much. I suppose it depends on the listener and what music is being listened. Monitor Audio MR2 are available for the same money and they have 6.5" woofers. They may fare a tad better without adding a subwoofer. Monitor Audio speakers tend to have a harsher treble and they can be a bit boomy when close to a wall, even though they are front ported; possibly because of the larger woofer.

Not looked at the A2. You could go for that, but you don't necessarily need an amp with a subwoofer out to connect one. You only require an amp with sub out if the subwoofer has only line level input. If the subwoofer has high level speaker input as well, it can connect to the amp's speaker terminals that way and just uses the signal for listening. The subs own internal amp will power it, not the amp it's connected to.
 
Marsman said:
You only require an amp with sub out if the subwoofer has only line level input. If the subwoofer has high level speaker input as well, it can connect to the amp's speaker terminals that way and just uses the signal for listening. The subs own internal amp will power it, not the amp it's connected to.
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So an active amp can connect to a speaker output on the back of the sa50?
 
Yes. You connect both speakers and subwoofer to the amplifier's binding posts. The sub will just listen to the signal and won't take power from the amp. Sub must have high level speaker input though. Many do. Tends to be the cheap ones that you can buy for 5.1 satellite speaker set ups that tend to only have line level.

Wharfedale SW150 for example, is a decent inexpensive subwoofer with both line level and speaker level input.
 
Just noticed, Wharfedale 220 are also available for the same price. Slightly more bass than the 3020's from what I can see. I prefer the look and finish off the Q Acoustics to the newer wharfedale speakers, but another one to consider.
 
All depends on budget, speaker type you want etc. Pretty much like choosing a car, dozens of choices, dozens of brands.

For the computer system I use a AVR with Celestion A1 speakers. No sub needed as plenty of bass from these
 
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