Please Spec me an Audio Setup!

goonerfan · 29 Dec 2010 at 12:27

Hi folks,
I was just going to buy a nice set of 2.1 speakers from here with my xmas money, but I received quite a bit more cash than I was expecting from various relatives, and it occurred to me that I could splash it on a much higher quality setup.

I was thinking of getting a couple of nice studio monitors (something along the lines of a Yamaha HS50M) and buying a proper soundcard like an ASUS D2, instead of just using the onboard on my Mobo (Gigabyte P55-USB3). If I did get studio monitors, what other equipment, like a mixer would I need? I know literally nothing about recording equipment...
Or is there a completely different alternative setup that I should be aiming for!? My budget is about £300, but I can stretch.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated, thanks

hughythomas · 29 Dec 2010 at 13:26

Hi mate,

I would strongly recommend (if you are serious about music quality) forgetting the gaming cards for sonic quality. Even a budget 'pro' soundcard (like the M-Audio Audiophile 24/96) sounds much better to my ears than any of the gaming cards I've heard.

Also, speakers wise - I would say have a listen to the Monitor Audio BX2 bookshelves. They sound FANTASTIC for the money (~£200). So good, in fact I use them as a pair of reference speakers for mastering in my studio (which is not strictly what they are designed for!).

You would need an amp as well unfortunately so we are probably looking at more the £350-£400 area...however this setup will rinse anything else you hear for half the price!!

Don't just take my word for it though - sonic quality is largely subjective. See if any of your local retailers stock the speakers and go listen for yourself (be sure to take along a CD...yes a CD NOT a 96kbps MP3 which you know the sound of).

Lastly, don't underestimate the positioning of your speakers - make sure you buy decent speaker stands to decouple the speakers from surfaces (Atacama Nexus range are fantastic value for money) and you will be set!

So to summarise; my recommendation would be:

Monitor Audio BX2 speakers
Budget amp of your choosing
Atacama Nexus speaker stands
M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI soundcard

Prepare to be blown away!!

Tom

Dirk · 29 Dec 2010 at 16:16

Xonar Essence + AE Aego M 2.1. ~£300

Job done.

Marsman · 29 Dec 2010 at 16:54

I think he is looking at recording music, or music creation, as he mentioned a mixer in the OP. As good as the Essence is, I've got one and it's great, it's not the best choice in this instance. It's a bit overkill really, and will swallow half the budget. Also the Aego's are not a good choice for music creation, some decent monitor speakers are needed really if the OP is serious about it.

If the OP is looking at other equipment, then that will limit what can be spend on each individual item. The M-Audio 2496 is decent card for music creation, and it wont take up too much of the budget.

What exactly are you intending to do OP? Use software to create music mainly, or are you looking to get some kind of recording equipment?

On a side note, I do like the look of Atacama's stands. I really need some better stands for my speakers, so I'll probably get some when funds allow.

Dirk · 29 Dec 2010 at 17:21

Marsman said:
...On a side note, I do like the look of Atacama's stands. I really need some better stands for my speakers, so I'll probably get some when funds allow.

I gave away a pair when i sold my B&W speakers recently. They are good stands but the finish on them is horrible. The grainy texture makes them a bugger to clean as it tends to rip cloths and sponges to pieces, leaving the stands messier than they were in the first place!

It should be noted that these were the 'Nexus' stands and i don't know if the above applies to all of the Attacama lines.

goonerfan · 29 Dec 2010 at 17:26

Thanks for the tip on that m-audio sound card hughythomas, that's just the kind of thing i was after, and a decent price too. Placed the order already!

If I've got to buy an amp and speaker stands (hadn't even thought about stands, I was just gonna put them on shelves...yikes), those BX2s look like they'll be out of my price range, looks like the going rate for them alone is £250. Would you recommend the BR1 or BX1?

Dirk I was gonna go with the AE Aego M 2.1 speakers before I realised I had quite a bit more money to spend, so I'm looking to build a setup using passive speakers now, but thanks anyway

edit: As for what I will use the speakers for, they will be my Desktop PC speakers; So primarily listening to my media library, which is all FLAC (some of which is 24-bit), Movies and games of course, and down the road a little bit of recording/creating - next on my wish list is a midi controller, so I'm buying these speakers to cover that base. Another future investment is a good turntable which I intend to use in conjunction with the speakers I buy now.

Marsman · 29 Dec 2010 at 17:27

Ah, yes I know that well. My current cheaper stands also have that textured grainy paint, which makes them hard to clean. I guess the Nexus line are relatively cheap, as far as proper speakers stands go, maybe the paint finish is evidence of that. :/

hughythomas · 30 Dec 2010 at 02:06

Goonerfan glad to hear your listening to FLAC my man! It's the way to go!

I also have the BR-2s in my room although I would say the BX-2s are worth the extra as they really do sound spandangly.

After a quick google I've found a pair of BX-2s for £220. Honestly mate, I swear by these speakers they are the BOMB. My friends ALWAYS comment on the sound in my live room when listening to music (and even I'm running a budget Sony amplifier to the BX-2s).

In terms of MIDI controllers as well - what are you looking for? Do you need something that has lots of panpots for manipulating MIDI/performing complex automation or are you simply in need of a multi octave MIDI keyboard which plays well?

Tom

hughythomas · 30 Dec 2010 at 02:07

Dirk said:
I gave away a pair when i sold my B&W speakers recently. They are good stands but the finish on them is horrible. The grainy texture makes them a bugger to clean as it tends to rip cloths and sponges to pieces, leaving the stands messier than they were in the first place!

It should be noted that these were the 'Nexus' stands and i don't know if the above applies to all of the Attacama lines.

Not all Atacama Nexus stands are nasty - iirc you can choose the finish...

goonerfan · 30 Dec 2010 at 02:37

any ideas for an amp? I already spent £60-odd on the sound card, so if I can get a passable amp for under £100, I may be able to stretch to these BX2s...

as for the MIDI-controller, I've no idea, I've barely given it any thought to be honest. I've used a friend's before (Novation if memory serves) which had a keyboard with lots of integrated panpots and various other touch controls, so perhaps something like that.

hughythomas · 30 Dec 2010 at 15:54

Might be worth checking Avforums.com classifieds for a worthy second hand amp.

Or buy my Sony off me?!! lol! I was about to put it up on the members market...

goonerfan · 1 Jan 2011 at 22:18

argh i've just discovered that there are major unresolved driver issues trying to use an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 with Windows 7... There are untold numbers of threads on their site cataloguing various unlucky folks' woes. I cancelled my order...

What other cards should I be looking at?

Dirk · 2 Jan 2011 at 15:02

Make a list of exactly what functionality you need and what you expect to do with it i.e Surround Sound, Music creation etc. Also list what connections you will be needing. For instance you might want a Digital out if you are going to connect to a Receiver or you might want the card to have a dedicated Headphone Amp to power your cans.

I still maintain for simple, high quality use the Xonar Essence is the best bet unless you need something that the Essence doesn't have!