Random audiophile help?

[MrDavies]

Bit random this but..

I cannot tell the difference between my $40 Anker bluetooth speaker and my $90 Turtle Beach 500P's in regards to listening to music? How much must you spend to notice a viable improvement?

Enquiring because I am currently looking into many variations of speaker/soundbar setups (including a purchase of the Steelseries 800 headset) and was looking forward to hearing the difference as I've always loved music but have never really invested in the hardware.

PS. Pound sign not working so opted for the dollar.

Thanks!

 

[PapaLazaru]

Three names you have quoted which I would never class as good for audio. They are all brand names which only part of their line up includes audio.

A good start would be looking at equipment made by proper audio companies who specialize in it.

What are you looking for exactly? Speakers and headphones? Gaming and music?

 

[rids57]

^ +1

My thoughts exactly, none of the three companies have any reputation for music reproduction, games yes but music no way.

 

[EsaT]

Can definitely agree Turtle Beach being no better than newer China garbage gaming brands despite of being lot older.
And it's quite random what you can expect from them regardless of price.
(unless you have actual honestly trying company instead of what ever junk OEM using fashion brand)

Like said are you looking for good setup for music or what?
In case of music China junk brands don't have much to go for their pricing.
In case of gaming China junk headphones have hard time in having even that little, because good game immersion requires good sound stage...
Which is lot harder to do than strong bass of closed headphones.

For gaming proper headphones give quite lot for quite affordable expense and hassle compared to speakers.
(no need for cost of surround speaker set and their position etc)

 

[Pocah]

Open-back headphones for gaming! They give a far better positional sense which allows you to position enemies you can't see. You really don't need surround, you get plenty of positional data without it, just that some people like surround. For the past heaven knows how many years I have been using an Asus Xonar Essence ST and a pair of Sennheiser open-back headphones. Literally this week I replaced that with an Asus Xonar Essence STX II, and a pair of Beyerdynamics DT990's. The 990's were not my first choice if I am honest, but I ran out of money. Lol. I was going to buy a pair of Sennheiser 579's but then my graphics card failed. But whatever, these will do for the moment. There is a significant improvement over normal sound from a PC. Well worth the money in my opinion. Any further than that then I would recommend an external dac/headphone amp. The only common thing is open-backed headphones! They are a must in my opinion for games.

 

[JasonM]

Where is the sound going, front room or desktop speakers?

For decent sound you don't need much.

1) Good amp, anything even semi vintage separates from 90's onward would do. (there is loads of second hand Pioneer amps for well under £100, that will produce a very good sound.
2) Good speakers, floor standing if it's a front room setup, bookshelf if it's desktop. I personally like Yamaha speakers, but I hear great things about the ELAC Debut Series so search those.
3) Then you need a source, however if you choose a amp with integrated DAC you can use the S/PDIF from your motherboard.
4) Then take time to position your speakers up.

The ELAC B6's are under £300 for a pair, ELAC F6's floor-standers much more money as they are sold separate.