Spec me a bookshelf setup

[Andybtsn]

Hi guys,

I currently have some Edifier 2.0 speakers that are around 4 years old now. I’m wanting to upgrade. I mainly listen to rock, metal, bassy music.

At first I was just going to sack the speakers off and get some Sonos but not sure this is the best setup?

I was then considering a desk DAC and some Edifier S1000DB speakers. I have a high end spec laptop with the music stored on. Not sure a 2.1 setup is better.

Any help appreciated. Budget around £400.

Thanks

 

[dt97583]

Schiit Modi 2 DAC £110
Schiit Magni 3 amp £110 (pre-outs for speakers and perfect for headphones if this interests you?)
RCA cables £17.50 but worth it, they're small and ideal for stacking the amp on top of the DAC. You could save some ££ here, it'd just look a bit messier
USB cable £20 if you fancy treating yourself, again you could save ££ here

I guess I can't link to speakers as Overclockers stock and sell them, but my choice would be:

Presonus Eris 4.5 £149.99

Total = £407.49

 

[Andybtsn]

Sounds good. Is the amp just for if I have decent headphones and switching between those and the speakers?

How would the setup all connect together? Thanks

 

[dt97583]

Yeah the amp is only required if you plan to use headphones. Otherwise it'd be:

PC <-USB cable-> DAC <-RCA cables-> Speakers. If you don't need an amp you can spend more on your speakers. The JBL LSR305 (£207.70) are highly rated. If you did go for these you'd need RCA cables to TS connector as there's only balanced XLR and 6 mm (¼") TRS inputs on the back.

 

[Marsman]

I'd only look at getting a separate headphone amp as well as a DAC, if you need one. If you don't, don't bother with one and spend more on the speakers. You could just get a combined unit, such as a SMSL M6 if you need a headphone amp as well, which would work out a fair bit cheaper.

Edifier do make some very good stereo speakers, but other than their R1600T III and similar models, the more expensive S1000DB and others are less known. I'd have no hesitation recommending their stereo speakers around the £100, but if spending double or triple that, I would probably look at brands with well reviewed models. JBL LS305 are highly rated and certainly worthy of consideration. They are rear ported and fairly deep speakers, so will need some space from a back wall; unlike the Edifier's you have which are front ported and can go right back against a wall.

Not worth looking at 2.1 speakers, especially when you have a budget for some really nice stereo speakers. If you need a subwoofer, you can always add one at a later date. Much better than buying cheaply made 2.1 PC speakers.

 

[mistersprinkles]

Schiit Modi 2 DAC £110
Schiit Magni 3 amp £110 (pre-outs for speakers and perfect for headphones if this interests you?)
RCA cables £17.50 but worth it, they're small and ideal for stacking the amp on top of the DAC. You could save some ££ here, it'd just look a bit messier
USB cable £20 if you fancy treating yourself, again you could save ££ here

I guess I can't link to speakers as Overclockers stock and sell them, but my choice would be:

Presonus Eris 4.5 £149.99

Total = £407.49

If I may interject here-

It's out of budget, but for 599 (or cheaper) you can pick up the KEF X-300A. I have them. I also have Presonus Eris 4.5. The KEF are a literal order of magnitude superior. You have to have them in a medium to large room and you have to have them on proper stands, not on a shelf or a table, but man do they sound good.

I previously had:
Marantz PM-5005 ($600)
TEAC UD-301 ($500)
KEF Q300 ($700)
+expensive cables ($200)
=$2000

I then switched to the KEF X-300A @ $900 (599 pounds) and they sound as good, if not better.

But I can't afford 599 + a dac + cables etc you say? You don't need to! The X-300A have a DAC built in as well as class A/B amplification and everything you need is in the box. Plug them into a PC or MAC via USB and you are in business.

It is literally an instant entry level hi-fi system. You WILL NOT do better with separates for the same price. You just won't. I tried going down that route. The X-300A will blow your mind into a million pieces and are worth every penny. Recommended x1000.

 

[Andybtsn]

If I may interject here-

It's out of budget, but for 599 (or cheaper) you can pick up the KEF X-300A. I have them. I also have Presonus Eris 4.5. The KEF are a literal order of magnitude superior. You have to have them in a medium to large room and you have to have them on proper stands, not on a shelf or a table, but man do they sound good.

I previously had:
Marantz PM-5005 ($600)
TEAC UD-301 ($500)
KEF Q300 ($700)
+expensive cables ($200)
=$2000

I then switched to the KEF X-300A @ $900 (599 pounds) and they sound as good, if not better.

But I can't afford 599 + a dac + cables etc you say? You don't need to! The X-300A have a DAC built in as well as class A/B amplification and everything you need is in the box. Plug them into a PC or MAC via USB and you are in business.

It is literally an instant entry level hi-fi system. You WILL NOT do better with separates for the same price. You just won't. I tried going down that route. The X-300A will blow your mind into a million pieces and are worth every penny. Recommended x1000.

Thanks! What music do you listen to? Seems they can be had for £480 so not massively out of my price range

 

[Marsman]

As good as the X300A might sound (which is most important), for what they cost, it's a shame there is no optical input. That would open them up to the possibility of being more than just PC speakers. They do have 3.5mm auxiliary input, so at least other devices can be used if need be.

One thing to bear in mind when spending more on good quality speakers, is that positioning is important. While that also applies to cheaper speakers, if you're spending more on a speaker because it will sound better than a cheaper one, then positioning should surely has to be more important as it can affect the speaker's ability to sound as good as it should for what it costs.

As an example; which pretty much mirrors what mistersprinkles put about having the X300A on stands, rather than a desk.

I have a pair of Roth Oli1's connected to a small T amp. My desk is in the corner of a room. They sound very good, but there is the feeling they don't sound quite as good as they could do. There's a feeling that there's something missing; something which usually leads to the thinking, 'I need to spend more money a better speaker'.

So to experiment, I moved then from their position from my desk in the corner of a room to speaker stands in the middle of long wall, well clear of corners. What I thought was missing from their sound when placed on my desk, was present.

I have considered spending more on better speakers, and while they may be better sounding speakers, they would still be hampered by being stuck in the corner of a room. Sometimes placement and location is hard to overcome, but it is better to spend £100-£200 and have a decent speaker, than to not bother and get plastic PC speakers instead.

Spending £500 though and it's worth paying more attention to where you're going to put them.

 

[mistersprinkles]

As good as the X300A might sound (which is most important), for what they cost, it's a shame there is no optical input. That would open them up to the possibility of being more than just PC speakers. They do have 3.5mm auxiliary input, so at least other devices can be used if need be.

One thing to bear in mind when spending more on good quality speakers, is that positioning is important. While that also applies to cheaper speakers, if you're spending more on a speaker because it will sound better than a cheaper one, then positioning should surely has to be more important as it can affect the speaker's ability to sound as good as it should for what it costs.

As an example; which pretty much mirrors what mistersprinkles put about having the X300A on stands, rather than a desk.

I have a pair of Roth Oli1's connected to a small T amp. My desk is in the corner of a room. They sound very good, but there is the feeling they don't sound quite as good as they could do. There's a feeling that there's something missing; something which usually leads to the thinking, 'I need to spend more money a better speaker'.

So to experiment, I moved then from their position from my desk in the corner of a room to speaker stands in the middle of long wall, well clear of corners. What I thought was missing from their sound when placed on my desk, was present.

I have considered spending more on better speakers, and while they may be better sounding speakers, they would still be hampered by being stuck in the corner of a room. Sometimes placement and location is hard to overcome, but it is better to spend £100-£200 and have a decent speaker, than to not bother and get plastic PC speakers instead.

Spending £500 though and it's worth paying more attention to where you're going to put them.

I agree with all of this. There's no optical input because they aren't good HT speakers. They excel at music but for movies they are just "meh". As far as dialogue goes, it sounds like the person is truly in the room, but as soon as the lasers and explosions start flying they aren't teriffic. They are meant to build a hifi system out of a laptop with minimal fuss and little more.

Thanks! What music do you listen to? Seems they can be had for £480 so not massively out of my price range

I listen to all kinds of music. The post below yours which I quoted is quite right. Positioning is key, especially with better speakers. You need to put these KEF's in the right place, away from the wall, on decent heavy stands, in a room that's not too small.

BTW the one shortfall of these KEF's is that they don't have a strong bottom end. For most music they are fine but don't listen to "Gimme Some Mo'" by Busta Rhymes and expect the ultra low bass to be earth shattering. It won't be. They are basically perfect for anything that's not hip hop/rap/R&B/SOME electronic.

Oh also, PLEASE don't listen to MP3's on these. That's just so terrible and wrong. Listen to FLACs through a properly tweaked high end player like JRiver media center, or use a high end streaming service that serves FLAC like Tidal. The X300a have a 96Khz 24bit DAC so higher res files can be enjoyed too.

 

[Marsman]

I agree with all of this. There's no optical input because they aren't good HT speakers. They excel at music but for movies they are just "meh". As far as dialogue goes, it sounds like the person is truly in the room, but as soon as the lasers and explosions start flying they aren't teriffic. They are meant to build a hifi system out of a laptop with minimal fuss and little more.

Oh no, I wasn't thinking of movie use; just maybe more connection options than just a PC.

 

[Andybtsn]

Yes I’ve been doing a lot of research in regards to speaker placement, what to play and what kit suits my genre. It seems the X300 are down my street and will order some when back in the UK.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Andybtsn]

Hi guys, I have set the X300s up. I'm very impressed with the quality, slightly disappointed with the bass so far considering I read so many reviews stating how good it was!

 

[hornetstinger]

Hi guys, I have set the X300s up. I'm very impressed with the quality, slightly disappointed with the bass so far considering I read so many reviews stating how good it was!

It's a 5.25" driver, it can only do so much. Personally I do prefer and recommend floorstanders for music, it saves buying a subwoofer and I find bass response integration of standmount + subwoofer to be less seamless than floorstander

 

[Andybtsn]

Fair enough, don't get me wrong the quality is superb and I'm hearing things in songs I could never with my Edifiers I just think they could have packed just a little more punch.

 

[Marsman]

Mistersprinkles did say that they don't have strong bass and although What HiFi is not the best place for reviews, they also said the KEF's lack punch.

Not sure about reviews saying the bass is 'good'. Good bass is not necessarily strong bass, but when someone says 'good', people may assume that means 'strong'. Plus there's quite a few variables from the listener to the location and acoustics to consider, so experiences will differ. This is the trouble with buying without hearing first.

Another thing which may factor in to this is; having the bass EQ turned up on the Edifier's. That will accentuate the bass to above what is natural for a speaker of that size and maybe for even a speaker with a 5.25 woofer. That would raise expectations of what to expect from a larger more expensive speaker.

Adding a subwoofer could be done, it wouldn't be ideal and would cost maybe at least another £200 for decent budget on top of what you've already spent.

Any way to return them without incurring a fee?

Maybe get some floorstanding speakers and depending on cost and budget, maybe get a small cheap T amp (Topping VX2) to begin with, until you can afford something a bit more up market. Doing both at once with a good amp is not a good idea with £400-£500. While you can buy decent bookshelf speakers for £100, decent floorstanding speakers will cost 4x that.

Just a thought though.

It's a shame after spending nearly £500, not to be completely satisfied.

 

[hornetstinger]

yup you need to spend a fair amount on floorstanders to get a good set. I've had and still own Kef stereo speakers, from Coda 7SE, Coda 9, Q15, Q55, Q75, , Reference 2.2. I wouldn't recommend low end floorstanders.

Depends on use, I find my standmount speakers with PC system (less than 1M away) more than goood enough, no need for subwoofer. But for living room and bedroom they aren't good enough in low end.

For a music subwoofer I'd be looking at BK XLS200 or something similar. For movies I'd go for the Monolith Plus (get the best you can)

Currently and now listening to Celestion A1's for the PC rig.

 

[hornetstinger]

Maybe demo these? They're larger standmounts

http://uk.kef.com/r300

Although I'd just buy second hand speakers as you can save a lot of money

 

[Andybtsn]

I certainly don't want to send them back, I am really happy with them, they sound superb but I guess with my music style a little more bass would have been nice! I can certainly live with it

 

[Marsman]

Just looking through desk gallery thread, I found a picture from 2013 where you have the Edifier speakers lying on their sides under your monitors. Please tell me you didn't go and put £500 speakers on their sides?

 

[Andybtsn]

Haha, I just spent 5 mins searching for that pic, I don't even remember having that setup

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/31203505/ similar to what it looks like now