What desktop speakers are you using?
- Thread starter Troezar
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I ended up getting a teac a-h01 which was being sold at half rrp.
As I wanted a reasonably good HiFi amp and DAC with sub out, it was that or a NAD D3020, but with an RRP over £300, I had to look around for a]something on sale, and R/S had the teac and the ability to demo with all the common bookshelf speakers. The Teac sounded identical to the Marantz PM6006, even surprising the salesman as did the wider soundstage and spatial separation of the DALI Zensor Pico’s over the Q3020i's.
My next upgrade will be to demo some slightly larger but next tier up speakers, however, I will be taking my own music because I know which tracks I can notice something slightly not right and would love to see if that is a function of the speaker, or the recording..
If starting again, I'd probably have to stump up for a NAD D3020V2, that's at the right price point IMO, but still £300-£350 which is a lot, but since back in they day sonically the Teac A-H01 was seen as a rival (just lacking all the extra inputs/control of the D3020), and considering I noticed a big step up from my old SMSL A50 T-Amp, I think spending just a bit more on the amplifier is a worth it..
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Did you manage to sample the D 3020? I ask because I bought the Teac AI-301DA-X as an upgrade from the D 7050 I had which was starting to get problematic only to be dissatisfied with the sound quality., so interested to hear the thoughts on the a-h01.
I just found the way the highs and mids were presented felt restricted and "digitised" compared to how NAD presents the exact same music/voices which is very warm feeling and natural. Hell given the price of the AI-301DA-X at the time, I'd have rated the D 3020 even higher than it as I had the 3020 v1 back in the day. You get a lot of power and sound quality for the money with the NADs this much I can vouch for!
The Teac build quality and style though is superior to the all plastic NAD D series, but hey ho!
You also want to demo speakers in your listening environment as room acoustics in a store won't be the same as what you have at hone! Hence the recent foray into trying out potential upgrades from my Q300 but going back to the Q300 each time. As such I am keeping the Q300, even with the minor driver cone indents.
I just found the way the highs and mids were presented felt restricted and "digitised" compared to how NAD presents the exact same music/voices which is very warm feeling and natural. Hell given the price of the AI-301DA-X at the time, I'd have rated the D 3020 even higher than it as I had the 3020 v1 back in the day. You get a lot of power and sound quality for the money with the NADs this much I can vouch for!
The Teac build quality and style though is superior to the all plastic NAD D series, but hey ho!
You also want to demo speakers in your listening environment as room acoustics in a store won't be the same as what you have at hone! Hence the recent foray into trying out potential upgrades from my Q300 but going back to the Q300 each time. As such I am keeping the Q300, even with the minor driver cone indents.
I've previously used the 3020 but upgraded to the Audiolab Mdac before going to the Marantz HD-Amp1 and never looked back. I'm currently using it with a pair of Q-acoustics 3030i speakers. The styling on the amp and the speakers match each other (walnut). You're right about the plastic on the Nad. All in all the Marantz is vastly superior to them both but you're looking at up to £1300. The advantage with the Marantz, like the Teac and the Nad is that they all offer a sub out.
Still baffling to me that almost a decade on and NAD still has the best small form factor speaker amp for desktop usage. You'd think someone would have tried to take a slice off of that already...
Hell, ASR even measured the D3045 recently and were actually happy to recommend it - not outstanding in any one area, but it did very well in every area (including the headphone output, which is normally an afterthought on non-dedicated HP amps) enough for it to pass comfortably.
Their earlier attempts like the D7050 measured like crap, but seems they've cleared this up.
Hell, ASR even measured the D3045 recently and were actually happy to recommend it - not outstanding in any one area, but it did very well in every area (including the headphone output, which is normally an afterthought on non-dedicated HP amps) enough for it to pass comfortably.
Their earlier attempts like the D7050 measured like crap, but seems they've cleared this up.
I've only compared the D3020v1 indirectly against the A-H01, when I was auditioning, I compared both using the sale DALI speakers and the Marantz PM6005.
The A-H01 sounded identical to the Marantz (unless on a big set of high power floor standers), spookily so.. the real seller for me was the separation and imaging, just like the PM6005 it just seems to be so articulate with a lot of music types whilst having that musical warmer/richer midrange on top
The D-3020 v1 I felt sounded close to the Marantz, but not quite as warm in the lower mid-range, just a touch, and the separation and imaging did not stand out either, it felt a notch down in terms of audio quality.
The D-3020 v1 was usually preferred in reviews but from all that I've read more down to the 'features' it offered over the A-H01 which doesn't have blue tooth etc..
The AI-301DA-X I would imagine sounds completely different just because it was billed as 'Tuned in Europe'!
As for demo'ing speakers, absolutely, your room acoustics would massively differ, although if listening near-field on a desk, if the speakers are relatively free either side, I don't think the room acoustics play as significant a part. And this may explain your Q300 experience, but I demo'd and have since demo'd a few speakers, and not many work 'near field' that well, Your setup looks wider than my own but it's still on the cusp of still being near field, it would not surprise me that the Q300 might be one of those (like the DALI) that just gel in near field.
I don't think there is a large market for desktop amps at all, and glad NAD have stuck with it, I'd get the D3045 if my Teac blew up..
I fully suspect you are right on both counts, the tuned in Europe part especially so! I just didn't like how it imaged and how sibilance was very obvious through the Q300s connected to the AI-301DA-X, a speaker I'd had for many years so knew the sound back to front. Back to the NAD though and all was well again.
As for near field, yep agreed, these just seem to work so well near field although as you say, my desktop setup is quitie wide, so not as "near" as many, but still decently close to nbe enjoyed either sat at the desk, or doing something else in the room elsewhere.
Have to say though the power of the 3045 really did surprise me. I got it for a bit under £500 thanks to a nice gesture from Sevenoaks, even at RRP it's a lot cheaper than what the D 7050 was, and is superior in every way I could find. Upgraded to the 7050 from the 3020 v1 back in teh day as wanted more power, but the 7050 went faulty just out of warranty so I got the 3045 - Otherwise would still be on the 7050 today none the wiser!
As for near field, yep agreed, these just seem to work so well near field although as you say, my desktop setup is quitie wide, so not as "near" as many, but still decently close to nbe enjoyed either sat at the desk, or doing something else in the room elsewhere.
Have to say though the power of the 3045 really did surprise me. I got it for a bit under £500 thanks to a nice gesture from Sevenoaks, even at RRP it's a lot cheaper than what the D 7050 was, and is superior in every way I could find. Upgraded to the 7050 from the 3020 v1 back in teh day as wanted more power, but the 7050 went faulty just out of warranty so I got the 3045 - Otherwise would still be on the 7050 today none the wiser!
Associate
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Monitor Audio Bronze 50.
A quick question
If I bought a Rega Brio-R (or any stereo amplifier without a DAC) and had a ODAC/O2 headphone amp combo do I just use the RCA cable line out on the DAC/Amp to connect to the two input plugs at the rear of the Brio?
A quick question
If I bought a Rega Brio-R (or any stereo amplifier without a DAC) and had a ODAC/O2 headphone amp combo do I just use the RCA cable line out on the DAC/Amp to connect to the two input plugs at the rear of the Brio?
Yes, sounds like it might work as a pre-amp though not sure.
Asynchronous USB to DACs, if an amp's specsheet states Async USB is supported at 24/192, does that mean it's only active as async at 24/192 for the synchronised clockrate? So WIndows would need to be set to 192KHz as opposed to the default 24/48 or 24/44 etc?
Just curious as realised I may have been in normal USB mode all this time if that is the case.
Just curious as realised I may have been in normal USB mode all this time if that is the case.
Soldato
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I currently have an Onkyo A-9010 (UK tuned version) and a pair of Q100's for my office setup, anyone on here have an opinion as to whether they beleive the A-9010 will be able to handle the LS50 Meta's nearfield? I'm very happy with the performance of the Q100's on the amp, I don't feel they are underpowered, so am I right to assume that the LS50's should perform similarly based on the similar specs of the speakers?
The Q100s are the 5.25" driver ersion of my Q300s which have a 6.5" driver. I actually bought the LS50 Meta and was unimpressed by the, because they /need/ a subwoofer to get the best out of them, whereas the 6.5" drivers and cabinet size of the Q300 do not need a subwoofer.
If you are happy with your Q100s with the current amp pairing then stick to that as you may well find the LS50 Metas too "light" like I did since their cabinets are so small and the non front firing bass port means in near field or mid field use, you once again need a sub to get the best out of them otherwise they sound weak by comparison to the Qs with bigger cabinet and front reflex port.
If you are happy with your Q100s with the current amp pairing then stick to that as you may well find the LS50 Metas too "light" like I did since their cabinets are so small and the non front firing bass port means in near field or mid field use, you once again need a sub to get the best out of them otherwise they sound weak by comparison to the Qs with bigger cabinet and front reflex port.
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