Official A/V Thread

[joe8]

Does anyone have any good suggestions on portable Bluetooth speakers? I’m looking for something decent size, not a little one. I saw some JBL party boxes, the 110 and the 310 and the equivalent sony xp500 and xp700. Or would i be better off running a second zone off of one of my receivers and getting a pair of decent outdoor speakers? I just want to crank some music out by the pool mostly, and possibly aggravate my neighbors. Being portable isn’t a necessity.

I would recommend a pair of speakers (proper stereo sound).

 

[Hattori Hanzo]

Damn, those look nice!

I already love them. They sound great in their price range. Will probably also buy the Teufel Ultima 5.1 set I can easily upgrade to 5.1.2 if I finally buy a new Denon AVR.

 

[fake]

Thoughts on this upgrade?

Old...
U-Turn Orbit Plus w/ Pluto Phono Amp >>> Edifier Powered Speakers

New...
U-Turn Orbit Plus w/ Pluto Phono Pre >>> Cambridge Audio AXA35 >>> Klipsch R-50M

The room is actually pretty big, so I'm wondering if I should spring for floor speakers. I'm planning on getting more components too – CD, MD, and the hi-res Sony I posted earlier.

 

[prof]

Thoughts on this upgrade?

Old...
U-Turn Orbit Plus w/ Pluto Phono Amp >>> Edifier Powered Speakers

New...
U-Turn Orbit Plus w/ Pluto Phono Pre >>> Cambridge Audio AXA35 >>> Klipsch R-50M

The room is actually pretty big, so I'm wondering if I should spring for floor speakers. I'm planning on getting more components too – CD, MD, and the hi-res Sony I posted earlier.

Yeah, the amp and speakers look nice for the price. I had a Cambridge CXA60 about 10 or so years back, and I quite liked it. I know their AXA gets a lot of love from reviewers and on forums and such. My only concern is that it's only 35 watts per channel. That's not much unless you're buying sensitive speakers. You may want to look into another Cambridge up the ladder or perhaps something like the Yamaha A-S301 or 501, or the Denon PMA-600. Those should all be sub-500, and all offer a lot more power. These are popular amps in that range off the top of my head, but surely there are others. But granted, for the small bookshelf speakers, the 35-watter would be fine. But you mentioned a big room and possibly floorstanders in the future, so that's certainly something to think about.

If you really like the Klipsch R-50M, I'd suggest looking at the very similar RP-500M II. It looks about the same, but it's in Klipsch's higher tier (reference premiere, instead of just reference), so it'll have better innards. The crossovers, wiring and such. I mention this because while it has a higher MSRP, it looks like there are a few deals on it right now which put it around the same price point. Musicdirect has an open box deal for $400, and they have a 60 day return policy. And Safe & Sound has them new on their amazon store for $390.

I'd recommend digging around for info on some of the audio forums. Searching a speaker or amp that you're interested in there to see what real people who've used them have to say. Sites like the stevehoffman forum, stereophile, audiokarma, et cetera. Professional reviews can be great, but remember that they're getting paid, and it's in their interests to have good relationships with the manufacturers. So it's always a good idea to see what real people have to say about a product whenever possible.

Good luck, homie. It's exciting getting new gear.

 

[fake]

Yeah, the amp and speakers look nice for the price. I had a Cambridge CXA60 about 10 or so years back, and I quite liked it. I know their AXA gets a lot of love from reviewers and on forums and such. My only concern is that it's only 35 watts per channel. That's not much unless you're buying sensitive speakers. You may want to look into another Cambridge up the ladder or perhaps something like the Yamaha A-S301 or 501, or the Denon PMA-600. Those should all be sub-500, and all offer a lot more power. These are popular amps in that range off the top of my head, but surely there are others. But granted, for the small bookshelf speakers, the 35-watter would be fine. But you mentioned a big room and possibly floorstanders in the future, so that's certainly something to think about.

If you really like the Klipsch R-50M, I'd suggest looking at the very similar RP-500M II. It looks about the same, but it's in Klipsch's higher tier (reference premiere, instead of just reference), so it'll have better innards. The crossovers, wiring and such. I mention this because while it has a higher MSRP, it looks like there are a few deals on it right now which put it around the same price point. Musicdirect has an open box deal for $400, and they have a 60 day return policy. And Safe & Sound has them new on their amazon store for $390.

I'd recommend digging around for info on some of the audio forums. Searching a speaker or amp that you're interested in there to see what real people who've used them have to say. Sites like the stevehoffman forum, stereophile, audiokarma, et cetera. Professional reviews can be great, but remember that they're getting paid, and it's in their interests to have good relationships with the manufacturers. So it's always a good idea to see what real people have to say about a product whenever possible.

Good luck, homie. It's exciting getting new gear.

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking about going the next step up on the amp. I'll have to see if that higher end one can handle floor speakers in the event I upgrade. I'm not opposed to upgrading the amp down the line, but if an extra $100 or $150 can save me the hassle, I might as well go for it.

Same goes for the Klipsch speakers. I saw the Premier ones, but heard that the Reference ones are a better bang for the buck. But if the difference is negligible and there is a benefit to going up a step, I'm fine with the extra cost.

 

[blakeb8111]

Second on getting the klipsch premier model, i own the rp-600m and they are worth the extra money, and as prof82 pointed out, they have sales all of the time where you can typically find them for nearly half off.

 

[Hattori Hanzo]

if I should spring for floor speakers.

Always go for bigger speakers when you have the room. Especially in a big room like you stated.

 

[Neodogg]

 

[kernow]

My cables in my system cost me about $100 total I think

 

[voltronbadass]

There is no fun in spending money on wires. None.

 

[Neodogg]

There is no fun in spending money on wires. None.

but isn't the fun the enjoyment of hearing the difference they make?

 

[voltronbadass]

But as kern has demonstrated, its not an exciting purchase, its always someones last purchase, its always put off. I got beginner ass cables and cant see ever going past that.

Putting $1000 into a new preamp is waaaaay more exciting than putting $1000 into cables.

 

[fake]

Cables can be fun if you put the work into it. I clean my tips with vinegar and then polish them with a few different grits of Novus every six to eight weeks. You also want to wrap them up and then unwrap them once in a while to make sure they still have a bounce to them. Once the bounce is gone, it's time to replace them.

 

[max 330 mega]

Fuckin VBA sent me cables, most i cant use. Regardless, my setup sounds better because when i turn it on, i know its running his cables. Makes me happy. Whatever. Sounds good. Sounded good before too, but prolly better now

 

[terry.330]

Sounded good before too, but prolly better now

Yeah, that's a pretty good summary of hi-fi cables in general lol.

 

[voltronbadass]

Cables can be fun if you put the work into it. I clean my tips with vinegar and then polish them with a few different grits of Novus every six to eight weeks. You also want to wrap them up and then unwrap them once in a while to make sure they still have a bounce to them. Once the bounce is gone, it's time to replace them.

Is this really the same motherfucker calling ME a retard spaz for asking him to post a sound burger and vinyl pic?

This is really what you do? Wow. You are a moron or you are a troll or both.

 

[fake]

This is really what you do? Wow. You are a moron or you are a troll or both.

Let me get you an ice pack for your jimmies. It's obviously a joke. I have $10 child labor cables I bought from Amazon.

 

[voltronbadass]

Just another wyo shitbag troll.

 

[fake]

voltrondumbass

 

[smokehouse]

Stepping over some of the shit on this-a-here sidewalk…

It’s amazing what low $$ can now buy. It’s definitely not high end gear (or even med end gear), but my two latest purchases have been great…and cheap.

I picked up a Klipsch 12” sub last year from Costco, $189 on sale. I’ve beat on that thing for some time now, and it’s great given the price. Deep bass, hard hitting, perfectly fine for movies and TV.

This week, I picked up a pair of Jamo C 91 II for $169…wanted to use them in a basement area…I’m shocked at how decent they are for that silly low price.

20 years ago, I couldn’t get much of anything that would perform that well for such little money.

 

[joe8]

My cables in my system cost me about $100 total I think

Sounds about right (it might be all you need).

 

[joe8]

Can anyone recommend a good RCA to RCA cable (male connectors, 30 feet / 9 metres, with good insulation)?

 

[kernow]

I wouldn't use single ended connections at that length..

 

[joe8]

I wouldn't use single ended connections at that length..

It's impractical to use balanced cables, as the source and amp would have to have balanced (XLR) connections.

 

[kernow]

it's impractical to use a 8 or 9m RCA cable, that's why you won't find many.