Computer speakers

[xjoex]

I have a pair of Bose Companion desktop speakers that sound great. i have had them since about 2003 so I think the new model is a Companion 2.

I like the Audio Engine speakers, thinking about getting those for home as I don't have a real stereo anymore, just apple airplay going to a Big Jambox... I know, kinda lame.

-Joe

[turkish]

I don't know if you can buy these speakers in USA (or a clon), but they are worth a try for the price: Woxter DL410

[Bewheels]

Klipsch was always on my "want" list.

Amazon.com: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System (Black): Electronics

..........

Not a studio owner, but a fully recovered audiophile...I had these Klipsch a while back and they were fantastic.

[dutchess]

Taking the price, design, and performance of those Klipsch as a baseline. Bose and any other speaker system that asks a premium price for one speaker per side is what you want to avoid. A set of >$20 powered 2.0 computer speakers can sound every bit as good if broken in properly. The first 100+ hours playing the musical equivalent of pink noise just below the volume they suffer distortion at will make a huge difference. Any set of speakers worth owning are going to sound incredibly better at any volume once they've opened up. Those Klipsch don't attempt to trick your ears into thinking one tiny mid-range speaker can handle all frequency response though.

A good number of the better options around their price are made in Asia for lesser known brands that could never get market penetration in the US. I haven't seen anything but 'shop for me' and 'Ultegra level' descriptions of what he wants. Ultegra level audio is not $150 and I suspect he is aiming more at the Alivio segment for job site use.

[oopfoo]

Huh - interesting. So what would be an example of an amazing source?

Sorry, that was really a facetious way of saying monitors only sound good if you have a good mix. Monitors meant for mixing/mastering use are built to sound "neutral." Some manufacturers do this better than others; like any product, you sometimes get what you pay for, but even then there are points of diminishing returns. The neutral response is designed to give the listener an accurate audio-picture of the frequencies that exist within a mix. After you spend a lot of time with a particular monitor, you learn to understand how the music will sound on other types of playback devices...cars, boomboxes, iPods, clock radios, club systems, and the like. Even then, the translation is rarely perfect, so mix engineers and mastering engineers end up with lots of different things to test. For instance, I mix on monitors from Barefoot, Focal, Yamaha, and Auratone, but even then usually test on headphones and my own car stereo just to check for weirdness.

Once a piece of music reaches the public, most people prefer what is referred to as a "hyped" response curve, notably a gain in the high treble frequencies for "shimmer" and a LOT of gain in the bass frequencies for thump. (Note the popularity of bass-responsive headphones from Beats Audio and Sony.) This is also reflected in the "rock and roll" and "pop" settings you see on many graphic equalizers...the EQ is set to a "smile" where the ends are raised and the middle frequencies (what human ears are most attuned-to) are cut. For playback, monitors will certainly WORK, but most people are happier with speakers designed for playback. They're not any worse, they're just designed to get the best sound reproduction for enjoyment. There are a LOT of great choices already mentioned in the thread.

In your case, depending on your audio source, you MAY be noticing compression artifacts...or it could be something else. Is the distortion you're hearing a high-pitched warble? Or is more of a crackly noise that seems to live at the edges of the sound?

[oopfoo]

Whoops...the edit-timer cut me off...probably a good thing.

I recommend a good DAC for everyone; my own studio AD-DA is Apogee and Antelope, but I'd never imply someone not recording should go that way. That said, some of the portable and smaller stuff made by the big players...gear meant for home-studio and portable use...is great for playback. For instance, Mac guys have the Apogee Duet and Apogee ONE...both excellent recording devices with top-notch AD-DA from an industry leader. Both Mac and PC can use the Audient ID14 and ID22, both new interfaces from a heavy-hitter in the studio world, and not in the stratospheric prices of the audiophile DAC-only stuff. There are LOTS of alternatives; check out Sweetwater.com in the Computer Audio Interfaces section, for some idea. My only exposure to the high-end playback stuff is my Audeze Deckard DAC/headphone amp and my Plenue FLAC player. I love them both, but I don't know that they're particularly BETTER than much-cheaper alternatives....and they're not even that "high-end." :)

Sorry about the long-winded diatribe. This is my other big obsession, besides bikes...and let me tell you, synthesizers and gear are JUST AS BAD as bikes for people like us.

[j44ke]

Sounds like color profiles in photo editing. Everything is fine as long as the image never leaves your computer. As soon as you print something out, you need the color profile for the output machine so you know what it will look like. And even then it is an interpolation.

OK a DAC makes sense. I used to have one for dealing with digital audio recordings made on a Sony Mini-Disc recorder I used for interviews.

Yes, the distortion I am hearing is crackling at the edges of the sound - perfect description. I've learned not to use iTunes' equalizer and its software-based amplifier. If I keep the computer (iMac) volume just below mid-way, then use the speaker volume only to adjust volume upwards, the sound is, like you say, very even and clean but without any personality. Originally that's why I liked them, because they sounded pure, but after a while they start to get a bit boring to listen to. What is definitely making it worse is running everything out through the headphone jack on the computer. This is all leftover from the loss of my old speakers, some LaCie USB units that sounded really pretty good, after an OS update from Apple killed the connection.

Thanks for explaining.

[dutchess]

Almost forgot, and I'm oopfoo will readily agree, 10K speakers won't make a low quality recording sound amazing. More likely you will hear every nuance of what is wrong.

HD Flac files (or better) will make just about anything sound better than a crappy mp3. Especially if it came from analog masters made on flea market equipment in someones basement. Rebuying an album for $9.99 in good digital quality should be your first priority if you want quality on the other end.

[Britishbane]

Sounds like color profiles in photo editing. Everything is fine as long as the image never leaves your computer. As soon as you print something out, you need the color profile for the output machine so you know what it will look like. And even then it is an interpolation.

OK a DAC makes sense. I used to have one for dealing with digital audio recordings made on a Sony Mini-Disc recorder I used for interviews.

Yes, the distortion I am hearing is crackling at the edges of the sound - perfect description. I've learned not to use iTunes' equalizer and its software-based amplifier. If I keep the computer (iMac) volume just below mid-way, then use the speaker volume only to adjust volume upwards, the sound is, like you say, very even and clean but without any personality. Originally that's why I liked them, because they sounded pure, but after a while they start to get a bit boring to listen to. What is definitely making it worse is running everything out through the headphone jack on the computer. This is all leftover from the loss of my old speakers, some LaCie USB units that sounded really pretty good, after an OS update from Apple killed the connection.

Thanks for explaining.

Also note, as some pictures benefit from post processing, some music reproduction benefits from a bit of coloration. Over analytical speakers/sources are damn tiring from my perspective. I like some warmth in my music, it makes for a more romantic and emotional experience IMO.

[oopfoo]

Also note, as some pictures benefit from post processing, some music reproduction benefits from a bit of coloration. Over analytical speakers/sources are damn tiring from my perspective. I like some warmth in my music, it makes for a more romantic and emotional experience IMO.

Just so. Buy speakers you want to listen to, not studio stuff meant to make the music.