Topic: Audio Set Up

[Hij]

Cheers Tom.

Need to make sure I dont buy a 'special package' that comes with another amp lol!

[WorldChampions]

Decided on these, carn't go wrong for that cheap

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/105960/show_product_gallery

Cheers Raj

[RajR]

Oh, phono leads, crikey. I'll have a scout round for you, not sure if richer sounds or superfi would sell those types of speakers.

EDIT: Just seen your above post. They seem OK for the xbox. Make sure you have long enough leads!

[Hij]

BTW good call on the Koppaberg Tom. Brilliant stuff that

But yeah. Am I after floorspeakers, centres or bookshelf speakers?

[RajR]

How much space have you got Hij? Don't forget to also take into account the output of your amp in the choice of speakers you buy as well?

[coct3au]

I think I only need two inputs for now? My understanding of the USB Turntable is that it will be plugged into my PC and then the PC will play the audio out to the AMP adn the amp will play the sound into the speakers, correct?

E.G Turntable -> Through The USB to the PC -> Out The Pc To The Amp -> To the Speakers -> To My Ears (as long as there is sufficent volume ;D)

correct ???

Nope, the turntable will be connected directly to the amp. So you'll be able to listen to records without the PC being turned on. There'll be a different cable to connect the PC to the turntable, which you'll only need to do when you want to convert your records into mp3s, or whatever. (You will probably be able to listen to it in the way you describe, ie turntable -> pc -> amp, if for some reason you really want to do it that way ;)

Also.
Unless I'm terribly mistaken (and quite possibly I am  ;D). Surely if I plug a DVD player or PS2 into the TV, the connection from the TV to the amp would suffice? Or do I need a direct connection for each to the amp, rather than to the TV and then to the AMP?

It would suffice, yes. The advantage of connecting the audio directly to the amp is better sound quality (every time you pass your audio signal through a different device, it will lose some small amount of quality). So if you've got enough inputs to play with, you might as well go the direct route whenever you can. RajR's point about the audio delay for digital TV is well made, BTW.

With the PS2, it has three leads like below. 2 are for picture I think and one for audio, would it be a case of plugging the audio one into the amp?

It's one for picture and two for audio :) But, yes. That's how I have my PS2 set up at home.

Incidentally - as I said, I don't have an AV amp, but like RajR, I've heard that the Yamaha ones are better musically than the Sony ones, in that price range. I wouldn't worry too much if you've got your heart set on the Sony, though. Things such as speaker placement are just as important in terms of sorting something you're happy with.

[Hij]

Ahhhh yeah of course. Very well spotted, I could have shot myself in the foot there.

Well im on the 3rd floor of our house (sounds magnificent but in the summer its like a fucking sauna I swear, my PC reguarly just overheats and turns off).

There is a variety of space. Either side of my desk. The easier it is to keep the speakers from vibrating the floor and thus the rest of the house the better I suppose.

Nope, the turntable will be connected directly to the amp. So you'll be able to listen to records without the PC being turned on. There'll be a different cable to connect the PC to the turntable, which you'll only need to do when you want to convert your records into mp3s, or whatever. (You will probably be able to listen to it in the way you describe, ie turntable -> pc -> amp, if for some reason you really want to do it that way

It would suffice, yes. The advantage of connecting the audio directly to the amp is better sound quality (every time you pass your audio signal through a different device, it will lose some small amount of quality). So if you've got enough inputs to play with, you might as well go the direct route whenever you can. RajR's point about the audio delay for digital TV is well made, BTW.

It's one for picture and two for audio But, yes. That's how I have my PS2 set up at home.

Incidentally - as I said, I don't have an AV amp, but like RajR, I've heard that the Yamaha ones are better musically than the Sony ones, in that price range. I wouldn't worry too much if you've got your heart set on the Sony, though. Things such as speaker placement are just as important in terms of sorting something you're happy with.

Ah brilliant thanks Sounds like a succesful day then. Get these speakers sorted and the main is done. Then its a trip to curry's for a variety of wires and a new desk

[coct3au]

Being a red (presumably) you could always get yourself a pair of:

http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=TANG-EVO-RED

(review at http://stephenparker.me.uk/speakers_review.jpg)

and then put the £20 you've saved on your £100 speaker budget towards a sub...

[WorldChampions]

Having a look around apparently the 360 can only output in surround sound through a Digital Optical Wire. Looking for something similar to what I found before but with the option of using one of them

[Hij]

Decided to get the black ones cocte3au. Gonna look at a sub now.

Will the wires needed to connect the speakers to the amp come with them or do I have to buy these?

[coct3au]

Decided to get the black ones cocte3au. Gonna look at a sub now.

Will the wires needed to connect the speakers to the amp come with them or do I have to buy these?

Ah yes, forgot I'd already pointed out the black ones of those earlier.

I'm afraid you'll need to buy the wires separately, sorry. Expensive hobby, innit ;)

I'd also suggest trying out your new setup first, then deciding whether you need a sub or not. You might find it's fine without one. Don't let me spoil your buying fun though ;)

[Hij]

Mate has these speakers he aint even using
http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=WHAR-9.1-CHE
so he's gonna hook me up for 1/2 or 1/4 the price. Says I probably wont need to worry about a sub for now with these and theres the potential to buy more to make it surround sound if I moved out.

Nice one

[Hij]

Well the turntable arrived. You can record but you can't listen to the vinyl straight off, although there is a white and red wire at the back. But the manual says this.

RCA Audio Output Cables: These cables should be plugged into a CD or Auxilliary LINE input. This output should be connected to your reciever, home stereo or other speaker system.
IMPORTANT WARNING: The RCA cables are LINE level. Please only connect these cables to LINE level inputs. You may damage your reciever if you plug a LINE level into a PHONO input.

Anyone know what what entails for my AMP I've ordered

[Barney_Rubble]

Those RCA cables will plug into your Amp.

[Hij]

Those RCA cables will plug into your Amp.

Nice one! Thanks for letting me know

[Barney_Rubble]

 

[Riquende]

Thought I'd spin off this thread as it seems vaguely related despite the age!

I've got a cobbled together audio setup that I'd like to tweak but not entirely sure how. My main setup in the lounge has always been a PC connected to a very solid Logitech Z4 2.1 system. Nothing to get an audiophile's blood racing but they've sounded great to me for over 10 years.

Last year I inherited my dad's 1980s Sony stereo system - some imposing black affair with turntable, cassette decks and the like. I tried running the PC into that instead (in place of the CD unit as it doesn't otherwise have extra inputs). Sounded different but also good. No problems so far.

I then wanted to run my Echo/Alexa as an alternative source so I bought a Behringer 302 USB-powered mixer. It has a mic input, line and a '2-track' with no level controls. Plugged the Echo into the line and the PC into the 2-track and it all seemed good. Both play whenever I want, and I was able to run the main out into the stereo and the headphone out into the Z4 system. Sounds amazing, we're nearly there.

So the only wrinkle remaining, and it's just an annoyance, is that the turntable bypasses the entire rest of the setup. This means that I have to switch the stereo to Phono mode from CD if I want to listen to vinyl, and also that the turntable output goes straight to the stereo speakers rather than into the mixer and so out of both.

I tried running the turntable into the mixer as it uses normal RCA leads, but the level was super low and trying to boost the gain resulted in tremendous noise. I assume from this that the turntable's inputs on the stereo are amplified in some way. I tried connecting the mixer's main out into those inputs but switching to Phono also gave me a lot of noise.

Is there an easy way to get the turntable into the mixer without having to get hold of a small amp? I feel like I'm missing something obvious. I'm reasonably competent at low end audio solutions but haven't got a lot of experience with things like turntables.

[LanceLink!!!!!]

Just got a Denon N11 along with a pair of Q Acoustics 3030i speakers. Lovely bit of kit, sound is incredible.