Look for speakers in the 60-100 bucks range. I spent a bit over 300 bucks for my speakers(front, center and surround) but it was worth it. Though I could had saved at least 30 some bucks.
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Okay, so the soundbar has to go. You need either a new soundbar that is compatible with 4K HDR pass through or take it to the next level and get a proper receiver. Sound bars lack inputs, so you'll likely have to also attach an auto sensing 4K HDR compatible HDMI switch that will switch inputs when the system powers up. If you go the proper receiver route, you'll have enough inputs and then you'll have to figure out if you want to use HDMI-CEC to control the input, manually switch the input yourself, use something like a Harmony remote that will auto select all the proper inputs for you, or despite having enough inputs get the auto sensing 4K HDR HDMI switch I mentioned above for the soundbar.
My main downstairs setup is a proper setup and is controlled with a Logitech Harmony remote. I used to just press a button and it would switch everything to the correct input, but I've gone one step further now and use a Harmony Hub connected to an Amazon Echo to simply voice control that instead of needing to press a button. My upstairs setup with the projector is a sound bar and I use an HDMI switch connected to that. So both setups are viable.
So ordered the Sonus Faber Venere Center. Think I'm done after the upgrade. Will post some photos after ^_~
Edit: Na, think I will find something to upgrade, I just like it too much to plan and find equipment ^_^
Edit: Na, think I will find something to upgrade, I just like it too much to plan and find equipment ^_^
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I just played it with surround sound...it's like a difference experience, lol.
Lol awesome. It's just something else entirely. None of that "sounded like it came from behind me" nonsense. It DID come from behind you.
I'm currently using a pair of HyperX Cloud II's. I used to use a pair of Sennheiser HD555 coupled with an Antlion mic, but stopped using them after a few years when the Antlion mic got chewed through (for the second time, thanks cats) and I happened to get the HyperX's as a present at the same time. Unquestionably the Sennheisers (and the mic) was superior in every way, but I guess the convenience of the HyperX's kept me from seeking a true upgrade.
I've started playing more and more competitive multiplayer games (think Counter-Strike) and finding myself only using one earpiece in order to hear my own voice for VOIP, as I find the closed audio muffling my voice to feel awkward and an extra aside that I'm useless at maintaining my volume if I can't hear myself. Obviously this is a huge drawback, and even disadvantage in competitive games, so I'm starting to look for replacement alternatives.
So far it's looking like a toss-up between a headset solution that supports sidetone/mic monitoring so I can hear my voice in real-time OR a headphone/desktop mic solution that's open and/or has a sidetone/mic monitoring solution of its own. I'm looking for suggestions on which approach would be best fitting my situation and recommendations for headphones/mics/headsets? It also seems a worthwhile time to step into wireless solutions, as a long-time wireless mouse user and hater of being tethered in general.
From my own research I've seen the LS30/40 as a frequent headset solution (heavily tailored to sidetone support) and various combination of wireless headphones (Sony/Sennheisers) with a Blue Yeti microphone for the headphone/mic solution. Without a doubt the main usecase for the headphones will be gaming, and they will reside at my desktop most of the time. It'll be primarily PC gaming, though some PS4/Switch gaming compatibility wouldn't go a miss. Cross-post from Headphones Era, as I expect the two different communities might have different opinions.
I've started playing more and more competitive multiplayer games (think Counter-Strike) and finding myself only using one earpiece in order to hear my own voice for VOIP, as I find the closed audio muffling my voice to feel awkward and an extra aside that I'm useless at maintaining my volume if I can't hear myself. Obviously this is a huge drawback, and even disadvantage in competitive games, so I'm starting to look for replacement alternatives.
So far it's looking like a toss-up between a headset solution that supports sidetone/mic monitoring so I can hear my voice in real-time OR a headphone/desktop mic solution that's open and/or has a sidetone/mic monitoring solution of its own. I'm looking for suggestions on which approach would be best fitting my situation and recommendations for headphones/mics/headsets? It also seems a worthwhile time to step into wireless solutions, as a long-time wireless mouse user and hater of being tethered in general.
From my own research I've seen the LS30/40 as a frequent headset solution (heavily tailored to sidetone support) and various combination of wireless headphones (Sony/Sennheisers) with a Blue Yeti microphone for the headphone/mic solution. Without a doubt the main usecase for the headphones will be gaming, and they will reside at my desktop most of the time. It'll be primarily PC gaming, though some PS4/Switch gaming compatibility wouldn't go a miss. Cross-post from Headphones Era, as I expect the two different communities might have different opinions.
^^ yeah cool! Best thing about new sound "things" is to hear it different or more detail etc.
Got my Venere Center today, very happy with it, looking forward to try some movies tonight. If I figure out how to upload pictures I will happily show you my setup.
Wozzer I use some fidelio x2 with a modmic and an astro amp. Works great.
Got my Venere Center today, very happy with it, looking forward to try some movies tonight. If I figure out how to upload pictures I will happily show you my setup.
Wozzer I use some fidelio x2 with a modmic and an astro amp. Works great.
I moved my speakers around this week and I've now got more room for the fronts. I didn't think it would improve things, as they're not ported speakers; they're sealed. But...I can hear the difference. The soundstage is wider, the bass is snappier, and it sounds much more impactful. I'm even more impressed with these beasts now. I know Kef are respected at all price ranges ie their low-range speakers are high quality, sound amazing, and are usually class-leading at any price point, but I paid £500 for the Q700s a few months ago and why would I ever upgrade? I absolutely love my sub but I can live without it for music now tbh. The Kefs go down to about 42Hz +/-3dB and music has never sounded better. Listening to vinyl, with my amp in Pure Direct mode, and I could convince myself I've spent 5x more than I've actually spent. I still use my sub for movies and games and it sounds like nothing I've ever heard before.
On the topic of audio, I'd like to take a moment to bitch about how lazy most devs are when making 2D games and supporting audio. Perfect examples: Sonic Mania and Cuphead. Both games just have stereo sound even though you could write the code to support 7.1 in like 30 minutes or less. All you have to do is get the position of the characters relative to the camera and decide whether their sound should come out of the left, center, or right speakers. It's so trivial to do and almost NO commercially released 2D game does it. I don't understand.
Very few game devs seem to actually care about sound. It's almost always half assed. Another example: many games use compressed audio, even simple 2D games, so you're basically listening to mp3s or ogg files that have been poorly compressed to shit. At least Cuphead just used wav files.
It could all be so much better.
Surround sound in a 2D environment. That's actually pretty deep and philosophical. That thought hurts my brain.
I have turtle beach xo 7 headphones. Work great. I got rid of my speaker system when I had a kid. Have a Sony sound bar for movies. Both have been fine for years
Are you being sarcastic? If not, I'll explain why it's really simple, awesome, and effective to do.
No, not sarcastic at all. Just a curious thing to think about. Say you're playing Cuphead. If something passes by the screen in the foreground, would the sound of that object be emitted from the rear speakers? ... Because from the character's perspective, that sound is not coming from behind him - it'd be coming from his right side assuming he is facing the right direction. That's what I meant when I said it hurt my brain.
"Lazy devs, why do games take up so much space?"
"Lazy devs, why do they use compressed audio?"
"Lazy devs, why do they use compressed audio?"
I'm talking about a really simple solution that makes use of all speakers and doesn't deal with Z axis issues. Since Neo Geo and CPS2 games, one on one fighters have had action in the left come out of the left speaker and action in the right come out of the right speaker. All you have to do is divide the screen by 3 instead of 2 and check for action in the middle and then duplicate the sounds in the rear speakers. This, for example, gives you support for all speakers in Final Fight.
You don't think it's silly that people are putting together fancy speaker setups to listen to poorly compressed OGG files? There's really no excuse for indie games. WAV files still compress relatively well, so simply putting them in a pak file makes them manageable.
Just like with my tvs, I'm a bit behind the times a bit with my audio system. Still using 1080p, still using 5.2 DD with a Sony receiver and Yamaha speakers. They do the job well enough for my needs. For headphones I have a pair of Sony golds, and will probably get the platinum set pretty soon.
I think it's rather silly to frame an opinion with "lazy devs" when it's a) reductive and b) against the rules of the site.
I also think it's silly to go to the trouble of making a diagram when most every AVR has a 5-channel stereo mode (that does what you're talking about with the front-to-rear replication) or Pro Logic/Dolby Surround/DTS Neo (which will take the stereo signal and use intelligent steering to give a surround effect). If the game in question doesn't rely on positional audio / benefit from discrete surround sound, why program it in? Oh, right, they didn't have the half-hour to spare.
I have the Kef q300 as my rear speakers. They're the same as the q100, but have a slightly larger driver. They were my mains but I saw that deal on the Q700 and had to do it. It's a bit overkill and they're too good to be used as rears, but I'd never sell them. If I ever make a second system for the spare bedroom or office, then they'll be moved and I'll just buy some new rear speakers. All the speakers in this range use the Uni-Q driver, and that's why the soundstage sounds so wide and convincing. I've never heard a speaker like it.
Svs make some awesome subs. I'm using an Anthony Gallo TR3D. With the q300, it filled in from 90hz downwards. With the Q700s, I changed the crossover to 60hz and had to set the speakers to small otherwise it was just too boomy. The Q700s are genuinely good enough to be used without a sub though. You do need a bit of room at the sides, as the speakers are huge. You don't need to have them sticking out from the walls though (as I was told). They're sealed units and sound amazing, even in a small room. Tbh I'd say the q300s need more breathing room as they're ported.
I'm using them with a Denon x2300. Lots and lots of power but it's Audyssey that is the system seller for me. The enhancement it makes is so clearly obvious.
I'm in the same boat - as mentioned above, I am really impressed by how much of a tangible difference the auto-calibration makes these days. Lemme just save up for those Beolab 90s...
The solutions you mentioned are inaccurate and don't work well at all. Try it with Cuphead and tell me how good your results are.
"Rely?" Games are, in and of themselves, a celebration of excess. It doesn't matter whether a game relies on it or not. It's a nice feature and easy to implement, so yes, devs that don't do it are being lazy.
Yeah, between this and your other posts this evening, I'm going to bow out of this. Be well.
It's incredible. Audsyssey managed to cut down on overpowering boom from my sub, and provided better dynamics from every speaker. I used to get awful lfe feedback but it's gone now. Lows are lower, highs are higher, and it's far more enjoyable in every way. Listening to a well-mastered vinyl, or any lossless audio, is just a joy.
And Beolab 90s? Are you sure you're aiming high enough with your wish list?
Actually, reading back over your earlier comments - you mention Pure Direct mode. Doesn't that turn off all the Audyssey processing?
Dammit, let me dream of those big curvy bastards! :)
85K Speakers o_O they sure look spectacular and no problem with inner resonance with these twists ^_^ And now I'm curious, you mentioned that you had Sonus Faber, which model was it?
As of processing, I'm on a Yamaha, but shouldn't be to different, do you guys use EQs or just the distance and level settings? Pure Direct turns off all these things I believe.
Another question about the crossover. Do you use the THX recommended 80Hz even if the speaker go down to 40. Read somewhere, it's better because the AVR has more power for the speakers if cut higher to the sub (if active)?
I'd sacrifice anywhere from 40 to 100 GB to get Assassin's Creed: Origins with dialogue didn't sound like car radio having been recorded by an iPhone. It's amazing how the visuals have progressed so far with that franchise, yet ambient dialogue sounds just as bad as it did ten years ago.
It'll be a sad day when the 39th Assassin's Creed game comes out on Xbox One-Two-Three X boasting a near photo realistic open world with 4K textures that take up 94% of the 170 GB install size and we're left with 200 hours of dialogue that sounds like garbage and a terribly compressed soundtrack.
Also it boggles my mind that Origins got Dolby Atmos treatment while sounding as bad as it does.
I've been saying the audio in Origins isn't that great. Heard plenty of people say they think it's amazing but it's just average to me. Atmos barely makes any difference in that game.
You're right. I've got a choice of:
Direct Mode - some Audyssey settings remain on, but the subwoofer output is still used
Music Stereo - 2.1 channels, Audssey settings (which can be further adjusted to flat response curves, manual adjustments to frequency curves etc)
Pure Direct Mode - no sub output, no Audyssey,
It depends on what I'm listening to, and the format. Spotify can sound too bass-heavy in Music Stereo mode, so I'll either switch to Pure Direct Mode or switch off the sub.
Cremona Auditors. Best speakers I've ever had. And hey, they were lute-shaped for good-sounding resonance! ;) I'm a sucker for Sonus Fabers in general, though. The time I spent listening to their high-end at the time (the Amati Homages) was the single best "stereo experience" in my life.
Oof. I haven't tried AC:O yet, but that's disappointing to hear. I wonder if we'll ever see widespread use of "high-quality audio packs" as separate downloads, like we sometimes see with visuals.
What happened to them? Yeah good resonance ^_^ I freaking love the Amati Tradition, so beautiful. But so expensive. I'm very happy with the Venere 2.5 even if they are "just" the cheap ones. I love their full and warm sound, they have something feminine and gentle in their soundprofile.
We seem to like the same tech as I remember correctly you own a XE930?
Stolen. *cue the sound of Italian violins crying out*
Yup, those are the new versions of the ones I heard. I'd probably pick the Guarneris, if only because the Amatis are really big... but I'm not into either of those price brackets! I didn't realize that they had started making stuff (below the Venere line) that was more entry-level, no longer made in Italy, etc. I wonder if they hold a candle to their "normal" lines. Not many HiFi ships in my area any more to try them out.
And yes, we are clearly people of good taste and refinement!
Oh, that sucks big time, hope your insurance paid.
And from then on we heard a gently weep each night till the sun rises again.
You mean the Chameleons? As from reviews, not heard them in person, they should sound a little bit more analytical and lost some of the warm signature. But nonetheless are for sure really good speakers.
They've made an even-less-expensive line called "Principia" that sounds like it's the Chameleons, but without the changeable side panels. And I agree - the reviews seem to indicate that they lose a bit of the Sonus Faberness.
Going to purchase a pair of Edifier R1280T. The sound quality is apparently very good for the ~90 euro price. I've also heard that Logitech, Trust, Bose (lol), Speedlink, and Ewent and the likes are shit, so while trying to avoid them these are about the only PC speakers I can find for under 100 bucks.
God, proper audio is expensive.
God, proper audio is expensive.
Didn't know that but they seem pretty affordable around 1k € for the Principia 7s. Nice!
i found audyssey to be pretty good in getting delays right, but it's still a good idea to check levels manually as it got mine very wrong
Those look like a good deal especially if you benefit from the remote. I've considered getting the Mackie CR3 or CR4 for my classroom for playing videogames. They appear a bit more sturdy and compact, both important for my purposes. Same 100 euro-ish price class.
Thanks, both are properly available online and not much more expensive. I'll take them into consideration.
Hey Audio Era, I have been reading this thread here and there and decided to get some tips.
I currently have a two cheapo 2.1 speakers (a4tech), One I use for my PC on my desk and one connected to my TV for console gaming or couch PC gaming. Also have an M50x with a replaced earpads and a WH1000xm2, both of which I use on games occassionally specially at night. Also the ps4's input jack sucks so much.
I feel like there is another spectrum of sound I am missing out on, especially for games and movies.
What I would like to ask is if there is any speakers you guys can recommend? I would most likely use it for my TV. Should I go for 5.1? Are there non wired solutions for rear speakers? I am mostly at the $200 price range and I may be willing to bump that to $300. I don't know where to start on researching good speakers.
I am also looking into getting an open back headphones. Any recommendations? I may be able to spend up to $300 for headphones. I don't really care for microphones.
I currently have a two cheapo 2.1 speakers (a4tech), One I use for my PC on my desk and one connected to my TV for console gaming or couch PC gaming. Also have an M50x with a replaced earpads and a WH1000xm2, both of which I use on games occassionally specially at night. Also the ps4's input jack sucks so much.
I feel like there is another spectrum of sound I am missing out on, especially for games and movies.
What I would like to ask is if there is any speakers you guys can recommend? I would most likely use it for my TV. Should I go for 5.1? Are there non wired solutions for rear speakers? I am mostly at the $200 price range and I may be willing to bump that to $300. I don't know where to start on researching good speakers.
I am also looking into getting an open back headphones. Any recommendations? I may be able to spend up to $300 for headphones. I don't really care for microphones.
If that is truly your budget and wired rear speakers are a no-go, then there are some all-in-one 5.1 Bluetooth systems that you could look into. Cost can be in that $200-300 range
Just got my 6XX set. Plugged it into my receiver.
Disclaimer: My frame of reference for headphones is garbage.
Unreal. New layers to songs I've heard a hundred times before. Such an improved experience. This has probably ruined music for me.
Any suggestions for testing them out? Music or otherwise. Just listened to MGMT, Broken Bells, Arcade Fire.
Edit- also is it worthless using headphones like this with, say, a Switch in portable mode? I'd guess there would be little difference because of the amp required
Disclaimer: My frame of reference for headphones is garbage.
Unreal. New layers to songs I've heard a hundred times before. Such an improved experience. This has probably ruined music for me.
Any suggestions for testing them out? Music or otherwise. Just listened to MGMT, Broken Bells, Arcade Fire.
Edit- also is it worthless using headphones like this with, say, a Switch in portable mode? I'd guess there would be little difference because of the amp required
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It produces moderate volume level on a Switch, but it's does not sound amazing or anything.
Well my goal of just getting a solid but budget soundbar has totally gone to shit.
Started with a $200 Vizio 5.1 soundbar package before returning it cause I just couldn't get rid of a sound delay with it. Then I tried a Yamaha bar with a wireless sub, but it had a huge flaw where the frequency cutoff with the sub caused some deeper voices to cut in and out between sub and bar for bass frequently and sounded distracting so returned it.
Found out I get a 30% off Bose partner discount from work so said fuck it and bought the SoundTouch 300 soundbar last month which retails for $700 before my discount.
Fell in love with it, then next paycheck I bought the $300 Virtually Invisible wireless rear speakers.
Today, I'm waiting on delivery of the $700 Acoustimass 300 wireless sub to complete the whole package.
How did this happen!? I just love how it sounds and how neat and streamlined it is with the front 3.0 soundbar, and wireless rears and sub. Anywho, I at least have my setup for many many years now. But dang it sounds better than the other sound bars I tested.
I live in a super tiny studio by myself (thanks overpriced SoCal cost of living) so this sub is going to be overkill I'm sure but I HAD to complete the package. Luckily none of my walls are connected to any other unit/building but I still plan on lowering the bass after calibrating the system as I'm sure it'll still be felt/heard from my very nearby neighbors (within 15') on two sides.
I can't wait to load up some movies tonight!
Started with a $200 Vizio 5.1 soundbar package before returning it cause I just couldn't get rid of a sound delay with it. Then I tried a Yamaha bar with a wireless sub, but it had a huge flaw where the frequency cutoff with the sub caused some deeper voices to cut in and out between sub and bar for bass frequently and sounded distracting so returned it.
Found out I get a 30% off Bose partner discount from work so said fuck it and bought the SoundTouch 300 soundbar last month which retails for $700 before my discount.
Fell in love with it, then next paycheck I bought the $300 Virtually Invisible wireless rear speakers.
Today, I'm waiting on delivery of the $700 Acoustimass 300 wireless sub to complete the whole package.
How did this happen!? I just love how it sounds and how neat and streamlined it is with the front 3.0 soundbar, and wireless rears and sub. Anywho, I at least have my setup for many many years now. But dang it sounds better than the other sound bars I tested.
I live in a super tiny studio by myself (thanks overpriced SoCal cost of living) so this sub is going to be overkill I'm sure but I HAD to complete the package. Luckily none of my walls are connected to any other unit/building but I still plan on lowering the bass after calibrating the system as I'm sure it'll still be felt/heard from my very nearby neighbors (within 15') on two sides.
I can't wait to load up some movies tonight!