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What are the current best nearfield monitors + DAC?
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Alex Roudos
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
33
Posts :
411
Posted : Jan 12, 2008 23:31
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RenderingRebel, i think there's going to be significant difference if you have high end monitors, like the 0300s or equal quality.
Check this out, it's short but maybe quite helpful for you :
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-end-theory/75948-fireface-800-da-quality.html
  A friend told me once that the biggest mistake we make is that we believe we live, when in reality we are sleeping in the waiting room of life. |
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Get-a-fix
Getafix
Started Topics :
147
Posts :
1441
Posted : Jan 13, 2008 00:37
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I asked a similar question on gearslutz regarding my FF400 & i was discouraged on upgrading to a standalone DAC.
Though there will be some improvement you might be better off spending this money on room acoustics or better monitors.
http://www.soundcloud.com/getafixmusic |
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Tomos
IsraTrance Full Member
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84
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981
Posted : Jan 13, 2008 10:49
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Quote:
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klippel wrote:
i own b&w 805 signature speakers and had several nice speakers before. and i tell you: they NEED break in time for sure. and i would suggest to push´em hard if you want fast breaking in.
besides the material of the tweeters and membranes, also the electronic components of the crossover network will be "conditioned" by the flowing currents. new amps will also sound better after a while of using them..
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I've always been told that breaking in speakers needs gentle playback, pushing them hard immediately goes against everything I've heard.
Regarding components becoming conditioned, I've read that too. But I've never heard any difference in any of the systems I've owned (a lot!). Any sound you hear will be just a memory by the time the break in period is over. Memory at best is totally unreliable. The only way to do real abx test would be to break in only 1 of the speakers in the pair and compare.
It's like the recording engineer being told by the producer to change something in the mix, the engineer turns a knob on the control desk thats not connected to anything and the producer says 'yeaahh thats much better'.
I'm not trying to be argumentative, just put my opinion and experiences out there. There are plenty of snake oil procedures and purchases in the high end audio world and some of them are just thinly disguised wives tales.
I think the worst is 'cables make a difference to the sound'. Maybe, but up to a certain cost what advantages are there to buying $1000/yard wires.. and expensive DIGITAL cable.. gimme a break.
But I guess compared to that, the speaker break in idea isn't bad. If the sound does change (presumably for the better) then its going to happen anyway over time. It's not something you choose to do. |
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UnderTow
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
1448
Posted : Jan 13, 2008 11:07
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Tomos: The worst is expensive power cables. Some people will believe anything. LOL. 
UnderTow |
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Tomos
IsraTrance Full Member
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84
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981
Posted : Jan 13, 2008 13:18
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klippel
Stereofeld
Started Topics :
91
Posts :
1153
Posted : Jan 13, 2008 16:50
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@tomos
why should you break the speakers in gently? it´s about getting rid of mechanical stiffness of you membranes.. higher levels, more material work... it´s mainly the mid/sub membranes that become different over time. musci with lotsa bass and high levels will get the fastest progress... nothing there to break.. these are built to be penetrated, are they? ;-)
it´s my personal experierience. my friend runs a hifi shop for the upper pricing range and he recommended me to do that. he does it also for customers in his shop. not a lot people can make loud music at home. nevertheless speakers break in when you use them normally. just takes longer...
i always thought, differences because of cables is bullshit. but at least for speaker cables, there are HUGE differences... i mean, you here them when your system is good.. before u might not here the difference. i spent appr. 10k on my setup and my last cable change was a fuckin big step in terms of quality... this also worked for people who didn´t knwo about the cables changes or which is the better one... |
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Tomos
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jan 13, 2008 22:11
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If the mechanical limits can't yet be reached because the materials aren't ready to achieve them, you can damage your equipment by pushing the system hard.
If you believe it will make a difference..
Gently means no risk.
Hard means you just blast your speakers for a prolonged period of time with risk of overheating/mechanical failure.
Sorry, I don't trust a citation from a salesman.
As for cables, google "james randi speaker cable" and claim your $1,000,000 prize money for being able to tell the difference between 2 sets of cables. |
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vegetal
Vegetal/Peacespect
Started Topics :
19
Posts :
1055
Posted : Jan 13, 2008 22:43
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I do think that quality of a cable can and will make a difference to your signal BUT then we are talking about longer distances on the cable when the diameter, length and shielding will become a factor. The impedance and the capacitance will build up the longer the cable is which is a fact.
AND I highly doubt that people will be able to tell the difference between a 20€ cable and a 10000€ cable in a A-B test. I read one blindfold test were they had regular RCA-cables compared to a pair of really expensive ones, surprisingly alot of people thought that the RCA sounded better.
Demand recognition for the Armenian genocide 1915
http://www.devilsmindrecords.org/
http://www.myspace.com/vegetalmusic
http://www.checkpoint-music.com/ |
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Tomos
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jan 13, 2008 22:48
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Oh I totally agree that to a point cables make a difference, resistance of materials, overall length and thickness will surely impact the signal. But only to a point..
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vegetal
Vegetal/Peacespect
Started Topics :
19
Posts :
1055
Posted : Jan 13, 2008 23:11
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UnderTow
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
1448
Posted : Jan 14, 2008 00:25
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From what I've read from people much more knowledgeable than me, the more "reasonable" arguments given by "high-end" cable manufacturers only really apply to frequencies way out of the audible range. The high Mhz and Ghz frequencies. In other words, it isn't reasonable at all.
But I've never tried A/Bing 1000$ cables so I could be wrong. 
UnderTow |
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Tomos
IsraTrance Full Member
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84
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981
Posted : Jan 14, 2008 00:41
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I always EQ out the 1,000,000,000hz frequencies anyway.
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klippel
Stereofeld
Started Topics :
91
Posts :
1153
Posted : Jan 14, 2008 22:50
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well...
ok, i don´t want to start one of these loooong discussions...
what i found out is, when all components of a stereo system match AND you have acoustics in your room that is nice, THEN a cable makes a HUGE difference... at least for me.. before you haven´t x´ed out alle your weaknesses in your signal oathway before, forget it...
but then there will be another open door.. of course changes are by order of magnitude smaller than changes in speakers or amps.. but when you matched alle other stuff it works..
@tomos, actually my friend didn´t want to sell me the cable, i lent his to test for myself because i always laugehd at him when he talked about cables.. i feel ashamed now.. man i had to learn a lesson.. and i had my girl friend test is blind, didn´t tell her about the change and she called me when i was at work "what the f*** has happened, the sound is so big and clear and bla bla" so thats my proof... no psychology involved with a third person blind testing, knowwhataymean?
still its a matter of pricing. i only buy stuff like that cause i get it REALLY cheap... otherwise its a rather small change for the prise.. true... but when you´re after perfect sound in ur livin room u won´t come around a decent cable.. just my 2 cents
@back to the speaker break in, i never push my speakers really hard. but medium volume for break in is really fine.... in low volumes it will take ages....
@anybody who does not believe in cable changes.. .visit me when you´re in germany... and judge for urself
love´n´light |
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vegetal
Vegetal/Peacespect
Started Topics :
19
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1055
Posted : Jan 14, 2008 23:16
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Quote:
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On 2008-01-14 22:50, klippel wrote:
but when you´re after perfect sound in ur livin room u won´t come around a decent cable.. just my 2 cents
@anybody who does not believe in cable changes.. .visit me when you´re in germany... and judge for urself
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The Perfect sound?? We are really pushing boundaries here aren´t we
I just need to ask you, how long are your cables atm?
Demand recognition for the Armenian genocide 1915
http://www.devilsmindrecords.org/
http://www.myspace.com/vegetalmusic
http://www.checkpoint-music.com/ |
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klippel
Stereofeld
Started Topics :
91
Posts :
1153
Posted : Jan 14, 2008 23:46
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cables are 3m each..
"perfect sound" well, come on, know how this is meant, huh? said if you´re "after" the perfect sound.. no doubt there is nottin as such..
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