Computer Speakers

[Tharmas]

I am not a high-end audiophile by any means, and I do most of my music listening while sitting at my computer working, or in my car. So, I’ve made a point of having relatively decent computer speakers. For many years I’ve enjoyed Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers similar to the ones shown in the link, but of course a much older model.

I still say they can’t be beat for the price, but recently the amp blew one of its channels and I decided to upgrade. I selected the audioengine A2+ powered speakers along with their S8 Subwoofer. An additional wad of cash bought me wireless capabilities.

The Klipsch had some features I wish the audioengine had, such as volume and subwoofer controls on the front of one of the satellite speakers. The Audioengine volume control is on the back of one of the satellites, and they expect you to set it and then use your computer volume controls for adjustments. Also the Klipsch satellite speaker had inputs for mic and headphones which was handy.

But the Audioengine system brings a new dimension to the sound, and I consider it worth the much higher price. I am listening to many old favorites now and hearing things I hadn’t heard before. I am very pleased.

 

[poster]

That looks like a nice setup.

I use a digital output from my tower to a Pioneer sound bar with sub woofer which makes Miles sound rather good. My monitor is a 42" hd television and so I could go that route through HDMI as well. My car has pretty good sound as well.

The biggest challenge for me over the years had been getting used to digital encoding of sound, and music in particular. It's so clean that it almost seems to have an emptiness to it. Weird for someone who began serious listening in the sixties.

 

[Tharmas]

The biggest challenge for me over the years had been getting used to digital encoding of sound, and music in particular. It's so clean that it almost seems to have an emptiness to it. Weird for someone who began serious listening in the sixties.

I know what you mean, especially "digitally remastered." I guess that's why vinyl is still a thing. My monitor is about half the size of yours but is also an hd television. My car's sound...meh. It's supposed to be an upgrade from the base model, with a sub woofer included, but it doesn't past the ear test.

 

[Underseer]

$250 speakers with a separate $350 subwoofer?

Honestly, for that kind of money, you could probably buy a decent stereo receiver/amp with big boy stereo speakers. Is space an issue?

 

[bilby]

I only clicked on this thread because I thought 'computer speakers' were kinda like Navajo 'code talkers' - people who could understand and/or imitate the sounds used by acoustic couplers like this:



/disappointed

 

[Tharmas]

$250 speakers with a separate $350 subwoofer?

Honestly, for that kind of money, you could probably buy a decent stereo receiver/amp with big boy stereo speakers. Is space an issue?

Well, space is definitely an issue, with absolutely no room for large speakers. Also, I do almost all of my music listening through my computer, so it seemed logical to enhance my computer speakers. In any case, although it’s subjective, they pass the “ear test” with flying colors. I’d put these powered speakers up against much larger passive speakers any day.

- - - Updated - - -

I only clicked on this thread because I thought 'computer speakers' were kinda like Navajo 'code talkers' - people who could understand and/or imitate the sounds used by acoustic couplers like this:

View attachment 18125

/disappointed

Sorry to disappoint you.

 

[Underseer]

If you use HDMI to connect to the stereo, then the DAC is happening in an environment that is less "noisy" electronics-wise. Theoretically, you should be able to get better sound quality for less money.

But if space is an issue, then space is an issue.

 

[none]

I am not a high-end audiophile by any means, and I do most of my music listening while sitting at my computer working, or in my car. So, I’ve made a point of having relatively decent computer speakers. For many years I’ve enjoyed Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers similar to the ones shown in the link, but of course a much older model.

I still say they can’t be beat for the price, but recently the amp blew one of its channels and I decided to upgrade. I selected the audioengine A2+ powered speakers along with their S8 Subwoofer. An additional wad of cash bought me wireless capabilities.

The Klipsch had some features I wish the audioengine had, such as volume and subwoofer controls on the front of one of the satellite speakers. The Audioengine volume control is on the back of one of the satellites, and they expect you to set it and then use your computer volume controls for adjustments. Also the Klipsch satellite speaker had inputs for mic and headphones which was handy.

But the Audioengine system brings a new dimension to the sound, and I consider it worth the much higher price. I am listening to many old favorites now and hearing things I hadn’t heard before. I am very pleased.

i use a couple bowers and wilkins bookshelf speakers and a 10 inch sub
I wanted to mention to get a better sound is to install a capacitor inline on the smaller speakers to keep them from trying to reproduce the lower frequency signal the bass sounds better and the smaller speakers won't blow when driven at high volumes

 

[Tharmas]

i use a couple bowers and wilkins bookshelf speakers and a 10 inch sub
I wanted to mention to get a better sound is to install a capacitor inline on the smaller speakers to keep them from trying to reproduce the lower frequency signal the bass sounds better and the smaller speakers won't blow when driven at high volumes

The B&W speakers look very interesting. What model do you have?

Also, could you amplify your comments about using a capacitor? I'm not sure what that would entail.

 

[none]

i use a couple bowers and wilkins bookshelf speakers and a 10 inch sub
I wanted to mention to get a better sound is to install a capacitor inline on the smaller speakers to keep them from trying to reproduce the lower frequency signal the bass sounds better and the smaller speakers won't blow when driven at high volumes

The B&W speakers look very interesting. What model do you have?

Also, could you amplify your comments about using a capacitor? I'm not sure what that would entail.

B&W LM1 is the model, it was either that or bose
connect the capacitor in line with the wire, meaning the negative wire goes to the negative terminal and the positive wire goes to the capacitor and then the capacitor goes the the positive terminal on the speaker
it removes the low frequency signal, so the speakers don't sound muddy is the best way I can explain it.
also it is less likely to blow the speaker because it isn't trying to produce a frequency that is beyond the range of the speaker.
i use 100 microfarads, you can find online resource as to what farad rating you need or maybe geek squad or electronic installers can let you know what to use
i think crossover is the technical term

 

[Underseer]

i use a couple bowers and wilkins bookshelf speakers and a 10 inch sub
I wanted to mention to get a better sound is to install a capacitor inline on the smaller speakers to keep them from trying to reproduce the lower frequency signal the bass sounds better and the smaller speakers won't blow when driven at high volumes

The B&W speakers look very interesting. What model do you have?

Also, could you amplify your comments about using a capacitor? I'm not sure what that would entail.

The word he should have used was "high-pass filter."

You can arrange capacitors and resistors to make a high-pass filter or a low-pass filter that allows only signals above or below a certain frequency to pass through. If he's using a single capacitor, he's using the simplest kind of high-pass filter.

I'm really surprised that speakers this expensive would need an additional pass filter in a 2.1 arrangement. Shouldn't there already be a better one built into the speakers themselves?

 

[Tharmas]

Forgive me for being so slow, but I’m an English major and it takes me a while to absorb some of the electronics vocabulary. I think I understand what’s being talked about now, and if I’m right what Underseer says is right on:

[snip] I'm really surprised that speakers this expensive would need an additional pass filter in a 2.1 arrangement. Shouldn't there already be a better one built into the speakers themselves?

There's a control on the back of my sub called Crossover that is "used to set the subwoofer high frequency cutoff point," as it says in the quick start guide. They suggest playing with it while listening to music and settling on where it sounds right. I have it set at about half way which would be about 100 Hz, assuming it's linear. So I think I'm OK. Also it says the speakers have built in DAC (which I now know what that means).

 

[Underseer]

Sorry.

When you have a satellite-subwoofer arrangement, you have satellite speakers that are small and unobtrusive, but do a bad job of reproducing low frequency sounds, and a subwoofer that is bad at reproducing high frequency sounds. If they didn't come with some kind of bandpass filter, they would sound like garbage.

So such speakers come with a high-pass filter on the satellites and a low-pass filter on the subwoofer. This is why it's generally desirable to purchase satellite-subwoofers that come together as a set: the crossover frequency was already selected by someone who knows what they're doing and you can't change it on either the subs or the satellites.

The different types of filters are: first order, second order, third order, etc.

The first order filters are simpler and easier to make, but if you graph the signal strength vs frequency, the slope of your graph is less steep: more of the undesirable frequency sounds get through, and less of the desired frequencies get through. The higher order filters have steeper graphs, but are more complicated and use more parts to make.



If someone is stapling a capacitor to the speaker wires, he or she is adding a crude first-order passive filter on top of whatever is already there. (Passive filters do not need an amplifier, active filters do.)

That crossover knob on the back of a subwoofer almost certainly involves a higher order low-pass filter than you are likely to make on your own.

If you ever replace your factory-installed car stereo with an after market car stereo, you learn about this the hard way. Factory-installed car stereos have bandpass filters built into them, and those filters are tuned based on the kinds of speakers installed at the factory. After-market car stereos do not come with high-pass filters of any kind. They expect you to also purchase an external amplifier which will contain both high-pass filters and low-pass filters. If you just replace the stereo in a car without also purchasing an amp that has filters, you'll notice right away how awful speakers sound when you try to play sounds lower than the frequency the speaker was intended for.

 

[Tharmas]

If you ever replace your factory-installed car stereo with an after market car stereo, you learn about this the hard way. Factory-installed car stereos have bandpass filters built into them, and those filters are tuned based on the kinds of speakers installed at the factory. After-market car stereos do not come with high-pass filters of any kind. They expect you to also purchase an external amplifier which will contain both high-pass filters and low-pass filters. If you just replace the stereo in a car without also purchasing an amp that has filters, you'll notice right away how awful speakers sound when you try to play sounds lower than the frequency the speaker was intended for.

Thanks for the info. I have been thinking about upgrading my car stereo, so that's really good information.

 

[Underseer]

If you ever replace your factory-installed car stereo with an after market car stereo, you learn about this the hard way. Factory-installed car stereos have bandpass filters built into them, and those filters are tuned based on the kinds of speakers installed at the factory. After-market car stereos do not come with high-pass filters of any kind. They expect you to also purchase an external amplifier which will contain both high-pass filters and low-pass filters. If you just replace the stereo in a car without also purchasing an amp that has filters, you'll notice right away how awful speakers sound when you try to play sounds lower than the frequency the speaker was intended for.

Thanks for the info. I have been thinking about upgrading my car stereo, so that's really good information.

This was how I learned about the wacky world of high pass filters and low pass filters.

I bought an after-market car stereo, and I didn't want to buy an amp, so I kludged together a third order passive filter and put one on each speaker. The subwoofer had a low-pass active filter built in.

 

[Underseer]

[YOUTUBE]ih0EqxsTBq8[/YOUTUBE]

Alright, so back to the topic of an external DAC, which is the best way to get quality sound from a desktop.

Current in one circuit can induce current in another nearby circuit. Computers have a really large number of circuits, so it's an electronically "noisy" environment.

The sound circuitry built into your motherboard uses a reasonably high quality DAC, but it's right on the motherboard where the most "noise" is. If you have a dedicated sound card, the "noise" is going to be a little bit better, but better still is to do the Digial to Analog Conversion outside the computer case entirely, and that's the concept behind external DACs.

By doing the conversion outside the computer case (preferably some distance from the case), you are going to get a higher quality signal, which can then be passed to an amplifier or amplified speakers.

Personally, I'm OK with my motherboard's DAC because that signal is going to a $70 set of speakers. It's more than good enough for my needs. It's not as if I'm listening to live recordings of classical concerts and trying to make out the sniffles of that guy in the fifth row of the audience. Also, I have 5.1 speakers for gaming. If I wanted to use an external DAC, I would need to get a sound card, then go from the sound card to an external DAC via SPIDF or optical or HDMI from[ent]hellip[/ent] wait. How would you get audio from HDMI on a desktop? Grab it from the monitor? From the video card? I'm not even sure.

PS[ent]mdash[/ent]the above video is funny because the guy childishly counts every time he uses the word "Schiit" with a counter next to a poop emoji.