Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

I bought a Sonos PLAY:1 recently and thoroughly recommend it.

It's not ceiling mounted but can be put on a wall, the sound quality's great, the number of digital sources in incredible, and it's £170.

Yes it's cheating, but it'll work out of the box.

Not really a hi-fi question but I wondered if there are any DJs here who can point me in the direction of some new speakers as per my requirements below.

I currently use some Cerwin Vega E710s, which pack a fantastic if unrefined sound with a great bottom end.

I was considering going Active but am unsure why other than convenience. I'd like a crisp top and mid and a booming bass, want them to go loud too. Will be used for mixing only and mainly club music (house, garage etc). Size not an issue, am moving house next year so am seizing this opportunity to upgrade!

Help welcome.

How loud? I know nothing about HIFI speakers and use either studio monitors or a cheap PA (with subs). Neither of these is ideal but perhaps if you've got the space, some sort of active PA speakers would get you a bit more refinement as well as the volume.

buy active studio monitors i guess brands like genelec , adam are pretty good . for booming bass you can buy a sub woofer that goes with the monitors .....not cheap but good sound

Wouldn't necessarily recommend studio monitors for general listening or messing about on decks, although I'm currently using my Adam A5X's and iMac as my stereo till I buy a new stereo amp.

My Adams are great studio monitors but they're definitely designed to reveal flaws in mixes as opposed to producing a pleasant or exciting hi-fi experience . Whilst they can get pretty loud they're definitely not trouser-flapping bass monsters.

The Genelecs I've worked on (8030a's) have tended to be more appealing as an all purpose speaker and I know a few people who use them as hi-fi speakers and I can understand why. They do sound great. The benchmark 8030a's are c.£400 a piece, the 8040s are £600 each though so dropping £800-£1200 on speakers that aren't really designed to kick out the jams and still needing another £600 in your budget for the subwoofer doesn't seem like the the smartest option to me.

KRK make a whole range of active monitors that are aimed at (and supposedly optimised for) beat/bass heavy electronic and dance music. I might look at them. http://www.krksys.com/krk-studio-monitor-speakers/rokit/rokit-10-3.html

Otherwise, good quality PA gear is way cheaper, louder, better and lighter than it used to be. Mackie do some great quality stuff for reasonable money as well as the obvious choices from JBL, Tannoy etc.

@Dramatic_Hammer
@gios78
@Apone

Thanks all. I think PA is the way to go. Been looking at the Yamaha DRX15s, indeed as well as the JBLs, Mackies of this world.

Wharfedale used to do active monitors which are cheap online and seem to get good reviews.

I know a lot of DJs/bedroom producers (some of whom are quite successful) who use KRK Rokits.

Ruark paladin's any good?

A pair have come up locally, possibly too sensitive for my setup, as they are rated as 91dB which I guess is more for the valve amp guys, they were a decent wedge of cash 20 years ago and beautifully made (half the reason I want them, just nicely crafted slabs). Likely too big for the room though

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id defo recommend krk's I've got a few producer/dj friends and they all use them. just got myself a pair of rokit8's and they are ridiculously loud for what i fist expected, haven't even been able to get them to max volume as its so loud.

@Full_Metal_Sprocket

Thanks for this, am really umming and ahhing between studio monitors and PA speakers, leaning toward the latter at the moment. Am trying to hear some before I make a decision.

Right, thanks @aggi, @BRM, @mashton, @fizzy.bleach

So, the bit I need to sort first is the speakers and amp, and I'm gonna leave myself a few source options. Loving the suggestions thanks!

Such is the restricted space in the ceiling, I can only fit 4" speakers, so I am looking at a little pair of Yamaha NS-IC400.

Amp-wise, I can't wait for international shipping, and no time to DIY anything. OTP and shipped from UK on fleabay there are a few options, claimed power rating and price varies wildly, so any opinons on the following:

Topping TP22 Tripath £60 25WPC

SMSL SA-36A Tripath £35 20WPC

Pyle PFA300 Tripath £31 90WPC

Dayton audio DTA120 Tripath £120 60WPC

I bought an SMSL Q5 from Amazon, it held up fine for a few months then the analog input failed. USB, optical and SPDIF continued working fine and Amazon let me return it for full refund. I've now bought the Q5 Pro. Seems to be holding up fine thus far. Dunno if that's a common issue but would definitely recommend Amazon for hassle-free returns, rather than ebay.

How much are they? Supposed to be good speakers

£150
thought so long as they work as they should then I can't loose right? If I don't like I can sell them on and be no worse off.
Fully expect them to destroy the relationship we have with our neighbors though.

Bargain if working. Check foam surrounds.

Word. My Bro-in-Laws Ruarks (Accolade I think) have perished surrounds.

Read a few more reviews and have gone for the Topping TP-22 and Yamaha speakers. Will post unboxing vids with heavy breathing in due course.

Seem to sound absolutely fine, guy has filled the bottoms with sand which helps them apparently.

Some issues though, as expected at that price.
1 - loose metal fillings stuck to the outer edges of the silk tweeter dome, could just be junk stored nearby that has been attracted to the magnet?
2 - one of the binding posts is snapped, doesn't look that easy to replace.
3 - Previous owner decided to paint them black. Hoping can strip and get back to the veneer then stain them a lighter colour.

But they sound fine, 'dry and succulent' I read in a review somewhere, probably about the best description. Foams feel fine, not collapsed and sticky (had high end car speakers go like that) but rebound OK and not crumbling.

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Maplins might be your chum -> http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/twin-terminal-post-jk24b

The cross over might be mounted directly on the back of that plate so don't be alarmed if there's caps/resistors/inductors hanging off the back of it.

I would just wire one pair of speaker cables per speaker and bridge at the speaker end.

The black plastic looks to be darker/seperate to the base board, VERY similar to those Maplin ones so yeah reckon I can replace them with something generic.
Will likely take the drivers out anyway and rewire them as apparently the stock cable was crap, and have issues with the foam down the back of the baffles coming away and blocking the wrong bits up
They are now £100 so hard to say no really, even though they are freaking ugly

Bargain. Everyone loves a project! (except close family) :)

I've got a Topping TP-60 and a Trends Audio TA-10.1 - I'm very happy with both. Most tripath amps aren't particularly powerful so be sure you have relatively sensitive speakers.

Thanks. The little Yamaha are only 89dB but don't need particularly high volumes just some choons whilst chopping onions etc.