Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

Everything is a problem in our imperfect acoustic environments but you might get away with a bit of coupling :)

Because sound radiates through the floorboards it kind of depends what you have underneath them. Ideally you'd probably absorb all the soundwaves. Since you will have some reflection I think it's likely to overwhelm the effect of coupling. Could be wrong though.

Don’t have any idea as to the quality of them but the new Leak amps look great.

Thanks tester and Airhead for the replies. I'll just get the ones I like the look of with spikes.

Any soundbar recommendations?

I've been using an old Logitech 2.1 to the audio jack of the TV. Much better sound than out of the TV alone, but way too bassy even at lowest setting. By the time you've turned it up loud enough to hear what people are saying, you're having to turn it down when things get even mildy noisey. It also looks crap and untidy.

Maybe this? https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01NAYLSIB/?coliid=I1I2G52L1VFQIU&colid=1WXFG21WMCHZZ&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Presumably you can turn off the sub, but do I even want a soundbar with a sub?

Might not be the fact that it has a subwoofer per se, just that it’s not a nice one. No space for a small pair of bookshelves? Heard very good things about all the Edifier range.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edifier-Active-Studio-Bookshelf-Speaker/dp/B06XGC7NTX/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=active+speakers&qid=1590586096&sr=8-3

Hadn't though about that. The TV sits in a small (87cm) alcove. So space is limiting. I suppose I could put a pair of bookshelves on the unit that the TV goes on (new one to be acquired), behind the TV, although I also suppose that isn't going to do wonders for clarity.

No not ideal I guess. It’s just that soundbars use such tiny drivers, I know there’s clever tech in there but you need to shift air, hence needing a sub, and cheap subs tend to dominate unwelcomely as you’ve experienced.

Those Edifier speakers are only 140mm wide. Flip 'em on their sides and they'd probably fit under the screen.

Hmm yes. I could get something like this and have the speakers on their side on one shelf and the Sky box etc on the other. Might need to drill some holes but would be a good solution I think.

1 Attachment

Or you can buy a TV stand that looks like that but has the hole at the back already?

Any leads? They (TV stands) seem to mostly be 100cm+ from the usual suspects like Ikea, John Lewis etc. That pic is actually a book/DVD case.

Might be best to make one / have one made / take a cutting list to a timber merchant. I had to do that to fit the alcove next to the chimney breast.

REL T5 8” sealed subwoofer. Excellent condition, original box. 5m speakon connector for high level connection and mains cable, no RCA cable. £230 posted.

3 Attachments

So tempting. I love subs... But I have neither space nor an understanding gf.

So tempting. I love subs... But I have neither space nor an understanding gf.

???

I can see why your gf may be a bit ticked off.

Wow...

Ummmmm

Yes, totally that...

Looking to add a 2nd zone (kitchen) to my Yamaha RXV777 (lounge). It has both pre and post amp outputs that could do this (I think) but I'm not quite ready to start drilling holes right now, I probably can when we get some work done next year, but until then I'd like something that's not too expensive and plays music in sync with the hifi in my lounge if I want it to.

Fwiw there's a powerline adapter in the corner of the kitchen.

What's my best bet? Bluetooth adaptor & speaker from the pre-out? Or is that likely to have some lag from the main zone?

Bluetooth will introduce lag for sure.

Yeah I guess wireless is gonna = more kit & expense. I might just wait it out until we're tearing up walls / floors and install a proper cable run.

If you have a suspended floor it's relatively easy to run cables under from room to room.

Solid floor

I’ve got this for movie audio from the laptop - no discernible lag, and I’m quite sensitive to these things. Might be worse if you have one to transmit and one to receive though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YTKQ78N/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_jaF1EbY1BZG7B

What are your sources? Could go multi-room at the source with a pair of chromecast audios or sonos connects or something.

Obvs cheapest and most simple is a switch / splitter box and a long pair of speaker cables.

Or buy my Sonos Play:5 (gen 1, £130) for the kitchen and a cheap gen 1 connect for the living room.

If you want to give Bluetooth a go, I have a transmitter / receiver that you are welcome to try.

Cheers both, I may give that transmitter a try and see if our Anker speaker picks it up ok in the kitchen as a test. @ChasnotRobert I'm not in London so likely it would be a long round trip.

Thinking ahead, if I do go the hard-wired route, are ceiling mounted speakers a bad idea, sound quality wise? I'm guessing kitchen with hard surfaces everywhere isn't a great starting point anyway.