tried unsuccessfully to get a similar thread off the ground on MI so absolutely no reason to assume this will fare any better... :laugh:
Anyway, looking to get a decent Bluetooth speaker system that will work primarily for playing music through spotify, but also functions as a decent soundbar for telly. I've been recommended the Sonos Beam but it's ever do slightly outside my price range. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
We have Lg sh5 soundbar. Sounds pretty good as tv tone. Both for shows and cromcasting spotify.
I've never been a fan of bluetooth speakers. It sounds like you've got a living room setup connected to a TV. I'd be much more inclined to get a proper set of bookshelf/floorstanding speakers and have them connected to a smart TV or a regular TV with chromecast if you're needing wireless audio. Not exactly what you're asking for, but that's my preference.
Quote from: Hambeast on January 22, 2019, 09:48:31 PM
I've never been a fan of bluetooth speakers. It sounds like you've got a living room setup connected to a TV. I'd be much more inclined to get a proper set of bookshelf/floorstanding speakers and have them connected to a smart TV or a regular TV with chromecast if you're needing wireless audio. Not exactly what you're asking for, but that's my preference.
Agreed. I've recently gone back to 5.1 wired surround sound system again after a few years of Bluetooth shenanigans.
Bluetooth is grand for the kitchen or the outdoors when the weather is good, and even the bedroom I suppose, but keep it out of your main auditorial space. It sounds dead when compared to a proper wired speaker system.
I am looking to downsize from a 5.1 amp speakers etc... to a small shelf hifi - its for a workspace - any recommendations on the micro side of things?
Big tech enthusiast here. I have a sizeable Headphone collection. Newest addition is a set of AKG K702's. Amazing fidelity. Also recently picked up some Dali Zensor 1 speakers for my main separates. They sound incredible for the price.
Quote from: Grahamer72 on January 29, 2019, 09:51:28 PM
Big tech enthusiast here. I have a sizeable Headphone collection. Newest addition is a set of AKG K702's. Amazing fidelity. Also recently picked up some Dali Zensor 1 speakers for my main separates. They sound incredible for the price.
I have the Dali Spektor 1 speakers on my Amazon wishlist. I must get round to purchasing them now that the Christmas shenanigans are long over.
Great to hear you're impressed with their sister speakers.
Probably a simple question but I'm looking to get rid of my stereo/speakers and just have a standalone record player with something I can plug a headphone jack into. I can't really use my speakers anymore where I'm living so I mostly use headphones anyway and now they're just in the way. What's the best way to do this? The cheaper solution the better.
Rip everything and put it on your phone?
Quote from: Mithrandir on January 30, 2019, 10:22:40 AM
Probably a simple question but I'm looking to get rid of my stereo/speakers and just have a standalone record player with something I can plug a headphone jack into. I can't really use my speakers anymore where I'm living so I mostly use headphones anyway and now they're just in the way. What's the best way to do this? The cheaper solution the better.
Just get a phono preamp with a headphone out.
This is the cheapest option but there's no volume control on it: https://www.thomann.de/ie/behringer_pp400.htm
- You'll find similar for even cheaper if you go to amazon or aliexpress.
Here's one on Amazon with a volume control: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HB2J4W5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_i1zuCbN9EAWT0 no idea if it's any good but it is what it is.
Quote from: ochoill on January 30, 2019, 12:54:46 PM
Quote from: Mithrandir on January 30, 2019, 10:22:40 AM
Probably a simple question but I'm looking to get rid of my stereo/speakers and just have a standalone record player with something I can plug a headphone jack into. I can't really use my speakers anymore where I'm living so I mostly use headphones anyway and now they're just in the way. What's the best way to do this? The cheaper solution the better.
Just get a phono preamp with a headphone out.
This is the cheapest option but there's no volume control on it: https://www.thomann.de/ie/behringer_pp400.htm
- You'll find similar for even cheaper if you go to amazon or aliexpress.
Here's one on Amazon with a volume control: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HB2J4W5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_i1zuCbN9EAWT0 no idea if it's any good but it is what it is.
Great, just what I'm looking for, thanks. Never had to use a preamp as my stereo had one built in.
Got a loan from the credit union. Going to invest in a proper stereo and whopper speakers for the first time in my life, having only ever had a basic setup until now. I want something that will maximize the sound of my LPs, CDs and tapes and is built to last. Maximum mega bass and ear splitting volume are not my priority, just an excellent separation between instruments to maximise the experience. As with all technology (and most things) I'm utterly clueless. What do the tech nerds recommend?
Get yourself up to Richer Sounds in Belfast and get separate's. Alternatively HifiHut in Park West. They have a showroom where you can test stuff.
I'll give Hifi Hut a look. Cheers!
Anybody know of anywhere I could pick up a second hand cassette player? Adverts seems to be either the really high end shit or car players. Ebay seems to be the only option I have but its dodgy considering I can't test the things and shipping costs the same price as the thing itself.
Went in to HifiHut and this was the recommendation for my price range with a tape deck being sourced separately too. I haves no idea about brands or models so does this stuff look like decent quality to those of you who know about such matters...
Rega Brio-R 2017 Integrated Amplifier
Rega Apollo- R CD player
DALI Oberon 5 floorstanding speaker pair
Rega Planar 2 Turntable
Checked out some reviews and all were pretty glowing but I'm not sure which sites are trust worthy so I might be reading propaganda!
The Rega Planar 2 turntable is a gem. Great value for the money and well made. A British company I believe.
I'm sure their other products are of good quality too.
You must have a budget of around €2000+ or so Andy?
I've enough to cover it anyway. The reviews for the Rega strid all seem really positive so I might bite the bullet.
Yeah, Rega have a great reputation. Trust your ears, though, make sure you get to listen to something through it all before you hand over cash.
A bit of Ride for Revenge! Imagine sticking that on and then complaining that the speakers sound like shit haha. Could be a good hidden camera sketch seeing the lads scrambling around trying to fix the problem :laugh:
:laugh:
The Rega Brio amps sound great, only reason I haven't got one is I don't like the idea of having no control over the bass and treble, had a Pioneer a500 years back and whilst it was great 90% of the time there is those times when you need an extra wee bit of oomph at the bottom end. The Rega turntables are decent decks, only downside is the price of a decent cartridge.
How often do you need to replace the cartridge?
That is all down to usage, how dirty your records are, how many fucked records you are playing, weight on the arm. It really is a sonic thing when you start to hear excessive inner groove distortion or it just doesnt sound good anymore when you put a record on. Putting a new cartridge on also takes a while to bed in. I last changed mine sept 17 - average usage 20 hrs a week - sunday i use cds. I am currently on an elys 2.
So for that amount of usage are you looking at changing it once a year, every five years, ten years? I know it's hard to give a definite answer due to the variables you mentioned but loosely speaking. Most of my collection is new, as in not second hand, but I've been gathering it all together (collecting you might say :P ) for around 15 years or so, so a good amount of it might be a bit on the dusty side.
I end up changing mind once every year / 15 months or so.
Rega players are nice, but changing the cartridge is a right pain in the ass.
Jesus, that's a commitment. Is it expensive to change them?
I changed mine last about 14 mths ago - probably look at it in a couple of months again - the elys 2 was £120 the last time, though you can get your old one refurbished for around £80 where the housing stays the same.They can start from as little as £29 up to £1000+
Fuck me. I might just get one in Lidl instead :-[
Good to hear they were helpful in HiFi Hut. Great bunch of lads.
Absolutely not what I was after in the initial post but got myself an Echo dot for the bedside table. Great little speaker and very good value. Speech recognition is bang on, and even though it's a bit of a novelty, there's something supremely indulgent about turning over in the middle of the night and asking your speaker what time it is rather than having to go to the gargantuan effort of checking your phone!!
Quote from: John Kimble on February 13, 2019, 01:53:17 PM
Absolutely not what I was after in the initial post but got myself an Echo dot for the bedside table. Great little speaker and very good value. Speech recognition is bang on, and even though it's a bit of a novelty, there's something supremely indulgent about turning over in the middle of the night and asking your speaker what time it is rather than having to go to the gargantuan effort of checking your phone!!
Have one myself and mainly use it as an alarm clock.
Thought I'd share this here:
https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail?id=sacclgafd1200a&categoryName=media-player-accessories&superCatName=electronics&title=lg-hi-fi-plus-afd-1200-with-b-o-play-a (https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail?id=sacclgafd1200a&categoryName=media-player-accessories&superCatName=electronics&title=lg-hi-fi-plus-afd-1200-with-b-o-play-a)
I bought this on a whim as it was only £9.50 delivered but the difference in headphone audio output on my PC after plugging this in is fantastic! Also works great with my phone with headphones. Much better sound quality but the phone battery does suffer a bit. Good for the commute. Designed for the LG G5 but comes with a cap that allows it to be used with any phone / laptop. The windows drivers were a ball ache to find but once set up I'm very happy with the audio improvement for under a tenner!
Quote from: Eoin McLove on February 01, 2019, 12:06:11 PM
Went in to HifiHut and this was the recommendation for my price range with a tape deck being sourced separately too. I haves no idea about brands or models so does this stuff look like decent quality to those of you who know about such matters...
Rega Brio-R 2017 Integrated Amplifier
Rega Apollo- R CD player
DALI Oberon 5 floorstanding speaker pair
Rega Planar 2 Turntable
I'm looking to spend a bit in the next few months
Would you recommend what you bought here Andy?
Any tips?
John (flight to Wacken 08!, and Napalm Death @Waterford)
Just set up a soundbar there, connected it to the telly via bluetooth. There's a bit of a lag with the audio, would that be a result of it being connected via bluetooth? There's an option for an optical connection too, I might buy a lead tomorrow, if I can get one.
Quote from: Carnage on May 02, 2020, 09:35:52 PM
Just set up a soundbar there, connected it to the telly via bluetooth. There's a bit of a lag with the audio, would that be a result of it being connected via bluetooth? There's an option for an optical connection too, I might buy a lead tomorrow, if I can get one.
Yep, go for the optical cable. Far better sound quality too, obviously.
Sound, I was thinking that alright. Annoying that it didn't come with the bloody soundbar.
Cheers.
Quote from: Carnage on May 02, 2020, 10:28:07 PM
Sound, I was thinking that alright. Annoying that it didn't come with the bloody soundbar.
Cheers.
You'll get a decent gold plated cable for between €10 and €20.....
I'll have a look in Tesco tomorrow, not many options open these days.
If the soundbar and TV both support HDMI ARC that's an ever better way to hook them up.
No HDMI socket on the soundbar. Optical, USB and a jack.
Optical is the job so. Depending on the outputs of your TV you could hook it up old school with an analogue cable until the shops are open properly again.
I should be able to pick something up in Tesco tomorrow or whenever, the local one has a decent selection. Failing that, no mad rush.
Aww, wasn't thinking of Tesco - my local one has the hardware department upstairs and it's closed at the minute.
All one in ours. If they don't have one there I'll nab one off Amazon.
That's handy. Needed to pop up to mine and well, nah :laugh:
If you do go on Amazon, don't pay over the odds for one - about €7 per metre would be fair (and realistically most setups wouldn't need more than 2m anyway).
Some prices you see for cables (especially HDMI) are daylight robbery.
I got a fairly bog-standard one in Tesco for a fiver, I'll give it a go this evening. If it works (I don't see why it wouldn't, but you never know) I'll nab a gold-plated one on Amazon, they're about the price you mentioned.
If the Tesco one works then don't bother with the gold plated one - there's no real use for gold plating as it's just the connectors (the cable after all is optical fiber), and what they're made of wouldn't make a difference.
Ah right, stick with this so. Now the fun part, getting settings right.
There's probably a setting buried in your TV settings to swap the output to the optical out, and then make sure the soundbar is set to optical in and you should be golden!
Yeah, it's working well, just trying to get the right settings all round.
Anyone any experience with Edifier speakers?
Just ordered the R1280T to upgrade my old pc speaker set. Youtube reviews seemed ok, but, hearing speakers through tv soundbar will be different to in person.
Quote from: Makeshiftatomsmasher on May 03, 2020, 11:33:39 PM
Anyone any experience with Edifier speakers?
Just ordered the R1280T to upgrade my old pc speaker set. Youtube reviews seemed ok, but, hearing speakers through tv soundbar will be different to in person.
Yeah I have a set of Edifiers for my record player, honestly they are excellent for the price of them, great sound off them, nice and clear. Two aux ins and a bluetooth connection make them right handy. Don't know about the model you have but these are what I picked up: https://cpcireland.farnell.com/edifier/r1700bt-maple/speaker-r1700bt-maple/dp/CS32331
would recommend them to anyone looking for a relatively cheap decent set of speakers. Free next day shipping off that site too (I use Farnell itself for electronic parts regularly and find them excellent to deal with)
Thinking about upgrading my stereo and looking for advice. Doesn't need to be anything major fancy. CD and Bluetooth mainly. It's for a small enough room so not looking for a monstrosity of a yoke. That said, I don't want something wimpy either. I don't mind if it's an all-in-one yoke or whatever, as long as it sounds good.
Any advice for getting a cassette player? kvlt necrolord alert, I know, but there's some good dirty shit being released on tape that I'm into and I'm thinking of getting into it as a hobby. Not sure are my better off trying to source an old hi fi system online or get just a straightforward tape deck that my bookshelf speakers (red/white audio jacks) can somehow plug into?
https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5045864/Trail/searchtext%3ECASETTE+.htm
Thinking of just getting something like this, because I have a red/white to headphone jack so can hook it up to the speakers. Grand, right?
Quote from: Airneanach on July 15, 2020, 12:35:26 PM
Any advice for getting a cassette player? kvlt necrolord alert, I know, but there's some good dirty shit being released on tape that I'm into and I'm thinking of getting into it as a hobby. Not sure are my better off trying to source an old hi fi system online or get just a straightforward tape deck that my bookshelf speakers (red/white audio jacks) can somehow plug into?
https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5045864/Trail/searchtext%3ECASETTE+.htm
Thinking of just getting something like this, because I have a red/white to headphone jack so can hook it up to the speakers. Grand, right?
You can pick up old tape decks on ebay for cheap enough, i dunno if the size might be a put off but something like this:
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/JVC-KD-10-Stereo-cassette-deck/124257529103?hash=item1cee536d0f:g:juUAAOSwZm1fCw-j
Just picked up this one for myself: https://m.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10152&catalogId=15051&langId=111&productId=1024164
I can plug it into my speakers and it takes mains power so grand. I would like to pick up one of the larger ones like the above (but not broken) down the line to sit in underneath my record player but would ideally like one of those tape/cd combo ones. I just don't have the cash for that right now, and decent ones seem to go for €100-200 starting out.
I've had a pair of Sennheiser earphones for about 7 or 8 years that finally died on me. Decided to get with the times and get a pair of wireless ones, any recommendations? Don't mind paying a bit extra for something quality that'll last
I have tried and owned quite a few over the past couple of years. From a pure sound quality basis I can highly recommend the Bowers and Wilkins Pi5 and Pi7. I upgraded from the Pi5 to the Pi7s after drunkenly dropping an earbud on a dark path and never finding it again! The sound is stunning as you'd expect from B&W and that was my focus but there are definitely compromises on noise cancelling and battery life. They are stupidly expensive new (and not worth it) but I picked them up in Amazon Warehouse deals in 'like new' conditions for a reasonable price.
Other than that the Sony 1000XM4's are well worth a look and definitely ace the B&W's on features and price.
On the cheaper end I had a set of Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+ which sounded great for the money but I wasn't keen on the fit and sent them back but you might feel differently. The have a newer Melomania Touch which look much better but I have never tried.
FYI on the Sony xm4 there's leaks that the xm5 are releasing soon so might be worth waiting for new / price drop on old.