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>> No. 25266 Anonymous
20th June 2016
Monday 9:38 am
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I've currently got my computer hooked up to a giant, old stereo system with tape decks and a CD player that I haven't used in almost a decade.

Is there a cheap way I can get rid of the mixer/amplifier/middle thingamabob between the speakers and have a compact box that connects the speakers to my computer?
Expand all images.
>> No. 25267 Anonymous
20th June 2016
Monday 12:49 pm
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Yes.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SA-36A-Amplifier-Adapter--Black-Standard/dp/B017W13OR0/
>> No. 25268 Anonymous
20th June 2016
Monday 4:34 pm
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>>25267

> 32 quid

Crikey. When I said cheap I meant something I can buy off aliexpress for a tenner.
>> No. 25269 Anonymous
20th June 2016
Monday 5:04 pm
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>>25268
Not sure what you were expecting mate, £32 is pretty cheap when we're talking about audio amplifiers. You could easily spend hundreds on higher quality and power units, not that you should given that you only need them for PC speakers.
>> No. 25270 Anonymous
20th June 2016
Monday 5:23 pm
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>>25268
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorcycle-Amplifier-Lightweight-Overheating-Protection-Perfect/dp/B00O8D4CEK/
Knock yourself out. Don't come complaining to us when it sounds like shit/breaks just after its warranty expires, though.

If I was in your position I'd probably pick up a second-hand car amp; there's millions of them around, they're solidly built and should sound fine, but it'd look weird on the desk and you'd need to rig up a PSU for it.
>> No. 25271 Anonymous
20th June 2016
Monday 5:43 pm
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>>25268
>something I can buy off aliexpress for a tenner
You could do that, but it'll be a shit knock-off with half the circuitry missing that doesn't actually live up to any of the certifications that it claims.
>> No. 25272 Anonymous
20th June 2016
Monday 5:50 pm
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>>25270

As a rule, I avoid products where the Amazon reviews include the words "possibly a fire hazard".
>> No. 25273 Anonymous
20th June 2016
Monday 5:53 pm
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>>25269

Say hello to my little friend:

http://www.studiocare.com/bryston-14b-sst-c-series-stereo-amplifier-2-x-600-watt-rms.html?
>> No. 25274 Anonymous
20th June 2016
Monday 5:56 pm
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>>25271
Chinese amplifiers are at least highly entertaining to take apart if you're into DIY electronics.
>> No. 25275 Anonymous
20th June 2016
Monday 6:24 pm
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>>25274
>SPERKERS
This made me laugh a little more than it probably should.
>> No. 25276 Anonymous
21st June 2016
Tuesday 6:52 am
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>>25275

Good moaning.
>> No. 25277 Anonymous
21st June 2016
Tuesday 8:34 am
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>>25274
>>25275
In my old lab, we used to buy all of our lasers from a cheapo Chinese place. The instruction manuals and packing had some delightful Engrish. My favourite moment was when the university told us we couldn't buy anything unless it had a CE sticker, so they said "okay" and just printed one out and bunged it on.
>> No. 25278 Anonymous
21st June 2016
Tuesday 11:56 am
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>>25277
I'm sure the Chinese came up with their own copycat label standing for 'China Export' or something like that.
>> No. 25279 Anonymous
21st June 2016
Tuesday 12:24 pm
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>>25278
>> No. 25290 Anonymous
22nd June 2016
Wednesday 12:59 pm
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>>25279

This is oft-repeated bullshit. There is no such thing as a "China Export" mark.

There are shitloads of products out there with a CE mark slapped on them without any declaration of conformity, let alone any of the actual testing and documentation to support one. This is hardly specific to Chinese products, it is done all over the place.

There are also products out there with the wrong spacing between the C and the E. Often fully compliant, tested and documented products. Frankly I'm not surprised, because the proper version is just shitty kerning.

I was just laying out the regulatory label for a product last week, I carefully used the proper proportions for the CE mark, and it does just look shit.

If you don't believe me here's a written answer from the European Commssion on the matter: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getAllAnswers.do?reference=P-2007-5938&language=EN
>> No. 25291 Anonymous
22nd June 2016
Wednesday 1:55 pm
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>>25290

>There is no such thing as a "China Export" mark.

That's rather the point. I've had multiple conversations with Chinese manufacturers and middlemen where I've requested a copy of the declaration of conformity for a CE-marked product and they've responded "no, no, is China Export mark". There seems to be a freemen-of-the-land kind of logic about mis-spaced CE markings in some quarters.

Of course I've also seen blatantly bullshit declarations, forged TÜV certificates, obviously fictional test reports and all sorts of other shenanigans. I can't count the number of exporters who've offered to slap CE stickers on a consignment of non-conforming goods.
>> No. 25293 Anonymous
22nd June 2016
Wednesday 6:33 pm
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Slightly related. There is a weekly report from the amusingly titled 'Rapex' where you can see a range of seized non-compliant products.

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumers_safety/safety_products/rapex/alerts/main/index.cfm?event=main.listNotifications

>>25290
Self-certified or through a test house?
>> No. 25294 Anonymous
22nd June 2016
Wednesday 6:51 pm
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>>25293

Bloody Brussels bureaucrats, sharing information on highly dangerous consumer goods. You can't do anything in this country without someone trying to keep you alive.
>> No. 25295 Anonymous
22nd June 2016
Wednesday 7:08 pm
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>>25290
>>25291
It turns out the Chinese simply don't give a fuck about anything. Product needs a CE mark? Just slap one on. What if it doesn't actually comply? Doesn't matter, we'll ship it anyway. Just look at this fuss over the South China Sea, where the Chinese authorities have basically told the UNCLOS tribunal to go fuck themselves.
>> No. 25296 Anonymous
22nd June 2016
Wednesday 7:10 pm
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>>25294
Plenty of the warnings are sensible, like the fire-extinguisher which doesn't extinguish fires, or hair-dryers that burst into flames. But a lot of them are issues that should be resolved by common sense, like "childrens fancy dress can't have a tail on in case they get it caught".
>> No. 25297 Anonymous
22nd June 2016
Wednesday 7:19 pm
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>>25295
Oh please, UNCLOS and anything to do with the UN is just used to do America's bidding. Since when can you stroll into someone else's area of influence, someone else's seas, and tell them to stop doing what they are doing.

It's like The International Criminal Court; it is just an instrument to bully African and Asian countries. They might as well just call it the African Criminal Courts and be done with it.

Fuck off fascist, imperialist bastard.
>> No. 25298 Anonymous
22nd June 2016
Wednesday 7:27 pm
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>>25296

The bigger issue on fancy dress are not tails, but highly flammable synthetic fabrics which cling to flesh as they burn.
>> No. 25349 Anonymous
13th July 2016
Wednesday 4:45 pm
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This mini amp looks pretty decent:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00SATAEEA/

>20W x 2 RMS

My speakers have a music power of 60W and a sinus power of 40W. Would that mini amp be enough to power them?
>> No. 25350 Anonymous
13th July 2016
Wednesday 5:01 pm
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>>25349

Yes. The number on your speakers is a maximum, not a minimum.

Amplifier power is less important than you might think. Doubling the amplifier power only increases the loudness by 3db, which is the smallest perceptible difference in loudness. To double the perceived loudness, you actually need to increase the power by 10x.
>> No. 25351 Anonymous
13th July 2016
Wednesday 8:12 pm
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>>25298
>Fuck off fascist, imperialist bastard.
How is this even in a thread about speakers?
>> No. 25352 Anonymous
13th July 2016
Wednesday 8:26 pm
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I'd say an 80-100w soundbar with digital audio input.

Panasonic do a decent one. http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-home-entertainment/dvd-blu-ray-and-home-cinema/home-cinema-systems-and-sound-bars/panasonic-sc-htb8eb-k-2-0-sound-bar-10143859-pdt.html?srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~~~Exact&mctag=gg_goog_7904&s_kwcid=AL!3391!3!50525596175!!!g!90871420415!&device=c&istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istItemId=awwtmlixr&istBid=tztx&PLA=1&ef_id=V4aVlAAAAVNLgJrX:20160713192
524:s

It's the same price on Amazon as well.
>> No. 25354 Anonymous
14th July 2016
Thursday 12:18 am
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>>25351
Speakers>Chinese made speaker>Chinese quality problems>Chinese arrogant cunts>South China Sea>UN>International Courts>America>War>Imperialism>Fascism>Nazism>White Power>Black Metal>Metal>Music sound quality>Speakers.

It's like losing hours because you clicked the wrong hyperlink somewhere.
>> No. 25355 Anonymous
14th July 2016
Thursday 2:02 am
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>>25352
Soundbars are generally only the better setup vs. one alternative: rear-mounted, built-in HDTV speakers, and this is really the only thing that they are supposed to replace.

Soundbars need to have a low enough profile to sit under the front of the majority of HDTVs, limiting cone size and consequently the frequency/dynamic range they can produce. They typically compensate for this by saturating the range they can fill in various ways which invariably sound like shit. They have little stereo separation (never mind surround); it's a mostly unavoidable design limitation, as they must not be too wide to protrude out of the sides of the average set, and they're ~4 small cones sitting right next to each other in a straight row. Some like the Panasonic bar linked are slanted, which allows for larger cones, but project sound upwards at the ceiling, at the expense of poor room acoustics (the same problem that rear-mounted speakers have, though to a lesser extent).

If you don't have the room for something better, a £70 soundbar will beat what came on the back of your TV - but that wasn't even what the OP was asking for. They were asking for advice on an amp for a pair speakers they already own. It was a month ago so it's probably a moot point anyway.
>> No. 25358 Anonymous
16th July 2016
Saturday 3:21 pm
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Can I hijack this thread and ask for recommendations on a nice reasonably priced little amp?

I've been using a pair of M-Audio monitors for a while but the transformer on one of them has gone and the other has been buzzing a bit for a while, and I can't be arsed having them repaired. I've dug out a pair of lovely big 90s Kenwood speakers my dad had in the loft, and they sound great, but I don't want all this daft EQ nonsense going on, I just want a nice clean and accurate sound if possible.
>> No. 25360 Anonymous
16th July 2016
Saturday 3:29 pm
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>>25358
Can you be more specific about "reasonably priced"?
>> No. 25362 Anonymous
16th July 2016
Saturday 7:20 pm
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>>25360

Preferably not more than what simply getting a new pair of budget(ish) monitors would be, because that would rather defeat the object.
>> No. 25363 Anonymous
16th July 2016
Saturday 10:11 pm
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>>25362

A second-hand Cambridge Audio A1 off eBay should cost you about £50. It's not a massively powerful amplifier, but it sounds great and is utterly reliable. Pretty much every hifi geek has owned an A1 at some point.
>> No. 25368 Anonymous
20th July 2016
Wednesday 8:09 pm
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>>25363
Seconding this. The A1 is a workhorse, and you should be able to get a second-hand one for as little as £30-40 if you take your time on ebay.
>> No. 25404 Anonymous
2nd August 2016
Tuesday 2:27 am
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>>25368
>>25363
What components are necessary for an entry level setup? From the little I've read, low end studio monitors (x2?), a DAC and an amp; but what about audio source? I have a large collection of flac albums that I play through my PC, so something that I could stream to from my PC?
>> No. 25405 Anonymous
2nd August 2016
Tuesday 12:24 pm
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>>25404

Active studio monitors have their own built-in amplifiers. You only need a separate amp if you're using passive hifi speakers. A DAC or audio interface can stream music from your PC via USB. Consider an entry-level audio interface like the Presonus Audiobox or the Focusrite Scarlett Solo.

If you want your speakers in a different room to your PC, you can use a WiFi streamer or a hard disk audio player. Bluetooth streamers have limited range and reduced sound quality.

Wifi streaming used to be an expensive ballache, but the Chromecast Audio has changed all that. It's a £30 dongle that can stream lossless audio from any PC or Android device. It takes about 10 minutes to set up, it's ridiculously easy to use and it can be expanded to a multi-room setup if needed.

https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/chromecast/speakers/#?discover
>> No. 25406 Anonymous
2nd August 2016
Tuesday 12:35 pm
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>>25405

In case I wasn't clear, you'll need an interface/DAC or a wireless streamer, but not necessarily both.

The only other thing you'll need is the appropriate audio cable to connect the DAC or streamer to your speakers. If you're not sure what you need, let me know what kit you've chosen and I can make sure you get the right cable.
>> No. 25407 Anonymous
2nd August 2016
Tuesday 3:17 pm
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>>25406

Thanking you sir. The Chromecast has a built-in DAC? Would you recommend the amp/passive speaker setup over the studio monitors? A hard disk audio player? How does that differ from the Chromecast? I will make another post this evening after some researching. If I went wired, and I wanted speakers in another room, I would need to run a long USB cable from PC to the DAC/speakers. Is this often done? What kind of specs would a PC need to stream audio? For example, I have a Raspberry Pi 3, maybe I could attach that to a DAC/speakers and stream to it, so it is doing what the Chromecast would have done? (I think I will get Chromecast for simplicity but I am just considering).
>> No. 25408 Anonymous
2nd August 2016
Tuesday 4:31 pm
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>>25407

The Chromecast has a built in DAC. You plug in an amp or monitors, connect to your home wifi and it just works. It has TosLink digital output as well as analogue audio, so you can connect it to a swanky audiophile DAC if you so desire.

I prefer studio monitors, but there are merits to hifi gear. Studio monitors don't require a bulky external amplifier, but you do need to run a power cable to each speaker. They're designed to provide a neutral and accurate reproduction, while hifi gear tends to have a slightly hyped frequency response. There's a degree of personal preference involved. If you're spending a decent amount of money, it's worth heading to Richer Sounds and your local music tech specialist to hear stuff in person.

Hard disc audio players work as a stand-alone system, controlled via a traditional remote control or a special app. You plug the player into an amp or powered speakers, as you would a CD player. Some of them just play music stored on the hard drive, some can connect to streaming services like Spotify and Tidal. It's not an option I'd recommend, because they're very expensive and often have clunky interfaces.

Long USB cables require active repeaters every five metres. If you're using a wired connection over a distance, it may make more sense to use a long audio cable.

Any old PC is fine for audio streaming. You could use a Raspberry Pi as an audio player, although it's a considerable faff to set up. You'll need to install Linux, then figure out some way of controlling it. I wouldn't recommend it if you're not an experienced linux user.

The big advantage of Chromecast Audio is that it works absolutely seamlessly from your other devices. You just press the cast button in a supported app and the music plays through your speakers. You can stream audio files from your PC using Plex, but you can also stream things like podcasts, Spotify or iPlayer Radio directly from a phone or tablet.
>> No. 25409 Anonymous
2nd August 2016
Tuesday 8:55 pm
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>>25408
Okay, chromecast seems good. So all I need is DAC+hifi, or studio speakers. I would like ones that are good enough that if I maybe upgrade the chromecast I can keep the speakers without them acting as a quality bottleneck. Since the chromecast which acts as a wifi destination AND a DAC is £30 while the other entry-level DACS that you linked (Presonus Audiobox and Focusrite Scarlett Solo) are £70-£90, I guess the chromecast may be a bottleneck for audio quality (though I probably wouldn't notice it). I would like to have these speakers alternately in my room and in the living room of my shared apartment. Here is some equipment I have seen recommended:

Active:
Yamaha HS Series
JBL LSR Series
Mackie Mr6 Mk3

Passive:
Monitor Audio Bronze
DALI ZENSOR 1

Amp:
Cambridge Audio A1 (mentioned earlier)

DAC:
Presonus Audiobox
Focusrite Scarlett Solo

Thanks for the help.
>> No. 25410 Anonymous
2nd August 2016
Tuesday 10:00 pm
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>>25409

Any of the above would be an excellent choice.

I wouldn't worry too much about the DAC quality of the Chromecast, it's not something you'll realistically notice on <£1000 speakers. It's just a wifi chipset and a DAC in a box, whereas the audio interfaces mentioned have far more features - headphone amplifiers, microphone inputs etc. They're not all that different in terms of DAC performance, which is a gnats fart from perfect in both cases.

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