IMHO Audigy 2 is not up to par with good professional/enthusiast sound cards. It is likely to be better than on-board sound though.
Asus Xonar looks interesting - I am also thinking of getting a Xonar STX or DX sound card. I just checked at Newegg but find the AV100 chip based DX 7.1 and STX is out of stock. the AV200 based cards are there - has Asus disconued the DX and STX?
BTW, most of our discussion is still off topic (though has come back to audio)!
Asus Xonar looks interesting - I am also thinking of getting a Xonar STX or DX sound card. I just checked at Newegg but find the AV100 chip based DX 7.1 and STX is out of stock. the AV200 based cards are there - has Asus disconued the DX and STX?
BTW, most of our discussion is still off topic (though has come back to audio)!
OK, in an effort to reclaim my thread!
Yesterday Ivan pulled all of his speakers into his room, and mine as well, for a quick comparison. And I do mean quick! This was on my lunch break so I didn't have a lot of time available, and he only played the first 30 seconds or so of the same some on each set of speakers, just enough to get the gist of what each pair will do.
A lot of time was taken up by moving speaker wire from one set to the next!
He played "Ain't no Grave" performed by Crooked Still.
One thing that surprised me was how quickly our ears will "normalize" each set of speakers regardless of their differences. Yes, you can hear the differences, but that perception is most defined only during the first minute of listening.
Our favourites were definitely the Saburos. Their range and sense of space was the most impressive. The bass was deep and firm while retaining lots of mid range definition.
The Alpair Studio Reference Monitors would be next. They had the definition and treble, and almost as much bass range, but they suffered in the mid-range.
The CHR70 Pensils were good, but just had less of everything. Anybody would be happy with these as long as they didn't have a pair of Saburos to compare with!
Ivan also ran his little ceramic speakers. These really are diminutive and have a wee little driver. For just winging the design, they are quite credible speakers.
For reference, we had Ivan's first set of loudspeakers, and pair of Paradigm Atoms. For the money, these are quite good commercial units. These produced quite good sound, but felt "tight".
So, now we are hooked! Stay tuned for more.
Yesterday Ivan pulled all of his speakers into his room, and mine as well, for a quick comparison. And I do mean quick! This was on my lunch break so I didn't have a lot of time available, and he only played the first 30 seconds or so of the same some on each set of speakers, just enough to get the gist of what each pair will do.
A lot of time was taken up by moving speaker wire from one set to the next!
He played "Ain't no Grave" performed by Crooked Still.
One thing that surprised me was how quickly our ears will "normalize" each set of speakers regardless of their differences. Yes, you can hear the differences, but that perception is most defined only during the first minute of listening.
Our favourites were definitely the Saburos. Their range and sense of space was the most impressive. The bass was deep and firm while retaining lots of mid range definition.
The Alpair Studio Reference Monitors would be next. They had the definition and treble, and almost as much bass range, but they suffered in the mid-range.
The CHR70 Pensils were good, but just had less of everything. Anybody would be happy with these as long as they didn't have a pair of Saburos to compare with!
Ivan also ran his little ceramic speakers. These really are diminutive and have a wee little driver. For just winging the design, they are quite credible speakers.
For reference, we had Ivan's first set of loudspeakers, and pair of Paradigm Atoms. For the money, these are quite good commercial units. These produced quite good sound, but felt "tight".
So, now we are hooked! Stay tuned for more.
Yes, definitely worth it. They are getting better and better as time goes on. The only real issue, as noted previously, is that the shortcomings of the rest of my system is now unavoidably, painfully, obvious.
I will be starting shortly on the next phase of my speaker project, which is the globes for my Clairtone Project G. I have the plywood in the shop now, but I don't have the time! I have been buried under with my current work project but I am beginning to see the light at the end of that tunnel.
These might be a bit much for computer table speakers. Even though they are much smaller than other Alpair 12 boxes, they are still quite big, especially for a desk top! Maybe try a cardboard mockup first to see if you can live with them on your desk.
Agreed. I was a Windows user since 3.1 and DOS. Switched to Ubuntu Linux about a year or so ago and haven't looked back. I now run it on my PC, my gf's laptop, and have set up at least 3 other people with it so far (who were running corrupt nasty Windows filled with malware etc). It's great.
+1 on Douglas' suggestion that even the smallest enclosure into which a Alpair12 could be shoe-horned might be a bit large for most computer desks. It's not necessarily the volume of enclosure required, but the very large mounting bezels of even the Alp7 and CHR70 that compel baffle width dimensions
The largest of the MA drivers that I'd consider for that application would be the A7, or even better the new CHP70.
The largest of the MA drivers that I'd consider for that application would be the A7, or even better the new CHP70.
I will be the first to say that I don't have "golden ears" but I just built a set of SuperPensil12's and I have yet to notice any harshness in the upper regions at all. Someone may be able to pick out some harshness but I see the sound more as very revealing rather than being harsh. I had a set of Strata Mini's before my 12's and they were a very laid back speaker. At first listen the 12's sounded a bit harsh (and this is after WAY more than 200 hours of break in) but after more listening I realized it was that the speakers are simply very revealing. After more listening, I really like what I'm hearing
Scott
I will be the first to say that I don't have "golden ears" but I just built a set of SuperPensil12's and I have yet to notice any harshness in the upper regions at all. Someone may be able to pick out some harshness but I see the sound more as very revealing rather than being harsh. I had a set of Strata Mini's before my 12's and they were a very laid back speaker. At first listen the 12's sounded a bit harsh (and this is after WAY more than 200 hours of break in) but after more listening I realized it was that the speakers are simply very revealing. After more listening, I really like what I'm hearing
Scott
+1 on that Scott - while my personal favorite of Mark's metal drivers to date is still the Alpair7, which I've heard in several different enclosures, the 12 doesn't sound anywhere near as strident to me as stock Fostex FE166E (easily remedied by physical mods or careful EQ, etc)
I haven't even fully finished my 12's yet but I'm thinking of doing the FH3 with the new 7 just so I can hear them. I think I've caught the DIY bug
I haven't even fully finished my 12's yet but I'm thinking of doing the FH3 with the new 7 just so I can hear them. I think I've caught the DIY bug
it's so much worse than that, but IMO there are few better ways to safely waste one's time and money
I think I've caught the DIY bug
Like i "warn" everyone, it is really hard to stop at just one cookie.
dave
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