I've been enjoying music, games, and movies with this awesome setup.

[uclabachelor]

I've had my fair share of sound system setups in the past, some very good and some not-so-good.

My latest setup involves a pair of Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitors and a Logicform NV1 USB Audio Preamp as the USB DAC to power the speakers.

Yamaha HS8 - about $350 each.
Logicform NV1 Preamp - $150.
Total setup: $850.

The sound system setup is pretty straightforward. The Logicform NV1 USB Preamp plugs into my laptop and out to the speakers using RCA cables. I used my Samsung laptop for that listening session, but the NV1 DAC also works with my Macbook Air.

I must say this setup is one of the best I've listened to for a while that costs under $1000. The clarity of the Logicform NV1 preamp along with the HS8 speakers are phenomenal. It's worth every single penny if you really enjoy listening to music. I actually went through most of my music collection and re-listened to all of the tracks to see if I can pick out subtleties that I have missed with my previous setup with the Logitech Z906 speakers.

I love it when I don't have to crank up the volume to blistering levels to hear the subtleties and details in the audio track as I can just leave it at normal listening levels, close my eyes, and feel like I'm listening to a live performance.

I didn't see the audio performance specified for the Yamaha HS8 speakers other than the 120W power specs, but the Logicform NV1 DAC specs shows that it has an absurdly good SNR at -118 and THD at 0.001%.. I have no way of measuring - however, the audio that comes out of the speakers is very clean with absolutely no background hiss and I don't doubt those specs considering how good the audio sounds.

Now I just have to save up for a bit to get the Yamaha sub that accompanies the HS8 speakers.

 

[JAG87]

Those Yamahas look very nice, but they sure are pricey... With an 8" driver near field, do you really need a sub?

Also protip: turn the speakers 20-30 degrees towards you. Right now you are listening to them off axis and decreasing the tweeter response quite a bit.

 

[Howard]

Those Yamahas look very nice, but they sure are pricey... With an 8" driver near field, do you really need a sub?

Also protip: turn the speakers 20-30 degrees towards you. Right now you are listening to them off axis and decreasing the tweeter response quite a bit.

Good thing I grabbed a pair of Behringer B2031P when they were going for $125 each. They're basically the same thing, except unpowered.

Toeing in is almost always recommended because you want to minimize the amplitude of the first side-wall reflection for better imaging. Also because of the treble response, though most people prefer a slightly shelved treble rather than perfectly flat.

 

[uclabachelor]

Those Yamahas look very nice, but they sure are pricey... With an 8" driver near field, do you really need a sub?

Also protip: turn the speakers 20-30 degrees towards you. Right now you are listening to them off axis and decreasing the tweeter response quite a bit.

They sound pretty decent without a dedicated sub, which is the reason why I haven't bought it yet.

Tried pointing them directly into my ears and they do sound a little better. Thanks!

The Yamahas are pricey @ $350 each or so, but they are powered and sound really, really good.

Other models I was debating were the Rokit 6 or 8 speakers which are about $100 - $150 cheaper for each, but the Yamaha's sounded better to me.

 

[Anubis]

thats pretty silly but i bet it sounds good, IMO id still get a sub. i sit nearly that close to speakers with 8" woofers and and I need a sub (my speakers do roll of higher however)

toeing them in as others said is a good idea

 

[JAG87]

They sound pretty decent without a dedicated sub, which is the reason why I haven't bought it yet.

Tried pointing them directly into my ears and they do sound a little better. Thanks!

The Yamahas are pricey @ $350 each or so, but they are powered and sound really, really good.

Other models I was debating were the Rokit 6 or 8 speakers which are about $100 - $150 cheaper for each, but the Yamaha's sounded better to me.

You're welcome. And it's true, they are really not expensive if you look at the bang for the dollar, the only reason I said that is that most people will find $700 for computer speakers quite steep. IMO, my current passive 2.0 computer speakers setup costs 3x that much so yea, $700 is pocket change for a good 2.0 setup.

 

[Anubis]

most people fine 700$ expensive for any speakers. TBH i think the bigger issue is size. most people want tiny comp speakers and those generally all sound like crap

my current comp speakers roughly the same size

 

[destrekor]

I'm happy with the Logitech Z-5500 set I bought in 2006 (and is still kicking - actively used pretty much that entire time. Not always actively used, but I've used the hell out of them, and they've moved (sometimes roughly, I reckon) with me numerous times.

Whenever they croak, I might focus on getting a really good audio setup for the computer, but ultimately, my audio dollar focus is 90/10 split toward the home theater. I'll eventually buy a good sound card, especially one with a headphone amp or perhaps a separate one, and either get a stereo monitor set with a decent sub, or focus on piecing together a better surround set. I do enjoy surround in gaming and the occasional video I watch, but true surround quality, and where I want my money for it, is in the living room.

 

[Anubis]

i have an Asus xonar STX i could part with

 

[uclabachelor]

I'm happy with the Logitech Z-5500 set I bought in 2006 (and is still kicking - actively used pretty much that entire time. Not always actively used, but I've used the hell out of them, and they've moved (sometimes roughly, I reckon) with me numerous times.

Whenever they croak, I might focus on getting a really good audio setup for the computer, but ultimately, my audio dollar focus is 90/10 split toward the home theater. I'll eventually buy a good sound card, especially one with a headphone amp or perhaps a separate one, and either get a stereo monitor set with a decent sub, or focus on piecing together a better surround set. I do enjoy surround in gaming and the occasional video I watch, but true surround quality, and where I want my money for it, is in the living room.

I spend more time on the PC than in front of the living room so for me, a good stereo setup works better than a mediocre surround.

Even with the Yamahas and on board audio, the audio quality wasn't that great. The NV1 DAC was what made a night and day difference in sound quality amongst the Yamaha+onboard audio and Logitech+optical. It's kinda pricey at $150 but worth every penny as I don't think I can go back to any other sound card.

 

[Kneedragger]

I've had my fair share of sound system setups in the past, some very good and some not-so-good.

My latest setup involves a pair of Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitors and a Logicform NV1 USB Audio Preamp as the USB DAC to power the speakers.

Yamaha HS8 - about $350 each.
Logicform NV1 Preamp - $150.
Total setup: $850.

The sound system setup is pretty straightforward. The Logicform NV1 USB Preamp plugs into my laptop and out to the speakers using RCA cables. I used my Samsung laptop for that listening session, but the NV1 DAC also works with my Macbook Air.

I must say this setup is one of the best I've listened to for a while that costs under $1000. The clarity of the Logicform NV1 preamp along with the HS8 speakers are phenomenal. It's worth every single penny if you really enjoy listening to music. I actually went through most of my music collection and re-listened to all of the tracks to see if I can pick out subtleties that I have missed with my previous setup with the Logitech Z906 speakers.

I love it when I don't have to crank up the volume to blistering levels to hear the subtleties and details in the audio track as I can just leave it at normal listening levels, close my eyes, and feel like I'm listening to a live performance.

I didn't see the audio performance specified for the Yamaha HS8 speakers other than the 120W power specs, but the Logicform NV1 DAC specs shows that it has an absurdly good SNR at -118 and THD at 0.001%.. I have no way of measuring - however, the audio that comes out of the speakers is very clean with absolutely no background hiss and I don't doubt those specs considering how good the audio sounds.

Now I just have to save up for a bit to get the Yamaha sub that accompanies the HS8 speakers.

What kind of music are you listening to? Is it ripped CD's or any of the Hi-res stuff thats been coming out?

 

[uclabachelor]

What kind of music are you listening to? Is it ripped CD's or any of the Hi-res stuff thats been coming out?

I listen to all types of music, but moreso with guitars and solos. The media is lossless FLAC played through foobar.