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2 Questions?

It has been pointed out to me by some posters here, that generally higher-end speakers are not so forgiving with poorly recorded music much of what seems to be 70 - 80's era rock.

Room treatments aside (and without cutting holes in my walls to vent my speakers outside as some have suggested).
I am looking for some advice from others about what speakers have worked well with this situation?

Currently running  Roon Nucleus through a W4S 2v2SE Dac tethered to CODA CSiB V1 configuration  
(150 w @ 8 ohm) integrated amp.  $3,000 ceiling, give or take.

Second question: Is there a decent quality speaker switch that I could hook up to my amp to simply toggle between two sets of speakers? My amp has 2 speaker outputs on the back but no A/B switch to change from one set of speakers to the other.

I see there inexpensive switches offered that have limited power ratings (eg: 100 watts per channel). Are these sufficient for doing the job? Will these switches have a negative effect on sound quality? Thanks.
high-amp

Showing 6 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
16,733 posts
 
I also recommend custom speakers from Fritz a lot. :) I’ve met him, and we chat on the phone, but I have no financial interest in his company. Not even a beer.

We just both like the same parts, and I find he's undercharging for his speakers a great deal, so we hit it off.
erik_squires
16,733 posts
 
Hey! No, I've never worked in home audio.  I used to work in motion picture sound though. :) Now I work in cloud based IT.

I like Monitor Audio because they are neutral and laid back and a good value. I had the Silver 6, now have a pair of slim lines in my bedroom.  My personal speakers are custom made, and if you have followed any of my blog postings you'd see links to them and their design.

Here's a good article on how the Loki works, it may help you understand what the you are doing with Roon:

https://superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-loki-eq-measurements.5153/


erik_squires
16,733 posts
 
Hey High-amp,

What I mean by lower and higher is the first and last band. Each band has a frequency, a Q and an amplitude (db). The graph identifies each band by a dot, which you can click and drag. You can also select the band by the drop down menu just below the chart.

When you first see the Parametric EQ, the lower (Band 1) is a shelving filter. Leave the Q for the shelving filters at 1. Set the first filter to a Frequency around 100 Hz to 200 Hz. That will be your bass knob. Adjust it’s effects by changing the gain.

Band 5 I think is the other default shelving filter. Use it to be your treble knob. Same idea, set the Frequency to say 3-5 kHz, leave the Q at 1, and adjust the effect by varying the Gain.

Gain above 0 are bosts, gains below 0 will cut.

Best,

Erik




erik_squires
16,733 posts
 
From a usability perspective though, you might like the Schiit Loki. I mean, you can do it all with Roon for $0, but if you want hands on tone controls and don't have them, this will work:


https://amzn.to/2uBQAEs

Full disclosure: That's an associate link I will make a dollar or two if you use that link. Personally I'd use Roon but Loki has plenty of fans here. :)
erik_squires
16,733 posts
 
Hey High-Amp,

You don't need to get that fancy. You can use Roon as basic tone controls too. :)

Right click on the output device (lower right on Roon), select DSP, and then click on Parametric EQ.  The first and last dots are the shelving EQ, those act pretty much like tone controls.  Set the lower one around 100 Hz, the upper around 5 kHz, then adjust up and down to taste.

Best,

E
erik_squires
16,733 posts
 
How about just using tone controls? That is enough.

If you have Roon, you can create different DSP presets, and switch back and forth. 

Of course, there are audiophiles who love having different speakers and love them for different reasons, I'm just offering you advice you are free to ignore.
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