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New guy wanting to check his first purchases

langley65

langley65

Headphoneous Supremous
Gonna use my ODAC within my O2 headphone amplifier as a source,

run that to the Dayton DTA-100a

to the Pioneer SP-BS41-LR

Seem like a decent first setup?

Here is my space, I know it's a bit small for these speakers, but I don't really want to downsize and I don't think I want near field monitors. I'm really pretty in love with the Pioneers.

http://i.imgur.com/ouX7O.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VNJ05.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/n0KBr.jpg

what do you guys think?

EDIT

have changed my mind and am now leaning towards a Luxman r114 and a pair of Boston Acoustic A-150
 
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Welcome to A.K., you have to start somewhere and you are on the right track. My only comment would be don't limit yourself and build on what you have in sound and equipment. It only gets better!! Again welcome.
 
Those pioneer speakers are ok. Not the greatest from the modern pioneer line, but they are ok. I see you must have one of those new O2 amps with the built in DAC. I have a first generation O2 amp, honestly i havent used it in so long, Ever since paying too much attention to my 2 ch rig, my fetish for headphones has kind of died. Anywho, welcome and enjoy your stay.
 
Keep looking on Craigslist and you can find many wonderful speakers in that price range. Thrift stores can also have some great deals. Read up on the mounds of info located here to know what to look for. Most of the speakers I have found have been less than half of what you want to spend. It just takes a little hunting.:thmbsp:
 
cmmatt123 said:
Keep looking on Craigslist and you can find many wonderful speakers in that price range. Thrift stores can also have some great deals. Read up on the mounds of info located here to know what to look for. Most of the speakers I have found have been less than half of what you want to spend. It just takes a little hunting.:thmbsp:
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I just have to figure out what I'm hunting for!
 
just read and read and read and read!!! Thats all i can say. after some reading and research you can kind of tell what to look for. Thats how i started off, i didnt have anyone to guide or tell me what to look for. Good luck. also for reference, i picked up some polk monitor 10a's for $140. And They sound awesome.
 
Just a quick look on CL here turns up any number of potential systems?

You need to really look and make sure any Foam Surrounds are intact before buying speakers built with them like the Advents for example. They are one of the all time great speakers out there used but also had Foam Surrounds which at the time they didn't realize would only last a certain number of years in use.

You just need to try to get out and look around but I would also stick with companies known for their speakers which to me Pioneer is not really.

Ed
 
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Pioneer has had some nice speakers, long ago. Examples are plenty but HPM40, 60, 100 are a few. Buying "vintage" can net you some great bargains by people who think because it's old, got to be crap and they dump their good ol stuff for cheap new crap. And some of the old speakers have amazing sound as long as someone hasnt messed with them too bad and changed original drivers for cheap replacements.

I like the bargains you can get on speakers being sold that need a bit of work. Refoaming woofers for the mostpart is not difficult and it's a skill worth acquiring. Being able to touch up cabinets or replace blown drivers, crossovers is another skill that comes in handy which can get you bargains. Buy some cheap things that you dont care about to practice the refoaming, etc. Also watch for home built cabinets. I've found a few with some fantastic drivers inside. These are great for spare parts or if the cabs are to your liking, to use as is.

Once you start watching ads something always pops up....too often really!
 
- If you plan to be listening to speakers on either side of that desk from that desk, they are going to have to be pointing at you for flat response, and that's nearfield whether you buy speakers marketed for nearfield listening or not.

- If you're not going to be listening nearfield, those Boston A-150 would be a good choice. Almost everybody likes them quite a bit (in their price range, at least), and they are shallow speakers designed to work well against a wall, making them rather ideal for getting a big-ish speaker in a small room. They are also pretty neutral sounding, so a good baseline speaker on a budget for comparison to future ones.
 
I think you're on the right track with both your speakers and amp. If you do go read and read, remember to take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt and that your experience is as good as many, and that much of what is out there is based upon assumption, in regards to newer gear. Just because somebody recommends you dig through '70s speakers does not mean they've gone out and explored all of today's options, either.

Good luck. If you're listening near-field like that, you won't need huge speakers or a lot of power. But you'll want 'good' speakers and clean power. I have large-ish speakers at home and a lot of different options for amplification. Here at work at my desk, I have pro near-field monitors running on a small but nice amp, and an Apogee DAC. It is a much better option than any vintage setup I can think of at this distance. A large speaker is simply not going to integrate when you're right on top of it. Near-field is fine (it can be great, and cost effective) but you have to approach it as such.

Again, best of luck. Those Pioneer speakers are nice for what they cost.
 
hah! I was looking on craigslist last night.. I actually saw all of those links, and really thought about the Bostons.. However, I cannot run those on that cheap little amp, I don't think. I'll have to find something else!
 
langley65 said:
really thought about the Bostons.. However, I cannot run those on that cheap little amp, I don't think. I'll have to find something else!
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It's pretty much the opposite if we're comparing to the Pioneer. A bigger amp would be nice, but the A-150 are 91dB sensitivity, and the Pioneer are only 85dB. They are both ~6Ω. That's not entire story, but basically this means the Bostons require 1/4 as much power as the Pioneer to reach a given volume.
 
A-150s are fine speakers but if you're going to be listening from that chair, the Pioneers will sound better IMHO. You need to be some distance from A-150s for the drivers to integrate. If you want decent imaging from up close, the smaller speakers will actually sound better. As far as Pioneer not being known for their speakers as said above, they're plenty known for their speakers if you look up TAD.
 
But these are hardly TAD speakers we are talking about too.

I am not sure I know anyone who regretted his first speakers being Advents either?
 
They're designed by the same guy who designed the TAD reference speakers. Are they the same? Nope. And they're not $40k, either.

And I resented the Advents I had, that I bought on AK's recommendation. So now you know somebody :)

Just my opinion. I ain't saying it's the only one, but it's mine. I really like A-150s, I had a pair. Loved them. But not for what is essentially a near-field setup. Vintage isn't always the best answer. And if the OP were to ask this same question on 4 different online forums, he'd get 4 different takes on it depending on which way the forum leans. This forum leans vintage and honestly, it's not known for being up on what is out there today, as there's a huge built-in bias against the newer gear.
 
I hear you,I don't really understand Vintage most of the time myself?
I certainly have a tough time with most Vintage electronics but speakers also tend to wear with time and can be especially tricky.
I hadn't even looked at the Pioneers referenced in the post until just now and they don't get me excited really but they would be new.

There is really no substitute for listening yourself and deciding from there,especially considering John's incredible Advent experience!:tears:
 
AVService said:
There is really no substitute for listening yourself and deciding from there,especially considering John's incredible Advent experience!:tears:
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Well, the problem was, it wasn't incredible! But this is very good advice. We're all talking from our experience and taste, which all varies and its given for what we each like and not necessarily what the OP will. Heck, I know a guy that has big Apogees nearfield as computer speakers.

Another option could be dedicated monitors. Even powered/active monitors.
 
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