Battlestation Upgrade - New Speakers!
technology·@axelarator·
0.000 HBDBattlestation Upgrade - New Speakers!
 I'm back at school in my new apartment and I thought it was time for another addition to the setup. The two monitor setup is working great, but there was one other thing my system was lacking. True sound. Since I built my first system about 5 years ago, I had been using $20 Logitech speakers. They were great and they still work so if I ever need some backup speakers, I can use those and be happy. But I listen to a lot of music and decided it was time to get into the audiophile community. <h3>Speaker shopping sucks</h3> For anyone wanting to get a real audio setup, you better be prepared for a lot of research. I figured I would just find some speakers, buy them and be done. Not the case. I found a pair I liked, but a lot of reviews said the bass was lacking and a sub is recommended. So I wanted to find a pair that had good bass, but not extreme like Beats Audio. My taste in music varies from electronic to alternative rock, so the speakers should be able to pick up many types of sounds and instruments. I had done research for a few days trying to find a setup that wasn't insanely expensive but also wasn't lacking in any sound quality. <h3>To Reddit!</h3> I stumbled upon the subreddit r/Audiophile. This sub is great because even though these people know their stuff, they're willing to help out for beginners and not recommend the $800 sub for a person that has a very basic knowledge of audio engineering. On their recommended page, they had an entry level setup that included <ul> <li> Micca MB42x</li> <li>SMSL SA-50 Amp</li> <li>Some needed accessories</li> </ul> This whole setup together was under $200 and after further research in the speakers, they seemed to fit the job perfectly. It's an entry level setup, but the amp drives enough power to create a full sound without drowning out any instruments.  >Never needing an amp before, I wasn't sure how well it would perform because I didn't know anything about them other than they power the speakers. But this is Amazon's top seller so I figured it had to be good. The build quality is great. It's very solid, heavy, and well worth the money.   >These look great in person. The all black color hides them well, but the sound lets you know they're working. The front mesh cover is magnetic so you can take them off if you prefer that look as well. In the back, there are just two pins for negative and positive connections to the amp. I know they need to be on stands and need to be mounted to point in on me. But two days later, my car got towed because I didn't pay attention to the "No Parking" sign and had to pay a hefty $200 fine. So the stands will have to wait. But for right now, they still sound amazing and my roommates agree. What's great about these is that a user on the audiophile subreddit created an DSP correction file that makes these speakers sound even better. >http://noaudiophile.com/DSP_Corrections/Micca_MB42x.php I did a test by playing one song without the correction, then replaying it with the correction and what an improvement. The major improvement was when I turned the volume knob higher, the music didn't just get louder and obnoxious, it sounded better. Everything came out even more clearly and I could really feel the music. A sub would be a great addition, but it definitely isn't needed. In conclusion, I think I'm done buying things for a while. Listening to new albums has a whole new meaning now. The Micca MB42x speakers are great for a person like me who is just getting into real audio equipment but has a low budget. If you don't want to deal with the amp which includes having to purchase banana plugs, copper wire, and the hassle of getting the connections setup correctly, Micca also makes a PB42x which is just a powered version of the MB42x so the amp is built in. But I wanted the ones that required more hands on work because that's what I enjoy.