For the FAO of stereoists

[KiwiDave]

Dumb question alert. How do these speaker cable connectors work? I see the clear plastic bit unscrews partially, does that mean I'm sticking a bit of bare speaker wire into the hole and tightening them back up?

Yes, I did disconnect them myself originally, no I can't remember how. I had quite a few things on my mind at the time and didn't think through needing to redo it all once it was here!

[Gavster]

Dumb question alert. How do these speaker cable connectors work? I see the clear plastic bit unscrews partially, does that mean I'm sticking a bit of bare speaker wire into the hole and tightening them back up?

Yes, I did disconnect them myself originally, no I can't remember how. I had quite a few things on my mind at the time and didn't think through needing to redo it all once it was here!

Either unscrew the clear plastic bit then stick bare cable into the gap that opens up and screw them back down to clamp the end of the cable

Or, are the black bits on the end dust caps, which you can pop off and slide a banana plug in?

[Gavster]

[mik]

What Gav said. There is usually an aperture to put the wire into before youu screw it down - as seen in this vid around 3mins30. Ensure there is enough wire exposed that you tighten fully onto metal, and not the outer insulation.


I believe there is a massive amount of snake oil talk in relation to speaker cable. I used this most recently - reasonably chunky but not made of unicorn nipple hair.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254111694809

Conversely I do believe in decent cables from CD to amp. No YOU figure that one out. You don’t need to spend zillions though.

[DeskJockey]

unicorn nipple hair.

If you're interested I've got a full cable drum of that. It is awesome for sound quality, can't be beaten. £250/foot with forum discount. Normally I charge double.

It is unicorn inner with hen's teeth sheathing to protect from vaccine interference.

[KiwiDave]

Thanks chaps.

Video was useful - banana plugs seem like a no brainer. I tried taking out the little dust caps on the end of the binding posts, and found the manual for the amp. They're definitely not set up for banana plugs. That's cool though, at least I know what I'm doing now.

[Mito Man]

Anyone know the URL for that ridiculous audio equipment website which sells plug socket filters and fancy HDMI cables for £300?

[Jobbo]

Russ Andrews is the traditional snake oil sales site. Pre-dating the internet with his catalogue of kettle leads.

[KiwiDave]

Minor update. Insurance claim lodged for the knackered speakers, not sure what will come of it, other than the fact the most useful 'repair/replace' quote came from a company who sell the Q Acoustics gear here so that may be helpful.

One of the other companies I spoke to however, also independently recommended to me, is just up the road from me so I took a visit at the weekend. Exceptionally helpful team. In discussing what I was after they made the following recommendations and I wonder if the assembled nerds had any comments?

Steamer doofer: https://www.bluesound.com/products/node/

Speakers: https://www.hifi.co.nz/products/fyne-f3 ... aker-pair? or https://www.hifi.co.nz/products/fyne-f3 ... aker-pair?

[Jobbo]

I don't have any knowledge of those, but I do need to find a new streaming solution myself. Trying to connect my Squeezeboxes to the Netgear Orbis, it is apparent that their wifi protocol is getting old and they do not want to connect. And the eco-system is also quite old now; it was never something my wife would use. I think Sonos is probably the most sensible update in terms of usability but their kit is pricey and I'm not entirely sure I won't be going through the same thing in 10 years' time (or less). The Squeezeboxes have done me for about 18 years but I didn't use them that much in the last 6 or 7; they still worked fine though.

At least with Sonos I can add a single device in each room to get multi-room, which is appealing.

[mik]

@KiwiDave

Streamer
I'm not sure what that streamer offers over something like the wiim that Gav mentioned (which is 1/3 of the price, yet still expensive compared to the echo dot that Scott recommended). I don't have any experience of any of them however, so did a quick search and found this quite useful.


Speakers
I've never listened to any of the Fyne Audio products, but I've read nothing but good things about their stuff. I know they are Scottish <waves flag> and the company includes people who were previously involved with Tannoy - which is a very good thing - but that's about it. (Memory tells me that @Maurice bought a pair of their floor-standers a few years back, but he's rarely on here to comment. I'll ping him a text to check - it's possible my memory is making this up and his purchase was entirely different). The F303 look similar in spec to the Q-Accoutsic 3050i we discussed previously (although they are obviously pricier), and as luck would have it - HiFi Choice did a direct comparison between them here.

Subs
edit: I typed all this waffle below, and then remembered your dad's amp doesn't give you the option to add in a sub. What an idiot. I''ll leave it here in case someone else reads it and it changes their life....
Yeah I know you didn't mention subs , but I'll make my final case for your consideration here and then not bore you with the topic again . From the above I'd personally save a few hundred on the streamer (by going for something like the wiim), and save another chunk by going for the Q-Accoutstic 3050i over the Fyne's. I'd use the money saved to add a sub. You don't need to go nuts - something like this would probably do just dandy. Subs aren't just for creating tones that can shake your walls down. Proper audio subs (not the "subs" that you get with most sound-bar setups, which are really just bass speakers) deliver a frequency range that you are otherwise deprived of, and therefore offer you a more realistic overall experience. You are a visual dude - it's a bit like viewing an OLED TV, and the blacks are no longer just dark dark - they are black. Before you'd seen an OLED, others screens looked great, but now you've experienced them beside an OLED, you find out what you were missing. You're also a drum thumper, so consider a kick drum: essentially an instrument that provides a thud at a frequency around 80hz - which any of the above speakers can deliver easily. It's far more complex than just an 80hz tone of course though - there are multiple elements of the kick drum sound created far higher in the frequency range - from the beater hitting the surface of the drum skin, and there are also rumbly elements in the 25-50hz range. The latter are lost if you don't have a driver that can deliver those frequencies. So a kick drum played through a pair of Q-Accoustic 3050i's will sound bloody good, and you'll think "yeah that sounds pretty like the real thing". Until you add a sub to complement them, and are now able to hear the full frequency range. Now it sounds really like the real thing. As importantly - these frequencies are felt as much as heard - so you get similar physical sensations to those you would experience standing in front of a someone playing a kick drum. And you don't need the volume to be turned up to eleventy to feel this. Same principle applies across multiple instruments. And I'll now shut up about subs.

[Gavster]

It's surprising that nobody has really mentioned it, however, have you considered adding a sub, Dave?

[KiwiDave]

Mik said many excellent things, some about subs...

After posting yesterday, while you were all fast asleep, I went on a deep dive on the streaming options myself. Found the same video (very useful) and a lot of references to Node X, which seems to have been an anniversary edition of the Node, released last year. Basically preferred to the Node because the DAC on it is better, and the headphone experience is much better. Now, you can get them here, because it takes a year from ordering anything to arrive via sea freight for a supplier, but they're up around the $1500 mark (GBP750) so heading on for four times the cost of the Wiim Pro Plus, or twice the cost of the newer Wiim Ultra. (I haven't found any reviews comparing Wiim Ultra to Node/Node X yet.) However, based on the reading and the video you posted, I'm leaning towards Wiim stuff.

On the topic of subs, helpful weekend hi-fi salesman explained to me there are a type of subs that you can run from my Dad's amp, where normal speaker out signal goes into sub, the low frequencies are handled there, then sub goes to normal speakers. He reckoned they were almost preferred in a purists point of view, but that matching one to a set of speakers is a bit of a black art and that most people don't do it properly. So positives AND negatives really. He also mentioned on a set of speakers with a bridge over two sets of binding posts, I could use one amp to drive the bass, the other amp to drive the mid range and tweeters, but that would still only be using what range the speakers have got, so that seems nice to me, but a dead end idea within reason.

I'm not opposed to using a sub at all, I'd just rather (I think) be using my Dad's gear in the first instance, you know, for reasons. I have bass drums for my kits from 18" (jazz) all the way to 26" (Bonham) for the same reasons, they sound and feel very different. There's some stuff from the 26" you'd never record successfully, but feel in a room. I get it. I just feel like I wanna try Dad's stuff first, it's all going to be an improvement over my current PC + Logitech Dolby stuff. I can 'add a sub via black arts' or upgrade an amp and add a sub via human means later if I feel like I'm missing something/I've done manufacturing some romantic attachment to audio gear in the name of fake grieving.

Also FYI, the cheaper of the two Fyne Audio speakers, the F302 is the same cost here as the Q Acoustics 3050I

[Ascender]

Even if you didn't have your reasons for wanting to use your Dad's setup as it is, there's something to be said for enjoying a system and then down the line making an upgrade or two and hearing and appreciating the improvements or changes in it.

[scotta]

My absolute best advice is go listen to the speakers. Compare like for like between different speakers and choose what you like the sound of best. Audio is a very personal thing. I like a good low bass thump henc why my setup has subs. Jobbo has said previously he's not a fan of overly bassy systems. Its all personal choice.

Take one of your amps to listen to the speakers. Any decent hifi place should encourage that.

[mik]

it's all going to be an improvement over my current PC + Logitech Dolby stuff.

<PING>

This is the OV9 automated update required please reminder.

[Jobbo]

I’m waiting to see a decent discount on a Marantz Stereo 70s. I don’t much like the design but it is a stereo amp with some AV bits like multiple HDMI inputs, so it’ll use your TV or whatever as a source. For playing YouTube music videos through your proper hifi it’s a great idea; no need to go full home cinema. It’s supposed to sound great.

[mik]

I’m waiting to see a decent discount on a Marantz Stereo 70s.

I see Richer Sounds have them for £699 if you are a VIP member - this is free to join and you get 10% off your first order over £100 - with the following caveat "*In some instances, this voucher is not valid in conjunction with other offers".

I'm not sure if you'd therefore get it for £630 or not.....?

[Jobbo]

I’ve found them for £649 elsewhere already. But I think they’re going to be discounted to £500 or so; they haven’t been around for long yet. I’ll keep a look out.

Fundamentally hifi to me is now a bit of a dying area because people like Apple chucking out HomePods with lots of power and amazing sound quality for £250 are going to destroy the market.

[mik]

For playing YouTube music videos through your proper hifi it’s a great idea; no need to go full home cinema.

I use a simple TOSLINK cable to facilitate this.