Need Help for Music System

[avesbilal]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum and Hi-Fi Music, I need your help to improve the sound quality of my Music system.

I have a Sony HT-DDW5500
I have purchaced this around 3 years ago, and now I am feeling it is not clear in Mids and Highs but has a good bass. I want a very good clarity of music (Mid, High and Low in appropriate proportionate)

I can not afford to completely change my system as it will be a huge investment for my pocket.

I started researching about HiFi music few months ago and found many interesting things that I didn't knew before buying my system.

I am thinking to add a USB DAC to improve sound clarity/quality, I just see a DAC Musiland Monitor 02 US (This has very good specs and good reviews)

Request you to review the above DAC and advise, I am planning to add a USB DAC for 3 reasons (More connectivity options, better quality and can play from Laptop/computer) (Not sure if it will give better sound by connecting to my system)

I have few queries, request to help me with that.

1) Will adding this Musiland USB DAC or any other DAC will I get a better quality/clearity from my system (Any suggestions for DAC's are welcome)

2) Do I have to replace my AV receiver and buy a Yamaha/Dennon with the same old set of old sony speakers (Will this sound better then current setup)

3) will changing speakers and keeping the old Sony AV receiver will give me better sound.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Apologies for my English

Thanks in advance for the help

Bilal

 

[grunthos]

Welcome to the world of Hifi

A USB DAC is a good unit to have, but as far as impact on sound goes, it comes third after amplifier and speakers. Given that you already have a working large home theatre which I assume works quite decently with movies, keep your current setup and buy a stereo amplifier and a pair of bookshelf speakers

As for your queries
1) Yes, a good quality DAC will definitely improve the sound, but your Sony speakers are the bottleneck here and will not be able to take full advantage of the DAC

2) You can use your Sony speakers with a new AVR from Yamaha or Denon, but the sound will continue to be bass heavy like it is right now

3) I can't make out what receiver it is from the website link, but looking at the pics, I can guess that it will work with other speakers equally well. This seems to be the most reasonable course of action. And you can carry the AVR to the showroom to confirm it can drive the new speakers you are considering

If you are still looking at DACs, I didn't have time to check reviews of the Musiland. You could look at the Audioengine D1 or couple of Fiio models via www.proaudiohome.com. The Audioengine is very well regarded and is in the same price range

 

[dheerajin]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum and Hi-Fi Music, I need your help to improve the sound quality of my Music system.

I have a Sony HT-DDW5500
I have purchaced this around 3 years ago, and now I am feeling it is not clear in Mids and Highs but has a good bass. I want a very good clarity of music (Mid, High and Low in appropriate proportionate)

I can not afford to completely change my system as it will be a huge investment for my pocket.

I started researching about HiFi music few months ago and found many interesting things that I didn't knew before buying my system.

I am thinking to add a USB DAC to improve sound clarity/quality, I just see a DAC Musiland Monitor 02 US (This has very good specs and good reviews)

Request you to review the above DAC and advise, I am planning to add a USB DAC for 3 reasons (More connectivity options, better quality and can play from Laptop/computer) (Not sure if it will give better sound by connecting to my system)

I have few queries, request to help me with that.

1) Will adding this Musiland USB DAC or any other DAC will I get a better quality/clearity from my system (Any suggestions for DAC's are welcome)

2) Do I have to replace my AV receiver and buy a Yamaha/Dennon with the same old set of old sony speakers (Will this sound better then current setup)

3) will changing speakers and keeping the old Sony AV receiver will give me better sound.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Apologies for my English

Thanks in advance for the help

Bilal

Before getting bombarded by the suggestion..one thing would like to add..there is one FM from hyderabad and he can help you in this regard , his name is nikhil..PM him and get in touch by Phone..

cheers

dheeraj

 

[avesbilal]

Thanks for replies...

My AVR is STR-KM5500 and power amplifier is TA-KMSW500 from Sony (Attached the PIC of back of AVR and Power AMP)

As you said in 3rd point using the same AVR with a new set of speakers will be the most reasonable method of getting a better sound. so could you give me any suggestions for speakers which i need to buy. (my intention is to get a more detailed sound at a reasonable extra expenditure.....

Need your expertise advice.

Im also trying to reach Nikhil for help.

 

[grunthos]

Can you specify what is your budget ?
And if you are looking for a 2 channel setup for music alone or you want to upgrade your complete HT system ?

 

[avesbilal]

My budget is around 12k some more or less... I don't want to upgrade my HT system as I can't afford it.. my main intention of buying this HT was for music but I ended up with this system. Now want I'm looking for something which can improve my music experience by using the current system/AVR/Speakers. (I want get more detailed music)

 

[avesbilal]

Hi guys,

No suggestions yet.... I'm not sure why I'm not able to PM FM's the option doesn't show up for me. I was trying to reach Nikhil. Is it possible that I'm not able to PM because I'm new on this forum.

Guys help me out to get better music from my systems. If any DIY required I'm ready for it..

Just another query.

If I buy a pair of bookshelf speakers and hook up with my existing AVR, will it sound any better. How much will be the cheapest bookshelf pair. How about buying a pair of speakers and build my own bookshelf set.. where I will get loose speakers. I saw some branded bookshelf pairs they are too much.. my budget is 12k+...can I build a better pair which can sound like a decent bookshelf.

Apologies if I'm repeatedly asking same questions and for my layman's language. .

 

[dheerajin]

Hi guys,

No suggestions yet.... I'm not sure why I'm not able to PM FM's the option doesn't show up for me. I was trying to reach Nikhil. Is it possible that I'm not able to PM because I'm new on this forum.

Guys help me out to get better music from my systems. If any DIY required I'm ready for it..

Just another query.

If I buy a pair of bookshelf speakers and hook up with my existing AVR, will it sound any better. How much will be the cheapest bookshelf pair. How about buying a pair of speakers and build my own bookshelf set.. where I will get loose speakers. I saw some branded bookshelf pairs they are too much.. my budget is 12k+...can I build a better pair which can sound like a decent bookshelf.

Apologies if I'm repeatedly asking same questions and for my layman's language. .

See the attached picture for sending PM, click the left key of the mouse over name...

within your budget, you can get a used system..

buying a book shelf and attaching it to AVR will sound different than your existing HT setup..may be not that good..
For good sound you need 2 channel stereo amplifier and any descent speakers will do the work...
My suggestion is to get any used stereo system and try..may be vintage ones..
or get the topping T20 amp and get wharfdale cheapest speaker..it will be within your budget..search on the net..

cheers
Dheeraj

 

[avesbilal]

I tried this, I get only 3 options. 2nd option is not coming up for me to send a PM. I'm not sure if I have to request access.

 

[rsud]

My budget is around 12k some more or less... I don't want to upgrade my HT system as I can't afford it.. my main intention of buying this HT was for music but I ended up with this system. Now want I'm looking for something which can improve my music experience by using the current system/AVR/Speakers. (I want get more detailed music)

Based on your budget I think your best option is to update your speakers.
A change in DAC may not get you much for a large improvement with your current system.

In general I espouse that upstream is where you should make changes first since shortcomings can't be fixed later in the audio chain. But this assumes a certain level of reproduction capability. I think you are still working towards that.

The best bang for your buck will be to seek out the Andrew Jones designed Pioneer speakers. These are very low priced and sound incredible for the money. They are available in 5.1 setups as well as being able individual pairs.

Here's a link that you can use to start research:

Home Theater Speakers | Pioneer Electronics USA

The speaker model is Pioneer SP-BS22-LR for the mains and SP-PK52FS for the 5.1 package.

Once you are ready for the next upgrade I would point you to Marantz AVRs that will come with a much better DAC and amplification that your current sony AVR.

 

[Falcon21]

i agree with the last post about pioneer speakers.

Sony receivers are great but you can't change sound signature of any speakers by tweaks. So your best bet will be to buy Front two speakers.

olx/quikr have many used good branded options as well

going by your set up you seem to like warm sound is it?

bookshelf may not be as rewarding unless tight budget constraint not that there aren't good expensive ones but floor standers will give you the acoustics that you want for music.

bookshelfs start from 10k-12k like polk audio TSI 200 or energy CB20

floor standing TSI 330rx Tannoy Elac

 

[avesbilal]

Thanks for the replies..

When I bought this setup, I didn't knew much about music, I was very interested in boom boom music (in which Sony is good at).

But after listening to this system for a year, one day I played some songs on my computer which has a harman/kardon desktop speakers connected to a PCI Creative SB live sound card. That time I felt what I'm missing in my HT system. (normally I don't use this computer as it is for everyone at home, I mostly use my laptop for everything). I even tried to connect those HK Desktop speaker to my HT, but I think it does't have a RCA analog out for active speakers, then I connected those HK speakers to my Sony blue-ray player parallel to my HT (connected HT through Coax and analog RCA to HK speakers), but I felt those HK speakers are dominating on my HT, because I could hear voice of the singer and mids/highs from this HK speakers only and HT mids/highs were getting suppressed.

Those harman/kardon desktop speakers are so detailed I can hear every bit of music the song is recorded with. Then I started researching more about hifi music. Now days I am not liking the boom boom music and feeling good when I listen to detailed music (with precise amount of Highs, Mids and Lows)

Now it is almost 3 years I bought this HT system, and I want to get some good music from my system... I am thinking as you all are suggesting to buy a pair of bookshelf speakers and connect it to my AVR and then see if I get a better sound. (I am only afraid if that will not make any difference in sound).

If adding bookshelf speakers doesn't improve sound then I also have to buy a stereo amp which will cost me again high.

I will try olx/quicker if I can get good speakers in seconds, alsp request you all to let me know if you know if any place/site where I can get a good deal in old/new speakers.

Thanks
Bilal

 

[avesbilal]

By the way... I forgot to mention below.

If I connect these pioneer/polk audio/energy bookshelf speaker to my AVR, will there be any mismatch (I believe the current front speaker are rated as 6 Ohm and 185 watts)

When I play blueray movies on my HT, the sound is good. when the AVR detects a DTS source it sounds good. But unfortunately I don't think I can get Songs DTS encoded.

I might be sounding very silly but just wanted to ask, why all hindi Songs are only recorded in 44.1/48 KHZ frequencies (where as we even have devices which can play 382KHZ music if I'm correct).

Again thanks guys for taking time and interest in helping me.

 

[Falcon21]

not at all silly...no one can decide good system for you. You need to listen and decide whats best for your liking.

If the HK desktop speakers made u feel the diff, u bet bookshelf or floor standers will do even better.

Very good question about the mismatch and power rating. Yes, it is a high
possibility for mismatch also as other speakers will still be the sony. Your receiver is very powerful though.

Best thing to do would be to carry your sony receiver to the demo shop and
try different speakers. Receiver will automatically adjust impedance according to the speakers but that's what you need to find out by getting demo. And it'll give you a better idea of diff sound signatures so you can easily decide.

As for hindi music collection yes its too bad we don't have good quality.
But hindi music won't cost much either if you buy original CDs, since we have no other choice.

Other good alternatives are grooveshark and pandora radio online.
Grooveshark has quite good quality for some songs.
Pandora radio has decent sound quality but amazing collection.
Normally pandora won't work in india when u open your browser but
you can use anonymox plug-in for firefox and it gives you 500 MB free/month. Voila!

It works like a charm even on android with surf easy app and the pandora android app is very cool and user friendly.
As long as you have an internet plan or wifi you'll never have to worry about music. they have a vast collection. you can create your own channels and it'll play music as per your liking. they use this genome music technology. you'll be surprised that it's playing certain songs that you were just thinking about in your mind ... hope you'll enjoy!

 

[rsud]

By the way... I forgot to mention below.

If I connect these pioneer/polk audio/energy bookshelf speaker to my AVR, will there be any mismatch (I believe the current front speaker are rated as 6 Ohm and 185 watts)

When I play blueray movies on my HT, the sound is good. when the AVR detects a DTS source it sounds good. But unfortunately I don't think I can get Songs DTS encoded.

I might be sounding very silly but just wanted to ask, why all hindi Songs are only recorded in 44.1/48 KHZ frequencies (where as we even have devices which can play 382KHZ music if I'm correct).

Again thanks guys for taking time and interest in helping me.

If you play at moderate listening levels the difference between 4ohms to 8 ohms is not much to the AVR provided you have a decent AVR (decent here means made by a reputable company with a decent amp, not necessarily sound quality). If the amp section is light weight than it can become an issue. For a Sony AVR, at moderate to high listening levels, 4 to 8 ohm ranges should not cause a amp meltdown issue.

If you are playing very loud (concert in you home level) than it may become an issue for the amp.

As for sampling rate, this varies quite a bit. Not all folks in the recording industry agree that higher sampling rates are better. And often it comes down to the recording equipment on hand and what has been invested by the company. High sampling rate professional A to D's can be quite pricey.
In the end, the recording company is out to make money and sound quality is often not a consideration since it costs more to do things the correct way for better sound quality.

 

[Naztone]

Aves - Boss if i may offer a suggestion
Do the rounds of some of the Hifi audio shops in your locality -read & research, Then choose 1 component to upgrade, keeping in mind what setup you want to go for finally - then work your way to it
least ways thats what i did - couldnt afford to buy it all in one go, 1st bought me whardales & settled for a norge 1000 to power them, after a long wait got me a marantz Pm6004, after another wait got me a klipsth sub

now am waiting to get me a good dac n they say patience aint one of my virtues

the thing is once you start hearing the noise you cannot ignore it

imho start with the speakers

 

[avesbilal]

Thank you for the recommendation... Apologies for the late reply

I recently ordered a small USB DAC for using it as sound card for my laptop (as my inbuilt laptop audio jack is not working), this DAC board has a Coax output which I tested with my Sony system. I felt there is some difference in the sound clarity and details. I feel the Sony blueray is the culprit; I also tested my Cubietruck with my Sony System which gives better output then my Sony Blueray. But that being said I still believe there is much details and clarity I am missing using this Sony system altogether, hence I decided to take a different approach of upgrading my system.

Here is my Plan
1) I will build a DIY Stereo amplifier using the readymade boards available on ebay (Need your advice on choosing one from below options).

2) Connect this new amp to my existing tower Sony speakers. If I don't get satisfactory results with New Stereo Amp + Sony Tower speakers, then start building DIY bookshelf speakers (I see some speakers on bajaao.com which I can use in my DIY bookshelf).

I choose the approach of upgrade due to both budget and DIY fun.

I need your expert advises to choose a amp board with detailed music

1) Amp Board (Hybrid amp) #1 http://www.ebay.in/itm/LM3886-6N11-amplifier-board-68W-X2-Speaker-protect-A28-/120583857770"]LM3886+Tube

2) Amp Board (Normal Chip amp) # 2 LM3886+NE5532

3) Amp Board with Separate channel boards # 3 LM3886 Mono x 2

Please advise me which amp will be better, also request me to let me know of any website where I can buy only speakers (I only found one website which is selling speakers bajaao.com), also want to ask if I can use car speakers for a bookshelf purpose.

Thank you again
Aves Bilal