PC to DC-1 to Active Monitors. Thoughts?

[garydolson]

Greetings.

I'm new here and this is my first post.

Vintage gear is all I knew until recently. My current rig consists of a Luxman R-117 receiver, Marantz CD6004 CD player, and Canton CT-800 speakers. I also play music files (flac) from a netbook with JRiver Media Center 19 connected via USB to a Schiit Modi II Uber dac. I'm considering replacing everything but the netbook with a DC-1 and active speakers such as JBL LSR308's or Yamaha HS8's. The DC-1 would act as the preamp.

Any thoughts? 

[audiobill]

Should work great.

[Hair Nick]

I would highly recommend taking a look at our Airmotiv monitors too. Can't go wrong with those guys.

[vcautokid]

Airmotiv speakers and the DC-1 are a terrific combination. You could really create some fine music that way. Compact, yet powerful. You get all the Emotiva grand features too that make it happen. This is how allot of systems are today, and for many tomorrows to come. My audio desk is so configured with the Airmotiv 6S Making its musical rounds. Discs, flash, HDD, its all here, so no standing on ceremony. Lets play some music.

[garbulky]

Yeah forget JBLs and Yamahas. I've heard similar models in that price range from them. Blech. DC-1 to Airmotivs great. However you should know is they are coming out with DC-1 monoblock amps using ice amplifiers real soon. So if you want to use your cantons you still could. Approx 150 watts per channel in a chassis the size of the DC-1.
Now the Modi's a nice DAC. Not sure if it will be a vast upgrade.

[adaboy]

Aug 15, 2016 9:38:44 GMT -5 garydolson said:

Greetings.

I'm new here and this is my first post.

Vintage gear is all I knew until recently. My current rig consists of a Luxman R-117 receiver, Marantz CD6004 CD player, and Canton CT-800 speakers. I also play music files (flac) from a netbook with JRiver Media Center 19 connected via USB to a Schiit Modi II Uber dac. I'm considering replacing everything but the netbook with a DC-1 and active speakers such as JBL LSR308's or Yamaha HS8's. The DC-1 would act as the preamp.

Any thoughts? 

Welcome to the Lounge Gary!

You will indeed get a lot of great ideas and good information here.

[Percussionista]

Aug 15, 2016 9:38:44 GMT -5 garydolson said:

... I'm considering replacing everything but the netbook with a DC-1 and active speakers...
Any thoughts? 

This is exactly what I do at my PC desk, where I do the bulk of my music listening. PC -> DC-1 -> Stealth-6's. Emotiva no longer make the 6's, just the bigger 8's - a whole 'nother price range than the regular Airmotiv line, and the 8's do "dominate" a desk. The 6's were perfect for me. There are many many active speakers to look at if you stray beyond Emotiva, but I have no experience with them. If you must, check out the pro-audio selections at Sweetwater.com (studio or active monitors).

[Boomzilla]

Hi garydolson -

WELCOME to the Lounge! We're happy to have you.

As to your question, the posters above have beat me to it. I've heard the DC-1 as a DAC/Preamp and it sounded SUBLIME! The system is owned by garbulky, and in his room, he needs no preamp - the DC-1 drives his power amps not only well but EXCEPTIONALLY well.

Now for some reason, it doesn't do as well in my room, but I've concluded that my room is just weird. The DC-1 doesn't like it here, go figure...

You can get lots of other most excellent DAC / Preamp combos, but they all cost more (some LOTS more) and don't necessarily sound better than the DC-1. "Other" options might include the Grace M920, the Benchmark DAC2 L, the Berkeley Alpha DAC 2, the NAD M12, and the Mytek Brooklyn. All are highly reviewed, but none are cheap.

So welcome again to the Lounge & don't be a stranger.

Boomzilla

[AudioHTIT]

Using a Mac mini to a DC-1 and Airmotive 5's as my desktop system, very happy with the sound.

[frenchyfranky]

Hi, welcome to the lounge.

You can't go wrong with the DC-1, and for the active monitor like many other said before, the Airmotiv or Stealth from EMOTIVA giving absolutely stellar performance. You'll be in an other league with this very simple setup.

[klinemj]

Agree with the others...major props to the DC-1 (still have one in a second system), and the Airmotiv and Stealth speakers are seriously worth a listen. I have heard the Stealth 6's and 8's and they are outstanding. Plenty of folks have raved about the Airmotiv, but I have listened as critically to them. What I did hear from them was impressive.

Mark

[Axis]

[Axis]

You want eight inch powered monitors to go with the Stealth DC-1 ? Get the Stealth 8's.

emotiva.com/products/powered-monitors/stealth-8

[garydolson]

Thanks everyone for a lot of good things to think about.

I should clarify a bit more.

This is not for a desktop. My god, man. 8" woofers on a desk? That's quite a commitment. Thankfully I do have a large desk, but the B&W 685 S2's currently sitting there are almost too big. I'm looking to change things up for my main listening rig which resides in my drum practice studio.

The room is 12'x13' with a 10' ceiling and carpeted walls. Speakers are currently about 6' apart, appx 18" from the wall, and 8'-10' from the seating area, which is a 6' leather couch against the opposite wall. My acoustic drum kit is sandwiched between the Canton's and faces away from the seating area.

I listen mostly to classic rock, modern jazz, and classical. I spent significant time in recording studios in the 1980's during which I developed a preference for that type of sound. Robust power, neutral, deadly accurate.

Huge thanks for the generous responses.

[Gary Cook]

Do you really need a DC-1? An Ego would do the DAC duties extremely well, use the digitally controlled (by the PC) resister ladder volume control. A lot of people (including me) prefer the Ti/Burr Brown DAC sound as implemented in the Ego's. USB input from the PC and then connect direct to a power amp or powered speakers.


Cheers
Gary

[Deleted]

Aug 15, 2016 13:58:43 GMT -5 Boomzilla said:

Hi garydolson -

WELCOME to the Lounge! We're happy to have you..........

.......... but I've concluded that my room is just weird........... 

Boomzilla

Boom, are you sure it's your room?    

Sorry Gary for the brief interruption here, but the Boom always blames it on his room.     

Welcome to the lounge!  All I have heard at the Lounge and elsewhere is that the Stealth 6(now used)  & Stealth 8 are superb.  

I have for my PC system the Airmotiv 4's plus a Mirage Omni 8 (I love low tight bass) which is very impressive for near field use and also fills my computer area/dining room up to 90dB's or so very cleanly.  The Stealths should be great but perhaps over your budget?  I agree with Gary to forget the DC-1 for the EGO and put your money in the speakers.

If you can't find a used Stealth 6 and the Stealth 8's are over limit, I highly recommend you look at the Airmotiv 6s, at $499/pair, 6.5" bass driver (Propex/Curv cone -similar to Kevlar) driven by 110 watts! (100 watts into ribbon tweeter).  Don't let the low price fool you, I think you will be very impressed with this 24.25 lb speaker.  JBL-LSR308 - 18.9 lbs/$499, Yamaha HS8 - 22.5 lbs/$699. Some folks ignore weight, not me.  It is very indicative of enclosure build, parts and amp quality. Remember this is a factory direct to buyer price, nothing else is close IMO.  It has a 30 day try out period and 5 year transferable warranty.  The low bass is surprisingly good, the mids articulate and the highs very clean and smooth, wide off axis and non-fatiguing (no edgy highs)(a friend owns a pair).  They should have plenty of low distortion dynamic output for your size room.

Looking forward to feedback on your final choices. 

Chuckienut


emotiva.com/products/powered-monitors/speakers/airmotiv-6s
 

[garydolson]

Gary,

I'm as cheap as they come, but a good user experience isn't something I'm willing to give up. It wouldn't be the same without a real honest-to-goodness volume knob. Also, the balanced output on the DC-1 means I can situate it anywhere in the room. Not so with the Ego. This is a significant benefit. I can think of no cleaner setup than a dac/pre with balanced output to balanced input on a pair of active monitors. That's another significant benefit, but only if it sounds great, as I know it can.

Chuckienut,

After ebay'ing the Luxman R-117, Kenwood KR-9600, and Yamaha M70,C70,T70 pre/power/tuner separates, I should have enough for a new DC-1 and a pair of Stealth 8's, and would love to consider them, but where can I hear them? Rancho Cucamonga Guitar Center is 1.8 miles from my house and they have a room full of active monitors. It's hard to walk away from great sounding speakers right in front of you for a much more expensive pair that I can't hear without whipping out my credit card. And btw, my next speakers must be no smaller than 8". My Canton CT-800's (3-way's with an 8" woofer) spoiled me. They retired a butt-kicking 12" Velodyne powered sub, which I have no intention of wheeling out for any new speakers. Wait a minute... that sub plays down to 18hz. MAYBE I'll wheel it out...


Thanks.

[yves]

Aug 15, 2016 22:54:00 GMT -5 @tllfkacn said:

Sorry Gary for the brief interruption here, but the Boom always blames it on his room.     

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2016 1:05:55 GMT -5 garydolson said:

Chuckienut,

After ebay'ing the Luxman R-117, Kenwood KR-9600, and Yamaha M70,C70,T70 pre/power/tuner separates, I should have enough for a new DC-1 and a pair of Stealth 8's, and would love to consider them, but where can I hear them? Rancho Cucamonga Guitar Center is 1.8 miles from my house and they have a room full of active monitors. It's hard to walk away from great sounding speakers right in front of you for a much more expensive pair that I can't hear without whipping out my credit card. And btw, my next speakers must be no smaller than 8". My Canton CT-800's (3-way's with an 8" woofer) spoiled me. They retired a butt-kicking 12" Velodyne powered sub, which I have no intention of wheeling out for any new speakers. Wait a minute... that sub plays down to 18hz. MAYBE I'll wheel it out...


Thanks.

Not to argue here Gary or to push Emo speakers, but only to pass on some of my 47 years experience in audio.  There is only one place to hear speakers before you make a buying decision, that is in your own room!  Almost all speaker will sound very different in a dealers show room than in your room.  A very experienced listener can make some legitimate evaluations of a part of a particular speaker's performance such as vocal clarity and a few others, bass is extremely difficult to realistically judge in a dealers room.  However, a full useful evaluation of any particular speaker is 100% valid only when heard in your own room.  For the last 40 years or so I've never bought speakers from what I heard in the dealers room, I soon learned this lesson.  The room and how/where you place the speakers in that room are a huge part of how the speaker will sound.  Most people hear quite a difference when they move their speakers small distances in their own room or to a different room in their house.  Usually in a dealer's room the speakers will be in a line.  They won't let you but if you could change the position of two pair of different speakers in the room they will then usually sound quite different.  How close to the wall behind them, to the corner, to the side walls, to other speakers, to the floor will all affect the sound.  I also hate to tell you but some dealers/salespeople will push the one they make the most profit on or the most commission.    

I would never buy a speaker at a dealer store unless they allowed me to take the speaker home for an in my room evaluation, with a guarantee of return with no questions asked (of course credit card only/no debit card or cash for your protection).  If they won't go for this then ask them if you can take a display model home on your credit card at closing and return it the next morning, no questions asked and don't fall for the in store credit.   If they say no, I would look elsewhere.  

You had an excellent receiver in the Luxman!  I am very familiar with Canton speakers.  They are generally excellent speakers with one issue IMO.  As many European speakers they lack in the best lower bass performance (there stated low end of 22Hz is pure nonsense with no decibel reference).  They are probably somewhere in the 50Hz range at -3dB's.  Also, this might surprise you but newer very high quality bass/mid drivers (kevlar or Emo curv) with proper power will outperform some speaker with larger drivers.  I will guarantee you the powered 6.5" driver in the Airmotiv 6s would be equal to or outperform the 8" driver in the Canton's.  For example there are many high quality powered subs with a 12"-13" drivers that outperform other good brand subs with a 15" driver.  With either the Emo 6s or Stealth 8 you would be able to audition them in your own room for three to four weeks and bring in a speaker from the guitar center for a side by side comparison.  I encourage this as I'm very aware of the price difference of a powered studio monitor from Emo versus a retail brand speaker from the guitar center.  For example a powered monitor from GC that would be very close in performance to the Emo Airmotiv 6s at $499/pr, is the Adam A7X at about $1500/pr, three times the price.  The 6s has a 6'5" driver versus a 7" drive (not significant) and the Emo weighs 4 lbs more and has 100/110 watts versus 50/100 on the A7X, enclosure size of the 6s is very slightly larger.  The JBL and Yamaha monitors you mentioned are not in the same class as the 6s or A7X.  Don't confuse the Adam A7X with the lower model F7.

This should clarify what I mean by factory direct.  At $1500 for the Stealth 8's, they will be in a whole different class and comparable to powered monitors in the $2500 and up range. 

If you do insist on buying a GC then I would listen to the Adam A7X for a fairly comparable sound that you would hear from the 6s.  Again don't just look at the driver size.  The Stealth 8 has an 8" driver but weighs 42 lbs!  The Stealth 6 weighed 35 lbs.  The Adams A3X, $699/pr at B&H and weighs 10.1 lbs, is very close in performance to the Emo 4s (which I own) at $299/pr and 13.7 lbs.  I hope you are getting the idea about buying factory direct and the huge price advantage.  If you do return you only lose the return shipping.  A small price to most likely save 2-3 times the price on the speakers.

I rest my case.   Good luck.    

[klinemj]

garydolson

I understand the concern about buying without hearing. Chuck makes a good point about hearing in your room. I will add in that the Stealth 8 is, in my opinion, one of the best speakers out there. It can play mello stuff with detail and it can kick out the power and the hardest rock around if you ask it to. I like them well enough that if I were to be getting rid of my Magnepans, they would be on my short list. Keep in mind that when I chose my Magnepans, I was comparing them to Vandersteens, Golden Ears, and Martin Logan. I felt the Magnepans bested those by a long shot. Net, you might say I think pretty highly of the Stealths.

Also, I do believe the Stealth have the 30 day return policy. But, I doubt you would use it.

Mark