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Simthaniel
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brothamike
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merrick97
Should I exchange the PC38X for better headphones?
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LostnAmerica
Sound Signature of the Grell Project.
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Fabulous
Looking for a gaming/content audio setup
Hello! I'm looking for recommendations on audio setups. I'd be planning on using it mostly for gaming. Preferably I'd like a pair of large closed back headphones since I have a big head and jaw. I'd also like to hear myself through my mic with mic monitoring. As far as budget goes, I don't really have one. But under 600$ would be nice. I can go higher if needed. The audio setup would be connected to a high performance PC. Thank you in advance for any recommendations!
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1plsd
$10 Drop Coupon Email not sent?
Trying to buy some gear off Drop for the first time. I was told I would receive an email with a welcome to drop $10 off promo. I never received that email. Drop was able to send me emails for my login token and email for Password update. But for some reason the $10 off coupon was never sent to me.
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NMPacella
New here
Hello, I just joined, primarily for the audiophile products. Looking at purchasing the NHT C3 speakers for our new living room. Space is about 15 feet wide by 33 long and they will fire long ways. Space is just for general listening, music room with all equipment is downstairs, so hoping they will fill it with sound nicely. Cheers.
Mar 18, 2024
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I spent about 2 hours comparing the KEF speakers running this SMSL Q5 Pro with no sub to start so it would be apples to apples. The difference is insane. So much so that I cannot even begin to explain it. The KEF/SMSL combo is in a whole different league over the Bose speakers. Its like going from a pair of airplane headphones to Sennheiser 650s.
To be a little more specific - Here are some songs and things I noticed.
Disturbed - Sound of Silence Bose - I can hear the vocal sounds coming directional from the speakers. Seems to be a bit more right side focused. Quality is quite good, but it really doesn't elevate when the song does. No sense of presence that draws you in. This leaves a shallow feeling to a song that is anything but shallow. KEF/SMSL - Vocals are about the same in the low parts of the song, but when it ramps up it really comes to life. I cannot sense any direction at all and it really feels like everything is coming from a wall in front of me instead of at my left or right. The hair on my arms stood up when the highs really kicked in. That is something that normally only happens with my GoldenEar Triton Ones on my main system. Very very impressive for such a cheap simple setup.
OutKast - The Way You Move Bose - This literally sucks and is the reason I wanted an upgrade. Heavy rock or rap in any form kills the Bose. They sound so bad that I cannot even stand to hear it. KEF/SMSL - Nearly perfect. I tested with and without a sub. I miss the crossover and wish the SMSL had it. Doing it on my sub is annoying. Honestly though the sub is nice, but not 100% needed. The speakers alone did very good justice to the song.
Cherry Poppin' Daddies - Zoot Suit Roit Bose - I thought this sounded pretty solid on the Bose. Its not my normal music, but I wanted to try a few oddballs. The stage on this kind of music was great and I only slightly noticed a right side heavy vocal. KEF/SMSL - The separation of instruments was immediately better. The deep bass drums sounds were not amazing, but this is a simple setup, and I did not have the sub attached for this so its expected. What I didn't expect is volume. WOW can this thing get super loud. Like way beyond the Bose, but also beyond a comfort level. It literally sounded spot on all the way to volumes that I could not stand. Again I was blown away by this.
JPOP/KPOP - Various Songs Bose - The vocals are very shrill on the Bose. They are decent with male artist, but female artist go above what the Bose can reproduce clearly and it starts to break apart. To me I cannot make it through a single song without turning them off. KEF/SMSL - Handled it all perfectly. These songs are super vocal heavy with lots of electric sounds. This is an area where these speakers again trumped most systems I have heard. I would argue that this may be the best setup I have heard for JPOP period. Even over my 5k Triton Ones. My Triton's make it so clear and loud that it is a little too much for my ears to handle. When I turn them down enough to not suffer from the vocals then the electric sounds are losing something. This setup was a sweet middle ground.
Overall Rating 5/5 I don't have tons of extra equipment around to test against, but I can say this, "SMSL with my KEF bookshelves is hands down a night and day upgrade over Bose Companion speakers." That alone is reason enough to buy them for a lot of people. Any semi serious music or movie buff has a few speaker lying around the house. This SMSL worked for me instantly with no issue at all. No setup required beyond plugging in the cables. Then BAM I am listening to music at a level ten steps above my old PC setup. Everything sound stage, clarity, listening volumes, etc... was elevated to a point that I cannot see a need to go any higher on a PC. I am probably going to pick up another Q5 Pro and replace my sons sound bar with this and the other 2 KEF speakers I have from my set. This truly is the best pairing I have ever seen anywhere near this price level and I am shocked. It almost ("almost") makes me regret spending over 10 grand on my main setup, and here I was just looking for a simple upgrade. I cannot recommend these enough at its price point. MMV depending on your speakers, but pairing with KEF 3001 series is a no brainer.