Test those speakers with a portable CD or MP3 player first. Maybe it's just me but I don't think you'll get great sound just hooking up speakers directly to your console's audio cables. Usually you need to hook those up to a type of amplifier or receiver to get good sound, even TVs amplify the sound.Originally Posted by wingzrow
Logitech speakers are pretty cheap but they're not usually pure junk either, I've heard dollar store/generic brand speakers and those are bad though still usuable.
Actually, the built-in mono speaker is actually pretty damn good. I would use that, until I could afford a Dayton DTA-1 and a couple of nice satellite speakers. It's like I told my bud who has a Sony BVM-20F1U.... "You've got the best picture quality on planet earth, and you're using some cheapo computer speakers?". You can get a Dayton DTA-1 for about $35 or $40 on Ebay. It will drive two speakers nicely. As for the speakers, I would look to craigslist first, and Ebay second. All you need are two small, high quality monitor type speakers. Look for names like Kef, Energy, Monitor Audio, B & W, Paradigm, Definitive Technology, NHT (from nhthifi.com), etc, etc. Buying used is a smart way to go, cause you can usually get them for 60 percent less than new. If speakers are well taken care of, they can last for 20 or 30 years no problem. Speakers that are 5 or 10 years old can work just as good, if not better than some of the newest speakers. I'd much rather have a Kef or Energy speaker from 1998, than 99 percent of the stuff you can buy brand new at a Best Buy or Target or Wal-Mart.
I figured as much. Even if it is the speakers, I need an amp anyway.
I just ordered a Dayton DTA-1, since it was recommended and it was a T-class amp.
When it comes in I'm thinking of buying these speakers from the local pawn shop. Provided they aren't blown, does this look like a good setup?
http://i49.tinypic.com/de9hz.jpg
I knew I shouldn't have passed on those 2 Sony's at Savers for $20 each. Maybe next time.
Just so you know, the Dayton DTA-1 isn't the most amazing amp in the world or anything, but it's extremely small. It's about as simple as a two channel amp can get. Plug two speakers into it, and turn the volume knob. That's pretty much it. Still, it will give decent power to two nice satellite or smaller bookshelf speakers. That's all you really need for 90 percent of retrogaming anyways. As for those two Sony speakers, it's hard to say what kind of sound quality you can get. For that price though, they could probably hold you over in the meanwhile...
If you have any local action on craigslist at all, definitely check there for speakers. I've found many good deals on speakers on craigslist. Ebay is a bit harder, because there are enough people worldwide that know what quality speakers are, and they will end up bidding on the good speakers that hit Ebay. Still I scored some Energy C8 towers on Ebay for a song once, so it's always worth keeping an eye on it. I'm always checking Ebay for a pair of Monitor Audio R90's at a decent price. ($250 or less shipped for the rose mahogany ones)
At the very least they will be better than what you currently have and for fifteen bucks they are worth the gamble. However, those speakers are unlikely to be magnetically shielded and will need to be kept at least two feet from the monitor unless the monitor itself is shielded.
⃟Mario says "... if you do drugs, you go to hell before you die."
What would be the equivalent Sony product that goes with this monitor audiowise?
What's the audio equivalent of a PVM?
Why would you need a Sony product ? Buy something from somebody that specializes in what you're looking for. Sure, Sony makes speakers, but that isn't what they are known for.
It's the same thing when people buy subwoofers. 90 percent of people will get the subwoofer that "goes with" whatever speakers they bought. You're much better off buying a subwoofer from a company that specializes in subwoofers.
Well, I was thinking that since the PVM is a professional quality monitor that there might have been some equipment that Sony made that was also up to the same standard. Something that might fit it from a cosmetic point of view and also provide great sound.
My second question is the more important one. In the world of audio setups, what's the equivalent of a PVM? As in:
-old professional level tech that's easy for hobbyists to get now.
-handles a variety of inputs and signals, including one that is considered the "best"
-extremely high performance
1. There actually is some specific speakers that you can can get for the Sony PVM-2530's. There are specific mounting brackets that you get for it, and then they have the specific speakers that go along with it. The thing is, the 2530 isn't a very good PVM to go after. I've owned 3 different versions of that monitor, and all 3 had issues at one point or another. You're much better off with the 20 inch PVM's for picture quality.
2. As for audio, if your only concern is having some audio for retrogaming, then you'd be perfectly fine with a good 2 channel amp, two speakers and a subwoofer. Certainly, if you play a lot of PS1 stuff, and maybe some Saturn stuff, then you actually want to have some surround speakers as well. Pre PS1 / Saturn, you didn't really need to have any surround speakers. I know that Super Turrican on SNES featured Dolby Surround, but there aren't many other 16-bit games that did.
If you want your audio system to cover all the media you enjoy, then it's a whole new ballgame.
An older receiver that I can really recommend for doing everything, and doing it well, with HDMI switching and audio over HDMI, is the Marantz SR7001. It's not compatible with 3D at all, so if you ever want to go 3D, then you'd have to wire stuff up seperately. For example, I have a PS3 that I've played 3D games on, and if I use that with this receiver, then I have to use optical for the audio, instead of HDMI audio. So, I don't get any lossless sound from the PS3. However, other than that, the receiver is top notch. It's a bit of overkill for most retrogames. At least the non CD based ones.
You can get a SR7001 via Ebay for anywhere from $200 to $400 depending on it's condition. I've seen mint ones go for around $250.
If you specifically want to go 2 channel, there is a Panasonic digital receiver, the SA-XR55 that is especially good for that. Only problem is, they don't sell them anymore. It actually is a 7.1 receiver, but you could use it for 2 channel and get more watts just for the 2 channels.
Thanks for the info. I've really been getting into the Turbo CD recently and I miss the speakers on my old setup (it's in storage right now). I'm making due with a set of decent pc speakers, but I miss the power of my big monitor's built-in speakers plus an altec lansing subwoofer I had connected. I had a Sony XBR960 for my modern gaming. That tv has some really nice built in audio too.
Funnily, I've have 2 2530's and one 2030. All of them had power supply issues. Sucks too because I preferred the image on them to the newer models. I had one 20M2U that had a very bowed in image. Even after going through service mode and trying different settings it couldn't be fixed. It was likely a bad cap somewhere. I gave it away to a friend who used it as an arcade monitor.
The 1271Q and 1390's I've owned worked perfectly. So does the XM29.
It seems like the larger these monitors are the less reliable they are. I had two 37" Megaview XC37 series that had focus issues. Or perhaps they're so heavy that they get roughhandled during their lifetime when they moved around. Especially by the neanderthals at the University Surplus auction near here.I feel like I got really lucky with my AM-3501R since it works flawlessly.
Thanks for the info. I've really been getting into the Turbo CD recently and I miss the speakers on my old setup (it's in storage right now). I'm making due with a set of decent pc speakers, but I miss the power of my big monitor's built-in speakers plus an altec lansing subwoofer I had connected. I had a Sony XBR960 for my modern gaming. That tv has some really nice built in audio too.
Funnily, I've have 2 2530's and one 2030. All of them had power supply issues. Sucks too because I preferred the image on them to the newer models. I had one 20M2U that had a very bowed in image. Even after going through service mode and trying different settings it couldn't be fixed. It was likely a bad cap somewhere. I gave it away to a friend who used it as an arcade monitor.
The 1271Q and 1390's I've owned worked perfectly. So does the XM29.
It seems like the larger these monitors are the less reliable they are. I had two 37" Megaview XC37 series that had focus issues. Or perhaps they're so heavy that they get roughhandled during their lifetime when they moved around. Especially by the neanderthals at the University Surplus auction near here.
Yeah, the thing about these Sony monitors, when they are working well, and don't have any geometry issues, or other problems, then everything is awesome. The problem is, these things are just going to continue to get older and older, and have more and more hours on them. Thats why I think it's crucial to try to either find one that is still brand new, or has extremely low hours on it. Try to find ones that were made around 2004, 2005, 2003, etc, etc. The Ebay auction where the guy is selling brand new 20M2U's for $150 each is hard to beat. Those monitors were manufactured in September 2003. Supposedly they are brand new. The thinking would be that they would last a very long time, because they haven't been used and abused already.
I'm almost tempted to buy another one of these, and just put it in storage until I might need it one day, lol...
What does a NEC XM29/XP29 Plus go for these days? I'd rather not waste time thinking about it if it's not a realistic acquisition.
One that is in good shape and has been tested can sell for 300 dollars easily. Several have come up on the BYOAC trading forum for around $150.
They can be found in the wild for a song. As low as 50 bucks is pretty common. You just have to be diligent, and willing to drive some long distances to pick one up. They're not really super rare, and when you do find them you often will find them along with a batch of other similar stuff.
I got my XM29 from a university auction for free. They recycle the stuff that doesn't sell, but the guys who do all the cleanup work hate moving those big monitors around. I showed up late in the day to see what I could get, and lo and behold there were two of them just sitting there ready for the scrap heap. The cleanup crew were grateful for me and a friend to get them out of the way. There were also 2 pallets with 37" Magnavox CRT TV's with component/s-video that probably worked fine that I could have taken home if I had the room.
Now, keep in mind my XM29 has MASSIVE burn-in from some kind of science equipment that was hooked up to it. I've read similar reports from many other owners. The other one went to a friend and it was even worse. However, they are still both fantastic monitors and I would take a burned-in XM over 99.9% of everything else out there.
Last edited by Jack_Burton_BYOAC; 10-26-2012 at 02:32 PM.
My friends BVM-20F1U will put any other monitor to shame. It well should, they originally retailed for about 12 grand.
That's a shockingly good price. I was expecting something like $800. The only reason I zeroed in on the NEC is that most of the time when people talk about "great" monitors they invariably bring up Commodore ones or some other tiny thing. Yeah, that's fine and all but I'm not sure I'd consider it an all around upgrade. Plus I'm not nearly dedicated enough to bother with rigging up a big arcade monitor or something. It seems like the XM29 is the best example of the quality people rave about while also being the size of a real TV.
That's the 00.1%
Although I will say that if you put a brand new XM29 vs a brand new BVM and played only 240p classic games on them you'd very quickly run into a situation of diminishing returns when looking for ways that the BVM is superior imagewise. They would both be considered "perfect" by most people, even discerning gamers familiar with the ins and outs of RGB gaming.
However, the XM29 is larger, and it will sync to 480p and 720p signals. Those bonuses give it a huge advantage when coming down to a practical choice.
Last edited by Jack_Burton_BYOAC; 10-26-2012 at 05:49 PM.
So does that mean the BVM is the best CRT monitor ever?
20 inches isn't bad at all. Are there larger ones?
Outside of some truly insanely hard to find stuff, yes!So does that mean the BVM is the best CRT monitor ever?
20 inches isn't bad at all. Are there larger ones?
I believe 20" is the largest you can find in the 4:3 ratio.
Cool, cool. Other than the size difference, how does the BVM differ from the XM29? That larger screen is mighty attractive so to opt for a smaller screen it'd have to be noticeable difference to make it worth it, I think, given the prices seem to be comparable.
Last edited by TonyTheTiger; 10-26-2012 at 06:14 PM.
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