General purchase advice: Ask your questions/for advice here!

Thanks for the feedback. I am currently using a fiio e10k

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Several years ago I had a FiiO E17K (Alpen 2), and used it for one month before its endless high-pitched whining forced me to upgrade. If possible, you might return the E10K and try another product. You might try the AudioQuest Dragonfly Black in the same price bracket (I have no direct experience – @pennstac?).

Others might comment on the potential of the 599 too. Was it new? Is it damaged?

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I was, and still am happy with the Audioquest Dragonfly Black at $99. It does not adequately power thirsty headphones like the Sennheiser HD-6xx, but it is fine for anything lesser. On the other paw, it does not draw quite as much power when connected to an iPhone, so that is a plus. The MQA decoding - if that is a consideration - is bulletproof. I have not felt limited by it’s chosen resolution limit of 96/24, which was deliberate for ease of use and compatibility with Apple and some other ecosystems. It’s right where it should be for its use case. Generally I use my newer Dragonfly COBALT because it has greater power and integrates the jitterbug circuitry,

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would the hickman Sundara be a good choice for music listening? I looking for headphones primarily for music listening and good sound. Beyerdynamic is another brand that keeps popping up. People recommend the studio 770 series. But Im not sure if studio headphones is what i am looking for.

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I got them yesterday from Amazon. Brand. New.

Please see the Sundara thread for more info – I don’t own one. Take the comments about reliability seriously, as well as comments about effective amplifiers.

Beyerdynamic is polarizing, as the brand tends to have bright/sharp treble. This tone is preferred by some people, along with the similarly bright Grado. Others find these brands to be piercing and painful. You must try for yourself, but they are not nearly as popular in this forum as less bright or warm brands (e.g., Sennheiser, Focal, ZMF, Koss, etc).

If it’s not adding value and you are not happy, it’s easy enough to return.

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I’m thinking about some sound for my office. My admin left, so I’m alone in the office, and I might want something to listen to. Not headphones.

Speakers.

My inner office area is about 12 x 15, and my desk sits back about 2/3 of the way. The entrance from the outer office is a door on the right side of the wall facing my desk.

It’s important that the speakers play well at a LOW VOLUME. There are other people in the building, so I won’t be cranking it.

I plan to listen to CLASSICAL, JAZZ, WORLD, and a mix of other stuff.

Even though my desk area is pretty big, I don’t think I want to waste desk space. I have clients, and the desk has an extension where I can seat 3 clients. Monitors are to the left, with a large one for clients hung from the wall. I don’t want computer or nearfields getting in between me and clients.

Budget is UNDER $2K. I’m thinking floor-standing. My current thought is a pair of Magnepan .7

I have some existing equipment that I can use for source and amp.
I don’t really know what else is out there that will sound good in that price range.

ALL THOUGHTS WELCOME.

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Maggies can be super great, but there is a reason almost every pic of them shows them 3 to 5 feet from a wall. They need to breathe to sound good. I’d worry about that in an office setting.

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I’d consider steering clear of dipoles in a office setting with minimum placement flexibility.

Often mentioned in this budget:

Kef ls50, (powered would make for a super easy office system set up)

Magnepan on walls?

Zu dirty weekends

B&W 602

Elacs (Andrew Jones)

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Magnepan’s are amazing for their price but require a pretty strong front end and the ability to place them where they sound best. Wouldn’t be my choice for an office.

Under 2k for the speakers alone? The new ELAC Uni-Fi reference towers are getting pretty great reviews, require a little bit of care to drive properly.

A bit easier to drive would be the TRIANGLE BOREA BR08.

Even easier to drive would be the Zu Omen Dirty Weekend.

So a little bit depends on the strength of the amp you have laying around, but since you said low level probably don’t need much.

I know you said you didn’t want to take up a lot of desk space but could always consider bookies on stands as well (the monoprice stands filled with sand or kitty litter are great for their price), just outside of your desk. For near field I love coaxial setups like the KEF LS50, Fyne Audio F500, ELAC Uni-Fi reference bookshelves.

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Your space might be a bit small for Maggies or Zu DW, which I would otherwise recommend. Assuming you have 80 wpc, I like these Elacs for your intended space/use. I used to own the non-slim bookshelf version.

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For a space like that, I’d do a set of nice active studio monitors. They are relatively small and inconspicuous, sound incredible/accurate at low volumes, have built in amps/dsp, and can be placed anywhere (desk or stands or walls, etc).

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Thanks, Prof - I’d considered that, and have about 3 ft easily available. I haven’t measured my office exactly, it may be a touch larger than I said. I’m in an 1100 sq ft suite, with the front occupied by the reception desk and waiting area. My office is next - I usually keep the door open, which provides an additional hallway behind that one corner. I was thinking of speaker placement just in front of the door on the door side, and about 3 ft forward from the wall (where a plant might be) on the other side.

I’d thought about that. Probably doing it right would cost over my budget. Hmmm Elacs…

Those don’t look bad. Never heard of the Zu.

I have a very solid 100w RMS per channel. My old Sansui AU-919 integrated, it’s been serviced and recapped. This was from the time that Sanusi was making a run on Marantz.

On the desk is out. I’d considered the Mini Maggie setup but for that. Not looking for near field, although I know it can sound good. One minor consideration is if I ever hold an open house event, I might want to move the speakers to the larger room.

Thanks for the thoughts - I will be considering and with any luck finding a spot to audition some. Keep the ideas coming. (I don’t move that fast)

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It seems you are itching to fill the empty space with something that requires a lot of room. Flat speakers are certainly conversation pieces for non-audio folks (e.g., clients). “What is this magical device you have here? Can you perform similar magic with my investing and insurance plans?”

The closest thing to a Maggie that’s easily available for demos might be the Martin Logan setups in the Magnolia units of Best Buy. I’ve seen MLs with McIntosh components in multiple stores. High-margin aspiration gear for the suburbs.

Yeah, you’ll have to beware of the dangers of this:

and your response being "those are my

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Why this?

Well, getting a good sound quality at a relatively low volume is not that easy with floor speakes, my Bowers & Wilkins need a lot of “pressure” to deliver a clean sound.

Strangely enough, I perceived for this preference, klipsch loudspeakers, to be very efficient.

If you like Grado, this thought might not be so absurd.

“The Audiophiliac” might even agree :wink: :grinning:

Powered by my Schiit.

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Ahhh, @generic, you are also getting to the crux of another matter that I did not discuss. I knew that someone on this forum would be a spreader of light.

Yes, yes, one motive for the Maggie idea is that they are flat panels. Don’t look like speakers, almost might be some sort of acoustic room treatment. I know they sound good at low volume also. But yes, the idea is to have something that looks high-end, or at least modern different and magical.

The ELAC disappoints on that front. Very speaker like. I looked at the ZU Dirty Weekend and in the hickory finish seem much better. Still speaker-like but not ordinary. @Lothar_Wolf the Genelecs don’t look like aspirational goods. And I’ve listened to B&W in the 800 series, and I think you are right that they sound best driven and reasonable volumes. I’ve listened to modern Klipsch and only like their big horns. I like their old big horns also…

“Food for thought — and shoes for industry” - Firesign Theater

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Might be interesting to you:

https://www.martinlogan.com/en/product/efx

My guy (who works in the industry you work in) has an office that has passed austere and borders on solitary confinement. Except for his one indulgence, an extremely fancy standing desk. I bet he gets a lot of questions about that desk.

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I love the idea of the ML EFX. If all of you in the US would kindly trust me as your Financial Advisor, I could get the Maggies for now, then move them into the main reception area and replace them with the ML EFX in my office as I level up a few notches in my practice. PM me if interested!

Did I mention that I had set a price range of under $2k for the pair?

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