Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #14)

I have a nice set of BOSE speakers for my puter.....sound quite nice!

 

Yeah it's the green output on most soundcards: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_card#Color_codes

You are correct - you need a cable with a 3.5mm stereo plug on one end (ie. the smaller of the two typical headphone jacks) and twin RCA's on the other. Such a cable should be easy to find in any electronics or hi-fi store. The green jack is a line-level output rather than an amplified one for headphones, so it is suitable for plugging into a line-level input on an amplifier.

 

Excellent. Thank you, Russell.

 

Plugged into a hi-fi amp and speakers it should sound much better than tinny little computer speakers (although they have probably improved somewhat from the plastic things you used to get with Soundblaster cards back in the 90's, which is the last time I would have bought such a thing ).

 

I have better-than-standard-issue computer speakers http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/486743/so-i-finally-received-my-hivi-swan-d1080mkii-08-actives, but maybe it'll sound even better using my Paradigm Atoms. I have an extra amp, so it'll cost almost nothing.

 

Cool, let us know the results.

 

Precisely! I have a similar cable connecting the machine on this desk to a complete KLH vintage setup: KLH Model Seventy-One receiver feeding a pair of KLH Model Twenty-Four bookshelf speakers (coincidentally, the same kind that our stereo had when I was growing up). I paid all of $10 for the speakers and maybe $30 for the receiver at local thrift stores, and for casual, nearfield listening over the computer this modest gear sounds great--much, much better than any plasticy set of "computer speakers"--even just fed from the computer's integrated sound card, which is nothin' special.

 

I had a KLH system in college, model 20 or 24. It got stolen during a home invasion (called "breaking and entering" thenadays). It was nice; I liked the way it looked, too. It would be nice if I could find one again.

 

I like my simple solution.....a real nice pair of cans!

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/private_headphones_dj-headphones_004974

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_143HD280P/Sennheiser-HD-280-Pro.html?tp=761

 

Russ, The Logitech Z-2300 I bought about a month ago is actually pretty impressive for computer speakers. I bought the set on sale at Amazon for $120 USD. It is now available at $110. These are only the second set of computer speakers I have bought in 15 years.

 

I have the Sennheiser HD600, which I bought 4 or 5 years ago. I also have the AKG-701 and Beyerdynamic DT990 PRO. I switch between headphones depending on which stereo systems I happen to be listening to.

 

Oooops is this the hardware forum ?

 

Around here, I see them crop up on Craigslist now and again. My father's was a Model Twenty-Three, if I recall correctly, and it gave good service for a long, long time.

 

Perhaps those who are set on buying computer speakers might want to take the Scythe Kama Bay Class-D Amp + Kro Kraft Speakers into consideration.
Unknown manufacturer and ridiculous name aside, they are priced around 110$ and consistently receive rave reviews from 'serious' hifi websites.

 

You know what?
I'm liking Poulenc's sonatas a lot.
The Sonata For Piano and Cello moves something inside me.

 

I actually have pretty decent traditional sound systems (see my public profile), though I have found myself spending up to 50% of my time listening on the computer in my study while I am figuring out how to rebuild my sound system in my study after an accident a year before last Christmas when I almost completely blew out one of the bookshelf speakers due to some remote-control malfunction ...

 

Now playing this CD from my Sibelius collection ...

 

I'm listening to this over and over, which means I'm liking it. I'm not sure the sound is any better than most other versions, but the interpretation grows on me (this is my third listen). Little, quiet details reach out to me, and the "what we need is a good march" portions are, well, a good march.

It's free to listen to on the website whose link you provided above, Wolfram. I'm probably going to buy it at some point, the double-DVD/CD. But I like Mahler the way George likes piano and Stuart likes early music and John likes Schubert and Bill likes Beethoven, so if I like it, why wouldn't I buy it?

This is a nice bit of marketing, letting people listen to works in their entirety before purchasing. I wouldn't have been able to discern that I like it with only :30 clips. And since I know it's not going to be up there forever, if I want it permanently, I have to buy it. Yeah, nice marketing.

 

I bought a few CD's after I had listened to the 30 sec audio clips on Amazon. I must say this is not the way I buy the majority of my CD's. Most of time, I know exactly what I want to buy.

 

Just realized I still have 3 early music CD's that are unplayed. Now playing this CD for a first listen ...

 

Now playing CD7 from this set for a first listen ...

 

Just placed an order on the following SACD's - all BIS and Grieg.

 

Oooh, they already look nice. And since it's BIS, they should sound nice as well.

 

I have never bought a BIS CD that does not have excellent recorded sound.

 

Now playing CD5 from this set for a first listen. I am just amazed at the sound quality of this remastered set and what a great price I paid for it at MDT. This set is much more expensive on this side of the pond. The performance was also first rate IMO ...