Any audio gurus or enthusiasts?

[Lady Fraktor]

I need some tips/ advice for choosing a good set of loudspeakers.
I would prefer passive loudspeakers over active.
The main use will be at low to moderate volume and majority of listening will be philharmonic.

Currently I am using a Astell&Kern setup of a SR25 MkII, ACRO L1000 headphone amplifier and beyerdynamic Amiron home headphones
so a good set of loudspeakers would be a nice complement. ​

The last time I went shopping for good audio gear, bi-wiring was a big thing... now there are more numbers and acronyms that I would need a interpreter to get through it all.

If you want to see the gear specifications:
Music player

Headphone amplifier

[KathyNS]

If you'd asked me 25 years ago, I could have answered your question. You'd have wanted 40-watt 8-ohm speakers. Simple, and all amplifiers would accept them.

These days? I have no idea what half of those specs mean. The only speaker output I can find is on the headphone amplifier. It is only 15 watts per channel, so you will have to make sure the speakers are efficient. If comparing in a store, efficient means the loudest sound for a given volume level, on the same passage of music.

Good luck finding something.

[Lady Fraktor]

We are at the same level Kathy
The player re-creates the sound at a level comparable to sitting off to the side in the studio, quite amazing reproduction!
I am re-discovering quite a bit of my music collection.

[notFritzArgelander]

If you'd asked me 25 years ago, I could have answered your question. You'd have wanted 40-watt 8-ohm speakers. Simple, and all amplifiers would accept them.

These days? I have no idea what half of those specs mean. The only speaker output I can find is on the headphone amplifier. It is only 15 watts per channel, so you will have to make sure the speakers are efficient. If comparing in a store, efficient means the loudest sound for a given volume level, on the same passage of music.

Good luck finding something.

I'm in the same boat. I just hope to Zeus that the gear I have holds out longer than I do!

[turboscrew]

I'm far from audio guru, but which numbers and acronyms are you wondering about?
Quite many of them seem to be about digital input and digital signal processing stuff.

Are you planning to connect the speakers to the head phone amp?
It wants 4 ohm 15 W speakers.

[Lady Fraktor]

I knew I should have gone with the difficult question first

A harder question: Can I use the headphone amplifier as a pre-amplifier/ source and connect it to a 2 channel power amplifier using the 4 pin XLR cable?

[turboscrew]

I knew I should have gone with the difficult question first

A harder question: Can I use the headphone amplifier as a pre-amplifier/ source and connect it to a 2 channel power amplifier using the 4 pin XLR cable?

You can, but you need to be careful. 6V or 8.5V is somewhat high level for power amplifier input.
The specs didn't tell about the output impedance or level for the XLR connector. Nor what's it intended for.

Keeping the volume low enough should work, but there's the risk of burning the inputs of a power amp.
I think, though, that there are power amps that can handle the levels.
I didn't find anything about the connector impedances, though. With wrong high-ish input impedance power amp, it should work, but the signal may be distorted.

Typically, the output impedance of a pre-amp is few tens of kOhms, and output level tens of milliVolts to little over a Volt.
The XLR output may have the "standard" impedance and level (about 1.2 V). In that case it should work with power amps with XLR input.

Then there are (passive) attenuators...
https://www.amazon.com/Shure-A15AS-Swit ... B0002J1JKY

[turboscrew]

It starts to look more and more like the XLR output is "standard" line level output, and could be connected to XLR input of a power amp.

[KathyNS]

There are two "standard" output line levels: -10db and +4db. Generally, unbalanced connections are used on cheap consumer-grade equipment, and use -10db level. Studio-grade equipment uses +4db and balanced connections. In practice, you can mix them easily without worrying about it too much, though if you cranked up the volume on a +4db output, but could get some nice distortion on a -10db input. And you have to be a bit careful to avoid ground loops, since the balanced and unbalanced cables handle grounding differently.

Your spec sheet doesn't talk about signal levels. However, I would assume that the balanced outputs are +4db and the unbalanced ones are -10db.

[turboscrew]

There are two "standard" output line levels: -10db and +4db. Generally, unbalanced connections are used on cheap consumer-grade equipment, and use -10db level. Studio-grade equipment uses +4db and balanced connections. In practice, you can mix them easily without worrying about it too much, though if you cranked up the volume on a +4db output, but could get some nice distortion on a -10db input. And you have to be a bit careful to avoid ground loops, since the balanced and unbalanced cables handle grounding differently.

Your spec sheet doesn't talk about signal levels. However, I would assume that the balanced outputs are +4db and the unbalanced ones are -10db.

I think balanced output to 4-pin XLR don't have a ground. Just left/right +/-.
And yes, -10dBV (amlitude about 0.45V) for consumer, +4dBu (about 1.7V) for pro.

[KathyNS]

I think balanced output to 4-pin XLR don't have a ground. Just left/right +/-.

I think the grounding on an XLR is through the plug housing.

[turboscrew]

I think balanced output to 4-pin XLR don't have a ground. Just left/right +/-.

I think the grounding on an XLR is through the plug housing.

I think it's supposed to be for potential difference between the devices (sort of chassis ground), not signal ground. And it's probably, not needed.
The balanced output is really just differential output. The common mode voltage should not have an effect.
(The common mode rejection ratio is, usually, quite good.)

For unbalanced, I think the '-' signal is used as signal ground.

[KathyNS]

I think it's supposed to be for potential difference between the devices (sort of chassis ground), not signal ground. And it's probably, not needed.
The balanced output is really just differential output. The common mode voltage should not have an effect.
(The common mode rejection ratio is, usually, quite good.)

For unbalanced, I think the '-' signal is used as signal ground.

Correct. The shield of the cable is for external noise suppression, and is connected to one or both chassis grounds. The audio signal uses only the + and - lines, which is why it is called balanced.

[turboscrew]

I think it's supposed to be for potential difference between the devices (sort of chassis ground), not signal ground. And it's probably, not needed.
The balanced output is really just differential output. The common mode voltage should not have an effect.
(The common mode rejection ratio is, usually, quite good.)

For unbalanced, I think the '-' signal is used as signal ground.

Correct. The shield of the cable is for external noise suppression, and is connected to one or both chassis grounds. The audio signal uses only the + and - lines, which is why it is called balanced.

I was about to say EMC protection, but that sounded a bit too dramatic.
EMI would have been closer...

[helicon]

Interesting thread. I recently bought a turntable to play old LP's. It has a bluetooth connection to my JBL speaker...good luck Gabrielle.

[Lady Fraktor]

The output connections are 2.5mm, 3.5mm, 6.3mm and XLR which are all balanced.
The 3.5mm and XLR can be used as output connections, I use the XLR with my headphones.
The 3.5mm seems to be a standard connection point for some component systems.

How the amplifier switches the power levels internally is uncertain as there is no information on the type of amplifier used. ​
There is a switch to go between the two and somewhere in the manual it says to avoid switching with the power on.
The switch is to the right of the 4 pin XLR connector.

[turboscrew]

The output connections are 2.5mm, 3.5mm, 6.3mm and XLR which are all balanced.
The 3.5mm and XLR can be used as output connections, I use the XLR with my headphones.
The 3.5mm seems to be a standard connection point for some component systems.

How the amplifier switches the power levels internally is uncertain as there is no information on the type of amplifier used. ​
There is a switch to go between the two and somewhere in the manual it says to avoid switching with the power on.
The switch is to the right of the 4 pin XLR connector.

I think the speaker poles get the signal anyway, or there could be load detection. In the jacks, there may be internal switches such that if all switches are closed, XLR is used. Just a guess...

[Lady Fraktor]

Interesting thread. I recently bought a turntable to play old LP's. It has a bluetooth connection to my JBL speaker...good luck Gabrielle.

A good way to avoid cable clutter, how is the sound reproduction?
Did you mean speaker or speakers?

[helicon]

The sound is good but I'm hardly an audiophile. It's a stereo speaker like this one...

[Lady Fraktor]

I think the speaker poles get the signal anyway, or there could be load detection. In the jacks, there may be internal switches such that if all switches are closed, XLR is used. Just a guess...

I do not think the speaker connections would be receiving the signal until the switch is used.
I do know the headphone connections including the XLR are active at the same time as I have had 3 sets of headphones plugged in at once when comparing them.
(3.5mm, 6.3mm and XLR)