The good news: I am actually able to hear when a speaker makes a sound that it is not supposed to make. And with this, you may already have guessed the bad news: the speaker drama continues. I’m hearing something that I should not hear. In one of my new speakers, of course. It’s “I can’t believe this is happening reloaded.” 😖
Alex’s Audio Odyssey
The posts compiled here document the story and learning experience of replacing my desktop 2.1 audio/monitoring system. It turned into more of an odyssey than I expected, so I found it worth documenting! :P
Hail Eris
Well, I hope this choice doesn’t lead to some discord: I decided to order a pair of PreSonus “Eris E5 XT” speakers as a replacement for the hissing AudioEngine A5s. They were on sale and the pair was just US$240 instead of US$380 — otherwise I might have been tempted to get a pair of Yamaha HS5, or KRK Rokit 5 G4*.
They Hiss :(
I feel like I am cursed and can’t believe this is happening. After 5 days of enjoying the AudioEngine A5+ speakers, and just one day of blissful listening when I finally had them at their final position in my room, they have begun to emit an extremely annoying, high-pitched sound from the tweeters, starting all of a sudden this afternoon. ☹️
Room Filling Sound
With the correct cable finally in my possession, I was able to get the speakers off my desk and onto the bookshelf, from where their sound has the necessary room to unfold. Running them through their paces now, they truly do fill my room with sound and it’s AWESOME.
The DAC, It Clips
Even though the speakers are here now, the cable that I need in order to put them onto the bookshelf is not, of course. 😜 My evaluation of the sound in my room remains inconclusive at this point. In today’s post, I’m going back to the DAC, the AudioEngine D1: as mentioned in the previous post, I wasn’t able to hear any difference in sound quality between the DAC and the iMac’s analog headphone output. Both sound absolutely identical to me.
I Haz Speakers
My new AudioEngine A5+ speakers finally arrived, today — in Matryoshka doll style packaging! Inside a neutral brown shipping box is a brown AudioEngine labelled box, inside which is a white AudioEngine retail box. Inside that box are two smooth grey felt/fabric/something bags… inside which are the two speakers — additionally wrapped in protective bubble-plastic something! 😂
AudioEngine’s Got My Business
After a deep dive into reviews and whatnot, I decided to depart from the 2.1 setup I was used to, and try entry-level powered studio monitors instead for my computer desktop audio… desires. If the speakers alone don’t fully satisfy me, it’s possible to add a subwoofer to the setup later on so with that option in mind, I ordered some shiny new stuff… and try to be patient while I wait for it to arrive. 🙂
The Subwoofer Is Dead
Today I noticed that my music and sound was awfully tinny — the subwoofer of my trusty old BlueSky Exo² audio system had stopped working. Since this is an integrated system with the amplifier inside the subwoofer, passive desktop speakers and a remote to control volume and sub level, I can’t just exchange the subwoofer, so I need something new.