I want to purchase a pair of these studio monitors, https://www.crutchfield.com/S-7ODSR...MIn-zU5KKh7AIVgbbICh2RfAbMEAQYAiABEgI8YfD_BwE
But how would I connect it to my iMac?
But how would I connect it to my iMac?
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Connecting KEF studio monitor speakers - how to connect to Mac?
- Thread starter Benz63amg
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You'll need an amplifier to hook up those exact speakers you've listed. A small class-D desktop amp with DAC such as the Topping TP23 at the low end of the price and feature spectrum or the NAD D3020 and the high end would do nicely.
I'm very happy with my Sony UDA-1, but I don't think its available anymore. Like pretty much everything else I own its also not fully compatible with MacOS 10.15.
I'm very happy with my Sony UDA-1, but I don't think its available anymore. Like pretty much everything else I own its also not fully compatible with MacOS 10.15.
You could go the LSX route, there are advantages and disadvantages to powered speakers. I had a pair that emitted a fairly audible high frequency whine, though. And any self powered speaker is going to give you some hiss when turned on but without signal. That being said, the KEF self powered speakers (these LSX and their bigger brother, LS50s) are very nice because Kef's tweaking of the amplifiers. It is fantastic. If you have a clean signal running to them you will be very happy.
If you go for the passive speakers, you get more control over your amplifier and DAC choices. And the ability to tinker with these in the future. This is more to the point of your post. For these speakers you are going to want a USB DAC (digital to analogue converter) to pull the signal from your computer, bypassing the built in DAC. From there, you're going to plug that signal into an amp of your choosing - for these speakers you are going to want as much power as possible, so aim towards the top end of their rating for a 100W amp.
To summarize: iMac -> USB DAC -> RCA cable -> amplifier ->speaker wire -> speakers
We can go on for a while about what DAC/amp to get - depends on your use and how much money you want to drop. Kefs are great speakers though!
These are $600 studio monitors. Realistically OP needs to think about spending $300-500 on the DAC+amplifier to provide the decent audio signal that these speakers really deserve.
There are compact single unit solutions like the TEAC AI-301DA (I'm guessing around $400 street price right now) with a decent Burr-Brown DAC. I have one of these and the older AI-101DA model.
The other approach would be a standalone DAC like the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 (about $200) paired with a small Class D desktop amp like the aforementioned Topping TP23 or the entry level Dayton Audio unit (both are around $100).
Active speaker systems like the KEF LSX (or the venerable Harmon-Kardon SoundSticks series) are more practical if there is a single dedicated audio source like the OP's iMac (i.e., one isn't switching inputs). That's really OP's call.
There are compact single unit solutions like the TEAC AI-301DA (I'm guessing around $400 street price right now) with a decent Burr-Brown DAC. I have one of these and the older AI-101DA model.
The other approach would be a standalone DAC like the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 (about $200) paired with a small Class D desktop amp like the aforementioned Topping TP23 or the entry level Dayton Audio unit (both are around $100).
Active speaker systems like the KEF LSX (or the venerable Harmon-Kardon SoundSticks series) are more practical if there is a single dedicated audio source like the OP's iMac (i.e., one isn't switching inputs). That's really OP's call.
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I’ll look at these right now, do these speakers sound better than the Harman Kardon sound sticks? There’s a new version or the Soundsticks that is supposed to come out in the next few weeks
I just looked up the price of the lsx and it seems to be out of my price range, how will the Harman Kardon sound sticks 4 perform when compared to the LSX KEF line?
I guess I'm a relic from another age, but I have to ask...
... what kind of source material will you be listening to?
mp3's, streaming radio, Apple music?
Does the source material come anywhere near to the audio capabilities of the speakers/amp?
If not, why not spend a little less?
I can't see spending $1,300 on a pair of powered speakers to listen to Apple music, or even high-quality mp3's or other (so-called) "lossless" compressed music files.
Now, traditional audio CDs (44.1khz, 16-bit)... that's something completely different...
... what kind of source material will you be listening to?
mp3's, streaming radio, Apple music?
Does the source material come anywhere near to the audio capabilities of the speakers/amp?
If not, why not spend a little less?
I can't see spending $1,300 on a pair of powered speakers to listen to Apple music, or even high-quality mp3's or other (so-called) "lossless" compressed music files.
Now, traditional audio CDs (44.1khz, 16-bit)... that's something completely different...
For me $1300 is a lot to spend on speakers to play back lossy audio. If you cared about audio quality, you'd either be using a streaming source with hi-fi content or lossless media (audio CDs, Blu-ray Audio, HD audio digital downloads, etc.).
Are you listening to mainstream contemporary popular music (rock, rap, hip-hop, pop, whatever)? That stuff is mastered to compress the frequency spectrum to a limited range because the artists know that 98+% of consumers will listen with crappy $20 earbuds or in a situation where high audio fidelity (e.g., driving in their car) isn't appreciated. There's nothing new about this. Recording engineers have dumbed down pop music mastering quality for forty years, since the emergence of personal music systems (starting with the Sony Walkman from the early Eighties).
Spending more on speakers would make more sense if you were listening to classical, opera or jazz from lossless sources.
While I have not tried them, my guess is that the $1300 KEF LSX won't sound four times better than the $300 Harmon-Kardon SoundSticks 4. I have an old pair of passive KEF Q10 speakers driven by the TEAC AI-301DA. Yeah, they sound pretty good but I'm mostly tossing in a classical CD into the matching CD player. And right now that system isn't even connected to my computer.
Although you have completely ignored it, some of your purchase decision should take into consideration other factors. The first is the number of components and how much real estate they take up.
Is bass response important? If so, you'll probably want a subwoofer, even a small inexpensive one.
Then there's the user interface factor. My mini TEAC amp for my computer is within arm's reach; I don't even need to lean over. If I had active speakers like the KEF LSX, I'd have to lean and stretch to make any adjustments to the controls.
If I had any of the SoundSticks variants, I'd have to reach down under the desk to reach for the subwoofer because that's where Harmon-Kardon places all of the controls for their SoundSticks series.
From my vantage point, something like the legacy $170 SoundSticks III might be adequate for your usage case. There are tons of active speaker systems in the $100-200 range and no one has tried them all.
Are you listening to mainstream contemporary popular music (rock, rap, hip-hop, pop, whatever)? That stuff is mastered to compress the frequency spectrum to a limited range because the artists know that 98+% of consumers will listen with crappy $20 earbuds or in a situation where high audio fidelity (e.g., driving in their car) isn't appreciated. There's nothing new about this. Recording engineers have dumbed down pop music mastering quality for forty years, since the emergence of personal music systems (starting with the Sony Walkman from the early Eighties).
Spending more on speakers would make more sense if you were listening to classical, opera or jazz from lossless sources.
While I have not tried them, my guess is that the $1300 KEF LSX won't sound four times better than the $300 Harmon-Kardon SoundSticks 4. I have an old pair of passive KEF Q10 speakers driven by the TEAC AI-301DA. Yeah, they sound pretty good but I'm mostly tossing in a classical CD into the matching CD player. And right now that system isn't even connected to my computer.
Although you have completely ignored it, some of your purchase decision should take into consideration other factors. The first is the number of components and how much real estate they take up.
Is bass response important? If so, you'll probably want a subwoofer, even a small inexpensive one.
Then there's the user interface factor. My mini TEAC amp for my computer is within arm's reach; I don't even need to lean over. If I had active speakers like the KEF LSX, I'd have to lean and stretch to make any adjustments to the controls.
If I had any of the SoundSticks variants, I'd have to reach down under the desk to reach for the subwoofer because that's where Harmon-Kardon places all of the controls for their SoundSticks series.
From my vantage point, something like the legacy $170 SoundSticks III might be adequate for your usage case. There are tons of active speaker systems in the $100-200 range and no one has tried them all.
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I personally have a Schiit Gungnir DAC + Schiit Asgard headphone amp. I have a pair of KEF Q150 powered by an Onkyo Stereo amplifier. The setup works extremely well. I have a pair of Audeze LCD-2 too.
As others say, you can't have a pair of KEF without a decent DAC. That would be ridiculous. And don't listen to lossy audio. With this kind of setup, you can clearly hear the difference. Tidal is my favourite lossless streaming service.
For powered speakers, I'd go KEF all the way. For less expansive, think of an Onkyo amplifier with ELAC speakers. They are a lot cheaper but the designer is a big name (back from Pioneer) and they are an excellent value. Onkyo is great amp, not too pricey but decent enough to consider it not cheap and low-end. Schiit Vidar with one of their pre-amp is also an excellent choice. If all the chain is there (DAC + decent AMP), the Q150 are truly insane. I love them and will keep this setup for many, many, many years. My Onkyo also powers a pair of Polk monitor speakers in another room. Huge difference in price, but also in sound quality. I might upgrade one day my Onkyo to dual Vidar setup.
As others say, you can't have a pair of KEF without a decent DAC. That would be ridiculous. And don't listen to lossy audio. With this kind of setup, you can clearly hear the difference. Tidal is my favourite lossless streaming service.
For powered speakers, I'd go KEF all the way. For less expansive, think of an Onkyo amplifier with ELAC speakers. They are a lot cheaper but the designer is a big name (back from Pioneer) and they are an excellent value. Onkyo is great amp, not too pricey but decent enough to consider it not cheap and low-end. Schiit Vidar with one of their pre-amp is also an excellent choice. If all the chain is there (DAC + decent AMP), the Q150 are truly insane. I love them and will keep this setup for many, many, many years. My Onkyo also powers a pair of Polk monitor speakers in another room. Huge difference in price, but also in sound quality. I might upgrade one day my Onkyo to dual Vidar setup.
OP:
For listening to music coming in over iTunes, I think you'd do just fine by setting your budget at $250-350, and looking for a pair of decent USB powered speakers.
You really don't need anything more that that.
For listening to music coming in over iTunes, I think you'd do just fine by setting your budget at $250-350, and looking for a pair of decent USB powered speakers.
You really don't need anything more that that.
iTunes's quality isn't that bad.
I regularly play Spotify which is MP3 320 kbps. It's fine. Yes, with lossless FLAC I can hear the difference, specially in bass and higher frequencies, but talking about a 250$ pair of USB speakers and a pair of KEF Q150 there is a WORLD of difference even for lossy audio playback. The KEF won't age. The KEF will always be KEF in 20 years and will always play wonderfully well. When talking about KEF speakers you are entering into a "timeless" solution which is definitively a better investment.
Yes, it's better going full lossless. Changing to a lossless audio streaming service may be part of the solution and recommended. Is it required ? Absolutely not. My Schiit stack, Onkyo amp and KEF Q150 are one of the best investment I've ever made. It sure cost something like 3000 CAD at first, but will be playing nicely for the next 20 years. Schiit gear is also upgradable at their factory if USB interface changes, and they regularly provide board revisions as upgrade. You don't buy something that will be obsolete in 5 years with them. I've been using this setup for 5 years. Had the Onkyo and Polk speakers (with Asus Essence STX audio board in my PC which is one of the best audio card for audio playback in PCs) for something like 5-6 years before that.
In sound, it always come down to how much are you willing to pay and how long do you want to be satisfied with what you are buying.
I know people still using speaker amps and high end speakers bought in the 90s and who are still satisfied. They invested a lot at that time for having high end AMP and speaker setup that satisfied them back in these days. They changed the DAC a few times to get different sound signature and new technology integrated. This is why having separate gear for each purpose is a great investment too.
Schiit gear is very, very reasonably priced. They compete with gear which are a lot more expansive. It's made in California too. The designers have a phenomenal legacy and background. If you are willing to invest in an "entry" setup, go ahead with Schiit + the KEF. You won't regret it and you will keep your setup for decades. Yes, 600$ speakers, 800$ DAC, 900$ preamp and 800$ speaker AMP is still an entry setup in this world, but for ~3,000 $ this is truly an incredible value which will offer spectacular performance for the price. I know it, because I have it. For the moment, I don't see why I would go higher in price. Next step is column speakers like the Q550 or even R7 but I don't have the space for them in current house.
While Onkyo still make 2.0 Stereo AMP, I'm less fan of them. Too many things in them. They now have a tuner, Bluetooth, built-in DAC, Wifi, sonos whatever, HDMI (wtf), Chromcast-whatever.... They contaminated a clean, simple product into an all-in-one thing very far from audiophile world. Mine doesn't have any of these additions, not even a DAC. It was pure analog speaker Amp at that time. If I'd change I'd go Schiit because I know I would have a great bang for the buck.
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Op ... KEF LSX’s are that Much better than the other options you are looking at without spending more money on a dac amp and speakers. I honestly have not been happier with a purchase yet that I have made more so than these speakers. They change how you listen to music. They are super clear and have enough bass to that you don’t have to supplement with a separate subwoofer but you can if you want. I use a set as a soundbar replacement on my main tv and use it to listen to music mostly through Spotify and Apple Music. I know that it is a lot but it is something that should last many more years than your computer. Buy once Cry once.
Coming at it from the pro audio side and not the home audio side, for stereo, I would recommend getting something quality, but more basic:
To get the audio out of your Mac: Get an NAD DAC 2 - NAD do surprisingly good quality gear at affordable prices. The DAC 2 is a digital to analog converter that you can either plug directly into your Mac via USB, or use its included wireless USB adapter to go cable-free. It has premium Burr-Brown converters and is highly rated by reviewers, although it will not please audiophile snobs, but most people cannot hear any difference. About $199 USD.
For the speakers: A pair of ADAM Audio T8V powered monitor speakers - $299 USD each, with 8" speakers. I suggest 8" as you'll get better bass reproduction without requiring a subwoofer, and these have ribbon tweeters that are really quite nice. You can spend more on their more expensive models, but for your use case these will be fine. Plus if you ever decide to upgrade, they hold their value very nicely.
www.sweetwater.com
To get the audio out of your Mac: Get an NAD DAC 2 - NAD do surprisingly good quality gear at affordable prices. The DAC 2 is a digital to analog converter that you can either plug directly into your Mac via USB, or use its included wireless USB adapter to go cable-free. It has premium Burr-Brown converters and is highly rated by reviewers, although it will not please audiophile snobs, but most people cannot hear any difference. About $199 USD.
For the speakers: A pair of ADAM Audio T8V powered monitor speakers - $299 USD each, with 8" speakers. I suggest 8" as you'll get better bass reproduction without requiring a subwoofer, and these have ribbon tweeters that are really quite nice. You can spend more on their more expensive models, but for your use case these will be fine. Plus if you ever decide to upgrade, they hold their value very nicely.
ADAM Audio T8V 8-inch Powered Studio Monitor
Active Vertical 2-way Nearfield Monitor with 70W 8" Woofer and 20W U-ART Accelerated-Ribbon Tweeter
www.sweetwater.com
