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Old 08-11-15, 09:36 AM   #11
Daox
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Did you end up finding anything that worked out for you AC?

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Old 08-12-15, 02:02 PM   #12
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Quote:
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Did you end up finding anything that worked out for you AC?
No, not yet.

I may be way ahead of the curve here...

On one hand, there are 'boom-boxes', which is a solution that many 3rd world people use.

I have looked over some of my older accessory boxes, like surround sound boxes, etc. and the power they use is considerable. THe newer stuff has integrated many of the features into chips, which draw less power, but still, the power draw is large.

I guess for now, I'll just go with a power strip with a switch.

I have been looking into wireless internet radios. I actually bought a new one, and I have found others at the thrift store.

These usually have the added ability to play music from my network shares, which is very nice.

I found a small Logitech table radio, which is a real honey, but it requires the user to load custom software to search out music, which I don't like... I already have too much junk on my computer.

Most of the other wireless radios will cooperate with the windows sharing scheme... much better in my opinion.

So this does open up the ability of being able to listen to radio across the planet, and my own collection, too. The power draw is usually very small... some have batteries, and I can take them to a room I work in.

I have a friend who has been working for years to put in an obscenely expensive and complicated and power-hungry system in his house that will automatically follow him around from room to room playing his favorite music, as he goes. I have learned enough about the details that I am kind of disgusted with this whole idea.

The idea of 'simple' seem more attractive each day.

So, back to your original question, I still have not found a very low power system yet.

-AC
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Old 08-12-15, 04:51 PM   #13
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I've been on the exact same search.

Yamaha makes some receivers with low standby power. Google "yamaha receiver eco friendly standby" and peruse the various models. They claim to use a fraction of a watt on standby. I'm not sure if you need to switch them to standby or if they do it automatically when no sound is detected.

Creative also markets some of their computer speakers as being Energy Star certified, although I can't find any evidence that there is any such Energy Star program, nor can I find specifics on how much standby power they use. But would such a big company lie about a certification? I dunno. Anyway, search Amazon for "creative energy star speakers" to see them. I've been using a set of 2.1 computer speakers on my TV for years. They usually just have a 3.5mm male plug that you can connect to whatever. Not sure how the 5.1 ones connect though.
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Old 08-12-15, 10:45 PM   #14
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AC, I don't know if this will help ...
What is a Raspberry Pi? | Opensource.com
https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/v...p?f=91&t=88391
miniDSP | Innovative DSP solutions
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Old 08-13-15, 10:52 AM   #15
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This:
4X1 HDMI Switcher w/ Toslink & Digital Coaxial Port
plus this:
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Old 08-13-15, 11:49 AM   #16
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The problem is mutually exclusive mandates, followed by the unquantifiable term 'HiFi'. If you're happy with mp3's & 10 watts, the amp you bought should be just fine. I searched ebay for 'passive hdmi switch' but everything that comes up is actually active (powered). Still, probably minimal power hit compared to a full blown media center receiver. 5 port switch for well south of $20 US.

The quick & dirty would be a low end automotive receiver/CD/DVD that will run off 12V. find one with external video/audio inputs, add one of the hdmi switches and an hdmi>VGA+audio converter, and listen.

If you actually care (a little; that's all you're going to get :-) ) about sound quality & want low power, plan on really big speakers. It takes a lot of energy to reproduce bass, and the smaller the woofer, the less efficient it is, in coupling the mechanical motion of the cone to the air. Can be fixed with a horn, but there goes size again...And money.

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Old 08-13-15, 07:47 PM   #17
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Quote:
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...add one of the hdmi switches and an hdmi>VGA+audio converter, and listen. ...plan on really big speakers. It takes a lot of energy to reproduce bass...
Thanks rvC,

I do have 2 old re-coned original Advents for speakers... actually, I have 4 of them, a matched set. My house is quite small and my main listening room is quite, quite small, so to my ear, the near-field bass is pretty good.

A problem that has arisen that was unexpected, was that while my A/V surround amp was in the shop, and I had to do with a 15 watt stereo that was maybe 25 years old (before surround was popular). The 15 watt amp provided more than enough power, but apparently, the surround encoding expects a center channel decoder. So, when I was playing back movies the speech portion of the sound track was drowning in the other sounds.

In my opinion, the move from mono to stereo was a very large improvement (I was there when this happened). But the move from stereo to surround was not the quantum leap that stereo was. (I was there when this happened, too).

So, I don't need surround sound to enjoy music. But it's beginning to look like I will need some modest decoding, if for nothing else to hear speech in movies.

Best,

-AC
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Old 08-13-15, 10:42 PM   #18
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What's your programming source? Most sources have a way to configure the audio stream for your audio system. If your computer is the source, have you checked the sound settings? ON my Windows 7 system, opening 'sound' then clicking on 'speakers', I get a popup that offers 'stereo', 'quadraphonic', and '5.1 surround'.

edit: The Advents are wonderful speakers; congrats on owning a pair of pairs. :-) I've got a pair now that needs new cone surrounds; I'm waiting for a place to use them.
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Old 08-14-15, 01:49 AM   #19
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Quote:
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What's your programming source?
I have a Western Digital media box with a 1TB internal drive. It is the greatest piece of gear I ever got. For some reason they stopped making them. Must be because so many people liked them so much. It certainly does not hold all my music, but plenty enough for me. And movies, too. Full HD. It has been very reliable... but no controls like you mentioned.

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edit: The Advents are wonderful speakers; congrats on owning a pair of pairs. :-) I've got a pair now that needs new cone surrounds; I'm waiting for a place to use them.
They have certainly lived up to their reputation. I got them in a Goodwill for about $10/box because the surrounds were crumbled into oblivion.

There's a place here that has the foam for those speakers in stock. As you might know, Advents have unique bass drivers. This local place will re-cone if it is required, otherwise they replace the foam, which was actually my case.

-AC
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Old 08-14-15, 06:32 AM   #20
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Well, that's a bummer. Does your TV have an audio out setting adjustment? If so, HDMI from the WD to the TV and L/R audio from TV to an A/B audio selector switch to the stereo might work.

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