As low as I'll go is my $25 Chromecast Audio. I can plug it into anything old-school I have with little compromise in audio quality.

I love that you're so centrist on these subjects. You obviously have your own opinion but you let the listeners form their own. I legit come here specifically because you're chill and completely understanding with all types of Audiophiles.

I can appreciate the little tootle puffer music systems being created, they truly are amazingly designed things, however, I’ll probably never own one. I have two Sons, 9 and 15yrs old who both have Bluetooth boombox We built together and We’re nearly finished with Mine. Each system the boys and I sat down and designed from the ground up, each project appropriate to their lvl. Sealed alignment for Younger Son, ported for Elder Son, Mine’s ridiculous using a miniDSP2x4 etc etc. I have an appreciation for systems each having their own specific qualities, no instrument will sound identical to another, why should it be any different for reproduction? I feel sound is being pushed down an assembly line lacking the oohs and aahs of a well designed DIY experience. As for source and streaming, I’d prefer LPs but have found 24-bit/96KHZ absolutely phenomenal. PS; I used Tangband 5-1/4” neodymium subwoofers in My boombox, If You get the opportunity, try them out! I’m still in awe how those little guys perform, they easily reach low 30s in a tuned enclosure. With all the available support and supplies, why would anyone want an assembly line noise maker? Create something You can truly call Your Own!

I recently got a killer deal on a used pair of speakers (that I love!) and the seller had replaced them with an echo. So in that sense I’m glad Amazon is introducing more of these products. 😉

You have the links to your site, how ever it just says coming soon. When will this be up and running again for kits, build plans, etc.

I've compared the Sonos and the Amazon echo.. for sound quality I give it to Sonos but as per the budget I'd go for the ech

What I like about this channel is that it provides information to those of us who are not audiophile snobs. You know the type, they are like Festool owners, but vastly more annoying.

I'll stick with old-school, thank you very much.

I have 2 echo plus’s and the echo sub and absolutely the most amazing sound quality I’ve ever had in any system an even at the loudest the sound does not distort, so 10/10 from me an defo recomend for anyone who loves their music.

I saw BOSE has a soundbar for around $179. I think they've included bluetooth for streaming from the phone. Anyone check it out yet? Im curious?

So, my house is powered by Sonos when it comes to audio. I love the quality, but the price is a bit much. In my house, we love music and hate tv, so its in our opinion that anything that gets people off of TV and onto music on a regular basis is a great thing.

I wonder how many younger people have even heard a really good audio system. Too many years of cheap earbuds and low quality mp3's has ruined what a lot of people think is good quality music. I will never give up my quest for the best sound possible for what i can afford. I'm considering building 3 way super towers soon. Speaking of which...Kirby? Anything similar coming soon? Love your build videos.

@lackogoczan3380

5 жыл бұрын

I agree i am 16 and only got into this 2 years ago when i brought a pair of sennheiser 559 they r amazing since than i bought a dac good earbuds and subscribed to tidal, but u r deffinetely rght my friends listened to our google home and said "nice base" and they liked it

@lm6036

5 жыл бұрын

Or... you know... other people have different opinions ay? Funny enough, if you are 40 you can already not hear as much as a 20 year old.

@Azmodan911

5 жыл бұрын

@@lm6036 Different opinions on what? You didn't offer any. If you're a fan of cheap earbuds and low quality mp3's, sorry if i offended you. My hearing is fine, btw. Why would i spend the money on audio if it wasn't? Everything would sound more or less the same. And funny enough, if that was an attempt to dis me for being older than you, trust me, you'll be there one day too.

@lm6036

5 жыл бұрын

@@Azmodan911 No. Other people simply don't care about hifi audio. They just want it to sound "good". Not Amazing. There is a reason Bose is still praised so much. It's sound "good enough" for the average person and they are small. Sonos also sound "good" and are convenient. Most people are not audiophiles (if you like that term) like us. What I meant with older people hear less. It simply the fact that your hearing. of higher tones becomes awful. I am 21 years old. Can still hear up to 18500 hertz. Most people my age hear between 16000 to 17000. At 40, most can only hear up to 14000. Wich to me, is scary since I payed big bucks on my audio and dislike most of these sonus, echo etx audio sound mehhh due to the lack of highs and deep bass. My father can't tell the difference between a Sonus stereo setup and my expensive towers. Ouch.

@Azmodan911

5 жыл бұрын

@@lm6036 And my point was, maybe if younger people were able to hear really great audio, they would throw out their Skullcandy earbuds or whatever they grabbed at Walmart for $10, and have a desire for something better. Bose isn't praised by anyone who has auditioned anything decent. They are a company who has existed on marketing, and they have done a great job at that, so i have to give them some credit.

Streaming audio is what is killing home audio. Not the fact that it's pirated so much, that's another matter, but the quality of the stream, regardless of your loudspeaker is limited. I have an Echo dot in my kitchen, connected by cable, not bluetooth, to an amp and my own home made speakers (thanks Kirby) but still, it's not playing back lossless audio, so the quality is mediocre, but we're talking under cabinet mounted speakers, not super high end and not the best environment for sound reproduction anyway.

@KirbyMeetsAudio

5 жыл бұрын

Good points! I'm curious if speakers like these actually benefit from higher quality sources, though. I think they're actually designed quite smartly to fit to their source. BTW have you tried this test? www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality Pretty interesting. Thanks for watching!

@hardcorecap

5 жыл бұрын

@@KirbyMeetsAudio been a while since I took that test. IIRC, I got a 3 or 4 out of 6 while listening on my cell phone. I have yet to try out my critical listening speakers.

@shaunbrowne3963

5 жыл бұрын

Kirby Meets Audio I must be going deaf, as my results were only 1 / 6. Yikes! Thanks for posting this, Kirby. Very illuminating, indeed!

@lm6036

5 жыл бұрын

Blind tests prove that people can't tell the difference between 320kbps mp3 and lossless wave files. And MP3 320 kbps is one of the most common and arguably "worst" of the small file sound options available. ACC and many more good ones exist. Spotify offers 320 kbps playback on a lot of songs and Tidal even provides lossles audio. If you don't believe me, just google it. Many have tested it. Audiofools want to believe they can hear a difference in order to justify their expensive hobby. Sound compression technology has come a very far way. Close to perfect. In the end, all that matters is that you like how it sounds.

@hardcorecap

5 жыл бұрын

@@lm6036 from what I've heard, LAME encoding is real nice

I would say Amazon is selling to folks who like hearing music instead of listening to music.Portability used to be the selling point, but different manufacturers/retailers sometimes use proprietary software and encourage subscriptions..With subscriptions,you can listen to anything but usually own nothing- and if your connection is down,well..

Kirby you were the guy that hipped me to parts express etc. now i am prototyping active crossover networks Frankenstein some with equalizer parts i had kickin' around lots of fun. Thank You. as far as your point in discussion home audio is not dying just changing..i personally like the idea of having access to all music without having the HAVE all music. Amazon will make whatever quality products people demand (many people listen to music on their phone only these days so a lossless file is sort of 'lost' on them) but for home, people mostly buy basic affordable stereos so this might be better for some, but the ones who really love music and sound will always get the good stuff ..that market will never die just become more elite..or more accurately, just by the nature of the beast, simply remain elite as it has always been. lol

Although I have a Sonos One and I love it. It's good to see other companies making quality audio equipment at a cheaper price. This is an indication of future trends in home audio, with Amazon producing quality home audio, at a cheaper price. This might bring down the price of Sonos lol.

I use Samsung soundbar in the living room for almost 2 years for everyday audio usage. Still connected with my Samsung TV as a main TV speaker unit or to play music from Spotify in my phone without any tuning etc. For listening of few songs per week and as a everyday replacement of built in TV spekaer, for me best way to go. But I agree, if someone is hc audiophile, it will not be enough :)

I already spent 500 $ on headphones and have a good custom made set of speakers with propper sub and propper 3 way speakers, however in the kitchen i do use a google home and for just casual listening from spotify it is great. So i agree wth u i wont change out my listening setup for these any time soon but for the kitchen and for listening to talk shows on the radio it is great especially for their low price

Love Amazon's sound. Enough sound for a kitchen or living room. Price is decent.

Hi, could you make video on battery 🔋 operated portable Bluetooth speakers? Preferably like JBL Boombox having passive radiators, all other people on youtube made diy with music no talk whatsoever so no instructions

Can you do a diy Speaker ,not a box just the driver?

5:36 First time I ever see this guy. I LOVE how he says "I wanna hear it down the comments"!

IMHO the sonos products are heavily overpriced. Good to see cheaper competitors appear.

I'd like the two bits to be seperate. It's the same reason i don't want a smart TV. smart apps/devices change faster than the panel will look dated. I'm using a 7 year old 1080P dumb LCD in the living room. Sure there are nicer screens out there (which i'm saving pennies for), but this one work, and plug a roku/chromcast/ps4/firetv/etc. into a dumb panel and it just works. buy a smart TV and the vendor doesn't update it to work with the newest whatever? no dice.

Alexa isn't allowed in my house. I do Sonos (have for years) but do sit down to my B&O for serious listening. Love the Sonos, but do not want anyone spying on me.

@sircoynie

4 жыл бұрын

I suppose you don’t own a phone then?

I think these devices and streaming audio are great when background music is what you want and also for discovering new music you might not have been exposed to. They are not in anyway suitable for critical listening. I also think it is not streaming audio or MP3’s that are impacting the quality of audio as much as the complete lack of dynamic range that producers are force feeding us. Even MP3’s that actually have dynamic range can sound great, but when you lose the quite in music then you lose the impact and detail. I prefer vinyl not because it is a superior format but because when they master it they tend to (not always)leave the dynamic range in tact, letting me be one one to control the volume and impact. Just my 2 cents.

Its all enclosure design. You can bump efficiency by tuning high making a small speaker sound bigger than it is. Most of the bass you need to play is above 50hz.

The smart speakers dont get close to my Klipsch but I have to admit that the deal of cyber monday got me into sonos for the less demanding consuming of audio. Sonos is not audiophile and amazon isnt either.

I would rather connect a eco dot to a better speaker, but I see why people would go with a system like that

As I understand it, ultimately the sound quality on an echo device is controlled by where the music is stored and how it is transmitted to the echo. this is out of the users control because its Cloud/network controlled. (it may be a great speaker but if the back end is 98 kbps then yer stuffed) There is one Skill (My Media Skill) that allows the echo device to get its audio from a local server. this is a subscription service around 5$ a year for one receiving device. I would prefer the Echo to just issue the commands to the server and then stream the music directly to my chosen output device but that option is not available (possibly in future say MY Media support). Anyhow Spotify and the like will control what you are able to listen to, what quality it will be (and format) and also what it will cost you. There may be other media services that allow local content but they will not match Amazons business ambitions in the future. BTW the My Media skill allows you to say 'Alexa, play some Druva Aliman. Or 'play The Collection. And its smart enough to know The Collection is by Vangelis it then streams from your local server.

@lm6036

5 жыл бұрын

Spotify streams at 320kbps if you want it too. That's incredibly good actually.

@TheActualTed

5 жыл бұрын

+Eternal Genesis AFAIK they have 1MBps option too

I use Deezer HiFi that streams FLAC 16 bit 1,411kbps. I'll stream it to my 500 watt Yamaha receiver with 2 4ft tall cabinets that each house an 8" full range driver (28 - 20,000Hz). My neighbors listen to Metallica whether they like it or not 😁

@idobmx452

4 жыл бұрын

nice music taste my friend

With an Echo Plus pair and the Echo Sub Amazon seem to have got it right with a 300ish dollar tag. If someone wants sound quality they would rather go for a proper amp and tower speaker setup. No Sonos can ever beat that. So why waste a grand!

And Roku is coming out with wireless speakers.

Hello Kirby! It would be amazing if you could make a video about the Dayton Exciters.

Interesting video. Could you do a build video on a diy (smart) home streaming speaker that uses wifi (like google cast or airplay) instead of bluetooth?

Audiophilia is a niche market. It will always be focused on the best possible source and transmission. Home audio in general isn't concerned with "best possible" in the same light. It's more or less "best possible given the overall design goals, aesthetic, and product price point" from the producer's perspective. Home audio as a purchasing market is happy with loud enough and loud enough bass. I don't really expect the audio market to change dramatically from where it already is. Which, in my view, is smaller, sleeker, more streamlined speakers with wireless reception as well as transmission; focusing more on the overall aesthetic as opposed to pure fidelity. I think for a lot of older audiophiles, this is in stark contrast to the grandiose systems that dominated the market up until the aughts. As far as Amazon's moves, it makes total sense to me that they'd expand their product line to include a whole Echo system as opposed to a portal. They're filling the need of living room system that includes an Echo. I think they're giving audiophilia a nod considering the amp idea but it's going to be harder than that to break the ranks considering they're leaning heavily on streaming as an audio source. As far as the price point, it doesn't surprise me considering the price of class D amplification and bluetooth/wireless boards. A fancy looking cabinet with some cheap components that get the job done can go far in the marketplace, as the eyes can effectively lie to the ears and brain.

"sub" lol let's see that thing it 16Hz. I feel sorry for people who think these are as good as it gets. I'm pleased it's not as bad as it used to be though, and the connectivity is a plus. I think this is an improvement over the huge separates systems of the 90's that came with £5 sounding speakers at least. I think separates in Hifi actually puts a lot of people off these days, hifi should be looking at more integrated systems like the active Kef speakers to appeal to this market. If studio monitors don't need a separate amp then neither does a 20-year old student. Pre-amps are for old men with too much money. You don't need to spend £10000 on a fucking DAC. OK... I went off topic here, just some of my hot takes on home audio rn.

For background music only... the original echo dot has one of the worst sounding speakers I have ever heard in my life! 😣😣😣

First I bought Google Home. Didn't like that it became deaf and had a quite mediocre sound quality. Then I bought Echo Plus thinking that music quality will be way better because of 2 speakers and size. Sadly Echo Plus has about the same, bad quality as Home. It has 2 speakers built in but the tweeter is as it is not there at all. I use Home and Echo mostly to play a music and they do it but very poorly. What is wrong is that both Home and Echo sound like you are listening to neighbor's radio through the wall. Bass is there but no high tones. When there are no high tones sound has no definition. If Home or Echo girls are talking it is hard to understand what they are saying. If a singer is singing you don't get words. It is more like mumbling. WTH? How hard it is to get a decent sound? Radio in my cheap Toyota Corolla sounds 10 times better. The sound is almost crystal clear. Echo, NOT. Amazon, do something!

I'd rather listen to my ripped to digital LPs and tapes on a system with wires going to the speakers. And I'll stick to my old school big ass '80s speakers. A 6 1/2 - 15" woofer just has better sounding bass to me.

Yamaha LSX-170 is the best bt speaker to room.

I'm a die hard sound quality guy.

I don't think that the Amazon echo will ever become a substitute for real audio gear. I'm sure it fine for background music for doing chores and the like. Surprisingly, if you give most people a listen to a real stereo system, they are not impressed at all. Many times, I have received comments that a cheap dollar store bluetooth speaker sounds good enough to them, so why waste the money. Then again a lot of "today's music" does not warrant a good quality system. And finally, I don't want an always-on microphone connected to the internet in my house - so no smart speaker for me.

Yes, audio is subjective but come'on man... Play to your target audience & @ 185k subs I guess you know your demographics, it's just a shame you didn't offer a vastly superior option at this price point.

Kirby, it would be nice if you learn how to build speakers right and don't help Amazon to ruin home audio.

@KirbyMeetsAudio

5 жыл бұрын

Hahahaha okay.

@hardcorecap

5 жыл бұрын

In soviet russia, speakers build you.

@IliyaOsnovikov

5 жыл бұрын

@@hardcorecap What that suppose to mean?

@MrFreakwent

5 жыл бұрын

Илья Основиков that's hardly a fair comment in a discussion Kirby initiated.

@IliyaOsnovikov

5 жыл бұрын

@@MrFreakwent I might agree with your assessment, but on the other hand with his nice wood works Kirby kind of discredits the idea of DIY speaker building and the very idea of high quality home speakers in general. Just because almost every time he builds some speakers he does it violating numerous engineering rules and quite often without much concern about actual sound quality.

I added an echo in my shower/bathroom

Damn, when did you go threw puberty? Been a while since I watched. 😂

İ miss ur hairs man