Matt Walker's Tech and Hobby Blog » Computer http://mrmatt57.org Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:51:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 My Computing Equipment http://mrmatt57.org/my-rig/ http://mrmatt57.org/my-rig/#comments Sat, 08 Dec 2007 12:08:34 +0000 Matt http://mrmatt57.org/2007/12/08/my-rig/

People have been asking what I am running for my current system so here is a post dedicated to just that. Several of the components have been carried over from many configurations ago. I have been through many iterations and a lot of research to derive this system. Suggestions and Questions are welcome, please comment.

My Computer My Computer 2
Triple Display:

Samsung 225BW 22″ LCD
Two Samsung 920N 19″ LCD
Ergotron DS100 Stand

System:

Intel D975XBX (Rev A0)
Intel E6600 Core 2 Duo @ 3072mhz (1365.7mhz FSB, x9 Multiplier, 1.259v Core)
Scythe Ninja Air Cooler w/ 2 x Thermaltake 120mm 95cfm
4Gb Geil @ 853.8Mhz 5-5-5-15 (4:5 FSB:DRAM)
EVGA GeForce 8800GTS @ 576Mhz 640MB @ 1.7Ghz
Biostar GeForce 8400GS 256MB (KVM Display)
SuperMicro 5bay Hot Swapable HDD Enclosures x 2

Drives:

NEC ND-3520AW DVD_RW
Plextor PX-W5224A CD-R
NewEgg 4Gig USB2 (ReadyBoost)
IronKey 4Gig USB2 (Portable Storage/Apps)
Western Digital 74Gig 10,000 RPM Raptor (Primary OS)
4 – Seagate 320Gig 7200.10 (Raid 5 Storage)
Old SATA drives for backup

Peripherals:

Color Balanced with Pantone Huey Pro
Microsoft/Razor Reculsa Keyboard
Logitech G5 Mouse
Func F30.R Mouse Pad (Get one while they last)
IOGear Miniview Symphony Multi-function 4-Port KVM Switch

Sound:

Swan M10 2.1 Desktop System
Sennheiser HD580 Headphones
Shure E4c Sound Isolating Headphones

Software:

Micorsoft Windows Vista 32-bit (Yuk, if only 64-bit software was up to par)
Editplus (By far my favorite text editor)
Microsoft Office 2007 (Love it!)
Virtual Ubuntu and Red Hat Distros
Various Virtual Development Environements (clients, servers, stress-tests, etc)

Network:

Linksys WRTG 54 v3 – Tomato Firmware (QOS rocks!)
Linksys EG005W Gigabit 5-port Workgroup Switch
Pure Cat6 Cables

Power:

Monster PowerCenter Hts 2000 Mkii
CyberPower CP1350AVRLCD UPS Battery Backup – 1350VA

Printer:

HP LaserJet 1020 (B&W)
Target/Kinkos (Color Photo Prints)

]]> http://mrmatt57.org/my-rig/feed/ 3 Swans HiVi – M10 Speakers http://mrmatt57.org/swans-hivi-m10-speakers/ http://mrmatt57.org/swans-hivi-m10-speakers/#comments Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:48:01 +0000 Matt http://mrmatt57.org/2007/11/26/swans-hivi-m10-speakers/ Well, I finally replaced my workhorse Boston Acoustic BA4800. After much research, I decided on the recently released Swans M10′s. I was looking for studio quality sound on a budget. I looked at Mackies, M-Audio and several other 2.1 systems.…

]]> Well, I finally replaced my workhorse Boston Acoustic BA4800. After much research, I decided on the recently released Swans M10′s. I was looking for studio quality sound on a budget. I looked at Mackies, M-Audio and several other 2.1 systems. I really wanted a two speaker system, but could not find anything with excellent sound quality at a pro-sumer price. The sweat spot for bottom-end studio quality monitors is about $300. So I decided to look at higher-end 2.1 systems and ran right into these M10′s.

After a week of listening, these speakers definitely fit the bill. The imaging and balance is amazing. I had never heard of Swans or the new holding company HiVi. They have built their reputation with the slightly more expensive M200 model. From what I understand; what they lack in customer support, they more than make up for in build and sound quality. So far I have not had to use their customer support channels, but I have been thoroughly enjoying listening to these speakers. The sound is truly amazing.
Swans HiVi M10 Speakers Swans HiVi M10 Speakers
Swans HiVi M10 Speakers Swans HiVi M10 Speakers

Pros:

  • Build Quality – These things are solid.
  • Sound Quality – They are not true monitors, but have a balanced and for the most part accurate sound. If you are looking for big boomy bass, these are not the speakers. If you like Jazz, you are in for a treat.
  • Packaging – First class packing all the way. They even come in cloth bags, to protect them from scratches.
  • Interface – The back of the speaker has RCA connections for easy speaker extensions and stereo hookups. They include a stereo RCA to 3.5 mm Minijack plug.

Cons:

  • Volume control on sub-woofer – This is not necessarily a negative if the speakers are used as intended.

Summary:

If you are looking for a close range desktop speaker system, these are a great option. The highs are amazingly crisp, the mids are nicely filled in and the lows are adequate and pronounced.

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