I have a Marshall Woburn 3 speaker, and love it.
Stereo separation is theoretically there, but not obvious to my tin ears.

Bluetooth "stacking" for two stereo speakers has been promised for a long time, but may never happen in any reasonable time.
I tend to use Aux wired inputs anyway, so Bluetooth not important.

I am considering buying a second Woburn 3 and wiring L/R Aux input on one speaker to left channel from PC, L/R of other speaker to right channel.

Requires bespoke home made leads - which is no problem to me.

Is this a good idea, or is it a waste of £550 on a second speaker.

Any thoughts will be gladly received.

 

I have a Marshall Woburn 3 speaker, and love it.
Stereo separation is theoretically there, but not obvious to my tin ears.

Bluetooth "stacking" for two stereo speakers has been promised for a long time, but may never happen in any reasonable time.
I tend to use Aux wired inputs anyway, so Bluetooth not important.

I am considering buying a second Woburn 3 and wiring L/R Aux input on one speaker to left channel from PC, L/R of other speaker to right channel.

Requires bespoke home made leads - which is no problem to me.

Is this a good idea, or is it a waste of £550 on a second speaker.

Any thoughts will be gladly received.

I assume you already have 2 for L/R speakers or that box has two channel sound already, right?

Why would you think expanding the source source with extra speakers would improve separation? IMO it would likely muddy the sound field for a typical listener not at the perfect sweet spot. Expensive electronic and transducers can't fix (it's a band-aid on a gunshot wound) a bad room, they can actually make it sound worse to our brains due to expectations of better sound.

Tune your listening room. Even if all you have is a mono sound source. The room is the most important element to good sound, just in front of great speakers IMO. A superior room can make crappy speakers in a boombox sound good. Analyze the reflection points, increase the room damping (carpets on the floor, wall and ceiling treatments, etc...) to reduce the effects of room modes like long reverberation times from stored acoustical energy in the room.

https://www.pac-nj.com/audio-systems/acoustic-room-tuning-101/

 

Not surprising you don't hear much stereo effect if you only have one speaker.
No matter what the advertising hype says, for true stereo sound you need at least two speakers separated by the proper distance.

Seems to be a rather expensive speaker.
Whether it's worth spending that to get better stereo is a question only you can answer.

 

You don't mention the intended use for this system. Are you using this in a DJ scenario?

Your scheme should work but it isn't the most sensible way to approach a home stereo, IMHO. For that usage you're paying quite a bit for features and capabilities you may not be using. If it was me, I'd consider setting up a traditional home stereo by getting a pair of the best speakers you can find for your budget and a decent amplifier. The sum cost of that will be less than the two Marshalls. A used amplifier can be found for next to free.

If you need the portability, built-in amp and the bluetooth, well then maybe the Marshalls make sense. You've already admitted you're not using the bluetooth, so there's no reason to pay for that.

 

Many thanks nsaspook, crutschow and wayneh

Seems like diametrically opposed ideas, but both views give me some great ideas and I very much appreciate diverse opinions.

Responses (randomly mixed) may be a bit bit long-winded, so maybe ignore for your own sanity.

"Not surprising you don't hear much stereo effect from only one speaker.
No matter what the advertising hype says, for true stereo sound you need at least two speakers separated by the proper distance." - Yes, my experience seems to confirm this view - thanks

" Seems to be a rather expensive speaker." - agree fully - yet somehow the "Marshall Sound" seems to fit my ears perfectly despite what specifications tell me. In defence of Marshall, sound is great a full volume, unlike my other speakers. On the down side, full volume is still not loud enough some times. Another plus is the "cool factor" of the Marshall name that unashamedly works for me

"that box has two channel sound already, right?" Yes it does, but I have to put my head really close to the speaker to tell that it is stereo. But then you made me think about whether Stereo verses mono really matters that much. Maybe Yes, maybe No.

"you don't mention the intended use for this system. Are you using this in a DJ scenario?"
Not a DJ. Usage 90% PC speaker with clear speech from youtube podcasts (mono would do), 10% drunken, head-in-speaker, ultra-loud death metal music listening. Medium quality at high volume is good. Existing Sony GTK-XBY 300 watt speaker gives great volume but low quality at high volume.

I think I will buy the second speaker anyway, unless somebody convinces me that there is some other option that gives mid-quality sound with more power. Not going by specs, but by experience.

Love the responses so far- many thanks
Open to further ides for £500 to £1500 loud AND fair quality personal home speakers for old guy who is happy to ruin hearing in last few years

..... Second objective - Marshall Major 5 headphones are also great sound when obscenely over-driven and wired. Anyone know of louder eardrum breaking headphones (wired) ? Budget up to £1500 less what I spent/wasted on speakers as above

 

No need to convince someone that's already decided what they want to do. Buy the second speaker like you plan to do no matter what we say, and start looking into basic room treatments around your listening area to actually improve the sound quality.

 

No need to convince someone that's already decided what they want to do. Buy the second speaker like you plan to do no matter what we say, and start looking into basic room treatments around your listening area to actually improve the sound quality.

Sorry nsaspook. should have addressed that above

I have almost no control of room surroundings. Speakers are all within an odd shaped man-cave electronics lab
I alluded to "tin ear" above. I am no audiophile, but have just enough hearing left to know good quality sound from bad. Not enough hearing to know perfect room acoustics from the man-cave that I live in.

I sense that you are trying to help me with amazing high quality sound, and I very much appreciate you trying your best to help.
Sadly, I am not looking for best quality audiophile sound. I am looking for "cradle of filth" played extra loud at mid-quality.

If I had enough money, I would buy two £2000 party speakers at 1000 Watts each, and use them like headphones. But I need another 5 years use of my ears, and neighbours that don't want to kill me.

And no - I am only 50% decided. I sense that there is some better option out there that I am unaware of. Hence asking here for ideas just in case I can avoid an expensive mistake.

Best regards,
Robin

 

full volume is still not loud enough some times

An additional speaker will give an added 3dB in perceived loudness.
Not a large amount, but certainly audible.

You could also add a powered subwoofer for more low-end volume, if you want to rattle the walls a little.

 

Sorry nsaspook. should have addressed that above

I have almost no control of room surroundings. Speakers are all within an odd shaped man-cave electronics lab
I alluded to "tin ear" above. I am no audiophile, but have just enough hearing left to know good quality sound from bad. Not enough hearing to know perfect room acoustics from the man-cave that I live in.

I sense that you are trying to help me with amazing high quality sound, and I very much appreciate you trying your best to help.
Sadly, I am not looking for best quality audiophile sound. I am looking for "cradle of filth" played extra loud at mid-quality.

If I had enough money, I would buy two £2000 party speakers at 1000 Watts each, and use them like headphones. But I need another 5 years use of my ears, and neighbours that don't want to kill me.

And no - I am only 50% decided. I sense that there is some better option out there that I am unaware of. Hence asking here for ideas just in case I can avoid an expensive mistake.

Best regards,
Robin

You don't need perfect perfect room acoustics, you just need good area acoustics at your listening spot, no matter the music. Look into some portable sound panels/dampers you can drop into or stick on surfaces in the work area where you sit.
https://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Dampening-Self-Adhesive-Absorbing-Acoustical/dp/B0BYC4XP6D?th=1

Sure, people scoff at room treatments (the professionals I once worked with were electronic and acoustic experts, unwanted sound is always evil) but once you're heard the difference it makes, you won't go back to nothing. Buy something cheap and check it out. You likely will be glad you did.

 

An additional speaker will give an added 3dB in perceived loudness.
Not a large amount, but certainly audible.

You could also add a powered subwoofer for more low-end volume, if you want to rattle the walls a little.

Now I think about it - 3dB does not seem like a huge difference
Subwoofer - been there, done that (probably the wrong way)

Perhaps what I really want is beyond my budget. Perhaps I am thinking of the small venue professional experience?

.... will keep thinking, and maybe save my money until I know what I want.

Many thanks for making me think deeper.

 

Subwoofer - been there, done that (probably the wrong way)

What was the problem with that?

 

What was the problem with that?

Sonos gen 2 subwoofer great - but need to buy over-priced gear to go with it. might be a good idea if starting from scratch (which is perhaps another option to think about)

Samsung HW-J7500 sub-woofer, not nearly powerful enough, and does not sound that great

Other sub-woofers - open to ideas

The more ideas I get from you guys, the less sure I am ):

 

Stick to incremental steps would be my 2c. Upgrades are a addition.

 

Other sub-woofers - open to ideas

A 12" sub with at least 300W power (example) should give you all the bass you want.

 

A 12" sub with at least 300W power (example) should give you all the bass you want.

Yeah.... that looks good

How do I connect it from PC output please?
Do I just connect it in parallel to existing Marshall speaker?

 

How do I connect it from PC output please?
Do I just connect it in parallel to existing Marshall speaker?

Yes.
You can use a Y 3.5mm splitter to break out the left and right audio signals into two outputs each, which go to the speaker and the subwoofer input.
The sub amp has built-in, adjustable low-pass filters to amplify only the bass frequencies.

 

If you are listening to music at that high level, remember to include the price of hearing aids in your budget. You will want them sooner than you think. I write from personal experience because that's how I got to need them!

 

Thanks all.

I have now come to a definite decision -
- I will wait a few weeks, until I get a better idea of what it is that I really want.

That sub looks really nice; and I may buy one, but not right now

Appreciate all of the input that has set me thinking a bit better. I can make a better informed decision in the end.

Update: - just received this from Marshall support:

Typically for a stereo pair, you will want both speakers to be the same model, or else the perceived soundstage will be shifted towards the larger speaker.
I would however, use both of these speakers in an ambient configuration, where both of the speakers are outputting the same signal, receiving left and right.

I sense that maybe "the Marshall sound" does not put stereo separation as a priority. Perhaps I should settle for what I have, and save money.

 

I sense that maybe "the Marshall sound" does not put stereo separation as a priority.

Their advice makes little sense to me, and I don't understand why they think putting both channels to two speakers would be preferred.
Certainly putting only the left signal to the left speaker and right signal to the right speaker will give you better stereo separation.

 

I sense that you are trying to help me with amazing high quality sound, and I very much appreciate you trying your best to help.
Sadly, I am not looking for best quality audiophile sound. I am looking for "cradle of filth" played extra loud at mid-quality.

Just to think outside the box, it sounds to me like you might like simply routing your sound through two genuine Marshall instrument amps, L to one and R to the other.

We don't usually think of listening to music through an instrument amp but of course it works. It's probably got relatively poor numbers for distortion, frequency response and linearity, but so what?