r/audiophile Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk Thread
**Welcome to the** [r/audiophile](https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/) **help desk. A place where you can ask community members for help shopping for and setting up stereo gear.**
*This thread refreshes once every 7 days so you may need to repost your question again in the next help desk post if a redditor isn't around to answer.*
## Finding the right guide
Before commenting, please check to see if your question actually belongs in one of these other places:
* r/hometheater for 5.1 and multichannel systems * r/StereoAdvice for 2.0 and home stereo shopping advice * [r/HeadphoneAdvice](https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/) for all headphones and portable shopping advice * [r/headphones - Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/about/sticky) * r/CarAV for automotive sound * r/Bluetooth_Speakers for portable speakers * r/Soundbars for home theater sound bars * r/LiveSound for public use * [r/audioengineering Getting Started Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/audioengineering/wiki/gettingstarted) * [r/audioengineering Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/audioengineering/about/sticky)
## Shopping and purchase advice
To help others answer your question, [consider using this format](http://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/wiki/purchaseadvice).
To help reduce the repetitive questions, here are a few of the cheapest systems we are willing to recommend for a computer desktop:
**$100:** **Edifier R1280T** **Powered Bookshelf Speakers** [Amazon (US)](https://smile.amazon.com/Edifier-R1280T-Powered-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B016P9HJIA) / [Amazon (DE)](https://www.amazon.de/EDIFIER-Studio-R1280T-Lautsprechersystem-Watt/dp/B00GBN50SC)
* Does not require a separate amplifier and does include cables.
**$400**: **Kali LP-6 v2 Powered Studio Monitors** [Amazon (US)](https://smile.amazon.com/LP-6-V2-Project-Powered-Monitor/dp/B09MLT8C45) / [Thomann (EU)](https://www.thomann.de/gb/kali_audio_lp_6_2nd_wave_white.htm)
* *Not sold in pairs, requires additional cables and hardware, available in white/black.* * Require a preamplifier for volume control - eg [Focusrite Scarlett Solo](https://smile.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B07QR6Z1JB)
## Setup troubleshooting and general help
Before asking a question, please check the [commonly asked questions in our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/wiki/FAQ).
Examples of questions that are considered general help support:
* How can I fix issue X (e.g.: buzzing / hissing) on my equipment Y? * Have I damaged my equipment by doing X, or will I damage my equipment if I do X? * Is equipment X compatible with equipment Y? * What's the meaning of specification X (e.g.: Output Impedance / Vrms / Sensitivity)? * How should I connect, set up or operate my system (hardware / software)?