looking for pc speakers with decent midrange

[fkclo]

Originally Posted by fjf

I got a pair of Adam A7 active monitors. They have 6.5'' woofers (pretty decent bass) and those ribbon tweeters that give you an incredible midrange and highs. Hearing the violins come out from the chelos in a full orchestra is a nice experience. I recommend them. I'd say they have better mids and highs and are faster than my DT880. Not bad. They are active (amped) and work well in the near field. I have them at both sides of my desk.

Thanks for the recommendation. I will definitely look out for one.

One key worry for desktop speakers is they being too powerful, making it too loud for use in near field application. We in Hong Kong live in small apartments as space is expensive. Many of the "hi-fi" speakers are marketed as "powerful beasts" and this is why I turn to fellows here for recommendations.

F. Lo

[fkclo]

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony

Absolutely go for a pair of active balanced monitors fed with a balanced source / preamplifier. Head to your nearest pro audio store and audition all of their speakers to see which is right for you.

Thanks for the advise. Auditioning speakers is another hurdle to overcome in Hong Kong. Most of the pro-shops are setup for expensive speakers that they wanted to push, and asking the sales to set up a number of desktop monitors for audition usually do not end up in a warm response. Not to mention not many pro-shop has a properly setup audition room. For those who has, they usually set up 2 - 5 set of speakers of various sizes and makes for people to try out different Players, amps, and cables.

Having said this, I would think the Adams should be a good starting point of my research. I do like the idea of active speakers, as there is simply no space for another speaker amp on my table

Many thanks again,
F. Lo

[infinitesymphony]

Accurate and detailed monitors like the ones we've listed don't need to be cranked to be enjoyed. In general, having higher power reserves will improve audio fidelity at all levels, which is why many professional speakers list their capabilities.

With active monitors, there's less to worry about and less to buy, which is probably the reason that many dealers push passive "audiophile" speakers--they require additional purchases like amplifiers and cables.

[falang]

Originally Posted by fkclo

Thanks for the recommendation. I will definitely look out for one.

One key worry for desktop speakers is they being too powerful, making it too loud for use in near field application. We in Hong Kong live in small apartments as space is expensive. Many of the "hi-fi" speakers are marketed as "powerful beasts" and this is why I turn to fellows here for recommendations.

F. Lo

Hey Francis. Remember me? I too am looking for some quality active speakers albeit at a much lower price range than you. If you are interested in the Swans mentioned above, this is the only authorised dealer in HK: http://www.miteng.com.hk/

Please let me know if you come across any other quality speakers or good deals!

p.s.

Hope those ms2s are treating you nicely.

[fkclo]

Hey Terry! Of course I remember you - it was just a few weeks ago when you sell me the MS2i!

Thanks for the link. I did check it online but the Hong Kong agent does not seem to carry the M200, or M200MKII, which I am really interested in.

I am now in a middle of war at work and hope this will be over by end this month. Afterwards, I will go hanging around at some pro-shop "upstairs" and see if I can find some good deals.

While I learned something regarding headphone and headphone amps in the last ears, I am totally green when it comes to speakers. I once have a pair of B&W (can't remember model number) and I was using the wrong gear to drive it - too late as I was told about this after I "GAVE IT AWAY" to a friend.

So, I need all the advises and suggestions here !

And sure be in touch !

Francis

[fjf]

Originally Posted by fkclo

Thanks for the recommendation. I will definitely look out for one.

One key worry for desktop speakers is they being too powerful, making it too loud for use in near field application. We in Hong Kong live in small apartments as space is expensive. Many of the "hi-fi" speakers are marketed as "powerful beasts" and this is why I turn to fellows here for recommendations.

F. Lo

I have them in a small room. As you can see, they have an easy volume control that allows to reduce the output from its 50+50W amplifier.

[fkclo]

The Adam A7 looks very nice, and pro too.

Definitely on my list now.

Someone also suggest Mark and Daniel ? Anyone has knowledge about this ? They are apparently more expensive though.

Thanks a lot of all the kind and useful suggestions so far. Really appreciated.

Francis

[Scrith]

The sweetest midrange I've ever heard on bookshelf speakers is from the Totem Acoustic Model 1 Signature speakers. I used them for more than a year with my computer and was quite happy with them, but ended up going with something slightly larger to get better bass (Dynaudio Contour S 1.4). Both of these speakers require an amplifier, of course. The Totem speakers used Dynaudio drivers, by the way, which is why I wanted to move to either another Totem or a Dynaudio speaker, after being so happy with the midrange on the Totem Model 1 Signature.

If you are truly looking for a no-compromise solution for computer audio, the best thing to do is audition speakers designed for home audio, not computers (which tend to be awful) or studios (which tend to sound rather bland).

[Agnostic]

Buy a sonic impact T-amp and some decent inexpensive bookshelves. I think that will beat any similarly priced computer speakers by miles.