if you know me, like other headfiers who can only afford to stay on the low end of audio, i like to give recommends on affordable gears that sound good for the money.

so the story is after using a $10 jbl pc speakers in my bedroom for about half a year, thanks to my lame #$^@ tenants. i got back to financial stability and got new bookshelves, the 4th pair bookshelves i'll be trying. actaully before this i thought about dropping $700 for the new Kef iQ7 [size=xx-small](KEF iQ5)[/size], their new iQ line is pretty good and affordable, reccomended taking a look at also. but then again, i spent most of the time at the computer in a small room so that would be a waste.

so i went and talk to my speaker audiophile friend and search around and conclude with the Onix x-ls. they're claimed to be the best sounding $200. i have agree, hooked it up in the same setup as my current AR S40, and its probably better than the S40 in the upper range. the x-ls have good treble extension and very detailed. everything is clean and transparent. the depth is good and it almost sounded wider than my s40. very good stereo seperation, beter than my S40. ofcourse being bookshelves you cant expect much on bass, spec said 45hz, it havent really burn in yet so i cant comment too much because i think that area is where it begin to shown best after burn in. but the impression is good aswell, the bass is quite clean, can pack a good punch too, rear ports.

its actaully not that small of a bookshevles, 13.5inch high 8.5inch wide. the freq graph shown a light concave around 200hz, which i like actaully, muddy lowmids and upper bass is my biggest grip, apparently a big problem with closed headphones. so far everything sound neutral, with a touch more polish in the upperrange. its more AKG sounding, not really sennheiser or grado. this speaker is honest, it play what it receives, your source and recording will influence how it sound. it sound slightly different with my gmni400, modded av710, and philips sacd. actually i prefer with the gmini400 over av710, warmer sounding. also i'm not sure its a big fan of low quality mp3.

so yeah like anyone ever listen me when i recommend underdogs and this thread will disappear soon. but if you're looking for a decent affordable one, that is better than your usual $100 bookshelves, take a note of this. they're only distributed at av123.com. i heard there is DIY version of this that only cost $110 for parts.

Great choice, terrymx. My current bookshelf uses the 5.25" version of the woofer in your speaker and its top end performance is somewhat impressive. It's way below cost of parts if you were to buy everything yourself, especially with the nice cabinet.

hmmm, supposed to either be all black or have the maple veneer on the front panel too... Why are yours different?

EDIT - Sorry yours *are* all black. It looked like the sides were light colored. (my mistake)

its satin black and its really smooth.

Thanks for the post. I love to see good budget recommendations. Just out of curiousity, have you heard any of the other speakers from AV123? They've got a pretty big selection now.

I'm asking this for a friend - do you guys think that these speakers can be driven on a Sonic T-Amp (the one at 15W). I ask because it says the speakers are 87dB, but that means about 1 meter of good sound projection per watt, right? If these are mostly going to be used for close-range listening, this is probably acceptable, right?

Thanks in advance.

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I have this combination and do not recommend it. I am even using a 3 amp power supply for the t-amp and compared to an adcom gfa-535 II (which you can find on eBay for about $125.00) there is no contest. A lot of detail in the mids and highs is lost and the bass seems muffled. In addition, it appears to be pretty easy to get the amp to clip. It doesn't appear that the 8 ohm x-ls are efficient enough for the t-amp.

The speakers themselves are great, however, through the adcom so I do recommend them. I do have an audiodigit 100w t-amp kit on the way and have hopes that it will drive these speakers better.


Happy listening!

-Andy

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One meter from speakers:

87db at 1watt
90db at 2watts
93db at 4watts
96db at 8watts
99db at 16watts

Two meters from speakers:

81db at 1watt
84db at 2watts
87db at 4watts
90db at 8watts
93db at 16watts

Four meters from speakers:

75db at 1watt
78db at 2watts
81db at 4watts
84db at 8watts
87db at 16watts

He should be fine at two meters, or less depending on his definition of loud. Three, or four meters is out of the question.

are they powered? if so, i might consider getting them for my computer...

nevermind, should have read deeper in the thread..

I don't have any experience with the Onix X-LS, but I did use a 5.1 Onix Reference 3 system and other AV123 products for over a year. Everything I've bought from them has been a great value and delivered audiophile sound quality. They are a rare company that delivers more than you would expect at the prices they charge. They also have a great 30 day return policy which allows you to buy without any concern for potential regrets.

I was pretty close to purchasing a pair of those but they aren't shielded

With a decent power supply, you can get ~6 WPC from the SI T-Amp.

In nearfield, I really wouldn't recommend the T-Amp for any speakers less than 89 dB/W. Far field you really want mid to upper 90 dB/W.

Good call, terrymx.

I've got a set of x-ls that I'm reviewing for Affordable Audio, these things are outstanding for the money. I even brought them over to a friend's house and compared them to his PSB Stratus Minis ($1100)...it was amazing how close the x-ls came for $200.

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That's with *zero* dynamic headroom.

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I wouldn't recommend the combo at all.

i've test the x-ls with both my sacd/dvd player->45watt amp and my av710 modded->sonic tamp.

i dont see a problem with using the tamp at all, if you are going to use it for connecting to your computer, and have a limited listening field. at 1meter distance it can go louder than needed. although for farfield listening its very limited.

i am very pleased by it. this speakers have a monitor quality, the instruments are easily distinct from each other. i dont know if its my source that give it different sound or my living room is too big that take away the moody tone, but i prefer it with my av710 where it sound warmer than my sacd player. i'm used to coloured and smooth sound, so i tend to go that direction.

the horrible true story: i know these onix perfom well, buti have to admit that contrary, it havent taken my heart from the acoustic research stature. the AR dont have the details or accuracy compared the onix, and they arent as clean on complex passages either. but it is smooth, relaxing and laidback, it demands nothing. now i have both teh AR tower and bookshelves version. i've been trying to find new gears for the last 2 years that make me happier than the AR sound signature and i cant, the AR sound is ideal for me it seem. the only one compliment to them is the K340 headphone.