I don't know. The audioengine speakers are good. I suspect the t-amp is a better sounding amp than the amps in the audioengine, but they are customized for the speakers and probably sound quite good. And the speakers are supposed to be very good too. So I really don't know for sure. This is what makes buying speakers hard - many choices, few reviews. For school, with the really nice finishes and fewer pieces of equipment to lug around, the audioengines may be the way to go. I think you'd end up being pleased with any of these options. Sorry that there isn't one clearly superior choice.

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What you say makes a lot of sense. I guess I'll probably go with the Audioengine 5. Thanks a lot for all the advice and help!

Let us know how they sound. I've heard really good things about them.

As a proud owner of Audioengine 5 speakers I can without a doubt vouch for them. They literally blew me away with their sound. I was really impressed with the packaging and finish of the speakers. However I was most stunned by their sound. Without a doubt these are my favorite speakers to listen to an ipod or CD with.

I am not an audiophile but I think I know good clean sound when I hear it. The Audioengine's are great and worth every cent. I like them so much I have ordered a pair of the A2's to use at work.

Google Audioengine 5 and read the reviews. For their size and price point I think these speakers are hard to beat. I believe they come in three finishes, black, white and wood grain. I own white as I have had them since before they came out with the other colors.

Anyhow, I hope that helps.

As good as the audioengines 5s are, for $300, i'm going to have to recommend the following setup if you aren't specifically looking to get powered speakers:

Harmon Kardon 3385 integrated stereo amp/receiver from Amazon (free shipping) - $200
2 x Infinity Primus P152 speakers via Amazon Marketplace - $35 each + $30 shipping.

All together with shipping is right around $300.

This amp/speaker combo has great synergy and can be easily upgraded with a subwoofer or better speakers in the future. I find the sound to be significantly better, especially in the bass department when in direct comparison to the Audioengine 5s.

Good call Guarneri.

I have not heard the setup you are referring to. I bet it's a great setup. I just wanted to give props to Audioengine 5's as I own them and love them.

Great sound is very enjoyable.

It's great to know a forum like this is here to bounce ideas off.

Yes, I find head-fi to be my favorite audio forum because the community and members here are both helpful and understanding.

I just wanted to add that the main difference between the Audioengines and the setup I recommended is that one is a powered speaker, which means they drive themselves and one is powered by an amp/receiver. Usually, powered speakers are a good option for those who want computer speakers, lack space, etc. while a amp/speaker setup is more appropriate when space is of less importance.

Whats the story on these?

Fluance™ High Definition Two-way Bookshelf Loudspeakers SX-6

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Just to clarify....

KEF and Celestion share the same Chinese parent company, while Quad (Mission, Wharfedale and AudioLab) share another Chinese parent company.

PSB is owned by Lenbrook Industries, parent company to NAD. However, you should read this new article at Stereophile.com on where and who actually designs PSB speakers.

Infinity, along with JBL and Revel, is owned by Harman Int'l.

Energy was mentioned and it should be noted that it, along withits sister company Mirage and Athena Technologies, is owned by Klipsch. It's my prediction that Athena will be gone within a year.

I would like to share my experience, having been in a similar situation to yourself not so long ago. Having read a bit about the t-amps I firstly plumped for a Trends 10.1 which costs $150 here in Canada.

I then started looking about for a pair of used speakers which would be easily driven by the t-amp, and after a couple of weeks managed to get a set of DCM timeframe 6.0 floorstanding speakers on craigslist for $200. These speakers have been out of production for about ten years or so, but luckily the ones I picked up had been warehoused unopened for all that time, so they are immaculate. Sensitivity is 94db and the little amp can drive them as loud as my ears can tolerate with terrific resolution. I doubt that powered speakers can have the authority delivered by floorstanders, but on that I could be wrong, having little experience in the matter.

For an outlay of $350 I now have a system that really blows me away, moreso with every listen, so my recommendation would be to get a t-amp, whichever version you feel you can afford, and then look for a reasonably sensitive set of speakers second-hand. In fact thinking about it may be wiser to look for the speakers first and then spend what is left on the amp. With a little bit of patience and judgement you may get a lot of musical enjoyment for not very much.

"KEF and Celestion share the same Chinese parent company, while Quad (Mission, Wharfedale and AudioLab) share another Chinese parent company."

You're right. My mistake on this.

The deals in Infinity Primus speakers right now would be hard to beat. $100 shipped for two P152s on Amazon is a great deal. I just ordered two p142s from ebay (direct from manufacturer) at a bargain price (I have not heard them yet, but I'm expecting good things). If you don't need fancy cabinets, the infinitys seem like a great bargain right now. With a T-amp, a complete system for $160 would be hard to beat. The t-amp is a great sounding amp.

I just ordered two p142s from ebay (direct from manufacturer) at a bargain price (I have not heard them yet, but I'm expecting good things).

What are you using to drive the p142s with? And is this for a stereo setup or a surround setup? I'm very interested to hear your experiences with them especially if you are using a sub $100 amp to drive them.

Guarneri: I'll let you know. I'll probably use them with the Panasonic SA-XR55 and an 8" sub upstairs (replacing my NHT Superzeros, if they sound better), although I might use them with a t-amp on my computer desktop. I'll probably try them in both places for comparison.

Ok so I found a used pair of Audioengine 5 in excellent condition for $230 including shipping and paypal fees. This was from another headfi-er.

Just one word - wow! They sound fantastic and look great as well. As for the Infinity speakers, if anyone is looking to get them:
Infinity Primus P162 2-way 6.5" Bookshelf Loud Speaker - eBay (item 160221987335 end time Mar-26-08 17:50:48 PDT)

They regularly go for ~$60 each including shipping. So around $120 per pair. As for me, I'm glad I went with the Audioengines.

how do you find their bass and volume levels? the 5" woofer has me a bit concerned...if it would be enough, i mean.