Which speaker/moniter for computer? - Page 3

With apologies to the OP, who made it clear that the Audioengines don't fit his budget.......

I second (or third..or fourth) your recommendation on the A2s. I agree that they are excellent nearfield speakers.

That said, I'm curious why you say the 2s are better sounding than the 5s ("better in terms of hi fidelity,") since they have the same tweeter and a smaller bass/midrange........Better how?

I ask because, if I had more desktop space, I'd surely have opted for the 5s.

The A2s are simply more accurate. Why that is, I'm not sure. It's probably partly due to the fact that a smaller enclosure means they more closely approximate a point source. Also the smaller woofer is "faster" on transients. Whatever the reason I own both and, while I find the A5s "fun" , dynamic and more versatile (in terms of environments they can be used in), I consider the A2s significantly better. In particular they don't have the "boxiness" I notice in the A5 midrange. While they certainly don't go as low, in a nearfield setup (at a computer workstation for example) I find the bass quite satisfying. That say's a lot because I am EXTREMELY intolerant of any weakness in the bass and will go to virtually any cost to reproduce it at a level that I find satisfactory (I'm an ex jazz musician who spent years playing with upright bass). That said, the A2s reveal virtually everything I need to hear in bass and because of the small driver size they are significantly faster in terms of transient attack (that means better PRAT). The only thing that is missing in the bass is "weight" and the A2s certainly aren't capable of the SPLs necessary to fill a large living room. Otherwise to my ears, in terms of relevant information, it's pretty much all there. I like the A2s so much in my home office/bedroom setup that I'm thinking of selling the A5s I use at work and getting the A2s for that setting as well.

PS Bear in mind that in order to really appreciate what the A2s can do they need a good source. I'm feeding mine with a Benchmark Dac1 which is groundbreaking in it's own right and, IMO, as good as any processor under $3000 (and most processors below $5000).

Interesting observations. Thanks.

I'm a big fan of the little A2s, which I'm using with the Headroom Ultra Desktop Amp and Desktop Power Supply. I was stunned at just how good nearfield speaker listening can be.

But before anyone thinks that these little speakers require megabuck electronics, I first tried them with Headroom's Total Bithead.

At $159 for the TB and $200 list for the A2s (but check for coupons!), I can't think of a finer budget combo.

I hope the OP and others find this useful.