[Darren5531]

 
Hey everyone, long time reader and first time poster. 
 
Recently the subwoofer on my altec lansing vs2621 went out and is prompting me to do a long overdue speaker upgrade. I have a budget of $200, less if preferable of course. These will be placed on my computer desk in my apartment bedroom. I sit roughly 2 feet away from my desk and I tend to watch movies while lying in bed which is about 6 feet from where the speakers would be placed. Due to my near-field listening I have read that studio monitors would be ideal as long as I have high quality feed material (I have mostly 320 kbps mp3’s, and venturing into flac).  I listen to a wide variety of music from acoustic rock to hip-hop to heavy metal.
 
Currently I am running on-board audio from my HP D5000t. I have not spent much time researching sound cards yet. Given my limited student budget, buying a soundcard may be a delayed purchased. I also need help determining the best way to hook up the speakers as well.
 
I listened to the Klipsch 2.1 system in Best Buy. The bass was impressive though overpowering, I felt it was too much bass even when turned down. The highs were crisp although I left disappointed from the mids. Seemed very hallow sounding. Although, this could be attributed to the terrible listening environment.
 
I recently purchased the meelec m6 iem's. So far I really enjoy their sound. That is my only true venture into higher quality audio.
 
My current thoughts:
 

1. KRK Rokit RP5G2 used for $150+shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/KRK-RP5G2-Powered-Monitor-Speaker/dp/B001A6G6CY  (Just a link to the speaker, buying elsewhere)
 

1. Swan D1080mkii 08 $179+shipping.

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?p=swan-d1080mkii08&products_id=161
 

1. Daton DAC-1 T-Amp and purchase a pair of used bookshelves off audiogon

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-380
 

1. Purchasing a $50-$100 used receiver off Craigslist/ebay and a pair of cheap bookshelves from ebay,audiogon,craigslist, etc. I live in a smaller town, so I have limited options here.

 
I was originally set on purchasing the Swan M10, but I don’t think I have enough space on my desk for the midwoofer unit. I have considered buying a used Klipsch set for ~$80 just for the sake of saving money. My friend has a pair of Ma-Audio Av40. I think they sound great, although I am left desiring more of a low-end and for the sake of having something different I would like to consider my other options.
 
During the summer, I plan on purchasing an 8” or 10” sub with the system if I want additional bass support.
 
Thank you for the help, it is greatly appreciated.
 
-Darren

 

[JRG1990]

The rokit's you listed is $150 per a speaker, $150 buys 1 not a pair. The swans are very decent and have a really clear sound but you might want to also consider the Edifier Studio R1900TII they have a good quality amp and drivers, i'm not sure how they compare to the swans sound quality wise though.

 

[Lazerboy2000]

Don't forget the price for the KRK RP5 is for EACH.

 

[Darren5531]

I found the Rokits used for $150+Shipping for the pair. Sorry for the confusion, I linked them to amazon to show the speaker specifications. 

Thanks for the quick replies. I will look into the Edifer set. 
 
http://www.edifier.com/eng2005/product/s0014_01.htm
 
I'm not sure where I would be able to find these and how much they would cost. They look great though! 

 

[Lazerboy2000]

Where did you find RP5G2's for $150 a pair? I'd love to know this if you don't mind sharing. Send me a PM if you don't want it public. Thanks

 

[JRG1990]

Quote:

I found the Rokits used for $150+Shipping for the pair. Sorry for the confusion, I linked them to amazon to show the speaker specifications. 

Thanks for the quick replies. I will look into the Edifer set. 
 
http://www.edifier.com/eng2005/product/s0014_01.htm
 
I'm not sure where I would be able to find these and how much they would cost. They look great though! 

Thats a very good price for the rokits, id go with them at that price.
The edifiers will be around $150.
 

 

[06S2k07Si]

I highly recommend the Swan D1080MkII 08's. I just bought them about 1 month ago and have compared them directly (A-B'd) to the M-Audio AV40's see my AVS forum post here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=19669639&highlight=#post19669639 They are considerably better than the AV40's and much less directional IMHO. Much fuller sound, better imaging, great midbass, lower extending bottom end and very smooth overall. Very surprising for the money!
 
John at TAI was VERY helpful upon purchasing them too. http://www.theaudioinsider.com/
 
Give them a listen...you won't be disappointed!
 
Brian

 

[ThumperSD]

If you can get the RP5 for $150 a pair, you might want to consider it. I used to have AV40s and loved them. I never once thought it lacked bass for a 2.0 setup and I listen to electronica/hip-hop most of the time. Im not sure if you had the bass boost when you listened to it. It helps a lot. I prefer it over the Promedias any day.
 
Personally, Id recommend the AV40 but seems like they lack bass to you. I dont think the other 2.0 setups will give you any more bass.

 

[oliphillips]

Hi,
 
That is a great price for a pair of RP5's, I would snap that up straight away! 
 
Just in case you're interested, you can get the KRK Rokit RP6 G2 Ferrari Grey Edition here for $150:
 
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/KRK-RP6-Powered-Monitor?sku=H65511&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=658040476
 
I just got a pair and am absolutely loving them. Getting great sound, and that is just from a crappy dell laptop, with onboard realtek, with 128kbps mp3s, via rca !! So really looking forward to seeing what it's gonna be like through a DAC, with lossless audio, via balanced xlr!

A lot of my friends who own a lot of Pro Audio (I'm talking Void, NCA, Funktion 1 etc) all highly recommend the Rokits for a decent, budget, active monitor.
 
Cheers,
Oli

 

[Darren5531]

Thank you everyone for the replies. Unfortunately the Rokits are pending sale, and the seller hasn't emailed me back so the search continues. I am not sure if the AV40's had the bass boost turned on when I listened to them. They were definitely impressive for only having 4" woofers though. According to MA Audio's website, the AV40's have a frequency response from 85 Hz - 20kHz, while the Swan D1080mkii 08's range from 59 Hz - 20kHz. These specifications are subjective of course, but does show the Swans can extend lower without loss of volume. 
 
I am leaning towards the Swans if the Rokits are sold. Do you think the Rokit RP6's are worth the $100 difference in price?
 
06S2k07Si- Thank you for your personal thoughts on them. I have actually read that thread multiple times while researching. 
 
Oli - Thanks for the link. Glad to hear you are happy with them, I've only heard great things about Rokits. How are you controlling the volume on them? Going from 128kbps mp3's to lossless audio will make a huge difference by itself, let alone getting a dac and balanced cables. I'd love to hear your impressions on how the sound changes.
 
Thanks again,
 
Darren

 

[JRG1990]

The only difference is the rp6 has bigger low freq driver at 6inch rather than the rp5's 5inch, so the rp6 will have better low frequence responce, the bass boost on the av40 won't extend the frequence responce it will just boost the volume of the lower frequences it can play making it seem like there more bassy, also the edifier r1900 extend even lower than the swans at 46hz - 20hz.

 

[06S2k07Si]

You're certainly welcome! As for the Rokits...I have not auditioned those because I wanted something with a grill to protect the drivers (they were originally on the list though due to their good rep). My wife would have not been real happy if I had spent any more $$$ as well or I would have gone for the Swan 200Mk III's. If the 1080's are this good I can only imagine what the 200Mk III's are like! I should perhaps given the Rokit's a listen at the local Guitar Center just so I could have a comparison.
 
Brian

 

[Philly boy]

See if you can find a used pair of M-Audio BX5a Deluxes. They are the 'big brothers' of the AV40. Crisp and clear, wide and spacious soundstage with a bit more down low than the AV40's. J&R.com has them new for $229/pr, but I've seen them go on sale for $199/pr. I greatly preferred them to the RokIts. The BX5a made the Rokits sound a little wonky in the mids. The M-Audio's had much better imaging as well throwing a wide and deep soundstage that made them sound "bigger" than they actually were. I could always tell where the sound was coming from with the Rokits, but the BX5a's just disappeared and left me with whatever music I was playing. Guitar Center has both on display for comparison. And they will match J&R's pricing.

 

[oliphillips]

Quote:

 
Oli - Thanks for the link. Glad to hear you are happy with them, I've only heard great things about Rokits. How are you controlling the volume on them? Going from 128kbps mp3's to lossless audio will make a huge difference by itself, let alone getting a dac and balanced cables. I'd love to hear your impressions on how the sound changes.

 
At the moment, I just have them both set at the same level (quite low) and I control it with the volume control on the software I use on my laptop (Media Monkey, Pioneer DJS). Soon though, I am looking to get either a DAC and a seperate Passive Stereo Volume Control like this or a DAC with volume control.
 
I am looking forward to the day I can do some testing and I will let you know about the difference in sound quality!
 
I personally would say the RP6's are worth the extra cash, but that would be coming from a very biased angle!
 
Cheers, Oli

 

[JonathanHF]

As a previous owner of Audioengine A5, I found them pretty impressive.
Because I moved to a small apartment where space is a concern, I had to sell those and the speaker stands I paired with the A5.
The Swan D1010MK08 is currently sitting on my desk (little brother of 1080) and I'm very happy with them.
The sound quality is definitely there. And I feel that they have better highs than my previous speakers.
Seeing that you come from vs2621, It seems that the speakers you listed here are  a little big for your desk,
so you might benefit from buying the smaller ones..
I auditioned D1080 and D1010. Unless you have very big desk space, it is not necessary to go for the bigger one.
Let me know if I can help with your decision.