[WrxSTI]

Hi all, I'm in need of some advice on what speakers to buy for the PC.
I had a Z-5500 that I sold because of the harsh highs and the floating 120 Hz bass.
Right now I'm back to my set of Creative T6060's which are also 5.1, and I decided I don't need 5.1 - it doesn't do much for me, for music it is absolutely worthless, and for gaming I prefer to use my headphones.
As for the headphones I have the Superlux HD-668B and I like the way they sound, and they are supposed to have a neutral monitoring sound.
 
I'm looking for speakers that are like this, from what I understand most PC, and "HI-FI" speakers change the sound in a lot of
ways...I'd prefer speakers like these headphones, which do as little of that as possible.
 
Now I pretty much have my sights set on the KRK RP series monitors because it is the only thing I can buy where I live that has a solid reputation, and that is actually within my price range. I was going for the RP5 but I read a lot of people saying how they don't have much low-end and I fear that I won't have enough bass as I do listen to a lot of Psy-trance and such...so I would probably stretch my budget over to an RP6 ( I know there is the subwoofer also but that costs just like another set of speakers and I won't have that kind of money soon )
 
I'm not exactly a bass-head, I prefer it to be there to support, but not overtake - the rest of the music if you know what I mean. I think the HD668B has just the right amount of bass in most cases.
 
But the thing that concerns me is that most of the discussion about the KRK's is from people who mix and produce music (obviously) and a lot of them say that they are -too flat for listening-, -not for music-, etc. How can something that gives as accurate a sound as possible be bad for listening to music? I don't understand. Maybe people prefer colored Hi-fi gear, but like I said I like the sound of the Superlux.
 
So would these speakers be good for me? The use would be 60% music, 40% games and movies.
 
And could you take a look at this list, where I'm buying, and if there is anything there that is better and costs less than "1.990,00"" please suggest it.
 
Thanks!

 

[Mad Max]

I would describe the KRK RP5/6 as anything but "flat".  They are a little fun.  RP6 is a little bassy.
Look into Mackie MR5 instead or M-Audio BX5a.  MR5 was "flat" when and where I tried it out.  I enjoyed it it the most.  BX5a has the best imaging of the group, if I recall correctly, also pretty good overall.

 

[WrxSTI]

From reading online, the BX5a and BX8a have serious quality control issues and a high failure rate... don't wanna go there. The Mackie has rear-firing bass ports and I have maybe a couple of inches to the back wall (I have a corner table with a large monitor on it) so not sure how that would work out. Anything on that list I linked that could be an alternative?

 

[06S2k07Si]

Some suggestions:
 
Audio engine VS Swan: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=20004922#post20004922
 
See these: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/539099/2-1-advice-not-the-same-ol-thread#post_7269491
 
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=20203097#post20203097
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/547399/where-do-i-try-out-all-audioengine-a5-s-swan-m200-m-audio-bx5a#post_7390912
 
Anything here: http://www.theaudioinsider.com/index.php?loudspeakers=swan-active-desktop-sound&cPath=21_24
 
My Swan D1080MKII 08 review:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=19882376#post19882376
 
Swan multimedia: http://www.swanspeaker.com/products/products.aspx?cid=5
 
 
From your list:
Adam
Blue Sky
Dynaudio
 
 
Brian

 

[WrxSTI]

Can't get Swans locally. Blue Sky and Dynaudio...nothing even close to my price limit. Adam? Only the A3X, but it has 4.5" woofers.
 
Actually it looks like the RP6G2 is gonna be my likely choice, I really can't find anything else locally that I could afford and that could compare.
 
Has anyone else here heard/used them and can say whether or not they are good for the price?

 

[thuantran]

Even if the A3X is smaller it is still a better deal than the KRK, IMO. You can't make the KRK sounds clearer or has the superior imaging of the A3X. For bass, this depends on personal taste and for me the A3X alone is enough, otherwise you can add a sub.

 

[Borgbox]

Those are significantly more expensive than the Rp6 g2s, to which OP happens to be stretching their budget.
 
OP: I've not heard the rp6, but I own the rp8 and I gotta say they're great for listening to music casually. the 6s are probably a little more neutral than the 8s but I don't know the sound signature of the Superlux HD-668B, which is your benchmark, so I can't say if they share the same qualities. so I can't really say more than I really enjoy their sound and they are the most detailed, neutral output in my small collection.
 
Quote:

Even if the A3X is smaller it is still a better deal than the KRK, IMO. You can't make the KRK sounds clearer or has the superior imaging of the A3X. For bass, this depends on personal taste and for me the A3X alone is enough, otherwise you can add a sub.

 

 

[WrxSTI]

Well I'm not exactly sure about the amount of bass. The Creative set I'm currently using has only a 22W sub and i'm using it at the 2/10 setting and it is more than enough bass for me. Then again it is on the floor, in the corner of the room and probably reinforced a lot by the walls. It only goes down to 40 Hz, supposedly.
 
Considering here there would be two speakers, on the desk, with woofers, which granted, are a lot stronger than 22W but still, I'm not sure how it would compare.
 
 
Might I ask if there is a minimum distance for these "near-field" monitors, I have a fairly small and cramped corner desk and I can barely fit the RP6's to the sides of the monitor (it is a huge GDM-FW900) and at best I can have 72 or so cm between my head and each speaker - this is about 2.30 feet. Is this too close or will they still function as intended? (...I know I need a bigger desk but for now...)

 

[thuantran]

Well between the KRK and the Adam, I'd say the HD668B is closer to the KRK. Now that I look at the first post, if you like that kind of music (man I hate psychedelic, trance, house music for that matter), the KRK will give you more thump and enough clarity. I mostly listen to instrumental, jazz, classical, newage and celtic so I prefer the type of speakers that deliver really clear audio and bass isn't that much important.
 
About your desk, another way is to buy or make some speaker stands.

 

[JRG1990]

What about these http://www.audiopro-croatia.com/mex/artikal.php?glavna_kat=17&kat=119&pod_kat=169&art=7464 , I have them there flatter than the krks and the mids and bass sound alot cleaner, they work well as hi-fi speakers due to there excellent soundstaging and stereo imaging, they are passives though so would require a seperate amp.

 

[Michgelsen]

I have a set of Dynaudio MC15 right now and I am still experimenting with their position. There's no minimum distance to the listener (me), but they do sound better when they are elevated from the desktop approximately 20 cm. I have them both sitting on a crate now, and the bass and soundstage are vastly better than when they were closer to the desk, elevated only 10 cm. This is most likely due to reflections from the desktop. The tweeters are now at ear height.
When you're really close the speakers, you should also put the speakers closer together to maintain a triangle between you and the speakers. This means 72 cm or a little less between them, if you're 72 cm away from them. Else you may get a hole in the soundstage. I hope you don't have a gigantic monitor.
 
Quote:

Well I'm not exactly sure about the amount of bass. The Creative set I'm currently using has only a 22W sub and i'm using it at the 2/10 setting and it is more than enough bass for me. Then again it is on the floor, in the corner of the room and probably reinforced a lot by the walls. It only goes down to 40 Hz, supposedly.
 
Considering here there would be two speakers, on the desk, with woofers, which granted, are a lot stronger than 22W but still, I'm not sure how it would compare.
 
 
Might I ask if there is a minimum distance for these "near-field" monitors, I have a fairly small and cramped corner desk and I can barely fit the RP6's to the sides of the monitor (it is a huge GDM-FW900) and at best I can have 72 or so cm between my head and each speaker - this is about 2.30 feet. Is this too close or will they still function as intended? (...I know I need a bigger desk but for now...)

 

 

[Lazerboy2000]

I just ordered a pair of KRK RP6G2's from ZZSounds last week and will be getting them in today. If you look around, most of the online dealers do "price guarantees" so you should call and get their lowest price. I was able to get the KRK RP6G2 plus the "free G2 pack" for $157 each, free shipping. This is way off the $199 each just for the speaker that they're normally listed for!

 

[WrxSTI]

Hmm...honestly I've read about every single model from the list I posted and I just can't make up my mind. I would rather avoid amps and passive speakers for now.
 
I've also took note of the Prodipe Pro Ribbon 8 which is available locally but for a very high price, and I would probably not have the chance to hear it before purchase - does anyone know anything about this one?
 
I think it is very hard to put a finger on anything without hearing it, a friend's graphics card broke so he is going the city tommorow to buy a new one, I'm going to tag along with him and visit the audio store that carries all these speakers and hopefully, audition a good number of them around the price range that I have set. It is the only way to determine what size speaker will have enough bass for my purposes, what will sound the best to me, etc. as I have found that for each speaker, you can find 10 different people saying 10 different things.
 
About the seating position; there is a 72 cm distance from my head to where the speaker's tweeter is likely going to be and I'd reckon about the same, give or take 2-3 cm would be the distance between the speakers themselves...almost a perfect triangle.
 
The only possible issue is that the back of the speaker is going to be touching the side wall (there is no -back wall- in this scenario, I'm using a corner table...) - I might even have to buy angled cables to be able to plug everything in 

 ) Not exactly ample space I'm well aware...
 
I made a cardboard cut-out and there would be just enough space to fit a speaker the size of 265 x 316 (Width x Depth - about the size of that 8" Prodipe, I'm not sure what size woofer would be appropriate for this kind of setup at all) on each side of the monitor at the proper toe-in (towards my head / ears).
 
So tommorow I'll have a better idea of what sounds the best to me and hopefully that will go a long way towards making a decision.

 

[JRG1990]

The prodipe's are very very simlar to the krks, the prodipes have smoother sounding highs slightly better mids and aren't quite as bass heavy.

 

[WrxSTI]

Which model are you comparing them to in particular, the Pro 8 to the KRK RP8?