[Whynot32]

Hello!
 
I am building a new high end PC. I found out exactly the parts I need, expect one: good sound.
 
I own a pair of Sennheiser HD 598 and Fiio E17. They are OK. Not outstanding, not bad either, but I have nothing to compare them with.
 
I was thinking of spending about 3k usd to buy HD 800 + good AMP + good DAC. This will probably give me near perfect headphone sound.
 
On the other hand, with this much money i can buy very good speakers. Maybe not as good as HD 800 but speakers are a different animal.
 
But there is one thing: I need to have the speakers on my PC, they can be big (about 8 inch is OK) but not terribly big.
 
PC speakers are cheap as chips and crap (they either sound just "OK" or are limited to 70 watt). I need something like Audio Engine A5+ but for about 1k usd. Budget is very flexible. More if they are outstanding. Less if they are close to the quality of more pricey. Sadly I can't test before I buy. I know it's like buying a car you never tried but I really have no way to try those things in my country... :/
 
So, I am looking for active, 2.0 speakers with 150 Watt power. I'll use them for music mainly (cd quality) and a few movies (blu ray quality). No gaming. Can you please recommend me something?
 
Thank you!

 

[rock-solid]

Have a pair of ADAM P11 since 6 or 7 years. Can recommend them without any doubt. By far the most true and same time pleasing sound. Best prove for their incredible sound are people coming by and noticing the soundqualitiy without being pointed too. Much much more enjoyable than the Genelecs 1029 with sub I had before.
Have a look at the actual A-Series in the Pro-Department at adam-audio in the web.

 

[Whynot32]

Thanks a lot for the suggestion! I searched and searched and learned a lot!
 
1) For music do Adams A8X worth it over the A7X? Anything better than A7X at this price point?
 
2) Compared to headphones like HD 800, what kind of sound quality should I expect? What kind of speakers for PC beat HD 800 in quality?

 

[KiruDub]

Hey, Whynot,
 
A remark on your second question:
 
As you said, speakers are a different animal... the biggest difference being that with a powered near field monitor like the ADAMs (or any traditional speaker), you're dealing with a totally different presentation of the sound stage compared to headphones, in that the drivers are placed in front of you as opposed to on top of your ears.
 
Add to that how the sound waves that the speakers output interact with the air, reflect from everything around them (including your head), walls, windpws, curtains, your desk, etc. 
 
That said, since you can't hear before you buy, one thing about any pro-audio monitor worth it's salt is that they are made to NOT color the sound, and are engineered to give exactly what they get. 
 
This might be a plus or a minus in your book.
 
No matter what, good luck!