[insane111]

I've been using "normal" speakers on the PC my whole life, and would finally like to upgrade to something that will blow me away. My budget is only about $300, but that should be more than enough for my smallish/medium sized room.

After looking around a lot the highest recommended item in that price range I could find was the A5's, but I also see a couple people saying that getting unpowered speakers+an amp/receiver would be just as good and cheaper. This is where my problem comes in, unpowered speakers and amps are completely new territory for me.

So I'm basically just asking for recommendations on an unpowered combo that will beat the A5s while keeping the price lower. My sound card is the Xonar DX, if that matters somehow. I'd also like to get a subwoofer down the line, but right now I simply wouldn't be able to afford it. $300 on speakers alone is already way more than I wanted to spend for now

 

[LowPhreak]

I've had the audioengine 5's and ASUS Xonar DX for over a year now and they work well together. I don't feel the need for a sub right now, but if I did I'd probably get the REL Quake. REL's are pricey but great subs.

My only beef about the 5's is I wish the power switch was on the front which would be more convenient. OTOH, leaving the amp powered up is OK too.

I doubt that in the $300. range you could get an amp + unpowered speakers that sounded "just as good", and played as loudly as these, plus the fact that there is no separate amp or receiver taking up space. I have mine mounted on Auralex Speaker Dudes and that helps as well.

Look at it this way: spend the extra money once and you'll be happier in the long run.

 

[Hookem]

I have the A5's connected to a Velodyne VX-10 run by AudioTrak Prodigy HD2...Sounds good to me for sure.

I also have a pair of Mackie MR5's...You might take a look at those. Never heard of this joint but they have some "B" stock MR5's for 119.00 each...So 238.00 for the pair.

http://www.audiolines.com/Studio-Rec...ors/Mackie-MR5

Guitar Center and even Best Buy are carring the MR5's...Kind of directional as they are a studio monitor...But they do sound good in a nearfield setting...Right at 300.00 for the pair.

Mackie MR5 Active Studio Monitor and more Studio Monitors at GuitarCenter.com.

Another set you might consider is Swan's...I have not heard them but a friend has their top of the line home speakers and they absolutley blow my high end Polk Audio stuff in the weeds...And you can get a pretty good deal on a set that is comparable to the Mackie's or AudioEngine's.

Here is a link to the Swan M2000MkII's and they are less expensive versus the A5's or MR5's.

Swan M200MkII

 

[Hookem]

Fry's has the Velodyne VX-10 about every 6 weeks for 129.00 bones...Not a bad choice if you are on a budget. Hard to beat for 140.00 duckies out the door.

In my humble opinion of course !!!!!!

 

[hubsand]

I think they're tough to beat: actually I really like the little A2s as well: for music they seem better balanced. If anything the A5s sound bass-heavy.

 

[iriverdude]

Quote:

I've had the audioengine 5's and ASUS Xonar DX for over a year now and they work well together. I don't feel the need for a sub right now, but if I did I'd probably get the REL Quake. REL's are pricey but great subs.

I wouldn't waste your money on the Quake. Get a BK Sub instead.

 

[Qonmus]

I listened to them for a whole weekend. Just buy them and you won't think about upgrading for a long while. They are really convenient and have a small footprint, too, which is nice.

 

[Bones13]

Many folks recommend getting used bookshelf speakers, and a used receiver for small room audio. Mainly this is a price issue, and the fact that upgrading either over time is possible, and the starting price is usually low.

That being said, you can go to the Guitar Center and listen to many brands of powered speakers in one sitting, and find a pair that fit your music tastes, and budget. Thats hard to do at Goodwill, Craigslist, or garage sales.

The A5s seem to be well thought of here, but I have not heard them. I went the route of some nice full range desktop speakers, and a nice modded T-Amp for my desk. I don't claim it to be a room filler, but its meant as a nearfield system.

 

[LowPhreak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wouldn't waste your money on the Quake. Get a BK Sub instead.

It's not a waste to buy good equipment. Have you ever owned a REL? Ever even heard one set up properly?

I've owned the Stentor III, the Stadium III, and a Storm II. I can tell you they're some of the best subs in the world, if you want real low end and want it to blend well with the satellites, instead of just detached, boomy one-note noise. To me, that's not bass.

The A5's sound good enough that they deserve a decent sub if you want the 20-40Hz range. But they do well enough in the mid-bass (40-60Hz) that they don't cry out for a sub.

I take the opposite approach: I think bothering with cheap $129. subs is a waste of money. Anyone can stick any cheap driver in a box and call it a "subwoofer". That doesn't mean it sounds good or will hold up very long.

 

[LowPhreak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hubsand /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think they're tough to beat: actually I really like the little A2s as well: for music they seem better balanced. If anything the A5s sound bass-heavy.

If the OP's use is for PC sound, I'm sure he'll have some kind of multi-band EQ in the soundcard's software. It's easy enough to dial out a perceived bass heaviness or what have you.

I've found that with the Xonar DX's 10-band graphic EQ, the A5s in my room need a good-sized cut (-6dB to -8dB) @ 120Hz and maybe half that much (-3 to -4dB) @ 250Hz for a better balance, with 30Hz and 60Hz @ "flat" or cut just a tad relative to the mids & highs.

Other rooms and preferences of course will differ.

 

[Hookem]

My use of a 129.00 dollar subwoofer is two fold...That 129.00 dollar subwoofer has line-in connectors that allow me to go from the RCA out's on the AudioTrak Prodigy HD2 into the 129.00 dollar subwoofer where a crossover keep's anything below 80mhz from getting to my AudioEngine A5's.

So that 129.00 subwoofer does 2 things that really improve the sound of my A5's...First and foremost of all it allows my A5's the luxury of not having to do something that no 5" speaker that I have ever heard do...And that is reproduce sound that is below 80mhz with any kind of accuracy.

Add to that this...A lion's share of your amplifiers power is used to reproduce the stuff on the low end...Keep anything below 80mhz from getting to your speakers and you free up a bunch of amplifier power.

So for 129.00 bones my A5's sound way better not having to do something any speaker sporting a 5" woofer do...And as an added bonus...I can play my A5's at much higher volume before they start clipping.

Granted the 129.00 subwoofer does not sound like my MicroPro...But it sure helps my A5's sound way...And I mean way better.

 

[FraGGleR]

My first love was home theater and floor standing speakers before getting into headphones. I am in the camp that you should go for some good bookshelf speakers and a stereo amp to start and then build from there.

I have seen Paradigm Atoms go for a little over $100 plus shipping several times on the FS forum and ebay. Get a used Nuforce Icon (I think there is one still available for $175 in the FS forum, can get them $225 new) and you have the beginnings of a killer desktop setup. If you are a bass freak, bookshelves might not suit you, but high quality bookshelves will give you enough bass for most music. The Icon, in addition to driving speakers also has a solid, if somewhat entry level headphone amp, usb dac, plus a lineout for a subwoofer should you need one down the line. Other good bookshelf speakers that you might find used for under $200 are PSB Alpha B1's, and occasionally Infinity Primus P162's. A little while ago Energy was discontinuing the Rosenut veneer for their RC-10's and they could be had for $300. Might see them turn up on ebay. $300 is a steal for speakers which were already considered a steal at their msrp of $600. All of these should be driven at a very high quality by the Icon. Plus if you ever build a home theater, you can grow around the speakers (either as fronts, or rears depending on your budget). All of the speakers are parts of families that can be built into a theater setup.

The bookshelf speakers I have suggested are for listening to and enjoying music. A lot of monitors are designed for, well, monitoring so being neutral and technically accurate are a primary focus as opposed to sounding good. Kind of like the difference between studio headphones and audiophile headphones.

I have not heard any powered monitors, so I could be completely wrong about the sound differences.

 

[LowPhreak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hookem /img/forum/go_quote.gif My use of a 129.00 dollar subwoofer is two fold...That 129.00 dollar subwoofer has line-in connectors that allow me to go from the RCA out's on the AudioTrak Prodigy HD2 into the 129.00 dollar subwoofer where a crossover keep's anything below 80mhz from getting to my AudioEngine A5's. So that 129.00 subwoofer does 2 things that really improve the sound of my A5's...First and foremost of all it allows my A5's the luxury of not having to do something that no 5" speaker that I have ever heard do...And that is reproduce sound that is below 80mhz with any kind of accuracy. Add to that this...A lion's share of your amplifiers power is used to reproduce the stuff on the low end...Keep anything below 80mhz from getting to your speakers and you free up a bunch of amplifier power. So for 129.00 bones my A5's sound way better not having to do something any speaker sporting a 5" woofer do...And as an added bonus...I can play my A5's at much higher volume before they start clipping. Granted the 129.00 subwoofer does not sound like my MicroPro...But it sure helps my A5's sound way...And I mean way better.

I have heard or have owned plenty of 5" speakers that can do below 80Hz quite well. A few are Quad L-Series, ProAc, Totem, PMC, several others. I also know quite a few crappy subs that can't do below 80Hz worth a damn.

Just taking the low end burden off of a satellite does not mean a sub/sat combo will sound better. I'd much rather hear a well-designed, well-made 5" 2-way in a good cabinet than a boomy cheap sub that ruins the sound of half-decent sats.

 

[iriverdude]

Quote:

It's not a waste to buy good equipment. Have you ever owned a REL? Ever even heard one set up properly?

Yes and yes, and had a Rel ST subwoofer for a few years Also Q subwoofer. All right at the time but now overpriced and you can buy better for less. Rel's trump card is ABC crossover which goes far lower than others. But if you're sending it LFE or allready filtered audio the adjustable crossover will no longer be used.

I didn't think much of the Quake, I'd step up to BKS XLS200 or other similar subs.

I rate SVS subwoofers higher that Rel's.


Quote:

I take the opposite approach: I think bothering with cheap $129. subs is a waste of money. Anyone can stick any cheap driver in a box and call it a "subwoofer". That doesn't mean it sounds good or will hold up very long.

And that's what I think of the quake. I'd rather have a couple of PC Ultra 13's.

 

[insane111]

I went ahead and jumped on the A5's because I finally found a really good deal on them ($261 shipped brand new

). This is still way more than I originally planned to spend, so I probably won't be able to get a sub for a bit. If I do get one, I definitely want something with clean bass that won't ruin the sound of the speakers. But I'm sure anything will sound like god compared to my current trashy 40hz Creative 6.5" sub