[Storm1211]

I am looking to upgrade my current setup as right now I have some Bose Companion 20s I bought nearly a decade ago.
I'm going to go with stereo speakers and no sub (maybe add one in the future but not for a long while at least) and powered to conserve desktop space which is roomy but not infinite with 2 monitors.
This will be running directly off my PC for now but I plan on adding a DAC in the near future but doing 1 upgrade at a time right now.

I'm mainly debating between a pair of Edifier S2000MKIII or the Swan M200MKIII+
I'm also considering Kanto YU6 if I really care about matching the white aesthetic of my desk.

My use case is mostly gaming, twitch/youtube, movies/show, and music.
I've heard the Swans are excellent sounding but can lack bass. I don't need to feel the bass in my soul like I'm at a Dolby showing at AMC but I don't want it to be non-existent either.
Any recommendations, suggestions, or input is greatly appreciated for this newcomer to hi-fidelity audio. Thanks!

Edit: Price range is roughly $500.

 

[SonofKalas]

HK Soundsticks IV

 

[KantoLiving]

Most bookshelf speakers that are sized appropriately to sit on a desk will lack bass - that is why you see so many 2.1 desktop systems. I would recommend YU4 and a subwoofer over YU6 by itself. There isn't a significant difference in sound quality or volume between YU4 and YU6 so you're not downgrading in any way by going with the smaller speaker except for losing some bass. Adding a subwoofer will add in the sub frequencies that you'd be missing by going with a bookshelf speaker alone - and you can dial it in to however much bass you want. Remember, a sub is about adding extension into low frequencies, not necessarily adding volume. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about our speakers.

 

[chesebert]

Used dynaudio active speakers or used Sennheiser sound bar.

 

[bixby]

Went through a number of desktops setups, including powered monitors, highly hyped bookshelves, Klipsh, Sony, Elac, etc.

Most powered stuff is pretty good now, but I know most of the mainstream stuff will probably develop a problem with the built in cheap as crap amp modules over time. Passives with a decent amp made most sense for me. Stay away from most of the chip amps that might seem appealing they are not built to last or sound good either. A good integrated amp can be had for about $225 like the Dayton, APA150. Beat the snot out of a NAD C316BEE.

As for speakers I would look at JBL Studio 530s or perhaps some used items like Dali. More bass than you would think from the JBLs and they do not screw up the rest of the response. A bit big perhaps. As for powered, I would look at premium brands like Genelec or Dynaudio.

I owned a pair of the Swans years back, big waste of money.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi Storm1211,

If bass isn't really an issue, especially sub bass & you can stretch your budget a little, like @bixby, I suggest looking into Genelec, specifically 8010A, which can be found at Vintage King in CA or your closest pro audio place.
These will last you many years & are built like a tank, I've had my pair for well over a decade now & they still going strong.

Though these are not my primary desktop speakers, they used to be for quite a few years but now I used them as side channel speakers on stands either side of me.

The simplest way to run these is via a DAC with XLR out &/or Presonus HP4 which has stereo pass through output via TRS cables to XLR cables.

Hope this makes sense, feel free to ask more when you need.

Hope you have a great day !