[yossi126]

Creative T40.

 

[shuttleboi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX /img/forum/go_quote.gif If your just interested in stereo, what about a quality receiver or amplifier and stereo speakers? You can find great deals on such gear these days. Stereo monitors are also a great choice.....

I don't have enough desktop for a receiver or integrated amp, and I don't want to put such components on my carpet floor to avoid dust.

Would small headphone amps like the Headroom Micro Amp or Gilmore Lite be able to power speakers?

What are "stereo monitors" are you referring to? Do you mean something like this:
Roland U.S. - Monitors & Speakers

 

[ROBSCIX]

You can get smaller desktop amplifiers meant for speakers.

 

[Bones13]

You can listen to some "computer" speakers at Best Buy, if you have one.

The "swans M200" used to be available at Newegg, not anymore. I have a set of these, and they are nice for the money.

You can hear many of the "pro" monitors at a local "Guitar Store" There will be many there in your price range, and some reviewed here. "Monitors" are supposedly know for their "flat" response, meaning not more bass than treble and vise versa. While this makes them "correct" they don't sound "good" to many, with consumer speakers voiced to be more pleasant sounding.

If you are inclined along the audiophile path, consider looking for a small amplifier (T-Amp and the many similar products) here are a couple, you can search, and google for others. Of course an old amp/reciever from the attic or garage sale will be better than most amplifiers in "computer" speaker sets.

Nuforce, Inc (actually a class D amp I think, or at least a bit different from classic T-amp)

Audiomagus - high end not high priced audio products (Trends T-amp is up to $189...) (I have an upgraded version of this amp)

Then find some speakers to match. Nuforce has a set that matches cosmetically with their amp (which is a USB DAC too I think) A T-Amp will not blast your windows out, and might have trouble with a set of huge speakers. Be aware that most computer desktops are not huge, and you need to watch for size mismatch.

My system (too expensive for your budget, but you can get similar things without the tweaks for much less)

Mardis 3.0 T-Amp
Tekton 4.5 inch Full Range Speakers

I have a thread with picts somewhere in this forum section.

 

[helicon1]

lol i lurk around but yeah i signed i to say that shuttleboi, damn man you need to calm down. You made a thread asking for advice and you in turn start bashing those who give it to you. Spaceman has been here and prolly will be here longer than you. Anyway back to the topic at hand, KRK R5 are really good. From the looks of it tho it doesn't seem you'll be able to tell the difference between logicrap and b&w. Have fun...

 

[Kobra]

I have the Audioengine A2. I like 'em. They are a bit thin on bass (though the bass is very impressive for such a small speaker) and can get bloated if positioned badly. Any speaker in a near field setup needs to be very carefully positioned. I've found out that the A2's improve massively if raised to ear level and with a slight toe in. I've temporarily propped mine up on a stack of CD's

I've searched for some suitable desktop stands but haven't found any yet. I guess I'll have to make some of my own... I've auditioned them coupled to the audioengine subwoofer, it makes the A2 sound better and you get a good punchy bass that goes down low in the register (that the A2 lacks). The build quality of the A2's are second to none.

I only listen to flac with Foobar played through the Asus Xonar DX soundcard in 24/192 configuration and with ASIO4all driver.

Haven't auditioned the nuforce Icon desktop amp and the nuforce S1/W1 speaker setup properly, just a few minutes at a local high end store. But the short listen impressed me. I might swap for the nuforce setup at a latter stage.

Here's some good reviews:

Stereophile review of the Audioengine A2

6moons.com review of the NuForce desktop system

I wouldn't recommend a studio monitor as they're made for mixing and not for music listening...

 

[ChroniCali]

Swan M10 are good, the M200MKII are good too.

Klipsch Promedia is a good choice as well, as was mentioned earlier in this thread.

My best plug will be for the AV123 ELT525Ms or a pair of X-LS if you can get a hold of them. Great speakers at great prices.

 

[evu325]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChroniCali /img/forum/go_quote.gif Swan M10 are good, the M200MKII are good too. Klipsch Promedia is a good choice as well, as was mentioned earlier in this thread. My best plug will be for the AV123 ELT525Ms or a pair of X-LS if you can get a hold of them. Great speakers at great prices.

How do you like the ELT/X-LS compared to the M200MKIIs? I saw a picture of them in your computer rig and they look great!

 

[dlisuk]

Yeah the swan m10s are decent, although with you budget you can probably get better. If they are any thing like the m10's the m200mkII are probably quite great for their price.

 

[eric0531]

Quote:

Originally Posted by supersong115 /img/forum/go_quote.gif However if you just set them on your desk, you're not going to hear their full potential. Studio monitors deliver their best when they are at ear level when you sit down.

Indeed.

I've also got the AV40s, and they were just "ok" until I fashioned some little wedge-shaped stands that raised them about 4" and angled them up a bit more towards my ears. Now the imaging is fantastic. They have a "bass boost" switch but I prefer the sound with that off - YMMV.

 

[malldian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kobra /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wouldn't recommend a studio monitor as they're made for mixing and not for music listening...

Any who says you can't do both?

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kobra /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wouldn't recommend a studio monitor as they're made for mixing and not for music listening...

I disagree with that notion. The better studio monitors can be fantastic with music. In fact, something like the Dynaudio BM5A ($1000) can stand toe to toe with any similarly sized consumer brand passive compact speaker I've heard. I actually tend to find studio monitors can be excellent value as they tend to concentrate on the sound, not flashiness, style or flashy marketing. With the Adams, you are getting a superb ribbon tweeter with treble quality that can run with much pricier "hifi" brand speakers. The Quad active monitors are designed for both studio and consumer use, and they sound terrific as well.

I use the Audioengine A2's with my laptop, and they are good for their size and price for casual listening, but they are deliberately colored in a way to make them sound pleasing. In that respect, they are doing a "Bose" like trick, but not as offensive.

Really the best way to go is really to get a desktop amp (T-Amp or some class D) and find some good passive bookshelf speakers. In this price range (under $500), there are more good choices than there are cheap good active monitors (Good active monitors that professionals use will tend to be in a higher price bracket like the ones I've mentioned above)

 

[Kpalsm]

I recommend getting an amp as well as stereo speakers. If you're concerned about desk space but have the space to put an amp on the floor, why not get a stereo cabinet/audio rack?

 

[sonance]

I am totally flabbergasted by the Klipsch ProMedia recommendations. Compared to the AudioEngines or Razer Mako (two other speakers that I own or owned) and definitely the Gallo A'Diva Ti 2.1 + Nuforce amp, they are just pathetic.

I made the mistake of buying the ProMedias for work several years ago and I really hate them. They are very coarse sounding compared to a lot of the other speakers mentioned in this thread. This is based just on audio quality, but they have many ergonomic and build quality issues as well. The only semi-redeemable quality is the decent (if one-note) bass unit for the price, but it can't save these horrible speakers. I rarely listen to them anymore, and put on my Sennheisers most of the time at work. I can't justify expensing speaker purchases at work, but I may pay out of pocket to replace them. DO NOT BUY.