High end 2.1 setup?

[Jokko]

Hello. Upgrading my desktop speakers from Corsair SP2500. Good speakers for the money IMHO, but of course there is a lot better stuff out there. Anyways i spent the last 4 days with:
 
- NAD D3020 (620$)
- Dali Lektor 2 (550$)
- Dali Sub E-9 F (620$)
 
These are norwegian prices by the way. And I'm pretty happy with it. But at 1,8k, I'm not 100% sure. My ears are about 70cm from the speakers, is that too close for normal passive speakers?
 
Also considering active options (with volume control) like:
 
-  Audioengine 5+ (570$)
- + A sub (500$)
 
Any thoughts? Any replies is much appreciated. 

 

 

[cel4145]

70cm seems pretty close anyway to me. But not all passive speakers are well suited for nearfield use. Some can be fatiguing at higher volumes.

One sub suggestion: There's no real audio quality reason to match subs with the speaker brand. So you might look for the best value sub that has the configuration options you need. I recommend looking into SVS Sound subs. Very popular here in the US. They are an Internet direct company that provides better value over most other speaker companies. Their SB-1000 is an awesome sub for a desktop setup (that's what I use). I don't know what your prices would be like, but they do have an online distributor in the EU.

 

[cel4145]

One other thought. Greatest SQ benefit will come from investing in the speaker/sub over the amplifier. If you have room for one, an entry level AVR or stereo reciever could easily be a place to save over the NAD D3020. In fact, CNET points out an AVR might be better in their review of the D3020. For that matter, you could look at the used market for a receiver.

If you want to stay compact, consider the Teac A-H01.

 

[Jokko]

 
My room is 4m x 2,3m haha. Both SVS's 10/12" cots 650$ here, so they aint cheaper.

 

[Jokko]

If my room was bigger I would of course have more choices with amps/recivers and such.

 

[Jokko]

Edit: Just bought the Lektor 1, E-9 F in the wood finish with the tiny NAD D3020. Superb speakers, well worth it in my opinion.

 

[Iostream]

  Hello. Upgrading my desktop speakers from Corsair SP2500. Good speakers for the money IMHO, but of course there is a lot better stuff out there. Anyways i spent the last 4 days with:
 
- NAD D3020 (620$)
- Dali Lektor 2 (550$)
- Dali Sub E-9 F (620$)
 
These are norwegian prices by the way. And I'm pretty happy with it. But at 1,8k, I'm not 100% sure. My ears are about 70cm from the speakers, is that too close for normal passive speakers?
 
Also considering active options (with volume control) like:
 
-  Audioengine 5+ (570$)
- + A sub (500$)
 
Any thoughts? Any replies is much appreciated. 

 

I am not familiar with those particular speakers, but good quality passives make great nearfiled monitors.I am not much further away from my B&W 805s, I would still recommend a bit of room treatment to tame the bass and early reflections.  Then again, 1.8k can be a pretty good budget for actives too

 

[Jokko]

They are easy going on the treble, very detailed midrange. I don't find then fatiguing. I did step down form Lektor 2's to 1's due to size.
 
I might have to tighten up my door, other then that, which kind of room treatments are you thinking of?

 

[Iostream]

Bass traps in the corners, acoustical foam panels at the places of first reflection, those are the typical bits. Auralex is good, but Next Acoustics is also quality and cheaper on ebay. Or there is the DIY route, plenty of plans on line for bass traps.

 

[astrallite]

Soft dome speakers tend to be listenable over long-term near field compared to metal, there's a reason why the powered monitors used by most mixing engineers are soft dome.
 
Generally metal woofers will breakup around 5-7KHz, unless you have something fancy like diamond, beryllium, titanium, or magnesium cones which can push up the breakup mode closer to 8-10k. At this frequency woofers are very directional/beaming so you really only hear the breakup primarily at on-axis listening locations, whereas common seating location for home theater are all off-axis, so these breakup modes are not generally audible in the living room. However near-field you will be listening to those breakup modes directly on-axis, which is why soft domes are an advantage here.\
 
I myself went through a variety of metal-based bookshelf speakers for near-field before settling with soft-domes and listening fatigue has gone down significantly for me.