[Ketrow]

I've been doing a large amount load of research on desktop speakers but I haven't come to a decision as the speakers that I want are not available ANYWHERE. 
I really wanted the Swan D1080's but the only place I found was this http://www.hivi.us/products/detail.aspx?pid=100000070135755 but I'm not sure if they actually have them. 
The other options are the audioengine 2's or whatever and the M-Audio Studiophile AV 40 speakers but I'm not sure if those are great either. If anyone can provide me with some information into which one would be best, or some other options I haven't considered that would be great. I know this is a very common topic, and has been beaten to death but I can't find much good information and I'm simply tired of looking through hundreds of threads lol. Are the Audioengine A2+ are good option? let me know. 

 

[cel4145]

Chane music sells Swans: http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/swan-multimedia

I would skip the M-Audio AV40s. You can do much better with a $200 budget.

These Monoprice studio monitors are a good value: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=115&cp_id=11504&cs_id=1150401&p_id=605500&seq=1&format=2. Apparently they are a clone of the M-Audio BX5 D2.

 

[Ketrow]

Thanks for replying man, I appreciate the recommendation and I'll look at it right now. I've decided to increase my budget to an absolute maximum of around Audioengine A5+ price. I'd really prefer to get something different and hopefully cheaper than those, but if I have to, they'll be fine. 

 

[cel4145]

JBL LSR305 are considered by many to be as good as any powered speaker < $500. And they can often be found for about $260.

 

[Ketrow]

Well I've now read raving reviews about those, they seem to be a great option but I'm going to try to find them for cheaper than the 300 I keep seeing. Is there anything else or is that pretty much it?

 

[cel4145]

For $260: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HNKLN2Y/.

Most people really seem to love the 305s for the money. I don't think you can beat these for $300 or less short of a lot of demoing speakers to find something that finely fits your tastes. If you have a local Guitar Center, go listen. They often have them set up for demo. And you can see how they compare to other powered speakers

 

[Ketrow]

Oh okay, thanks man! I've read that there are cables I need to buy separately, do you have information about that? I think it might just be power and RCA but I'm not sure. The link I saw when I searched these was this http://www.amazon.com/JBL-Professional-LSR305-Studio-Monitor/dp/B00DUKP37C and there was only 1 in stock lol. Thanks for the other link. 

 

[Ketrow]

So I've just discovered that Swan M50W's are on Massdrop for 209.99, do you think that would be an alright option? I know that 2.1 systems usually suck but I've read that these are pretty great. Are the JBL's still a better option or will the Swans be okay? 

 

[cel4145]

I'm sure the M50W would be a good speaker set for $200, and that's a very good deal for them. I don't know which you would like better. But the LSR305s really do compete well all the way up to $500 powered speakers.

The LSR 305 will need a special cable. See this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/723099/connection-question-active-monitors-with-balanced-xlr-and-trs-inputs

 

[Ketrow]

Okay well I really appreciate your help and advice, I might go to Guitar Center tonight to listen to the JBL's hopefully and hopefully I'll make a decision and get back to you. 

 

[cel4145]

Be sure to take some of your own music with you on a flash drive.

Also, be aware that guitar center's speaker setup is typically not optimal for getting the best out of a speaker, although it can be useful for seeing how a speaker compares to other speakers they have since none of them are optimally setup in the racks that they use (lol).

 

[radosuaf]

You can have a look at PreSonus Eris E4.5 - they should be just below 200 USD. Take note that for the JBLs you will need additional volume control and soundcard/DAC with balanced output.

 

[cel4145]

You can have a look at PreSonus Eris E4.5 - they should be just below 200 USD. Take note that for the JBLs you will need additional volume control and soundcard/DAC with balanced output.

No and no. The JBL's can be connected using a RCA to TRS cable. And the volume can be controlled using Windows system volume.

 

[radosuaf]

Both are true, however ability to control via your operating system only is "a bit" incovenient. Sorry about being wrong with the connection itself.

 

[Ketrow]

I feel that my motherboard has sufficient audio features and I really don't want a DAC, can I set up the JBL speakers to my computer fairly easily using a few converted cables or would it be a huge ordeal messing around with XLR?