[Hookem]

I found the site but it seems the speakers I was thinking about are no longer listed.

Here are the Swan D1080 MKII's for 115.00 dollars per pair.

Swan D1080MkII

Here is a review of them.

HiVi Swans D1080MKII Speakers Review | Hardware Secrets

Not the model I was looking at for 189 or 199...They do come with a 5" woofer and 1" tweeter.

 

[evu325]

I think the Hookem was referring to the M200MKII, which are now up to 229.00. I had a pair before trading up to the higher-end T200B and was very satisfied with them. Depending on your tastes, a sub isn't very necessary as the M200s put out a decent amount of bass. Hope this helps a little.

 

[Hookem]

On the AudioEngine front...I absolutley love their speakers.

The only reason I am mentioning the Swan's is the "bang for buck".

If you are looking for small speakers for a near sound setting then they really are hard to beat.

Front ported so they are not nearly as sensitive to placement compared to rear ported speakers like the A5's, MR5's or even the Swans.

AudioEngine gives you a 30 trail period that allows you to audition the speakers and as long as you keep them prestine with all the packaging they will gladly give you your money back.

They also have the best customer service I have ever experienced...Second place is way...And I mean way back there.

When I returned the A2's they actually apologized to me that they did not work out. Shipped me the A5's which I absolutely love.

Everytime I have called someone has answered the phone. Had a problem with the USB charging and mini jack port. Sent them an email...2 hours later Logan replied and that day was sent tracking information from FedEx.

Just recieved it today as a matter of fact.

So for small footprint, excellent sound quality in a nearfield setting, with a 30 day"test drive", absolutley stellar customer service. 5 stars no dobut about it.

You cant beat AudioEngine with a bat.

The Velodyne VX-10 is onsale at Fry's all the time for 129 bones...200 duckies for the A2's and about 150 out the door for the VX-10 and you can have some jaw dropping sound quality for about 350 bones.

Nice upgrade path for sure and I think it would be really hard to beat the sound quality in that price range.

My setup constist of a AudioTrak Prodigy HD2 pci sound card, AudioEngine 5's run through a Velodyne VX-10 sub...And everybody who has ever sat at my desk cannot believe how good it sounds.

 

[Zoomastigophora]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nraymond /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been very happy with my Edirol MA-15D monitors, which are a bit unusual for desktop monitors in that they have an independent 24-bit/192Khz digital input and analog input (with respective volume controls), as well as a dedicated subwoofer output which you can use with any subwoofer. I chose an Energy ESW-8 subwoofer, which I picked up new for $99 (typically sells for $299), and it makes a good combo. Far better than any of the many "computer" speakers I've used or auditioned.

Could you tell me where you got the Energy sub for $99? Also, how did you connect the Edirols to the Energy?

 

[nraymond]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoomastigophora /img/forum/go_quote.gif Could you tell me where you got the Energy sub for $99? Also, how did you connect the Edirols to the Energy?

I got the Energy sub from Audio Advisor, but it was on closeout about 6 months ago, and it looks like they sold out. I was actually close to buying the tSc ASW-8 subwoofer, which is very similar in design and costs $99 and is worth considering.

The great thing about the Edirol MA-15D is that they have a dedicated subwoofer output, so all you need to do is just run one cable from the sub out behind the right speaker to the subwoofer (any subwoofer) and you're done.

Here is a picture of the back panel:

 

[Zoomastigophora]

What kind of cable would I need? Also, looking at the back of the Energy ESW-8, there are two jacks for Line In. Which one do I use?

Edit: Also, I've found the Energy ESW-8 sub for $129 with free shipping on eBay here. Is it worth it go for the Energy sub over the tSc ASW-8? They do look really, REALLY similar.

 

[nraymond]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoomastigophora /img/forum/go_quote.gif What kind of cable would I need? Also, looking at the back of the Energy ESW-8, there are two jacks for Line In. Which one do I use?

You just need a single 75-ohm RCA coax cable - the type that's used for digital audio and composite video. I'm using a 6ft cable I bought from monoprice for $3.20:

For only $2.67 each when QTY 50+ purchased - 6ft High-quality Coaxial Audio/Video RCA CL2 Rated Cable - RG6/U 75ohm (for S/PDIF, Digital Coax, Subwoofer & Composite Video) | High Quality RG6 Digital Audio 24K Gold-Plated Cable w/ Fancy Connector

They have other lengths.

And on the ESW-8 sub, you plug that cable into the left jack. It's covered on page 3 of the manual (which you can download from this page):

"LINE IN/SUB IN – These inputs are an RCA type LFE/stereo/mono input. If you are connecting your subwoofer to a pre-amp/processor with a LFE or Subwoofer pre-amp output, connect a single RCA cable to the LFE/Left input."

 

[Zoomastigophora]

So would you say the Energy is better than the tSc?

 

[nraymond]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoomastigophora /img/forum/go_quote.gif So would you say the Energy is better than the tSc?

Not having heard the tSc in person, I can't say, but based on the online research I did 6 months ago, the tSc sub looked like a solid choice. Then I read over at avsforum.com that several of the tSc and Energy subs were very similar, and someone posted they had taken apart the ASW-10 and ESW-10 and saw only cosmetic differences, so when I came across the deal on the Energy ESW-8 for the same price as the tSc ASW-8, I figured why not go with the Energy. So while I can't say for sure they're the same, it's likely they are (or are very similar).

 

[Hookem]

Some different connectivity options you might want to consider.

Some sub's have line-in/line-out connectivity and usually have a crossover...Some adjustable and some fixed that keep the low frequency sound from reaching your speakers.

Couple of things here...A 5" or 3 1/2" woofer is not really capable of reproducing low end sounds. So they are ill equipped to hit anything below 80mhz for even a good 5" woofer. It will probably take some playing around but you can usually find a good balance between what Mhz's the subwoofer is reproducing and what the actual speaker is reproducing. The difference is absolutley stunning in some cases.

Not only will it make your satellite speakers sound way better it also allows for them to produce high quality sound at higher volume levels. The lions share of watts your powered speakers use is reproducing the low stuff. So crossing it out really free's up power to your speakers.

Just some stuff you might want to take into consideration before pulling the trigger.

 

[Zoomastigophora]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hookem /img/forum/go_quote.gif Some different connectivity options you might want to consider. Some sub's have line-in/line-out connectivity and usually have a crossover...Some adjustable and some fixed that keep the low frequency sound from reaching your speakers. Couple of things here...A 5" or 3 1/2" woofer is not really capable of reproducing low end sounds. So they are ill equipped to hit anything below 80mhz for even a good 5" woofer. It will probably take some playing around but you can usually find a good balance between what Mhz's the subwoofer is reproducing and what the actual speaker is reproducing. The difference is absolutley stunning in some cases. Not only will it make your satellite speakers sound way better it also allows for them to produce high quality sound at higher volume levels. The lions share of watts your powered speakers use is reproducing the low stuff. So crossing it out really free's up power to your speakers. Just some stuff you might want to take into consideration before pulling the trigger.

Thanks for the helpful info.

So it seems my best bet would be Edirol MA-15D for $122 from eBay and the tSc ASW-8 for $100. This'll actually put me a little over the max I want to spend, but it should be worth it?

 

[nraymond]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoomastigophora /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the helpful info. So it seems my best bet would be Edirol MA-15D for $122 from eBay and the tSc ASW-8 for $100. This'll actually put me a little over the max I want to spend, but it should be worth it?

That's pretty much the combo I have, and I like it a lot. (Looks like you're getting a good deal on the MA-15D, I paid $180 for mine.)

As a point of reference, in the past I've owned 8 different sets of "computer" speakers across the full price range, from most major brands including Creative, Altec Lansing, and Boston Acoustics, sold off most of them, and I've auditioned a wide range of speakers, and heard the Swans (which are good speakers), and I'm very happy with the MA-15D + sub.

 

[Zoomastigophora]

That's reassuring to know. Thanks a lot nraymond. I just finished pulling the trigger on the purchases. Now I just have to stare at my dwindling bank account and figure out if I can skip any meals

Poor college student is poor.

 

[MVPlaya]

Ok so along with the tsc ASW-8 for $100 ... what would be good speakers to pair up with it for around another $100 or so?

 

[nraymond]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MVPlaya /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok so along with the tsc ASW-8 for $100 ... what would be good speakers to pair up with it for around another $100 or so?

That depends on what sort of amp/preamp outputs you have... the really great thing about the Edirol MA-15D speakers is that they have the dedicated sub output, which not a lot of desktop monitor speakers have, and making hooking up a sub a snap. To use a subwoofer with most speaker setups involves access to a preamp output (either left and right channel or dedicated sub), or an amplifier that you can run the amplified left and right channels to the sub, and then to unamplified left and right speakers.