[the-kraken]

tl;dr - Small home office (12' x 10' open to living room). Want to implement a nice, budget 2.0/2.1 hifi system with good imaging, full sound, detailed resolution, and a wider listening position than you get via nearfield. Below are some speaker and amp considerations. Realistically - this is a small space, and in all likelihood I'm going to have to stand mount the speakers, unless they are small (Paradigms, PSB minis, etc). 
 
I'll run lossless tracks via PureMusic from a MBP, optical out to system DAC or Fostex HP-A8 Dac, to amp & speakers. 
 
The paradigm system(s) is the ideal size - e.g. barely noticeable, yet yields good sound. I love the size of the imagine mini's (the price, not so much). The Wharfedale's seem like a good fit - albeit a little larger than I'd like... however, at 6ohms I could get by with a smaller amp. 
 
Anyhow - recommendations and/or thoughts are welcome. 
 
 
 
Considering:  
Paradigm Millennia CT 2:  http://www.paradigm.com/products-current/collection=shift/model=millenia-ct-2/page=overview
 
Paradigm MilleniaOne:  http://www.paradigm.com/products-current/collection=shift/model=milleniaone-ct/page=overview
 
PSB Imagine Mini:  http://www.psbspeakers.com/products/imagine/Imagine-mini
 
Wharfedale Diamond 10.1:  http://www.wharfedale.co.uk/product.php?pid=49
 
Adams Audio F5:  http://www.adam-audio.com/en/pro-audio/products/f5/description
 
Goldenear Aon 2:  http://www.goldenear.com/products/aon-series
(I've even considered some supersat 3's which would hide very well)
 
Nad 3020:  http://nadelectronics.com/products/digital-music/D-3020-Hybrid-Digital-Amplifier
 
Audioengine n22:  http://audioengineusa.com/Store/N22-Desktop-Audio-Amplifier
 
Peachtree Decco65:  http://www.peachtreeaudio.com/decco65-amplifier-with-dac.html
 
 
 
Backstory:
 
I've got a small home office that I work out of rather often. I'd love to setup a 2.0/2.1 hifi system in there. Just as a test for space, I hooked up my MBP, PureMusic, optical-out to Fostex HP-A8 DAC, an old Onkyo A/V receiver (50w channel), to some old bookshelves I had in the garage (4.5" woofer, 1" tweeter, 90db sensitivity, 75hz low end). In my test setup - things sounded great. The detail from the Fostex DAC really came through, and the speakers were more than enough to fill the space - albeit shallow in bass (as can be imagined with a 75hz bottom end). The speakers aren't especially resolving though, and the A/V receiver I'm using is a beast... much larger than I want hanging around the home office. I do have another Onkyo A/V receiver which serves 90w per channel that I *could* use if I had to. It's also a beast, and I have no idea where I'd put it - which is why I'm trying to avoid that route. 

 

[Neuromance]

Emphasis on "lifestyle" but I just bought a Wadia 151 from Music Direct. These used to retail for $1200 but they are on close out for $500. It's a combined DAC and ICE chip amp.

Benefit is that it is one unit with a small footprint. However, one big con is that there are no analog in connections - you can only plug in digital sources. Sound wise, it is very smooth and easy to listen to. However, it lacks dynamics compared to what I was using in my bedroom before (but that system cost 5x the Wadia unit).

tl;dr - Small home office (12' x 10' open to living room). Want to implement a nice, budget 2.0/2.1 hifi system with good imaging, full sound, detailed resolution, and a wider listening position than you get via nearfield. Below are some speaker and amp considerations. Realistically - this is a small space, and in all likelihood I'm going to have to stand mount the speakers, unless they are small (Paradigms, PSB minis, etc). 

I'll run lossless tracks via PureMusic from a MBP, optical out to system DAC or Fostex HP-A8 Dac, to amp & speakers. 

The paradigm system(s) is the ideal size - e.g. barely noticeable, yet yields good sound. I love the size of the imagine mini's (the price, not so much). The Wharfedale's seem like a good fit - albeit a little larger than I'd like... however, at 6ohms I could get by with a smaller amp. 

Anyhow - recommendations and/or thoughts are welcome. 



Considering:  
Paradigm Millennia CT 2:  http://www.paradigm.com/products-current/collection=shift/model=millenia-ct-2/page=overview

Paradigm MilleniaOne:  http://www.paradigm.com/products-current/collection=shift/model=milleniaone-ct/page=overview

PSB Imagine Mini:  http://www.psbspeakers.com/products/imagine/Imagine-mini

Wharfedale Diamond 10.1:  http://www.wharfedale.co.uk/product.php?pid=49

Adams Audio F5:  http://www.adam-audio.com/en/pro-audio/products/f5/description

Goldenear Aon 2:  http://www.goldenear.com/products/aon-series
(I've even considered some supersat 3's which would hide very well)

Nad 3020:  http://nadelectronics.com/products/digital-music/D-3020-Hybrid-Digital-Amplifier

Audioengine n22:  http://audioengineusa.com/Store/N22-Desktop-Audio-Amplifier

Peachtree Decco65:  http://www.peachtreeaudio.com/decco65-amplifier-with-dac.html



Backstory:

I've got a small home office that I work out of rather often. I'd love to setup a 2.0/2.1 hifi system in there. Just as a test for space, I hooked up my MBP, PureMusic, optical-out to Fostex HP-A8 DAC, an old Onkyo A/V receiver (50w channel), to some old bookshelves I had in the garage (4.5" woofer, 1" tweeter, 90db sensitivity, 75hz low end). In my test setup - things sounded great. The detail from the Fostex DAC really came through, and the speakers were more than enough to fill the space - albeit shallow in bass (as can be imagined with a 75hz bottom end). The speakers aren't especially resolving though, and the A/V receiver I'm using is a beast... much larger than I want hanging around the home office. I do have another Onkyo A/V receiver which serves 90w per channel that I *could* use if I had to. It's also a beast, and I have no idea where I'd put it - which is why I'm trying to avoid that route. 

 

[the-kraken]

Thanks for the Wadia info, Neuromance! 
 
I went by a couple boutique shops this past weekend and had a listen to a ton of speakers, switching between various amps - all in a acoustically treated room. Here are my thoughts: 
 
The PSB Imagine Mini's sound pretty darn good. The imaging was fantastic, and they played from a black background devoid of any noise. They have an extremely small footprint, and I was super impressed with them - though it did take some decent power to coax the best out of them... E.G., I wouldn't go with less than 50wpc for them. I was cranking the NAD d 3020  to it's max to move them. Also - for as amazing as they are, they are a small speaker and compared to larger bookshelves, sound a bit small. 
 
The GoldenEar AON 2/3 are great speakers as well. I kind of expected them to sound larger, as the footprint is bigger. Still, you recognize that folded ribbon tweeter right off, and it sounds magical! They also image very well, and disappear quite easily once you close your eyes. Their true strength was upper midrange and treble.... very detailed. They didn't seem as picky via amps... I had good results via NAD d 3020 & 7050, Peachtree deco65 & 125, and a variety of NAD amps ranging from $500 - $3k. 
 
The Adams Audio F5 were there, and I thought I'd love them a lot more - but I tended to skip right over them every time. Hrm. 
 
There were a pair of Bowers and Wilkins CM1's there that sounded very full, and detailed. The first thing I did after switching to them was go look for a subwoofer. Compared to every other bookshelf there, they had the best low-end - besting some floor standers. The second thing I noticed was that even with the NAD d 3020, I was getting great sound. I couldn't believe it - because the 3020 only puts out 30w into 4ohms. There wasn't much of a difference going up to the 7050, and I kept going back to the d 3020. For a budget amp, it's a great deal... still amazed at the sound from that little box. 
 
I was set on home-demoing some CM1's, as they effortlessly filled a space. I wandered into the back room (open box buys, returns, etc) and found a pair of B&W CM5's that had been used for one day & were selling for $700 off. Took those home and they sounded great in my office. Great bass for a bookshelf/stand-mount.
 
I was running them out of: MacBook PRO, PureMusic serving up lossless tracks to a Fostex HP-A8 DAC, to an old Onkyo receiver sending 90wpc to the B&W CM5's. I sampled on/off with an old 8" subwoofer which is admittedly better suited for home-theater vs. 2.1 channel music, as the bass is a little sloppy. 
 
I almost always prefer the CM5's without the sub, simply because while they can't hit the lowest notes - the bass the produce is very accurate and tight. If I do add a sub, it'll have to be a very controlled, musical unit. I've got the CM5's on 36" studio monitor stands, and have noticed very good horizontal & vertical dispersion - which is good, since these are for my sit/stand home office. 
 
I'd love the get an updated (and smaller) amp to run them - but for now I'm pretty happy with the setup. I may home-demo the NAD d 3020 sometime just to see how it performs in my space. So, while I went a lot larger in speaker size - I paid the same as a new pair of PSB imagine minis and got a lot more low-end extension. The imaging is about equal in both, thought the CM5s are a warm, laid back speaker. They are far from perfect, but make fantastic floor standers in a small space. 
 
Now, I can take some time to find a compact amp to run them, or stay with this beast of an A/V receiver for the time being. 

 

[Voodoochile]

Not sure where you ended up on your search (and sorry to revive an old thread), but I actually have a pair of AON-2 with the D3020. I bought them for my studio, and temporarily set them up in my bedroom. The setup sounds outstanding in there, I've been told to leave it there. My friend picked up several pair for use at her place.
 
I initially thought they were a bit bass lean, but after attaching a good sub, and fiddling with the sub level, and crossover point, I realized that where it sounded most natural, I could barely tell if the sub was on or off. So I removed it entirely. If you listen a lot at lower volumes, bass is a bit lean- but there is a 'loudness' feature on the 3020. It's a tiny button in the back.
HOWEVER, if you turn it up some, the AON-2 sound excellent. As mentioned earlier, the ribbon tweeter/AMT does wonders. the detail is frankly outstanding for a speaker under $1500, and these are about half that. And the bass response, if you turn them up, is remarkable. No shortage at all, in fact it's almost too much sometimes.
 
I have the speakers on 28" stands with spikes, flanking a low bureau at the wall opposite the bed. They are about 15" from the back wall, and maybe 7' apart. I have a blu-ray player connected via coax if we want to spin a CD- the DAC in the 3020 is respectable. But mostly stream bluetooth. It sounds really nice, and if your playlist is not on repeat, you can just set it to play and when it runs out, all shuts off by itself.
 
The 3020 is interesting also. The volume control is a little annoying, takes too many turns to get anything done also the remote is horrible, black on black. I might try to fill in the icons with a white paint pen, not sure. It doesn't even have the tiny bumps on it that make a calculator or keyboard easier to use. No biggie though. What is good about it are the connection options, real binding posts, and bluetooth. It will play extremely lous and still be crystal clear, which is a testament to both the 3020 and the AON-2.. I was pretty surprised at how well the AON-2 handle power. I really worked them out in the demo, and those in my home have been worked out pretty well also. They are excellent speakers for the money

 

[the-kraken]

Hey there Voodoochile - my search ended with some B&W CM5's, driven by my MBP, PureMusic, optical-out to Fostex HP-A8 DAC, an old Onkyo A/V receiver (TX-SR603x) that's supplying about 90WPC. While I did like the GoldenEar Aon line, they sounded thin to my tastes - especially after hearing the B&W CM5's in the same space.
 
I did an in-home demo of the NAD D 3020 with the same equipment, and frankly - it didn't do the B&W CM5's justice. I was very disappointed - tried every setting, tweak, and adjustment to coax more life out of the NAD D 3020, but nothing could make up for the lack of power. 
 
​Coincidentally - my living room setup is composed of:
  GE Triton Sevens L/R
  GE Supersat 50c Center
  GE Supersat 50 surround L/R
  GE Supersat 3 surround back L/R
  two velodyne sealed subs (10" back right corner, 8" front left corner). 
 
I chose the supersat series for surrounds (and center) due to space limitations and the fact that they are very easy to hide in my modestly size living room. It is a pretty great setup for a small home theater! 

 

[Voodoochile]

That's a pretty sweet setup, kraken. However you go, if you find something that works in your room, it's pretty magical. Mine works astonishingly well in the bedroom. Had no plans on keeping it there, but wouldn't want to go without it now.

Your livingroom setup is kickass.