[xerikx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wicker_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif Speaker choice is a very subjective topic, I had £300 to spend on some bookshelf speakers and after demoing many speakers including Monitor Audio, Epos, Kef, Quad, Wharfedale and B&W, I felt that the B&Ws sounded the best for my taste in music (heavy & extreme metal, hard rock).

Which model B&Ws did you go with? I tend to listen to mostly metal so I may look into that. Do they have any low end or are they flat like most monitors?

 

[obobskivich]

B&W's aren't monitors, they're designed for home theater and reference listening, they do have low end, depending on the model, but there does need to be a very clean line drawn here between speakers designed as monitors (such as M-Audio) and speakers designed for music listening (such as Monitor Audio or B&W)

that isn't to say B&W speakers aren't capable of being monitors (They actually perform that duty very well, depending on model), but they aren't designed with that explicitly in mind

and I wish I lived in the UK, just because of companies like Monitor Audio, Wharfedale, and B&W, being a lot more readily available, at least at the normal person's price level (like B&W 800's are no problem here, but $22,000/pair is a little much)

 

[xerikx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich /img/forum/go_quote.gif B&W's aren't monitors, they're designed for home theater and reference listening, they do have low end, depending on the model, but there does need to be a very clean line drawn here between speakers designed as monitors (such as M-Audio) and speakers designed for music listening (such as Monitor Audio or B&W) that isn't to say B&W speakers aren't capable of being monitors (They actually perform that duty very well, depending on model), but they aren't designed with that explicitly in mind and I wish I lived in the UK, just because of companies like Monitor Audio, Wharfedale, and B&W, being a lot more readily available, at least at the normal person's price level (like B&W 800's are no problem here, but $22,000/pair is a little much)

So as far as wanting speakers for listening to music, which B&W would you recommend with the want of a little lower end? And preferably active

 

[wicker_man]

I went for the B&W 686, which is the smallest of the 600 range (cost £279).

I think they have a good amount of bass for such compact speakers and 5" woofers, and would be fine in a small room (my bedroom is about 3x4m). But, these are my first 'proper' speakers so I don't really have anything to compare to (apart from my old Panasonic micro system, which obviously is blown away!).

 

[MD1032]

All of this depends on how much the OP is really willing to spend.

 

[xerikx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD1032 /img/forum/go_quote.gif All of this depends on how much the OP is really willing to spend.

I posted earlier in this thread that it was up to $1,000

 

[Dopefish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xerikx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you have the M-00 and an S-20? Is that overkill? Did you also get one of the PVC's?

I didn't have them hooked up to a sub no ... I'm pretty sure the S-20 wasn't even available when I had them. But definitely for music listening, you would be happier with the sub; I think bass extension was somewhat lacking but that goes for most of the monitors within that price range ... definitely get more in that sense with comparable passive bookshelf speakers.

I didn't have the PVC either, it was just connected directly to my card via xlr, although any card with balanced TRS would work as well. My suggestion would be to upgrade your card to something decent with that capability (like the E-MU 1212m) and then just pick up the M-00 and S-20 and have cash to spare. Or you could just take all your money and spend it on some ADAMs.

 

[obobskivich]

and creative atm has the 1212 refurb for like $120 on their site, might be worth a gander

 

[Dopefish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wicker_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif Speaker choice is a very subjective topic, I had £300 to spend on some bookshelf speakers and after demoing many speakers including Monitor Audio, Epos, Kef, Quad, Wharfedale and B&W, I felt that the B&Ws sounded the best for my taste in music (heavy & extreme metal, hard rock).

That's why I said "in my opinion". I'm definitely not knocking B&W ... the 686 are definitely great sounding speakers. I was just trying to make a point of introducing some variety if the OP decided to go for passive bookshelves. Generally whenever someone starts asking for suggestions for high end bookshelf speakers or home theatre setups B&W always comes up as the be-all and end-all brand; I just always feel compelled to throw out some worthy competitors ... I've got a few friends who went with B&W first and haven't used anything else, and that's fine, as long as they realize there are alternatives out there and were just personally happier with the B&W sound.

 

[obobskivich]

sorry, I wasn't trying to list B&W as the be-all and end-all brand, I was bringing them up because they offer a pretty good level of quality, and are available in nearly every country, with relative ease, so thats why I said B&W is something to look at, I know there are a lot of other really good brands such as Kef, Monitor Audio, Infinity, JBL, NHT, Polk Audio, Klipsch, Mirage, and Bose (yes they actually make bookshelves and floorstanders (ok, sort of floorstanders), they sound about what they're worth in my experience, so it isn't entirely out of the question)

I just figured B&W would be a good starting point, sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes though