[shiner980]

I've been listening to my computer audio from headphones/IEM's (nothing fancy, just HD555's and MTPG's) and I'd like to actually get a pair of speakers for my computer. I'm a college student so I'm not exactly swimming in cash, but I'd like to have something nice to listen to my music with without putting on headphones.
 
Lurking around, I've seen recommendations for all sorts of speakers, with the main ones of interest being in the title, so my question is this:
 
Is there a central location (in NYC) where I can try these speakers out; preferably in a more realistic room setting (the idea of going to an Apple store just to try the Bx5a's, while having to go to another store for the A5's, makes me think I'm not going to be able to give a good opinion of which one I'd want). Is there any store that'd even sell/sample Swan's (D1080 or M200)?

 

[BananaReed]

Finding the swans might be a more dedicated speaker store since they're kind of like rare imports from China, but you can go to Guitar Center to find things like the BX5a, maybe A5's, KRK's, Mackie's, Yamaha's, etc. Just call the store and they'll tell you if they have any up for auditioning.
 
You're out of luck for swans from what I can see unless you ship them. Here's a list of places: http://www.swanspeaker.com/purchase/Purchase.asp as you can see they're not even near your state.

 

[JonathanHF]

Having owned both Audioengine A5 and Swan D1010MKII 08,
I believe both will deliver very good performance when it comes to music.
They sound good with any kind of music genre.
The A5 has a slightly warmer sound and rounder tone, while the Swan is slightly more analytical and has more treble energy.
And I do think the drum sounds phenomenal from the Swan (with crisp and good impact), while the A5 has slightly deeper bass due to the speaker size.
 
 
 

 

[germanium]

The M-Audios are marketed to a different market segment than the others so it is highly unlikely to be found in the same stores as the others listed. M-Audio is marketed to semi-pro & professional markets whereas the other are marketed to consummers directly. 

 

[BananaReed]

Quote:

The M-Audios are marketed to a different market segment than the others so it is highly unlikely to be found in the same stores as the others listed. M-Audio is marketed to semi-pro & professional markets whereas the other are marketed to consummers directly. 

I agree, but they sound so freaking good haha. I have BX5a Deluxes myself and even though smoke came out of one of them, they still sound great (I think I shorted something somewhere LOL). I've found M-Audio's in guitar center before so you still might be ok on that.

 

[shiner980]

Banana I don't even wanna know how you managed to get your BX5a's smoking, but I'd rather avoid crazy stuff like that.
 
So I ran around to many many places to try all kinds of systems, but now it's time for me to decide.
 
First, are there any 2.0 systems that allow me to get away with being good for games and music without the need for the sub? By this I mean A5's, BX5a's, D1080MkII08's, etc (trying to remain consumer and have self amplified speakers)
 
If you feel the answer is no, would it be better to just buy one of the above and get a sub later, or just wait and get a 2.1 system (I've heard Klipsch Promedia 2.1 and Swan M50W as viable options)

 

[germanium]

 
Quote:

Banana I don't even wanna know how you managed to get your BX5a's smoking, but I'd rather avoid crazy stuff like that.
 
So I ran around to many many places to try all kinds of systems, but now it's time for me to decide.
 
First, are there any 2.0 systems that allow me to get away with being good for games and music without the need for the sub? By this I mean A5's, BX5a's, D1080MkII08's, etc (trying to remain consumer and have self amplified speakers)
 
If you feel the answer is no, would it be better to just buy one of the above and get a sub later, or just wait and get a 2.1 system (I've heard Klipsch Promedia 2.1 and Swan M50W as viable options)

There are some powered speakers that have 5' drivers that I found that don't need a sub but I found overall sound quality to be lacking in other areas. The JBLs I heard had the best bass qualty of these but from the midrange on up they seemed a little muffled. The Mackies in this price /size class sounded way boomy so i was a little disappointed in them when I heard them JBL's bass was much more refined & extended quite deep for the size of the driver. The tannoys might on the surface seem to be a good option but they are low on power & go into distortion early due to this & an obvious bass boosting circiut that while it does extend the bass it does so at the expense of sucking the wimpy power supply dry in dramatic fashion.
 
 

 

[MtnSloth]

Audioengine and M-Audio have powered subs for their respective speakers - so don't disregard them if you want thumping bass. Don't know about the Swans. I have the BX5a(s) and like them without a sub, but then I am not actively listening for hours on end to music at high volume at that workstation. For more serious listening (for enjoyment) I am going to switch to headphones or move my hindquarter to the living room. Thus, YMMV (and by a lot!); but the A5s and BX5a(s) are available as a 2.1 system.

 

[shiner980]

Well as of now, I don't have much of a living room to speak of = ), and it'll be a pain and then some to convince my parents that Bose isn't the answer to a good home theater set-up, so I'll just sit my butt in my small studio of a room, and I already use headphones a fair bit too much, me and my friends want to appreciate music and movies together sometimes
 
If you'd be so kind as to show me what sub options would pair up with the A5's and BX5a's from their respective companies.
 
Maybe I should be a little more specific, I'm not looking for heart pounding rave level bass, just something to punctuate the low end since many of the suggestions here probably have good if not excellent (for multimedia and/or bookshelf speakers anyway) mid and trebles. This is mostly a concern for electronic (dub-step/house) and heavy percussion.
 
Err...like an MTPG, but in speaker form...heh if you could even translate it that way

 

[Nick Dangerous]

Demoing monitors is a PITA!!! Guitar Center has speakers all over the place, connected to different systems, some not connected at all, pointing every which way but at your head... while ignoring your attempts to sort it out. It's as if they are doing their best to avoid selling anything at all. *grrr*
 
The average studio monitor will almost certainly be better than any "computer speaker", but crap exists in the pro audio market as well as Logitech-land. As always, do your homework and shop around. Listen to everything.
 
I didn't get to audition my monitors. Just took a chance via the powers of deduction. If you read enough reviews, you'll see that the A5/KRK/etc perform at a similar level, and the Dynaudios at a level (or three) beyond them. If you listen to one at GC, it should be pretty obvious why the Dynaudios are priced at about $500 each.
 
Too expensive? Check out the M-Audio Studiophile CX5. Reviews compare favorably and bass is tight down to the 50hz-ish range. If you search online, you may find a new pair for around $365. A bit more than KRK's or BX5A's... but way less than $500 per speaker for comparable performance. It's worth the stretch. Lots of value here.
 
I'm quite happy with my educated guess. They sound great. Right on par with headphone listening in many cases. Of course, no bookshelf speaker can do it all without a sub, but these go low enough that I don't think about what I'm missing... just spending my time listening to music. Which is the point, naturally. Happy hunting.

 

[LockwareP]

Lockware Systems is an authorized Swan Speaker dealer located in NY on the border of Queens and Nassau County.  We also happen to have Audioengine A2 and A5 available for comparison.
 
Swan D1080MKII 08 is very similar to (and on par with) Audioengine A5 at almost half the price! 
Swan's M200 series are not in the same class as D1080MKII 08 or A5.  Although the price suggests it is a competitor for A5, there is no contest.  Even the lower M200MKII is better in every way. 
 
Don't take it from me, come on down for a demo.
 
Paul
Lockware Systems
516-439-0010

 

[MtnSloth]

Subs for:

1. the M-Audio's is the SBX10 (very much aimed at the professional audio market AFAIK)
2. the A5's is the AS8

 
Both may seem like a loose definition of "system"; but, other than getting the cross-over math right, I really don't know how tuned to another speaker a sub needs to be for this sort of setup. Most of us are going to monkey around with the relative volumes of powered speakers to sub until we find something that sounds right to us - or at least that has been my experience. So tuning a sub to a set of powered speakers seems less essential than it would be for more conventional speakers. Anxious to know if this squares with theory or the experience of others.
 
My audition of the BX5As was an evening spent listening to an acquaintance's BX5As and my old computer speakers side-by-side (no surprise . . . huge improvement with the GX5As), a little recording/mixing, and some listening time with material that I brought with me. I thought the BX5As sounded fine, and I wasn't going to get to audition anything else so I went with them. By specs alone the CX5s should be better than the BX5As. So I am pretty sure that I could have done better; but, given the time I had for such things back then, I'm content.
 
Again, no sub for the BX5As for me. If you can't audition your favorite candidates with a sub, try/buy whatever speakers you settle on without a sub. You can always add one later.