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Audiophile quality PC speakers

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Trojita

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
I don't think I'm going to get the A5+ because of the amount reviews I saw off boomy bass. I'm deciding between the Swan MKIII's, the emotiva you posted, and some people have recommended Behringer's and JBL's.

I can't really use the receiver to play the sound, since the speakers would not really line up with the computer.

I still have to buy the sound card I need too.
 
K

kevm3

Member
These LSA Statements are phenomenal. I pretty much found what I want in a speaker with these. Just a very realistic and musical sound.

In other news, Dali has a new line of speakers out called the Epicon
gorgeous
dali_epicon_6.jpg
 
Trojita

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
At this point I pretty much picked the Swan MK III's, but now I'm thinking about getting the Swan T200B. Anyone know much about them that can tell me if the T200B's are worth $200 extra dollars?
 
D

derder

Member
So I'm getting the upgrade itch. I want to switch over to a better PC setup and have ~$500 to spend. I don't mind getting halfway there, but I want to get better sound with the idea that I'll be upgrading in the future.

What I want:
Discrete components (DAC/Amp) so that I can upgrade in the future.
Use my webcam mic or an antlion mic for voice communication
Stereo speakers
Headphones (or headset)

My current setup:
Sennheiser PC350 connected to a udac-hp
Then I have The intro model from 08 that is similar to this set. connected into my mobo.

What do you guys recommend?
 
M

mil6es

Member
I need help Audio-Gaf, I'm on the look out for some good sound quality/clean looking 2.0 or 2.1 speakers (£300 max budget) to accompany my mac mini, all I've found so far are ikey m606v2 which I looovveee ( discontinued fml ) or Bose Companion 5's which Im kinda meh about but still look good, any other suggestions????

oh and so far Mac mini, black bezel monitor and black wood table to set the scene
 
H

Horse Detective

Why the long case?
If I sell my Bose companion 2 speakers for like 75 bucks, is there anything I could replace them with that would be moderate-good quality?

I didn't buy these, they were free.
 
A

Alucrid

Banned
Finally got the call that my amp has been fixed, except I tried calling them while at work every hour from 1-5 and got nothing from them. :\
 
M

mil6es

Member
so what is the go to 2.1 speaker solution these days then??? excluding Creative because meh and Swan because they are not available in the UK
 
G

giga

Member
mil6es said:
I need help Audio-Gaf, I'm on the look out for some good sound quality/clean looking 2.0 or 2.1 speakers (£300 max budget) to accompany my mac mini, all I've found so far are ikey m606v2 which I looovveee ( discontinued fml ) or Bose Companion 5's which Im kinda meh about but still look good, any other suggestions????

oh and so far Mac mini, black bezel monitor and black wood table to set the scene
Click to expand...
Do you have a receiver/amp or dac?
 
M

mil6es

Member
nope it would be plugged directly into mac mini so would need to be active speakers, but I am open to a speaker+amp/dac combo if I can get a good quality sound that is in my £300 budget.
 
G

guest1321

Member
Sean! said:
If I sell my Bose companion 2 speakers for like 75 bucks, is there anything I could replace them with that would be moderate-good quality?

I didn't buy these, they were free.
Click to expand...

Sean! said:
I guess the answer is no?
Click to expand...

Audio engine a5?

It highly depends on what you are looking for. Would you mind sharing more about what you had in mind? 2.0, 2.1, 5.1, 7.1 etc? PC only or TV too? Price Range? Brands in mind?
 
Q

QualityPixel

Banned
Hey audiophile GAF. I'm having a hard time finding a new 5.1 receiver that has what I need. I need 110-125watts RMS 8ohm, 5.1, 2-3 optical inputs (24/96). What would you guys get? I would like to get something used because it saves a lot of money.

I currently use a 7.1 sony which is fine, but when you send a 5.1 signal to it, it does not properly play it back at 5.1 and wants to send stuff to side speakers which I don't have, and don't have a place to put some. It does this no matter how I have the receiver or sound card setup.
 
G

guest1321

Member
QualityPixel said:
Hey audiophile GAF. I'm having a hard time finding a new 5.1 receiver that has what I need. I need 110-125watts RMS 8ohm, 5.1, 2-3 optical inputs (24/96). What would you guys get? I would like to get something used because it saves a lot of money.

I currently use a 7.1 sony which is fine, but when you send a 5.1 signal to it, it does not properly play it back at 5.1 and wants to send stuff to side speakers which I don't have, and don't have a place to put some. It does this no matter how I have the receiver or sound card setup.
Click to expand...

My understanding was that a 5.1 system was Front L+R, Center, Side L+R, and sub. I thought 7.1 was the inclusion of the backs.

Source: Dolby Website

So it would make sense that you aren't getting as much (if anything) out of your rear channels if you are sending a 5.1 signal to it. I think the only way you could make use of those speakers in that configuration is if you had your receiver set to a surround setting that shares the signal to those channels. That is assuming you were using a direct setting.
 
D

diehard

Fleer
QualityPixel said:
Hey audiophile GAF. I'm having a hard time finding a new 5.1 receiver that has what I need. I need 110-125watts RMS 8ohm, 5.1, 2-3 optical inputs (24/96). What would you guys get? I would like to get something used because it saves a lot of money.

I currently use a 7.1 sony which is fine, but when you send a 5.1 signal to it, it does not properly play it back at 5.1 and wants to send stuff to side speakers which I don't have, and don't have a place to put some. It does this no matter how I have the receiver or sound card setup.
Click to expand...

I don't know but whatever you do don't get the cheapest thing you can find on craigslist, or if you do make sure you don't arrange to meet at their house.

I had... a bad experience.
 
A

Avtomat

Member
I want to upgrade my laptop speakers in the sonic department and have a budget of £200 max but ideally not above £150 unless the jump is substantial.

At the moment I am leaning toward

Topping TP30 Class T USB DAC and Amplifier - £62

3Ueujrel.jpg


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Topping-TP30-Digital-Amplifier-USB-DAC/dp/B005D7SKWK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ce_3

and the Wharfedale 10.1

wzvK2D9.jpg


http://www.amazon.co.uk/WHARFEDALE-DIAMOND-SPEAKERS-BLACK-PAIR/dp/B002WJAQY2/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364748235&sr=1-11

Amazon link is 9.1 but I can get 10.1 for similar price of £100.

My other considerations which are all active speakers so no need for an amplifier, but I would be using my laptops on board sound card -

Klipsch Promedia 2.1 THX ~ £170
Creative Gigaworks T3 ~ £150
Logitech Z623 ~ £130

M-Audio Studiophile AV40 ~ £90 - heard these were a bit iffy in terms of reliability.

Would the Wharfedale's be a significant upgrade over these?

What do you guys think? Any feedback would be much appreciated.
 
L

LCfiner

Member
I forgot about this thread but I wanted to post my current setup as I love these Quad 12L actives I got now. Got them used for $600. The sound is incredible. Great 3D soundstage, tight bass, very open and detailed sound. I say anyone who can find these used these days should jump on them (they stopped making them new a few years ago).

They're on 8" high isoacoustic stands. the stands do a really great job minimizing bass boominess and cleaning up the sound. I used the stands with my older speakers (swans t200b) which were very boomy and the stands reduced the effect a good amount compared to just 2" foam pads and wood stands.

I'm feeding them via the bel canto 2.5 DAC/ preamp which I recently got used in a local deal. Excellent sound compared to some of my previous DACs. Also has a decent (but not TOTL) headphone output for when I need them (which is much less frequently now than in the past few years)

IMG_0998.jpg
 
N

nib95

Banned
After a 2.0/2.1 speaker set up to use with my PS3/4. Any of these things have Optical Out? If not, what would I need to get them to work with the consoles?

All this time I've been using the Logitech Z550's using Optical straight to the console, but they're a bit too large for my bedroom now, so i'm selling them on and want something a bit less space consuming, but with higher quality sound.

Total budget is <£500.

Cheers guys.
 
T

Totakeke

Member
One of my M-Audio DSM1s broke less than 1.5 years. Since they discontinued the product, there's no way to repair it. Now I'm stuck with only one functioning speaker.

So what the heck? Are audiophile speakers supposed to be so vulnerable and irreparable? Makes me thinks twice on spending money on another pair because you might be paying 500 bucks for something that only works a year then needs to be replaced again.
 
M

muu

Member
You just lucked out in getting one that broke. I've had Klipsche Promedias that were supposed to fry itself within 6 months and kept running for 4, 5 years solid with daily use, finally sold it on ebay for nearly what I bought it for. Monitors w/ amps builtin just have more parts that are likely to break, and that's one of the risks you take with them vs traditional speaker / amp setup. It's a bummer that they discontinued your line, but hopefully this doesn't sour you from pursuing audio bliss.

My Salk HT1-TLs have been running very well, as have my amp. 5.1 might be interesting in this level of speakers, but looking at $1500 for centers and likely similar amt for satellites I think I'm more than happy with my 2.1 setup. I don't watch too many movies or do much gaming beyond occasional CoD sessions these days anyway...
 
K

kevm3

Member
Lovely feeling when you finally find speakers and a set-up that doesn't have you wondering what else is out there and you can just go back to listening to the music... which is very difficult when you're as picky as me. Love these lsa statements
 
F

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
kevm3 said:
Lovely feeling when you finally find speakers and a set-up that doesn't have you wondering what else is out there and you can just go back to listening to the music... which is very difficult when you're as picky as me. Love these lsa statements
Click to expand...
Great for you.

I could never live with the bass-heft and image size of bookshelves though :-\

Today I was at a place called FLEX and since it was off hours you could hear the installed speaker system well. Easily the best I have heard. Not the usual "sharp highs from agressive metal dome horn tweeter" crap. Soft top end, very clear mids and tremendous quality bass thanks to the two huge horn subwoofers.

I want something like that, only for elevated room levels. Too bad I can't spend any money the coming decade on speakers, ah well.
 
B

BloodMoney

Banned
I had a Klipsch 4.1 pro media system from 2000-2008… best “computer” speakers I ever had until I upgraded to a receiver + sub + reference quality speakers.
I don’t think Klipsch makes the 4.1 surround setup anymore, but they do sell a 2.1 pro media system which I am sure I worth every penny.
 
B

Banglish

Member
I'm looking for a 2.0 monitor setup preferably under $150, mainly for creating/listening to music.
I'm looking at the Swan D1010 IV. Apparently their only weakness is the bass, and I'm making hip-hop, obviously bass heavy.
Any other contenders?

RS4- said:
I wish there was an easier way to get Swans up here in Canada or else I wouldn't have picked up the BX5As.
Click to expand...

I got the M50 2.1 shipped up here, in my opinion it was worth the duty.
 
N

nilbog21

Banned
Hey guys needed PC speakers so I bought the Bose companion 5 on a whim. I'm no audiophile but honestly I'm pretty underwhelmed for 400. The aesthetics r nice, but the sound quality is a little dissapointing I guess, especially after reading all the stellar reviews online.. Are there settings I can use to optimize sound quality, and is it ok to put the subwoofer down on carpet?
 
L

LCfiner

Member
Bose is nothing special and overpriced for the SQ you get. If you can return them, do so and get some better speakers. There’s lots of examples posted in this thread.
 
T

TxdoHawk

Member
tokkun said:
If you really want 'audiophile quality', get a sound card with digital out and send it to a normal receiver/speakers combo.
Click to expand...

I want to do this (my onboard sound has an annoying hum coming from the analog outs that I can't seem to fix) but I just want a small stereo receiver that will drive some bookshelf speakers. Budget + stereo + optical in seems to be a tough combo to find, though. Can anyone point me toward a receiver like this?
 
A

Arksy

Member
Just ordered a pair of these...

Dynaudio DM 2/7s


DM27.jpg

Three issues,

1) They're expensive. Cost me $850 AUD. Not really an issue per se, but it hurts, it hurts!

2) They don't have the nicest finish and presentation in the world.

3) They're low sensitivity and impedance. 86db/4 ohm. Meaning I'm going to need to beef up my amp...:(
 
R

RS4-

Member
Banglish said:
I got the M50 2.1 shipped up here, in my opinion it was worth the duty.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think I'll get Swans next time and just have it shipped to my family down there. I'll look up which ones to get when the time comes.

I'll probably stick to the 2 or 2.1 setup. Still happy with the BX5As though! Might look into the Rokits as well, which I was initially going to buy before getting the BX
 
N

No Love

Banned
nilbog21 said:
Hey guys needed PC speakers so I bought the Bose companion 5 on a whim. I'm no audiophile but honestly I'm pretty underwhelmed for 400. The aesthetics r nice, but the sound quality is a little dissapointing I guess, especially after reading all the stellar reviews online.. Are there settings I can use to optimize sound quality, and is it ok to put the subwoofer down on carpet?
Click to expand...

Take that crap back and buy some nice studio monitors. For half the price you can get something better. BOSE is awful.
 
rykomatsu

rykomatsu

Member
Swan Diva 2.1 - $200
Emotiva MiniX a-100 - $150
FiiO E17 w/ L7 LOD - $110

Came across someone selling a set of Swan Divas (6.1, 2.1, C3). Only was interested in 6.1, but couldn't buy without everything so decided to use 2.1 for PC as I got rid of my old JBL POS. Whole set was $800, would have spent $600-800 on 6.1s alone as they're that good so the $200 is an estimate...

The A-100 amp I got during Emotiva's refurb sale a week or 2 ago and the E17 I've had for my headphones for a while, but with the L7 line out dock, serves as a competent DAC.

Sound quality is excellent, but maybe a little lacking in the low-end, but that's rather subjective. Sound stage isn't quite as wide (relatively speaking) compared with the 6.1, but I'm also listening rather close so isn't as critical. Honestly, I think for under $500, I'd be hard pressed to find anything better...

For size reference, that's a 27" monitor...not a flattering picture but they're really gorgeous speakers :)

desktop_speakers_resize.jpg
 
G

godofcookery

Member
i have a pair of Behringer MS40's that have all the inputs I need, but I would love to get a new pair of speakers. preferrably 2.0.

the need 3.5mm, RCA and Optical inputs as well. Are there any speakers that sound great that might meet these needs?

edit: actually I need a headphone out as well.
 
Mohonky

Mohonky

Member
QualityPixel said:
Hey audiophile GAF. I'm having a hard time finding a new 5.1 receiver that has what I need. I need 110-125watts RMS 8ohm, 5.1, 2-3 optical inputs (24/96). What would you guys get? I would like to get something used because it saves a lot of money.
Click to expand...

Not gonna happen unless it's a power amp.

But you don't likely need that much power anyway, so don't get too worried about power figures unless you are looking at a dedicated power amp, most AVR's would be lucky to put out 50w a channel all said and done.
 
rykomatsu

rykomatsu

Member
TxdoHawk said:
I want to do this (my onboard sound has an annoying hum coming from the analog outs that I can't seem to fix) but I just want a small stereo receiver that will drive some bookshelf speakers. Budget + stereo + optical in seems to be a tough combo to find, though. Can anyone point me toward a receiver like this?
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean by "budget" - <$100, $100-$200, etc

NuForce DIA will probably get you where you need to for ~$200...
 
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