high end audio set up for desktop

Vaske

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Hello

I want a very good audio set up for my desktop computer, atm I have a klipsch bookshelf speakers with a powered amp, but it's not good enough, the audio is not clear enough, movies / tv series is important, I want to focus on clear sound, I don't really have the need to play loud music, but I do on occation do just that, I want it to feal as clear as a nice pair of headphones would sound. I have done a little bit of research and found that the best option is probably to buy a pair of nearfield studio speakers as they seem to sound better at desktop sitting distances.
 
Yeap near field speakers are the one to look at for your usage, depending on your budget there are many different ways to go.

Some studio monitors can be very clinical, but I'm used to this as many clean, flatly reproducing speakers of good quality will be pretty clinical. But some hifi orientated speakers can be a bit less fatiguing and more 'musical' - easier to enjoy. All depends on personal taste.

You know you want to...
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Parents of a good friend of mine have the lower model version of them (600 series from memory) and they're amazingly impressive speakers. The sound was unreal from something that size.

Another good one to check out are the Genelecs. Wicked especially for professional use.
 
How big is your room? How close will you be to the speakers? How much are you prepared to invest in this setup? I don't just mean money -- e.g. are you willing to acoustically treat your room? Will you spend time to research how to do it?
 
Good speakers are not enough, you have to treat your room acoustics if you want a truly good sound. Even in near field if your room has a really bad reverb or bass modes, even a good speaker will sound muddy.

Basic stuff can be done using furniture but the best results come from placing dampers and diffusers to appropriate places. You can start by doing very basic and easy stuff such as elevating the speaker off the table level (tweeter should be at ear level) and placing a damping or diffusing piece of furniture (bookshelf with books, sofa chair ...) between the closest wall and the speaker. You can use a mirror to check where the diffuser/damper should be placed - the spot where you can see the speaker through the mirror while in the listening spot is the spot where you'll want the acoustic treatment.

If you're listening from a desktop close to the speakers you should look for speakers that are specifically designed for near field monitoring. Near field listening poses challenges and advantages that are totally different from regular far field listening.

The much spoken JBL LSR305/308 is a good low cost starting point.
 
How big is your room? How close will you be to the speakers? How much are you prepared to invest in this setup? I don't just mean money -- e.g. are you willing to acoustically treat your room? Will you spend time to research how to do it?

What part of desktop setup and nearfield speakers did you not get? The distance speaks for it self, you sound like a lot of maintanance dude ..
 
For near field listening the Blumenstein Orcas are highly regarded - Orca 3" Fullrange Pair. I have these and am very happy running them from a tube amp.

You could also try the Blumenstein Marlins - Marlin 3" Fullrange Pair. They weren't available when I got my Orcas, but if I were to buy now, I would definitely consider these.
 
What part of desktop setup and nearfield speakers did you not get? The distance speaks for it self, you sound like a lot of maintanance dude ..

Being a dick to people trying to help?

You did not include some important information and he brought up some great points about acoustics.

You can spend gobs of money on equipment that still won't sound great if the acoustics of the room suck.

You said that you wanted desktop speakers. You didn't say what you are going to use them for.

Don't be such a dick bag newbie.
 
Being a dick to people trying to help?

You did not include some important information and he brought up some great points about acoustics.

You can spend gobs of money on equipment that still won't sound great if the acoustics of the room suck.

You said that you wanted desktop speakers. You didn't say what you are going to use them for.

Don't be such a dick bag newbie.

Yes I did, I said tv and movies are important to me, emphasising on that, he did bring on the acoustics, I never said he didn't bring that up, he asked questions where the information was already available and listed, some common sense and deductive reasoning is never a bad thing, and it applies to you as well, You should read more thourougly next time instead of coming with empty accusations. I critiziced him for not reading what I wrote and then giving input and asking questions which if he had read what I wrote, he could have gathered all that information instead.
 
Good speakers are not enough, you have to treat your room acoustics if you want a truly good sound. Even in near field if your room has a really bad reverb or bass modes, even a good speaker will sound muddy.

Basic stuff can be done using furniture but the best results come from placing dampers and diffusers to appropriate places. You can start by doing very basic and easy stuff such as elevating the speaker off the table level (tweeter should be at ear level) and placing a damping or diffusing piece of furniture (bookshelf with books, sofa chair ...) between the closest wall and the speaker. You can use a mirror to check where the diffuser/damper should be placed - the spot where you can see the speaker through the mirror while in the listening spot is the spot where you'll want the acoustic treatment.

If you're listening from a desktop close to the speakers you should look for speakers that are specifically designed for near field monitoring. Near field listening poses challenges and advantages that are totally different from regular far field listening.

The much spoken JBL LSR305/308 is a good low cost starting point.


I understand, I already have elevated the ones I have, I have a iso acoustics mounitor stand tilted up about 15 degrees. I am not really looking to treat the room, it's a part of a two part living room and as such, I have limited options. I will be getting a floor mat, I should also include that I have a 10" powered sub from klipsch. I want active speakers as the amp just takes up unecessary space, and I have been looking at some nice nearfield powered speakers from various brands but not found anything yet to my liking. Looks are important as well
 
Yes I did, I said tv and movies are important to me, emphasising on that, he did bring on the acoustics, I never said he didn't bring that up, he asked questions where the information was already available and listed, some common sense and deductive reasoning is never a bad thing, and it applies to you as well, You should read more thourougly next time instead of coming with empty accusations. I critiziced him for not reading what I wrote and then giving input and asking questions which if he had read what I wrote, he could have gathered all that information instead.

That isn't the point.

You never said he didn't say that you said he said you didn't explain.

You didn't provide information that someone else thought was relevant to helping them help you. They're taking the time out of their day to help you (a stranger) for free. Even if they're wrong (which they aren't) there's no need to be rude.

You came here asking for help. Remember that.

Perhaps they didn't understand what you're trying to explain :)
 
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I use these for my desktop. They use a kevlar woofer too. I have an Energy 8" sub also. Mine are an older design than these so don't know how they compare but Viritas series are their flagship speakers so I expect they are good. Of course with these you need an amp too.

Energy : Veritas : V-MINI-BS
 
Of course a JBL LSR305 is not exactly high end. If you want high-end you have to pay 10 to 50 times the price. You won't get value for money though.
 
Well the real first question is "What's your budget?" Audio can cost a TON if you want it to, and there is benefit to be had from the high end stuff. So you need to figure out what kind of price range you are talking to give an idea for recommendations. Your idea of "high end" and my idea of "high end" are probably different. If you can only afford $200 or something, that'll limit your options. On the other hand if you are talking a few thousand dollars, you have a lot more you can do.

If you want my "money is no object" recommendation with the constraints of stereo, nearfield speakers for a computer it would be a pair of ATC SCM25A Pros at about $8000/pair, a Benchmark DAC1 or DAC2 for D/A conversion and volume control ($1000-2000 depending on model) and a MiniDSP DDRC-22D for room correction at about $730. So around $10k. If you aren't willing to pay that, and I imagine you are not, then I'd need a better idea of budget to make a more realistic recommendation.
 
DEQX is mutually inclusive/synonomous with "nearfield" and "high end." Just about the best setup ever made for nearfield was the NHT Xd. It's discontinued but generally available online used for around $2k.

Obviously if you aren't comfortable with pre-owned and just want a new retail/brick&mortar product, the Dynaudio Focus 200XD is about as good of a nearfield monitor as you can get and still fit it reasonably on a computer desk. They retail for about $6,500. Obviously I would consider high end Genelecs better, but those things get so massive they might as well be furniture pieces rather than stand/table mount speakers.

Obviously if you are willing to "DIY" active speakers you can get even better performance. Most active speakers tend to have very low end drivers as most of the cost is in the active crossovers and amplification. I know quite a few high end audio guys will take a high end set of passive speakers with flagship drivers (like the Dynaudio Confidence C1) and mate it with a DEQX active crossover/amp and really get the best of both worlds--high end drivers and top notch amplification/steep crossover slopes. That said "active DIY" is a ridiculously expensive hobby since a high end DEQX crossover/amp set will probably put you back well over 10k for just the electronics for a 2-channel setup, not to mention the $5k-10+ you are probably spending on a set of top tier passive speakers, plus you generally need to have a lot of experience with crossover design to properly set up your own electronic slopes.
 
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Genelec makes high-end studio stuff. You can get a near field monitor with room correction capabilities out of the box.
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I don't know that he's interested in digital room correction, I just mentioned it since he didn't give a budget and I personally am enthralled with Dirac's room correction so if I make a "money is no object" recommendation it'll include Dirac in some form or another.
 
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