Best Computer Speakers?!? Clarity, Clarity!

B00nie said:
It seems you don't. Study a little about dispersion patterns of butterworth and 24db/oct linkwitz riley for example. Passive boxes typically use butterworth and 2nd order due to high cost of component and complexity of passive design.

Monitors are designed from ground up to provide an accurate sound to near field, simple as that.

Also with active speakers the amps don't even need to be over engineered since they don't have to deal with a gazillion unknown variables which are caused by speaker cables and drivers combined to the passive crossover network.
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What kind of speakers are you actually talking about Boonie. Honestly I don't know. I think you are focused solely on $6000 Active studio monitors with active crossover networks.

Why don't you get back to earth and FOCUS on what is being discussed. We are talking about speakers within a budget. That budget is what $500?

I'd love to know what set of $500 active monitors contain an active crossover network, enlighten me. I'd love to hear a set of these. I bet they would sound terrific.

Back to sets of computer active speakers within the OPs budget. Take a look at the audioengine A5 for example. They are $400 active monitors... They contain, that's right. A passive crossover network, just like everything else in this price range.

Look, you can see it right here. I see an amp, I see a crossover network. What I don't see is two amps with the signal being ran through the crossover first

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And since when has "over engineered" been to the detriment of anything.

Now my points, which I will say again is

1) Buying used will give you a greater return on investment

2) Separating everything means you can upgrade piecemeal saving you money.

3)Savings from 1 and 2 mean you will get better stuff.

You jump in on every thread blathering on about $6000 active monitors and how everything that doesn't share this design philosophy is worthless.

Few people here are putting together a recording studio and even fewer people here have any use for the speakers you recommend in every thread. You can also add active crossovers to powered speakers if you really care about the difference an active crossover network can make. It isn't limited to powered monitors. Many people do this. You simply buy the crossover network pull out the passives and run through the crossovers before bi-amping the speakers.
 
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Active crossovers aren't needed with properly paired drivers and amps. There are definite benefits to having active crossovers, but not at this budget.
 
matteos said:
I'd love to know what set of $500 active monitors contain an active crossover network, enlighten me. I'd love to hear a set of these. I bet they would sound terrific.
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The M-Audio BX5a has an active crossover network (24 dB/oct Linkwitz-Riley crossover). They used to go for $150-200/pair and the newer version is around $250/pair.
 
matteos said:
What kind of speakers are you actually talking about Boonie. Honestly I don't know. I think you are focused solely on $6000 Active studio monitors with active crossover networks.

Why don't you get back to earth and FOCUS on what is being discussed. We are talking about speakers within a budget. That budget is what $500?

I'd love to know what set of $500 active monitors contain an active crossover network, enlighten me. I'd love to hear a set of these. I bet they would sound terrific.

Back to sets of computer active speakers within the OPs budget. Take a look at the audioengine A5 for example. They are $400 active monitors... They contain, that's right. A passive crossover network, just like everything else in this price range.

Look, you can see it right here. I see an amp, I see a crossover network. What I don't see is two amps with the signal being ran through the crossover first

clip_image010_019.jpg


And since when has "over engineered" been to the detriment of anything.

Now my points, which I will say again is

1) Buying used will give you a greater return on investment

2) Separating everything means you can upgrade piecemeal saving you money.

3)Savings from 1 and 2 mean you will get better stuff.

You jump in on every thread blathering on about $6000 active monitors and how everything that doesn't share this design philosophy is worthless.

Few people here are putting together a recording studio and even fewer people here have any use for the speakers you recommend in every thread. You can also add active crossovers to powered speakers if you really care about the difference an active crossover network can make. It isn't limited to powered monitors. Many people do this. You simply buy the crossover network pull out the passives and run through the crossovers before bi-amping the speakers.
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I'm sorry but you don't even seem to know the difference between a powered speaker and an active speaker. Even the cheapest of the cheap active speaker has an active crossover by definition. A powered monitor is borderline stupidity. A $400 Behringer has an active crossover and two amps per channel for example.

Since it's way, way cheaper to build and design an active crossover it's not a cost factor at all (crossover wise). The only extra cost comes from having two amps per speaker - but that's exactly where the benefits also are.

Things like delay cirquits, parametric EQs, shelving equalizers etc. are extremely simple to achieve on active side but very very expensive to do as passive. This means that the speaker designer has much more freedom to, say, design his speakers with the linkwitz-riley crossover which has superior dispersion patterns on the horizontal (often monitors are placed on desk below ear level).

The OP has clearly stated that the 500 was not a hard limit, he's willing to spend more if he gets return for his investment. And get back to grips already, for 500 bucks you can't get more than 1 hifi shelf speaker even as a passive solution, with the possible exception of the Pioneer SP22 which I've yet to hear.

The OP asked for HIGH END, not a plastic soap box with a string for small change.
 
matteos said:
Why don't you get back to earth and FOCUS on what is being discussed. We are talking about speakers within a budget. That budget is what $500?

I'd love to know what set of $500 active monitors contain an active crossover network, enlighten me. I'd love to hear a set of these. I bet they would sound terrific.

Back to sets of computer active speakers within the OPs budget. Take a look at the audioengine A5 for example. They are $400 active monitors... They contain, that's right. A passive crossover network, just like everything else in this price range.
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B00nie is correct, if they have a passive crossover then they cannot be active monitors but rather passive speakers. Your example is a passive powered monitor.

Here are some actual active monitors for less than 500 USD:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BX5D2/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BX8D2/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Rokit5G3/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Rokit6G3/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Rokit8G3/

600usd will even get you to the KRK vxt range:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VXT4/

here's even an active 3 way for less than 500:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/M3-6/

genelec will blow past a bit 500 (they are superb though) ... here is the cheapest:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/6010BMM/

other people already mentioned some but I wanted to make a bigger list

On a personal note, I am rather soured by the massive amounts of false myths, BS, placebo and the resulting scams surrounding the audiophile industry. In particular I have an aversion to multi thousand dollar cables (even got on atarione case earlier in this thread just by reflex when he mentioned cables - sorry about that)

Because of this I prefer the professional audio market. It's simply harder to bullshit professionals.

I am very interested right now also on the Objective 2 / ODAC posted by [H] member prava .... it seems the original designed was also fed up with the BS and made his own low cost design (look up NwAvGuy)
 
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atarione said:
i think the Emotiva airmotiv 5 active speakers have active crossovers...


http://www.emotivapro.com/products/airmotiv-4-pair

http://www.emotivapro.com/products/airmotiv-5-pair

the 4 and 5 would be in the op's budget...



http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/emotiva-airmotiv-5-active-monitor-speakers


I would actually really like a chance to try these out i have heard good things .. but I haven't as of yet been able to listen to these.
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I keep forgetting about the Emotivas. I may have to try a pair out.
 
Ok I see some arguments going on so let me clarify.

I need something that's more or less a all-in-one solution. I don't want to have amps and what not laying around on a glass desk next to a beautiful monitor with perfect cable managment. Again it comes down to sound and aesthetic appeal.

I am willing to spend more than 500. That was more or less just a guideline... :D I just want a good pair of speakers that will 90% of the time will be used in near field listening. I am talking 5-6 at most!

After using MM1's for about a week they seem to do a good job with the clarity and the looks. I still have another week to change my mind if there are better all-in-one solutions out on the market! :p
 
Kind of hard to buy a 600 dollar product without ever hearing it lol. Although that's what I did with my Sennheisers HD 650's and I love them :))
 
Mmkay.. that Focal satellite/sub combo is not even hi-fi level.
 
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