Best desktop audio recommendations

Davedude

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Sep 2, 2004
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I'm trying to decide what desktop speakers to buy. Things I'm considering so far are...

Difinitive Technology Incline
Audioengine A5+
Polk Audio AM6510-A Hampden
Bowers & Wilkins MM-1
KEF X300A

- Ideally I would like a setup that doesn't need a subwoofer, but if it does need a sub it needs to either be cheaper without it or include it (and please recommend a sub too if I need it)
- I like the idea of a built in DAC (connect speakers via usb)
- Bluetooth would be nice, but not needed
- Appearance matters, but sound matters more
- I'll mostly be using these for listening to music and playing games, not for watching movies
- Price matters: I'm looking for the best bang for the buck in this genre

Can anyone recommend which one I should go for, or any I've missed considering? Thanks!
 
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I picked up a Audio Dragonfly 1.2 a few weeks ago, and after doing so I no longer needed new speakers. Im currently using the ho-hum Klipsch Pro-Media 2.1 set, but with the dragonfly its a whole new experience.

I know the built in DAC was on your want list, so I apologize if this is completely useless to you. I just figured that a tiny but capable DAC to reinvigorate existing speaker setup might be more "bang for the buck" than the price range of speakers you have here.
 
Of those you listed I would say the KEF X300A. But like most speakers with built-in DAC, they will sound better with a better quality DAC.

A better choice might be an Emotiva Pro powered monitor and a decent USB DAC.
 
Of those you listed I would say the KEF X300A. But like most speakers with built-in DAC, they will sound better with a better quality DAC.

A better choice might be an Emotiva Pro powered monitor and a decent USB DAC.
You would say the KEF even considering it's twice the price as most of the other options? My issue with Emotiva monitors, or any, is size mostly.
 
having listened to some of those options...

(and this is just one man's opinion) MEH... except them KEF's but
man they are a lot of monies...


just throwing out a very inexpensive (and imho) very satisfying option listening right now

to little chinese T-amp (mine is SMSL SA-S3) $60~ shipped with 4A power supply 13~watts @ 8ohms

and a thriftstore find (readily available on ebay ~$60ish shipped) Realistic Minimus 77 speakers (mine cost $10 but had to spend another $5~ish on surround repair kit)


 
do they have to be small and powered?

I know you said desktop but I actually have these on my desktop lol they are 4 ohm and well I have a pretty nice 2 channel setup in the computer room so I can play flacs and vinyl. I love these speakers best thing I have ever personally heard. Might be big for some ppl however but I absolutely love them.

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-57507-epos-epic-2-bookshelf-speakers-pr.aspx

Ya they have to be small and powered. I would consider these in my living room though heh.
 
You would say the KEF even considering it's twice the price as most of the other options? My issue with Emotiva monitors, or any, is size mostly.

Well, if price is and issue, the then Audioengine A5+ is decent.

But the Emotiva Airmotiva 4S is better, cheaper, and smaller than both the KEF and the Audioengine!

Now there is and error on the emotivapro site where they list the dimensions of the 5S instead of 4S. You are better off going to emotive.com. They not only give the correct dimensions there, but they also give a better price!
 
man they are a lot of monies...

Yeah, I imagine you can find much better value for the price (IMHO), plus those things can't be connected to a sub.

I got a pair of JBL LSR305's today. I've spent the last hour+ listening to them and they sound really good for the price:
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-JBL-LSR305-PAIR

I think most people wouldn't want/need a sub with these. The center imaging is very good. The mids and highs are nice and clear. They get very loud too.!

+1

Best purchase I've made in a long time. Clarity and detail is amazing for the price. The fact that I got them for cheaper than retail only sealed the deal. I'd wager it'd blow the doors off some of those multimedia speakers listed in the initial post in regards to sound. The other speakers have the advantage of being more user friendly, since they can be easily connected to a computer.
 
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+1

Best purchase I've made in a long time. Clarity and detail is amazing for the price. The fact that I got them for cheaper than retail only sealed the deal. I'd wager it'd blow the doors off some of those multimedia speakers listed in the initial post in regards to sound. The other speakers have the advantage of being more user friendly, since they can be easily connected to a computer.

Definitely! I spent most of the morning playing songs I know pretty well and I'm just amazed at how good they sound for the price. They're not the greatest speakers I've heard before but they do more right than wrong. The bass has nice impact (the active design helps with this) but quality is just okish in that area. It's probably adequate for most people but I bet a good quality sub would help these babies sing even better. I'm probably going to pick up the matching LSR310S sub. I usually don't match subs and pick to taste but the LSR310S seems like it might be a mighty performer compared to a consumer grade sub. I do need to get some risers, maybe some IsoAcoustics stands to lift them off my desk. My desk is glass so there's a few nasty reflections I can improve upon by raising them.

It's been a few years since I've heard an active setup and they remind me of how much better active is vs passive. These JBL's do some stuff my MartinLogan ESL's don't do well at least until I convert those to active LOL. Don't get me wrong they don't sound better than my ESL's but they do somethings better like the overall individual driver control active designs do so much better than passive. Active feels more alive.
 
I've personally found myself not wanting in terms of bass (particularly in terms to what I had originally on my desk), I think it's probably my space though. There's only so much 5 inchers can do. I'm certain a sub will do wonders.
 
Someone independent from myself bumped the BlueSky exo2s above. They completely shock me. I've had mine 4 months now. I really had them up loud yesterday... "Don't You (Forget About Me)" just absolutely sounds like it's being played live in the studio. There's something butterfly-inducing about their sound profile I can't explain it. Coming out of the little silver boxes on my desktop it just seems impossible. I find myself listening to really weird shit because of these speakers. I look through lists of old soundtracks to find music I'm very familiar with but haven't heard in a long time because every single time it is transformed and envelops me like I've never felt these tunes before. When I was 22 more than a decade ago, the last time I had a really nice sound system, I wasn't listening to good old music. Now I'm listening to both music that's been around for generations and music that came about during my lifetime and these damn speakers make everything I play them with sound cleaner and more colorful and effortless than I've ever had b4
 
I got a pair of JBL LSR305's today. I've spent the last hour+ listening to them and they sound really good for the price:
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-JBL-LSR305-PAIR

I think most people wouldn't want/need a sub with these. The center imaging is very good. The mids and highs are nice and clear. They get very loud too.

+1 for the JBL. That and the KEFs are probably the only ones that are going to give any sort of good result. All those cheaper plastic 'soap' boxes sound just as horrible as their price suggests. Some people may be satisfied with them, but those people would be satisfied with two plastic cups connected with a string.
 
I have the Definitive Inclines and I am really happy with them. I'm very surprised that they have so much quality bass, their really is no need for a subwoofer.
 
I've personally found myself not wanting in terms of bass (particularly in terms to what I had originally on my desk), I think it's probably my space though. There's only so much 5 inchers can do. I'm certain a sub will do wonders.

What bass they have has a nice kick, you feel it right in the chest. I'm a bit of a basshead... hehe

The sweet spot is crazy wide on these. The vocals are dead center. It's a very fun speaker to listen to. They replaced some old Altec Lansing ADA885 that died. They didn't have a very good sweet spot and the vocals were hard to center and would pull to the side. I only paid $15 for those and they sounded pretty nice for price and I got 5 years out of them.
 
Lasted five years? Not bad, I'd imagine most consumers would be glad if a cheap computer set lasted a year these days. Speaking of cheap computer sets, I kept/keep coming across some guy bashing the LSR305 and claiming his Logitech Z4 set is better. He claims the LSR305 has boomy/colored bass, boxy mids and lacks clarity; contrary to everything I've heard and seen in terms of frequency response/performance (even in poorly treated rooms).

We tried to help him on Gearslutz, but he said he couldn't try a different source, and was slightly dismissive of room acoustics. He claimed the science was "bollocks" in another comment, and claimed a friend *in the business* told him it was a concept to mitigate "bad" speakers. Sure thing, Jeff.

Sad really. He seems a nice guy though, aside from some disagreements with others.
 
I just ordered the Incline speakers. They were in the running at $350, so at $200, there's no contest.
 
I've been really pleased with my Alesis M1 Active MK2 speakers, they are probably larger than the speakers you were looking for, but in the same price range.
I got my pair used over 10 years ago and they still work great, although I did have to change a capacitor in each PSU a year ago, 20cent fix and a simple solder job.
 
I just ordered the Incline speakers. They were in the running at $350, so at $200, there's no contest.

Hope you enjoy them. They should be more than adequate for your multimedia needs, I reckon.

I'm a little skeptical of those Polks though.
 
I just ordered the Incline speakers. They were in the running at $350, so at $200, there's no contest.

I hope you at least read the review first: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2457330,00.asp

Cell phone interference and build quality problems can become very irritating.

The review shows well how subjective audio is. The 'editors choice' sound sticks are a total joke compared to professional monitors for example :)
 
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I realize this is OT but idk where to put it. I could have sworn 24bit/48khz was messed up on my Essence STX w/ Win7 but I've gone back to 7 and been listening to my exo2s all day they sound better than eva. It's strange. The clarity I'm getting is so stark.
 
I have the Definitive Inclines and I am really happy with them. I'm very surprised that they have so much quality bass, their really is no need for a subwoofer.

I'll second that! The DT Incline's are really that good! Pull the trigger.
 
My local Best Buy has an AudioQuest DragonFly v2 connected to a laptop, streaming Pandora to the Inclines. Great sound.

PM me if interested, and I may be able to get you a deal.

Regards,
-I3
 
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