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Speaker selection for SB Zxr?

S

sphinx99

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 23, 2006
Messages
1,194
I bought a Soundblaster ZXR during the recent sale and so far am quite enjoying it. I wanted it for two main purposes: something in-chassis to power my headphones, and something with high-quality line-in ADC to archive old analog material. I'm very pleased on both counts.

However, I'm looking for some desktop speakers (2.0 or 2.1) that match well to the ZXR, or at least take advantage of its [relatively] high quality DAC. Currently I am running digital to an old receiver using old satellites, but it's neither particularly good-sounding nor particularly power-efficient. (It's a furnace.) It also takes up so much desk space.

Any suggestions on a good 2.0 or 2.1 speaker system that can fill a decent-sized room (up to about 20x15) with sound, is fairly adept with both movies/music/gaming, is a good match to a source of the ZXR's caliber, and is sufficiently self-powered (I assume this is the BIG pre-requisite)? On the latter point I suppose I could go amp-shopping but I'd really prefer not to have to pick yet another piece of equipment and find a place for it.
 
For 2.0, I'd look up some local music or pro audio shops, and ask about what active (powered) studio monitor options they have in your price range and if they're set up. Take some music you're familiar with and give them a listen.
 
Have any of you tried the Vanatoo Transparent One powered speakers?
 
I read the same review, they seem to come recommended from several sources. It looks like the Audioengine 5+ is the other alternative, along with perhaps the Emotiva Airmotiv.4, .5 and/or .6 models.
 
I got the Airmotiv 4's a few months ago because the Swans M200's were out of stock, and they are great. They also look fairly sexy (just to me, not to my wife).
 
I appreciate the feedback. They do look good from pictures, as do the audioengine 5+ units. The vanatoo units look... less nice.

How did you choose the Airmotiv 4s vs. its two bigger siblings? Was cost/budget a factor, or was it more about space? I have to admit really liking the extended range of the 5s and especially 6s, and the cost for all three is palatable (I expect to use these for many years) but I'm wondering if the larger speakers are simply too big for a desk.

Also, there is precious little comparative information out there on how good the off-axis performance of these speakers are.

Audioengine 5+

audioengine-5-plus-black.jpg


Vanatoo Transparent One

image1.jpg


Emotiva Airmotiv 5

motiv5_front_web_1024x1024.jpg
 
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Well the main difference would be that the Vanatoo has more bass. So they are designed for 2.0 in mind.

If you were planning on also using a sub, I would go for the emotiva. They are very nice sounding and of good quality.
 
I didn't have a budget issue. I went with the 4's due to performance/$ spent, size, and because my research seemed to indicate that the 5's and 6's were both a bit too big for desk use and that the added benefit was mostly in bass and/or projection into a larger room instead of just for near-field use. I'm not a huge bass person and a small punchy bass is all I need.

That said, the 4's have a ton of bass, and while I'm more of a midrange guy, it is undeniable that the ribbon tweeters it has produce crystal clear highs; you can instantly hear the difference.

I have a fairly large custom desk I made, and I personally wouldn't go bigger than the 4's, but it's doable if you want the absolute best and you want more bass. I don't use a sub and never would for music (I always listen with 2.0 speakers that are good enough to produce tight bass) so perhaps that informs my tastes a bit.

In terms of the sweet spot, definitely get the little monitor stands that Emotiva sells or the foam ones on Amazon, because it makes a huge difference in the sound quality. I have mine very slightly toed in, and aimed such that when I am leaned back in my task chair like I usually aim, the tweeters are around ear height. It doesn't substantially deteriorate if I'm not leaned back, but you can hear the difference.

Hope that helps.
 
I just got some (passive) NHT SuperZero speakers... and as such I'm now a huge NHT fan.. these SuperZero's are amazing...I'm going to get the matching NHT Sub soon..


anyways NHT has a sale going right now (till 7/15/13) $100 off $500 or more order

http://www.nhthifi.com/e-Gift-Cards


making the NHT SuperPower System Two $599

http://www.nhthifi.com/SuperPower-2-1-Desktop-System-TWO?sc=12&category=3781


or the NHT (passive) Super Stereo

http://www.nhthifi.com/bookshelf-speakers-subwoofer-Super-Stereo?sc=12&category=3830

$499 ... but you need to add something else to the order to get over the $500 to get the discount code.

and you'd need a amp.. could be something as cheap as a $20~ Lepai 2020A+ or you know whatever up from there .. used stereo gear can be sometimes had quite cheaply (see my threads on stuff I drag home) ... or other t-amps (better built SMSL SA-S3 I own this one very nice $60 shipped from ebay).
 
Thanks everyone for the replies.

The NHT System Two as a 2.0 system doesn't seem to go too low (~ 72 Hz) probably because there is a subwoofer included. After some thought I think I want to stay with 2.0; I'm trying to achieve a cleaner look with fewer components, and having a sub on the floor isn't going to help.

I'm also thinking that the Vanatoo looks nice, but with a ZxR as my current source, and a Benchmark DAC1 that I could use for other sources, it seems like I'm paying a little more for [yet another] DAC that I don't need.

Also, I'm a bit of a vintage audio buff (you should see all the Nakamichi tape decks lying around here) and I have to admit that there's some appeal to the idea of being able to plug in powered speakers to a nice deck without having to run wires to a AV receiver in an enclosed cabinet, so I'm wondering why I haven't done this before....
 
fair enough... i was suggesting based off the initial post mentioning 2.1

yeah a sub isn't really optional with the NHT's honestly.. but paired with one they freaking kill ..

but if you really want just 2.0 they ain't going to be for you.
 
Unfortunately you haven't given us your budget but if you want a nice pair of powered monitors then look no further than Emotiva Pro. Personally, I've gone the amp+speakers+sub route and run their XDA-2 DAC + XPA-200 + Polk RTiA1's + X-Ref 12 + Ultra Sub 10. But for you it would make the most sense to go analog out from the sound card directly to the amp or powered monitors. The reason why I went with an external DAC is because the XDA-2 has lossless volume control via its digitally controlled analog resistor ladder network. 99.99% of people don't care about that or even know what its all about. To them its simply volume up and down. Unfortunately, there's more to it than that.
 
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My vote is the emotiva. Especially with your sources. I wish they made just the speaker too.

The Benchmark + Emotiva would be choice for music!
 
Price range... $400-800. Flexible on the upper end if I know that I can re-purpose the speakers for home theater or other application(s) in the future. We have a nice HT on the video and electronics side, but the speakers are a very old Hsu Ventriloquest set. (They actually have gotten the job done, but I am looking for greater range and capability in the HT so I don't mind upping the budget on the PC side if it gives me a good taste for something that I might actually prefer in the HT Right now I am waiting for the Sierra-2s to be released by Ascend Acoustics as my "top of the list" speakers for the HT.)

Wow, those Emotiva Pro Stealth 6s sure pique my interest..... and I believe my DAC1 can send balanced out, but not so sure about the ZxR. Unfortunately, am I correct in thinking that a speaker that only accepts balanced inputs is going to be a pain to connect to regular unbalanced sources? I agree the DAC1 is an excellent source, but I was hoping to pick up speakers that I could connect to one of my old tape decks, or to my wife's iPad, or .... etc. etc.

EDIT: Nevermind, looks like the Stealths accept unbalanced 1/4". Yay, another cable to buy :)

On an unrelated note, I noticed the Stealth 8s are flat pretty much down to 30Hz. And look at the SPL. Those are utterly amazing specs for a speaker of that price and size.

Counterpoint, I know what you mean 100% on avoiding any volume processing at the source. I'd rather my DAC or AMP handle that work.
 
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The Stealth 8s are fairly bad ass indeed. You could do better but would be spending above $1200 imo.

If you like the HSU, which are also excellent, then you should love these. They take holographic sound to another level.

ADAM Audio A7X has balanced inputs and is the same price. I don't think it is quite as well made as the Emotiva. Knowing them, their ingredients are probably of higher quality. Otherwise, the speakers are very similar looking.
 
Ascend Acoustics have always received good reviews and the Sierra-2s sound (no pun intended) interesting. If those are your 1st choice speakers you may want to wait for them. If I recall Sierra-1s were like $1k speakers pair. Are the 2s similarly priced and is this a price you are willing to spend?

You seem to be ok with larger speakers and your budget gives you a large choice. Do you have a receiver to hook up or would that need to be included in the budget if you were to go passive? (Edit: Sorry I see you already mentioned you have an old receiver but wouldn't mind getting a cleaner look on your desk by removing it).

The other route you can go is DIY kits. I really enjoy my RS621s from Dayton

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=302-960

They give good neutral sound ( just a bit on the bright side) and I think they are a great value speaker though they are sealed and so do not go down too far and they do need a sub.

However, if you can spend more, there is the SR-71 from Zapf using if I recall SEAS drivers. You can check them out at Madisound. Just a quick check looks like you now have to buy the speaker kit and the cabinet separately but it shouldn't be a problem.

http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/2-way-speaker-kits/zaph|audio-sr71-kit-pair-parts-only/

Madisound does have a number of kits to choose from if building is not a problem.

If not, you have a lot of choices so you can do (and it seems like you already have done) some looking around. For actives, I have always been interested in Adams though never really had the budget to afford them. Those Emotiva speakers look very nice as well.

Have fun shopping around.
 
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spaceman said:
I wish they made just the speaker too.
Click to expand...

Supposedly they are coming out with a new line of loudspeakers on the HT side that utilizes the Stealth's high-frequency driver (Air Motion Transformer). I don't know what the ETA is though.
 
After much thought I think I'm leaning toward the Stealth 6s. Boy are they expensive for computer speakers... but I could move them to the HT without worry of giving anything up, which makes them feel like a great solution.
 
Sounds good. Yeah they ain't no Logitech price. :D But those Emotiva speakers probably sound fantastic. I have seen people put very expensive Dynaudios, Adams, Genelecs and others on their PC so this would fall into that category. Give us a listening review if you get them.
 
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