Bookshelf 2.0 + cheap amp Vs all-in-one type 2.1s

[dacads]

You're definitely at a bit of a cross road, bookshelf speakers at close range or rear ported speakers close to wall? You will have to pick the one that will be least effected by surroundings, distance etc

Also out of the 121 and BX2 I would go with the latter

Should have stock at OcUK shortly

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SP-009-JB&groupid=702&catid=22&subcat=1848

Impressive.. So that's what the trust message was for there's always room for expansion as I'm sure you know!

 

[Tacitus]

Hmm, I mean, I could probably pull my desk out a couple inches, but it's attached to a bookshelf which goes along the adjacent wall and is not too far from the doorframe, so I've only got so much leeway. Then I could have them a couple inches away from the edge of my desk, it might not be too bad.

I worry about it in my flat in Edinburgh though, my desk isn't massive and the speakers would be to some extent behind my two monitors, but that'll be the case with any bookshelf speakers. I am only here for another two months though.

I might need to head down to RS to listen to what they stock, it's only a 10-15 minute walk from where I live.

 

[Ryan-3]

I now have a pair of bookshelf speakers and an amp, and with them pointing inwards the sound is very nice. Mine are front ported though (BX2's) so they're fine with being close to the wall.

 

[Tacitus]

I now have a pair of bookshelf speakers and an amp, and with them pointing inwards the sound is very nice. Mine are front ported though (BX2's) so they're fine with being close to the wall.

Out of curiosity, what did you compare them to (if anything) and what were your observations?

What's the bass on them like?

 

[Ryan-3]

Had S730 Edifier's previously.

The rumbling from the sub isn't there anymore - although I can hook one up no bother - but the lower frequency sounds are not missing. These are more detailed - sometimes a little too bright and clinical - than the previous satellites and with the main driver being detached from the casing, there is only the sound produced and no extra rattles or vibration through the desk.

I have had Q Acoustics 2010i's in the same setup. Those are very nice sounding speakers, but with the port at the rear I couldn't have them placed where I wanted.

 

[TheDesX77]

Glad you like them still umming and ring over tannoys or the LSR rear facing bass port puts me off for my room but everything I've read says they good in pretty much any room set up.
how much did you pay for these?

Should have stock at OcUK shortly

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SP-009-JB&groupid=702&catid=22&subcat=1848

How much space do you have? I have mine angled towards me so although the corner closest to the wall is about 4 1/2" away from the wall, the port is 10" away (if that makes sense). That's worked fine for me. There is a +-2db switch for the bass frequencies as well.

I paid £225 including jack-rca cables and a pair of foam isolation wedges. The retailer charged £205 for a pair on their own iirc.

 

[Tacitus]

How much space do you have? I have mine angled towards me so although the corner closest to the wall is about 4 1/2" away from the wall, the port is 10" away (if that makes sense). That's worked fine for me. There is a +-2db switch for the bass frequencies as well.

I paid £225 including jack-rca cables and a pair of foam isolation wedges. The retailer charged £205 for a pair on their own iirc.

How do they do for you?

The JBL speakers are high on my list...

 

[Marine-RX179]

On the subject of studio speakers...just curious, how does the JBL LSR305 compare to the M-Studio BX5/BX6 Carbon?

 

[TwsT]

You're definitely at a bit of a cross road, bookshelf speakers at close range or rear ported speakers close to wall? You will have to pick the one that will be least effected by surroundings, distance etc

Also out of the 121 and BX2 I would go with the latter



Impressive.. So that's what the trust message was for there's always room for expansion as I'm sure you know!

akg is part of harman the company i can buy akg from sell all harman pro audio. including the jbl monitors.

Need to set up the 308's which i will do today.

Sadly I can't get K550 or other consumer items as the consumer stuff is still sold by harman.

How much space do you have? I have mine angled towards me so although the corner closest to the wall is about 4 1/2" away from the wall, the port is 10" away (if that makes sense). That's worked fine for me. There is a +-2db switch for the bass frequencies as well.

I paid £225 including jack-rca cables and a pair of foam isolation wedges. The retailer charged £205 for a pair on their own iirc.

Ahh cool sounds like a good deal.

the speakers won't be that far away I fear that i would be swapping boomy speaker bass due to the room for boomy speaker bass.

 

[daz]

I would suggest bookshelves for music, 2.1 for movies.

 

[dacads]

On the subject of studio speakers...just curious, how does the JBL LSR305 compare to the M-Studio BX5/BX6 Carbon?

M Audio are OK but the BX5 carbon isn't much of a comparison. BX6 Carbon on the other hand has favourable reviews, personally I'd steer away from them due to my previous experience but these are meant to be solid build quality. Other direct competitors of the JBL LSR305 include the Tannoy Reveal 502, Presonus Eris E5 and the aforementioned Samson Resolv SE5.

 

[Tacitus]

Hmm, how much can I skimp on an amp by the way?

For instance, I can get something like a SMSL SA-36 for about £35 or the SA-50 for £48. I could even get something cheaper, but if I was spending £150 on a pair of speakers I'd not have a massive amount left over for the rest of the kit.

 

[TwsT]

buy a second hand amp maybe?

 

[Tacitus]

buy a second hand amp maybe?

Should I take that to mean it's not a great idea to skimp? Haha.

Any particular budget-friendly models you could recommend that have been out there long enough to be going second hand? I really only plan on driving two speakers, but an input of some sort for my phone wouldn't be unwelcome.

It's tough to decide if I want something like the JBLs or the Audio Monitor BX2s + amp and all that.

 

[Cookeh]

Second hand amps are the way forward. Amps should not be skimped on. A big used favourite of mine is the NAD 3020A - beast of an amp back in its day. Also look out for older Marantz PM600X (where X is between 1 and 5). SA50 isnt terrible for the money, but its not really up to driving the BX2s properly.

 

[TwsT]

Should I take that to mean it's not a great idea to skimp? Haha.

Any particular budget-friendly models you could recommend that have been out there long enough to be going second hand? I really only plan on driving two speakers, but an input of some sort for my phone wouldn't be unwelcome.

It's tough to decide if I want something like the JBLs or the Audio Monitor BX2s + amp and all that.

yes when on a budget go second hand.

I purchased some Eltax monitor III's 12-13 years ago I still use them today they are brilliant for the money (I paid about £50 in a sale)

I use a sherwood RD6106 reciever which i picked up for about £40 in a second hand shop in cardiff in 2006/7 it was pat tested etc so i knew i wasn't getting a lemon. I doubt i'd match the quality of this 15-20 year old amp which cost £250 maybe more new I'm seeing people claiming to have paid £200 from richer sounds in 2001

Audio is one of those things that at low prices seems to go backwards. go past a certain price point and the new stuff starts being worth the money. Still a £100 second hand amp will smash the pants off a £100 amp from richer sounds.

I assume most decent studio monitors will last a long time but one argument for amp + speakers is if one breaks you don't have to fork out for both. Saying that my amp and speakers are both over a decade old still going strong so breaking isn't common if you operate them properly.

Personally if you have teh space I'd say go amp and speakers.

a nad 3020a as cookeh suggested comes well recomended. Check charity shops and car boot sales too If you live in a student area take a walk around on july 1st I found a technics amp that needed a new fuse and a pair of floor standers left in the road by a student who couldn't be arsed when he/she was moving house.

Charity shops are hit and miss these days many of them check stuff and ebay list it or sell it in store for ebay value but more independant ones you can find good quality electronics cheap

 

[Marsman]

Hmm, how much can I skimp on an amp by the way?

For instance, I can get something like a SMSL SA-36 for about £35 or the SA-50 for £48. I could even get something cheaper, but if I was spending £150 on a pair of speakers I'd not have a massive amount left over for the rest of the kit.

Whilst you can buy one of those cheap Lepai T amps for £15-£20, that's a little too cheap in my opinion. I'm using a Topping TP21 amp and it's very good indeed. Not as good as a full size integrated amp that would have cost in the region of £200+, but for the cost and small size on a desk these little T amps do a great job.

If you're getting speakers as good as the BX2 though, or similar priced ones, I agree with the others that getting an integrated amp is the way forward to get the best from such speakers.

 

[Tacitus]

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Thanks again for all your replies. I think to be honest I'd be best off with a small amp for desk-size reasons, though I'll keep an eye out for cheap second hand options as per the suggestions.

Would you say my best bet is, given a relatively tight budget, buy the best speakers I can get and a cheapish amp for now with an eye for upgrading it down the road to something more substantial?

While what you say about the speaker/amp breaking thing is a valid point TwsT, if I did get something like the JBLs if one broke I'd only have to buy one new speaker, rather than a pair, and given they're ~£100 each, I suspect if either my amp or one of my pair of speakers broke I'd be facing a similar bill haha.

I'll maybe go around the charity shops, though they're mostly not very big here and not many have too much in the way of electronics. There are some second hand consumer electronics shops around here too, so might pop into one of those, though they're always a bit of a con I find. Very studenty area, but Edinburgh isn't a campus uni so people are really spread out all around the town, most people beyond first year rent privately and all of the halls have already been vacated for the summer (the uni rents them out to tourists, must rake it in during the Edinburgh Festival). Plus I graduate on the 30th, so even if everyone was leaving on the first, I'd be in bed very, very hungover

Ugh, this does my head in, I really really like the JBLs, but they're at the top end of my budget, I've no way of testing them out, and I know I could save quite a lot of money and probably not sacrifice that much in the way of quality by getting some second hand BX2s.

 

[TwsT]

Thanks again for all your replies. I think to be honest I'd be best off with a small amp for desk-size reasons, though I'll keep an eye out for cheap second hand options as per the suggestions.

Would you say my best bet is, given a relatively tight budget, buy the best speakers I can get and a cheapish amp for now with an eye for upgrading it down the road to something more substantial?

While what you say about the speaker/amp breaking thing is a valid point TwsT, if I did get something like the JBLs if one broke I'd only have to buy one new speaker, rather than a pair, and given they're ~£100 each, I suspect if either my amp or one of my pair of speakers broke I'd be facing a similar bill haha.

I'll maybe go around the charity shops, though they're mostly not very big here and not many have too much in the way of electronics. There are some second hand consumer electronics shops around here too, so might pop into one of those, though they're always a bit of a con I find. Very studenty area, but Edinburgh isn't a campus uni so people are really spread out all around the town, most people beyond first year rent privately and all of the halls have already been vacated for the summer (the uni rents them out to tourists, must rake it in during the Edinburgh Festival). Plus I graduate on the 30th, so even if everyone was leaving on the first, I'd be in bed very, very hungover

Ugh, this does my head in, I really really like the JBLs, but they're at the top end of my budget, I've no way of testing them out, and I know I could save quite a lot of money and probably not sacrifice that much in the way of quality by getting some second hand BX2s.

the law gives you 14 days to test them, they aren't sealed anyway and it's pretty hard to damage a speaker. As long as you take care of them I see no reason for you not being able to return them under your right to cancel.

Downside is sending two separate boxes back both weighing 5kg could get expensive.

Pretty sure once you get them back however and start listening to them you will know almost instantly if you're going to like them but I'd leave them a day or two and try them again to be sure.

As for halls yes you're right but private tenants also leave in june 30th at least they did in cardiff