Advise on Speakers and Amp for PC?

photoshop

photoshop

photoshop

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Hi Guys,

Hope you are all well.

Im looking to shake up my current work home office and gain some space on my desk.
Currently using a Denon DM-41 mini system with some Q Accoustics 3020i speakers. PC is plugged in to the denon via a standard Phono input.

Now all of this is well and good but all of these are just taking up too much room on my office desk so i need something which is a little more compact but still has the same quality sound. Plus the denon doesnt have BT input which is something I would like.

What are my options?

Audioengine A2+?
Audioengine HD3?
Kanto YU2?
Fosi Audio BT20A amp paired with some compact speakers?

Something else?

Budget is upto £450.00

Thanks in advance
 
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maximus123 said:
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SUGGESTION 1

Sadly, I'm not too knowledgable at that price point, but I will try my best.

The best I could come up with is a set of active studio monitors. My pick here would be the Adam A3X Active Studio Monitors, which can be obtained in a pair for circa £420.

They can also be obtained with either (1), isolation pads (foam pads), or (2), desk stands for circa £430.

These are active studio monitors, and remove the need for a discrete amplifier.


About/Reviews:

https://www.adam-audio.com/en/ax-series/a3x/
https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/tech/adam-audio-a3x-monitors-272152
https://en.audiofanzine.com/active-monitor/adam/a3x/editorial/reviews/the-tiny-adam.html



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SUGGESTION 2

As a left-field suggestion, my recommendation would be to double the budget (and then add another bit on top!), to extend to £1000, and go with a set of KEF LSX.

Again, these are active speakers, and remove the need for a discrete amplifier.

I admit this is an expensive route, and will require the need to hold-off until further funds are saved up/set-aside, but it could be worth it.


About/Reviews:

https://uk.kef.com/products/lsx
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/kef-lsx


My Own KEF Experience:

I own the larger (and more expensive) siblings to the LSX -- the KEF LS50 Wireless (version 1) -- and they have been absolutely amazing. In my opinion, if you save up for the KEFs, you will not be disappointed.




Hope that gives some food for thought.
Click to expand...

Many many thanks for the detailed responce. It was very informative.

I fear you are right and the Kef LSX are probably the best option for my needs. Its a shame everywhere is shut at the moment so i cant take them for a test drive. I might look at having a demo when teh lockdown is lifted.

Thanks again for your help.
 
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A2+ are good but with the dsp correction file and a sub they're great. Highly recommend them for limited desk space. I paired mine with a BK XLS200 and they work very well together. A2's also work close to back wall which is a bonus.
 
maximus123 said:
No problem -- glad to give you some ideas.

I had another thought -- another option could be to consider a set of Genelec active studio monitors. (Once again, negating the need for an amplifier.)

Genelec active monitors are renowned for their quality.

There are a number of models (e.g., Genelec 8010A, Genelec 8020B) which sit at around the price point you originally posted that appear on the famous aution site.

Just another thought there.
Click to expand...

Went with the KEF LSX in the end.
Managed to get a brand new pair in black from Richersounds for £839.

Should be here tomorrow :-)
 
photoshop said:
Went with the KEF LSX in the end.
Managed to get a brand new pair in black from Richersounds for £839.

Should be here tomorrow :)
Click to expand...
If you like the KEF presentation (like I seem to - I've got LSXs and LS50Ws here) then I expect you'll be very pleased with them. The streaming side of them can be a bit iffy but if you're feeding them with a digital input from the PC that won't matter. I can't really understand why they didn't include any physical controls or indications so you'll probably be keeping the remote nearby. I'd be interested to know what you think of them.
 
Another thumbs up for the LSX's. I got mine last week from RS too but I paid £999 :( I use them purely for music downstairs. The sound is unbelievable. I previously owned Kef Q55.2 floor standers that have sat gathering dust since giving up my 5.1 set up as my wife thinks they were too big. The sound from the LSX for my ears is on par with the larger Kefs!.

I'm now on the search for some headphones for the computer as the LSX's have made me realise what I'm missing!
 
wonko said:
If you like the KEF presentation (like I seem to - I've got LSXs and LS50Ws here) then I expect you'll be very pleased with them. The streaming side of them can be a bit iffy but if you're feeding them with a digital input from the PC that won't matter. I can't really understand why they didn't include any physical controls or indications so you'll probably be keeping the remote nearby. I'd be interested to know what you think of them.
Click to expand...

I'll report back my findings after using them. The lack of physical controls is a bummer but wil see if the remote makes up for that.

AnastieByte said:
Another thumbs up for the LSX's. I got mine last week from RS too but I paid £999 :( I use them purely for music downstairs. The sound is unbelievable. I previously owned Kef Q55.2 floor standers that have sat gathering dust since giving up my 5.1 set up as my wife thinks they were too big. The sound from the LSX for my ears is on par with the larger Kefs!.

I'm now on the search for some headphones for the computer as the LSX's have made me realise what I'm missing!
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I initially rang RS to see if they would drop the price form £999 and I was told no but they did initially offer me £100 off for some store demos which were a year old. I said no and thought nothing more of it.

A day later they send me an email saying an offer has come up on the LSX's and they can do them for £849. Anyway, after going back and forward on emails i managed to get another £10 knocked off including free next day delivery.

As its only been a week maybe try ringing them up to see if they can offer a refund of some sort?

I have some Sony XM3's which I can highly recommend.
 
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Okay so all set up now. I really like the size and the look of them. They look really smart next to my 38" curved Dell display.
Setting them up on Kef's app was a breeze and all controls are fairly straight forward.
Got the PC connected via SPDIF and sound is really nice at PCM 96 KHz.

So far really liking the profile and sound!

A few things that slow me down that could have been better:

1. Auto switching sources when a new signal is recieved. So if im listing via Optical and connect via BT it should automatically go to that source but i have to select BT as the source and then connect to them from my device.
2. a lot of wasted space on the remote control. Should ahve eitehr added more buttons or make it smaller.
3. Would have loved a volume nob on the front (but i knew it was all either through app or remote when i bought them so...)

Now just need some device to tilt them up a little so the sound is more directed to my ears on my desk.

I do like the light on the front of the master changing colour to match input- makes identification of source much easier.

These go really loud!!!!
 
Glad you're liking the LSXs so far. KEF do some matching desk pads but the price is fairly eye-watering for what they are. You might want to look at the wedge-shaped foam isolation pads that are a fraction of the price (and trim to size?).
 
wonko said:
Glad you're liking the LSXs so far. KEF do some matching desk pads but the price is fairly eye-watering for what they are. You might want to look at the wedge-shaped foam isolation pads that are a fraction of the price (and trim to size?).
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WOW!! £135 for some plastic!!!
Think I'll look at foam pads like you have suggest :)
 
When I got mine last week from Richer Sounds Kef were doing a promotion. Free desk pads or full stands. I got my desk pads delivered today. Very nice.
 
photoshop said:
WOW!! £135 for some plastic!!!
Think I'll look at foam pads like you have suggest :)
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From Kef "Made from high quality, die-cast aluminium, the P1 desk pads keep your speakers firmly in place. The superior finish also matches the quality of the speakers for design and longevity."
 
The LSX are great..

I am very LTTP on this thread but my advice is personally I find many studio monitors a bit too flat and not very engaging, I've always been better using more hi-fi orientated speakers since you can then get something more dynamic with a more pleasing sound signature..

Of course I'm sure some will have the exact opposite experience.
 
After using these for a few days i must admit the sound stage on these KEF's is really good.
Now i just need to upgrade my soundcard to one of audiophile quality to get the most out of them.
 
photoshop said:
After using these for a few days i must admit the sound stage on these KEF's is really good.
Now i just need to upgrade my soundcard to one of audiophile quality to get the most out of them.
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I'd suggest some research before spending money on sound cards - if the LSXs are being fed with a digital signal then if it's not 'broken' then you can't really make it any better. I gather that windows as standard does various resampling and digital messing with audio (which may also be true with a new sound card), so this might be something to investigate first. (IIRC for music recording devices you can use ASIO low latency drivers, but whether these also bypass other windows processing I don't know). It might be fun to try but TBH I'd probably be surprised if you could repeatably tell the difference.
 
wonko said:
I'd suggest some research before spending money on sound cards - if the LSXs are being fed with a digital signal then if it's not 'broken' then you can't really make it any better. I gather that windows as standard does various resampling and digital messing with audio (which may also be true with a new sound card), so this might be something to investigate first. (IIRC for music recording devices you can use ASIO low latency drivers, but whether these also bypass other windows processing I don't know). It might be fun to try but TBH I'd probably be surprised if you could repeatably tell the difference.
Click to expand...


Ahh you make a very good point! I hadnt thought of that.
I will look more inot windows audio processing and see if there is anything i could change, if any.

Thanks
 
AnastieByte said:
I'm now on the search for some headphones for the computer as the LSX's have made me realise what I'm missing!
Click to expand...

Sennheiser HD660s are the finest set of headphones I have ever heard where the price of them is less than what you actually get. Essentially, they sound a lot better than their price.
 
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