Compact Active Speaker Advice

[FuriousFrankie]

I'm about to purchase a pair of active speakers for use with my PC and would like some advice on which ones to go for.

I'm looking for something fairly compact but not tiny for listening to music as well as to use for gaming. For info, I was given a pair of Ruark MR1s for Christmas but whilst I thought they sounded good, in my opinion they felt a little bit too small and lacked some bass. Apart from being fairly compact, the other requirement I have is that they have a digital input (either optical/toslink or USB). Looking to spend around £300-£500.

At the moment I am considering:

Klipsch R-41PM
Elipson Prestige Facet 6B BT
Kanto YU6 or YU4
Tangent Spectrum X5 BT
Yamaha NXN500

Any advice/help would be very much appreciated. Cheers in advance!

 

[The_Arbiter]

Not knowledgeable on what sounds like what on the speaker characteristics, but a mini sub hooked up to those speakers you have might worth a punt if you like their sound style.

Problem i have with active speakers and digital speaker input is you're spending money on that instead of the actual speaker. Obviously not an issue if you don't have an external soundcard and amp already, you can also sell those you have to regain some money. Also cheaper all in one units just can't separate sound as well as a sub + speakers.

Getting to a good audio shop to audition setups might be worth a shout too.

 

[hornetstinger]

Considered passive speakers and a amp? Upto £500 could get a good system

Auction site item 264553247637

 

[FuriousFrankie]

Cheers for the advice, really appreciated.

If I went for speakers and a separate sub the logical place for me to put the sub would be under the desk my PC is on. Would that make the sub/bass sound bad though being under a desk?

 

[The_Arbiter]

Honesty, don't know. But my suspicions would be the same as yours and be, "not optimal". But it is low end so might actually not be an issue?

Suggest a audio forum maybe for better advice.

The small subs are more expensive also.

It seems a shame to sell some new fine speakers and buy something of similar value/quality though. But given lack of responses i'd see if the audio enthusiasts can help.

I'd be interested in knowing if discrete/hidden subs do impact quality a lot or not.

 

[FuriousFrankie]

Thanks again for the advice. I actually managed to return the Ruarks so all good. Will have a look at whether speakers with a separate sub is the answer for me.

 

[The_Arbiter]

Dude, that's awesome. IMHO from your situation, i'd just go for an all in one unit now. DAC, amp, and full range stereo speaker unit if you have that extra cash, as very importantly you don't already have an amp or dac. However, i'd browse some audio forums for different points of view. The thing with sound, it's very personal preference. Some people like uncontrolled bass for example, where others loath it.

Small compact speakers don't always mean lack of punch or soundstage (from what i can gather simplicity/size is key). The other thing is what size the room is, and where in the room you'll be (latter more important). Answer these questions with certainty now your options are fully open.

 

[JasonM]

Cheers for the advice, really appreciated.

If I went for speakers and a separate sub the logical place for me to put the sub would be under the desk my PC is on. Would that make the sub/bass sound bad though being under a desk?

No, but you need to take time positioning distance of sub from wall for best sonics. My sub is also under my desk.

 

[JasonM]

Small compact speakers don't always mean lack of punch or soundstage (from what i can gather simplicity/size is key). The other thing is what size the room is, and where in the room you'll be (latter more important). Answer these questions with certainty now your options are fully open.

The issue with small speakers is they can't manage frequencies below around 60Hz. When you miss these frequencies your not getting full range sound. Frequencies below around 60Hz are also in vocals, so small speakers tend to miss out on the richness of sound. To solve this you add a sub.

The rule for subs is a sub should not be heard. What I mean by this the sound should appear to be only coming from the left and right speakers, and you only notice the sub was active when the sub is disabled. So the sub is providing only gentle fill in for the missing frequencies of the left and right speakers.

 

[The_Arbiter]

That is some very good advice. To help the OP, budget vs what's noticable from your experience if possible would help for sure.

 

[JasonM]

That is some very good advice. To help the OP, budget vs what's noticable from your experience if possible would help for sure.

I don't have enough experience of various equipment to make any proper recommendations.

The way i see it, there is 4 categories you can go down for PC setup

1) You can get some good 2.0 speakers and an amp, Elac B6.2 Debut 2.0 pared with a good amp with a DAC inside it. Maybe a Yamaha AU670 that can be picked up at discount. Those Elac speakers go down to 44Hz thats good for a 2.0 speakers. If your on a budget of around £500 that's probably not a bad option.

2) You can go down separate amp, and separate sub woofer path. This getting complicated, and might be overkill for a PC setup, and probably end up over budget.

3) Third option a pre-built 2.1 system, something like an Edifier S350DB 2.1, I mention this as they have responsible size drivers for the satellite speakers. This is the most simple and straightforward option here.

4) You can get studio monitors but again it's how much you want to spend, at the budget end there is Machie CR5's, higher end you have Yamaha HS8's. For studio monitors you need an external DAC as a source for them, so it's getting more complicated.

If I was in this position and had around £500 to spend, would probably look at option 1. However for most regular people that just wanted good sound for games/music that Edifier option would be quite sensible.