in need of new speakers.

[jcr]

hi all

my Focal xs book speakers have just packed up, so its time for an update.
i have an Asus xonar essence sound card in the pc.
budget preferably below £500.
i sit about 2 foot from my monitor and use my pc for all my media, films/tv/music/tubes.

im not too clued up on modern tech and would welcome some advice.

 

[Haze]

So you will need powered speakers?

 

[jcr]

yes thats what im looking for.

 

[Guest2]

How much desk space do you have?

You wont find much better than the iLoud Micro monitors for what I would call 'desktop' speakers. They are better raised up but take very little room and put out big sound for such small speakers.

 

[jcr]

im not overly concerned about size. my monitor is 34 inches and set up on my coffee table. the joys of having a man cave . if the speakers were too large for the table id put them on the floor or on stands.

 

[whitecrook]

Audioengine A5+
Seem pretty decent

 

[jcr]

Audioengine A5+
Seem pretty decent

these seem to be well regarded, but i think id be paying a lot for the added bluetooth which is something i do not use or need.

 

[whitecrook]

these seem to be well regarded, but i think id be paying a lot for the added bluetooth which is something i do not use or need.

buy the ones that don't have bluetooth. under £400 on the rainforest

 

[JasonM]

im not overly concerned about size. my monitor is 34 inches and set up on my coffee table. the joys of having a man cave . if the speakers were too large for the table id put them on the floor or on stands.

I'm running Prodipe Pro 5 V3's, don't be put off by low price as there very good monitors.

To give a comparison on quality I've had both Edifier 2.0 and Edifier 2.1, and there are higher quality speakers. The Prodipes are entry level professional monitors, not consumer. Few things with them.

1) Response curve is pretty flat. Most budget monitors won't even print their response curve, Prodipe do.
2) There not to tiring when listening all day
3) Bi-Amp'ed and amps are good quality with plenty of reserve power.
4) Front ported so can be close to a wall.
5) Fiberglass woofers
6) Case is good construction, no vibration, front of cabinet has a separate front panel for strength. There is no unwanted vibration, or port noise, there is nothing to complain about on these monitors.
7) Balanced and unbalanced connections.
8) Prodipe sell an optional sub if you feel you need a sub in the future.
9) Very clean sound, I have enough resolution to pick up interference in actual recorded music tracks, I'm referring to the interference in the original studio recording.
10) No hum from the speakers, unlike has been reported on Yamaha monitors.
http://www.prodipe.co.uk/studio-monitors/2111-pro-5-v3.html

This is how they are on my stands.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=ek1yeklfaGlOdXJjLWVWVXZwOHYzRkpZQkxld1VR

There are also Prodipe Pro 8 V3's that should be better, I'm actually considering updating to these next.

You will require a good DAC / soundcard as a source, as inputs are analogue only.

 

[Guest2]

im not overly concerned about size. my monitor is 34 inches and set up on my coffee table. the joys of having a man cave . if the speakers were too large for the table id put them on the floor or on stands.

34" monitor here too
Instead of me posting again, the stands arrived today

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/35106243/

 

[JasonM]

the stands arrived today

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/35106243/

Getting speakers up to ear level is critical for good sound quality.

Many people have expensive speakers / audio equipment but without stands they miss out on full benefit.

 

[Guest2]

Getting speakers up to ear level is critical for good sound quality.

Many people have expensive speakers / audio equipment but without stands they miss out on full benefit.

Yep, it's suprising how much better they sound at ear level.

I had them on stacked bean tins a while ago but they were not too stable and didnt look the best

 

[JasonM]

Yep, it's suprising how much better they sound at ear level.

I had them on stacked bean tins a while ago but they were not too stable and didnt look the best

Isolation foam is the other thing that makes a good improvement.

To test, put your hand flat on a desk, if you can feel the vibrations on the desk, then the speakers are not isolated.

When you isolate you tighten up the lower frequencies, and the sound becomes more focused. The vibration that's leaking into your desk is muddying your sound.

If you look at the picture of my stands, i'm using 2" of isolation foam, plus the whole stand is sitting on a foam mouse mat.

You can think of it like a car with worn suspension bushes, and the dampers / springs not being able to work correctly due to excess play in other suspension components.

 

[Guest2]

Isolation foam is the other thing that makes a good improvement.

To test, put your hand flat on a desk, if you can feel the vibrations on the desk, then the speakers are not isolated.

When you isolate you tighten up the lower frequencies, and the sound becomes more focused. The vibration that's leaking into your desk is muddying your sound.

If you look at the picture of my stands, i'm using 2" of isolation foam, plus the whole stand is sitting on a foam mouse mat.

You can think of it like a car with worn suspension bushes, and the dampers / springs not being able to work correctly due to excess play in other suspension components.

No vibrations. Those stands are solid cast iton bases with a ring of rubber on the base.
Even running a loud 50hz test there is no desk vibration

 

[JasonM]

No vibrations. Those stands are solid cast iton bases with a ring of rubber on the base.
Even running a loud 50hz test there is no desk vibration

Thats very good then, the bases on your stands are preventing the vibration.

 

[ATIorNvidia]

Kali LP-6 and Adam T5V's are quite easily the best powered monitors below £500. Audioengine A5+ is a good option too however the stock frequency response isn't as flat.

 

[jcr]

Kali LP-6 and Adam T5V's are quite easily the best powered monitors below £500. Audioengine A5+ is a good option too however the stock frequency response isn't as flat.

after doing a bit of research im leaning towards the t5v's. the 5 year warranty on top of all the positive reviews, and the low price is making it seem like a no brainer.
im just wondering if it would be worth getting the sub woofer as well? ive never used one before.

 

[JasonM]

after doing a bit of research im leaning towards the t5v's. the 5 year warranty on top of all the positive reviews, and the low price is making it seem like a no brainer.
im just wondering if it would be worth getting the sub woofer as well? ive never used one before.

Unless your getting a bungle deal, then purchase just the two monitors and see how you feel about a sub later.

I'm running just the 2 Prodipe Pro 5 V3's monitors, and i'm quite happy without a sub, this is despite owning a sub on previous setup that i'm not using.

Also, i'm going back to speaker setup. With correct speaker setup you can actually improve the bass you hear, the key is to correctly set the distance between the two speakers. Basically you start with the speakers far out, then slowly move them closer together. There is a magic point where everything sounds better, and the vocals come forward and center. What i'm saying is buy speakers, buy stands, buy isolation foam, take time to setup, only after then decide if you need a sub.

 

[Guest2]

Kali LP-6 and Adam T5V's are quite easily the best powered monitors below £500. Audioengine A5+ is a good option too however the stock frequency response isn't as flat.

If OP wants monitors instead of hifi, the Adam T5V will sound too bright.
Check source track compared to T5V

 

[jcr]

thanks for all the advice people. ive ordered the t5v speakers.