Looking for decent set of audiophile desktop monitors .. need advice

MINUS12 · 17 Dec 2017 at 03:43

I’m currently looking for a small set of monitors for gaming , music , movies but I’m looking for a speaker with great imagery , midrange transparency, real bass . I’m not sure if the KEF LS50 meets my requirements as I hear there very neutral and light footed so here were some other speakers I considered

Edifier s1000db (active monitor ) , apparently Audiophile grade performance?
Golden ear aon 3 (passive ) , strange design but apparently amazing bass and imagery
KEF LS50 (passive) big sound , light bass , very transparent

HEADRAT · 17 Dec 2017 at 06:59

Have you demo’d the LS50 yourself?

darreny · 17 Dec 2017 at 10:41

If they're for desktop use then one consideration is how much rear space is needed as two of those are rear ported designs

Marsman · 17 Dec 2017 at 14:12

Where the desk is located may also have an impact. If it's in the corner of a room, you won't get the best from the speakers, especially if you're looking at speakers with deeper bass. I notice a difference between having Roth Oli1 speakers on my desk in the corner of a room, and then placing them on stands either side of my TV that's located against a long wall; and they're just low budget 4" speakers.

People are often so focused on buying gear that will give them the sound they desire, they forget about what impact the location and room's acoustics will have. Sometimes you can't overcome poor positioning, but the impact doesn't matter so much if they are budget speakers. If you're spending a lot of money though, it's a shame to not make the best of them.

nlyh · 17 Dec 2017 at 23:43

Take a look at the Neat Iota speakers. Very small with a great sound. Made in Teesdale.

lucid · 18 Dec 2017 at 11:51

Solve the bass issue with a sub.

If running passive speakers then go for something along the lines of a BK XLS200 or XLS400. Use the speaker level connection and then dial in the crossover point and sub volume. That'll leave you free to concentrate your efforts on finding main speakers with the imaging and transparency etc that will also work on your desk.