Need help choosing a good 2.1 or 2.0 setup with a budget of up to £300

Well depends what you are doing.

If it's just music listening depending on the compression of your music and where it's from and if you ww t it headset or speakers.

I'd go amp and passive speakers. Get the Dalis and a ra01 or ra02 from rotel used. Will be under your budget and sound great.
 
still cant decide lol. The audioengine A5+ are marketed as speakers even though they have some studio monitor similarities...So would they be better for music compared to say the Equator d5 studio monitors.

There both around the same price.
 
Matson said:
[...]Also do you actually do recording and mixing or are these just for listening to music and gaming ect?
Click to expand...
Music listening, TV/movies, and gaming predominantly. There's also the possibility of some music production, sure, but 95% of the time it's for the usual general multimedia PC use.

Guys on another forum are saying if your not recording and programming and mixing and there more for general listening then studio monitors arnt the best way to go.
Click to expand...
I personally think that's a generalisation that's increasingly inaccurate, considering the changes in technology and listening habits [and all too often repeated by people who probably haven't set foot in a studio].

I want accuracy AND an engaging listen from a set of speakers; these D5s appear to offer a really good compromise between the two extremes. For *my* needs. I'll know for sure once I've hooked them up properly.

You may want a more engaging listen at the cost of some sonic accuracy, in which case - very generally speaking - you might want to look at a consumer hifi amp & speaker combination instead, like nuzik mentions.

Two things to bear in mind about going down the hifi route:

Firstly, the amp and speakers may not be a particularly good match for each other. Studio monitors have amps that are tailored specifically for their speakers.

Secondly, an amp and speaker combo takes up more room, especially if your amp is one of the usual consumer hifi wide black slabs. With monitors, it's all integrated. Essentially, they're just turbocharged PC speakers.

So: swings and roundabouts :D

EDIT: Extra reasons why the Audioengine A5+ might be better for you than the D5s for your PC setup: a) remote control b) Front-panel volume control c) cables included :)
 
Last edited:
I have no issues sending them back if I don't like them. Plus theres very little shops in this area that have studio monitors so it would be more than likely extremely difficult to find the Equator D5's around here. Id most likely have to travel quite far to find a place that would stock those and it would probably end up costing as much as sending them back through the post lol.
I wonder how many on here actually look at pc monitors they buy in person before they order or go purely off reviews and details and videos online ect.

I think ill go for the d5's I just have the feeling that the coaxial setup will give off a much better sound.
They get some of the best reviews from magazines and people who have compared multiple monitors and most say in this price range they can't be beaten. Plus I can get rid of my subwoofer which is what I wanted as I want this to be a simple setup that doesn't take up much space.
 
simisker said:
EDIT: Extra reasons why the Audioengine A5+ might be better for you than the D5s for your PC setup: a) remote control b) Front-panel volume control c) cables included :)
Click to expand...

That shouldn't really matter if your getting a dac should it since the dac will have a volume control on the front anyway.
 
not necessarily, straight up DACs don't have volume controls, only those that are also headphone amps or pre-amps. Also, a lot of DAC/Headphone amp combos work so that when it is being used in line out mode the volume control has no effect.
 
I've been thinking about this overnight, and I've come to the conclusion that the D5s won't be your best choice.

As rids pointed out, you'd need a DAC with a line out volume control [don't think I've seen any that are in the £150 area].

The D5s have no volume control, other than an attenuation pot on the back of each speaker, so you're going to need something else to control the level. At the very least, you'd need a passive volume control that goes between DAC output and monitor input.

It didn't occur to me quickly enough, but PC speakers need to have some built-in 'creature comforts'. With monitors, you're expected to supply these creature comforts elsewhere [at more expense].

In the cold light of a new day, I'd recommend the A5+ and DAC combo [or similar]. From what I've read, you'll end up with a user-friendly audio setup that'll give you a cracking PC sound for under £500.
 
Not sure for me is ever get monitors too much hassle too much space needed to set up correctly put then at ear level etc. Is always go hifi but then I wouldn't by a zanussi bluray player. If I'm going audio I want audio brands. And I've found that out having cheap headsets poor speakers. Once you get involved with the music the hifi brands shine.
 
Setting up speakers correctly doesn't just apply to studio monitors..

It's ashame the D5s have no volume control but that's easily solved by controlling through windows or as suggests already buying a passive volume controller such as the Fostex PC1e which is about £20

Or go with the audioengine a5+ which do sound more user friendly :p

I would probably buy both and see which one I prefer
 
Last edited:
Actually studio monitors require more setting up they should have separate options on each and usually volume controls on them as well which would require them having the exact same amp settings in them to get the same level of sounds couple that with positioning and altering sounds it's all faff.
Passive speakers one amp two channels simple. Placement of all speakers differs depending on how you like the sound and the speaker
 
So you think the volume control on the audioengine d1 dac won't work properly with the equator d5? If there going to have better sound quality it would seem crazy not to get them just because of that.

Also I just had a thought... The equator D5 has an internal DSP? Isnt that exactly what the DAC would be for? so am I thinking the dac would be pointless? Id hate to spend £140 on the Audioengine D1 DAC when infact I don't even need it because they have an internal DSP.
 
Last edited:
im missing the point here or what you wanted the monitors as they had a coaxial input so as soon as you go through something else you need that to remain digital. Which to be honest should work in theory but going digital to digital to digital may not be quite as easy as it should with coaxial.
Really studio monoitors need to be used with other studio equipment, they would have a mixer or something like that they are designed differently.
Do you know what a DSP is? as its not for your volume.
 
Yeah digital signal processor...The reason for getting the DAC is not mainly for the Volume knob lol its for the Digital to analogue signal processing to get the best sound possible. What im asking is that those Equator D5 monitors have an internal DSP is that the same as what the DAC does... I want to make sure im not spending £140 on a DAC just for a volume knob as that would be crazy.
Id be using the TRS input on the monitors most likely... They don't have a coaxial input...there coaxial speakers meaning the tweeter and the woofer are in the same place which is supposed to give better sound.

EDIT: nevermind I see its not the same thing.
 
Last edited:
Matson said:
Yeah digital signal processor...The reason for getting the DAC is not mainly for the Volume knob lol its for the Digital to analogue signal processing to get the best sound possible. What im asking is that those Equator D5 monitors have an internal DSP is that the same as what the DAC does... I want to make sure im not spending £140 on a DAC just for a volume knob as that would be crazy.
Click to expand...
I'm at work atm, but some quick clarification:
That Audioengine DAC's volume control DOES affect the line outs, apparently. This is a good thing in terms of hooking up to a pair of studio monitors.

The D5's DSP is something totally different - it's just some internal electronics to ensure that two monitors match each other, in terms of frequency response. That's all it does. You would still need the DAC - it would categorically NOT be just an expensive volume knob :D
 
That said my old Yamaha used to have DSP and what a load of tosh that was.
No ones giving you bad advice here. We are only trying to help you.
 
Yeah and I apprechiate it. It can be quite confusing at times :D. It does seem though that im going to end up going for exactly what I was going for the in the first place lol.

The Equator d5's with the D1 DAC connected up through the 1/4 TS to RCA hosa cables.

Seems like that would be a good outcome as sim mentioned unbalanced shouldn't matter so much especially when theres not much distance between everything.

There is the FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 2I2 which someone else mentioned on another forum as it has TRS outputs so you could connect TRS to TRS for a balanced output...but the reviews haven't been as glowing as the D1 when it comes to sound quality...Any opinions on that one?

Theres also the FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 2I4 which has more outputs but I guess you don't need them if your using the TRS outputs on the 2I2
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom