I am thinking about replacing my AudioEngine 5+ and AudioEngine S sub, my small room is not really suited for a sub woofer, but I would like bass down to 40 Hz or so anyway. So do you guys out there have some suggestions for active monitors with the following requirements:
Sounds good (obviously)
Price around $1000 (more if I can hide it from my wife )
Good looking
Not to big for desktops (size up to 35 cm height and 20 cm width or in that area).
Flat response, and frequency down to about 40 Hz.
Unbalanced input available (I will connect them directly to my DragonFly Red dac).
Suitable for listening from around 1.5 meters (is that nearfield or midfield?)
One monitor that seems very good according to reviews is the Adam A7X, but its so ugly. A beautiful monitor is the KEF-LS50, but that one has no bass.
I have the Adam A5X, A7X, and Neumann KH-120A. I bought the Neumann because of the great things said about it. I like the Adams better. For desktop listening, I ended up with A5X but with Sub8 subwoofer.
Key to the Adams is having a great DAC. Thatâs the only time they will shine. Otherwise, bass will not end up as warm and deep and highs becomes fatiguing. When properly matched with the good components, the imaging and sound stage is surreal. The KH-120Aâs are good for any DAC. They are a lot more forgiving.
I canât decide if they are good looking or not. But they do, at a first glance, look like a pair of $50 noname computer speakers. Fun to play them for other people, who will think I have something very cheap
Are jou judging the LS50s based on specs? All the reviews say they have outstanding bass âbutâ they need a decent amp. At that listening distance I would see if you could demo the Kefs. Not sure if you have an amp as you are comparing powered speakers.
I havenât listened to them, but I like the warmth that lower frequencies gives you, for example when listening to Pink Floyd or pretty much any kind of good quality rock or pop. And 80 Hz is not going to give me that I am afraid.
I run active speakers directly from DragonFly Red dac, so for non-active speakers I would need to buy an amp as well which I would prefer not to (cluttered desk )
Hmm? Donât know what this is a picture of, but it isnât Emotiva 4s, at least not the current ones. You said you had A5s, arenât they powered? Anyway, youâre right they are a little big for a desk.
Dynaudioâs lineup has always tempted me to exceed my budget by a few bucks. You might find some new but discontinued models on Amazon or elsewhere. Worth a look. (And a listen.)
The KEF LS50âs are very capable in the bass department. They replaced a pair of Vienna Acoustic floor standers in my setup and I have not looked back. Caveats; placement is critical, they are power (current) hungry and the genre of music you primarily to listen all will need to be taken into account. Going with the new Wireless LS50âs takes care of the amplification requirements or courseâŚ
Since your main criteria is good looks, consider the Neumann KH-120A then. They are within your budget without the subwoofer. I suggest not to overlook how good the monitor sound since youâll be listening to them more than looking. You already have Roon which was designed for audiophile from the beginning. Compare their amp specs, woofer, and tweeter types and find out which suits you best. Silk tweeters, titanium, metal, Heil, ribbons, etc. can make a big different how the music is projected.
There are a number of good alternatives other than Adam and Neumann - Event Opals, Genelec, Focal, APS Klasiks, Eve Audio, Geithain to name a few. You canât go wrong with any of them. Listen to them with your DAC when you can because that makes all the difference.
Cheers for the help, and yes the sound is definitely important, but it feels like in that price range there should be good sounding and good looking speakers available. But looking at your picture, the A5X is suited for standing next to computer, it looks nicely high-tech
But it seems to be hard to get 40 Hz monitors suited for desktop use (they do become a little big), so maybe just upgrade my AudioEngine A5+ but keep my AudioEngine S8 sub (which goes down to 28 Hz). Then I can use smaller monitors, but since I donât have any crossover a 80Hz high-pass filter on the monitor would be nice (I have a crossover dial on the subwoofer, so I can match them).
Right now I have signal going from DAC to A5+, and then from output on A5+ to sub, so both monitors and sub gets full signal which I feel isnât optimal.
Although taste is personal, I think the Genelecs are very good looking, and more importantly good (and flat) sounding. The 8040s are within your budget probably and should go to 40hz.
The DynAudio has a couple of models of interest, the more expensive Excite X14a and the cheaper BM5 mkIII. I assume the X14A sounds better.
They look good, supposedly sounds very good, and have a high-pass filter settings (I still havenât decided if I will keep my sup-woofer or not).
But of course, whatever I buy will have to sound noticeable better than what I have now (AudioEngine 5+ and S8 sub), so I guess I almost have to go up to the X14A price range.
The BM5 MKIII is the one Iâve had my eye on for awhile, discontinued or not. They are âstudioâ monitors and have a number of accessories available such as a wired volume control, among other things. There used to be a bundle package where one could buy a pair with XLR cables and IsoAcoustic stands right at the upper limit of your budget. Might still be around. Edit: a Google search has turned some up at web dealers. They are still out there.
The Dynaudio monitors are the first thing I thought of when I read your post. Good looking, accurate, and a feature set to tailor to the desktop setting.
BTW, I consider 1.5 meters to be nearfield. Others may differ though.
Sweetwater.com has the Dynaudio LYD series that I just now am discovering. Hope you can get a listenâŚ
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