Audiophile quality speakers for computer use

These would be some nice Active speakers for near field
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BM5Amk2

or
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BM6AmkII/
Neither of these speakers require an amp. As its built in.

This nuforce is a nice dac and headphone amp
http://estore.nuforce.com/nuforce-dac-100-super-high-performance-dac-and-headphone-amp/

and cables you can connect the dac and speakers with.
http://www.amazon.com/PPRC-X05-Professional-Audio-Cable-Female/dp/B000V1RLI2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356720361&sr=8-1&keywords=rca+to+xlr
Edited by callas01 - 12/28/12 at 1:02pm

Emotiva Airmotiv 6 (currently priced at $579/pr., shipped). They're powered speakers, so you wouldn't need to purchase an additional power amp.

Genelec - 6010/8020 plus sub or 8030

Focal - CMS65

Neumann - KH120

All are active speakers and don't require an amp.

Will he part with his "very old speakers" ...

The sweetness you refer to may be what others would describe as warm. A neutral speaker may seem harsh or bright to you.

You stressed a nearfield set-up and desktop placement in your original post, which is why I (and perhaps others also) suggested powered speakers. But you can get whatever speakers you like.

I have a pair of Paradigm 5se MkII speakers flanking my computer desk (and toed slightly inward), powered by an old Sony receiver which is fed signal from my PC's sound card. It's a great little set-up!

Since you want the speakers to be flanking your monitor, a pair of gently-used Paradigm Studio 20 v4s will work nicely. Or, since you can save money on amplification (see below), a new pair of Studio 20v5s - or perhaps even Studio 10v5s - would be sweet.

Re. amplification, I'm not familiar with tube amps so I'll suggest the Emotiva mini-X a-100 ($179, shipped). It pushes 50W/ch., which (IMO) is plenty of power for a pair of nearfield speakers. (My old Sony puts out ~30W/ch. and those 5se MkIIs can get pretty loud!)
Edited by eljaycanuck - 12/29/12 at 7:00am

These:

http://www.roundsound.com/satellite.php

They have a single driver so you won't have driver integration issues in the near-field.

Cheers,
OldMovieNut

Here's a suggestion for you:

The Music Hall A15.2 integrated amplifier or the NAD C326 BEE integrated amplifier. (around $500-600).

The Definitive Technology Studio Monitor 55 speakers (around $600 per pair), or the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 speakers ($350).

I think that combination would sound very nice. Those are both good-sounding amplifiers, and the speakers are exceptionally good for their price and not too large.

There was a recent rave review of both speakers in Stereophile which you may wish to read at their website.



Edited by commsysman - 12/29/12 at 7:08am

Yes.
Yes.

Yes. You toe the speakers in toward your listening position

I use Energy Veritas V 5.1 speakers with an HK 3390, and they sound great. Don't feel like you have to spend a lot of money on the amplification. The SQ return is quickly diminishing as you go up in price, so you can get better value for your money elsewhere. If you want a smaller unit without many features, that Emotiva mini-X a-100 could work very well with your STX.

In fact, with a $2000 budget, you might consider room correction as a feature to spend money on. For instance, an Antimode 8033 would improve the bass response from your subs. Or, if you have room for it, an HT receiver with Audyssey MultEQ or MultEQ XT would help to smooth the frequency response of both the speakers and the subs, as well as having active bass management to let you set a crossover higher than the natural rolloff of the speakers (should you choose to). For example, there is a good deal on the Onkyo TX-NR809 on Amazon.

If I was going to spend $1000 on the speakers, I'd look at the Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1. They get rave reviews from owners here on AVS.

Also, look at Focal 806 - Focal is good.
http://www.spearitsound.com/Main_Left_and_Right-Focal_Chorus_806v.html

The OP should read this : http://www.ehow.com/facts_5962330_difference-between-speaker-studio-monitor.html

Really? How did they become immune to comb filtering between the two enclosures?

but what owner doesnt rave about his own speakers?

What are you talking about? I was referring to a two-way vs a full-range implementation (minus the sub).

Cheers,
OldMovieNut.

Of course. You can go on Amazon and read lots of great reviews from clueless people about the Polk PSW10, how it is an amazing sub

But the difference is there are lots of Sierra-1 owners on AVS who demoed or have owned a lot of other speakers in making their choice.

You know, it's $80 right now. That's pretty amazing. No need to be like that, a few hundred bucks spent on a system can provide a lot of enjoyment. There are a lot of people around here making much worse decisions.

I am currently using a pair of Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers (and a Rel subwoofer) as computer speakers. These are fairly standard bookshelf speakers. Not specifically near field. They work fine. There are actually differences in near field speaker, but I don't think the difference is enough to rule out normal speakers. You wouldn't want very large speakers. Mine are fairly compact. 5 1/4 inch woofers.

On the other hand, if I were doing it again, I would probably look at professional monitor speakers (those most people above have been suggesting).

Makes me think of how many times I've bought a cheap tool, only to replace that tool when it breaks, always at "the worst possible time"... and end up buying the right tool anyway.

Haven't personally heard these, but they caught my attention when they were announced:
KEF X300A
http://www.kef.com/html/us/showroom/digital_music_solutions/x300a/overview/index.html
http://www.kefdirect.com/kef-x300a-powered-digital-hifi-system.html
http://www.tonepublications.com/spotlight/world-premier-review-kef-x300a-powered-speakers/

It regularly goes for $90 to $100, and while $10 less is a nice break for people, it's still the 1$ McDonald's Double Cheeseburger of subs. It's a good very limited budget value sub for some uses, but it is not "pretty amazing."

I know and agree with what youre saying, and Id take the opinion of most avs people over non avs persons. but even avs'ers are still going to say that what they bought was the best speaker they've heard(Ill admit that Im guilty of it too). which is still subjective.

FWIW, Im not saying they arent great speakers. JMO.

I've resold too many speakers to begin to think what I bought was the best. What I still have at the house thusfar is the best I could find that I could afford. Actually some aren't even that. The B&W sub I use on my computer, for example, is "good enough"; as are the Infinity P360's I use as surrounds in my bedroom. I guess I could say they were each the best in their price range that I was aware of and had access too (most were bought used).

It would be really silly of me to listen to 10 speakers I could afford and then buy one other than the one I thought was the best.

LOL Not sure I agree with that. I'm sure there are many of us who have heard way better speakers than we can afford

Emotiva just released the Stealth 8, which I got to hear at EmoFest 2012. They are $1500 a pair but are rated at 200 Wrms HF + 200 Wrms LF each. The OP might consider them to be "bright" though.

http://emotivapro.com/products/powered_monitors/stealth8.php

Also take a look at the Adam A7x or A8x, but I think the Stealth 8 out-performed those.

I hear the Genelecs are real accurate, but I have not personally heard them myself.

I just bought a pair of Emotiva Airmotiv 5 strictly for computer use. They are better than what I had before and miles better than any traditional computer speaker.

I AM looking for a way to incorporate Stealth 8's into my setup though along with a good DAC.
Edited by jevans64 - 12/30/12 at 1:11am

joms, in the LS3/5a you're hearing the BBC's standard for the day for studio sound reproduction, a design specification probably far more clever and musically satisfying then the majority of the commoditized products you'll hear today. This design spec was from an era where authentic sound mattered more than hifi sound and specifications, and nowhere more than in top studios. The LS3/5a - a low sensitivity design licensed to multiple British brands - embodied a good deal of the art arguably missing in modern sound reproduction. Whether this design stands up to subjective criticism today remains to be seen, but what sounded musically satisfying then does so still, as you've just found.

In the Spica you're hearing a similar design sense, only this time it's executed in a way that also renders the sound "impulse-perfect", which is to say that on the listening axis the drivers' respective outputs are integrated together in both the amplitude and time domains. Such designs are a rarity and in the case of the Spica, also included good quality components and careful attention paid to minimizing acoustic diffraction. Such designs emphasized the importance of waveform fidelity and were the ancestors of today's "time aligned" speaker products.

Both designs are discussed in Lynn Olson's excellent The Art of Speaker Design. I can easily see how you'd prefer this sound, especially when the speakers are driven by better quality amplification than the usual onboard electronics in many powered speakers.

Your plan to use good external amplification and what we trust is a good quality source is wise. From there just find the most musically satisfying minimonitors you can - if you like the LS3/5a then high output isn't important and for nearfield desktop use shouldn't be. Fidelity is and you don't need high power or even exotic-appearing technologies to get it. Design is important and listening is even more important.

What sounds good in a smaller speaker in the "audiophile" environment, when driven well, can sound very good on or near the computer desk too.

"authentic" was more important than "faithful"?

And though I'm sure some brilliant engineers made the standards; it was made to meet very constrained conditions. The enclosures playing back this (limited bandwidth) audio had to include small, cheap, and low-power.