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Good 2ch Mini + respectable speakers?

post #1 of 20
1/29/08 at 12:27pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, first I like the "similar" post feature that was added when doing a new post. Good idea!


Second, I am trying to do a room re-arrangement. I have a rather unusual setup, but needless to say, one of my rooms (the kitchen) has a Slimdevices Squeezebox V2 (?).

I am currently using a Klipsh 2.1 speaker setup to power it, but the speakers do not quite match the system, and I may need to remove the subwoofer pretty soon because of new furniture.

I am looking for a good 2ch amp, unobtrusive, and a set of wide-range speakers to back it up. I may be able to hook up another sub to it in the future, but I would have to find a way to wire it....

Anyway. I have recently picked up a pair of Orb Audio speakers to use as my center speaker at home and they work pretty well. I am thinking of getting a pair of brushed bronze orbs to go with the cherry-wood furniture in the dining room, but I am not sure if these speakers are the best choice. Unobtrusive? Yes, but a center channel is not the best to test a speakers true depth.

Question is, would a pair work for a relatively small (10' ceiling, 18x18 room area) room?

Second question is the amp.

A few were recommended to me by the speaker MFR:

Parasound Z
Sonic Impact Super T
Audio Magus.


Out of the three, the Parasound looks the best and would hide right underneath the Squeezebox, but I am wondering what you guys think, and if there is better, worse, or something maybe a bit more suited to the use I need.

Also, links to any good resellers that might have these amps, as they seem to be more of a special line of product, would be welcomed. I know that outright pricing is not allowed here, but any recommendations to a good shop would be appreciated!

TIA!
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post #2 of 20
1/29/08 at 1:38pm
Quote:


I am looking for a good 2ch amp, unobtrusive, and a set of wide-range speakers to back it up. I may be able to hook up another sub to it in the future, but I would have to find a way to wire it....

By "another sub," do you mean in addition to one you already have? Because without a sub those Orbs would not be "wide-range." There's an essential conflict between "unobtrusive" and wide-range," so I can't recommend anything that would meet your criteria here. Would PSB Alphas or Paradigm Atoms be too obtrusive for you? I would think they'd be a much better choice, soundwise.

As for amps, the Zamp is the pick of the litter. T-amps are the audiophile flavor du jour, but they are low-power and high-distortion, which is the wrong way around. Check www.parasound.com for dealers near you.
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post #3 of 20
1/29/08 at 2:40pm
Thread Starter 
I realize I was asking for everything, but I wanted to see what was available. The key is to make these little buggers have a nice rich sound at medium volume levels (I have the main stereo unit in the adjoining room).

The subwoofer I have is the second I have in the main room which I have not been able to use because of line buzz (either power line interference or the thin line I have running to SW#2, or the fact that I have used a simple splitter to get a line to the two SWs...). I believe it is an AV123 12" sub, but I can't find a current listing, so I can't be sure. The only problem being that a subwoofer is something that is awfully hard to conceal or fit with furniture in some layouts.

Are there "flat" subs available? I know that they would be limited to the depth of the cone plus the driver, so maybe that would not be a reasonable solution, but something that may be able to slide under the breakfront and utilize the dead space under it as its resonating chamber....


Thank you for your help and suggestions though! Good to know that the PS-Z is a good product. I could not find many listings on it and w/o confirmation it is hard to tell when a review site is giving you an honest impression.....
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post #4 of 20
1/29/08 at 2:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcnarus View Post

By "another sub," do you mean in addition to one you already have? Because without a sub those Orbs would not be "wide-range." There's an essential conflict between "unobtrusive" and wide-range," so I can't recommend anything that would meet your criteria here. Would PSB Alphas or Paradigm Atoms be too obtrusive for you? I would think they'd be a much better choice, soundwise.

As for amps, the Zamp is the pick of the litter. T-amps are the audiophile flavor du jour, but they are low-power and high-distortion, which is the wrong way around. Check www.parasound.com for dealers near you.

The Little Dot T100 is a hybrid T-amp that delivers a lot of power for it's price range.

http://www.obadimports.com/catalog/i...02/4344398.htm
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post #5 of 20
1/29/08 at 4:07pm
Quote:


The Little Dot T100 is a hybrid T-amp that delivers a lot of power for it's price range.

Specs on that look too good to be true. Caveat emptor.
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post #6 of 20
1/30/08 at 5:11am
Check out the Audioengine 5 active speakers. They have their own internal amp and have gotten some good audiophile reviews.

http://www.audioengineusa.com/

This would simplify your set-up even more.

FYI, I just ordered a pair for my PC that I use as a music server.
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post #7 of 20
1/30/08 at 6:38am
Thread Starter 
Interesting, but they look pretty large...

I know, tiny speakers cannot produce the lower to mid tones properly, but it is just a consideration.......

I will look into it. Their site seems to avoid any real tech info (at least on the first few pages you surf through) which is usually not a good sign when it comes to things like this. Also, an I-pod dock is a bit pandering..... Anyway, like I said, I will look.....
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post #8 of 20
1/30/08 at 6:59am
I cannot comment on the Parasound, I have only heard their Halo and Classic series. Their are many great speakers. Size wise I would look at the Opera Mezzo or Prima, gourgeous sound and build quality, piece of art more than furniture. The Baby Harbeth's are the only speaker I think sound better for size. Look at the Opera, also mini Callas is a great speaker discountinued but can be still found. Epos M-5's are a good value.
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post #9 of 20
1/30/08 at 7:35am
The smallest good satellite speaker that I would recommend is the Era Design D3.

They are a bit hard to drive, but a Zamp would be up to the task for moderate level listening. Last year I tried to find a very small speaker that would be a good monitor and almost all of them disappointed in some way or another due to the lack of upper bass tones and lower mids. But then I stumbled across the Era line which is getting rave reviews everywhere for their big sound that belies their size. The D3 is definitely larger than the Orb but your ears will thank you. The D3 actually has bass response down to 80Hz which means they can almost be used satisfyingly as full range speakers, but of course, you'd still want a sub with them. The larger D4 would be what I'd recommend if you don't want a sub.

Specs are here MSRP is $400 a pair in real wood finish
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post #10 of 20
1/30/08 at 12:29pm
The Totem Mite are also very tiny and offer a great sound. If you are looking to spend a bit more I would recommend you check out the Mark and Daniel Maximus Mini. They are difficult to drive though.

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post #11 of 20
1/30/08 at 2:46pm
Audioengines also makes a "2" model speaker, that is about 1/3 the size of the "5".

Quote from their website, "The Audioengine 2 (A2) is about one-third the size of our flagship Audioengine 5 system and is an excellent computer audio upgrade or small room speaker. We used the same custom tweeters as the Audioengine 5, matched them with newly designed compact Kevlar woofers and then added high-performance amplifiers with gold-plated speaker connectors."

Reviews can be found at this link:
http://audioengineusa.com/news.htm
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post #12 of 20
1/30/08 at 3:12pm
These are marketed as computer speakers, but they're made by a company with a solid reputation for making first-rate passive speakers. $350-560 depending on finish, including amp(s).
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post #13 of 20
1/30/08 at 4:04pm
I have the era D4 and the parasound Z amp. The z-amp has plenty of power for the D4 and they are fantastic sounding speakers. I assure you the Z-Amp can drive the D4 to much louder levers than 1) I expected and 2) I'm willing to listen to. This is in a Den that open to a kitchen so it is a big space.
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post #14 of 20
1/30/08 at 5:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gus6464 View Post

The Totem Mite are also very tiny and offer a great sound. If you are looking to spend a bit more I would recommend you check out the Mark and Daniel Maximus Mini. They are difficult to drive though.



Gus, if you get rid of that silly "Cowgirls" football they would be easier to drive, sound better, and would be real "playoff winners" , LOL !!
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post #15 of 20
1/30/08 at 5:28pm
That's not a football, Twitch--it's a bass trap!
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post #16 of 20
1/30/08 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by twitch54 View Post

Gus, if you get rid of that silly "Cowgirls" football they would be easier to drive, sound better, and would be real "playoff winners" , LOL !!

That picture is off the website genius. They just did it show how big the speaker is.
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post #17 of 20
2/7/08 at 8:00am
Thread Starter 
The D3 looks nice, and may fit nicely on the cherry hutch in the dining room w/o looking like it does not fit. The Axioms also look nice, but I am currently powering a 2.1 Klipsch set out there that I am planning on moving to the bedroom (the electronics rotation!!!).

I think I will miss not being able to easily fit a sub in there, but I would rather have something that can stand on its own w/o the sub, and add one later if I can figure out how to wire it all w/o it looking like a college dorm room...

Thanks guys! Lotsa input!
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post #18 of 20
2/12/08 at 11:16am
Thread Starter 
Hey peeps. Any recommendations on these speakers:

The Epos - ELS3 Mini Monitor Speakers?

I will have to see if they will still fit in the hutch....
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post #19 of 20
2/12/08 at 3:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninjahedge View Post

Hey peeps. Any recommendations on these speakers:

The Epos - ELS3 Mini Monitor Speakers?

I will have to see if they will still fit in the hutch....

I currently have a pair in my 2ch system. When placed right they completely disappear in the room. They are voiced on the neutral side so they aren't very forgiving to bad recordings. I got my pair used for $250 with the Epos stands and could not be happier. You have to spend a lot more than that to get something better. I am in the process right now of getting a better amp for them and have been seriously thinking about the Music Hall Mambo if I can get for a good price used.

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post #20 of 20
2/15/08 at 6:53am
I have the ELS3 and they are pretty good speakers. They still will sound a bit thin without a sub if you are planning to run it that way. I think they should be paired with something at least 30W per channel if you want to fill the average bedroom or small living room. They do sound very detailed and there is definitely a slight treble emphasis depending on your room.
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