[Jordan Shepherd]

I recently sold my Logitech z623 to my impatient friend for more then I paid because he didn't want to wait and order it. I was going to buy the same thing but decided that this would be the perfect time to upgrade. As a temporary setup I took the rear speakers (Sony B1000) and my sub (Dayton 10") then hooked it all up to my modified Lepai amp. I hate it, the Sony's sound terrible and the sub takes up all my foot space. Both the speakers and the sub need to be smaller as they take up all my free space. Right now I am thinking about getting the Audioengine A2+ and paring them with a dayton 6 1/2 "or 8" sub. My absolute max budget is $350 and they will be used for everything from playing games to listening to music and watching movies. I am open to ideas, there is nothing wrong with my Lepai amp. After I replaced all the internals it sounded pretty good so I could still use passive speakers.

 

[They_call_me_Roto]

http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/swan-multimedia/M50W

I own these. They do not disappoint.

 

[Jordan Shepherd]

Has any one heard of the website cometsupply? They are the only ones selling those speakers

 

[Knucklehead90]

The Emotiva Airmotiv 3 is a new speaker that looks interesting - they were made for computers but could be used for connecting a tv also. At that price you could find a decent used sub and come in at or under your budget. I had a pair of the Airmotiv 6 that sounded very nice. I just couldn't get used to looking at speakers with no grills.

 

[Jordan Shepherd]

The Emotiva Airmotiv 3 is a new speaker that looks interesting - they were made for computers but could be used for connecting a tv also. At that price you could find a decent used sub and come in at or under your budget. I had a pair of the Airmotiv 6 that sounded very nice. I just couldn't get used to looking at speakers with no grills.

If I was to get those how would I hook up a sub? I didn't see an output. Would I need to run it through the sub first then to the speakers?

 

[Knucklehead90]

If I was to get those how would I hook up a sub? I didn't see an output. Would I need to run it through the sub first then to the speakers?

That could be a problem. I took a look at the Airmotiv 3 manual - no way to connect a sub to them that I can see. In fact the manual doesn't tell you how the connection is made from the computer to the speakers. Typical Emotiva fashion of course! Lousy manuals.

Since you have the Lepai amp already you might want to think about some passive bookshelf speakers and connect the sub using the speaker level connections. Or find some bookshelf speakers with good bass response. In near-field listening bass is usually better than sitting back 10' or more. I have a Lepai and find it more than adequate for near field listening with decent bookshelf speakers.

The Audioengine A2+ has a pair of RCA out jacks. If those are volume controlled out then that is where a sub can be connected. You'd be well off to download the manual and see if that is volume controlled. +

 

[jevans64]

If I was to get those how would I hook up a sub? I didn't see an output. Would I need to run it through the sub first then to the speakers?

Emotiva doesn't feel the need to include a subwoofer output for any of their studio monitors because they have a line of DACs and most subwoofers have a pass-through with adjustable crossover. The Airmotiv 3B will resonate mostly with the crowd that wants small speakers. Personally, I would get the Airmotiv 4 or 5 from the Emotiva line. Either of those will put the Audioengine 2 or 5 to shame. Take a look at the Energy RC Micro for comparable speakers to the Airmotiv 3 that can be used with your Lepai. Another brand to consider is Micca, specifically the MB42X. Lots of folks pair these with Lepai amps for a budget system that gets the job done at a low price. Not my cup of tea though. I go BIG or go home.

I have the Emotiva DC-1 DAC and Stealth 6 speakers along with an SVS SB-2000 subwoofer. Since I have the DAC, I go USB or TosLink out to the DAC and use the XLR out for the speakers and the RCA out for the sub. I control the volume with the DAC. SVS subs have a pass-through with crossover, so an analog signal can be sent from the PC to the sub then on to the speakers. A DAC ( or decent PC sound card ) will be the only way to send audio to both speakers and sub. If you have a decent motherboard, the on-board audio might actually have the outputs.

 

[zieglj01]

I would still look at the Airmotiv 4 - and a review here
http://www.stereophile.com/content/emotiva-audio-pro-airmotiv-4s-powered-loudspeaker