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Best budget speakers for near-field/small space

Hi Ladies & Gents,

First time on Audiogon.

Coming from headphones, due to dorm constraints, I'm finally going to be able to get a speaker setup once I move into an apartment at the end of the year.

Sharing an apartment with a few mates, so I'll be setting up the speakers in my bedroom. The room is probably going to be pretty small (about 12 by 8 feet), and with my bed, wardrobe and all, optimal speaker positioning might be a problem.

Hence I'm thinking of going with a near-field setup, on my desk with my computer since that's where I do most of my listening. I could swap my chair and desk with a nice recliner as well, but its going to be near-field either way.

My budget for speakers and amps is pretty tight. Under 1000USD (please don't tease =) and the lower the better. I'm looking for the greatest bang for my buck what with being a student and all.

I listen almost exclusively to Jazz. Mostly 50's 60's bop, hard bop etc. Some acoustic singer-songwriter stuff, and indie rock as well, but only occasionally.

At the lowest end of the spectrum the Audioengine A5 looks interesting. Possibly paired with S8 subwoofer. Being active, I'd save on electronics and could add a DAC down the road, to pair with my Macbook Pro.

At the upper end of my budget, the Magnepan MMG looks very attractive especially with the great reviews on the web. Potential worries: read that they need a really beefy amp that might cost a bit, and more importantly, positioning. I don't believe these speakers were made with near-field listening in mind so that's a bit of a worry.

I've also heard many great things about the Linkwitz Pluto. And since its available as a DIY I could save some bucks (though I have no experience whatsoever, so its a bit daunting).

Other active/passive studio monitors seem to be decent choices as well. The KRK Rokit series, Dynaudio BM5a etc seem like viable alternatives, but I'm worried that they won't be as 'musical' as hi-fi speakers and might end up being cold and too revealing (might be a problem with badly mastered records, especially all those bright RVG remasters).

I have incredibly limited experience with speakers. More well-versed with headphones only. So I really need your help!

Many thanks in advance!
milesandcoltrane

Showing 8 responses by milesandcoltrane

milesandcoltrane OP
17 posts
 
Thank you for your inputs! Do keep them coming =)

Horseface, is the A5 really that bad? I had an extremely brief listen to them at one of the big box stores, and wasn't impressed as well. But the environment was really noisy and the music being played was something I'm not familiar with.

I've seen quite a number of people pair the Jolida 1501RC with their Maggies. I would love to get some of the tube sound and the Jolida seems to be a very nice option.

I'd have to agree with you Drdennis, I think the Maggies would be a real headache given the space I'm looking at.

Mapman, thanks for the compliment! Does the Triangle Titus XS really beat the Maggies where SQ is concerned? The Triangles do look very tempting, especially given the affordable price.

Ok so far based on your recommendations I will be looking into Triangle Titus XS, PSB Alpha B1, Dynaudio Audience 42 and Paradigm Studio 20.

What about the Linkwitz Pluto? I must say I'm very taken in with the omnipole design and the unique aesthetics. Bang for buck factor would be very high if I can DIY this thing.

Do keep your inputs coming in!
milesandcoltrane OP
17 posts
 
Oh yes, I've been reading about the Bowers & Wilkins 685 as well. Many online reviews tout them as the best bookshelves for under a 1000, especially for Classical, Jazz and Acoustic. That sounds like what I want! How does the 685 compare for near-field/small space listening?
milesandcoltrane OP
17 posts
 
Thanks again for your replies Mapman! Sounds like I really need to move the Triangles to the top of my audition list. Sensitive speakers are definitely god-sent with a sparse budget. I'm actually thinking of spending most of my budget on speakers, then using some spare change to purchase a vintage receiver to tide me over till I get more funds for a proper pre+power/integrated amp. Tubes are very nice, but I've heard that the good ones cost a fair bit more than decent solid states.

Celtic66 the Proac brand seems very tempting. A friend from another forum actually suggested building a clone of one of their models to get the best bang for the buck. Will check it out!

Ericjcabrera, wow active studio monitors used at home for hifi! That was what I was thinking about initally, but am a little concerned about studio monitors being too revealing. How do they compare to your regular hi-fi speakers for serious listening (stereo, music)? I've also heard great things about the Dynaudio BM 5A, though at a 1000 bucks their at the very, very top end of my budget =(

Talking about studio monitors, given that they excel in near-field applications, how many of you use them for hi-fi listening?

Wow, there are just so many models and makes, it gets really overwhelming!

Thanks once again everyone for your comments, inputs and advice. As a noob I really appreciate it!
milesandcoltrane OP
17 posts
 
Strateahead yessiree I believe we do share similar tastes in music! You've got some encouraging words for the A2. The A5 should be better then, I hope. The 30 day return policy is excellent as well. This, along with the low price, makes the A5 a very attractive option.

The Maverick D1 is something I've considered getting for a while. They seemed to have a good synergy with the Senn HD600 and AKG K701, so I could use it for headphone listening as well. And I believe the Tubes are for the pre-amp function so I can get the chance to have some of the tube sound for my speakers at a low cost.

The Audioengine A5 looks very very promising! The reviews online have held these speakers in high praise. Then again most of these reviewers are not exactly audiophiles so their exposure to good speakers might be a little limited. Hence my initial apprehension with taking this route.

By the way Strateahead, just out of curiosity, since we share similar preferences in music, what's your main setup like?

Thanks for the line-up Crad! I see the Triangles keep coming here, in this thread and in my searches as well. Great stuff! I've also seen the JohnBlue recommended quite a bit for near-field listening. Interesting option that one.

If speakers bewilder me, the electronics just confound me. Thanks for listing some nice electronics Crad. I'll take a look at them.

Muchas gracias everyone!
milesandcoltrane OP
17 posts
 
Wow! Thanks a bunch guys! I have some serious auditioning time ahead of me. Once I clear my internship interviews this week, I'll be heading down to some stores to try and sample as many of these speakers as possible. Right now though the Audioengine A5 paired with a modest DAC+/-modest preamp sounds like a good idea for the low cash outlay and flexibility.

Also read some great stuff about the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1. A friend had the older series which I listened to some years ago out of a budget pre and power amp combo, don't remember which brand but I was quite impressed. Any word on how these speakers stack up to the ones recommended above.

I've also been reading some great things about the Triangle Titus XS.

And strateahead thanks for including your setup. A bit too high-end for me at the present time, but it sounds like it'll knock my socks off! =)
milesandcoltrane OP
17 posts
 
Hi ladies and gents!

It's been a while since I've posted a reply as I've been busy with my internship. Haven't been able to locate a Triangle dealership here in Singapore, so its been impossible to audition the Titus much less find a used pair around here.

I will be heading down to a few dealers tomorrow to check out the Audioengine A5, Mackie HR824 and Dynaudio BM5A. These are the only speakers I've found dealers for.

I will post an update once I get to listen to them and hopefully more of the speakers you guys recommended above.

But I'm just wondering, given my budget, regardless of buying used or retail, should I stick with active or passive speakers? I was thinking that active speakers might give me a better bang for buck, but I'm not quite sure. I've read some threads online, but mostly on forums like gearslutz which is geared at the pro-audio community. Event then the conclusions drawn are inconclusive.
milesandcoltrane OP
17 posts
 
Took some time out to compile the recommendations that have come in so far to aid my auditioning. Here goes:

Passives:

Triangle Titus XS
PSB Alpha B1
Dynaudio Audience 42
Paradigm Studio 20
Proac Tablette 50
ERA 4/5
JohnBlue JB3
Silverline Minuet
Rega R1
Digital Phase AP-.7
Ascend Acoustics Sierra/340SE
Vintage: Spendor BC-1,SP-1, KEF 103.2, Epos ES-11, Celestion SL6i

+ Based on some Googling:
Paradigm Atom
Wharfedale Diamond 10.1
Dynaudio BM5A
Bowers & Wilkins 685

Pre+Power/Integrated:
Vintage receiver
NAD amp/receiver (50wpc)
Jolida 1501RC
Jolida FX-10
Audio Refinement Complete/Exposure/Crescendo Integrated
Virtue Audio Sensation or mdl.two
Rega Brio

Actives:

Mackie HR824
Audioengine A2/A5
NHT M00
Quad L12 active

This is a super long list of alternatives. Not sure if I would be able to audition all of them but I'll definitely try.

Anyone else would like to 2nd or 3rd the recommendations above. Would help me prioritize my search a little. So far the models that have been 2nd'd by others include:

Triangle Titus
NHT M00
Audioengine A2/5
Silverline Minuet
+ the Mackie HR824 (another friend had good things to say about them)

I'd probably start my auditions with these and then move to others on the list. Wow buying speakers really is a bunch of work. Can't quite audition several models at the same store unlike headphones.

Alright then, in the meantime please do chime in if you feel I should take any option out of the list on top or add to them or move a certain model into the top spot.

Cheers!
milesandcoltrane OP
17 posts
 
Managed to audition a few speakers today.

First: Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 paired with the Onkyo A-5VL Integrated Amplifier with built in DAC connected via Toslink to my Macbook Pro with Lossless files.

The sound put out by these was pretty nice. Nothing special really. From memory these were better than the Audioengine A5 that I tried at a friend's place especially where imaging is concerned.

However during complex passages, like tracks on Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, the sound started breaking up a little. It was as if the sound was a building with its foundations gone and the entire structure wobbling. (That's the best way I can describe it right now).

Moving closer, from being about 6-7 feet away to 3-4 feet the imaging lost its coherency and started sounding like it came from 2 distinct points. Also at low volumes, the sound was off balance i.e. LF sounds were more pronounced than the mids and the highs.

Next I tried the Audioengine A5 and A2. The A2 was really small sounding and unimpressive. Of course given the price I don't think its a fair comparison. Even then, up close in a desktop orientation I don't see myself liking these speakers as the LF was severely lacking. The A5 was of course a lot better. It sounded a little worse in its stock configuration compared to my friend's A5 setup (he added isolation pads and a better power cord). But coming from the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1, imaging and separation was sub par.

Then I tried the Aktimate Mini active speakers. I was quite blown away. Imaging was absolutely wonderful. Very coherent. It was like a nice wall of sound, very natural without any suggestion that music was being put out by 2 speakers. From the lows all the way to the highs, the sound was very well balanced to my ears. The dealer mentioned how these speakers have gained a giant-killer reputation. The price is also just a bit more than the A5.

Well for now the Aktimate Mini remains the top choice. I do have a month to go before I move in so I definitely plan to audition the speakers in the list above.
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