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!
I sense we have very similar musical tastes ... hence the moniker "straight ahead". At any rate, several months ago I was looking for near-field speakers and versatile electronics for my office. The solution: Audioengine A5's with Maverick Audio Tube Magic D1 ($200 USD) - a combination DAC, preamp, and headphone amp. Plus it's got USB connectivity, and has line-in to connect iPod. I changed the tube to a GE 5-star 5670 and it sounds great. The Maverick is available direct from China and I feel it competes quite well with the Paradisea MHDT (which I owned and sold last year). The only other upgrades were Volex power cord and Kimber USB cable.
I didn't experience any difficulty with getting the A5's to sound right ... maybe that's because they're sitting on my desk. All I know is, they disappear and there is a nice sound stage right in front of me. With the USB hooked up to the PC, one can listen to iTunes or Pandora. IMHO it's a great set-up with a very high value to cost ratio.
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!
One more good thing about the Triangles is they are 89db or so efficient which means they are easy to drive with most any amp. They are also pretty tube friendly even from what I have read and I would like to try them with a tube amp someday.
Maggies on the other hand generally require a fairly beefy and likely also correspondingly more expensive amp to sound their best.
"Does the Triangle Titus XS really beat the Maggies where SQ is concerned? "
In my case they did for me. They have speed and transparency and bested my Maggies, which were middle 80's vintage mg1cs.
I've also heard mmgs recently at a local dealer running of some good tube amplification and I would not switch from my Triangles running of a 20 watt vintage Yamaha receiver based on what I heard.
Until a series of way more expensive upgrades to my main system over the last few years, teh Triangles driven off a 80 watt/ch tandberg tr2080 was my best sounding reference standard.
You may or may not elect to add a sub later in that they do not do much below 50hz or so, but what they do they do extremely well!
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?
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.
Maggies are tempting, but probably not in a small cramped room and on your budget.Start with a NAD amp or receiver(50 wpc), and PSB speakers (Alpha B-1's). If you buy used, or on a closeout from Audio Adviser you night stay on budget with enough left over for the PSB sub. Scrimp on speaker wires/cables(Radio Shack house brand)and upgrade these later. A Cambridge Audio DAC Magic will make you go over budget, so might be best to think of that, or other DAC, as your next purchase.I just bought a HRT Music Streamer for my daughter ($99 from Music Direct). You can have a very high quality system for under $1,000.
Regarding speakers, Triangle Titus XS are perfect for nearfield and low to moderate volume listening in tight quarters. I've had mine for years and can't part with them.
I've owned Maggies as well and the little Triangles allowed me to part with them with a sound upgrade for less and few speaker placement issues.
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