Bookshelf or Mini Monitor

The Era D4 is a great place to start and really have a touch of magic in the mids that you just don't hear under 1K. Bass is great for a smaller room. Very good for low level listening as well. I use them after many comparisons using a Mac Mini and Puccini.

Usher's entry level is nice sounding.

i did a very similar search recently and found the best for a nearfied, near-wall use to be the paradigm signature s1; at a lower budget threshold, the rega rs1s were unexpectedly really excellent.

I just sold a pair of Soliloquy SAT 5's and they are a great bargain at their typical used price. They made nice nearfield monitors for my office system. Highly recommended. I'd second Era Design as well, but I'd go with their D5's if you have the space.

I'm currently listening to a pair of PMC DB1+. These really pack a punch, especially for their size. Good monitors for nearfield listening. Not sure how they would work for your garageband mixes as they are revealing. Not harsh though.

Well I've been busy following up on suggestions. So far, the Era D4's are reading strong. Be nice to take advantage of 100 wats on a desk top while considering the D4's specs. Still have others to look at.

Mini monitor, one of the pro audio line. JBL and Yamaha should be listened to at some of the 'guitar' shops. The latter are used for most pro mixing so they should work. Hey, some of these speakers have been around for over forty years, something must be right.

Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1s is another good choice for this.

Totem Rainmaker
Sonus Faber Toy

harbeth mini- wonderful hf/mid range and lf, though limited is nice and clean. a wonderful non fatiguing near and mid field listening in a small room.

I would love to get into the Harbeths, but I already have a lot tied up in the main rig with Spendor's and Blue Circle. I would feel guilty indulging so much in a desktop thing.

I started and stopped with Era D4's. Seem to be the right size, right cost and right propaganda. They should be here Thursday. Hope they sound good, or you going to owe me a McFavour, mcfavre! Just joken, thanks for suggestions.