Any recommendations for a 2.1 Hi-Fi system around £200 for a newbie?

[steve_1979]

Check out HP Wireless Audio which will transmit to your amp (if you get one) via a dongle - sounds great and now only £25 on Amazon

(they were a ton) no wires no DAC.....

A wireless transmitter with a built in DAC. That looks like a bargain for £27.

Well worth a look - i hate wires- i now have 2 of these and like i said they sound great

I'd be tempted to buy one but I've got no need for it because my computer is right next to the hifi. It's certainly worth bearing in mind if I ever decide to move things around in the future though.

 

[JoeMcc]

Guys any thoughts on the Yamaha AS500 amp?

 

[pauln]

I should mention though, this system will be on a desk in my bedroom which is a pretty small room so i dont need extremely loud speakers or amps with huge capabilities hence the budget. Also I will be using it for casual music listening only, no games or movies etc...

Given that you have limited desk space in a small room, a small budget and are only listening casually... why even consider separates when you can get excellent sound from small active speakers with built in DAC. Even plugging small actives straight into your computer (i.e. using the computers sound card) can give good results. There's a fair choice in the £200 - £250 range and don't waste any of your money on buying fancy cables, the freebies will be fine!

 

[pauln]

Guys any thoughts on the Yamaha AS500 amp?

Wrong thread?

 

[JoeMcc]

Given that you have limited desk space in a small room, a small budget and are only listening casually... why even consider separates when you can get excellent sound from small active speakers with built in DAC. Even plugging small actives straight into your computer (i.e. using the computers sound card) can give good results. There's a fair choice in the £200 - £250 range and don't waste any of your money on buying fancy cables, the freebies will be fine!

What are you suggesting with powered ones? Like the 2.1 multimedia systems or something else? Like audioengine a2 or Corsair SP2500? I have questioned this myself whether it is worth it but i think the choice of being to upgrade to better speakers later on and having better realiabilty, resale value and overall quality. Appreciate your point though can you recommend something?

As for the Amp question we were talking about amps earlier in the thread so i guessed it was fine... :?

Thanks for feedback though

 

[steve_1979]

If you can stretch your budget to £300... :twisted:

...the Yamaha HS5 active speakers are brilliant! (they're sold as single speakers and cost £132 each)

They include built in amplifiers and sound much better than the Q acoustics 2020i or Monitor Audio BX2 which you were thinking of upgrading to in the future. The Yamaha's are clearer, more detailed than either the Q acoustics or Monitor Audio's. Much smoother than the harsh BX2's too.

 

[JoeMcc]

If you can stretch your budget to £300... :twisted:

...the Yamaha HS5 active speakers are brilliant! (they're sold as single speakers and cost £132 each)

They include built in amplifiers and sound much better than the Q acoustics 2020i or Monitor Audio BX2 which you were thinking of upgrading to in the future. The Yamaha's are clearer, more detailed than either the Q acoustics or Monitor Audio's. Much smoother than the harsh BX2's too.

Lol ive been thinking about upping my budget to £300, and just get it one piece at a time.... So do you reckon id be better off without all the amp and stuff and go for active speakers? So much damn choice lol.

 

[JoeMcc]

If you can stretch your budget to £300... :twisted:

...the Yamaha HS5 active speakers are brilliant! (they're sold as single speakers and cost £132 each)

They include built in amplifiers and sound much better than the Q acoustics 2020i or Monitor Audio BX2 which you were thinking of upgrading to in the future. The Yamaha's are clearer, more detailed than either the Q acoustics or Monitor Audio's. Much smoother than the harsh BX2's too.

You know what I think i might go with a set of active speakers. So Yamaha HS5 if my balance is in good state 8) If not what would be your other recommendations?

 

[steve_1979]

Lol ive been thinking about upping my budget to £300, and just get it one piece at a time.... So do you reckon id be better off without all the amp and stuff and go for active speakers? So much damn choice lol.

I think that active speakers offer better value than conventional hifi amp/speaker combos. It's probably best to visit a hifi shop to listen to some conventional amp/speaker combos then go to a pro audio shop to compare them to some active speakers to see what you like.

You know what I think i might go with a set of active speakers. So Yamaha HS5 if my balance is in good state 8) If not what would be your other recommendations?

Yamaha and Behringer make some of the best budget active speakers around so they would definitely be worth an audition if you get the chance.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

Yes, you must audition, everyone has different ideas.

I thought the Yamahas were the worst speakers I'd heard in a long time - nasty treble that rips into your ears, unlistenable for long periods. The salesman in the shop agreed.

 

[steve_1979]

Yes, you must audition, everyone has different ideas.

I thought the Yamahas were the worst speakers I'd heard in a long time - nasty treble that rips into your ears, unlistenable for long periods. The salesman in the shop agreed.

Nasty treble? They just sounded sweet and clear to me with no trace of harshness at all. I could have happily listened to them all day long.

 

[JoeMcc]

I think that active speakers offer better value than conventional hifi amp/speaker combos. It's probably best to visit a hifi shop to listen to some conventional amp/speaker combos then go to a pro audio shop to compare them to some active speakers to see what you like

Yamaha and Behringer make some of the best budget active speakers around so they would definitely be worth an audition if you get the chance.

[/quote]

Yes, you must audition, everyone has different ideas.

I thought the Yamahas were the worst speakers I'd heard in a long time - nasty treble that rips into your ears, unlistenable for long periods. The salesman in the shop agreed.

Yeah im gonna go with these active speakers they look much better than a cheap multimedia system and not quite as expensive as a seperates system, as you both said trial and error is the best. Gonna take a trip to some hi-fi/music stores after xmas! Leave the real system for when i get my own gaff... Get a proper one then on a much higher budget. By the way is it still the same process with these do i still have to purchase a DAC? What about connecting a subwoofer?

 

[steve_1979]

Yeah im gonna go with these active speakers they look much better than a cheap multimedia system and not quite as expensive as a seperates system, as you both said trial and error is the best. Gonna take a trip to some hi-fi/music stores after xmas! Leave the real system for when i get my own gaff... Get a proper one then on a much higher budget.

It always worth demoing for yourself to find something which suits best. Hifi shops sell amplifiers and passive speakers but to hear some active speakers you'll need to visit a pro-audio shop. There's loads of them around so it shouldn't be hard to find one.

Something worth bearing in mind when auditioning speakers is to ask yourself "could I listen to these for many hours at a time?" The speakers which stand out as sounding the most exciting during a two minute demo are often the ones which become fatiguing and tiresome when listened to for long periods. Speakers which sound smooth and clear are usually the ones which are the easiest to live with.

By the way is it still the same process with these do i still have to purchase a DAC?

You'll still need a DAC to get the best sound quality from your computer. Most active speakers don't have a volume control built in so it's useful to use a DAC which has a built in pre-amp* like the Behringer UCA202 does. You can use the digital volume control that's in the software on your computer if necessary though.

* a pre-amp is just a fancy name for a volume control.

What about connecting a subwoofer?

There are various options for adding a subwoofer later and it's simple enough to do so no worries there. Exactly how you do this will depend on what system you get though because different systems will need to be connected to a subwoofer in different ways.

 

[fr0g]

Yes, you must audition, everyone has different ideas.

I thought the Yamahas were the worst speakers I'd heard in a long time - nasty treble that rips into your ears, unlistenable for long periods. The salesman in the shop agreed.

Nasty treble? They just sounded sweet and clear to me with no trace of harshness at all. I could have happily listened to them all day long.

I must admit I veer more toward AL's view here. The Yamahas I heard were certainly clear, but not at all smooth.

Actives I would recommend are the Ayra 5 or preferably the 6 from RCF which would be between £240 and £320 a pair. They have a nice smooth midrange and treble.

I would have said M-Audio DSM1 which have built in DAC, but they appear to be discountinued...

 

[davedotco]

Yes, you must audition, everyone has different ideas.

I thought the Yamahas were the worst speakers I'd heard in a long time - nasty treble that rips into your ears, unlistenable for long periods. The salesman in the shop agreed.

Nasty treble? They just sounded sweet and clear to me with no trace of harshness at all. I could have happily listened to them all day long.

I must admit I veer more toward AL's view here. The Yamahas I heard were certainly clear, but not at all smooth.

Actives I would recommend are the Ayra 5 or preferably the 6 from RCF which would be between £240 and £320 a pair. They have a nice smooth midrange and treble.

I would have said M-Audio DSM1 which have built in DAC, but they appear to be discountinued...

And have been for some time, too expensive anyway even when you add in the value of the built in dac.

Thoughts on the Yamahas are heavily polarised, many people remember the old NS10s and their derivatives, nasty, aggressive 'grotboxes' that may have had a use in the studio but certainly not at home.

Elements of these speakers have been a trait of Yamaha actives for some time, though it has become less obvious with time. The latest models are smooth and sweet enough though they are provided with variable eq to mimic the sound of the 'old' NS10, not nice.

Properly set up and EQed they sound very good for the price and once you get over the tendency to play them loud, pretty smooth. That said they are about £260-270, the Ayra 5 and my favourite Presonus Eris 5 are a bit cheaper.

There is no real need for a level control on the dac, set up correctly you can use the one in your music playing software without issue.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

That makes it 2 - 2 for the shrill/sweet Yamaha match! That reinforces the fact you really should audition.

DDC, even at low volumes I found the Yamahas unacceptable, and I'm a big fan of Yamaha, or their outboard motors anyway.

 

[davedotco]

That makes it 2 - 2 for the shrill/sweet Yamaha match! That reinforces the fact you really should audition.

DDC, even at low volumes I found the Yamahas unacceptable, and I'm a big fan of Yamaha, or their outboard motors anyway.

Never suggested otherwise Al.

Though for the hi-fi buyer auditioning active speakers in a music shop or pro audio dealer can be a difficult experience. You will rarely get a hi-fi style dem room and monitors tend to get played quite loud. Because they are active they do not 'sound loud' in the same way normal hi-fi does when driven quite hard, insist on turning them down to normal hi-fi levels.

 

[steve_1979]

I must admit I veer more toward AL's view here. The Yamahas I heard were certainly clear, but not at all smooth.

I wouldn't go so far as to say they're treble is smooth but I didn't find them harsh at all. Just clear and nice to listen to.

But as AL says - it's best to have a listen for yourself before you buy.

 

[pauln]

You know what I think i might go with a set of active speakers. So Yamaha HS5 if my balance is in good state 8) If not what would be your other recommendations?

Several have been mentioned, I have heard Audio Pro Addon T8, Monitor Audio WS-100, Bose Mini Monitor, Acoustic Energy Aego - M2.1. Some of those have built in DAC when used wirelessly. Audioengine and Aktimate Micro are well reviewed but I've not heard them myself. The aforementioned Behringer DAC is cheap and supposed to do the job. I might be inclined to go for an edac from Epiphany as a later upgrade if I went for speakers without one built in.

There are several "studio monitor" type speakers available and most have been mentioned already. They offer good value for money over separates, as do all these actives.

As I said before, the key points you made were, for me anyway, "lack of space" and "casual listening". Don't get caught up in the (outdated) audiophile myth of separates being the only way to listen to music - even if it was once true, it's not anymore.

 

[fr0g]

I must admit I veer more toward AL's view here. The Yamahas I heard were certainly clear, but not at all smooth.

I wouldn't go so far as to say they're treble is smooth but I didn't find them harsh at all. Just clear and nice to listen to.

But as AL says - it's best to have a listen for yourself before you buy.

Whilst I am all for acurracy, I think you also need a little smoothing. For me they sounded unforgiving.

And they do use this line in the advertising...or at least did...

"If Your Mixes Sound Good On These, They'll Sound Good Anywhere"[/b]

 

[Marsbardark]

NAD Viso 1 £199 delivered (RRP £500) from Sevenoaks

2.1 configuration, bluetooth aptx, optical in,DAC job done.

 

[JoeMcc]

So with all the stuff ive learned so far would i be right in saying its better for my situation to get a decent active speaker set around 200-250 than a cheaper seperates set with passive speakers etc?

As I said before, the key points you made were, for me anyway, "lack of space" and "casual listening". Don't get caught up in the (outdated) audiophile myth of separates being the only way to listen to music - even if it was once true, it's not anymore.

Yeah space isnt a massive issue as i first thought as I can always get a shelf above my desk, however im not sure if a really expensive system will be beneficial to me as ive never listened to a great system before and i dont produce my own music or anything. Although i must say I feel Im getting hooked in the audio world... A few years down the line i can see myself going bust haha.

Quick note guys anyone used the KRK Rokit 5 they look cool as hell imo but i understand looks arent the highest priority.

 

[davedotco]

I must admit I veer more toward AL's view here. The Yamahas I heard were certainly clear, but not at all smooth.

I wouldn't go so far as to say they're treble is smooth but I didn't find them harsh at all. Just clear and nice to listen to.

But as AL says - it's best to have a listen for yourself before you buy.

Whilst I am all for acurracy, I think you also need a little smoothing. For me they sounded unforgiving.

And they do use this line in the advertising...or at least did...

"If Your Mixes Sound Good On These, They'll Sound Good Anywhere"[/b]

That was of course for the NS10.

A passive hi-fi speaker no less....... :read:

A little background, The NS10 was a genuinely pony hi-fi speaker launched in the late 70s, it was really unsuccessful. It's claim to fame was that it sounded like a combination of the worst transistor radio, car stereo and cheap hi-fi system all jumbled up together.

It was used as a 'quality assessment monitor' or in the vernacular of the time a 'grotbox', if the engineer could get a mix to sound good on them..........well, you know the rest.

Like many good ideas they were adopted by lots of people who did not understand what they were about and they were very, very widely used and mis-used. If you thought that studio professionals were sane and not afflicted by 'audiophillia nervosa' you have only to look up the great tissue paper debates where the brand and number of sheets of the tissue used to tame the excesses of the tweeter were discussed at length, and I mean at length.