Bookshelf speakers, budget £1000

[fr0g]

Nice. Liking the red leather...

2 pairs, one red, one yellow and you have a great tongue twister

But yes, they have an interesting finish

 

[hoopsontoast]

Something like the Genelec monitors? They start with the 6010a at around £400/pair and they have built in eq designed for desk use, and nearfield usage.

 

[steve_1979]

Some questions to the guy who started the thread - What is your total budget? What are you using as a source? Do you already own an amplifier that you intend to use?

I suggest that you have a listen so some active speakers before you make your choice. Actives usually sound a fair bit better than similarly priced passive speaker and amp combos.

The £858 Acoustic Energy AE22-04 are very good for the price and have plenty of low end bass without needing a sub. http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/acoustic-energy-ae22-04-active-active-studio-monitors-left-and-right-pair--57632

The £1031 Adam A8X have plenty of bass and a nice treble which is ever so slightly recessed but without losing any detail. http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/adam-a8x-active-studio-monitor-pair--83367

These £1210 Dynaudio BM6A are also outstanding value and they also include a free DAC/preamp controller. http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/dynaudio-bm-6a-mk2-and-tc-bmc-2--72080

The £2158 Event Opals are some of the best speakers I've ever heard regardless of price. Well worth a listen if you can afford £2K and don't mind the looks. http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/event-opal-pair-and-event-calibration-software-kit--92906

 

[steve_1979]

http://www.whathifi.com/review/avi-adm91

i would definitely buy these with the matching sub. active speakers with built in pre and dac.

I'm not too sure if you would really need to use a sub in such a small 3m x 3m room? I suspect that a good pair of 6.5" or 8" bookshelf speakers would be sufficient provided they have good bass. I do agree that the new uprated version of the ADM9's would be a very good choice though.

or the Xeo 3 wireless...

I haven't heard the Dynaudio Xeo 3 yet but they do look very nice (and similar to the ADM's). Both are smart looking active bookshelf speakers with an included DAC and preamp. On paper the only big difference between them are the Dynaudios are wireless and the ADM's are much more powerful and use a larger 6.5" bass driver.

 

[steve_1979]

I would also suggest he trys [sic] some of Craigs Opals.

If only they weren't so blimmin' ugly...:-D

I think that they're stunning. They look good in an ugly, dominating, scary kind of way.

 

[Anonymous]

I think either the AVI ADM9T's or the AVI Neutron 5.1 system could be ideal for you. The former are fantastic speakers that have very tight bass, great mids and a lovely crisp but non fatiguing treble, they sound incredibly natural and will work fine at close proximity too.

The Neutron system i've not heard, but it's very highly rated and at £800 for two speakers, a subwoofer which contains three amps, one for each speaker and one driving the sub, a preamp, DAC and remote control, it's amazing value for money.

 

[chebby]

Quad 11l actives for about £500 (brand new, warranty, reasonable P&P from Germany, superb finish).

I almost 'pulled the trigger' on these last week (to plug into the aux out connections on my Marantz).

These will be excellent in a 3m x 3m space.

The original passive Quad 77-10l speakers were designed and built by Spendor and the (also passive) Quad 11l speakers were superb. No subsequent Quad 11l variant (11l2 or 11l Classic has received anything like as good reviews since.

The 11l Actives will not need any seperate amp (as their name suggests) and leave you almost £500 out of your budget to improve whatever source you are using.

 

[John Duncan]

Ooo there you go. And they're 'real' actives so nobody can complain

EDIT - though note that Audio Affair claim to have some for the same price...

 

[chebby]

Ooo there you go. And they're 'real' actives so nobody can complain

EDIT - though note that Audio Affair claim to have some for the same price...

Their's are priced £499 'each'. (£745 for a pair)

 

[John Duncan]

Ooo there you go. And they're 'real' actives so nobody can complain

EDIT - though note that Audio Affair claim to have some for the same price...

Their's are priced £499 'each'. (£745 for a pair)

My bad. I was fooled by the words 'Quad 11L Active Speakers (Pair)' in the headline...

 

[drummerman]

... Actives usually sound a fair bit better than similarly priced passive speaker and amp combos.

Unfortunately, not all actives are created equal. A quick visit to your local Pro Music Store will confirm that quickly.

If only things were that easy ...

regards

 

[John Duncan]

Unfortunately, not all actives are created equal.

So some may be less than one million times as good as passives then?

 

[drummerman]

Unfortunately, not all actives are created equal.

So some may be less than one million times as good as passives then?

You are naughty

regards

 

[John Duncan]

Unfortunately, not all actives are created equal.

So some may be less than one million times as good as passives then?

You are naughty

Says the man in the dress...

 

[chebby]

So some may be less than one million times as good as passives then?

IIRC that 'million times better' referred only to AVI actives vs ATC passives. (And only to mid-range capability.)

The quote was...

"As someone who's very familiar with the ATC sound, I'd say that the mid range on the ADMs is a million times better"

 

[John Duncan]

Really? I didn't have any particular products in mind.

 

[drummerman]

...

Says the man in the dress...

That was so ... below the frock ... my little (non-colloquialism) spunk monkey

regards

 

[relocated]

I would have chipped in to recommend the AVI ADM9T [newly improved so don't know the current last letter etc.] but it seems that lots of people, well a handful anyway, got in before me. Does seem a bit of a gift for us ADM 9 enthusiasts though???

In the interest of balance; other properly active speakers are available from other manufactureres but I can't be bothered to name them.

 

[chebby]

You are naughty

That was so ... below the frock ... my little (non-colloquialism) spunk monkey

**** Emery to Kenny Everett in two posts.

 

[amcluesent]

2nd hand pair of Sonus Faber Concertinos, they make great near-field monitors.

 

[steve_1979]

Unfortunately, not all actives are created equal. A quick visit to your local Pro Music Store will confirm that quickly.

You're quite right there my petal.

Of course some actives are better than others but the good ones are always a fair bit better than passive speakers. Even mediocre actives are usually better than passives IMO.

As always my advice to anyone who's interested in getting some new speakers is have a listen to a few different active monitors at a pro-audio shop and make up your own mind.

 

[Anonymous]

So some may be less than one million times as good as passives then?

IIRC that 'million times better' referred only to AVI actives vs ATC passives. (And only to mid-range capability.)

The quote was...

"As someone who's very familiar with the ATC sound, I'd say that the mid range on the ADMs is a million times better"

So, if someone else said that the mids of the ATC passives were night and day better than the mids of the AVI actives, and they were both right, who'd be the most wrong?

 

[fr0g]

Unfortunately, not all actives are created equal. A quick visit to your local Pro Music Store will confirm that quickly.

You're quite right there my petal.

Of course some actives are better than others but the good ones are always a fair bit better than passive speakers. Even mediocre actives are usually better than passives IMO.

As always my advice to anyone who's interested in getting some new speakers is have a listen to a few different active monitors at a pro-audio shop and make up your own mind.

Hmm can't agree there. Too many sweeping statements, you've been listening to a mad scientist too much.

"but the good ones are always a fair bit better than passive speakers" - I would agree if you said "better than their passive equivalents"

"Even mediocre actives are usually better than passives IMO." - Again, for too general, which and which? A mediocre set of actives sounds just as mediocre as a mediocre set of passives. I've heard great passives and awful actives and vice versa.

As you say a visit to a pro shop will confirm this...some of the monitors are quite awful sounding, some are fantastic.

I agree of course with the sentiment though, and for purely music listening I probably wouldn't buy passives again. Properly sorted actives are better value sound per pound.

 

[steve_1979]

Too many sweeping statements

Now what fun would forums be if we didn't occasionally indulge in vast sweeping generalisations.

you've been listening to a mad scientist too much.

Yes but always with a pinch of salt. I promise.

"but the good ones are always a fair bit better than passive speakers" - I would agree if you said "better than their passive equivalents"

Yeah that's pretty much what I ment to say.

"Even mediocre actives are usually better than passives IMO." - Again, for too general, which and which? A mediocre set of actives sounds just as mediocre as a mediocre set of passives. I've heard great passives and awful actives and vice versa.

What I should have said is "Even mediocre actives are better than the majority of equivalently priced passive/amp combos."

As you say a visit to a pro shop will confirm this...some of the monitors are quite awful sounding, some are fantastic.

I too have heard some actives that are so bad they make you cringe. But the fantastic ones (Opals and Quested) are better than any passive speakers that I've ever heard.

Properly sorted actives are better value sound per pound.

With this sentance you have, as usual managed to sum it up better than me.

 

[John Duncan]

Nicely brought back from the brink, chaps...