Desktop speakers/active speakers £100-£160

[maxmelvin19]

Good morning,

I would like some advice on getting some desktop/active speakers in the mid £100-£200 range. Basically I have it down to two options so any help with these or indeed other suggestions would be very helpful:

1. Audioengine A2 (£165): well reviewed, very neat and small

2. Cambridge Audio SLA25 (£150): built-in-usb-DAC (I'd use my mac as a source), larger (so presumably biger sound)

I cannot afford to go any more expensive and what I'm really after is hifi sound in a small room for that money and I figure that since I only use my mac as a source a pair of active speakers would give me better sound for the money than an equivalent priced micro sytem or ipod dock. Am I right in thinking the Cambridge audio would be a slightly better bet?

Thanks,

Max

 

[davedotco]

Good morning,

I would like some advice on getting some desktop/active speakers in the mid £100-£200 range. Basically I have it down to two options so any help with these or indeed other suggestions would be very helpful:

1. Audioengine A2 (£165): well reviewed, very neat and small

2. Cambridge Audio SLA25 (£150): built-in-usb-DAC (I'd use my mac as a source), larger (so presumably biger sound)

I cannot afford to go any more expensive and what I'm really after is hifi sound in a small room for that money and I figure that since I only use my mac as a source a pair of active speakers would give me better sound for the money than an equivalent priced micro sytem or ipod dock. Am I right in thinking the Cambridge audio would be a slightly better bet?

Thanks,

Max

For the best possible sound for the money you really have to consider positioning.

Are you really going to have to use them on a desktop or shelf or will you be able to position them properly, on stands perhaps?

Point of order. Both the models you mention are powered speakers, ie conventional passive speaker with a built in amplifier in one speaker that links to the other with a length of conventional speaker cable. True active speakers are something else entirely.

For what it is worth I have some experience of the Audio Engine and although it sounds quite nice on first impression the rather fullsome balance becomes annoying in a pretty short time. Other than convenience there is no great advantage in powered speakers, you would do better with a pair of conventional AE Compact 1 speakers and one of the better 'T-amps', some of which include a usb digital input.

 

[Overdose]

Have a look at the speakers in post No.8

If you want to try pro audio actives, the likes of DV247 and Dolphin audio are good places to browse for options.

 

[pauln]

If you have the space for a sub, I can recommend the Acoustic Energy Aego M 2.1 system.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/Acoustic-Energy-Aego-M-Speakers_Peripheral_review

They are available for £109 online and come with brackets for wall mounting if you wish to do so.

 

[maxmelvin19]

Thank you for all the tips (especially the clarification about the dif. between powered and active speakers).

It looks like my budget is now exactly £250 so I'm definitely looking for powered speakers with an in-built DAC. The monitor audio WS100 look good but I'd rather have a proper USB connection if possible.

Again, any help is much appreciated.

Thanks,

Max

 

[maxmelvin19]

Hi, sorry in addition to the post immediately above about new budget and requirements, they'll be going into a small attic kitchen/living room so either on the counter top or on a bookshelf.

Thanks,

Max

 

[davedotco]

Thank you for all the tips (especially the clarification about the dif. between powered and active speakers).

It looks like my budget is now exactly £250 so I'm definitely looking for powered speakers with an in-built DAC. The monitor audio WS100 look good but I'd rather have a proper USB connection if possible.

Again, any help is much appreciated.

Thanks,

Max

Going directly against your wishes (sorry), the best sound quality I have heard for this kind of price or application is to use the Behringer UCA202 interface, essentially a usb dac into a pair of Studiospares/Seiwin 6a active monitors, ridiculously cheap at about £25 and £140pr respectively and outrageous sound for the money.

Good enough to need proper stands though, so may not be for you. I use a pair of the smaller Studiospares/Seiwin SN4a in a desktop situation and they are also very good much better than comparitively priced powered options.

For technical reasons you are unlikely to get a usb input on active speakers at this price level, the cheapest that I know are the Adam Artist 3, fantastic product but double your budget.

 

[johngw]

Thank you for all the tips (especially the clarification about the dif. between powered and active speakers).

It looks like my budget is now exactly £250 so I'm definitely looking for powered speakers with an in-built DAC. The monitor audio WS100 look good but I'd rather have a proper USB connection if possible.

My recommendation would be a pair of KRK RP5 RoKit G2. Personal favorite (active) speakers in this price range. Thomann sells them for £230 plus shipping so that should match your budget. Spend as much as you can on the speakers, and consider the possibility to add a DAC later as an upgrade. Having said that I've found that the analogue output from Apple Macs are pretty good these days. So you may get more bang for the buck to go all-in on speakers instead.

 

[maxmelvin19]

Thank you for all your helpful comments and suggestions. On reflection, I think it comes down to whether a £250-300 active or powered desktop speaker will get me better sound for the money than a passive speaker and budget amp. So with a little more research I think my choices are as follows:

1. Q acoustics 2010i + Marantz PM5004 £260

2. Tannoy Mercury V1 + Marantz PM5004 £279

3. Audioengine A5+ £295

In a small room and sitting 6-8 feet from the speakers, what is going to give me the most hi fidelity sound?

Thanks again,

Max

 

[davedotco]

Thank you for all your helpful comments and suggestions. On reflection, I think it comes down to whether a £250-300 active or powered desktop speaker will get me better sound for the money than a passive speaker and budget amp. So with a little more research I think my choices are as follows:

1. Q acoustics 2010i + Marantz PM5004 £260

2. Tannoy Mercury V1 + Marantz PM5004 £279

3. Audioengine A5+ £295

In a small room and sitting 6-8 feet from the speakers, what is going to give me the most hi fidelity sound?

Thanks again,

Max

If those are the choices open to you I would go for the cheapest. I am not a fan of small Tannoys so the 2010i would be my choice.

The A5+ is a neat all in one package but neither refined nor transparent enough for me.