Need advice on desk/study speakers - high quality at low volume on a slim budget

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Dear Forum,

Having moved house, I am trying to re-adjust my audio setup (music only) to my new surroundings. My personal requirements have also changed since I last gave it all any serious thought (10 years ago - a different era). So I am trying to see what can be done, and your advice will be much appreciated.

My immediate problem is the speakers - my old Tannoys 611 II don't fit in my new space size-wise, and also visually (the better half, bless her, has very strong views on the subject :)

What's key here is that right now I am on a tight budget. But you get what you pay for, in terms of both quality and longevity, so I know that I have to "spend to save", and my plan is to try and find a sensible upgrade path.

OK - so here is what I am trying to get:

1. Good audio quality on low volume

The setup is for my study. The speakers need to be in front of me, either on the desktop or on stands behind the desk, so that they are above the desktop. I mostly listen to music while at my desk, and hardly ever need to fill the whole room. Plus we are in a flat in a Victorian conversion and I don't want to antagonise the neighbours, so the volume is mostly kept low.

Not sure if I qualify as an audiophile. On the one hand, I have a limited experience with different HiFi components (stayed with my old setup for over 10 years). On the other hand, having gone through various headphones I had to cough up to get Shure SE530 - I can hear that they make a huge difference, and it is important for me.

2. Kind for the type of music/sound that I like

I mostly listen to classical music (lots of piano, some orchestral music, some opera), jazz/jazz-rock, occasional rock and pop; definitely no hip-hop or heavy metal type music.

I quite like the sort of sound that is warm, rich, natural - but at the same time clear and "pronounced", particularly on highs and on bass (such as acoustic double-bass and low registers on the piano).

3. Music source

I mostly listen to music stored on my desktop PC as either MP3 or FLAC. For now I get the "headphones" output from the soundcard. In the future I might consider using a DAC of some kind.

4. My existing amp

I have Cambridge Audio Azur 540A (got it a couple of years ago as a replacement for the old Maratnz that had a kind of stroke one day and lost a channel). For now, if I am using an amp at all, then it has to be the 540A - although in the future I might consider upgrading, if I have to.

5. WAF

Better half insists that new speakers/stands need to be as small and slim as possible. Ideally black or white, and glossy. They need to live either on the desktop or on stands behind the desk, flash to the wall. I think what she has in mind is similar to 5.1 satellites.

BTW the desk is 180cm wide and 90cm deep, quite close to the wall, almost in the corner of the room.

6. Last but by no means least - let's say the budget is £200 ono.

Thank you for bearing with me so far; now to my questions.

1. If I go the "get new speakers, use Azur 540A" way: for my requirements (my type of music, limited space/budget, and most importantly - to get close to the low volume/rich natural sound compromise) - what are the right speakers to use?

2. As an alternative to speakers/amp combo, is it feasible to use powered speakers (and stick the Azur 540A in the loft)? For now I am actually using Logitech mm50 straight off the PC soundcard, but it simply doesn't do any justice to the music that I like. I was considering Creative T20's - but feel I can do better than that. Will something like Audioengine A5 make a £200 worth of difference? Perhaps Audioengine A2? Will they perform on low volume?

Also, bearing in mind my requirements to sound - is it better to go 2.1? I'd prefer 2.0 as there isn't much space for the sub. Actually - but please don't mock me people - has anyone ever used a 2.1 system sub as a flat monitor stand?

Your help will be much appreciated...
 

Crocodile

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Well my first thought is why is your missus dictating what YOU can have in YOUR study?
emotion-5.gif


That aside, I have a pair of Mission M30i hooked up to a Denon micro on my desk. They're small & front ported so reasonably happy against the back wall (but not available in gloss). I find that when I'm working, low volume is the order of the day. In this scenario I think that unless the sound is truly horrible then you will find it just bobs along in the background. You're not actively listening to the music, it's just there while you concentrate on the primary task.

If the soundcard in the PC is stock then upgrading that or adding a DAC will improve matters greatly.

The Audioengines & Genelecs are well reagrded by the Squeezbox community. Which brings another possibility. The Squeezebox Boom that will stream music from your PC as well as Internet radio & other music services. Small, discrete & surprisingly good sounding.
 
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Anonymous

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Many thanks for your advice guys.

I have to admit I never heard of Genelec... is there a particular model I should be considering?

Crocodile - you are right, the music is often bobbing along. Will do the homework on Mission. Would you say your M30i can cope with things like solo piano, acoustic double bass or orchestra at modest volumes?

Squeezebox is something I will definitely consider for the future.
 
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Anonymous

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Another vote for the Mission M30i's. I set up them with an older Denon PMA 250 III for my grandmother. The speakers are wall mounted and sound great if I'm honest. Surprisingly a decent amount of bass from such a small speaker. Typical very clear treble from the Mission speakers.

If you just used the PC, i'm sure you'd get decent sound off these http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/Product_range/Aego_series/Aego_M.asp
 
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Anonymous

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Genelec are a professional brand with speakers tailored to this application.

Bunging a HiFi on the desk isn't the right way about it.
 

Crocodile

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Voblin:Would you say your M30i can cope with things like solo piano, acoustic double bass or orchestra at modest volumes?I couldn't really comment on that as it's not something I listen to very often & never on the desk setup. It's not really a full range speaker as it's intended for use with a sub in an AV setup. But then that's always going to be an issue when small size is a must. I've no complaints for what it is but only your ears in your setup can really judge.

If you can't find a dealer locally to demo them, best bet may be to try to pick up a pair second hand from Ebay or one of the (shhh!) other forums with classified sections. That way if they don't suit you can resell for little to no loss.
 
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Anonymous

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In the April edition of What HiFi there is a group test of active (powered)speakers.

Samson Studiodock 3i (£140) came out on top closely followed by Audioengine A5 (£200).
 
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Anonymous

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heystak:In the April edition of What HiFi there is a group test of active (powered)speakers.

Samson Studiodock 3i (£140) came out on top closely followed by Audioengine A5 (£200).

I thought it was an awful article.

They kept confusing active and powered speakers, and in the "info" box in the corner implied active speakers were simply a speaker with an in-built amp!
 
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Anonymous

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Eddie Pound:
heystak:In the April edition of What HiFi there is a group test of active (powered)speakers.

Samson Studiodock 3i (£140) came out on top closely followed by Audioengine A5 (£200).

I thought it was an awful article.

They kept confusing active and powered speakers, and in the "info" box in the corner implied active speakers were simply a speaker with an in-built amp!

....the article is probably still worth a look for the OP.
 
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Anonymous

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It's full of mis-information.

The Samson Studiodock 3i webpage itself says they are passive loudspeakers!

I would still look at pro options designed for nearfield applications...
 
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Anonymous

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Hi mate, well I would recommend you having a look on ebay and googleing Mission M72 for sale, these are great little punchy speakers, with a large amount of bass, very deceptive especially when you consider their size. They were given 5 stars by this magazine some 5 years ago (ish) and rightly so, they pack a lot of punch and canbe purchased for around 60.00 just remember to glue them down blutack or something like that. Ideally they will sound at their best on stands but blu tack will do if that isn't an option.

To sum them up, they are energetic, with a lot of presence and punchy bass and quite a good midrange also and despite being rear ported they will not boom. The only time they might is if you situate them exactly by the wall and or they are not sat on something quite sturdy, i.e. a thin shelf wouldn't be a good idea but a sturdy desk would do the job fine.
 
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Anonymous

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hi fi newbie:

Hi mate, well I would recommend you having a look on ebay and googleing Mission M72 for sale, these are great little punchy speakers, with a large amount of bass, very deceptive especially when you consider their size. They were given 5 stars by this magazine some 5 years ago (ish) and rightly so, they pack a lot of punch and canbe purchased for around 60.00 just remember to glue them down blutack or something like that. Ideally they will sound at their best on stands but blu tack will do if that isn't an option.

To sum them up, they are energetic, with a lot of presence and punchy bass and quite a good midrange also and despite being rear ported they will not boom unless you sit them exactly by the wall and or they are not sat on something quite sturdy, i.e. a thin shelf wouldn't be a good idea but a sturdy desk would do the job fine.

These are not nearfield monitors to go on a desk...
 
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Anonymous

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I don't see the issue here as he has mentioned the option of having an amp and speakers and others have also mentioned mission speakers on here also.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Much appreciate your advice everyone.

Having absorbed all advice and having done the homework, I can now ask more meaningful questions.

1. How would you rank AudioEngine A5s compared to KEF iQ10s driven by Cambridge Audio Azur 540A?

BTW - hi fi newbie: you are 100% right, I do have an option of (amp + speakers), for as long as the Cambridge Audio Azur 540A that I have could do the job.

2. Has anyone had a chance to compare AudioEngine A5s and A2s side by side? If so - do you think A5s will be noticeably better in my setup (desktop, low/med volume, the type of music as above)?

3. Likewise - has anyone had a chance to compare AudioEngine A5s and Samson 3i-s side by side?

A separate question for Eddie Pound - a truly "newbie" question, hope you don't mind. Being quite new to the terminology I want to double-check something with you. Here is what Wikipedia says about active speakers: "Powered speakers (or active speakers) are speakers that have built-in amplifiers."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_speakers

Do you see this as incorrect? If so - in what way?
 

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