Need advice on desktop setup

[admin_exported]

Hi everyone,

I am planning to buy an iMac some time and I'd like to hook it up to some sort of audio set-up and place it on my desk. To start with I thought of just a regular 2.0 or 2.1 computer system with some decent audio quality but after hours of ploughing thru the web I came up with next to no idea. Almost nothing meets my requirements.

Here are the conditions:

-budget of up to £200

-at least 2 inputs (3 if possible), some digital option preferable

-now one of the most limiting things here: I'd like it to complement the look of the iMac so it has to be in white or silver

-good audio quality with some decent low frequencies (but I'm not looking to shake the floor)

-something that's not gonna take a lot of space

-sound good from 3ft away

I thought of getting a pair of Audioengine A2s as I liked their size and many people posted good reviews them but after watching a video on YouTube I was a bit disappointed with low frequencies. A5s are way too big for me. Some of the other active speakers don't come in matching colors. After plenty of reading I started toying with the idea of buying a couple of speakers (QA 2010s - but let me know if there's anything smaller than those) and a small amp (like half size of a standard one or so but in silver of course) to run it all. I was also thinking of plugging a DAC in between but that will probably take me way over my budget.

Also it was mentioned somewhere that having bookshelf speakers or monitors on the desk is not very good. Is that true?

I'll be using my system mainly for listening to music (rock, r'n'b...) from Spotify and games. What do you guys think?

 

[chebby]

The_Diesel:I thought of getting a pair of Audioengine A2s as I liked their size and many people posted good reviews them but after watching a video on YouTube I was a bit disappointed with low frequencies.

Love it!

(Recommend saving up for longer and getting B&W MM-1s for £399. They really are rather good.)

 

[Anonymous]

Or the smaller Genelecs, which are impressive for their size.

 

[Anonymous]

I know... Not the best source to base my decision on but there you go

As to the B&W - ye, I had a look at them but I'm not sure if I will ever be willing to spend that kind of money on desktop speakers although I admit they are good. The other problem is that they're black. I fancy sth in white or silver

 

[Anonymous]

Don't really like their looks, but thanks

 

[Dave_]

How about THESE?

 

[chebby]

The_Diesel:As to the B&W - ye, I had a look at them but I'm not sure if I will ever be willing to spend that kind of many on desktop speakers although I admit they are good. The other problem is that they're black. I fancy sth in white or silver

I had an hour long listen to them (plugged into the dealers's iMac and my iPhone and sat at their desk) and I loved the sound.

Regrettably, a couple of weeks later with £400 of 'impulse buy'/wannitnow! money on my hip, I phoned the dealer to get a boxed pair ready for me to collect immediately (pronto my good vendor) and was informed they had only had the demo pair (and even those had to go back to B&W rather than be sold).

My dealer resists any new-fangled PCery/DACiness and digital streamery like the plague unless it is made by Naim or Sonos! (Audio-T tell him to stock those so he has no choice.)

 

[Anonymous]

quite nice, l've already had a look at them but they're quite chunky and I don't really want to pay for something that I don't need (iPod dock).

 

[Anonymous]

What is the bass like on them?

 

[chebby]

The_Diesel:What is the bass like on them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5AxRmFu9oA

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:
The_Diesel:What is the bass like on them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5AxRmFu9oA

Was thinking about the B&Ws

 

[chebby]

Sorry...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_SLQ6OuOKg

 

[Anonymous]

The_Diesel:chebby:
The_Diesel:What is the bass like on them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5AxRmFu9oA

Was thinking about the B&Ws

Found sth on You Tube

 

[Anonymous]

If you guys were to recommend a small amp that meets the outlined conditions, then what would that be? Cambridge Audio has some good stuff but that's just too big for me. People in some other places mentioned stuff like NuForce, Virtue Audio, Trends Audio, Big Joe Power Amp II but most of them are a bit too expensive for me if you add the cost of speakers as well. Would getting a T-amp be a good solution for my problem?