Small speakers required. Must be special.

[Singslinger]

May I recommend the ProAc Tablette Anniversary?

I think it's the best bookshelf speaker I've heard in a long time.

 

[Craig M.]

so you can connect your SB Touch to AVIs through toslink, but you'll have to cope with poor bass extension. I mean I can't understand people who say that AVIs bass is accurate. manufacturer states that ADM9s freq response is +/- 2db 100Hz-20kHz with -6db point at 60HZ. how can you possibly get deep bass from that. IMO it's due to use of paper cone woofers which are not the most efficient in producing low frequencies (you need to use larger area diaphragms to get low freq with paper).

another option is already mentioned Dynaudio Focus 110A connected with an RCA cable. with those you'll not be wanting for more bass. I've got passive 110s in 2.0 configuration and a friend of mine was fooled into believing I had a subwoofer. anyway, bass extrension down to 40Hz is not world record (45Hz is anechoic) but, believe me, in most cases is enough. unless you listen to a lot of organ music

another option is other active speakers with RCA in. it'll mean budget end of pro market. but they will not touch Dynaudios in SQ department for sure.

P.S. someone mentioned Aktimatez before. it's a good option if you connect SB Touch with RCA. but the speakers are not active, they are passive with added power amp.

your focus 110s may go deeper but the bass the adms do, is more accurately portrayed - more detailed. i owned the 110s for over a year. i'd like to hear the active 110s but wouldn't buy them, they require too much free space around them for my room.

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

your focus 110s may go deeper but the bass the adms do, is more accurately portrayed - more detailed. i owned the 110s for over a year. i'd like to hear the active 110s but wouldn't buy them, they require too much free space around them for my room.

as I said before, those ADMs roll off past 100Hz. and quite steeply too because you have -6db point @ 60Hz. you should know that 60Hz frequency level is easily within frequency response of modern monitors of similar size, active or passive regardless. you might get the idea that AVIs "portray" bass better and all that because they can't produce deep bass. why? deep bass is in its nature very expansive so it can easily overshadow higher bass or even low midrange frequencies. if you want to know what I'm talking about go to a live philharmonic orchestra concert playing grand symphony and hear what happens when the orchestra is climaxes. the deep bass really gets massive. double basses for instance go down to 40Hz and you get boundary reinforcement too. and deep bass is undirectional so you can't locate where it's comming from but it's there in great amount. so in such moments many instruments are affected. for instance cellos are only barely heard and only due to their higher frequency harmonics.

so you want to tell me that those AVIs are able to "portray" the drama of such an act? or the way they reproduce symphonic pieces is accurate? I'm sorry but I don't think so. if you're gonna cut off deep bass you will always gonna get an impression of more detail and better definition of higher bass. but if you don't let deep frequency to be reproduced I don't know what accuracy we are talking about.

as for Dynaudios. 110s may be small speakers but they are certainly not destined to be played in a small room. it's really amazing how big they can sound. and if you place them too much against the wall you will hear it. I have rather smallish living room, approx 4m*4m. I'm forced to a lot of compromises to make them sound right. they need a lot of room around them, at least 1 m away from the walls. when I do some critical listening I simply take them into the room, there's no other way or I get really poor imaging. oh, and the higher bass. I get TONS of detailing and shading in this department. if the music is bass shy - it is bass shy. but if theres a lot going on in that region - you'll definitely hear it. I especially like the way double bass in small jazz bands is reproduced; warm, enveloping and palpable. I also like the way analog bass synthesisers sound is reproduced in electronic music. it's definitely not a dull, empty hum. Esotar drivers are really great

 

[Craig M.]

where are you getting the info about the bass response? especially the 100hz figure? don't ported boxes usually roll off a lot faster than -6db in 40hz?

i know what you mean about accuracy and deeper bass notes and i'm not arguing, but i stand by what i say about the adms. with the money saved buying an amp for the 110s, you could get the avi sub and then there would be no contest.

i always enjoyed my focus 110s but wasn't prepared to put up with the positioning demands any longer, strangely, the contour s1.4 could go nearer the rear wall!

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

where are you getting the info about the bass response? especially the 100hz figure?

from manufacturer's site:

http://www.avihifi.co.uk/adm9.html

copy/paste extracts:

System Amplitude Response: better than + or - 2 dB 100 Hz - 20 kHz

Bass extension better than - 6dB @ 60Hz

so as you can see the speakers roll off quite fast in bass region but are very linear over midrange and treble

don't ported boxes usually roll off a lot faster than -6db in 40hz?

well, they roll off faster than sealed boxes but below port tuning frequency, be it 40Hz, 35Hz, 32Hz or whatever... it really depends on woofer driver used, how linear the freq response in deep bass is. anyway, if you have linear bass extension in anechoic conditions down to 32-35Hz you don't really need to worry about faster roll off. there's usually little musical energy below 30Hz mark.

i know what you mean about accuracy and deeper bass notes and i'm not arguing, but i stand by what i say about the adms. with the money saved buying an amp for the 110s, you could get the avi sub and then there would be no contest.

yes. but for the price of ADMs + sub you can get active Focuses. and have some change left to buy some music

i always enjoyed my focus 110s but wasn't prepared to put up with the positioning demands any longer, strangely, the contour s1.4 could go nearer the rear wall!

good to know about the Contours. I'd like to lay my hands on Confidence C1s...

 

[Anonymous]

i have the ae1 mk3...beautiful looking, sounds even better!

 

[Farmitou]

I can recommend the peak consult princess monitors, nothing will come close to them for such a small box. You can still get these as a bargain occassionally. They are nearly as good as the larger Empress and Grande. Nothing will compair. They are hard to get hold of though.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

That is a very old thread! Since then I have tried some of the speakers discussed (see my system thread) with adm9s and adams artist 3/5 coming out on top.

I still have not bought any but will do. I am also considering adam artist 6.

I am unlikely to buy passives.

 

[womble72]

Not sure if they have been mentioned but the Neat Iotas are getting good reviews.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Heard them. Extremely (!) boomy imo.

 

[steve_1979]

Are the Genelecs still on your shortlist or are they too ugly?

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

since you didn't buy anything yet maybe you still accept advices? how about Emotiva Airmotiv 6?

http://emotivapro.com/products/powered_monitors/airmotiv6.php

they too have n AVT tweeter like Adams but I'm sure Emotiva don't charge for a pair as dearly as Adam. here's a few words what Stereophile's J.V. Serinus has to say about Emotivas pro monitors if you're interested.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/emotivas-pro-line

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Are the Genelecs still on your shortlist or are they too ugly?

Genelecs sound very good but not suitable due to looks.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

since you didn't buy anything yet maybe you still accept advices? how about Emotiva Airmotiv 6?

http://emotivapro.com/products/powered_monitors/airmotiv6.php

they too have n AVT tweeter like Adams but I'm sure Emotiva don't charge for a pair as dearly as Adam. here's a few words what Stereophile's J.V. Serinus has to say about Emotivas pro monitors if you're interested.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/emotivas-pro-line

these are interesting. Have not heard about them. The looks are so so for home use though. I will add them to the active speakers club thread.

 

[steve_1979]

I've never heard these so can't comment on the sound but they may be worth your consideration as they're not too ugly (compared to most active speakers :roll: ).

http://www.backesmueller.de/bm/en/prime.htm