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Best budget speakers for near-field/small space

Hi Ladies & Gents,

First time on Audiogon.

Coming from headphones, due to dorm constraints, I'm finally going to be able to get a speaker setup once I move into an apartment at the end of the year.

Sharing an apartment with a few mates, so I'll be setting up the speakers in my bedroom. The room is probably going to be pretty small (about 12 by 8 feet), and with my bed, wardrobe and all, optimal speaker positioning might be a problem.

Hence I'm thinking of going with a near-field setup, on my desk with my computer since that's where I do most of my listening. I could swap my chair and desk with a nice recliner as well, but its going to be near-field either way.

My budget for speakers and amps is pretty tight. Under 1000USD (please don't tease =) and the lower the better. I'm looking for the greatest bang for my buck what with being a student and all.

I listen almost exclusively to Jazz. Mostly 50's 60's bop, hard bop etc. Some acoustic singer-songwriter stuff, and indie rock as well, but only occasionally.

At the lowest end of the spectrum the Audioengine A5 looks interesting. Possibly paired with S8 subwoofer. Being active, I'd save on electronics and could add a DAC down the road, to pair with my Macbook Pro.

At the upper end of my budget, the Magnepan MMG looks very attractive especially with the great reviews on the web. Potential worries: read that they need a really beefy amp that might cost a bit, and more importantly, positioning. I don't believe these speakers were made with near-field listening in mind so that's a bit of a worry.

I've also heard many great things about the Linkwitz Pluto. And since its available as a DIY I could save some bucks (though I have no experience whatsoever, so its a bit daunting).

Other active/passive studio monitors seem to be decent choices as well. The KRK Rokit series, Dynaudio BM5a etc seem like viable alternatives, but I'm worried that they won't be as 'musical' as hi-fi speakers and might end up being cold and too revealing (might be a problem with badly mastered records, especially all those bright RVG remasters).

I have incredibly limited experience with speakers. More well-versed with headphones only. So I really need your help!

Many thanks in advance!
milesandcoltrane
milesandcoltrane OP
17 posts
 
Took some time out to compile the recommendations that have come in so far to aid my auditioning. Here goes:

Passives:

Triangle Titus XS
PSB Alpha B1
Dynaudio Audience 42
Paradigm Studio 20
Proac Tablette 50
ERA 4/5
JohnBlue JB3
Silverline Minuet
Rega R1
Digital Phase AP-.7
Ascend Acoustics Sierra/340SE
Vintage: Spendor BC-1,SP-1, KEF 103.2, Epos ES-11, Celestion SL6i

+ Based on some Googling:
Paradigm Atom
Wharfedale Diamond 10.1
Dynaudio BM5A
Bowers & Wilkins 685

Pre+Power/Integrated:
Vintage receiver
NAD amp/receiver (50wpc)
Jolida 1501RC
Jolida FX-10
Audio Refinement Complete/Exposure/Crescendo Integrated
Virtue Audio Sensation or mdl.two
Rega Brio

Actives:

Mackie HR824
Audioengine A2/A5
NHT M00
Quad L12 active

This is a super long list of alternatives. Not sure if I would be able to audition all of them but I'll definitely try.

Anyone else would like to 2nd or 3rd the recommendations above. Would help me prioritize my search a little. So far the models that have been 2nd'd by others include:

Triangle Titus
NHT M00
Audioengine A2/5
Silverline Minuet
+ the Mackie HR824 (another friend had good things to say about them)

I'd probably start my auditions with these and then move to others on the list. Wow buying speakers really is a bunch of work. Can't quite audition several models at the same store unlike headphones.

Alright then, in the meantime please do chime in if you feel I should take any option out of the list on top or add to them or move a certain model into the top spot.

Cheers!
crad
39 posts
 
While active can be a good bang for the buck but at the same time most in your price range will be low end active models, not the nice upper end models we hear great things about although the Quad 11 could work nicely if you can find them used, in order to fit within your budget. Most active models are designed for pro sound which strives to be very accurate and possibly less musical on old recordings, which can be quite fatiguing especially if your laying back and relaxing to old Miles (trumpet) & Coltrane (sax) recordings.
I don't think I would last very long in the room with a pair of M-Audio active monitors playing "Love Supreme" from a digital source; I maybe wrong.

Suggestion; Please take to your auditions some of your old favorite recordings. Have a long listen, more than just five minute sit downs. Relax and Listen to the music.

Remember, you won't need big monitors for your small sized (98sq.ft.) room.
milesandcoltrane OP
17 posts
 
Managed to audition a few speakers today.

First: Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 paired with the Onkyo A-5VL Integrated Amplifier with built in DAC connected via Toslink to my Macbook Pro with Lossless files.

The sound put out by these was pretty nice. Nothing special really. From memory these were better than the Audioengine A5 that I tried at a friend's place especially where imaging is concerned.

However during complex passages, like tracks on Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, the sound started breaking up a little. It was as if the sound was a building with its foundations gone and the entire structure wobbling. (That's the best way I can describe it right now).

Moving closer, from being about 6-7 feet away to 3-4 feet the imaging lost its coherency and started sounding like it came from 2 distinct points. Also at low volumes, the sound was off balance i.e. LF sounds were more pronounced than the mids and the highs.

Next I tried the Audioengine A5 and A2. The A2 was really small sounding and unimpressive. Of course given the price I don't think its a fair comparison. Even then, up close in a desktop orientation I don't see myself liking these speakers as the LF was severely lacking. The A5 was of course a lot better. It sounded a little worse in its stock configuration compared to my friend's A5 setup (he added isolation pads and a better power cord). But coming from the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1, imaging and separation was sub par.

Then I tried the Aktimate Mini active speakers. I was quite blown away. Imaging was absolutely wonderful. Very coherent. It was like a nice wall of sound, very natural without any suggestion that music was being put out by 2 speakers. From the lows all the way to the highs, the sound was very well balanced to my ears. The dealer mentioned how these speakers have gained a giant-killer reputation. The price is also just a bit more than the A5.

Well for now the Aktimate Mini remains the top choice. I do have a month to go before I move in so I definitely plan to audition the speakers in the list above.
koven
94 posts
 
If you're looking for actives, I would go with Dynaudio or Mackie. Mackie is more on the warm side, Dynaudio is more neutral. Both are amazing.
markws
10 posts
 
Tannoy PBM 6.5 with Limpet amp bolted right on the back of the speaker. Got a pair on e-bay for $230 USD and replaced the tweeters for $75 USD and 5 minutes of my time. My big system is B&W 801 matrix. The Tannoys don't play as loud or low but in near-field use they have that spooky-midrange thing in spades. I rum 'em with I-tunes and a Tascam interface that helps me record as well. Fabulous and dirt-cheap!
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