For nearfield listening: which of these towers?

The Halide is great for what is does, but only does one thing, which is all I need for my desktop. At the prices you are looking at, there is fortunately/unfortunately very many speakers and DACs which are very good.

Agree.

I auditioned speakers at Guitar Center again last night, via my music this time (iPhone 3.5mm output; 256kbps iTunes):

1. Benjamin Britten/ECO/Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major
2. John Coltrane - Afro Blue (Live at Birdland)
3. Karrin Allyson - You Don't Know What Love Is
4. Sarah Lazarus - It's Alright With Me
5. Terje Rypdal - Ambiguity
6. Jim Weider - No Exit Strategy
7. Miles Davis - I Thought About You

JBL LSR305 - music sounded as if it was coming out of a plastic box.
Tannoy Reveal 802 - clean, clear, even handed, slightly crisp/bleached/two-dimensional, seems like they would get fatiguing after a while, on sale reduced from $560 to $280 a piece (at GC and Sweetwater)!!!
Adams F7 - texture, grunt, delicate highs, great imaging, slightly recessed mids, no fatigue whatsoever.

If I were going to use these to mix, I'd have purchased the Tannoys. Since these are not for mixing but purely listening pleasure, I selected the Adams (30-day money back). I do not prefer recessed mids, but it was only slight to my ears. And since no speaker is perfect, I need to listen to these longer term before deciding whether or not they actually are slightly recessed, and if so, will it be an issue for me.

I am going to live with these on my desk with laptop as source via 3.5mm output before considering more gear (such as a DAC) and tweaks, if I feel it is even necessary.

Guitar center/pro monitors for nearfield listening is a very good call!!!! You probably just saved yourself a lot of money by avoiding high end home audio gear.

Rockadanny gets the high end audio practical-pick-to-click for the day, giving pro monitors a go for near-field listening at home.

Woo-hoo! Thanks Mapman! What did I win? Ha, ha. I know, look in my wallet. Still see some cabbage. That IS a good prize in THIS field of endeavor.