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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
afranta
180 posts
 
For a nearfield desk setup, I can recommend Silverline Minuets. I had them in bookshelves in my office, and they sounded great. I just set them up on my desk instead, and they're fantastic. Read the reviews. In my experience, they're spot on: smooth and clear on top, go lower than seems possible, and sound big. And they actually fit on a desk.

I'm using a Rega Brio (original, half-width model, 30 wpc), and it's more than enough for the Minuets. It's a great little amp: not the last word in resolution, but it makes music. Both the Minuets and a newer Brio go for around $350 used, which would bring you in well under $1K.
strateahed
305 posts
 
Modest set-up for vinyl is Denon TT with AT 150MLX cartridge; digital front end Modwright Oppo BDP-83 to Denon 3805 pre-pro. Front 2-channels run through a custom built Audio Horizon tube buffer / phono preamp combo. It's a 4-tube configuration (2 for the L/R and 2 for the phono pre) that Joseph Chow built for me ... it runs between pre-pro and Channel Island D200 monoblocks. Speakers are Mobile Fidelity OML-2 ... little known studio monitors and have been discontinued. I have been very happy with these speakers. Also use Hsu VTF-2 sub.
soundgasm
152 posts
 
I've had a wonderful experience with the Rega R1 as nearfield desk monitors. You can them pick up for under $400 here on the 'gon pretty often. Tremendous bang-for-the-buck, great with tubes, fantastic at low listening levels. Check the many reviews on the web. Have fun!
aps7k
9 posts
 
I would also recommend the audioengine A5s. One of the things that sold me on it is its ease of use and flexibility. Sure you're in a dorm now, but later on in life you may use then wirelessly to say place music for your friends when you are hosting a BBQ, or maybe if you live with a girlfriend she will not approve of anything more than a pair of small speakers that she can plug her ipod into. They can also be used passively with a receiver, etc. I think inevitably we all get bitten by the upgrade bug, and the flexibility of this speaker for me is what has kept it in my arsenal. Lastly IMHO is that if the law of diminishing returns applies to audio equipment, and in this instance speakers, then returns are even less evident on smaller speakers. Just some practical considerations....
rleff
1,065 posts
 
I would also look for active speakers like paradigm studio 20's and there are others as well.
For passive take a look at ushers,totem and silverline.
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