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This is also a price range where amazon reviews can be your friend. I like Altec Lansing, JBL, and Creative for name brands, and there are some random companies I've never heard of that get loads of good reviews as well.
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May 24, 2013 02:34
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I know some people in this thread really like the Daytons—I've never heard them myself and I don't know if anyone in the thread has compared the two directly. The construction quality of AudioEngine's stuff is going to be miles ahead of the Daytons in every regard, from the cabinets to the drivers to the crossover components and amplifier. Which should be expected given the price difference. Just as an example, the A5+ is smaller than the Dayton yet weighs almost twice as much (they're also $400.) All that stuff does make a difference on the sound quality. Whether the difference means anything to you kinda depends on your preferences and budget. The Daytons don't measure particularly well (http://zaphaudio.com/Dayton-B652.html) but for the price it's hard to fault them.
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May 27, 2013 20:48
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Aren't those discontinued though?
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Jun 17, 2013 14:54
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This guy seems to have had the same issue and found a way to fix it with auto hotkey. http://i.downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/06/16/windows-7-tip-how-to-change-the-default-audio-device-with-a-hot/
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Aug 18, 2013 17:29
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I've used stacks of books myself too. May as well start there. The difference is pretty noticeable to my ears so it shouldn't be hard to decide whether it's annoying enough to bother messing with it.
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Aug 21, 2013 21:27
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I don't have any experience with their self powered offerings, but I know Paradigm's Atoms get recommended a lot as good small bookshelf units. Looks like they're sealed? Maybe you just like that sound better. Here's a review that compares them directly to the A5's: http://www.techhive.com/article/2029831/review-paradigm-shift-a2-speakers-offer-flexible-inputs-perky-sound.html
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Aug 30, 2013 03:05
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I didn't see much. These Edifiers are supposed to be very good for the money if you can get them placed away from the wall a bit: http://www.amazon.com/Edifier-Exclaim-Bi-Amped-Speaker-e10/dp/B009XGH2HG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385835373&sr=8-1&keywords=edifier it's only 10% off though.
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Nov 30, 2013 19:17
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Iso acoustics makes some smaller stands for desktops. I don't know that I'd call them classy though.
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Dec 2, 2013 04:30
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Depends on what you want out of them. I have the A2's and love them. The only reason to get the A2+ over the A2 is if you want to connect it to your computer with USB because your normal output is super lovely or something. The A5's have more bass and will get louder in general. I'm assuming you mean M-Audio AV40's? I'd rather have anything from AudioEngine; they feel and look much nicer to me. Haven't listened to them enough to compare sound quality.
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Dec 5, 2013 19:22
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Half an inch is awfully close for rear ported speakers. Behringer makes some really good monitors for the price, honestly, do you know which model they are? It could be that they're just going deeper than the A5's. For quantity of bass, it's not going to be like a subwoofer, but I don't know many people who don't come away surprised by how much bass they have for a small speaker. If your friend's Behringer monitors are in a similar size I'd expect the A5's to be at least on par. Your friend may also have better placement. edit: although, speakers typically get boomy-er from being close to the walls. powderific fucked around with this message at 16:20 on Dec 6, 2013 |
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Dec 6, 2013 16:11
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There are quite a few that include a USB DAC, but I can't think of one with optical built in off the top of my head. I have one of these to get an Apple TV's optical connected to an analog amp and it works acceptably: http://www.amazon.com/D03K-Digital-Analog-Audio-Converter/dp/B009346RSS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1389222584&sr=8-4&keywords=fiio+dac
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Jan 9, 2014 00:11
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Yeah, I think most people in this thread have gravitated to 2.0 setups. Build quality and overall sound will be better on the A2's than any similarly priced 2.1 system I can think of. The main caveat is that you aren't going to get the same kind of chest thumpy bass that you can get out of a moderately priced 2.1 system.
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Jan 21, 2014 05:49
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Electric Bugaloo posted:But you will get a proper midrange, which is way more important. Totally agree with you there. On the cheaper end of speakers, I've been thinking of picking up a pair of these edifiers for... well, I don't know where I'd put them but they're cheap and I'm curious: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/low-cost-edifier-e10-exclaim-desktop-speaker
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Jan 21, 2014 16:54
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If you're happy with the sound out of your card just get the A2 not plus model for cheaper. All of the A2 series are self powered so you would not need an amp, just a really long minijack cable to run to your second set. Same story with the sub, assuming it's a self powered unit.
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Jan 21, 2014 18:05
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Can you even get them new anymore? I'd rather have a good 2.0 system, but I don't care about surround sound at all.
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Jan 23, 2014 05:01
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If you think they're amazing don't worry about it so much. They definitely were/are well respected speakers.
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Jan 23, 2014 17:42
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Really like the combination of inputs there. Bluetooth isn't amazing for quality but it's really convenient. For certain things, like watching a youtube or listening to a podcast, the quality is more than good enough.
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Jan 23, 2014 20:45
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KozmoNaut posted:Yeah, the built-in toslink is quite nice, and I assume the dedicated sub output has a low-pass filter on it? Isn't what you're talking about a high pass filter on the speaker input that triggers when there's a sub plugged in rather than a low pass on the output? Most self powered subs seem to have their own low pass built in.
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Jan 23, 2014 22:36
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That's interesting. I knew bluetooth was a lot better now but I didn't have a good sense for exactly how much.
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Jan 24, 2014 00:22
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You could also try using a powered USB hub if it is an issue with the bus power. Not something I've ever encountered though.
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Jan 30, 2014 05:35
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Actually, before buying anything it'd probably be worth sending an email to AudioEngine support. They've been very good in the past when I've had to have stuff in for service and they might have a better answer.
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Jan 30, 2014 18:19
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I dunno, I have a previous version of that sub and it definitely adds useful bottom end to my 5" bookshelf speakers. Enough that I've never felt the need to upgrade to something that reaches lower frequencies / higher spl.
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Apr 19, 2014 16:52
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That may be true, but the Dayton's -3db point is 77hz and my 5" bookshelf set is -3db at 60hz, so if it helps mine it'd probably make an even bigger difference with the Daytons.
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Apr 19, 2014 17:19
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I'd way rather have the AudioEngine A2's than the AV40's, what are the caveats to them? Other than costing $50 to $100 more and the rear mounted volume control, which are fair enough.
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Jun 2, 2014 22:54
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You realize a DAC isn't going to drive your headphones, yeah? The modi is a good DAC but it's just a DAC. You'd also need a headphone amp. I had the old Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 and, while the got loud, I much prefer the sound of my AudioEngine A2's, or most good 2.0 systems really. You'll definitely get more bass impact from the 2.1 system though. And the ATH-M50 doesn't gain much/any from adding an amp and DAC. If your system's current outputs are hosed and noisy it can be worthwhile (my laptop has a very audible hiss with most low impedance headphones) but otherwise it's probably not going to be much of an improvement.
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Jul 13, 2014 17:06
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Do you mean Adam? They seem to get good reviews and ribbon tweeters are neat. I haven't heard the F5's myself. You might look at the JBL LSR305/308 too. People really seem to like them for the price and I've been thinking of picking up a pair for our office.
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Jul 15, 2014 18:44
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I actually had those Logitechs at work for a while and they're fine. Better than some cheap desktop speakers I've heard.
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Jul 28, 2014 16:03
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Most people who check this thread regularly probably don't have suggestions cause they aren't using 5.1 themselves. It's just not very common anymore. You might be better served by looking into home theater setups. edit: beaten. powderific fucked around with this message at 22:53 on Jul 28, 2014 |
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Jul 28, 2014 22:46
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That Klipsh set isn't powered. The sub is powered, but you'd need a receiver to power the rest of it.
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Jul 28, 2014 22:55
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Edifier E10's are pretty well regarded, within your budget, and seem to be on amazon canada.
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Aug 10, 2014 03:37
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Unless I'm missing something, that wouldn't work well since the RCA outputs on the A2+ are designed for a sub and the volume goes up and down with the speaker volume. And you can't turn off the speakers and still have the RCA output working.
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Sep 8, 2014 16:06
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You can't plug a sub into your A2's, but your motherboard probably has a sub output. If you can still find regular A2's somewhere I think you'd be just as happy with them. The DAC in the A2+ is useful if your onboard output is really noisy or you're looking for what might be imperceptible gains in audio quality. edit: ^^ whoa, didn't know that about the inputs. That's neat. ^^
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Sep 8, 2014 22:39
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Edifier Exclaim E10 are supposed to be pretty good for the money, right at $100. http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/low-cost-edifier-e10-exclaim-desktop-speaker
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Nov 7, 2014 00:05
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I dunno about either of those, but having spent a bit of time with the LSR305's I wonder if you have some kind of placement or other issue going on with yours that you could investigate before upgrading. The JBL's sound good enough to my ears in regards to detail that I wouldn't think you'd be getting some night and day difference at any price.
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Dec 20, 2014 21:04
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Sweet! Glad it worked out. It always sucks to do an upgrade like that only to discover you still don't have the right sound because it was something else.
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Dec 22, 2014 18:02
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Duke Farmington posted:Thank you, I appreciate the help. If I were to eventually upgrade to other powered monitors, do you have any suggestions? Ahh, you're getting out of my personal experience past that. I'd probably look at some of the stuff you already mentioned, the KEF's especially since I've always thought that coaxial speakers would be ideal for nearfield, plus maybe the Adam F5. But that's just me dreaming and I can't say whether any of it would be a worthwhile improvement.
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Dec 24, 2014 07:06
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They're still good, but if you have space and can get the right connections JBL's LSR305 are a bit more expensive and I think they're a nice upgrade. The AudioEngines are easy and good thought. For placement, ideally you'd get them up off the surface a bit to keep them from getting too boomy. I use thick books. Others use desktop stands.
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Dec 28, 2014 03:49
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Harik posted:I actually grabbed a cheap-o spdif to rca from amazon, so when that gets here next week I'll see how that changes the noise. Double post, but this optical to RCA works great for anyone else looking for one: http://www.amazon.com/D3-Digital-Converter-Optical-Toslink/dp/B005K2TXMO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419735826&sr=8-1&keywords=optical+fiio If that sounds good enough to you, then you can just do the stereo receiver plus sub with crossover thing as you described. Some stereo receivers do have crossover settings even if they don't have digital inputs though, so that may be an option too.
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Dec 28, 2014 04:06
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Yeah, sounds like they'd probably be too big for your setup. They're more the size of a bookshelf speaker than something you'd normally put on a desk. Even on our large desk they're pretty imposing. The A2+'s are very good speakers though, and are a much easier size to deal with. I'm still happy with my original A2's even after spending time with the JBL's at the office.
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Jan 2, 2015 02:39
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I don't think it's an issue with all active monitors. Of the powered speakers I'm around regularly, JBL LSR305, AudioEngine A2 and A5, none hiss. Can you turn down the overall levels (not just the highs) to mitigate it without losing too much top end volume? Speaking of the LSR305, Massdrop has them for $119 per speaker right now. If you have room for them and don't mind the extra cabling, they sound amazing. I'd absolutely replace my A2's with them if my desk was big enough.
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Jan 21, 2015 06:01
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