Active Speakers for Hi-Res audio

Did you buy a pair of something in the end?
 
Hey Paul, thanks for checking!

Yes. In the end I went with the LS50W2!. I couldn't get hold the lyngdorf, so went with my very original choice of the Kefs. A couple of the other choices weren't available as I had only a few days left to buy.

I had 2 days testing the speakers in my Mothers house, where I found the sound fantastic. But....the room is entirely different to my own. Small, carpets, lots of furniture etc. Anyway they're now setup at home and I'm a happy man. Whilst they don't sound as great as they did in the smaller room, they're worlds away from Sonos One. (obviously).

I'm trialling Roon along with Tidal and love the wireless flexibility. Rarely have I gone over 60% volume, just too loud but zero distortion. When researching, I never really understood the concept of 'easy' or 'fatiguing', but now I do! Its hard for a non audiophile to describe, but some music simply gets tiresome when listening. It can also feel like the detail and clarity is reduced when the volume is increase, especially on tracks with multiple instruments / layers? I need to have a play around with the DSP in Roon and on speaker.

I don't find the soundstage to be huge? As in, I need to be right in the centre to get the full stereo effect. A foot or 2 either side then its clear where the sound is coming from. The speakers are set approx 2.5m apart and similar distance to the listening position. I've not idea how far they can go, but I could move them upto another meter both sides.

I'll likely purchase the Kef Sub when back in the UK, I'm sure that it would just improve the sound in the larger room (or not?).

A question I had for you experts is I've got an old Boston Acoustics home cimema sub (XE). Would it be worth hooking this thing up? It has a cross over, but ive not tried yet.

Love them for the TV, via HDMI. However, again, unless Im bang in the centre, I can hear the L / R.
Airplay works great and I've not even bothered with the ethernet to test anything above 96khz? I'm happy with what I'm getting wirelessly.

I've had zero issue with the Kef app. Unboxing and setup was ridiculously simple and aside from the slave speaker not auto connecting a couple of times, I've had zero issues.

So, all in all I'm happy. The sound could be better I expect, but the size, layout and furnishing of my room undoubtedly effects the acoustics and I'd hope the Sub may do some of the heavy lifting.

Interested in what you think of any of the above or advice you may have.

Thanks again for all your help and guidance.! Something tells me this is only the start of my audiophile journey!
 
to get the full stereo effect. A foot or 2 either side then its clear where the sound is coming from.
Whoa, this is a completely full concept to me. In a “full stereo” you can’t tell where the sound is coming from?
I would like to know more about it, please.
 
Macros, are you some kind of tool? If you don't understand what I've said, just ask. Absolutely no need to be a clown about it.
Isn't it clear enough from my posts that I say I'm new to this and no audiophile? You just trawling through posts to find someone you can WUM? Sad, sad wee man.
 
I'll likely purchase the Kef Sub when back in the UK, I'm sure that it would just improve the sound in the larger room (or not?).

Yes, I expect you will be astonished at the difference in the ability to fill as larger room.
 
Sorry if I didn’t made myself clear. I am not being tool. New concept to me. And I would like to know more about it. Agains, I’m sorry if I didn’t made myself clear about it. I was just asking (kindly), I thought.

Not a “full” concept. A “new” concept. Sorry for the typing error.
Macros, are you some kind of tool? If you don't understand what I've said, just ask. Absolutely no need to be a clown about it.
Isn't it clear enough from my posts that I say I'm new to this and no audiophile? You just trawling through posts to find someone you can WUM? Sad, sad wee man.
 
Not sure I am in the same boat but I am looking for some active speakers for a office space on my desk (but have room to put larger bookshelves on stands). My order for some Triangle Elara in Blue got lost and when I went to hear some in a regular white finish the hiss was quite audible to me. Anyways I am thinking about the Acoustic Energy AE1, Navis or Dynaudio XEO 10 speakers. I can get a pair of Navis at 60% off open box but I am a bit worried they are too big for nearfield. My main issue though without being able to hear any is do any of them have an audible hiss, it just drives me nuts (Kanto Tuk had this issue for me also). Also I have had a lot of concussions and find bright speakers really fatiguing.
 
Not sure I am in the same boat but I am looking for some active speakers for a office space on my desk (but have room to put larger bookshelves on stands). My order for some Triangle Elara in Blue got lost and when I went to hear some in a regular white finish the hiss was quite audible to me. Anyways I am thinking about the Acoustic Energy AE1, Navis or Dynaudio XEO 10 speakers. I can get a pair of Navis at 60% off open box but I am a bit worried they are too big for nearfield. My main issue though without being able to hear any is do any of them have an audible hiss, it just drives me nuts (Kanto Tuk had this issue for me also). Also I have had a lot of concussions and find bright speakers really fatiguing.

How far do you sit and how big is your desk? Best bet is to make a shortlist and order 2/3 speakers from places with a good return policy
 
How far do you sit and how big is your desk? Best bet is to make a shortlist and order 2/3 speakers from places with a good return policy
My desk is 63” wide and 33” depth. I sit just over 1m away ears from where the tweeter would be. I could put it on stands and have them further away fairly easily, my only issue was the tweeter would be somewhat lower then my ear height when I was taking measurements (3-4” lower)
 
If you can put the speakers on the ends of the desk then they should be decently far apart. If you need to you can either get taller stands or prop your stands up a little. You can buy those cheap desk isolator pads and put that on the stand which will gain you an inch or two height as well

I've not heard the navis but 60% off anything sounds like a good deal. As long as the company selling them has a fair returns policy they're worth a try. Not sure why they would be 60% off for an open box though, unless they're battered or ex demo
 
If you can put the speakers on the ends of the desk then they should be decently far apart. If you need to you can either get taller stands or prop your stands up a little. You can buy those cheap desk isolator pads and put that on the stand which will gain you an inch or two height as well

I've not heard the navis but 60% off anything sounds like a good deal. As long as the company selling them has a fair returns policy they're worth a try. Not sure why they would be 60% off for an open box though, unless they're battered or ex demo
The dealer said the. Navis are pristine so I am a little shocked at the price also. I also found a set of Xeo 20 for 50% off new with desk stands and wireless hub, but I kind of want to try speakers off my desk for once in my life now that I have a larger room. I really struggle with finding speaker stands I think are stable and will reach my sitting height, I do have iso acoustic aperta stands also that probably can help angle any speaker. The Navis might be the best choice being the tallest speaker. Im sure all 3 choices I have are quality though. My biggest issue is always how bright speakers are going to be. I’ve suffered about 8 concussions playing hockey in my 20s to early 30s and just some speakers completely aggregate my headaches.
 
I don't know how you manage to find all these good deals haha.

Perhaps a stand like this will work for you? Studio Monitor Speaker Stand, Single at Gear4music

They adjust to multiple heights and it says the info in the description.

You won't be able to figure out if they'll be bright without reading a review or hearing them, that's why it's good to buy from someone with a good return policy. Most speaker shops understand people want to audition their speakers. It's also good to hear a few different speakers at a price point so you know if you're paying too much for a speaker or not.

If you're using your speakers on your PC, you may be able to use EQ to help solve your problems, it may take a bit of fiddling to get it right though
 
I don't know how you manage to find all these good deals haha.

Perhaps a stand like this will work for you? Studio Monitor Speaker Stand, Single at Gear4music

They adjust to multiple heights and it says the info in the description.

You won't be able to figure out if they'll be bright without reading a review or hearing them, that's why it's good to buy from someone with a good return policy. Most speaker shops understand people want to audition their speakers. It's also good to hear a few different speakers at a price point so you know if you're paying too much for a speaker or not.

If you're using your speakers on your PC, you may be able to use EQ to help solve your problems, it may take a bit of fiddling to get it right though
Haha well one of the options is buried on the sellers site, they don't even list that they carry the speaker brand but a manual search happened to show it up still (so I am not totally sure it's available but it says in stock).
So that stand you listed, I guess there is something subconcious when I look at it, I just see my kids coming over and tipping it easily. It's probably never going to happen but I just think I am looking for something more substantial. My main gripe with a lot of stands I see is just this flat top plate. Really I know it's no different then being on a desk as the speakers themselves have some weight to them, I am just used to the security of a desk "hiding" my speakers away so to speak over the years.
I've thought about trying these a couple times as I like being able to angle the speaker...
I know I saw some speaker pedestal on youtube at one time, and then they put iso acoustic stands on it with blue tack but I couldn't seem to find it again a few years later.
 
I think kids will be able to push over pretty much any speaker stand if they really want to. Even some heavier stands can be pushed over, depends how strong they are I suppose. The gear4music stand say it has a heavy base plate but not sure how heavy it actually is. I take it you're in Canada though?

I've never been one to believe in expensive stands, they seem a bit on the pricey side and I'd rather spend the extra on the speakers myself haha.

Here's another example, seems more solid


If I were really worried I'd just use my desk
 
I think kids will be able to push over pretty much any speaker stand if they really want to. Even some heavier stands can be pushed over, depends how strong they are I suppose. The gear4music stand say it has a heavy base plate but not sure how heavy it actually is. I take it you're in Canada though?

I've never been one to believe in expensive stands, they seem a bit on the pricey side and I'd rather spend the extra on the speakers myself haha.

Here's another example, seems more solid


If I were really worried I'd just use my desk
Yes I am in Canada. I don’t really want to spend a ton either on stands although I guess I don’t mind investing in something I think is going to be solid and visually fit my area. I did watch a YouTube reviewer who put command strips on the bottoms of speakers and top plate and it seemed to at least make the speakers less wobbly. Mostly I finally have my computer in a room away from an open area so speaker stands are an option. I did go to the local music store to look at some “studio” gear they had and there were stands in the same idea as what you posted. Also I tried listening to a few studio monitors. Was actually really impressed with the Adam speakers they had on demo even just going BT from my phone.
 
Yeah, command strips would help if you're worried about speakers toppling over. Even blu tac would help stop them wobbling.

Studio monitors offer great value for money but you still get people who think they don't sound good because they are monitors for some reason. They're just speakers at the end of the day, not some strange tool. I had some Adam a7x once and I really loved those tweeters.

I thought as the products you are looking at are 50/60% off, they should be competitive with studio monitors in terms of value.

Monitors are also great because its easy to get the bigger sizes like 8", which provide a huge upgrade over smaller hifi speakers. I have some m-audio bx8 which I picked up for about £230 new and they have better bass than my brother's ls50s, which just sound boomy in comparison. Can't beat physics
 
Yeah, command strips would help if you're worried about speakers toppling over. Even blu tac would help stop them wobbling.

Studio monitors offer great value for money but you still get people who think they don't sound good because they are monitors for some reason. They're just speakers at the end of the day, not some strange tool. I had some Adam a7x once and I really loved those tweeters.

I thought as the products you are looking at are 50/60% off, they should be competitive with studio monitors in terms of value.

Monitors are also great because its easy to get the bigger sizes like 8", which provide a huge upgrade over smaller hifi speakers. I have some m-audio bx8 which I picked up for about £230 new and they have better bass than my brother's ls50s, which just sound boomy in comparison. Can't beat physics
Waiting on a quote for the AE1. I ruled out the Navis, I just think they are too big and a 1 year warranty on the amplifier component vs 5 with Acoustic Energy or Adam ( really liked them). I really loved AMT tweeters when I had Martin Logan speakers a few years ago.
Funny you say that about the LS50s, I found them to also be boom, and thin sounding at the same time. I also found Kanto Tuk to be this way with an AMT tweeter.
Going with the Adam speakers would also let me put more into a DAC/Pre Amp I guess also.
 
The AE1 seem pretty small, you will probably get the sort of bass you get from most small speakers (distorted).

Which adams are you looking at? I agree about the AMT tweeters. My favourite tweeters I've heard have been ribbons but I've not heard a lot of expensive domes, maybe they bridge the gap.

Nice thing about monitors is that you can use a balanced input so you get no interference. When I was using my laptop with WiFi, it kept causing noise on my speakers which was completely stopped by switching to balances cables.
 
The AE1 seem pretty small, you will probably get the sort of bass you get from most small speakers (distorted).

Which adams are you looking at? I agree about the AMT tweeters. My favourite tweeters I've heard have been ribbons but I've not heard a lot of expensive domes, maybe they bridge the gap.

Nice thing about monitors is that you can use a balanced input so you get no interference. When I was using my laptop with WiFi, it kept causing noise on my speakers which was completely stopped by switching to balances cables.
Did you mean small in a good way? I am not looking for a ton of bass honestly, it's for playing in the evening with music or some Elite Dangerous gaming on my PC really. The odd day I get home from work and get an hour to crank the volume.

I was looking at the Adam t7V when I did a demo. I was thinking of the A5X as what I wanted, but I am starting to think the T5V might be a better option for me if they are going to end up on my desk or near it. I don't always put a ton of stock in Z reviews but I liked what I heard out of the T5V sound demo.

I think I like the AMT tweeter more (I know I loved my Martin Logan Motion 35XT one at least, I didn't care for the smaller 4i I had at our TV at one time). My TV setup is a Dali Menuet SE and the tweeter is quite nice, I used it nearfield for a while also. I am a little on the fence about the AE1 aluminum dome though. From what I can read up though it's neutral and musical.

On balanced inputs I definitely want that. The Triangles I have right now are noisy and I am getting some weird noise at times through them when connected through Optical or my Fiio K5 pro on RCA.
I might just have to go with the Adams as I think I have to replace the furnaces in my house now lol.
 
I mean small in a bad way. I'm sure the enclosure size is more ideal though haha. I understand there is a need for small speakers for most people though. I will always do my best to squeeze in a bigger speaker. They go lower, and play cleaner with less distortion (generally).

I'd say stick to the Adam t7v if it'll fit in your space as they're the ones you heard. I imagine the t5v will be good performers too. I've not heard the t series, only the ax which I liked a lot.

I've not heard an aluminium dome for a while so I can't say. I know some metal domes can have certain distortion areas which can hurt your ears. Thinking back to my tannoy dc6 which always seem to give me an earache, I think they were titanium. This is a generalisation though, not all of them will necessarily have issues, even made from the same material.

Yeah balanced inputs are great. The cables are fairly priced too. Once you use them you'll think what is the point in RCA. You can have pretty much any cable length you want and not worry about interference
 
I mean small in a bad way. I'm sure the enclosure size is more ideal though haha. I understand there is a need for small speakers for most people though. I will always do my best to squeeze in a bigger speaker. They go lower, and play cleaner with less distortion (generally).

I'd say stick to the Adam t7v if it'll fit in your space as they're the ones you heard. I imagine the t5v will be good performers too. I've not heard the t series, only the ax which I liked a lot.

I've not heard an aluminium dome for a while so I can't say. I know some metal domes can have certain distortion areas which can hurt your ears. Thinking back to my tannoy dc6 which always seem to give me an earache, I think they were titanium. This is a generalisation though, not all of them will necessarily have issues, even made from the same material.

Yeah balanced inputs are great. The cables are fairly priced too. Once you use them you'll think what is the point in RCA. You can have pretty much any cable length you want and not worry about interference
Ahh, yeah I found a couple bigger speakers I had in my old setup overpowering that were larger (Still off my desk but into my old room which was also a living room) so a smaller bookshelf is ok for me in this setup. I mean I love my Dali Menuet's even in my new larger room for TV still (And I am sure that room would be great with much bigger speakers, one day when kids are older).

I went in to listen to the T7V again today. I was still impressed with the detail but found I didn't think it was quite as musical as the Triangle speakers I have. Not necessarily a bad thing as it was still enjoyable to listen to, just different. Will have to just decide again what I am looking for or wanting to spend in the end. I almost bought them but I still can't decide on a DAC/Pre amp so I decided to not buy yet.

I don't think I have had an alumminium dome either before, I had silk dome with the Triangle Br03 and loved the sound but had massive headaches either near or farfield with it. The cloth dome Elac DBR62 was just meh to me, but I don't think I had a good amp. I did love the Jet tweeters though. I have not heard Tannoy's before, but probably like anything else it's down to implementation.

I had XLR a while ago and agree with you 100%, I despise RCA lol.
 
It's up to you what size speaker you decide on. I prefer to get a bigger speaker and just eq down some bass if it's too much for the room.

I would say home demo some speakers before deciding finally what to do because they can sound very different in your room to the store you are purchasing from. Monitors like the Adam have bass and/or treble controls to help dial in the sound a bit too.

Let me know how you get on
 
It's up to you what size speaker you decide on. I prefer to get a bigger speaker and just eq down some bass if it's too much for the room.

I would say home demo some speakers before deciding finally what to do because they can sound very different in your room to the store you are purchasing from. Monitors like the Adam have bass and/or treble controls to help dial in the sound a bit too.

Let me know how you get on
So I settled on the Adam A5X, just felt like it was a nice size on my desk for now. I do like I can power off at the front also. I thought I wouldn't need volume control on the front but one thing is I am finding is I can't really fine tune the volume as precise as I like. My fiio k5 pro is being used as a pre amp at the moment but I still get a ground loop with it on RCA. The Adam speakers either seem quiet or loud, I have to set the volume at about 9 o clock on the adam speakers but barely turning the volume on my Fiio makes it go quite loud. Last time I had active speakers with Yamaha HS8 and a NAD D1050 I feel like I had to turn the volume knob forever to get volume lol.
 
So I settled on the Adam A5X, just felt like it was a nice size on my desk for now. I do like I can power off at the front also. I thought I wouldn't need volume control on the front but one thing is I am finding is I can't really fine tune the volume as precise as I like. My fiio k5 pro is being used as a pre amp at the moment but I still get a ground loop with it on RCA. The Adam speakers either seem quiet or loud, I have to set the volume at about 9 o clock on the adam speakers but barely turning the volume on my Fiio makes it go quite loud. Last time I had active speakers with Yamaha HS8 and a NAD D1050 I feel like I had to turn the volume knob forever to get volume lol.
Have you tried the Behringer HD400? It's only £18 on Amazon and you can return it if it doesn't work.

Amazon product ASIN B000KUD2G4
 

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