Advice - Bookshelf speakers for PC and TV

RobboUK88

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Hi all,

Just after a bit of advice please.

I'm going to be moving out soon and will be moving my current surround sound system that's connected to my PC into the living room which leaves no speaker system for my PC in the office.

I intend on connecting a TV and PC to this speaker system and would prefer to have the option of connecting wireless devices like an iPhone to these speakers also. Along with that i'd like to be able to connect headphones to an amp system.

I have a budget of around £600 and I was initially looking at active speaker systems but i'm not sure if there is a major difference in quality from an active system to standalone speakers and amplifier connected to the PC and TV.

The systems i've looked at so far are the Yamaha WXC-50 along with the Yamaha HS5's
OR
The Yamaha NXN500

Could anyone advise on the pros and cons of these that maybe I can't see or suggest different products?

Thanks,
 
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If the hs5’s are anything like my son’s HS7’s then make sure you like their sound. They are great speakers but brutally transparent, makes good recordings sound great but bad recordings are almost unlistenable. This is what you want from a studio monitor but may not for casual listening.

The Adam T5V/T7V or tannoy gold 5/7 or Mackie MR524/624 series may be better suited.
 
Ok thanks, i'll have a look at those suggestions.
Would you say the WXC-50 makes sense for this kind of setup?
 
'm not sure if there is a major difference in quality from an active system to standalone speakers and amplifier connected to the PC and TV.

Could be - depends on the particular speakers/amp. In general, I've found that well-chosen active systems usually outperform well-chosen passive systems at similar price points, but you may well get different views on this subject. I can see where Ugg10 is coming from when he says the Yamaha HS7 can be 'almost unlistenable'. I'm sure that's true of a few active monitor speakers. Thing is, I've owned more passive speakers than I have actives over the years and to my ears, many passive speakers seem to 'round off' or soften the sound, sort of reduce dynamics and transient attack (I suspect that's what passive crossovers do but I can't be certain as I've never carried out controlled experiments.) And so, to my ears, passive speakers rarely manage to convey the full drama of a piece of dramatic music.

If your musical tastes are on the simple, mellow side, there may not be much difference between the two types of speaker in terms of your enjoyment. However, if you enjoy fast paced, complex music with big dynamic swings and sharp transients or music that's reliant on fast bass, only an active setup will sound 'solid' and 'quick' enough to satisfy - again, IME.

Would you say the WXC-50 makes sense for this kind of setup?

Yes.
 
thanks for the reply that does help, I think i'll maybe see about an appointment in one of the local shops to see if I can get a demo so I can get a better idea.
 
I would probably start with these guys, give them a call to see if they have the speakers you want in stock and available for demo. Also check what sources they have to play (cd, Bluetooth from your phone, streaming service etc).


they won’t have the wxc50 I guess but so long as the source is consistent you can compare the speakers.

Richer sounds stock the wxc50 but the newcastle store is appointments only at the moment.

go armed with a list of music you know well (4-5 tracks) and test the speakers different strengths - bass heavy, complex mix, girl and guitar, classical orchestra etc. and maybe throw in a bad recording to see how it sounds.
 
WXC-50 and Mackie MR524 or JBL 305p. Both better and cheaper than HS5.
 
Please don't form definitive opinions from this demo but online comparisons can be helpful to narrow down options - just be careful drawing conclusions:



Most important point here is to compare the original source (direct injection) with the speaker currently playing rather than compare one speaker with one another or judge a speaker in an absolute sense. These folks (SonicSense) take the trouble to record the speakers properly and consistently but even so there's still the possibility of misinterpretation when comparing a speaker with the original source.

To my ears, only one of these speakers gets close to the original, direct injected, sound. I'm listening through basic 2.1 multi-media speakers and the audible differences between the Yamaha, KRK and JBL speakers are striking. Note that the JBL LSR305 is the forerunner to the JBL 305P suggested by Ruffuz in post#8.
 

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