• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

1.5k USD active bookshelf speaker recommendations

cluelesskiddo

New Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Messages
2
Likes
0
Looking for a pair of active bookshelf speakers to just use to listen to music/watch videos etc. Would be listening to mostly classical music (mostly orchestral) and acoustic and maybe a little bit of EDM. Room is kind of treated and measures 3m x 3m.

Looked through recommendations and found these brands to be sold locally.

Eve Audio, Genelec, KRK, Adam Audio, Focal, KEF, Neumann, Fluid & Mackie.

Can't seem to find places to listen to them all but have listened to the Eve Audio SC 205/207 and they seemed to be clearer than the Adam Audio A7X. I quite liked the Neumann KH120As but they seemed to lack a little in bass? Maybe it was just the open room.

Any other recommendations that you guys might have? Would prefer to have speakers that do not require a sub as I doubt I would be able to implement it well in my room.

Never gotten speakers apart from those USB ones so I assume I would need to get 2 TRS balanced cables to connect to my audio interface which is the ID14?
 
Last edited:

Roen

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Oct 14, 2018
Messages
681
Likes
247
LS50W? Not sure how much they cost.
 

rwortman

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 29, 2019
Messages
740
Likes
683
You don't need to spend that much. The JBL LSR3xx and their new replacement 3xx series sound amazing and you can spend the rest of the money on something else.
 

quorzar

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Messages
61
Likes
67
I own a pair of Nubert NuPro X-4000. There is the smaller brother the X-3000. For me a very good active speaker.
 

SMc

Active Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2018
Messages
269
Likes
223
Dynaudio Xeo. The 10 is at the top of your price range but there are two cheaper models.
 

DuxServit

Senior Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 21, 2018
Messages
428
Likes
508
Can't seem to find places to listen to them...

I'm the same boat. Not sure how these speaker manufacturers expect to sell $2K speakers without buyers listening. My local Magnolia/Best Buy doesn't even have the KEF LS50W.
 

Erik

Active Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2018
Messages
137
Likes
271
Dynaudio Xeo. The 10 is at the top of your price range but there are two cheaper models.
Dynaudio Xeo 3 horizontal directivity plot looks really bad. Especially when compared to Genelec or Neumann products.

Dynaudio%20Xeo%203%20H%20Contour%20Plot[1].png
Genelec%208030A%20H%20Front%20Contour%20Plot[1].png
Mqo3Cng[1].png

LS50 is not that great too. Maybe LS50W is better.

KEF%20LS50%20H%20Contour%20Plot[1].png

https://www.princeton.edu/3D3A/Directivity/Dynaudio Xeo 3/
https://www.princeton.edu/3D3A/Directivity/Genelec 8030A/
https://en-de.neumann.com/product_files/2059/download
https://www.princeton.edu/3D3A/Directivity/KEF LS50/

@cluelesskiddo
Here you can find more measurements of speaker brands you are interested in:
https://www.soundandrecording.de/shop/studiomonitore-special/
 

vitalii427

Senior Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 19, 2017
Messages
386
Likes
531
Location
Kiev, Ukraine
You don't need to spend that much. The JBL LSR3xx and their new replacement 3xx series sound amazing and you can spend the rest of the money on something else.
Second that. Actually I would go with 306/308 with 310sub. There just no low end at all in bookshelf speakers in this price range.
 

Ron Texas

Master Contributor
Joined
Jun 10, 2018
Messages
6,075
Likes
8,908
Dynaudio Xeo 3 horizontal directivity plot looks really bad. Especially when compared to Genelec or Neumann products.

View attachment 21468
View attachment 21469
View attachment 21470

LS50 is not that great too. Maybe LS50W is better.

View attachment 21471



@cluelesskiddo
Here you can find more measurements of speaker brands you are interested in:
https://www.soundandrecording.de/shop/studiomonitore-special/

If you don't like the way the LS50 sounds' then say so and get over it rather than repeatedly looking at some test data and trying to construct some argument that the speaker is a piece of junk. You obviously don't understand there are a lot of steps to get from a bump in the data to what you heard, thought your heard, or never heard. The data may have been recorded correctly, but your conclusions are misinformation. Nearly all professional reviewers like this speaker. JA at Stereophile saw no aberrations in the data. So, why should anyone believe you? You have been fooling many here, but you can't fool me.

If you think there is something better for less money, what is it? What are your qualifications other than having an internet connection and a functioning computer?
 

Biblob

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Sep 13, 2018
Messages
633
Likes
600
Could we stop talking about the directivity of the LS50? I'm sorry, but I keep reading the same dialog over and over again in different threads. The reactions keep getting more unfriendly as well. No reason for this.
 

pierre

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 1, 2017
Messages
962
Likes
3,046
Location
Switzerland
Looking for a pair of active bookshelf speakers to just use to listen to music/watch videos etc. Would be listening to mostly classical music (mostly orchestral) and acoustic and maybe a little bit of EDM. Room is kind of treated and measures 3m x 3m.

Looked through recommendations and found these brands to be sold locally.

Eve Audio, Genelec, KRK, Adam Audio, Focal, KEF, Neumann, Fluid & Mackie.

Can't seem to find places to listen to them all but have listened to the Eve Audio SC 205/207 and they seemed to be clearer than the Adam Audio A7X. I quite liked the Neumann KH120As but they seemed to lack a little in bass? Maybe it was just the open room.

Any other recommendations that you guys might have? Would prefer to have speakers that do not require a sub as I doubt I would be able to implement it well in my room.

Never gotten speakers apart from those USB ones so I assume I would need to get 2 TRS balanced cables to connect to my audio interface which is the ID14?

I have both Focal trio (expensive) and Focal Shape (cheap). There is a difference but very small. At my desk I have a hard time to tell which one is playing when subs are one. Of course if I push the volume hard (like crazy) the trio keep up and the Shape get less clean.

The shape are a reasonable investment and high quality. If you are in the states, price is higher and you have better options with JBL for ex.
 

andymok

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Sep 14, 2018
Messages
562
Likes
553
Location
Hong Kong
You should really check out Sonodyne, they're exactly what Auro3D's head, QC n Master Engineer is using.

Very neutral and precise, excellent at both film and classical.

 

andreasmaaan

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 19, 2018
Messages
6,652
Likes
9,399
JBL 705P might come in at $1500/pair if you find the right deal.

Genelec 8030 would definitely fit within budget and are excellent performers.

These are flat-measuring speakers with well-controlled horizontal dispersion from established manufacturers that know what they’re doing.
 
Top Bottom