~$500 for desktop upgrade

[jjkusaf]

Time to retire my Creative Labs I-Trigue 3300.

I've been researching new speakers for a while and am burnt out. Help me make up my mind w/ the following in mind:
-85% gaming, 15% music (old rock like Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, etc).
-Budget around $500 ... can go a bit over if it's absolutely worth it.
-Limited space. Desk is 60inches wide occupied by two 27-inch monitors on desk mount. Sub should be compact under 12inches deep/wide.
-Don't need Bluetooth, don't want headphones.

I've narrowed it down to the following (current prices, want new ... not wasting time on eBay, etc.)...

-Seems like a safe bet:
Kanto YU2 w/ Sub 6 - $430 (plus another 30 bucks for the feet).

-Seems like the best under $500 small speakers?
Vanatoo T0 w/ ?? sub - $399 +?? sub

-Or maybe these...
iLoud Mico Monitor w/ ?? sub - $249 + ?? sub.

-Getting out of my comfort zone...
QAcoustics 3010, Fosi Audio BT30D w/ ?? sub - ($169 + $90 = $260 + $$ sub)

-Shut up noob ... just get the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 for $130

 

[Rayman30]

Edifier S350DB.

 

[ZolaIII]

Kali LP-6 V2 +Warfadale WH-D10 or some other sub that has high pass filter on lo level (RCA) output. That would probably be around 550~600 $\€ without cables.

 

[bodhi]

Get the best monitors you can get, stretching your budget to max. Get sub later.

It's a long game. Worst choice is passable monitors with not-quite-sub.

 

[Rayman30]

Do you have plenty of room for regular size monitors? and do you absolutely require a sub?

 

[Ecksbocks]

I would skip sub and get a pair Genelec 8010 or used 8020. These have a long life and you can always sell them later, I you like.

 

[Count Arthur]

How about the JBL 3 series:

JBL 305P MkII Review (Erin)

Review copy/pasted from my site: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/jbl_305pmk2/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JBL 305P MkII - Powered Two-Way Studio Monitor Review Saturday, May 1, 2021 Foreword / YouTube Video Review The...

www.audiosciencereview.com

JBL 306P MK II Review (Studio Monitor)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the JBL Professional 306P MKII powered speaker. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $149 including Prime shipping from Amazon (each). Naturally the 306p has identical look and feel of the rest of the LSR series: Same as the back...

www.audiosciencereview.com

JBL 308P MKII Studio Monitor Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the JBL 308P MKII 8-inch Monitor (powered speaker). I purchased this from a member a few months ago. New, they cost US $249. The 3 series look the same for good or bad: The large plastic waveguide is really in your face. Wish JBL would provide...

www.audiosciencereview.com

It looks like the larger 6 and 8 models perform slightly better, so maybe start without a subwoofer.

Also, I have a pair of iLoud micro monitors. They are very nice sounding computer monitors and I use them all the time when I'm listening, at fairly low volume, to talk radio and podcasts, and they sound perfectly fine with music, but that tiny 3" woofer is going to struggle a bit at higher volumes.

 

[AnalogSteph]

The Kali LP6v2s should be able to do it "barefoot" (they easily dig as deep as consumer 2.1 systems' subs)... the iLoud Micros are about the only 3" class speaker that go anywhere near as deep. Those will apparently sound to sound funny at higher levels fairly quickly as the DSP throttles back the bass response, but gaming is said to be much less affected than music. Unfortunately they don't have any explicit provisions for use with a sub, like the Genelec 8010s or my EVE SC203s would, so in order to have a sub reduce the load on them you'd have to set the sub much louder, measure the response and EQ the whole shebang flat.