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Best bookshelf passive speakers for Movies, TV, YouTube and Music?

silent-amp

silent-amp

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What are the best bookshelf passive speakers for Movies, TV, YouTube and Music?

I got a budget Mission LX-2 MKII 5" Bookshelf Speakers, they sound ok for the music but I think something is missing in voices in Movies, TV or YouTube.
What speakers could you recommend to get natural clear voices? Would any Neutral Speakers be good? And also good for low volume listening.

Here the list of speakers from my research (forums, youtube reviews) that could be good:

- Emotiva Airmotiv B2+
- Emotiva Airmotiv XB1 or XB2
- Any Monitor Audio speakers
 
Last edited:
The Reference 1 Meta and Sointuva AWG are among the best bookshelf passive speakers for Movies, TV, YouTube and Music, but I doubt that's helpful advice.

So please tell us your budget, whether you're looking for used or new speakers, and which country you're located in.

Without that it's difficult to give recommendations.
 

"Movies, TV, YouTube and Music"​


as opposed to...for what else?
 
The budget is not > $1000, new speakers, location doesn't matter.

krabapple said:
as opposed to...for what else?
Click to expand...

well, some speakers are designed for home theater setups and others are good for listening music and they're not great for movies where you need clear natural voices.
 
Many here like the Elac DBR 62. There is thread with many comments'
 
The Review Index upper left > Speakers in the banner > Sort columns by clicking column heads, keep in mind Amir usually prices by each speaker not a pair
 
Always best to listen to a speaker before buying if possible. If you cannot, Klippel testing and spinorama data offer the best analytics and measurements one can find that directly relates to speaker performance. I would look at the reviews in the ASR index, and also watch some of Erin's videos.

One's personal hearing as well as taste preference in speakers (some like bright, some crave soundstage, others want deep bass) all factor into the equation.

The other issue is with DSP/EQ one can quite easily and successfully tailor a speaker's response to one's personal taste and room. I did a test yesterday with my DIY SEAS 2-way, stand-mounted speakers and my WiiM Ultra (6.5" midbass). I played several excellent recordings and toggled through the dozen or so preset EQs tht the WiiM offers. Some changes were sublte, others more dramatic. Then of course you can design your own EQs as well, graphic or parametric. Great tool to have.

For TV you may want to look at some of the powered options out there: KEF, Kanto, SVS, etc. Some are quite good. I heard the new KEF Coda W a few days ago and was very impressed. Hook a WiiM Pro up to that thing and you are cooking with butane. The KEF LSX II LT at Costco for $599, while diminutive, is a heck of a good speaker, with high WAF. Don't let it's size fool you.
 
Dynaudio Contour 1.3 (1.3MKII, 1.3SE) is a great set of second-hand speakers. Especially if mounted on a good set of stands.
 
silent-amp said:
Bookshelf Speakers, they sound ok for the music but I think something is missing in voices in Movies, TV or YouTube.
Click to expand...
Have you tried DSP room equalisation? If so, what system, if not- you may well find that fixes your 'something missing' problem without new speakers.

what is your source? AVR? PC/Amp? etc.
 
antcollinet said:
Have you tried DSP room equalisation? If so, what system, if not- you may well find that fixes your 'something missing' problem without new speakers.
Click to expand...

Haven't tried any DSP. After some time now I am used to with my current speakers. But I am thinking about upgrade to Elac DBR62 :)


antcollinet said:
what is your source? AVR? PC/Amp? etc.
Click to expand...

PC and integrated amplifier
 
dtaylo1066 said:
Always best to listen to a speaker before buying if possible. If you cannot, Klippel testing and spinorama data offer the best analytics and measurements one can find that directly relates to speaker performance. I would look at the reviews in the ASR index, and also watch some of Erin's videos.

One's personal hearing as well as taste preference in speakers (some like bright, some crave soundstage, others want deep bass) all factor into the equation.

The other issue is with DSP/EQ one can quite easily and successfully tailor a speaker's response to one's personal taste and room. I did a test yesterday with my DIY SEAS 2-way, stand-mounted speakers and my WiiM Ultra (6.5" midbass). I played several excellent recordings and toggled through the dozen or so preset EQs tht the WiiM offers. Some changes were sublte, others more dramatic. Then of course you can design your own EQs as well, graphic or parametric. Great tool to have.

For TV you may want to look at some of the powered options out there: KEF, Kanto, SVS, etc. Some are quite good. I heard the new KEF Coda W a few days ago and was very impressed. Hook a WiiM Pro up to that thing and you are cooking with butane. The KEF LSX II LT at Costco for $599, while diminutive, is a heck of a good speaker, with high WAF. Don't let it's size fool you.
Click to expand...
Regarding Erins reviews I have listened to both of the Audio First Design models and I ended up buying a pair of Cadentia 3's but I cannot overstate how impressed I was by the little Fidelia's and the Klippel data confirms my thoughts. Besides being a nice guy Harry has knocked it out of the park with his first two models. It's good to see someone without the backing of a multinational corp' get it so right on his first two attempts.
 
Another option: keep your L/R and get a more sensitive Center (or driven by more powerful amp).

Get a DSP unit that can "upsample" for stereo-only inputs, merges the in-common content of the L+R channels to create the mono center channel

For sources that already feed multi-channel then you're just ignoring LFE & surround channels.

Turn up the center relative to L/R, boost the voice-centered frequency ranges.

For music critical listening, just go back to vanilla stereo.

Or, if your new center goes high enough SPL at low enough frequencies, set your DSP up with a preset that turns it into a sub!

All the PEQ you could desire, get into Room compensation etc.

I think $1000 spent this way will give you MUCH better bang for your bucks than just replacing your L/R
 
john61ct said:
Another option: keep your L/R and get a more sensitive Center (or driven by more powerful amp).
Click to expand...
Really not want to add Center, AVR and deal with DSP..
And it's not possible with my stereo integrated amplifier :)
 
Are these going to be listened to in the nearfield? If so you might want to look at powered monitors/speakers like the Kali LP-UNF or IN-5.
 
sgent said:
Are these going to be listened to in the nearfield? If so you might want to look at powered monitors/speakers like the Kali LP-UNF or IN-5.
Click to expand...

I am about 3m away from the speakers. I was actually thinking about a 2nd desktop PC setup with passive speakers (do no want to go back to active ones)

So my future desktop (nearfield) PC setup would look something like this:

- amp: SMSL PA200 (I want class-d this time)
- dac: Audiolab D7 (many connection options + remote control)
- speakers: Polk ES10 or Emotiva XB1 or Cambridgeaudio SX50

or SMSL AL200 integrated amplifier instead of separate amp+dac

I need compact passive speakers, your recommendations are welcome :)
 
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