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

[staticV3]

- 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

>80% of your budget going to electronics, with 20% left over for speakers should ring just about every alarm bell there is when it comes to building a great stereo system.

Turn these two around (80% going to speakers) and you'll have a vastly better system.

Here are some passive speakers worth considering for a desk setup with your budget:

-Philharmonic True Mini (if you're in the US)
-Ascend Luna V2 (if you're in the US)
-KEF Q1 Meta
-Elac DB53
-Arendal 1961 Bookshelf (if you're in the EU)
-Audio First Fidelia (if you're in the EU)

 

[silent-amp]

>80% of your budget going to electronics, with 20% left over for speakers should ring just about every alarm bell there is when it comes to building a great stereo system.

I think it's about 30/30/30. 30% left over for the speakers.
I am not sure about AMP and speakers, but that Audiolab D7 dac looks perfect

 

[101geo]

>80% of your budget going to electronics, with 20% left over for speakers should ring just about every alarm bell there is when it comes to building a great stereo system.

Turn these two around (80% going to speakers) and you'll have a vastly better system.

Agree with that, speakers make the biggest difference and should be the leading item in system building.

 

[silent-amp]

Turn these two around (80% going to speakers) and you'll have a vastly better system.

So I need more expensive speakers?
I don't see many options there.

 

[staticV3]

So I need more expensive speakers?
I don't see many options there.

See my edit above.

Of course, cheaper speakers are fine, but don't waste so much money on electronics. These will not give a return in sound quality.

E.g. that Audiolab D7 will sound entirely identical to an SMSL D-6s or similar.

Or a Topping E50 II which would annihilate the Audiolab thanks to built-in Parametric EQ for loudspeaker correction + room correction.

 

[Sjkrabbe]

a pair of the old trustworthy B&W DM805 Matrix <3 I have had them for ages and they are just wonderfull and you kan get a pair rather cheap on the used market around 1000 dollars for a pair

HifiShark — Used Hifi Price Search Engine

Used B&W 805Matrix for sale on 400+ second hand hifi sites & shops. Use Hifi Shark to monitor pricing and global availability

www.hifishark.com

 

[Fslag]

nah, I would never switch from PC.
For my 2.0 setup I don't think I need AVR. I don't plan to get a sub too.

Are you unaware of how harmful using a pc is?

Degraded picture quality. I have tried this myself.
Avr has all the audio formats you'll ever need.
Anything else will have severe limitations on formats.

What is wrong with you?

 

[Bleib]

Are you unaware of how harmful using a pc is?

Degraded picture quality. I have tried this myself.
Avr has all the audio formats you'll ever need.
Anything else will have severe limitations on formats.

What is wrong with you?

Hah, this is silly. PCs are very well suitable for many things, both audio and video.
A big movie-file from a PC will easily look better than many if not all streaming services people mostly use.

 

[Normcore Greg]

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

Of the bookshelves I own and like for any purpose are:
- KEF R3 Meta - very refined
- Polk Audio Reserve R200 - pretty rich in the bass region, but with detailed mids
- Fyne Audio F500 - concentric drivers, nice soundstaging

 

[silent-amp]

Are you unaware of how harmful using a pc is?

Really? It's not just a PC, but HTPC!

Degraded picture quality. I have tried this myself.
Avr has all the audio formats you'll ever need.
Anything else will have severe limitations on formats.

Works perfectly for me for years..

What is wrong with you?

I am perfectly fine

 

[XDM]

Fyne Audio F500

It's a shame this brand hasn't been measured on the Klippel. Not too many known good concentrics these days.

 

[RichQw1rt]

Emotiva would probably be a noticeable upgrade for dialogue, they tend to sound more detailed. Monitor Audio is more smooth and natural, easier for long listening.
Also worth checking placement and setup, that can make a big difference too.
If your main focus is movies and voices, I’d lean Emotiva.

 

[silent-amp]

Emotiva would probably be a noticeable upgrade for dialogue, they tend to sound more detailed. Monitor Audio is more smooth and natural, easier for long listening.

I am thinking about smaller version of Emotiva XB1 for desktop PC setup.
Monitor Audio - just not a fan of the looks.. I would prefer Elac Debut Reference DBR-62 (all-black version) instead.

 

[delta76]

I am thinking about smaller version of Emotiva XB1 for desktop PC setup.
Monitor Audio - just not a fan of the looks.. I would prefer Elac Debut Reference DBR-62 (all-black version) instead.

then go for it - but as you mentioned $, there are a few options that yield better value in the US
Don't get me wrong, DBR62 is a great pair of speakers but they can be had for EUR400 in EU so there are better speaker in your $1000 range

 

[Fslag]

Hah, this is silly. PCs are very well suitable for many things, both audio and video.
A big movie-file from a PC will easily look better than many if not all streaming services people mostly use.

This does not compare local media to streaming services.
This is comparing using a pc and a Nvidia shield pro. Ziddo etc for playing the same content.
I have personal experience and there are no circumstances I'll ever use a pc for video consumption again.

Why do you think I use a Nvidia shield pro myself over a pc?
Play a 4k uhd Blu-ray disk rip on a pc. Then again on Nvidia shield pro. See the difference

 

[norman bates]

Klipsch rp8000f ii (on sale)..........

Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-8000F II Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review

Klipsch released their new RP-8000F II floorstanding loudspeakers that we reviewed to determine if they still retain the same high value and performance of the originals despite the pricing hike?

www.audioholics.com

Be careful listening at stores.
Speakers that roll off below 100hz can seem like they have better voices.

 

[antcollinet]

This does not compare local media to streaming services.
This is comparing using a pc and a Nvidia shield pro. Ziddo etc for playing the same content.
I have personal experience and there are no circumstances I'll ever use a pc for video consumption again.

Why do you think I use a Nvidia shield pro myself over a pc?
Play a 4k uhd Blu-ray disk rip on a pc. Then again on Nvidia shield pro. See the difference

Sure - if you don't know how to optimise the output of a PC for video playback - devices like the Nidea are already optimised for that. The most important being to automatically switch the output frame rate to that of the file. Other than proper set up though - there is no reason for a PC to not be every bit as good as any other device.