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Desktop setup recommendations under $3000

Now it's under 3,000?
 
Why make it so complicated? A good audio interface like the Motu M2/4 or any of the other numerous competitors has almost perfect DAC quality, a usually good headphone amp, and a <$300 price. Then, get a couple of great value speakers like the Kali LP-6v2 for $200 each plus a subwoofer for $500, and then use the rest on whatever headphones are highly rated on ASR. That is the exact setup I had until yesterday and basically nothing else comes even close in sound quality and comfort if you don't want to put something in/around your ears
Thank you. I watched crinacle and woke up...currently rebooting and walking ...like ---outside.
 
Why make it so complicated? A good audio interface like the Motu M2/4 or any of the other numerous competitors has almost perfect DAC quality, a usually good headphone amp, and a <$300 price. Then, get a couple of great value speakers like the Kali LP-6v2 for $200 each plus a subwoofer for $500, and then use the rest on whatever headphones are highly rated on ASR. That is the exact setup I had until yesterday and basically nothing else comes even close in sound quality and comfort if you don't want to put something in/around your ears
The Motu interfaces have poor headphone amplifiers particularly for low impedance loads. See figures from Amir's reviews below. Most DAC/HPAs offer better value for money than an interface if ADCs are not needed. For a good HPA, consider something with at least 1000 mW at 32 Ohm and at least 100 mW at 300 Ohm. Something like the SMSL DL200 will do just fine.

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I mean, Hoffmann's Iron Law always applies - playing low, playing loud, small speaker, pick two. The D3V can play really low for a 3" class speaker, but obviously it won't play deep bass particularly loud. (Using a smaller woofer attacks displacement on two fronts - obviously surface area becomes smaller, but so generally does linear excursion.) It'll do decently at half a meter, but rocking the entire room is not going to happen without compromising on bass output, which is what the bass shelf settings are for.

Having physics on your side tends to make things a whole lot easier and cheaper. You'll be hard-pressed to find any 3-3.5" midwoofer with the level handling of a half-decent 5.25" one, but price wise they aren't actually all the different. Occasionally a good 4.5" will beat a so-so 5.25", but that's about as much as you can typically stretch things without driver cost going out of hand. And I'm not kidding - if you wanted the absolute best drivers, you could splurge on some Purifi ones, but then one of their 4" jobs is going to cost almost as much as an entire decent desktop speaker system.

Likewise, not making your enclosure as small as humanly possible is a cheap way of increasing output. (Note how the most compact of designs also tend to be using passive radiators, which aren't exactly free either. They do avoid having a BR port turn into a hairdryer of sorts at high levels, not to mention the possibility of internal resonances getting out via the port.)

Kali has some prime examples for both, like the LP-UNF (a 4.5" desktop speaker system that can rock a room if need be) or their LP-6v2 monitors (6.5") where you can tell from driver spacing alone that they're not intended for the very closest of distances. In nearfield applications, 5.25" woofers are a very popular size, and you can get very competent budget ones in the $300-400 range per pair. (Note, T5Vs are quite notorious for being hissy, with noise levels even ahead of the classic JBL 305P MkII. You should be better off with the likes of KRK RP5 G5s or the trusty Mackie MR524 if that is a concern. JBL and Focal remain the kings of deepest bass coverage in the 5" class.) By contrast, if you want a maximum of output and deep bass per $ for at least medium distances of 1-1.5 m typ, the budget 8" 2-way class will deliver that although dispersion tends to be a bit less even than for their maller cousins. (Fun fact, the chonky ADAM T8V actually even has markedly less hiss than its smaller brethren, and that's before even taking the larger typical listening distance into account. And the Yamaha HS8 is arguably the most well-rounded member of its series.)

If you are drawn to and can afford ADAM A4Vs for the desk, odds are the same would apply to their direct competition in the form of the Neumann KH80 or the Genelec 8020D (the former being lower noise and louder, the latter having wider dispersion and lower power consumption). Generally speaking this class tends to be approaching "proper" full-range but in most cases falls slightly short still. A bunch of standard 5.25" jobs has similar -3 dB points but lower -10 dB which is a better indication of effective bass coverage. Even some 3" ones are pushed lower (e.g. iLoud Micro, ADAM D3V) but you can tell how much of a stretch that is by how they're dropping like a rock below that.
Anyway, if you're after "classic" monitors with analog balanced inputs, those should probably be complemented with a matching DAC or audio interface ($200-300 should generally do).

HD490Pros are good cans, but there is something to be said about HD600s, too... they're a classic for a reason. I love how undemanding they are. They should work splendidly from the MBP's headphone jack. The PC side may be hit and miss in terms of output impedance and level depending on the onboard audio implementation, but if in doubt you can always spruce it up with a Topping L30 II / Atom Amp 2 / Schiit Magni or similar. Oh, you already have a DAC/amp in the Schiit HEL 2, I imagine that would be just fine as well.

I see relatively little wrong with the DMP-Z8 for its price given its feature set - that being a DAC-amp with a fancy DAC and display and a bunch of connectivity - but the question is whether you really want and need such a singular do-it-all device. What if you concentrate everyone into one setup only to find out that you still need decent sound on the move, on the bedside and in the office?
Thank you
 
Thank you everyone.
Final config:
FIIO R9
LSX II /w KC62
Qudelix 5k
Hisenor Megafest bass+
Thieaudio Monarch III
Aune SR7000 (watching movies, and non critical fun)
Pending - more headphones... purchased and returned the HD800s, until i attend a can jam pretty. much stuck
 
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