Hi guys,
I am reading in this forum for 2 weeks now I would say and still can't figure out the direction I should go
I am looking for a speaker set up for my desktop. 1500€ for speaker + DAC (with Bluetooth). But can be much cheaper too if it meets my needs.
I will use it for working from home, gaming and music listening - no music production. So do I even need a accurate speaker like the Genelec 8030 when I don't use it for producing?
I want to keep it "clean" that's why I don't plan to use a sub for now.
Listening distance is 90 cm to 110 cm I would say.
I recently abandoned my old big ATX sized PC and replaced it by a the 1 litre Asrock X300. I don't know how good the audio unit on this mainboard is but to my understanding it's always better to use USB and bypass the audio chip of the PC and use a external DAC since USB delivers a digital binary signal that has no "lossess"?
And I don't listen too loud. Considering the law for health and safety at work, employees have to wear ear protection when exposed to >= 85 dB. So I will probably exceed those 85 dB only very rarely.
After the first days of research I was almost certain to get a pair of Genelec 8030 + Topping DX3 pro. I liked their look, they are made in Finland, perform nice, are kind of small and not too expensive.
But then I stumbled upon the "hiss" problem. I thought "Wait, studio monitors are used in a near field scenarios and all active speakers have a hiss problem which is only audible in close proximity? That doesn't make sense. Why is everyone recommending studio monitors then?"
Then I was looking for passive speakers to avoid the hiss. The only "good" ones to consider seem to be the Elac DBR 62 or KEF LS 50 Meta. The KEF R3 is definitely too big for desktop use. But there aren't good passive speakers that have the size of the Genelec 8030 it seems, right? Why?
Considering that I don't want to listen too loud, every passive speaker - no matter how bad their sensitivity may be - could easily be powered by the Loxjie A30, right? Because a lof of people say that certain passive speaker have a low sensitivity, you need a big amp. But even speakers like the LS50 Meta with a bad sensitivity have a sensitivity of 84 dB/W which is considered causing damage to ones hearing when exposed to for longer time and this is achieved with one lousy Watt. That's why I think any passive speaker works with a Loxjie A30 in near field desktop use, right? Which would also "destroy" the argument, that active speakers need less space? Right?
But it seems that passive speakers are generally much larger, especially depth-wise.
I have a broken Monitor Audio Silver RX 2 here.
375 x 230 x 300 mm (14 3/4 x 9 1/16 x 11 13/16 inch)
I put it on my desk (180x80cm) to see how it feels to have such a big speaker on my desk. To be honest, it looks stupid >.<
Then I found the IK Multimedia iLoud MTM. Which has a very nice footprint. But to be honest, the Genelec 8030 is not much bigger and also not more expensive.
I am still not even sure about passive or active. What the best to go without a sub?
I can get the Genelec 8030 + Topping DX3 but maybe I don't even need such an accurate speaker. Maybe I just want to have something that is fun to listen to.
I can get the IK iLoud MTM. But the lower price compared to the Genelec 8030 is not too relevant for me. Why should I get the MTM over the 8030? The size is the only reason I think.
What about the Elac DBR 62. They are cheap, they are good and they have no hiss. But they are bigger than the 8030. But they are smaller than the Monitor Audio RX2 I tried on my desk.
Are there any other good options that are maybe not the most accurate but still fun to listen to?
And whats the general best way of signal transmission in regards of latency?
1. PC (USB) -> DAC -> Analog Input of Speaker or
2. PC(USB) -> DAC -> Digital Input of Speaker. The DAC is always processing the signal, right, even when input and output signal is digital? That means 2. would cause a higher latency because the signal is processed in the DAC and in the speaker itself, right?
8030 or 8330, what the higher latency? Or is it to be expected negligible. I think Genelec itself says that the 8330 internal DSP adds 3-5ms.
This text is just as confusing as my thought on which speakers I should go for
I just need a little push into a good direction I assume.
Thank you
I am reading in this forum for 2 weeks now I would say and still can't figure out the direction I should go
I am looking for a speaker set up for my desktop. 1500€ for speaker + DAC (with Bluetooth). But can be much cheaper too if it meets my needs.
I will use it for working from home, gaming and music listening - no music production. So do I even need a accurate speaker like the Genelec 8030 when I don't use it for producing?
I want to keep it "clean" that's why I don't plan to use a sub for now.
Listening distance is 90 cm to 110 cm I would say.
I recently abandoned my old big ATX sized PC and replaced it by a the 1 litre Asrock X300. I don't know how good the audio unit on this mainboard is but to my understanding it's always better to use USB and bypass the audio chip of the PC and use a external DAC since USB delivers a digital binary signal that has no "lossess"?
And I don't listen too loud. Considering the law for health and safety at work, employees have to wear ear protection when exposed to >= 85 dB. So I will probably exceed those 85 dB only very rarely.
After the first days of research I was almost certain to get a pair of Genelec 8030 + Topping DX3 pro. I liked their look, they are made in Finland, perform nice, are kind of small and not too expensive.
But then I stumbled upon the "hiss" problem. I thought "Wait, studio monitors are used in a near field scenarios and all active speakers have a hiss problem which is only audible in close proximity? That doesn't make sense. Why is everyone recommending studio monitors then?"
Then I was looking for passive speakers to avoid the hiss. The only "good" ones to consider seem to be the Elac DBR 62 or KEF LS 50 Meta. The KEF R3 is definitely too big for desktop use. But there aren't good passive speakers that have the size of the Genelec 8030 it seems, right? Why?
Considering that I don't want to listen too loud, every passive speaker - no matter how bad their sensitivity may be - could easily be powered by the Loxjie A30, right? Because a lof of people say that certain passive speaker have a low sensitivity, you need a big amp. But even speakers like the LS50 Meta with a bad sensitivity have a sensitivity of 84 dB/W which is considered causing damage to ones hearing when exposed to for longer time and this is achieved with one lousy Watt. That's why I think any passive speaker works with a Loxjie A30 in near field desktop use, right? Which would also "destroy" the argument, that active speakers need less space? Right?
But it seems that passive speakers are generally much larger, especially depth-wise.
I have a broken Monitor Audio Silver RX 2 here.
375 x 230 x 300 mm (14 3/4 x 9 1/16 x 11 13/16 inch)
I put it on my desk (180x80cm) to see how it feels to have such a big speaker on my desk. To be honest, it looks stupid >.<
Then I found the IK Multimedia iLoud MTM. Which has a very nice footprint. But to be honest, the Genelec 8030 is not much bigger and also not more expensive.
I am still not even sure about passive or active. What the best to go without a sub?
I can get the Genelec 8030 + Topping DX3 but maybe I don't even need such an accurate speaker. Maybe I just want to have something that is fun to listen to.
I can get the IK iLoud MTM. But the lower price compared to the Genelec 8030 is not too relevant for me. Why should I get the MTM over the 8030? The size is the only reason I think.
What about the Elac DBR 62. They are cheap, they are good and they have no hiss. But they are bigger than the 8030. But they are smaller than the Monitor Audio RX2 I tried on my desk.
Are there any other good options that are maybe not the most accurate but still fun to listen to?
And whats the general best way of signal transmission in regards of latency?
1. PC (USB) -> DAC -> Analog Input of Speaker or
2. PC(USB) -> DAC -> Digital Input of Speaker. The DAC is always processing the signal, right, even when input and output signal is digital? That means 2. would cause a higher latency because the signal is processed in the DAC and in the speaker itself, right?
8030 or 8330, what the higher latency? Or is it to be expected negligible. I think Genelec itself says that the 8330 internal DSP adds 3-5ms.
This text is just as confusing as my thought on which speakers I should go for
I just need a little push into a good direction I assume.
Thank you