Good active speakers from second hand

[Adi777]

Hi. I'm looking for active speakers, especially second-hand - cheaper.

I was practically ready to buy Kali IN-8v2 - the new one, but I'd rather rethink it. These Kali's are probably very good and cheap, but there are a few things I'd like to ask you.

The room where I currently have speakers - Edifier S3000 Pro is rented, so I'm not going to do acoustic adaptation. Probably the best way for me is to buy active cardioid speakers, but they are too expensive. The cheapest is, if I'm looking right, the GGNTKT Model M1.

So wouldn't it be a good idea to buy active loudspeakers with some program like Dirac Live or similar?

In general, I think about:

Burchardt A500,

Dynaudio Pro Air15 with dedicated Dynaudio 10" Air Base1 subwoofer and remote control

maybe some JBL, but which one? The 708P is probably the best, the JBL 4305P looks good, but the 130mm woofer? No...

Neumann or Genelec? I'm not sure. Yes, great dimensions, but I'm looking for something else.

I care about dynamic, clear sound. It doesn't have to be 100% flat, but it has to be neutral. Source? I want to use a Windows notebook. Music from Spotify, sometimes YouTube, also flac files.

Thanks for your help and answers,

Regards

 

[ZolaIII]

How big and how bad is the room? What's your desired listening distance and SPL (max/normal usual level)? Do you have subwoofer already and which one if so? What's the budget and what country?

 

[Adi777]

How big and how bad is the room?

Ups, I forget about this. Circa 12m2 - 3m x 4m. How bad? I don't have idea. I can make some photos of my room.

What's your desired listening distance and SPL (max/normal usual level)?

Roughly an equilateral triangle 2m x 2m x2m. 24 cm from the Edifiers to the back wall. 1 meter from the right speaker to the side wall, and 50 cm from the left speaker to the door.
SPL? I measured only with the phone, but on average about 70, while sometimes I like to turn up the volume - 85, 90dB.
I live in Netherland. Budget? I'm still not sure. No, I don't have subwoofer.

 

[tetragrammaton]

Hi. I'm looking for active speakers, especially second-hand - cheaper.

I was practically ready to buy Kali IN-8v2 - the new one, but I'd rather rethink it. These Kali's are probably very good and cheap, but there are a few things I'd like to ask you.

The room where I currently have speakers - Edifier S3000 Pro is rented, so I'm not going to do acoustic adaptation. Probably the best way for me is to buy active cardioid speakers, but they are too expensive. The cheapest is, if I'm looking right, the GGNTKT Model M1.

So wouldn't it be a good idea to buy active loudspeakers with some program like Dirac Live or similar?

In general, I think about:

Burchardt A500,

Dynaudio Pro Air15 with dedicated Dynaudio 10" Air Base1 subwoofer and remote control

maybe some JBL, but which one? The 708P is probably the best, the JBL 4305P looks good, but the 130mm woofer? No...

Neumann or Genelec? I'm not sure. Yes, great dimensions, but I'm looking for something else.

I care about dynamic, clear sound. It doesn't have to be 100% flat, but it has to be neutral. Source? I want to use a Windows notebook. Music from Spotify, sometimes YouTube, also flac files.

Thanks for your help and answers,

Regards

If your source is a PC you can just do all the correction you'd need on it. Be it Dirac or free software like REW, all you need is an appropriate mic.

Speakers should be flat anechoically so that they don't introduce unexpected changes in the response. You can easily apply a preference EQ after correction on a PC.

With that in mind, I had the IN-8v2 in an untreated room for over a year, and even after getting my KH120s the Kalis still sound quite good.

Accurate studio monitors is an excellent starting point of an enjoyable stereo setup.

 

[ZolaIII]

How about Kali LP 6 V2 + SVS SB-1000 and measurement microphone if you already don't have one? +JRiver (WDM driver). Do you have DAC?
That would be enough for about 86~87 dB SPL white noise calibration point with enough power on sub side to lift it obow usual room hole's in low bass and shave it off (so that you fill them up).
Have similar sized room my self tho with different placement and approach (pasive speakers + amp and two 10" sub's in stereo...).

Edit: REW used for measurements (sub first, then all together) two pass PEQ's entered manual in JRiver.

 

[Adi777]

Do you have DAC?

No.
I forget, I would prefer system without subwoofer.

 

[ZolaIII]

No.

Well find one (DAC) that you think it fits your needs. As long as SINAD is above 90 dB (let's say 100 in this day and age) and can give proper 2 V unbalanced output I don't care. If you intend to go with JRiver you don't even need it to be preamp (variable output) capable or with remote as that part you will do with JRiver and with ISO 226 2003 enabled by either mause/keyboard or remote phone app like JRemote 2 (which I use now).

 

[Adi777]

There is "furniture" behind the chair. I'll move them to another wall, and there'll be a little more space behind the chair. I think that from the point of view of acoustics it should be better.

 

[Adi777]

How about Kali LP 6 V2 + SVS SB-1000

What about Buchardt? Looks really good. Room correction only with Iphone, ehh...
I can buy also Dynaudio Focus 400 XD, but I didn't saw a measurements.

 

[ZolaIII]

What about Buchardt? Looks really good. Room correction only with Iphone, ehh...
I can buy also Dynaudio Focus 400 XD, but I didn't saw a measurements.

Thing is I am not a strong believer in such room corrections, even as it is with UMIK-1 under 45° angle with correction file I take above 7 KHz with a grain of salt and do it how it sounds to me by ear (actually I do last three octaves 2K - 20K -2 dB per octave but fine tuning by ear). Dirac and newer Audyssey aren't bad but again low bass is lottery and better done by hand (REW). REW is free and works well. If you have money Mini DSP Flex is a good choice but again too little PEQ's per slot for full range correction (tho it's usually only cuple PEQ's above 1 KHz but again I use two passes in REW from listening position and for sub/sub's first and then all together resulting in 15 or more PEQ's) and relatively complicated RIF export (really they should have used simple text headers). Neither of those will of course have ISO 226 2003 (Audyssey does but you aren't into AVR's and neither am I).
For the price of Burchardt A500 I would pass and go for something good measured probably mid range Neumann's (probably KH150) but I am telling you how to get there on the cheap side. Choice is yours, to get there you will definitely need a good room correction and good sub or pair of them. There are cheap speakers that can meet the preference score of about 8 with good sub's and in generally expensive one's with DSP all do on their own have better score don't upscale that good with additional DSP-ing and sub's (because they are already DSPed most part). Look at it this way you won't cry when 400€ Kali's die and you didn't miss nothing.

 

[Adi777]

For the price of Burchardt A500 I would pass

2800 Euro without hub and 3000 Euro with, the same as new KH150.

 

[OldenEars]

completely unrelated to anything (apologies) but i just want to say i love these forums.

 

[ZolaIII]

2800 Euro without hub and 3000 Euro with, the same as new KH150.

Well I said for the price and mostly for a benefit of very quiet amplifier but again as you will listen in mid field you won't hire and less than stelar quiet ones on listening position at least.