• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Highly detailed request for near field speakers recommendations

RSC08

Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2020
Messages
15
Likes
2
Hi everyone,

So I'm looking for a 2.0 or 2.1 speaker system to put in my bedroom (DAC used will be a Teac UD-505) but I have a few requirements:

Mandatory:
- Must be available on Amazon.es (I have a gift voucher to redeem there);
- Price must not go above 300€ (350€ if it's really a very big step up);
- Suggestions must take into account that these will be used for near field listening 80% of the time (60cm away from the speakers), the rest of the time I would be around 3 meters away (movies);
- Vocal clarity is very important for me, I tried out a set of Logitech Z533 and I had a hard time watching movies at relatively low volume and discerning what the characters were saying;
- Suggestions must take into account that the speakers backs will be 10cm away from a wall and around 80cm apart from each other;
- Must produce very low to no humming while powered but not playing music (I know this is hard with powered speakers).

Optional:
- Balanced inputs would be nice;
- Dark minimalist design would be nice as well;
- Preference for 2.0 systems.


After reading a lot, I've noticed that perhaps a setup with passive speakers could be within my budget. Something like a Volt+ D amp and some Klipsch R41/51M?


Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
 

CDMC

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Sep 4, 2019
Messages
1,172
Likes
2,321
The usual suspects for your situation are the JBL 305p or 306p, Kali, and Adam audio. There are others, but if you look through the threads and measurements on the foregoing, you will have all the available choices in your price range.
 

napilopez

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 17, 2018
Messages
2,109
Likes
8,420
Location
NYC
Bienvenido! Fair warning, you are asking a lot for those budgets and requirements =] Getting a speaker that performs well at both 0.6m and 3m at this budget is tricky, especially only available on amazon.es. If you want good measurements and no hiss, you won't get high SPLs. If you want high SPLs, you'll probably get hiss. Perhaps someone has a recommendation in mind but I'm having trouble thinking of something that meets all those requirements.

This isn't to say such a product doesn't exist, but as we care about measurements here, we need to make sure performance can be verified by measurements. I would not recommend the klipsch given its poor measured performance here.

The JBL305P is a known good speaker, but often has a fair bit of hiss so you might not like them.

The Presonus Eris E5 XT could be good, but if you will have to EQ them for them to sound their best. I believe they also have hiss.

The Yamaha HS5 could be good,but only with significant EQ.

The M-Audio BX5 actually looks like a solid option. They are within your budget and the only measurement I could find showed a flat on-axis response, at least. And amazon reviews show no hiss.

Of the ones I'm personally familiar with, the best I can think of within that budget that is both compact, has little humming, is available in amazon.es, has good measurements (good measurements almost automatically = vocal clarity) is the iLoud Micro Monitor. However, it will not suffice at 3m unless you have low standards on bass quantity/SPL or are able to add a subwoofer. Then again, those logitechs don't have enough volume for farfield either and they seem to have sufficed for you.

Honestly though, if I were you I would sell that DAC and get better speakers. A $2,000 DAC is overkill for what you're looking for, and your speakers should pretty much always cost more than your gear unless you're sure you have the speakers you want. I assume you're also using the DAC for headphones, but you could probably find something cheaper you'll be happy with.

So if you'd at all consider it, I'd sell the DAC, get a cheaper one, and then a pair of Neumann KH80s or KH120s.
 
Last edited:
OP
RSC08

RSC08

Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2020
Messages
15
Likes
2
Thanks for the input! Just to clarify, my main home music listening comes from my Klipsch HP-3, so selling my dac/amp is out of the question.

The speakers won't have a lot of use but I still want something decent, especially when I'm watching movies without heaphones.

Regarding your suggestions, Yamahas, for me, are kinda out of the question. I've heard the HS5 and HS7 and I wasn't very impressed, as they sounded very sterile for my tastes.

To be honest, the hiss issue, to which I'm quite sensitive, is getting me more inclined to passive speakers + amp, especially since all the reviews and opinions I read on the Allo Volt+ D are extremely positive. I've been reading about the Q Acoustics 3020i, Polk Audio S20e, do you find these recommendable?

Also, given that the speakers will be very close to a wall, should I only be considering front-firing speakers?
 

Berwhale

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 29, 2019
Messages
3,933
Likes
4,922
Location
UK
I'm pretty happy with my Tannoy Reveal 402 monitors, I can hear them when they are switched on, but it's nowhere near as annoying as the JBL305p MKIIs that I bought and sent back. The sound is more of a 'hum' than a 'hiss' and it's considerably lower volume.

The 402's have front firing reflex ports, so they can be placed close to a wall, they have balanced inputs and are available on Amazon.es...

https://www.amazon.es/Tannoy-Reveal-402-Altavoces-Incorporado/dp/B07NH9YGCS

I currently have them mounted on AudioEngine DS2 stands: https://www.amazon.es/AudioEngine-DS2-escritorio-altavoces-Audioengine/dp/B005STCILC

I would also advise spending some of your budget on a measurement microphone (I have a UMIK-1) and learning how to measure your speakers in your room with REW and EQing them with something like EqulizerAPO.

UMIK-1: https://www.amazon.es/miniDSP-Omni-Directional-Measurement-Calibrated-Microphone/dp/B00N4Q25R8

Measuring speakers and correcting with UMIK-1, REW and EqualizerAPO:
 
Last edited:

Blumlein 88

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
20,521
Likes
37,050
Don't get the Maudio BX5. They aren't up to the quality of the others mentioned. At least not equal to the Yamaha, JBL and Adam. It is what I had prior to the JBL 305 (originals). You hear a big improvement over the BX5 in about 5-10 seconds. Plus many of the BX5's like mine let go with the power supply caps going out.
 

napilopez

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 17, 2018
Messages
2,109
Likes
8,420
Location
NYC
Thanks for the input! Just to clarify, my main home music listening comes from my Klipsch HP-3, so selling my dac/amp is out of the question.

The speakers won't have a lot of use but I still want something decent, especially when I'm watching movies without heaphones.

Regarding your suggestions, Yamahas, for me, are kinda out of the question. I've heard the HS5 and HS7 and I wasn't very impressed, as they sounded very sterile for my tastes.

To be honest, the hiss issue, to which I'm quite sensitive, is getting me more inclined to passive speakers + amp, especially since all the reviews and opinions I read on the Allo Volt+ D are extremely positive. I've been reading about the Q Acoustics 3020i, Polk Audio S20e, do you find these recommendable?

Also, given that the speakers will be very close to a wall, should I only be considering front-firing speakers?

I say this as a person who used to primarily listen to headphones, so I totally understand wanting to hold onto your fancy dac/amp. However if you look through ASRs DAC/AMP reviews you could tell you could absolutely get audibly transparent performance for far less than the TEAC.

But that's all I will say on that, I don't mean to pressure you or discredit your choices. Just putting that out there since you're a new member and I don't know how long you've been lurking.

As for front/rear-ported, 10cm should be enough for most speakers. Port location isn't really a big deal. More the overall proximity to the wall.

As for the Yamaha -- I did say with EQ :). If a speaker has decent directivity (how it radiates sound in different directions), most issues can be addressed with EQ. If you are willing to EQ it is almost always better to go for a speaker with good directivity.

Q Acoustics 3020i: I personally do like these a lot.

I do think it is slightly laid back due to a lack of energy around 1.5-4kHz. Ironically Amir thought they were bright, but that never crossed my mind. In any case, I'd be willing to bet they are signifivantly more balanced than the logitechs regardless. I recommend them often in the brice bracket and think you'd be happy with them.

Don't get the Maudio BX5. They aren't up to the quality of the others mentioned. At least not equal to the Yamaha, JBL and Adam. It is what I had prior to the JBL 305 (originals). You hear a big improvement over the BX5 in about 5-10 seconds. Plus many of the BX5's like mine let go with the power supply caps going out.

I haven't heard any of these speakers so have no affinity any way, but which version of the BX5 did you have? I meant to specify the D3 version.
 
OP
RSC08

RSC08

Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2020
Messages
15
Likes
2
Thanks to everyone that pitched in, I really appreciate it! :)

One thing I forgot to mention, and I should, is that I'm not a big fan of EQing. Even with Headphones and IEMs, I prefer them to be tailored to my tastes from the get go.

TV5/TV7 were speakers I looked into but the hiss/humm reports were popping up like wild mushrooms, so I took them off the list of possibilities.

The Fostex PM05 look nice, haven't seen those pop up in any rec's recently.

Regarding the M-Audio, I did listen to some sound demos/comparisons online of the BX5 D3 and honestly thought they sounded a bit muffled. The 3020i seem to receive a lot of good feedback and they look very good while also being smaller than most other passive speakers I've seen.

Concerning the KEF LS50, I assume @phoenixdogfan was referring to used ones... Not my cup of tea, I want to buy new and with (at least) two years warranty. Saw the KEF Q350 for 399€ but that's already too overboard from what I'm willing to spend, especially since I would still need to spend around ~150€ on an AMP.


So, summarizing, if I were to go the Volt+ D + passive speakers route, is there a better option than the 3020i?
 

MarsianC#

Active Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2020
Messages
232
Likes
264
Location
Austria
Humm is not a speaker problem, hiss is.
I prefer them to be tailored to my tastes from the get go.
Get good room acoustics and you won't need EQ. Impossible with your listening habits stated in post #1. A room tailored to your taste... expensive.
 
OP
RSC08

RSC08

Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2020
Messages
15
Likes
2
Humm is not a speaker problem, hiss is.

Humm, hiss... that sort of noises trigger me. So I'm pretty much aiming to get as close as dead silent (when not playing any sound) as my budget will allow.

Get good room acoustics and you won't need EQ. Impossible with your listening habits stated in post #1. A room tailored to your taste... expensive.

I understand that and I'm conscious that I won't get it 100% right as I wish, but I'm also not investing a lot of money into this. As I mentioned, I'm especially into Headphones and IEMs, the speakers are just gonna fill in some time gaps. For that, 300/350€ seems like a decent amount to put into it in order to get an acceptable price to performance ratio.
 

napilopez

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 17, 2018
Messages
2,109
Likes
8,420
Location
NYC
Humm is not a speaker problem, hiss is.

Get good room acoustics and you won't need EQ. Impossible with your listening habits stated in post #1. A room tailored to your taste... expensive.

The best room won't make a bad speaker sound good. Also unreasonable to imply someone shouldn't try to optimize their listening experience with what they have!

Some of my most pleasant listening experiences have been in a corner desktop setup next to my bed with a pair of Neumann KH80s. Unless you're mixing and mastering and looking for a particular type of sound and consistency, the need for a perfect room is overrated, imo.

Thanks to everyone that pitched in, I really appreciate it! :)

One thing I forgot to mention, and I should, is that I'm not a big fan of EQing. Even with Headphones and IEMs, I prefer them to be tailored to my tastes from the get go.

TV5/TV7 were speakers I looked into but the hiss/humm reports were popping up like wild mushrooms, so I took them off the list of possibilities.

The Fostex PM05 look nice, haven't seen those pop up in any rec's recently.

Regarding the M-Audio, I did listen to some sound demos/comparisons online of the BX5 D3 and honestly thought they sounded a bit muffled. The 3020i seem to receive a lot of good feedback and they look very good while also being smaller than most other passive speakers I've seen.

Concerning the KEF LS50, I assume @phoenixdogfan was referring to used ones... Not my cup of tea, I want to buy new and with (at least) two years warranty. Saw the KEF Q350 for 399€ but that's already too overboard from what I'm willing to spend, especially since I would still need to spend around ~150€ on an AMP.


So, summarizing, if I were to go the Volt+ D + passive speakers route, is there a better option than the 3020i?

It sounds like you are pretty set with the 3020i, so you should just go for it! I don't think you'll regret it.

That said, have you looked at the ELAC Debut 2.0? Measurements are even better, though I think they're super ugly =]

Can't help but comment on a couple of other things too

I know it may seem useful when comparing several speakers and like it's better than nothing, but the online sound comparison is not only going to be essentially useless for knowing how the speakers will actually sound, it may also be misleading.

The only way such a comparison might be useful is if the video is comparing one speaker to another you already know very well. Or, in theory, if you knew you had super neutral speakers, and the video were recorded with a perfectly neutral microphone setup and ensured

As it stands, a difference of just 1 or 2 dB can be enough to make a speaker go from neutral to bright or dark in a recording, and your headphones and sepakers are almost certainly not neutral enough to convey the reality.
 
OP
RSC08

RSC08

Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2020
Messages
15
Likes
2
I actually looked into the ELAC as well but the seller on Amazon.es doesn't ship to my country, so I stopped reading about them. The 3020i so far are getting to the top of the list since they tick almost all my boxes but, still, I'm open to other suggestions.

Regarding the youtube demos, etc... You're totally right, but at least I get some sound comparisons out of it, even if they are not super trustworthy. But, for example, the Yamaha HSx on youtube demos gave me the same exact impression I had when I listened to them live.

You think there's anything better than the Volt+ D at that price point? Also what cables do you recommend? I never had passive speakers.
 
OP
RSC08

RSC08

Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2020
Messages
15
Likes
2
The QA Concept 20 seem to be even better than the QA 30xx and are about the same price as the 3020i.
 

Evenor

Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 1, 2019
Messages
26
Likes
8
Dali spektor 1 and 2 are two are really good low budget passive speakers. There is also a Dali Zensor 1ax active that's great. They're surprisingly dynamic and detailed, but lack the finer details and bass of better and bigger speakers.

I was at my local hifi store today and listened to everything from B&W 800 driven by 1000w monoblocks, the Dali flagship, and several lower end speakers. The cheapest Dali speakers are able to convey the enjoyment of music very well even after listening to some of the worlds best speakers.
 

Chromatischism

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 5, 2020
Messages
4,765
Likes
3,703
Honestly though, if I were you I would sell that DAC and get better speakers. A $2,000 DAC is overkill for what you're looking for, and your speakers should pretty much always cost more than your gear unless you're sure you have the speakers you want. I assume you're also using the DAC for headphones, but you could probably find something cheaper you'll be happy with
Holy crap I didn't notice it was so expensive. I think we need to reevaluate our priorities. Definitely put some cash toward the Adam T5V.
 

napilopez

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 17, 2018
Messages
2,109
Likes
8,420
Location
NYC
The QA Concept 20 seem to be even better than the QA 30xx and are about the same price as the 3020i.

Yes, the Concept 20 is objectively better. On the whole they are very similar, but I've used the 3020i and Concept 20 side by side, and measured both speakers; the Concept 20 came ahead in both regards.

Didn't see that it was the same price in amazon.es, so I'd definitely go with the concept 20 if it's in your budget.

For reference:

3020i frequency response:
3020i Horizontal.png


Concept 20 frequency response:
Concept 20 Horizontal.png


Again, Very similar, but you can see that the Concept 20's response is smoother all around.

What I found super interesting measuring these speakers is how even though the shape of the curves is extremely similar, the lines of the concept 20 are smoother/less jagged than the 3020i. This was consistent through several measurements, from my recollection. It's almost as if I'd applied smoothing to the measurements, even though you can see they are using the same 1/24 octave setting. This appears to be an effect of the fancy gelcore cabinet, and as a result the concept 20 just seemed to sound tonally very similar but 'cleaner' somehow.

Jaggedness aside, the Concept 20 shows slightly better directivity performance, in that the off-axis curves are more similar in overall contour to the on-axis. This also surely contributed to the perception of cleaner sound.

Of course, my sound quality impressions can be confirmation bias, but at the very least the measurements make it clear there's no reason not to go for the Concept 20 if the price is close.

I'm not nearly as caught up with amps as I am with speakers because they don't interest me very much, but from what I can see the Volt+D is a very solid budget option. I'll let someone else chime in thoguh.
 
Top Bottom