Looking for active speakers (pc/desktop usage) with lively, vocal-forward sound (prefer walnut/classic look)

[someguyintheinternet]

Hey folks,

I'm looking for active desktop/nearfield speakers for gaming and music (80/20). No surround/home theater, just good stereo sound at my desk. I really like wood finishes, preferably walnut or bamboo, or something with a warm, classic design. Not a fan of plastic. Black is okay only if there's no better alternative. I’m not interested in something like the Kali LP series, great sound maybe, but I don't like the studio monitor look of them, same for speaker like the D3V etc.

Firstly, I'm a noob, so please don't roast me
Secondly, I'm from germany/EU - may this is relevant for the availability of models

Budget:
500€(580USD). Just want the most bang for the buck what align to my soundprofile/taste.

Size:
Definetly the Audioengine A5+ are the max size.

What I like sound-wise:
I love clear, forward vocals and crisp, elevated treblee, not too harsh, but definitely present.
I appreciate bass extension, but it's more about clarity than slam. I’d rather have tight than boomy.
I enjoy a lively, energetic sound that feels engaging and “fun” rather than flat or clinical.
I also care about soundstage/imaging, I don't want anything too narrow or closed-in.

Klipsch RP-600 II and Klipsch RP-8000F II are my main reference. I know a lot of people hate them but I love how lively and forward they sound, with strong vocals and that fun factor. If there's something with a similar tuning in an active speaker, that would be ideal. I'm using them in a (little bit) accoustic treated living room mainly to watch movies and secondly for music.

What I’ve tried:
I’ve listened to the Audioengine A5+ and I liked the bamboo look and the tone in general, but they sounded a bit muddy in the mids, not very precise or engaging. Like some of the vocals/mids a surpressed by noise or other surroundings - don't know how to describe it correct but maybe you get what I mean. Maybe I'm experiencing it like this, because I'm used to Klipsch?

What I think based on research:
-The Nubert nuBoxx A-125 Pro (Nubert is a known german company for auidioequipment) seem neutral/clear, which might be too dry, but I also read they can sound somewhat lively. Not sure if they have enough vocal presence or sparkle for me?! But they are only black, no wood finish..
-The Argon Forte A5 Mk2 seem like a strong contender, they’re described as lively and clear, with a slightly v-shaped tuning. Some say they have crisp highs and decent vocal presence without sounding clinical. Might be close to what I’m looking for. Furthermore they have a wood finish and I really like the design!
-The Argon Forte A4 Mk2 little brother of the A5 - they're described the same as A5 but don't go that deep, so bass is misssing. But they have a great desktop size and WALNUT/WOOD! Really like what I've read about them - maybe this is the right one?
- Kanto YU6 / ORA4 and others like them seem to be hit-or-miss, often sounding a bit bloated or artificial in the mids according to some posts?!
- KEF LSX II LT way over my budget, but also thought about them. But I think I would pay for a lot of featured I dont need.
-Have read about the Edifiers, (R1700BT/1200 etc)but don't know how to classify them

Important:
I'm using a Fiio K11 R2R DAC/AMP with my Beyerdynamic DT990Pro 250 OHM (I've ordered the Fiio some days ago, so can still return). If the speaker doesn't have a digital connection to PC I could use RCA to the Fiio

Would love to hear your thoughts or suggestions based on actual listening impressions or measurements. I'm reallyyyyy struggling to pull thbe trigger for something and way overthinking it :/
Hope you guys can help me out!!

 

[kemmler3D]

If you are doing desktop listening my guess is you are using a computer, so EQ capability is probably there. In that case you should IMO try to find some neutral speakers and EQ the extra treble in yourself.

There is nothing wrong with wanting an other-than-neutral response, but often speakers that aren't neutral out of the box have additional problems like resonances or bad directivity.

So starting with neutral and then using EQ will tend to get you a better result.

If you are willing to consider adding a small amp to your setup the Wharfedale diamond 12.1 could be a really good fit for your brief, also in terms of budget actives, the Edifier MR5 looks promising, but doesn't have a wood finish.

 

[someguyintheinternet]

Thanks for your answer @kemmler3D

So, did I got you correctly: I should go for a neutral speaker, because it doesn't matter - I can just equalize it by myself in the way I want it (Like the Klipsch sound f. e. ). Is this also doable for a noob like me with minimal time-invest? I NEVER touched a EQ in my life, just did in my home theater everything with Audyssey xt32 / Dirac. And I downloaded a set EQ profile for APU equalizer for my Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro ^^

Currently I do have the Audioengine A5+N at home (Got them for 350€), because of that I was able to describe how they sounded to me. Based on this review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/.../audioengine-a5-powered-speaker-review.13803/ they should be fine. To be honest, I do not understand the half of the review because of all the technical stuff - but if I got you right I could just keep them and EQ the thing I described about the vocals/mid out of them?

The Wharfedale diamond 12.1 are looking definetly good - but to be honest, I dont want to have an additional AMP or other stuff at my desk.
What do you think about the Nubert nuboxx and the others, like A5+N, Argon Forte A5 Mk2 / A4?

Really appreciate your help!

 

[kemmler3D]

Thanks for your answer @kemmler3D

So, did I got you correctly: I should go for a neutral speaker, because it doesn't matter - I can just equalize it by myself in the way I want it (Like the Klipsch sound f. e. ). Is this also doable for a noob like me with minimal time-invest? I NEVER touched a EQ in my life, just did in my home theater everything with Audyssey xt32 / Dirac. And I downloaded a set EQ profile for APU equalizer for my Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro ^^

Currently I do have the Audioengine A5+N at home (Got them for 350€), because of that I was able to describe how they sounded to me. Based on this review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/.../audioengine-a5-powered-speaker-review.13803/ they should be fine. To be honest, I do not understand the half of the review because of all the technical stuff - but if I got you right I could just keep them and EQ the thing I described about the vocals/mid out of them?

The Wharfedale diamond 12.1 are looking definetly good - but to be honest, I dont want to have an additional AMP or other stuff at my desk.
What do you think about the Nubert nuboxx and the others, like A5+N, Argon Forte A5 Mk2 / A4?

Really appreciate your help!

If you are using EQAPO you can easily experiment with your A5N speakers. Also, there is an add-on called Peace EQ which makes it a bit more intuitive to use.

Basically the graphs you want to focus on for this are the on-axis frequency responses. You can try making the A5N sound more like Klipsch by looking at those graphs for each, comparing them, and making a curve with EQ that approximates the difference. Actually I think this will help noticeably. The A5N has somewhat soft treble and the Klipsch has a lot.

You can spend a lot of time on this, but my first suggestion is try a high shelf filter starting around 1-2 khz at +5dB. This isn't exact but will get you closer to the Klipsch. It won't be perfect but see if you like it better that way, and you can make more exact corrections if so.

If you Google there are reviews by Amir and Erin of both of these speakers, so with enough work you can make the Audio engine speaker have more or less the same on axis response as the Klipsch. The Klipsch uses a horn / deep waveguide and the A5N doesn't, so they will never be exactly the same, but you can get closer for sure.

I don't know about the other speakers but I would say look for reviews and compare the graphs (they may or may not exist) to the Klipsch and your own speaker to judge if you will like them.

Good luck!

 

[someguyintheinternet]

Not that you get me wrong: If there are other speakers which are superior I can still return the A5+N Bamboo Edition. Currently they are connected to my Fiio K11 r2r with my headphones (I can also still Return this), as the speakers do not have a digital connection - is this ok so far?
I was just a bit disappointed because of this muddy mids / vocals - like everything is to warmth and not clear - don’t know if I’m describing it right ^^

So, what you suggest is keeping the speaker and fiddle around with the equalizer? Just installed it, it’s a bit overwhelming for me because I don’t know this whole frequency stuff but I will try!! Before I start to setup do I need to measure them in some way?

But still wondering, did I got it correctly that if I have a neutral speaker (Like the ones from the German company Nubert whhich are truely linear / neutral, as many people say here) I could get every sound I want? I thought also the neutral speaker differ from each other in some way. Maybe you are willing to educate me a bit about this?

 

[kemmler3D]

I was just a bit disappointed because of this muddy mids / vocals - like everything is to warmth and not clear - don’t know if I’m describing it right ^^

I get the idea, you are probably missing something between 1-5 khz in particular.

as the speakers do not have a digital connection - is this ok so far?

Probably no issue with this if you don't hear noise or buzzing.

did I got it correctly that if I have a neutral speaker (Like the ones from the German company Nubert whhich are truely linear / neutral, as many people say here) I could get every sound I want?

Yes and no. A neutral speaker is more like a blank canvas and is hopefully less likely to have additional problems that would prevent you from changing the sound to your liking.

There are things EQ can't change, distortion is one. The speaker also radiates sound in 3D, with a certain pattern that affects its sound in the room, depending on the shape of that pattern. EQ can't do anything about that pattern, it can only change the audio going into the speaker.

EQ can still do a lot to mold the sound of the speaker to your preference, though.

So, what you suggest is keeping the speaker and fiddle around with the equalizer? Just installed it, it’s a bit overwhelming for me because I don’t know this whole frequency stuff but I will try!!

Yes, try it first before thinking about buying a different speaker.



There is a lot of info about using EQ here and there is also good documentation on it online, take your time.

Before I start to setup do I need to measure them in some way?

For this it's fine to do it by ear. Measuring is necessary for room correction but not tone control. Try to use very wide filters, more than a few khz and it should be ok.

 

[Penelinfi]

You say you like klipsch

 

[someguyintheinternet]

You say you like klipsch

View attachment 460027

Would love to use them - unfortunately they are way to big for my desktop.

 

[Penelinfi]

Would love to use them - unfortunately they are way to big for my desktop.

Really? They are 3cm higher than the Audioengine a5+ you are considering, the same depth, and are less wide.
The only real limitation is if you have a bookshelf type height limitation that is exactly 27.5cm

 

[someguyintheinternet]

Really? They are 3cm higher than the Audioengine a5+ you are considering, the same depth, and are less wide.
The only real limitation is if you have a bookshelf type height limitation that is exactly 27.5cm

Oh, you are completly right, thanks for pointing out!!
Now I only need to find some for 500€ - they are selled for 700 at my place

The a5 feels already a bit off / clunky at the desktop, hopefully they won’t add much to that even if it’s only 3cm.

Do you think it’s better to use them instead of neutral speakers and EQ them?

Can I use the Kanto desktop stands for them? SE6 or SP6HD? Not sure about the sizes!

 

[Penelinfi]

Oh, you are completly right, thanks for pointing out!!
Now I only need to find some for 500€ - they are selled for 700 at my place

The a5 feels already a bit off / clunky at the desktop, hopefully they won’t add much to that even if it’s only 3cm.

Do you think it’s better to use them instead of neutral speakers and EQ them?

Can I use the Kanto desktop stands for them? SE6 or SP6HD? Not sure about the sizes!

The Klipsch Fives aren't terrible with neutrality - they have a bit of extra treble rise, slight bass bump and Erin's Audio Corner (full Klippel measurements there) says a little bit of resonance at 500-800Hz? Otherwise the off axis is great horizontally, has typical two way vertical response so keep within 20 degrees. Should be EQ'able.

The woofer is apparently only 4.5", so a little smaller than some options.

Ideally you could listen to them or trail them perhaps. Harder to do at a shop these days

SE6 desktop stands Speaker resting surface measures 5.3” wide by 7.4” deep
SP6HD should be ok too.

I do wonder if there are cheaper options though as $100+ AUD for desktop stands seems high.

 

[someguyintheinternet]

Thanks for the explanation. Will give it a try to get some Klipsch the fives used - I do also love the walnut wood finish of them

I looked some desktopstands up, but there aren’t much (maybe I’m googling wrong, dunno) - most of them aren’t capable to hold the speakers because of the weight limit, lol.
Most of the people recommended this kanto stands (I think mainly because they are more known in this desktop audio niche - if I can call it like this).

But I’m very happy guys that you are so open and willing to help - most of the time I get roasted because I like Klipsch / my home theatre is with Klipsch.

I definitely need to look up some information in this forum about this whole EQ and frequency topic - would like to understand this more and use it (even with a strange listening taste lol )

 

[kemmler3D]

I definitely need to look up some information in this forum about this whole EQ and frequency topic - would like to understand this more and use it (even with a strange listening taste lol )

The best way is to download and set up Peace EQ and just start playing with it. You will hear the result instantly and start to see how it works. From there you can look at a tutorial or so and then try adding filters more deliberately to get your current speakers closer to your preference. Really only takes 15 minutes or so.