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Looking to replace desk speaker setup (2.0/2.1)

n00by

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Aug 9, 2023
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First of all I want to thank Amir and others on this forum for the excellent wealth of information being provided here! There's so much great information to learn from, freely available for anyone to see, it's awesome! I've always disliked the mumbo jumbo snake oil talk surrounding audio and I subscribe to the philosophy that all can be explained using science and measurements, even if we don't exactly understand how yet.

I currently have a pair of Adam Audio A77X's that I'm looking to replace. Reasons for wanting to replace them are that they are pretty large and unwieldy, making it difficult to have the display setup that I'd like at my PC. As well as the hiss they produce and idle power consumption (20~25W per speaker). Also I'd like a seperate subwoofer this time, as that would mean that the speakers can be smaller and that I get more low-end extension. Their extremely narrow vertical directivity is undesirable at times. At the time I selected these speakers based on A/B testing in store against various other monitors and loved them, particularly their "big" sound thanks to their low end extension (38Hz f3 anechoic from memory) which is something I particularly enjoy in electronic music. Though I also listen to various other kinds of music like rock, metal, jazz and more. At the time I didn't want to get a subwoofer, but my reasoning for that was flawed and I don't see it that way anymore now. As such, I do expect to use a subwoofer to achieve considerable low end extension.

Things I'd like in my new speakers/wishlist:
  • Smaller
  • Seperate subwoofer (likely)
  • Lower frequency extension
  • No hiss when no sound is playing
  • Automatic standby (in case of active speaker)
Oh and I don't listen at high volume, typical is 70dB-ish and around 80dB is already very high. If I go for passive speakers, there's a high likelyhood I'll end up getting something like a miniDSP in the future. Budget is not fixed, cheaper is always better of course, but I'd like to stay below €1500ish?

I've always visually liked the idea of coaxial speakers, but over the last few years as I've learned more about speaker design and related science, I've also grown the love the idea of their directivity qualities in all directions. Though I'm not married to coaxials, so if their are great non-coaxial options I'd love to hear about them as well. One particularly interesting non-coaxial option to me is the Neumann KH120 (or perhaps even KH80). Another option is the Adam T5V (+ T10S) or one from their V line of speakers, as I've always highly enjoyed the A77X's.

For coaxials I've really only found Kef speakers that seem to fit the bill, though none of them are particularly small. The Q150/Q350 don't seem great, and I haven't seen much yet from the Q1/Q3 Meta's. The Q Conerto Meta looks excellent, but is rather large.

So far I haven't been able to dive in to subwoofers yet, but I'm sure that's gonna be it's own research project :D

Any tips/opinions/input is highly appreciated!
 
I would look at the following if you haven't already. There are some great small (ish) desktop options. Personally I have larger powered monitors on floorstanding stands just on either side of my desk.
Lower cost option: Vanatoo Transparent Zero or Transparent One.
Higher cost option: Genelec 8320A with a competent balanced DAC (something like Topping D50 III or Motu M2/M4).
I can't provide much advice on desktop subwoofer options, but I'm optimistic with good front mains you would reconsider needing one. I'm content without one.
 
I have kh80 with 2 8inch subs and this setup is great.
 
I would look at the following if you haven't already. There are some great small (ish) desktop options. Personally I have larger powered monitors on floorstanding stands just on either side of my desk.
Lower cost option: Vanatoo Transparent Zero or Transparent One.
Higher cost option: Genelec 8320A with a competent balanced DAC (something like Topping D50 III or Motu M2/M4).
I can't provide much advice on desktop subwoofer options, but I'm optimistic with good front mains you would reconsider needing one. I'm content without one.
Thanks for the suggestions! The Vanatoo seem to be US only, and they don't particularly pique my interest. The Genelecs look very good indeed, definitely worth considering alongside the Neumanns. I think either I'd go with the matching sub from the manufacturer for ease of matching. I hear you on the need for a sub, and I'll certainly try without (if nothing else just for the sake of curiosity), but I can't see myself not longing for one with small speakers.

I have kh80 with 2 8inch subs and this setup is great.
Great to hear, thanks :D
 
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