speaker suggestion student house

[nmoiras]

Hi all,

I m looking to buy a set of speakers for my daughter's new university house. They will be placed on the sides of the TV (hence hdmi arc) and serve as tv speakers and a music system.

Small house decent sound and minimal connections/cables is the requirement. No amp/passive as I will be in another city . Dont want to throw in more than 500 euros either.

Had a look around to see if there is anything new and what I saw was the fenris a4 from argon audio. Downside is no spotify connect etc but only bluetooth.
I guess she can live with that.

Any other suggestions around this proce range (400 eur)?

Thanks in advance,

 

[DanielT]

How big is the room?

Is it one of those student dorm common living rooms where several students gather? Where many people gather and watch movies, series, listen to music and party?

Or are these speakers for your daughter's own listening room?

Conditions determine what is appropriate to get.

 

[nmoiras]

hi,

small one bedroom apartment. around 17 sqm living room.

 

[DanielT]

Ok, we can give you some advice on the active speakers themselves. The question is mostly about functions. TV speakers and music (Spotify). Okay so far, but then, should everything go via the TV, even Spotify that is controlled via a smart TV? , out to the speakers?

Integrating TV with HiFi is not my thing so I'll pass the baton to someone with more experience in that. I pushed your thread up anyway so it got attention. Always something.

By the way, how much film/series vs music does your daughter devote herself to? I mean mostly film so the most reasonable thing should be a fairly good AVR with subwoofer (is mandatory when watching action films, I think) and satellite speakers should be possible to get, at least if she can imagine used. However, maybe not AVR since you said that only active speakers are relevant.

 

[staticV3]

@nmoiras

Two options that I found from reputable manufacturers:

REN Reference Desktop Computer Speakers | Kanto Audio

ORA bridges the gap between computer speakers and studio monitors giving you studio-grade sound in a compact package that fits on your desktop

www.kantoaudio.com

NEUMI BS5P-ARC Powered Bookshelf Speakers | NEUMITECH

www.neumitech.com

The Neumi has been measured:

Measurements for speaker Neumi BS5P-ARC

www.spinorama.org

And the Kanto should perform similarly to the Yu6 measured here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...kanto-yu6-measurements-powered-monitor.27342/

 

[TurtlePaul]

I don’t know pricing in Europe, but if the TV has volume controlled RCA outputs I would hook them up to a pair of JBL 306p, which you can get for $300 a pair right now in the US.

 

[nmoiras]

Thanks,

No need to overthink.

The request is for a decent set of actives around 400eur for music with at least a good bluetooth. Thanks guys!

 

[DanielT]

I don’t know pricing in Europe, but if the TV has volume controlled RCA outputs I would hook them up to a pair of JBL 306p, which you can get for $300 a pair right now in the US.

Or these plus an external Bluetooth receiver, should be possible to get within TS budget:

'Adam T5V Review (Studio Monitor)'

Dec 5, 2020

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Adam T5V Powered Speaker. It was kindly purchased new by a member and drop shipped to me. The T5V costs US $200 each.

Much like the rest of Adam speakers, the T5V has a serious look to it:

Back panel shows good connectivity and usual controls:

Measurements that you are about to see were performed using the Klippel Near-field Scanner (NFS). This is a robotic measurement system that analyzes the speaker all around and is able (using advanced mathematics and dual scan) to subtract room reflections (so where...

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• 

 

[Power Pop 23]

Thanks,

No need to overthink.

The request is for a decent set of actives around 400eur for music with at least a good bluetooth. Thanks guys!

Kudos for searching for two active speakers for stereo playback instead of relying on a soundbar system.

 

[thunderchicken]

Saw “college house” and immediately thought of the b-stock Harbinger PA I bought from Guitar Center for $300. That was a party system.

 

[nmoiras]

follow up:

I decided to go for the fenris a4. Received them today and tried them before i deliver to their new owner.

They look NICE. finish is good. The photos on the site do not do them justice.

Sound via bluetooth was surprisingly good. I put them on top of my existing house system (bluesound edge, elac DB53, Nubert nusub xw-800).
Played spotify via bluetooth (vs spotify connect on the bs).

Honest opinion? apart from the obvious lack of lows......my existing system does not justify the 3x price . I really like the clarity in voices.Maybe even better for my 50+ yrs ears.

The bigger brother with the small argon audio sub may be fantastic.

​

 

[DanielT]

follow up:

I decided to go for the fenris a4. Received them today and tried them before i deliver to their new owner.

They look NICE. finish is good. The photos on the site do not do them justice.

Sound via bluetooth was surprisingly good. I put them on top of my existing house system (bluesound edge, elac DB53, Nubert nusub xw-800).
Played spotify via bluetooth (vs spotify connect on the bs).

Honest opinion? apart from the obvious lack of lows......my existing system does not justify the 3x price . I really like the clarity in voices.Maybe even better for my 50+ yrs ears.

The bigger brother with the small argon audio sub may be fantastic.



View attachment 479841

​

Your daughter will most likely be satisfied.

You might like the sound better if you have speakers placed at the height that the FENRIS A4 is in the picture vs. how your Elac DB53 are placed?
The FENRIS A4 seems to be, if you sit on a sofa/armchair more at "normal" listening height.Or am I seeing things wrong now? In any case, the dispersion pattern on FENRIS A4/Elac DB53 and how they are placed is of course of enormous importance for how you experience the sound.

It is of course possible that the Argon Audio FENRIS A4 are good, maybe really good speakers. Here is information about them:

FENRIS A4

Compact, great-sounding Active Speaker. Bluetooth, HDMI connectivity, and advanced integrated amplifier. Unmatched clarity & dynamics at an affordable price.

argonaudio.com

I think Argon Audio has gotten better over the years. @Ageve knows more about that. He has tested a few different Argon Audio speakers. However, I don't think he tested the FENRIS A4.

Then you touch on an interesting question about how much you think it's worth spending on hi-fi, or if you want to call it:

Spoiler: Diminishing Returns

.

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I'm so happy that members are actively participating and discussing my questions together. I love conversations.

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