Hey guys, Long story short, my Corsair SP2500's decided to fry themselves and they're out of warranty so it's probably not worth paying the price to get them fixed, so I'm back in the market for a new pair of speakers. I am looking for a combination of clarity and power, though as they will mostly be used for music I would prefer clarity over stupidly overwhelming bass. If you could offer any suggestions, that would be great. If you need any more information, I would be happy to help! Thanks. EDIT: I'd be willing to go up to around £200 for a T-Amp and Bookshelf speakers, but unfortunately I know nothing about them at all so I'd need to have my hand held!
Slightly above your budget but the Ageo M would be a great choice, superb sound quality and very high quality construction. http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/#!aego/cgnd
Look at 2.0 active speakers (integrated amp). The crossover of cheap(ish) subs doesn't tend to work out to well. Microlab does some excellent value for money stuff.
I would suggest a pair of KRK monitor: http://www.thomann.de/gb/krk_rp6_rokit_g3.htm EDIT: Jeez, just realized that those KRK cost £150 for a single unit
If you're looking for clarity in a nearfield environment (ie a desk) you won't be very well suited by bookshelf hifi speakers (which are designed for sitting a few feet away at least). When you're that close you tend to get a muddy or unbalanced sound. Instead, look at powered monitor speakers. For your budget, M-audio AV40 (£95) M-audio BX-5D2 (£125) http://www.gak.co.uk/en/m-audio-bx-5d2/55014 PreSonus ERIS E4.5 (£139 Scan) Alesis M1 Active 520 (£179 GAK) Behringer Truths last generation http://www.gak.co.uk/en/behringer-b2030a-truths/1133 or new updated version http://www.gak.co.uk/en/behringer-truth-b1030a-active-pair/27029 if you want seriously pro performance get the Truths -- I have used a pair of these in the recording studio and they are a solid recommendation from most pro audio guys. Only downside is they are a little large for a desk really... or you'd need a big desk. They are powerful and will shake your room if turned up enough, but being studio monitors they have balanced sound and the bass isn't emphasised. If you are after something a bit more "conservative" and hifi instead of pro audio, then perhaps a used pair of Audioengine A5 or A5+ shouldn't be much more than £150 these days. They are rear ported and as such they suffer from being a bit bassy if they're not placed optimally, but their clarity is superb otherwise (I have some which I have enjoyed a lot). Alternatively the A2 for a smaller pair (they do lack in punchy low bass though as you'd expect from that size, better with a small sub).
As noted above, AV40s are great. I have no other monitors to compare them with. Downside is a serious lack of bass, but the sound is very clear and tight.
If you can still find them: Canon SV-15a. EDIT: here's a pair on eBay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CANON-BOO...s_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&autorefresh=true Five hours left. Seriously: buy them now. Still available here and there: Audica MPS-1 (eBay; £100,-- to £150,--).
I was initially looking at getting a Topping TP20 and the Q Acoustics Q2020i, but I am now very interested in the Behringer. My main concern is I've heard lots of word on their lack of reliability, but also that they've improved greatly recently. Is using the Behringer's as simple as plugging power and an RCA cable into them using a 3.5mm to RCA connector, or RCA to RCA if your sound card allows it? Similarly with anything else you'd want to plug into them like a PS3, 360, older consoles etc. I apologise for not replying to this thread yesterday, it slipped my mind to check. Thanks to everyone else for suggestions!
I can't really comment on Behringer's reliability but in my experience their products are always well made (though built to a budget), plenty of respect in the pro-audio world but none in the home audio sides of things. Too utilitarian for hifi enthusiasts usually As for connections, yes RCA to RCA is fine (and so too is a 3.5mm to twin RCA cable - though these are often wired in reverse stereo for some weird reason). Being studio monitors they're designed for audio interfaces hence the XLR (balanced) and RCA (unbalanced) inputs. For anyone looking at studio monitors just bear in mind that they are usually designed to sound neutral and to add as little colouration to the sound as possible - so lack of bass or a "boring" sound is a common complaint when expecting them to sound like hifi speakers with scooped mid ranges. If desperate, it can easily be remedied by using the trim controls on the rear to boost the bass, or by adding an EQ at the source. On the bright side, they are designed for listening closely (both physically and figuratively), with an ideal "sweet spot" for solo listening (vs hifi speakers in a room which have wider and less accurate focal points for multiple listeners)... I'd recommend demoing some if you live near a pro-audio / music shop. I'm not sure what the return policy is from places like GAK or Thomann.de on a simple "changed my mind" basis (some places let you buy multiple items and return the ones you didn't like).
The behringer requires either an XLR cable or a mono 6.3mm jack, one per side. They are excellent value for money (in my case even more so, as I got them 2nd hand for £70/pair). On the other hand, they are pretty large, much more so than your previous SP2500. The SP2500 satellites are 108 x 120 x 159 mm, the Truths are 317 x 214 x 214 mm. Source: I own them
The size isn't too much of an issue, though I would like to hear your thoughts on how they sound. I mostly listen to Power Metal and 80s New Wave, so productions values are generally through the roof. One thing I've noticed even with cheap £30 Sennheiser headphones is that all of my PC speakers tend to miss a lot of the little background noises and extra stuff going on. Are studio monitors more likely to pick up on that stuff than a Hi-Fi system? I much prefer being able to hear those kinds of things, but I'm also not overly keen on headphones as a whole.
The Canon SV-15a's (you know, the one you just missed) is used as sound studio monitor speakers all over the world. I have a pair; I have never heard any media speakers sound better. Not the Audica MPS-1, not Harman Kardon's, not anything. Each speaker comes with its own cast-aluminium housed individual amp clipped on the back. It's a work of sheer elegance. Could have picked yourself up an almost legendary set of speakers for less than £45,--...
Unfortunately, I was at work so by the time I looked it was too late! It was also untested and the seller has relisted them.
Sound is subjective of course, but one thing anyone can agree on with studio monitors is that they are POWERFUL. They are throwing a lot of SPL at you, so you can almost feel impacts (like the kick you get with a sub) and when new instruments come into the mix they can startle you. And yes, those sorts of details are usually very nicely picked out as monitors are used for "revealing all". Stereo spread is impeccable and decent ones let you hear the tiny shifts as instruments are panned or faded across channels. It's basically the tool a professional producer/mixer is going to be using to finalise their recordings so you can guarantee the detail is there. The major reason they haven't caught on in home hifi is that they aren't flattering - bad recordings will sound bad, good recordings will sound good.
You're doing a very good job of convincing me! It appears that I have to provide the power cables myself? Which isn't a problem, just like to be able to plan ahead!