Desktop speaker recommendations?

[Entropy.]

Hullo, 

          I've been looking in to replacing my current bookshelf speakers for other nearfield speakers. My desk dimensions and current setup are below. I'll be 1/12- 3 feet away from my monitors, I'll usually be around 2-2 1/2 feet away. My budget is around $1000-$1200 for a set of speakers+ and amp, perhaps a dac, and cables (soft limit). I don't care about having powered monitors, I don't particularly care about looks as long as the speaker isn't hideous and comes in a fairly neutral color. I prefer a neutral, warm, or perhaps slightly dark sound, bright isn't preferred but it'll work. No extreme smileys please, lol. I'll likely be augmenting these speakers with up to two 10' subs. If you need any extra information, please ask. Have any recommendations for speakers? 
 

What I'm currently considering (preferred on top): 
-ILoud MTM's

-XTZ spirt 4's

-Tannoy gold 7's/8's 

-Yamaha HS8's

-Aperion Novus's 

-Klipsch the fives/sixes

-Maybe kef q350's??

-SMSL AD18

-Some adam speakers? 

-Maybe Kanto Yu speakers or their Tuks?

Ty  

[Colty]

Honestly, for that price, wait and grab a home theater setup off Craigslist. If you need something to hold you over, buy what you need and a set of decent bookshelf speakers, then wait. You can never really go wrong with Klipsch though. 

[Entropy.]

2 minutes ago, Colty said:

Honestly, for that price, wait and grab a home theater setup off Craigslist. If you need something to hold you over, buy what you need and a set of decent bookshelf speakers, then wait. You can never really go wrong with Klipsch though. 

I'm switching over from r-41pm's. I'm listening nearfield and I'm concerned mostly with listening, so a home theatre speakers wouldn't really make sense. 

[Derkoli]

If you're listening this close, and chucking subwoofers into the mix, the Neumann KH80 DSP's would be my recommendation, fed by an audio interface. They're small, but thoroughly excellent speakers. They only have a 4" woofer, but it's fed by a 120W peak, 70W RMS amplifier and is controlled by DSP. As is the tweeter. If you really want to get into networking your speakers, you can do that and have full control over their DSP. They also can sit happily at 108 dB so volume isn't really an issue.

 

They also measure nearly ruler flat.

 

 

Amirm also measured them within +-0.6dB so Neumann isn't lying.

 

 

Sweetwater is probably your best bet to buy them.

 

Obviously, you need two: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KH80--neumann-kh-80-dsp-4-inch-powered-studio-monitor

 

 

As for the Audio Interface, something like the MOTU M4 would be a great pick.

[Entropy.]

3 hours ago, Derkoli said:

If you're listening this close, and chucking subwoofers into the mix, the Neumann KH80 DSP's would be my recommendation, fed by an audio interface. They're small, but thoroughly excellent speakers. They only have a 4" woofer, but it's fed by a 120W peak, 70W RMS amplifier and is controlled by DSP. As is the tweeter. If you really want to get into networking your speakers, you can do that and have full control over their DSP. They also can sit happily at 108 dB so volume isn't really an issue.

 

They also measure nearly ruler flat.

 

 

Amirm also measured them within +-0.6dB so Neumann isn't lying.

 

 

Sweetwater is probably your best bet to buy them.

 

Obviously, you need two: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KH80--neumann-kh-80-dsp-4-inch-powered-studio-monitor

 

 

As for the Audio Interface, something like the MOTU M4 would be a great pick.

They look nice for monitoring, but I'll be listening for enjoyment rather than mixing, so accuracy isn't the primary selling point for me. You think these still hold up for that? 

[H713]

Out of curiosity, do you know what you do (or do not) like in speakers? Those Neumanns are an engineering feat to be sure, but beyond a certain point getting an ultra-flat response curve isn't particularly meaningful. I've never listened to the Neumanns, but being ruler-flat (and not tilted down at all) I suspect they're going to be on the bright side for pleasure listening.

 

It's probably out of your budget, but the Revel M105s also measure very well. I have not used them, however, they're using very good drivers (SB Acoustics aluminum cone woofer with the SB26ADC aluminum dome tweeter). So long as they didn't butcher the crossover (and from Amir's measurements, it doesn't look like they did), they're going to perform well. Things aren't all merry with the M105 though- I've attached the impedance graph. It's not the worst I've seen, but you'll want to pair this with a good amplifier. 

 

I also feel a need to pitch the "alternative" option, if you're good at woodworking, which would be something like the Zaph ZD5, which uses the superb ScanSpeak 5" Relevator woofer.

http://www.zaphaudio.com/ZD5.html

 

 

[Entropy.]

8 minutes ago, H713 said:

Out of curiosity, do you know what you do (or do not) like in speakers? Those Neumanns are an engineering feat to be sure, but beyond a certain point getting an ultra-flat response curve isn't particularly meaningful. I've never listened to the Neumanns, but being ruler-flat (and not tilted down at all) I suspect they're going to be on the bright side for pleasure listening.

 

Okay, yeah. So when I listen for enjoyment, I'm definitively looking for great imaging and soundstage, just speakers that can "bring the music alive" if you will. I don't particularly care about having extremely accurate monitors, as long as the sound curve of the speakers I'm listening to aren't near the point of stupidity, and I enjoy how they sound, I could care less. I usually listen to lofi, jazz, rap, hip hop, some edm and sometimes pop (think Michael Jackson), so I don't particularly lean towards a single sound signature. However, I somewhat dislike peircing highs and I feel like most speakers that are capable of producing highs that some would call "sparkly" are generally nuisances, especially when I'm listening to lofi, hip-hop (or songs that might not be mixed extremely well). So, I prefer my treble pretty neutral, but I don't care if It's a little bright or dark. As I like Bass and I listen at lower volumes most of the time, I prefer a bass boost, but since I plan to augment my speakers with subs, and I don't want the speaker to sound muddy when playing at higher volumes, I don't really care. 

Yes sorry, my opinion is pretty subjective. 

[H713]

3 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

Okay, yeah. So when I listen for enjoyment, I'm definitively looking for great imaging and soundstage, just speakers that can "bring the music alive" if you will. I don't particularly care about having extremely accurate monitors, as long as the sound curve of the speakers I'm listening to aren't near the point of stupidity, and I enjoy how they sound, I could care less. I usually listen to lofi, jazz, rap, hip hop, some edm and sometimes pop (think Michael Jackson), so I don't particularly lean towards a single sound signature. However, I somewhat dislike peircing highs and I feel like most speakers that are capable of producing highs that some would call "sparkly" are generally nuisances, especially when I'm listening to lofi, hip-hop (or songs that might not be mixed extremely well). So, I prefer my treble pretty neutral, but I don't care if It's a little bright or dark. As I like Bass and I listen at lower volumes most of the time, I prefer a bass boost, but since I plan to augment my speakers with subs, and I don't want the speaker to sound muddy when playing at higher volumes, I don't really care. 

Yes sorry, my opinion is pretty subjective. 

From what you're describing, You're going to want to avoid B&W and Klipsch speakers, which in my experience (and I'm far from the only one to have this opinion) are pretty bright. 

[Entropy.]

2 minutes ago, H713 said:

From what you're describing, You're going to want to avoid B&W and Klipsch speakers, which in my experience (and I'm far from the only one to have this opinion) are pretty bright. 

heheh. Well, wouldn't you have it, but I demoed some 607's a while back, and I really liked them, and I'm currently running klipsch r-41pm's. Oh well. 

[geo3]

What about the Kali Audio in8? They're powered, $400 each, so $800 a pair. They are a very neutral studio monitor but have built in tone controls and other options to mess with the sound. You could get those and get a dac and pre for around 200 within your budget.

 

https://www.amazon.com/KALI-AUDIO-8-Studio-Monitor/dp/B07ZHN654L

[Derkoli]

Hm, if you don't want overly analytical Studio Monitors, then someone like Revel, as suggested already, might be right up your alley.

 

The Edifier S3000 Pro's would most likely be a really good bet aswell, when combined with a good, balanced output DAC like the Topping D30.