Need Active Speaker Suggestions

[3 Minute Reviewer]

Hey there! I am getting an AT-LP120 soon and I am looking for some active speakers to go with it. The turntable already has a build in preamp hence why I only need the speakers. I don't need particularly loud speakers, just want really good ones in the $200-$300 range. Any suggestions would be great!

[vong]

45 minutes ago, kmathieu2220 said:

Hey there! I am getting an AT-LP120 soon and I am looking for some active speakers to go with it. The turntable already has a build in preamp hence why I only need the speakers. I don't need particularly loud speakers, just want really good ones in the $200-$300 range. Any suggestions would be great!

I can recommend the Presonus Eris E5's. They have really nice mids.

[NoCarrier]

42 minutes ago, vong said:

I can recommend the Presonus Eris E5's. They have really nice mids.

I agree.   I had a pair of E5s with the presonus T10 sub, packed a lot of power in that package, nice and clean too.

 

you can get a great deal on them used, around $160 a pair on ebay.

[Dackzy]

Get the JBL LSR305, pretty much the best active speakers in that price range

[KaminKevCrew]

30 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

Get the JBL LSR305, pretty much the best active speakers in that price range

I agree. However, if OP can spare another $40, the Emotiva Airmotiv 5S are currently on sale for $339, and are arguably a better speaker.

 

Side note: If you can get them for ~$200, the Kanto Yumi is also quite decent. I grabbed a pair of them for my dorm room a week or so ago, and they're more than satisfactory. It's also nice that you can run optical to them in case you ever do decide that you want to run them to your TV or what have you.

[Dackzy]

1 minute ago, KaminKevCrew said:

I agree. However, if OP can spare another $40, the Emotiva Airmotiv 5S are currently on sale for $339, and are arguably a better speaker.

oh really, I did not know that. 340$ is a great price

[3 Minute Reviewer]

@Dackzy @KaminKevCrew I'm just starting the research stage and I'm not sure if the Emotiva will be on sale in the future, so for now I think I'll ask about the JBL. Since I am listening to them attached to a turntable (vinyl records) will they still sound good there? I am not looking to produce/edit music but rather looking for speakers that enjoyable for listening to music, thanks for the help!

[Dackzy]

Just now, kmathieu2220 said:

@Dackzy @KaminKevCrew I'm just starting the research stage and I'm not sure if they will be on sale so for now I think I'll ask about the JBL. Since I am listening to them attached to a turntable (vinyl records) will they still sound good there? I am not looking to produce/edit music but rather looking for speakers that enjoyable for listening to music, thanks for the help!

Yes they will still sound good with a turntable 

[3 Minute Reviewer]

1 minute ago, Dackzy said:

Yes they will still sound good with a turntable 

OKay cool I just wasnt sure if they would be kinda flat since I souldn't be able to really adjust the sound or anything. But I think I am going to go with these, unless of course anyone else has a ground breaking suggestion haha

 

[KaminKevCrew]

3 minutes ago, kmathieu2220 said:

OKay cool I just wasnt sure if they would be kinda flat since I souldn't be able to really adjust the sound or anything. But I think I am going to go with these, unless of course anyone else has a ground breaking suggestion haha

 

A couple of things about the JBL, They don't have a convenient volume control, which might be an issue for you, since I assume your turntable won't have a volume control for the phono pre amp. Another thing is that you would need an RCA to XLR adapter in order to use the JBLs, since they don't have any RCA inputs. 

 

Both of those are reasons that the Kanto Yumi might be a better option (It has a remote control, and it has RCA ins.)

[3 Minute Reviewer]

18 hours ago, KaminKevCrew said:

A couple of things about the JBL, They don't have a convenient volume control, which might be an issue for you, since I assume your turntable won't have a volume control for the phono pre amp. Another thing is that you would need an RCA to XLR adapter in order to use the JBLs, since they don't have any RCA inputs. 

 

Both of those are reasons that the Kanto Yumi might be a better option (It has a remote control, and it has RCA ins.)

The Kanto Yumi just popped up on mass drop at a lowest price of $199 with free shipping - I'm thinking that deal might be too good to pass up especially since the more I thought about it the more I realized I dont have the space for two monitors the size of the JBL - thinking the smaller size, blue tooth, easier volume, easier connection and extra $100 in my pocket will lead me to the Kanto Yumi

 

[KaminKevCrew]

4 hours ago, kmathieu2220 said:

The Kanto Yumi just popped up on mass drop at a lowest price of $199 with free shipping - I'm thinking that deal might be too good to pass up especially since the more I thought about it the more I realized I dont have the space for two monitors the size of the JBL - thinking the smaller size, blue tooth, easier volume, easier connection and extra $100 in my pocket will lead me to the Kanto Yumi

 

Yeah, for sure!

[3 Minute Reviewer]

24 minutes ago, KaminKevCrew said:

Yeah, for sure!

I've got one more question for ya if you dont mind - do you have any idea how these would compare to the audio engine a2+? seem to be a similar speaker that is often recommended as well, just curious if you know much about them otherwise I am more than happy to for the yumis

[KaminKevCrew]

2 hours ago, kmathieu2220 said:

I've got one more question for ya if you dont mind - do you have any idea how these would compare to the audio engine a2+? seem to be a similar speaker that is often recommended as well, just curious if you know much about them otherwise I am more than happy to for the yumis

Well, the Yumi is a 5" speaker. So really, the more apt comparison would be to the A5+. The Yumi will have more bass than the A2+, and they will get a lot louder if you want them to. IIRC, the A2+ doesn't do bluetooth, so if that's something that's important to you, then you should go with the Yumi (which I suggest you do anyway, as they're all around better speakers than the A2+. I would also say that the Yumi is a better speaker than the A5+, since the Audioengine stuff is generally a little bit overpriced, and not altogether worth buying. 

 

Also, the Yumi comes in purple which is pretty sweet.

[3 Minute Reviewer]

1 hour ago, KaminKevCrew said:

Well, the Yumi is a 5" speaker. So really, the more apt comparison would be to the A5+. The Yumi will have more bass than the A2+, and they will get a lot louder if you want them to. IIRC, the A2+ doesn't do bluetooth, so if that's something that's important to you, then you should go with the Yumi (which I suggest you do anyway, as they're all around better speakers than the A2+. I would also say that the Yumi is a better speaker than the A5+, since the Audioengine stuff is generally a little bit overpriced, and not altogether worth buying. 

 

Also, the Yumi comes in purple which is pretty sweet.

You sir have been a fantastic resource, thank you so much for the help and I can't wait to place and order for my yumis! ?

[KaminKevCrew]

1 hour ago, kmathieu2220 said:

You sir have been a fantastic resource, thank you so much for the help and I can't wait to place and order for my yumis! ?

No problem! Glad I could help out!