Need help with speakers: ELAC B5 w/ BIC America f12 vs Vanatoo T1

[RexAevum]

I have narrowed down my decision for my desk speaker setup:

A) Powered studio monitors: Vanatoo T1

B) Speakers: ELAC b5 (was considering Wavecrest HVL-1 as alternatives)

    Amp: SMSL 98e

    Sub: BIC America F12

 

Can I get some opinions on which choice to go with?!??

Will be used for 40% music, 35% videos and 25% gaming (non-competitive) on a computer desk:

Will appreciate any and all input, other suggestions etc. on what to go with, having a hard time deciding since I do not have a way to hear them in person!

Thanks in advance!

[SSL]

Vanatoo should be a no-brainier here, unless your only goal is "room shaking" bass.

[RexAevum]

22 minutes ago, SSL said:

Vanatoo should be a no-brainier here, unless your only goal is "room shaking" bass.

Thank you for your reply, really appreciate it;

It's really not, what I am looking for is clear sound for music, but I do want some boom to it for games and movies. What is very important to me is soundstage and imaging, way more than how loud the sound can go or how much bass they have + if I want bass I can just get a sub! It's kind of hard to tell from the reviews online which speaker has what since apparently all of them are amazing.

 

You recommend the vanatoo t1 over the elac's then - thank you very much

[SSL]

3 hours ago, RexAevum said:

Thank you for your reply, really appreciate it;

It's really not, what I am looking for is clear sound for music, but I do want some boom to it for games and movies. What is very important to me is soundstage and imaging, way more than how loud the sound can go or how much bass they have + if I want bass I can just get a sub! It's kind of hard to tell from the reviews online which speaker has what since apparently all of them are amazing.

 

You recommend the vanatoo t1 over the elac's then - thank you very much

 

You would definitely be served better by adding a good sub later on. The F12 is okay for home theater but not really serious music reproduction.

 

The T1 are definitely a step above the Elac B5, no question. If they weren't an option, I would suggest the Philharmonic "Affordable Accuracy Monitor" and an integrated stereo amplifier for around $200-300. This would technically be the more "purist/audiophile" option as the T1 uses a direct drive digital amplifier with DSP (so not bitperfect reproduction). But, the footprint difference is significant; the T1 produce deep bass from shoe box size cabinets and connect directly to your computer. They make a lot more sense as high-end computer speakers.

[RexAevum]

24 minutes ago, SSL said:

 

You would definitely be served better by adding a good sub later on. The F12 is okay for home theater but not really serious music reproduction.

 

The T1 are definitely a step above the Elac B5, no question. If they weren't an option, I would suggest the Philharmonic "Affordable Accuracy Monitor" and an integrated stereo amplifier for around $200-300. This would technically be the more "purist/audiophile" option as the T1 uses a direct drive digital amplifier with DSP (so not bitperfect reproduction). But, the footprint difference is significant; the T1 produce deep bass from shoe box size cabinets and connect directly to your computer. They make a lot more sense as high-end computer speakers.

 

Thank you, just ordered the T1!!!

[Dackzy]

I agree with SSL that the Vantoo T1s are the better of those two options, but for normal bookshelf speakers I would suggest the Monitor Audio Bronze 2, I have found them to a be step above the T1s, but you need a decent integrated amp, which is going to run you about 250-300$

[Lays]

2 hours ago, SSL said:

 

You would definitely be served better by adding a good sub later on. The F12 is okay for home theater but not really serious music reproduction.

 

The T1 are definitely a step above the Elac B5, no question. If they weren't an option, I would suggest the Philharmonic "Affordable Accuracy Monitor" and an integrated stereo amplifier for around $200-300. This would technically be the more "purist/audiophile" option as the T1 uses a direct drive digital amplifier with DSP (so not bitperfect reproduction). But, the footprint difference is significant; the T1 produce deep bass from shoe box size cabinets and connect directly to your computer. They make a lot more sense as high-end computer speakers.

Agreed, I have an F12 and it's not so great for music, it can have some chuffing issues at higher volumes, and it's not very quick when it comes to certain music it seems like it becomes sort of 1 note-ish, I like my HRS-8 a lot more, it seems to get lower as well.  I need to re-seal it but I'm not quite sure how.  It's leaking a tiny bit of air out of the back where the plate amp is when the bass hits.

 

Once I got my HRS-8 I moved the F12 into the front room for our living room, it's much better suited out there for movies and TV.

 

I have been thinking about getting something high end from SVS but not sure where to go from here.

[SSL]

6 hours ago, Lays said:

Agreed, I have an F12 and it's not so great for music, it can have some chuffing issues at higher volumes, and it's not very quick when it comes to certain music it seems like it becomes sort of 1 note-ish, I like my HRS-8 a lot more, it seems to get lower as well.  I need to re-seal it but I'm not quite sure how.  It's leaking a tiny bit of air out of the back where the plate amp is when the bass hits.

 

Once I got my HRS-8 I moved the F12 into the front room for our living room, it's much better suited out there for movies and TV.

 

I have been thinking about getting something high end from SVS but not sure where to go from here.

 

SB-2000 might be an improvement, but SVS is hard to find for a good price used in my experience.

[RexAevum]

Since i went with the Vanatoos i will hold off on adding a sub for now, but in the future, I might want to add something for that extra rumble - I was considering the f12 because i heard it was great for the money. Any other sub in the 200 - 300 range that is better than it (sub is mainly for music and games)?

[SSL]

19 minutes ago, RexAevum said:

Since i went with the Vanatoos i will hold off on adding a sub for now, but in the future, I might want to add something for that extra rumble - I was considering the f12 because i heard it was great for the money. Any other sub in the 200 - 300 range that is better than it (sub is mainly for music and games)?

 

I would shoot for something used in that price range. Like a Sunfire HRS-8 or similar sealed-box design.

[RexAevum]

48 minutes ago, SSL said:

 

I would shoot for something used in that price range. Like a Sunfire HRS-8 or similar sealed-box design.

 

Thanks, gonna get the speakers and test them out to see how it works in my room - if I notice that the bass is really not enough i will looking into getting a sub, probably at a later time (since i need to get the new 1080 Ti first), Once i get to choosing a sub - will come back with some questions, hope it's not a bother; thanks a lot for helping me with the decision, was stuck for a while deciding.