Recommendation for speakers

[stevenchoi56]

I am looking into shrinking the size of the speakers I use. Currently I'm using the M-audio av40 but I want to get something smaller for a more minimalist design. I don't really have an actual budget but if it helps then maybe around $100 to about $400 would be fine. I don't need anything to crazy but a decently crisp sound would be preferable. I am currently considering the Audio Engine A2+ but if anyone has some suggestions of other speakers that are similar size to the A2+ and possibly better or similar in performance, that would be great. 

[johnt]

27 minutes ago, stevenchoi56 said:

I am looking into shrinking the size of the speakers I use. Currently I'm using the M-audio av40 but I want to get something smaller for a more minimalist design. I don't really have an actual budget but if it helps then maybe around $100 to about $400 would be fine. I don't need anything to crazy but a decently crisp sound would be preferable. I am currently considering the Audio Engine A2+ but if anyone has some suggestions of other speakers that are similar size to the A2+ and possibly better or similar in performance, that would be great. 

Good quality speakers don't get much smaller a 4-inch woofer... you and try a Bose system, but I think you'll be sorely disappointed when performing a quick A/B test between them and your av40's.

 

Edit: It doesn't have to be just Bose either. One way to go smaller is finding a speaker with a 3-inch woofer, which I don't think will make a huge difference in terms of the size reduction goal. The other method (that I previously mentioned) is to find a speaker without a woofer. I don't recommend going this route as you will lose a lot of detail in the mid-range.

[kokakolia]

Well, the Bose Companion 2 is only a side-grade compared to the M Audio MV40. There aren't many high quality 3' speakers you see. 

 

You're pretty much stuck with the Audioengine A2. The Kanto YU2 is also an alternative. But it's pretty much the same speaker for less $ and it has a more bassy sound. 

 

 

[johnt]

What confuses me a bit is why the av40 isn't a clean enough look? It's a standard speaker design.

[loculus]

AudioEngine A2+ is tuned in a way that's kind of wack, where they don't bother reproducing much bass below 100 Hz but then jack up the upper/mid bass to kind of cover up that fact. It's an effect that can kind of work but is not accurate and is exposed in some situations.

 

If you want something small in particular, check the Vanatoo Transparent Zero, which is a better performer. It's near the upper end of your price range, though.

That is, unless you play music loud and/or listen from a good distance away. Physics kind of gets in the way of loud + accurate + somewhat deep bass at least for the size* + small speaker size.

 

*reaching into the 50s Hz

[stevenchoi56]

23 hours ago, JohnT said:

What confuses me a bit is why the av40 isn't a clean enough look? It's a standard speaker design.

Its more that I actually want something smaller, I like to have a very clean setup where there arent many wires and things that don't take too much space. 

[stevenchoi56]

21 hours ago, loculus said:

AudioEngine A2+ is tuned in a way that's kind of wack, where they don't bother reproducing much bass below 100 Hz but then jack up the upper/mid bass to kind of cover up that fact. It's an effect that can kind of work but is not accurate and is exposed in some situations.

 

If you want something small in particular, check the Vanatoo Transparent Zero, which is a better performer. It's near the upper end of your price range, though.

That is, unless you play music loud and/or listen from a good distance away. Physics kind of gets in the way of loud + accurate + somewhat deep bass at least for the size* + small speaker size.

 

*reaching into the 50s Hz

These look pretty good. I do like the design. Yeah price isn't much of a issue for me cause after making many regretful decisions I realized if I want something I should just spend money on it or else I am going to repeat a cycle where I keep trying to resell and buy something better.

[stevenchoi56]

On 10/3/2017 at 12:35 PM, kokakolia said:

Well, the Bose Companion 2 is only a side-grade compared to the M Audio MV40. There aren't many high quality 3' speakers you see. 

 

You're pretty much stuck with the Audioengine A2. The Kanto YU2 is also an alternative. But it's pretty much the same speaker for less $ and it has a more bassy sound. 

 

 

I just really wanted something that will have good quality compared to the speakers on a monitor and not take up a lot of space and I don't need amazing sound quality and the A2+ was really more of a size reference than a real comparison.

[johnt]

2 hours ago, stevenchoi56 said:

Its more that I actually want something smaller, I like to have a very clean setup where there arent many wires and things that don't take too much space. 

I can sort of relate. I've jumped off the deep end so my audio setup is basically a ton of wires, but I do care a great deal about sound quality.

 

I'm just not sure if it gets much cleaner than an active speaker setup. 

[kokakolia]

3 hours ago, stevenchoi56 said:

I just really wanted something that will have good quality compared to the speakers on a monitor and not take up a lot of space and I don't need amazing sound quality and the A2+ was really more of a size reference than a real comparison.

Anything sounds better than a monitor speaker LOL. Even the $30 Logitech Z200 speakers (they're pretty amazing for the price) absolutely smokes a monitor speaker. That's never an issue. 

 

So yeah, whatever you buy will get the job done. The thing is, your M-Audio AV40 is plenty good

[stevenchoi56]

On 10/4/2017 at 3:53 PM, JohnT said:

I can sort of relate. I've jumped off the deep end so my audio setup is basically a ton of wires, but I do care a great deal about sound quality.

 

I'm just not sure if it gets much cleaner than an active speaker setup. 

I guess instead of saying clean, I guess I should say I like to have a lot of space on my desk.

[stevenchoi56]

On 10/4/2017 at 5:15 PM, kokakolia said:

Anything sounds better than a monitor speaker LOL. Even the $30 Logitech Z200 speakers (they're pretty amazing for the price) absolutely smokes a monitor speaker. That's never an issue. 

 

So yeah, whatever you buy will get the job done. The thing is, your M-Audio AV40 is plenty good

True, anything really is an upgrade compared to monitor speakers. 

[johnt]

19 minutes ago, stevenchoi56 said:

I guess instead of saying clean, I guess I should say I like to have a lot of space on my desk.

There are some serious trade offs from going to a smaller speaker than an av40.

 

Have you considered changing out your desk? I bought some wood from Home Depot, cut it to size, and got some basic legs from Ikea. But I could have used a 2x4 for the legs (if you don't have an Ikea nearby). It might be cheaper than new speakers and maintain the same level of sound quality.

[kokakolia]

27 minutes ago, JohnT said:

There are some serious trade offs from going to a smaller speaker than an av40.

 

Well, I researched it some more. And whether you get the Audio Engine A2, the Kanto YU2 or the Mod House Mini Cubes (you need an amp for these) the main sacrifice you make is the bass. It may be too little (Mini Cubes, Audio Engine A2) or overblown (Kanto YU2). So the experts usually recommend a subwoofer. It looks like you'll get a pretty awesome setup that way, at a steep price. I don't know much about speakers, but I like to read. 

 

 

[johnt]

4 minutes ago, kokakolia said:

Well, I researched it some more. And whether you get the Audio Engine A2, the Kanto YU2 or the Mod House Mini Cubes (you need an amp for these) the main sacrifice you make is the bass. It may be too little (Mini Cubes, Audio Engine A2) or overblown (Kanto YU2). So the experts usually recommend a subwoofer. It looks like you'll get a pretty awesome setup that way, at a steep price. I don't know much about speakers, but I like to read. 

Well "bass" is a generic term in the audio world. My preference is toward mid-bass and mid-range, which are usually produced by the woofer. Believe me there's a huge difference between a 3-inch and a 10-inch woofer. Just because a driver can generate a certain frequency, say 100 Hz, it does not mean the speaker can do it well. It may be distorted or it may not be able to create the sound with enough pressure to sound balanced with higher frequencies. Lower frequencies need to move a lot of air to be heard. The louder the low frequency is generated, the more air that has to move. That's why a larger woofer, say with a diameter of 10-inches, is better at producing the upper ranges of bass and mid-tones than a smaller woofer, say with a diameter of 3-inches. I'm only stressing this because the woofer helps create a significant portion of dialog and vocals... and because you like to read 

 

Subwoofers are great for the lower two or three octaves or so (less then 120 Hz, and that's pushing it). Subwoofers are a nightmare to integrate into sound systems without the appropriate equipment for bass management (receivers, processors, miniDSP systems, room measurements tools, etc.). I'm not sure a subwoofer would help with the "clean" setup you're going for.