Good, but smallish speakers for iMac?

[jedolley]

The problem I am having is finding speakers that are clearly the better option in a smaller size. My space is limited, so I am looking for a set of good sound speakers that are also on the small side. I am willing to spend up to $300. I have tried the Audioengine A2s and while they sounded good they did not blow me away and had an annoying issue where they would making two "buzzing" sounds upon waking.

I have also tried:

M-Audio AV40s (sounded good as well, but too large for my space)
Cerwin Vega XD3 (muddy sounding)
Bose Companion 20s (Sounded on par with A2s as far as I could tell, but not sure if they are worth the price).

I am also going to test Samson MediaOne 3a. A person in another forum stated they are on par if not better than A2s, but a bit larger.

I also know a popular suggestions is to connect bookshelf speakers to a t-amp, but the problem with that suggestion is that most bookshelf speakers are bigger than i can use.

If anyone has any suggestions of any other speakers I should try, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

[pxbr]

bump? i'd like to see some comments on this thread?

i was even thinking about something like the boston acoustics soundbar connected via an optical cable

[BrianBaughn]

I have a pair of Yamaha HS50M nearfield monitors that I really like a lot. They replaced a pair of KRK Rokit 5 monitors that were way too muddy for doing audio mixes. Moved those to my TV where they work well.

I believe the Yamahas give me a good idea of what the original engineers heard on decades of recordings when I listen to old records. These days you probably need a subwoofer to hear what they intend.

These and some of the models you mentioned are meant for studio use in close proximity. They're not for filling a room with sound, as you probably know.

[Mr. Retrofire]

Originally Posted by jedolley

Good, but smallish speakers for iMac?

Good speakers are never small.

[Macman45]

Originally Posted by Mr. Retrofire

Good speakers are never small.

True.

I don't know what kind of budget you have OP, but I use Genelec's...These are studio quality speakers and are not cheap, but you get what you pay for. I'm in the music business so the top end may be overkill for you, but other models are available too.:

http://www.decks.co.uk/Genelec

[jedolley]

I ended up finding a set of Swan M10s. They seem to be out of stock everywhere, but a week or so ago I sent an email to Lockware Systems and they had one left. I know they aren't "premium or audiophile" grade speakers, but they are noticeably better then everything I have tried and are reasonably priced.