Germany
Goldenmackid, you seem to be in all the speaker related discussions. What are my other options?
Thanks for the link, I will try
I spent about two months researching speakers trying to find the best ones in the $100.00 range - I settled upon the M10's as well but ended up with the D1080MkII's as they had run out of stock and I didn't want to wait the five weeks.
Def. a good choice. Obviously, I'm not being so helpful.
If you're thinking 2.1, I would go with the Klipch ProMedia's. They're somewhat pricey, but they sound fantastic. Reviews are quite comparable to the M10's, but having heard both, I think the ProMedia's have the edge in bass reproduction.
The ProMedia's have a much larger and traditional sub. I prefer the Swans in this category. The sound is much more rich and crisp on the Swans, the Klipsch are at least twice as loud, probably three times. Good discussion
here. I can explain this further, I'd probably get them over any other computer speaker.
If you're thinking desktop 5.1's and have no price constraints, go with the Logitech Z-5500's. On a more financially-realistic note, the Logitech Z-5300's and 2300's have stunning ratings as well albeit without the THX rating slapped on them like the 5500's.
Good for gaming and movies. Bad for quality music reproduction.
Bookshelf monitors, like mine, are capable of producing unparalleled sound, especially those with tri-amping (dedicated amp for tweeter, mid, and sub). The 'black-speakers-with-yellow-drivers' that a percentage of people have here on MR are made by KRK and are unreal in terms of sound and are found in many video and audio post-production studios.
Love my KRKs. Bookshelfs ≠ Pro Monitors. The former produces sound for those that want to enjoy music, the latter produces sound for those that perform music. The difference is in the amount of balance and the sweet spot. (I discuss the disadvantages to Pro Monitors later down)
A word about monitors, however. You'll lose the bass you can expect to hear on an X.1 system. Monitors are made for outstanding high, mid, and low-mid range because these are the most audible ranges to the human ear. That's why they're used in production studios - they aim for clarity first and add the punch later. Mine throw out plenty of bass, but not as much (or as far-reaching) as a system with a dedicated subwoofer. I'm considering getting one myself to achieve that extra bump.
They also add a significant price.
Yeah the international thing is pretty crappy because you're missing out on some phenomenal speakers. And excuse the lengthy acoustics 101 post - just wanted to make sure you knew what you wanted first. Sounds like you're not an idiot
Umm...def. the OP did the research.
Waste of money, get a real pair of monitors.
Behringer Ultra Linear Reference Studio Monitors
Not even the best Behringers, but better the number one on the list.
Behringer MS40 Studio Monitors
Never heard them.
KRK ST6 2-Way Passive Studio Monitor (ONLY ONE SPEAKER)
So many problems with this. I love my KRK's (V88s, V8s Series I, E8s, etc...)
1. You are getting one speaker, fine for a full set-up, not great for a complete system
2. You are getting a
Passive speaker. Any money saved on buying a single speaker from a better brand, gone. You need to find an amp to power it and one that is going to be good enough to take advantage of the clarity.
Behringer TRUTH Passive Monitors
I had these, not a bad place to start.
Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II
Probably what I would get. (Except the last option)
Get the ones above.
Yamaha NS-10M NS Studio Monitors (if you can find some...these are $$$ too)
I have a pair of these at home. Only non-KRK speaker I still own. They are some of the best monitors ever made, they are also twice as expensive as when they came out originally decades ago. There are plenty who have maintained the speakers incredibly over the years, finding someone willing to part with a pair is hard. Remember that you are buying speakers that are going to have hundreds, if not thousands of hours of time on them. But you won't have to worry, since you aren't going to find a pair close to your price range.
Studio monitors will be accurate, but not the best for those not listening. I have both, the KRK museum back at the house and the Swan's at college. Music is more pleasurable on the Swans because they are more tuned to what someone would like to listen to music on. I agree that there is no need for ground-shaking bass, one thing I like about the Swans, but I love the sound of a good deep bass. With the monitors that are the best on the list (Yamaha's) you are going to get a speaker that is incredibly balanced and flat as a board - that's probably not what you want to listen to music on. Studios that have monitors have huge subwoofers external so that they can control the bass in much greater detail, your price range is not so allowing of this.
Additionally, you will need to buy a controller. These range in price, but easily begin to add up. Most monitors rely on a TRS or XLR connection, not something that your computer's soundcard will support. Buying a simple 1/8th to 1/4th adaptor not only won't work half the time, when it does the quality will be awful. Just one more thing to consider regarding Pro Monitors.
My Thoughts:
iThink that the Creative's are a great place to start, I heard the first version of the T40s and was incredibly impressed.
The AudioEngine's come to mind, I personally find them okay and overpriced, but it would be wrong of me not to mention them. There are plenty that swear by them, I see them as a very Bose like corporation.
I haven't heard, but I've heard good things about:
NuForce S1 (
discussion versus AudioEngine)
Axiom Audiobyte
DigitalDesign DD-PM151
Jamo 404?
I can try to help further, just ask.
