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Nearfield Powered Small Speakers


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I'm putting together a small desktop system for use in my office at work.  Space is at a premium.  The speakers will sit on either side of a computer monitor and I will be close.  The system will play at low volume.  I want powered speakers that I will feed with something along the lines of an Aries Mini or Bluesound Node 2.  I believe that speakers of the size of the Audioengine A5 are going to be too big.

 

I'm considering the Audioengine A2+ but am intrigued by Genelec as well.  I'm not familiar with Genelec and find the range of their offerings somewhat daunting.  The Genelec G One could work.  I'd like to keep the speakers at or about $700 for the pair (obviously the A2+ would be well below that).

 

What do you think?

 

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4 minutes ago, Benji said:

Audioengine A2+ are going to be really hard to beat if you want small speakers.  That's what I would pick.

 

Thanks for that.  It seems that at that size, there really aren't that many choices and the A2+ is very well regarded.  I really love my ProAc Tablette 10 speakers but they really are too large for the space I'm dealing with for this new system.  I must admit, it's fun putting together a kit with various constraints.  

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Audience The One, used?  Or you could stretch the budget a bit and by them new ($995).  Genelec is reported to be good stuff, but I just don't have personal experience with them (Genelec have strong advocates here on CA though, most notably member "DigiPete").

 

If you spend a lot of time listening at your desktop, going with the Audience or Genelec options may be worth it (and sneak a cheap small sub into the system, like an Elac or similar hidden away in a corner on the floor). 

 

A2's are great bang for the buck, but with your budget it seems you are looking for even better sound (and the A2's desperately need a sub!).  The difficulty is the size requirement you have (i.e. your note that the A5 is too big).  Audience The One is the only thing I can think of that is a big step up from A2 in terms of sound quality, but is still smaller than the A5.  

Speaker Room: Lumin U1X | Lampizator Pacific 2 | Viva Linea | Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0 | FinkTeam Kim | Revel subs  

Office Headphone System: Lumin U1X | Lampizator Golden Gate 3 | Viva Egoista | Abyss AB1266 Phi TC 

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11 hours ago, Blake said:

If you spend a lot of time listening at your desktop, going with the Audience or Genelec options may be worth it (and sneak a cheap small sub into the system, like an Elac or similar hidden away in a corner on the floor). 

 

Thank you for that comment.  I wasn't familiar with the Audience speakers.  As for the Genelec, if I go that route it will be without a demo first.  The Genelec G One seems to be the speaker intended for my situation -- but I'm not familiar with their other offerings and am a bit overwhelmed.  Wish I could listen to them first but might need to purchase and rely on a favorable return policy.

 

10 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

Audioengine HD3 ??

 

Most of the reviews I've seen rave about the HD3 primarily for its feature set.  I don't care about Bluetooth and, sooner or later, will likely add a DAC in the mix (Schiit Bifrost Multibit or Modi Multibit perhaps).  I will probably start by feeding the system from my computer (Bifrost will give me Gen 5 USB) and will also likely add a network player (Bluesound Node or Auralic Aries Mini).

 

Given all that, what would I gain by going with the HD3 over the A2+?

 

Does the HD3 offer better sound than the A2+ from an analog feed?  It's not fair to compare HD3 with digital feed to A2 with an analog feed.  Now if you tell me that the HD3 handling of a USB input and it's DAC will outperform the Bifrost DACs then I'm very intrigued.

 

Thanks again for your thoughts and perspective.

 

I swing wildly from thinking of a system with the Genelec, Aries Mini and Schiit DAC on the one hand to the A2 and Schiit Modi (no multibit) with no network player on the other.  It's less about budget and more about proportionality and appropriateness under the circumstances.

 

This system is not about critical listening.  It's about having pleasant music while I work.  It will be quiet -- I do not want to irritate office mates next door and I often work with my door open.  I want a clear, detailed, pleasant sound.

 

I've had a Bluesound Mini on loan.  It's going back today.  The sound is pleasant enough but I'm struggling with the wifi controller often not seeing the unit (blame our unduly complicated network) and I can't place the device in the room where I really want it.  I prefer a traditional two speaker setup as well.

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Awhile back someone posted a link to this weird mostly inactive speaker review site where the guy uses soup cans as stands among other eccentricities.  He does seem to be sincere about doing measurements and long term listening tests from which he creates EQ profiles.

 

The one review there that caught my eye was the Vanatoo Transparent Zero, which I had never heard of.  It competes with the A2+ and he rated it above them.  Can't make a recommendation for them having never heard either.  Just as a wildcard I thought I'd throw them out there.  They are odd shaped little buggers.  Dimensions with the support brace pictured below are 7.5"H x 4.75"W x 9.75"D.

 

I lifted this photo from the NoAudiophile review.

 

Vantoo_Transparent_Zero_Profile.jpg

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37 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

re nearfield - how close to a corner or wall will the speakers be?

 

I am looking for something similar and many ported designs put the ports in back

 

In my case, one speaker will be a few inches from a wall and the other about two feet away from a wall.  No corners nearby at all.

 

4 minutes ago, rando said:

The one review there that caught my eye was the Vanatoo Transparent Zero, which I had never heard of.  It competes with the A2+ and he rated it above them.

 

Yeah -- I saw that review of the Vanatoo as well.  Very interesting indeed.

 

I picked up a pair of A2+ speakers on loan which I'm listening too in my office right now.  I'm using the USB input fed by my notebook computer.  I must say, this isn't bad at all for a starting point.  It's possible that the Vanatoo's would be an improvement and the same can be said about the Genelec G One.  Let me see how I feel about the A2+ speakers after a few days -- when I need to return them.

 

So now I'm wondering how things might improve from this starting point if I added a Dragonfly Red or Chord Mojo or Schitt Dac.

 

Then there's the whole question about a network player instead of the computer.

 

For such a modest system and these speakers, what's appropriate and what's just over the top silliness?  I've heard such amazing things about the Mojo . . .

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@RERobbins  Welcome to CA.  Or, the place where you will get more suggestions than you can evaluate - lots of great ideas but we all have limited availability of demoing the actual equipment!  

 

You might want to settle on your speakers before considering a DAC or streamer.  Speakers that aren’t good enough may lead to disappointment with the other upgrades, whereas better quality speakers will always shine.  It’s difficult for a lot of speakers to maintain their dynamics and sound quality at low volumes.  That was the reason for the old Loudness button on receivers where the effect was tapered off as the volume was increased.  

 

I’m interested in upgrading my office system so I’ll be looking for those recommendations too!

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2 hours ago, Solstice380 said:

@RERobbins  Welcome to CA.

 

You might want to settle on your speakers before considering a DAC or streamer.  Speakers that aren’t good enough may lead to disappointment with the other upgrades, whereas better quality speakers will always shine.  It’s difficult for a lot of speakers to maintain their dynamics and sound quality at low volumes.  That was the reason for the old Loudness button on receivers where the effect was tapered off as the volume was increased.  

 

Thank you.  For discussion purposes, assume I'm going to stick with the A2+.

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3 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

So would I !!  I am looking for the same thing (but mine have to go in corners) - I am using BX8's right now.

 

Why are you looking to move from the BX8's?

 

As an aside, I am using a pair of ProAc Tablette 10 speakers with a Naim Uniti Atom in my home office (where I have more room).  I'm thrilled beyond belief with that combination and the ProAc speakers in particular.  That setup doesn't make sense for my work office though.

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I've had a pair of Audioengine A2 hooked up to my desktop computer for more than a few years now. I don't listen a lot at that computer, but I've never been tempted to upgrade. They are very neutral, even without the low bass. Of course the low bass disappears in your ears at low volumes anyway.

 

Stereophile rated them very well when I bought them.

 

One sits on the printer and the other on a coffee can full of sand so they are the same height. I think soup cans are way too plebeian!:P

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Anyone not constrained to the small size should consider the JBL LSR305.  It is insanely good for the price.  And hard to believe good in absolute terms.  They do have ports in the back, but if you can give about 2 inches clearance they aren't too bothered.  

 

Way more better than the BX8's ( I had those as desktop speakers first for a couple years).  They are slightly on the large size for 5 inch monitors.  

 

For anyone looking for high performance DACs at lower prices check out some of the measurement reviews of the Topping products like this one here.  They make a few different DACs and DAC/headphone units. 

 

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-topping-d50-dac.2403/

And always keep in mind: Cognitive biases, like seeing optical illusions are a sign of a normally functioning brain. We all have them, it’s nothing to be ashamed about, but it is something that affects our objective evaluation of reality. 

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Well, I can't seem to find anyone who has auditioned the A2+ against the HD3.  I'm also thinking about the Genelec G One.  I can't find a place to listen to all three.  I'm thinking of the possibility of purchasing all three from a vendor with a reasonable return policy and living with them all for a few weeks.

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The genelec is in another league from AudioEngine, not even close. The studio series Genelec are the same or better than the home series but more widely available and a little cheaper. Genelec doesn't allow discounting but some dealers can throw in extras (like cables etc) to sweeten the deal. I won't mention who because I don't want to break any posting rules but PM me if you want a dealer recommendation that has great customer service.

Roon ->UltraRendu + CI Audio 7v LPS-> Kii Control -> Kii Three

Roon->BMC UltraDAC->Mr Speakers Aeon Flow Open

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On 4/7/2018 at 7:34 PM, Kelly said:

The genelec is in another league from AudioEngine, not even close. 

 

After a day of listening to the Genelec G Ones in my office -- I agree.  I don't have the A2+ on hand to compare side by side and recognize that therefore, my comments are inherently suspect.  The words that come to mind are clean, crisp and precise.  I had them on all day yesterday and simply enjoyed the music.  I appreciate the tone controls and accompanying instructions regarding recommended settings depending on location relative to walls etc.  I will likely pick up the stands made for these too.  The speakers are small -- and appropriate for my space.  I was concerned they'd be too small.  They are, in fact, abundantly powerful for the space.  Now to round out the rest of this kit.

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