Nearfields for audiophile listening?

If your wife wants you to get into speakers does that mean she wants to listen with you? You sure you want nearfields?

 

I'd rather listen to JBL LSR305's over the LS50 too.

 

This guy is wanting to sell his KEF LS50, I guess. He doesn't seem to be in any hurry.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kef-ls50-piano-black-pair.852714/

 

Alright then, not everyone but vast majority agrees that these are very versatile, capable to handle large spaces and in general very good sounding.

Models you talk about are active nearfields, so it's chalk and cheese in general, not really comparable. And LS50 scales rather well with a setup. The better it is, the more these KEFs are able to do.

 

Lucky man!

Everyone has their own taste in speakers, and each to their own, but I'm sure most people would not be too unhappy to give them houseroom. I'd be happy!

I was going to say that these, although small, are idiosyncratic in appearance, and you and wife should be happy to live with the rose-pink-gold colour (I think it's great!) but google images tells me that there is choice since I last looked/heard them.

Active/passive is a decision that also requires different equipment in the chain, and different cables. If already having an amplifier with speaker connections, stay passive, or be prepared to revise everything. That is almost certainly not worth doing for anyone who doesn't really, specifically, want to go active-speaker.

It sounds like he doesn't, and this is more of a general-speaker-advice question.

 

I would take LS50 over LSR305s in the living room, and vice versa on a desk.

Hell, I took KEF Q100s over the 305s for the living room, although partly for practicality; they sound broadly the same regardless of where you sit, and being front-ported they're ok with being literal bookshelf speakers.

Anyway, can anyone figure out if the Focal Shape actives are shielded?

Some dealers say yes, Thomann says no, the Focal pdfs do not say. I've asked both Focal and Thomann and neither answered back.

 

Buy used vintage speakers Totl of the past for a fraction of price... I have bought the Mission Cyrus 781 one of the best perhaps the best Mission for 50 dollars, they sound more than very good... They are on my desk but are big for desktop speakers,anyway they are so perfect in nearfield listening than to replace them with better speakers is impossible south of 1000 bucks...I will die with them probably and I will never buy anything else,because of their refined sound and because of the very high price for a true upgrade....In my experience nothing is more important than treating ANY piece of the system against vibrations, nothing is more important than isolating each, each and every one of your pieces of gear of one another not only mechanically but electro-magnetically,and last but not least,cleaning the electrical grid of your house where your audio system is embedded.... The upgrading effect of all these precautions transform any system completely sonically... I dont read any review now except anecdotically, and it is what they are marketing anecdotes or subjective anecdotes at best with some measured facts... Almost no reviewer listen with the same pieces in a cleaned environment... All my audio system does not sound the same nude without precautions,right out of the box, compared to their sound quality when all is cleaned, no relation at all.... When you know that any review, except for some facts are anecdotes...Buy good pieces of gear, but clean them and clean your house, and after that you will never only review the pieces nude but you will advocate like me the cleaning methods... Almost no one here or at any other places know really that in my experience... People speaks here or at any other place what is the pieces of gear to buy, comparing them in a non cleaned system and ignoring the major fact : nevermind the good pieces of gear you will buy or you had already, the more potent upgrade to reveal the true potential of whatever you owns is not in replacing with more money invested any piece but treating the room, the gear, the electrical grid all at once... It is a pity... I apologize for my rant but it was necessary for me to speak my lived truth to help at least one person...I go back to my hole... Best to you all...

 

You could find a used pair of Totem Arros for that. I love those speakers!

 

It' probably more that she doesn't want to put on headphones if she's using my computer. Which is what I'm using these for. My home cinema is completely the RP-series klipsch speakers (since I got a good deal on them and they're quite a bit better than the R-line.)

I chose nearfields since these are basically my computer speakers and I need to be able to drive them with the Raggy. I can rearrange my office a bit if I have to, but my intention is to use this for music and other things with my computer. Though, my desk may be moved into the same room as the home cinema just so I can use my TV as a monitor ocassionally...Though I haven't decided yet. Or figured out if I have room to do that lmfao

 

If you’re talking nearfields for computer desk listening, JBL LSR305 is an easy rec and they’ve just released an improved mk II.
LS50 should also work in that context if you want to really do it up but if it’s passive you’re opening a whole nother can of worms and may as well get some Amphions.

Anyhow: those cheap JBLs. Or whatever that new company is from the dudes who left ADAM

Regardless, get some isoacoustic stands to isolate them from the desk.

 

I was going to stick with passive since I was getting a Raggy to go with my Yggdrasil. Much more convenient. But yah, I'll definitely look into that. I'm going to look a bit more, but I may just settle with ls50s since they're pretty damn affordable for what Higgs is selling them for.

How are the Mini Philharmonitor? They look pretty damn good.

 

Been there......

 

@PacoTaco, thanks for the update and expanding on the reasoning behind your proposed speakers.

 

Wife sits on lap. That's a win-win!

 

@Azteca that would be eve audio. I would actually recommend them highly as i have a pair of sc307 and had smaller two ways paired with their sub. I wouldnt recommend jbls tbh. They never impessed me and im sure people use them as a stepping stone to move higher up the food chain. They are what they are...budget studio monitors that are good for the price but nowhere near the top. I would suggest eve sc204 + ts107 sub from thomann for about 1.2k. The sub acts as a preamp also so you just need the dac and nothing else like the rag. The integration is seemless and it gets you down to 36hz. I know everyone is fussing about class D omg extra ad/da as i did before. Its nothing to worry about. It scales easily and i can tell dac differences easily along with soekris fikters. They are small but sound very big. Very easy to setup and they sound good even with minimal room treatment. Also youll run into a lot of studio monitors that are revealing but sound harsh or like shit. Such as avantone mixcubes. I always found genelecs too bright. Same with adams with suoer piercing highs and bassy sound from front ports....not to mention port chuffing at higher volumes. Eves are very smooth, detailed and pleasant to listen to. Gotta save up for a ts110 sub now for my eve 307...that sub is expensive but itll be worth it in the end for me. Speaker search done lol.

 

The TS107 is a 6.5" sub - as much it may seem like it could work, there really is "no replacement for displacement". I only really realized this after I saw Marvey post about it and then I went around auditioning stuff in stores and what not.

The TS110 is better for sure, and I'm not sure how big is too big nearfiels but personally I'm just gonna wait until I have a big enough place and go 13"/15" when I move to a bigger place (wont be nearfield then)

 

I prefer proac tablette 10 compare to Kef ls50. Proac requires less power and the sealed box design will make the placement easier.

 

On the used market I think one of the best deals for a passive bookshelf speaker is the Energy Connoisseur C-3 (or the smaller C-1.) You can find them for $200 or less.

https://www.soundstage.com/revequip/energy_c3.htm
Check out those curves, very accurate: https://www.soundstage.com/measurements/energy_connoisseur_c3/

One gripe with them, is the front baffles are bright silver plastic. I leave the grilles on for movies, otherwise the reflected light is distracting. And they don't have the bass extension that you can get from a similarly sized active monitor. They need a sub or otherwise they sound thin/bright.

Also there's the older and better-looking C-2, which is gloss black with low-diffraction grilles. Or the newer and smaller RC-10 which has nice real wood veneers.

https://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/energy_connoisseur_c-2_loudspeaker/index.html
https://www.soundstage.com/revequip/energy_rc10.htm
https://www.soundstage.com/measurements/energy_rc_10/

 

Ports on LS50 can also be sealed if one wishes to. Manufacturer included foams to do so.

 

How is the 307 compared to the 204? I used to have 205 and TS108. One of the best systems I have for nearfield. deep bass, smooth sound.
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I will like to chip in a little on what I've owned in the past

P3ESR
-> I find the sound pretty similar to eve SC205. Very smooth but slow bass. The mid range is seducing but the bass is seriously lacking. Suitable for old people music. If you listen to hip hop or watches movie on your computer, avoid this. If you like Jazz and vocals, this is your end game nearfield.

EVE SC205
-> see above. pretty energy saving. SC205 midrange is not as nice as p3esr but has slightly deeper bass. This is like P3ESR on a budget. You get 80% of the sound of P3ESR for 30% of the price. This pairs really well with the eve subwoofer. If your budget is at USD2000, Sc204 and TS108 is perhaps the best you can get. Again, this is very smooth sounding. May not sound as exciting as ATC but really easy on the ears.

ATC SCM11 v2
-> could be the best sounding speakers I've had. cannot be sure since I've never A/B. Very nice neutral sound and deep soundstage. Bass is amazing. It rolls off really slowly so you can really hear the deep bass. The worst thing about this is that.. it doesn't sound as good at low volume. Which is why I ultimately sell them. But they are AMAZING.

Genelec 8030
-> Freaking amazing 3D holographic soundstage. If you want speakers that can impress immediately, it is this. BUT.. on longer usage, you will find the treble too bright even when you adjust the dip switch. Bass is strong though it may be a little muddled especially so if you place it near walls. Super energy saving (BIG LIKE). Auto switch off when no signal (BIG BIG LIKE). Can induce ear fatigue.

Focal Solo6be
-> The best balanced speakers I've had. Very smooth treble, VERY deep soundstage. Very relax sounding. Goes really deep in bass as its 6.5". Overall, I'm the most happy with these speakers. I don't think it sounds as good as ATC SCM11v2, but at least the solo6 sounds really good at low volume as well. This needs a lot of burn in to sound at their best. So if you audition it at a shop, remember to ask how long it has been played. It needed about 40 hours to sound its best. Bad thing about this is that it's pretty huge for desktop. about 29cm deep. Don't like the look of it. Very old school, which doesn't match my modern scandinavian decor.

K+H 0110 (Neumann KH120a)
I've never heard the Neumann KH120a but used the older K+H 0110 before. Both should sound very similar with the new Neumann KH120a being deeper in its bass. This one sound pretty similar to Genelec but without the 3D holographic sound. However, the bass of the 0110 is really strong and accurate. These speakers sound really huge in a big room but can tend to get pretty dry on normal records.


On a level of smooth to exciting sounding,

P3ESR / Eve SC205 -> Focal Solo6be -> ATC SCM11v2 -> KH 0110 (Neumann KH120a) -> Genelec

If you watch movies, only focal Solo6be and ATC SCM11 gave me the really wide immersive sound. I think that's because of their larger woofer and larger cabinet size.