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Going active; am I mad?!

hifilover1979

hifilover1979

Bigger than you...
Even though I've just settled with my current system ( Arcam Alpha 10 amp, MF M1dac, Neat Motive 2's, Chord cables and music via iTunes/iMac/AirPlay and an ATV 2) the wife isnt keen on the hifi rack, amp, DAC and cables running along the floor etc...

 

So...

 

Would I be mad in selling my current system and going down the active route?

 

I'm thinking of just mid-range active speakers to connect to either my current ATV2 or I'd look to buy an Airport Express

 

Around £500 on speakers and then whatever necessary for stands and cables on top is around the figure I'm thinking.

 

The only ones I can think of currently are the Audioengine A5's, Epoz Actimate MAXI and the AVI 9.1's (I think that's what they're called) which my friends father has along with the dedicated AVI sub and in all honesty; I dont like them (so please dont suggest them)
 
Have a listen to any of the Adam Audio stand mounts.

I think Item does a home trial of the newer Artist series. If they are anything even a little bit as good as my compacts they will delight you.

Depending on input needs you would not need the seperate dac as the Artists have one or two built in along with an analogue input.

So far as I can tell they are formed well enough to be wife happy too.

You might consider these too;

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=230788241355
 
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arthur said:
Have a listen to any of the Adam Audio stand mounts.

I think Item does a home trial of the newer Artist series. If they are anything even a little bit as good as my compacts they will delight you.

Depending on input needs you would not need the seperate dac as the Artists have one or two built in along with an analogue input.

So far as I can tell they are formed well enough to be wife happy too.

You might consider these too;

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=230788241355
Click to expand...

Thanks; the Adam Artist speakers look very interesting.

The eBay ones however are £300 over budget so a no go!

I'm looking at c£500 plus £££ on top for speaker stands and what cabling I'll need and that's it.
 
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hifilover1979 said:
Even though I the wife isnt keen on the hifi rack, amp, DAC and cables running along the floor etc...

 
Click to expand...

Just get rid of the rack and hide the equipment in a nice cupboard, your probaly not going to get better sound for £500!
You still going have cables running across the floor with actives only double the amount you had before!

Stick with what you've got, them speakers are diddy! If she doesn't like them divorce her and get yourself a Thai bride like i did, she's much better than the last wives, she's also superb at table tennis.
 
hifilover1979 said:
Thanks; the Adam Artist speakers look very interesting.

The eBay ones however are £300 over budget so a no go!

I'm looking at c£500 plus £££ on top for speaker stands and what cabling I'll need and that's it.
Click to expand...

My error. I had assumed £500 + the proceeds from the sale of the other stuff.

You can get the A5x without the sub for your budget.

Or...for a bit af a bigger budget, you could make these things virtually invisible. Excellent sound and a favour required from the wife for your efforts on her behalf.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=390414417311
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Space is the Place said:
Just get rid of the rack and hide the equipment in a nice cupboard, your probaly not going to get better sound for £500!
You still going have cables running across the floor with actives only double the amount you had before!

Stick with what you've got, them speakers are diddy! If she doesn't like them divorce her and get yourself a Thai bride like i did, she's much better than the last wives, she's also superb at table tennis.
Click to expand...

Yeah ok... :rolleyes: :p

Not gonna happen...

Currently looking like a dib up between the Epoz Aktimate Maxis and the Adam Audio Artist speakers...
 
I was completely underwhelmed by the Audioengine A5s. They just didn't deliver what the reviews promised. Try the Adams first. That's also the company I chose in the end.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
£500 + stands, etc budget, could get you into a pair of Meridian 5000DSPs, at that price they would be 18 bit, but would be a bit more full range than the others that you are proposing.
 
Although you can expect my advice to be a bit biased towards what we sell, generally I only sell what I believe to be the best - and I'm pretty candid about the strengths and weaknesses of everything we've auditioned.

We do sell Audioengine, but the A5 is not really a transparent speaker: it's plenty powerful, but not refined or detailed. It's more like a mini PA system, and I only recommend them for bass lovers and dance studios! The A2, by comparison is a lovely little thing: agile and hear-through, and appealingly blending the virtues of small drivers with the limitations of small boxes.

If we stick with powered speakers (not be confused with active ones), the Epoz are well reviewed, but they're not night-and-day better than the A5s. The similar-looking Calyx ALs share the fibreglass/silk recipe of the Audioengine but are cleaner and more 'sprightly'.

But the best I've heard in this category are the Swan M200 II and III, which are not well known in the UK. They are, however, leaps and bounds better in my opinion than other powered speakers at this price.

However, better again are the many active speakers marketed as pro audio monitors. Here, one pair of speakers contains four amplifiers (one per driver) and an active crossover. Each is separately powered and fed with a line-level signal - one channel per speaker.

You're seriously spoilt for choice - but you will almost certainly find that £400-500 spent on a pro monitor will comfortably - hugely - outperform any other amplifier/small speaker combo at that price. I'm a big fan of the Adam range: the A5X is around £550 and it's a fair step up from the cheaper A3X. The new F5 will be £399 and might be perfect for your requirements.

Alternatively, the Focal CMS40 and Fostex PM1 or NX5A are in your budget. Both are superb. Moving on from things we sell, the Behringer 3031A is impressively powerful but a bit rough round the edges. There are interesting models sold by Genelec, Yamaha, Mackie, Emotiva and - especially - KRK at this price, too.

However, all the studio speakers demand high quality sources: they are ruthlessly designed to make ugly sound ugly! Depending on your back end, you might find that the domestic, powered (one AC lead, one amplifier, one powered, one passive speaker) designs are kinder to less than top-flight partnering.

Obviously you will get better value second-hand, but beware thrashed studio monitors. Many dealers like us will have ex-dem models sold with warranties, too. The bottom line is that listening widely will reap rewards: always try before you buy - ideally in your own room and system. Good luck!
 
Thanks for that guys and Item Audio

I wouldn't consider the Audioengine A5's as had them for my office set up. Didn't like them so sent them back and then ended up with the A2's which are superb.

The Adams do look very interesting but mre research is needed me thinks as demoing these speakers could be an issue!
 
fox said:
Avoid DV24/7
Click to expand...

whys that fox?
they do seem to hold a lot of stock if their web site is accurate. presumably good for comparing different speakers.
I was considering a trip out there once i have the funds.
 
Space is the Place said:
Just get rid of the rack and hide the equipment in a nice cupboard, your probaly not going to get better sound for £500!
You still going have cables running across the floor with actives only double the amount you had before!

Stick with what you've got, them speakers are diddy! If she doesn't like them divorce her and get yourself a Thai bride like i did, she's much better than the last wives, she's also superb at table tennis.
Click to expand...

NICE ONE!
 
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