Harbeth has always piqued my interest but for some reason they’re not on my jack of all trades list. I’ll certainly add this C7ES-3 to my demo list as well after your description (or just grab them used when I see a pair, they hold value pretty well). My concerns here would be not being able to give them enough space and the WAF. I fear the ethical commission will not approve and daily reminders about this can have a negative impact on my musical enjoyment as well. When I have a dedicated space, possibilities will open up…
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I would have that concern with some of the larger harbeth but the c7 should work well enough in that space imo (and I don’t think they look that bad looks wise but I’m absolutely not the person to judge looks since I don’t care about looks at all lol)
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The Tamo Ash C7 looked pretty damn sexy. Statement piece for sure.
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I tend to agree but I’ve lost my voting rights long time ago
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Hey guys, recently I saw this picture from a Dolby Atmos studio and the room treatment is crazy.
I wonder, is there any book that I can read about room treatment? I’ve been using the “trust your ears and gut” method, but after seeing this, I kinda want to know if there’s anything more that can be done.
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I learned a lot about acoustics from Dennis at acoustic fields on his yt channel. He puts out some great info imo. It might interest you as well…
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Thanks for the rec. I’ll check it out.
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Hello,
I’m having a hard time deciding on speakers for the desk in the office, too many options and not a lot of ways to try them out in person. And if I do try them, even less chances for a nearfield demo setup.
Hoping to get a different perspective, and insight into what other people use for their desktop speakers.
I’ll try to keep the post as short as possible, but to give some background:
I had the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 bookshelves for a while but they never sounded right on the desk, in my small office. Nearfield in a small room completely kills their bass and soundstage, which is a shame because they’re great speakers for the 300$ I paid.
So they were moved in the bedroom as “TV” speakers where they are amazing. (amp is Emotiva basx A-100, no dedicated DAC).
Now I have a Zen Dac 2 for the desk/office, and I’m looking into some speakers more suited for the scenario. Mostly looking at studio monitors because they’re not bloated with apps and stuff I won’t need like bluetooth, and no amp needed → less clutter. And they come with EQ/DSP built-in, which sounds perfect in theory.
One downside of studio monitors is maybe the built-in DSP, which would make any above average DAC irrelevant?
Budget is up to 1000$. I was looking higher initially, but after some thought it didn’t make sense to spend more for a space that’s not adequate and never will be. It’d rather spend the difference on better headphones.
What I have in my sights, some sold locally, almost all also available at thomann:
- Genelec 8030, 8020, 8010(?)
- Kali IN-5 (the IN-8 is too big for a desk IMO), LP-6 (2nd gen)
- Neumann KH80
- Adam A5X, A7X
- Dynaudio LYD-7, BM5 mk3
Other options in the “hifi” space I’ve considered:
- Used LS50 + Burson Funk
- New LS50 meta + Chord Anni (local hifi store has a “bundle” for 2k)
- KEF R3 + Hegel H95 (same deal as the LS50+Anni for 2k)
In regards to what I listen to, it can range from Goa to Mastodon to The Weeknd in the span of 30 minutes, so the speakers should handle almost anything.
I’m in no rush to buy anything, but would like a different perspective and get some discussions going around speakers.
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I’m also looking to upgrade my desktop speakers, I have 2 active speakers on my list: Focal Alpha 50, a bit warmer monitor but still detailed and Acoustic Energy AE1 active. Both class A/B analog designs, no DSP, no noisy electronics, the AE1 comes with a linear power supply. They are around the 1k here in EU, I hope to buy a pair when to go on sale some day, I have patience.
For some reason I avoid actives with DSP and/or class D, its getting better and better but not there yet ( at consumer prices ) and the digital domain is evolving fast. I think I’m more future proof with a good analog active set but that’s just my thinking on this.
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I used a pair of LYD 5 on my desk for a long while and loved them. The 7 would certainly go down deeper. I’m using them now as part of a 2.1 system for TV watching. You’d have to buy open box or used to get them under $1k though IMO.
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I’ve considered that also but I don’t think it would stop me from enjoying a good pair of monitors for 5 or more years. The benefit of easy DSP outweighs the downside for my use.
I am however reluctant on any wifi/lifestyle speakers like the KEF or Klipsch actives. Their apps can go from bad to broken in a single update.
There’s also sonarworks, which I would add later if whatever monitor I get won’t have enough control.
They’re within budget even if on the higher side, even the LYD 7. But I’d rather go 5 because of size and sub later.
When you had them on the desk, do you remember how they imaged and soundstaged? Were they against a wall or open space behind?
Thanks!
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Imaging and sound staging were the strong suits. They actually managed to show me stage depth with is hard on a desktop. They will need a sub though given your music description breadth.
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Anyone ever mess around with a distributed bass array or swarm subwoofer system? Pretty much the idea of 4+ subs spread out to give you more peaks and valleys in your room which is suppose to help smooth out the bass throughout the room.
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I avoid the peaks by having a null subwoofer system, haha. Does sound fun, though!
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I’ve thought about gathering up 4 subs and putting them all in the same room to try out but the actual slaving of 4 subs, making room for them all, tuning to a single chain and set of speakers is such a complicated task that I have avoided it for years.
Slaving that many subs is still a task I can’t figure out, that’s allot of cable and sketchy connections when not using the sole purpose built swarm system.
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Decided on the Kali IN-5, white version. Wanted to try a coaxial and these had quite some hype behind them online.
They’re my first active/studio speakers so I can’t say if the hype is real or if it’s what should be expected at ~700$ per pair.
First ~30 minutes they sounded shrill but that went away, couldn’t say if it’s burn-in or just me adjusting.
Overall they do what the Bronze 2 couldn’t do on a desk. Imaging is spot on, bass is present, midrange is clear and doesn’t get lost when you turn up the volume.
Sweet spot is quite wide and they create a wall of sound in your face.
Songs like Eula from Baroness which have this “piercing reverb-y sound” in the beginning are just pure ASMR. And then the drums start and all is good in the world.
I don’t notice any big dips in the frequency as I move around the room like I did with the Bronze 2.
Probably don’t have to mention it, but they’re a lot more detailed than the Bronze 2 across the whole range.
Haven’t messed with the Low/High cut/boost yet, I just set them for “on a desk with a wall behind” and going to use them like this for some time.
Overall very happy with them after ~5 days.
When used with the PC as a source they picked up all the noise in the chain, setting the Gain lower on the speakers and just keeping the Zen Dac on “high gain” has made it better. But a better DAC is probably in order at some point, or trying some of those purifier/defender things iFi sells. The noise gets worse when the GPU is working.
Noise from the actual speakers is not audible to me after 40cm with the gain at 0, so nothing at the listening position. With how I set it in order to not hear the PC source noise, it’s barely audible at 20cm.
For on/off I got a dedicated power strip with an on/off button and screwed it under the desk, since the Zen Dac doesn’t cut off the preout when you have headphones plugged in.
Here’s a picture before I got them on some yoga blocks and did wire management (they are definitely not small speakers):
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Anyone ever try a DIY acoustic panels?
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Plenty of videos on the topic. GIK sells the DIY supplies they use to make their panels. I just had them make them for me though. You will have more control over quality if you do it of course. Basically just a wooden frame, acoustic/absorption material, back panel, and whatever fabric you want to wrap it in.
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I think I’m gonna try to do this. Been having fun doing alot of diy stuff recently like building wall shelves etc etc. I’ll make my own wooden frames, look for some sound dampening material and stuff of the kind. Really exciting!
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Looks like this is the type of stuff I’ll be going with! Thanks Wesley for mentioning the company GIK, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have known where to start. I’ve always loved the sound of reverb in recordings, not to mention that what I love most about speakers is the sound of the room being part of the music, and I don’t mean reflections everywhere LOL I just mean the interaction of the stage within a room setting up this lively type of sound. It’s just beautiful, something I’ll be focusing on. Think I’ll just end up going with some of these
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