Ahoy!

[Marquis Kimaris]

From my many years (at least 2, if I had to guess) of being a lurker on these forums, I've noticed two things.
1. Many of you are some serious, no-nonsense audiophiles, and
2. You are very patient with know-nothing newbies.

I know very little about speakers, amps, receivers, etc. Which is why I decided to register and say hello.

Anyway, I'm based out of Bangalore. I have a genre-spanning taste in music: At the moment, I'm really into atmospheric metal, but I also listen to a lot of acoustic folk, hard rock, heavy metal, and electronic music. A lot of dance-friendly music has found its way into my playlist, recently. I'm a bit of a bass-head, as well. I also watch many movies and TV shows on my PC, and I play a lot of FPSs and RPGs as well.

As I said, I know very little about speakers and stuff, but I know a bit about headphones and earphones. I've got a Philips Fidelio X1 (took a lot of saving to get, but worth it - that bass...) which I do most of my listening/playing games/watching movies on. When I'm on the road, I've got a paid of Shozy Zeroes (best IEM I could find for the price, though getting hold of it was a massive headache). In the past, I've owned a various IEMs and headphones, so I've experimented with various brands (Sennheiser, Creative, Audio-Technica, AKG, etc.) I really like headphones that highlight female vocals and have good bass extension, as well as those that can maintain the clarity of percussion instruments. I'm looking for a pair of speakers that can do the same job, while being equally good for gaming and the occasional movie. Considering the tight budget I'm on now, finding a set of speakers that can do all three equally well is proving maddeningly difficult :lol:

So, anyway, hello again! Look forward to talking with you all!

 

[captrajesh]

Hi Marquis Kimaris,

That's an unusual handle. Could you explain it if you don't mind.

BTW, what's "atmospheric metal"?

Welcome to the forum.

 

[arj]

For the price you may need to invest 2-3 times into a speaker /amp to get the same . Do you already have an amp or looking for powered speakers ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TCHeN]

BTW, what's "atmospheric metal"?

Atmospheric Metal or Post-metal is a music genre, a mixture between the genres of post-rock and heavy metal, with roots in progressive rock, progressive metal, shoegazing, and industrial music. It is broadly characterized by distorted guitar, heavy atmospherics, gradual evolution of song structure, and a minimal emphasis on vocals.

 

[Marquis Kimaris]

Hi Marquis Kimaris,

That's an unusual handle. Could you explain it if you don't mind.

"Kimaris" is supposedly a demon high up in the demonic hierarchy. His title is Marquis.
..yeah, I know, but in my defence, I was a teenager when I first picked it up. I've used the handle for so long that its easy for me to remember.

BTW, what's "atmospheric metal"?

What TCHeN said. I listen to a lot of different subgenres of metal, and I favour those that incorporate atmospheric elements (ambient sounds, natural sounds, low, rumbling bass, etc.)

For the price you may need to invest 2-3 times into a speaker /amp to get the same . Do you already have an amp or looking for powered speakers ?

I figured (and feared) as much... And no, I don't have an amp. I'm looking at powered speakers.

 

[arj]

personally speaking For the kind of music you listen to you would be the happiest I'm terms of VFM with headphones + amp .


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[TCHeN]

Based on my reading here... what you need are speakers that are fast (and probably furious) and also go really low. Most speakers don't really go low... that's where the sub kicks in... so you'll need to build a 2.1 system.

Probably the only thing I've heard that goes really low and is a fast/agile speaker with extended dynamics are the Emerald Physics... but they cost a lot more than the garden/computer speakers variety.

 

[Marquis Kimaris]

personally speaking For the kind of music you listen to you would be the happiest I'm terms of VFM with headphones + amp .

And I have those. The X1 + Fiio X1+E11K do a damn good job. I'm not looking to replace them, but I need something that's more useful in social situations. Can't really listen to music or watch a movie/TV show with the SO with headphones, and learning to dance is easier if both of us can hear the music :lol:

 

[Marquis Kimaris]

Based on my reading here... ... Emerald Physics... but they cost a lot more than the garden/computer speakers variety.

Of course, it would be nice to have speakers that can do that, but with my budget, I understand I'm not gonna be able to put together a great system.

I hadn't even heard of Emerald Physics until you mentioned them. I can tell they're way out of my price range when a quick web search doesn't say how much they cost!

I'm leaning towards a set of Swans d1080-IV. They're about the best powered speakers I can afford, as far as I can tell. They seem to have a good rep. A few people have mentioned they may not be the best for watching movies on, and have even suggested stretching for an M50 instead. Now, I'm not set on a high quality surround sound system, I'm quite happy with a 2.0/2.1 system that can fill a 12X18 room with decent sound. So what do you think, will d1080s do the job? For metal and electronic music with decent bass and percussion, TV show bingeing, as well as the occasional (mostly non-action) movie?

Edit: Also, the audio will come from a computer, through one of these. They're very good with headphones (for music and films, not so much with gaming, tbh) but I haven't had the chance to test them with speakers.

 

[JayaRaa]

Of course, it would be nice to have speakers that can do that, but with my budget, I understand I'm not gonna be able to put together a great system.

I hadn't even heard of Emerald Physics until you mentioned them. I can tell they're way out of my price range when a quick web search doesn't say how much they cost!

I'm leaning towards a set of Swans d1080-IV. They're about the best powered speakers I can afford, as far as I can tell. They seem to have a good rep. A few people have mentioned they may not be the best for watching movies on, and have even suggested stretching for an M50 instead. Now, I'm not set on a high quality surround sound system, I'm quite happy with a 2.0/2.1 system that can fill a 12X18 room with decent sound. So what do you think, will d1080s do the job? For metal and electronic music with decent bass and percussion, TV show bingeing, as well as the occasional (mostly non-action) movie?

Edit: Also, the audio will come from a computer, through one of these. They're very good with headphones (for music and films, not so much with gaming, tbh) but I haven't had the chance to test them with speakers.

for your requirements, the swans models stated will not be good at all. you will have to up your budget and look at m200mkiii

 

[Marquis Kimaris]

for your requirements, the swans models stated will not be good at all. you will have to up your budget and look at m200mkiii

Ah

I can't really stretch my budget that far. Cheapest M200s I can find are at 18k, and my budget tops out at 13... Any speaker set that does a good job with metal + electronic music and the occasional movie at this price range?

 

[TCHeN]

Of course, it would be nice to have speakers that can do that, but with my budget, I understand I'm not gonna be able to put together a great system.

I hadn't even heard of Emerald Physics until you mentioned them. I can tell they're way out of my price range when a quick web search doesn't say how much they cost!

I'm leaning towards a set of Swans d1080-IV. They're about the best powered speakers I can afford, as far as I can tell. They seem to have a good rep. A few people have mentioned they may not be the best for watching movies on, and have even suggested stretching for an M50 instead. Now, I'm not set on a high quality surround sound system, I'm quite happy with a 2.0/2.1 system that can fill a 12X18 room with decent sound. So what do you think, will d1080s do the job? For metal and electronic music with decent bass and percussion, TV show bingeing, as well as the occasional (mostly non-action) movie?

Edit: Also, the audio will come from a computer, through one of these. They're very good with headphones (for music and films, not so much with gaming, tbh) but I haven't had the chance to test them with speakers.

Jaya has already said what I was going to say... the Swans Swans M200MKII or Swans M200MKIII are the minimum I'd be looking at.

For simplicity and the economics I'd look at getting full range drivers and going with OB design... simply unbeatable at the budget end and also zero complications in terms of speaker design... and hard to beat on the price front. They would outperform pretty much all the powered speakers that are in contention.

The only other expense would be an amp and lots to be had there too starting from 4-5K with decent power output.

One other option is to go through the sales threads on this forum... you might get lucky and come across a good deal or two... it's been known to happen... or post a wanted thread, that will help too.

And finally start saving, in the long run waiting a couple of months and having a better budget will serve you much better.

 

[arj]

And I have those. The X1 + Fiio X1+E11K do a damn good job. I'm not looking to replace them, but I need something that's more useful in social situations. Can't really listen to music or watch a movie/TV show with the SO with headphones, and learning to dance is easier if both of us can hear the music :lol:

AAh..yes

If it is for those specific situations would you be willing to compromise and get something like a Bose Soundtouch or a good soundbar + Sub (eg JBL) ?

you might just enjoy it more than 2 speakers which are optimal only if you plan to sit in a specific area .

 

[Marquis Kimaris]

Jaya has already said what I was going to say... the Swans Swans M200MKII or Swans M200MKIII are the minimum I'd be looking at...

Even the MKIIs are out of my reach at the moment. With my coming expenses, I've got to keep how much I spend on speakers within 12k. Cheaper, if possible.

Well, after more important expenses are out of the way, with some strict budget control I'll be able to afford a pair of MKIIIs by Christmas. And I'll keep an eye on the sales forums, as you've suggested.

The only other expense would be an amp and lots to be had there too starting from 4-5K with decent power output.

Hmm, can you suggest what I should be looking at?

AAh..yes
If it is for those specific situations would you be willing to compromise and get something like a Bose Soundtouch or a good soundbar + Sub (eg JBL)

Yes, I think I definitely have to compromise on sound quality for now. I had the chance to sample a Swans M10 recently, and it seems decent enough to fill the size of room I'm working with here. I quite like how they sound... I mean, I don't love them, but they make percussions sound good enough for our needs. If I get one of those, I can put what remains of the budget into savings fund for a better set later. Or, if there's a better sounding alternative in this price range, I'm open to that too.