Hello, recovering entry-level audiophile here

[sid1712]

Hi, as the post states, I am a recovering audiophile from Gurgaon. Recovering as I sold or gave away most of my older gear (mostly headphones, dac's, portable amps, etc) before covid when i started my post graduation as I did not have any time and needed the money. I then swore off everything audio related as I was spending most of my income on it (admittedly it wasn't much so I have never moved from mid-fi levels).

So, due to this lockdown, I started staying and working from home and my current headphones are driving me crazy as I cannot use the for long periods everyday. And now I'm starting again , this time with home audio and speakers.

Ever since my brother upgraded his audio system, i've been having an itch and I've decided to take baby steps into this area which I have little knowledge about. Instead of going all out with a basic receiver and some VFM bookshelves, I have decided to buy a pair of active speakers ever since I heard a pair. Maybe down the line i'll get a receiver or a DAC (the used Emotiva listed here is so tempting, but way outside of my budget. Something like the Topping E30 might be more in my range) and a subwoofer to give them some oomph.

I know that a receiver and passive speakers is the way to go but honestly, after hearing the Edifier S2000MkIII's, i'm in love and they're significant cheaper. As they will be placed in my bedroom with admittedly < 1m space behind them, I'm expecting some bloaty bass but I honestly don't mind it as I'm coming from a 6 year old Logitech Z623. Also, the ease of use is something that might be valuable if I upgrade down the line and give them to my parents who wont budge from their crappy Sony sound bar because it "works".

Thank you for listening to my rant

Cheers,
Sid

 

[Nikhil]

Welcome to the forum Sid! Thanks for joining!

Do you have a budget in mind that you can share? That would help with the suggestions.
There is a lot of value in DIY gear as one way of working within your budget.

Good luck with your search!



.

 

[sid1712]

Hi Nikhil and thank you for the welcome !

No fixed budget as such but 30-40k is the max I can spend without any buyers remorse (I hope)

 

[Nikhil]

Just looked up those Edifiers and they look great!
I haven't heard them so can't say what they sound like.

In a bedroom setup a smaller size bookshelf will shine for a near field setup.
Consider a package with a sub woofer as that would give you a little more low end.
The packages I just saw on Amazon look really neat and included a remote!

.

 

[sid1712]

Yeah, I considered them too but I'm hoping to avoid buying another 2.1 setup as they all disappoint. I'm aiming to keep the 2.0 setup for now and add a subwoofer down the line if I lack bass. That would sound better as i can tweak the crossovers to my content and maybe make the setup a little upgradeable if i add a receiver with pre-outs down the line.

Atleast that is my thought

 

[DB1989]

Hi, as the post states, I am a recovering audiophile from Gurgaon. Recovering as I sold or gave away most of my older gear (mostly headphones, dac's, portable amps, etc) before covid when i started my post graduation as I did not have any time and needed the money. I then swore off everything audio related as I was spending most of my income on it (admittedly it wasn't much so I have never moved from mid-fi levels).

So, due to this lockdown, I started staying and working from home and my current headphones are driving me crazy as I cannot use the for long periods everyday. And now I'm starting again , this time with home audio and speakers.

Ever since my brother upgraded his audio system, i've been having an itch and I've decided to take baby steps into this area which I have little knowledge about. Instead of going all out with a basic receiver and some VFM bookshelves, I have decided to buy a pair of active speakers ever since I heard a pair. Maybe down the line i'll get a receiver or a DAC (the used Emotiva listed here is so tempting, but way outside of my budget. Something like the Topping E30 might be more in my range) and a subwoofer to give them some oomph.

I know that a receiver and passive speakers is the way to go but honestly, after hearing the Edifier S2000MkIII's, i'm in love and they're significant cheaper. As they will be placed in my bedroom with admittedly < 1m space behind them, I'm expecting some bloaty bass but I honestly don't mind it as I'm coming from a 6 year old Logitech Z623. Also, the ease of use is something that might be valuable if I upgrade down the line and give them to my parents who wont budge from their crappy Sony sound bar because it "works".

Thank you for listening to my rant

Cheers,
Sid

Hey Sid, Consider the Klipsch R51PM (or the 41PM) as well. they are just about within your budget.

 

[arj]

Welcome Sid, good to have you back in the fold..yeah the key here as in any hobby is to manage the budget and the fun is in maximizing sound for your budget which needs to be sacrosanct !

I would argue and say that Active speakers are the best for sound quality since if well designed the drivers/amp/crossovers are very well matched so you will not go wrong with it. it is also the most VFM. more components give you more flexibility which can be a blessing or a curse depending on how well you match the. The only issue with Active speakers is your options are limited but since you already liked one, You can get an edifier along with a source with volume control.

Another option is to get a stereo receiver ..eg this or this which has an amp/dac/radio/bluetooth all in one and then match it up with any passive speaker like this

The above 2 is around 46 k..but you can always choose a cheaper speaker frm wharfedale/Q acoustig/Elac/mission etc.

 

[Doomster69]

Hi Sid,

I have Elac B5 bookshelves that <deleted>

I'm currently using them as back channels in my HT. Since the fronts are all PSB speakers, planning to sell the Elacs for PSB bookshelves.

Good luck with your search!!

 

[sid1712]

Thank you for the responses !

Yes, I did consider the Klipsch speakers but only the R41PM is within the budget and compared to that the Edifier's seemed like a better choice considering their frequency response in the low end (atleast while I am not running any subwoofers). The R51PM would have been amazing but sadly the 15k premium seems a bit steep for me right now

And I also considered getting an entry level stereo receiver with some smaller bookshelves but I know that I won't be upgrading for 1-2 years atleast (except to maybe add a small subwoofer) and hopefully by that time I would be in a position to get a better mid-range receiver to last a few years. I just am not sure about the sound quality of the lower end receivers as everyone usually recommends to avoid them (atleast online).

 

[Doomster69]

Thank you for the responses !

Yes, I did consider the Klipsch speakers but only the R41PM is within the budget and compared to that the Edifier's seemed like a better choice considering their frequency response in the low end (atleast while I am not running any subwoofers). The R51PM would have been amazing but sadly the 15k premium seems a bit steep for me right now

And I also considered getting an entry level stereo receiver with some smaller bookshelves but I know that I won't be upgrading for 1-2 years atleast (except to maybe add a small subwoofer) and hopefully by that time I would be in a position to get a better mid-range receiver to last a few years. I just am not sure about the sound quality of the lower end receivers as everyone usually recommends to avoid them (atleast online).

I've been using the Pm5005 'analog only' amplifier and it's good enough to fill up a 12 by 10 room. What u won't get is all the built in features (dac, streaming etc) but what u will get is a decent marantz amp to power bookshelves. The Pm5005 is available for 21k on Hifimart (MRP 35k) and its a steal for what it can do as a pure amplifier. Also the benefit with this amp is that u can control the source (read a dac and streamer of your liking) and use it in 'pure direct' mode (to avoid internal circuitry effect on the signal). I use it with a portable dac (topping nx4) connected to mac air (as streaming source) running tidal/spotify and psb alpha p5 bookshelves on the other end. This also doubles up as my headphone amp powering the Hifiman Sundara with much ease and sublime output quality.

As a personal experience. I also started out with a 45k budget in mind.. Got the pm5005 and psb alpha p5 bookshelves for 48k including all speaker cables and interconnects from hifimart. Really happy with this setup

As for recommendations, while common wisdom prevails that higher powered amp with torroidial transformers are better, ud be quite surprised what mid tier gear (eg entry level class AB, class D amps) can deliver nowdays. It's a great time to be in the hobby with mid tier hifi really punching well above its weight!!

Happy searching..

 

[DB1989]

Thank you for the responses !

Yes, I did consider the Klipsch speakers but only the R41PM is within the budget and compared to that the Edifier's seemed like a better choice considering their frequency response in the low end (atleast while I am not running any subwoofers). The R51PM would have been amazing but sadly the 15k premium seems a bit steep for me right now

How much is the R51PM available for? Last i remember, with card discounts etc applied, it was available for 47K

And I also considered getting an entry level stereo receiver with some smaller bookshelves but I know that I won't be upgrading for 1-2 years atleast (except to maybe add a small subwoofer) and hopefully by that time I would be in a position to get a better mid-range receiver to last a few years. I just am not sure about the sound quality of the lower end receivers as everyone usually recommends to avoid them (atleast online).

Yup, best avoided. To my mind, you've made a smart choice going with active. A good active stereo pair alongwith a decent sub would provide a great movie experience rather than that through a so so receiver. Most times, I don't bother switching on my receiver and watch movies on stereo. IMHO, if you've got decent fronts (combo of amp+speakers/active speakers), you will be a happy camper.

Flexibility is for people who don't have a gameplan (like me) or people who know exactly how they are going to leverage that added flexibility.

 

[Doomster69]

Plus one for active speakers, especially if ur on a budget and want max bang for the buck. Seperates is a long game for people actively in the hobby (read frequent upgrades and set aside cash float to buy/sell)

 

[sid1712]

I've been using the Pm5005 'analog only' amplifier and it's good enough to fill up a 12 by 10 room. What u won't get is all the built in features (dac, streaming etc) but what u will get is a decent marantz amp to power bookshelves. The Pm5005 is available for 21k on Hifimart (MRP 35k) and its a steal for what it can do as a pure amplifier. Also the benefit with this amp is that u can control the source (read a dac and streamer of your liking) and use it in 'pure direct' mode (to avoid internal circuitry effect on the signal). I use it with a portable dac (topping nx4) connected to mac air (as streaming source) running tidal/spotify and psb alpha p5 bookshelves on the other end. This also doubles up as my headphone amp powering the Hifiman Sundara with much ease and sublime output quality.

This is quite tempting but I really want to stick to my budget and not fall down another slippery slope (atleast, not yet). The problem with the PM5005 is that I would need a DAC which would add some costs as I plan to run the speakers from my TV's optical out.

My plan in my head was to use a pair of powered speakers for now and add a subwoofer down the line when I need some bass. I am not looking for a HT setup in my room even 5 years down the line as i was always a stereo guy so I was hoping to get something like the Denon 800H (61k currently, it has sub outs, preouts and A-B speakers with a nice DAC-AMP combo) in a couple of years and buy a nice pair of bookshelves eventually.

Anyways,

How much is the R51PM available for? Last i remember, with card discounts etc applied, it was available for 47K

49,800 on Amazon currently

I was also looking at some studio monitors but wasn't sure how they would perform as loudspeakers in a bedroom/living room and their lack of volume control meant i would need to have a DAC/Pre-amp with a remote (The DAC I was looking at, the Topping E30 isn't in stock and the people at PristineNote don't know when it will arrive due to the pandemic).

I thought headphone/IEM world was complex, but this is an entirely different level. Thank you for all the help

 

[premoddev]

Edifier makes some very good products when it comes to powered bookshelf speakers. I too own one, r1700bt which is a lower end model compared to s2000mkiii. But it sounds amazing for the price what I paid for.
S2000mkiii doesn't have a dedicated sub out unlike some other models. But I don't think you will need a subwoofer for it in the near future.
All the best..

 

[DB1989]

Edifier makes some very good products when it comes to powered bookshelf speakers. I too own one, r1700bt which is a lower end model compared to s2000mkiii. But it sounds amazing for the price what I paid for.
S2000mkiii doesn't have a dedicated sub out unlike some other models. But I don't think you will need a subwoofer for it in the near future.
All the best..

To my mind, a sub is a sine qua non no matter how well rounded your bass sounds from the bookshelves. Most bookshelves won't dig below 35hz even in their best case scenario, in which case you're missing an entire octave of music, and unless aggressive EQ is applied, hence spoiling the mids. You can get away with it but you won't get full range sound.

 

[sydney]

Get a topping PA3 amplifier + topping dac (from headphonezone) + bookshelves (from revolver club). You will be done within 40k

 

[hydra]

Hi, as the post states, I am a recovering audiophile from Gurgaon. Recovering as I sold or gave away most of my older gear (mostly headphones, dac's, portable amps, etc) before covid when i started my post graduation as I did not have any time and needed the money. I then swore off everything audio related as I was spending most of my income on it (admittedly it wasn't much so I have never moved from mid-fi levels).

...

Cheers,
Sid

Welcome to HFV, Sid!

Active speakers do indeed give you better bang for the buck at that budget.

I recently did some poking around in the market for active speakers for my home office setup, and if I may, I'll offer a couple of other alternatives that sounded much better to me than the Edifiers you've mentioned. These are all Active Studio Monitors and work best in the near-field (defined as 3ft to 7ft by most of these manufacturers).

1) JBL 305p mkII (about 21-22k for the pair).
2) Kali Audio LP6 (about 30-31k for the pair).
3) Adam Audio T5V (about 39k for the pair).

These are all good sounding active speakers, and you can choose between then depending on how much you want to spend. That said, the step up to the LP6 from the 305p mkII in terms of sound quality is substantial enough to warrant the extra. Also, the LP6 has excellent Boundary EQ adjustments via dipswitches.

The step up from the LP6 to the T5V too is justified, by the sound, as well as the 5 year warranty you get when you register online. But, the Adams have a much airier presentation (not bright at all in real life usage), and the Kalis are a little bit laid back. Some will prefer the former, some will prefer the latter. I chose the Adam Audio T5Vs.

All these options have RCA inputs as well as Balanced inputs. And in all these cases, using the balanced inputs will get the best sound out of these. So you might also have to budget for about 1k to 2k for a pair of balanced cables (price dependent on quality of wire and connectors and place you buy from). I got a pair of balanced cables made with Belden cables and Neutrik connectors.

Have you thought about what source you're going to use? The best option (IMHO) would be to use a DAC with balanced outputs or a USB Interface with balanced outputs connected to a PC/Laptop. You could think of that as a next stage upgrade if you'd like, and just use the analog outs from your source (RCA - RCA or 3.5mm to RCA) for now.

A good USB interface would be about 10-12K (a Focusrite Scarlett Solo, or an Audient EVO4 are what I considered). There are USB interfaces for much less too. These also give you a knob to turn and control the volume of both the monitors together. I'm also told there are passive controllers (no USB interface), but the bang to buck ratio might be from the USB Interfaces, in terms of enhanced sound quality over the laptop internal DAC.

The disadvantage with going with either of these (or studio monitors in general) over the Edifier is that you do not have multiple input options. There will not be any Bluetooth and there is no remote. And there is no built in DAC (for digital input) and no indicator screen. The Edifiers can function as a complete setup with your phone streaming music to them, while Active monitors will need an external wired source. The advantage the active monitors have is just better sound quality (quite a bit more of it).

Happy hunting!

This is my home office setup. I listen to music on this for about 9-10 hours a day now. (I recently added an Adam Audio T10S subwoofer to this.) I only have about 10 inches between the speakers and the wall behind them. The left speaker is near a corner, so I dropped the bass on the RHS speaker by -2db via the dip switch behind it. There's no issue with boomy bass. The speakers by themselves are quite capable in terms of bass. But the subwoofer has made the system sound much better overall.

 

[ktks1]

Add a pair of Mackie MR624 which can be bought for around 32k and work well in a small/medium sized room.

I've been running them with the Topping E30 as my desk setup and they're very good near walls too since we can tweak them based on placement options.

 

[sid1712]

Thank you for the detailed reply @hydra ! Also I really love your home office setup, its looks amazing.

I also initially looked at studio monitors to fulfil my needs but since I will be mostly using them in my bedroom as loudspeakers (distance of about 10 -12 ft, room size is 15'x17') connected to my TV, I wasn't sure how they would fare in such conditions. Also, controlling the sound volume control through a remote would be beneficial in this situation as they would not be placed in a desk setup. I am a bit scared of getting these nice studio monitors as they will expose the flaws in the audio coming out from my TV when watching either sports through DTH or the bitrate starved content on Hotstar, etc.

Though looking at their pricing (especially the JBL's), they are tempting but sadly I won't be able to place them as per a desk setup. As I said, I am just getting into this world and want to begin with a "safe" choice, if that makes sense.

Edit : I forgot to mention the most important point, I prefer a warmer sound signature and generally do not like my highs to be excessively emphasised and love bass impact & extension. I hate the boomy bass but the bass *wham* really gets to me. I went from mid-focussed (metalhead years) to V shaped (EDM years) and now looking for a something with low-end and decent mids. I don't much care for sound-staging buy appreciate imaging and absolutely hate sibilance.

I can't give relevant examples in the speaker world, but to give you an idea through headphones/IEM's as I still use my headphones a fair bit.

IEM's used : UE Triple Fi 10 (been almost a decade, still working strong after a couple of cable changes. Bought them when I was into Metal, still love them when that urge strikes) and Mi Hybrid Pro Triple Driver (surprisingly insane VFM)
Headphones used currently : ATH M50s (Bought in 2012, replaced everything except the drivers. They just never die and my go to for EDM-ish music) and HE400i (modded pads for some additional low-end, these are going to my cousin in a few days and i'll miss them).

 

[bluestar]

I would consider putting 60- 70 percent of the budget in a better amp or speaker and then trading up the other component later down the line. Tough to find a budget good active speakers, will end up being for very near field IMO