Speakers for Desktop

[DB1989]

I see that Q Acoustics M20 is recommended often. It looks interesting. From the budget point-of-view, these are around 50-60k while a Presonus 3.5 is around 12k. There should be a really strong reason to go for the Q M20.

interesting that you mention this. The very first day i set it up, i had a friend around from the pro audio industry who'd auditioned them and opined it sounded much better for music than his lot of studio monitors (admittedly not very expensive and top of the line gear as he had a Yamaha HS8, Presonus Eris 3.5 and Mackie something). He also pointed out that the QA M20HD has a pretty decent inbuilt DAC and digital connectivity, more power, bigger drivers and importantly, the requisite looks to house them in the living room.

 

[kratu]

interesting that you mention this. The very first day i set it up, i had a friend around from the pro audio industry who'd auditioned them and opined it sounded much better for music than his lot of studio monitors (admittedly not very expensive and top of the line gear as he had a Yamaha HS8, Presonus Eris 3.5 and Mackie something). He also pointed out that the QA M20HD has a pretty decent inbuilt DAC and digital connectivity, more power, bigger drivers and importantly, the requisite looks to house them in the living room.

Okay, the only reliable way to find out is an audition. Where in Bangalore do I get to listen to these? (I checked with Audio Planet and Soniq Hifi, they don't have on demo).

 

[DB1989]

Okay, the only reliable way to find out is an audition.

Mot definitely.

However, to elaborate, it depends on your use case scenario. As my friend elaborated, for his mastering work at the studio, the monitors were better due to their supposed neutral response which he said did not suit music playback in a traditional home setup. I suppose its time for me too to checkout what he's on about.

 

[rahuln]

I was/am in a similar boat of finding the right desktop setup. Before spending money on speakers/amp I experimented with what I had at home. I used a pair of surrounds from my HT, Polk RTiA3, and paired them with various amps Norge 2060, Yamaha N-R803 integrated as well as Marantz SR7010 AVR.

One key and not so obvious learning for me is that what sounds the best may not be suitable for long background listening while working. For example, the Norge amp was best sounding and I felt like increasing the volume a little more than I used to. But after using it for 1-2 hours it felt like I don't want the music anymore. As opposed to the pairing with Yamaha is not as punchy, it lacks the low end but I can enjoy it all day long and it sounds much better at low volumes as well.

I'm still exploring but for now, settled on the Yamaha-Polk combination.

 

[goose]

I might have a similar requirement as the OP - but a windows laptop connected to a Dell 27" gaming monitor.
I see a lot of homepod/min pair for a choice.
Can someone throw some light on how you would wire them to the PC /or for that matter Mac ? Via BT?

 

[aeroash]

I might have a similar requirement as the OP - but a windows laptop connected to a Dell 27" gaming monitor.
I see a lot of homepod/min pair for a choice.
Can someone throw some light on how you would wire them to the PC /or for that matter Mac ? Via BT?

Connects to Apple devices via AirPlay. Set up is straightforward. I've not personally tried it on a pc, but you can use it via iTunes, and other apps as a work around. It does not connect via BT for audio.

HomePods are convenient only if using with an Apple device.

 

[goose]

Connects to Apple devices via AirPlay. Set up is straightforward. I've not personally tried it on a pc, but you can use it via iTunes, and other apps as a work around. It does not connect via BT for audio.

HomePods are convenient only if using with an Apple device.

Thanks, makes sense.

I have put together a Sonos Play 5 (Gen 2) hooked up via the 3.5mm aux-in port fed via an aq dragonfly black plugged into the dock.

Sounds good when it works but the dragonfly goes on standby frequently and the video stops playing esp. when you either pause and replay or when I switch video and play something else. Have to plug out and plug in the dragonfly everytime it does that..wonder why.

 

[rdevakumar]

I am using Audio Engine A2+ for couple of years and recently got a KEF EGG (pre-owned). Both are great for near field listening and as Desktop speaker. KEF EGG sounds better than A2+. The issue with KEF EGG is that it has auto power shutdown set to 10 min on idle which can't be disabled. The consideration of A2+ is that it doesn't have speaker grill.

 

[manu2112]

any preowned homepod (the bigger ones ) as these are not available for sale anymore, two of them makes a well-round stereo setup. I've just one and when it plays someone thinks that my polks playing the music

i do have one and same looking for another if can mange