Swan vs Behringer vs Thonet and Vander: which one?

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arnabroy

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Hi All, I'm going through the forum form past few days and as always I'm confused. I've Asus G53W ROG laptop for which I'm planning to get a decent set of speakers. Music is the priority and Youtube and occasional movies.
I already have a logitech Z5500 hooked to my TV but it's useless for music due to artificial boomy woofer.
Budget is Max 20K. Initially zeroed on Swan M50W 2.1 but then called proaudiohome and had a chat with Sagar. He has suggested to get the D10180MK4 instead for better Highs/Mids than M50W and he claimed I'll be satisfied with the tight and moderate bass. As per him M50W good for bass heavy audience with balanced Highs/mids.
I'm planning to get a Schiit Modi2 Uber DAC later on and also Schiit Audio SCH-13 Sys Passive Preamp to connect a woofer (If at all I feel the need of it).
Now when I've almost decided on Swan D1080MK4 I'm also considering Behringer Speaker MS40, Swans M100MKII, Thonet and Vander Krbis, Thonet and Vander Hoch(Non BT), Edifier models.
Please suggest.
Also what difference a DAC can do in case of my setup.
Room size 12/12ft.
 
Swans are the most musial, but I've the higher model, Swans M200MKIII, so my experience is based on that.

But for that budget, you could go with separates, and get much better performance.
 
Thanks for the quick response guys. On an impulse I've ordered Schiit Modi2 Uber yesterday from US since my friend is travelling back to India. Costed me 182.71$(149+15.09 ST+ 18.62 two days shipping) :licklips: I was more interested towards AudioEngine D1 since it has headphone amp too but online reviews says Uber is better.
@music4mhell, could you please elaborate little more about both. I guess you're using 50W for PC and 1080 as bookshelf? Any idea how 1080 compares to M200MKII ? Sagar(proaudiohome) told me sound quality wise both are same but MKII is more louder due different amp and construction is more premium.
@regeHA, I was eyeing for MKIII initially but I think it's overkill for laptop and my room size, also one need to sit little far due to sheer power/size. Hence I've divided the budget and made fund for a DAC.
@greenhorn, that looks awesome value for money :)
Will DAC do any justice to a laptop output? Since my ROG laptop is THX certified it's produces heavily coloured sound. So much that High's from FLACs almost kills my ear, mid is loud but artificial and low's are punchy.
May be a DAC will solve that.
So Behringer Speaker MS40, Thonet and Vander Krbis, Thonet and Vander Hoch(Non BT) are not recommended over Swan? Behringer even got in built DAC and looks tasty :p
Apologies for the long post guys.
 
I've run through the gamut of powered speakers from Swan, Audioengine, Aktimate, as well as monitors such as the KRK Rokits and JBL 305 so let me take a stab at this. First some quick points specific to your comments:

1. The M50W is not a good choice if tight musical bass is a priority and you want to get away from the bass most PC speaker setups produce. I would eliminate it from consideration.

2. If you want to buy Swans IMO try and save a little longer if possible and get the vs m200mkiii not the swan d1080 iv. I have heard both extensively and the former is a much better speaker if you must choose a Swan.

3. IMO with a budget limit do not waste money on any 2.1 type such as the M50W. Get the BEST 2.0 system with hi-fi mids and highs you can for now. Later invest in a sub since you mention you want quality bass not quantity.

Now coming to some points people often fail to consider with the unique proposition of buying powered speakers vs the common traditional amp and separates route

1. Keep in mind a speaker with a rear bass port needs to be at least 8-12 inches from a wall unlike your desktop speakers. Worth considering based if you plan to have them on a computer desk

2. Some powered speakers such as the Aktimates and Vanatoo T1 come with 3-4 inputs and bluetooth which can be useful since you don't have an amp to assign multiple sources with powered speakers

3. Some such as the KRK Rokits and Vanatoo T1 come with tone controls - again useful to adjust to room acoustic issues and again since you don't have an amp with tone controls worth keeping in mind

4. The Vanatoo T1 and Aktimate Mini+ come with subwoofer and line outs. This lets you connect a subwoofer later without with need for the Schiit Sys you mention. Many decent budget subs like the Wharfdale SW150 and Cambridge Audio X201 have line outs so you connect you PC to the Sub and from there to your speakers.

5. Some speakers like Audioengines use proprietary connects for speaker cables while others like the Aktimates use regular ones - advantage is you can replace with high quality speaker cable if you wish or have some lying around

6. Some like the Vanatoo T1 and Aktimate Maxi have built in DACs so there is no need for an external DAC while using a computer with only onboard audio as a source

7. Different speakers have sound signatures - decide what you like. For instance the Swans M200MKIII have a warmer tone with rolled off highs which means sparkle is missing sometimes. The Aktimates are the most monitor like and are very flat and neutral and the highs are sparkly. The Vanatoo has a thicker lower end without being boomy. The Rokits have a bit of a mid-bass bump which some like others don't. The Aktimates and Vanatoo have the best imaging. Decide what you like the most and what is a definite no-no. At this price you will not get everything.

8. For such speakers a budget DAC is sufficient. Get a SMSL, Dragonfly or a Hifimediy for instance at 4k-9K and be done. The biggest investment and difference in sound will be the speakers NOT the DAC. I use an Asus ROG G73JW and the above DACs make a world of difference vs onboard audio but going higher up with these category of speakers doesn't make much audible difference. Tone controls will do more.

9. If harshness or sibilance bothers you, be wary of anything without a soft dome tweeter.

10. Some like the Aktimate and Vanatoo come with a remote for volume and input switching

11. Some have auto standby when not in use some dont.

12. Some like the KRK Rokits have balanced XLR inputs in addition to unbalanced. This is an advantage if you plan to run longer cables.

With all that said I will recommend powered speakers available in India in the following order:

1. Aktimate Mini+ and JBL 305
2. KRK Rokits
3. Audio Engine A5
4. Swan M200MKIII
5. Behringer Speaker MS40
6. Thonet and Vander Krbis

Notes:
Vanatoo T1 is not available in India. But if ranked it would be at no 1.
I personally would stop at options 1-3 only. 4 is ok. 5 and 6 I would not buy
 
Last edited:
vineetrad said:
I've run through the gamut of powered speakers from Swan, Audioengine, Aktimate, as well as monitors such as the KRK Rokits and JBL 305 so let me take a stab at this. First some quick points specific to your comments:

1. The M50W is not a good choice if tight musical bass is a priority and you want to get away from the bass most PC speaker setups produce. I would eliminate it from consideration.

2. If you want to buy Swans IMO try and save a little longer if possible and get the vs m200mkiii not the swan d1080 iv. I have heard both extensively and the former is a much better speaker if you must choose a Swan.

3. IMO with a budget limit do not waste money on any 2.1 type such as the M50W. Get the BEST 2.0 system with hi-fi mids and highs you can for now. Later invest in a sub since you mention you want quality bass not quantity.

Now coming to some points people often fail to consider with the unique proposition of buying powered speakers vs the common traditional amp and separates route

1. Keep in mind a speaker with a rear bass port needs to be at least 8-12 inches from a wall unlike your desktop speakers. Worth considering based if you plan to have them on a computer desk

2. Some powered speakers such as the Aktimates and Vanatoo T1 come with 3-4 inputs and bluetooth which can be useful since you don't have an amp to assign multiple sources with powered speakers

3. Some such as the KRK Rokits and Vanatoo T1 come with tone controls - again useful to adjust to room acoustic issues and again since you don't have an amp with tone controls worth keeping in mind

4. The Vanatoo T1 and Aktimate Mini+ come with subwoofer and line outs. This lets you connect a subwoofer later without with need for the Schiit Sys you mention. Many decent budget subs like the Wharfdale SW150 and Cambridge Audio X201 have line outs so you connect you PC to the Sub and from there to your speakers.

5. Some speakers like Audioengines use proprietary connects for speaker cables while others like the Aktimates use regular ones - advantage is you can replace with high quality speaker cable if you wish or have some lying around

6. Some like the Vanatoo T1 and Aktimate Maxi have built in DACs so there is no need for an external DAC while using a computer with only onboard audio as a source

7. Different speakers have sound signatures - decide what you like. For instance the Swans M200MKIII have a warmer tone with rolled off highs which means sparkle is missing sometimes. The Aktimates are the most monitor like and are very flat and neutral and the highs are sparkly. The Vanatoo has a thicker lower end without being boomy. The Rokits have a bit of a mid-bass bump which some like others don't. The Aktimates and Vanatoo have the best imaging. Decide what you like the most and what is a definite no-no. At this price you will not get everything.

8. For such speakers a budget DAC is sufficient. Get a SMSL, Dragonfly or a Hifimediy for instance at 4k-9K and be done. The biggest investment and difference in sound will be the speakers NOT the DAC. I use an Asus ROG G73JW and the above DACs make a world of difference vs onboard audio but going higher up with these category of speakers doesn't make much audible difference. Tone controls will do more.

9. If harshness or sibilance bothers you, be wary of anything without a soft dome tweeter.

10. Some like the Aktimate and Vanatoo come with a remote for volume and input switching

11. Some have auto standby when not in use some dont.

12. Some like the KRK Rokits have balanced XLR inputs in addition to unbalanced. This is an advantage if you plan to run longer cables.

With all that said I will recommend powered speakers available in India in the following order:

1. Aktimate Mini+ and JBL 305
2. KRK Rokits
3. Audio Engine A5
4. Swan M200MKIII
5. Behringer Speaker MS40
6. Thonet and Vander Krbis

Notes:
Vanatoo T1 is not available in India. But if ranked it would be at no 1.
I personally would stop at options 1-3 only. 4 is ok. 5 and 6 I would not buy
Click to expand...
Wow that's quite a lot of information and eye opener for me. I've already ordered the Schiit DAC now let me see if I can keep patience and increase budget. I need to keep the speakers on desk or max on a stand beaide the desk. Also keeping 6-8" distance from the wall is difficult but possible if I can get a bigger desk. Thanks for all the input. I'm back to where I had started :)

Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk
 
arnabroy said:
Wow that's quite a lot of information and eye opener for me. I've already ordered the Schiit DAC now let me see if I can keep patience and increase budget. I need to keep the speakers on desk or max on a stand beaide the desk. Also keeping 6-8" distance from the wall is difficult but possible if I can get a bigger desk. Thanks for all the input. I'm back to where I had started :)

Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
You have a decent budget &
Since you have already ordered schiit, consider these speakers

https://m.ebay.in/itm/Klipsch-R-14M-Reference-Monitor-Speaker-Pair-Black-/232144518187?hash=MQ==

Though it has a small drivers at 4", they do sound good & it should suffice your needs, these usually cost above 16k but they're a steal at this price point. I've bought many speakers with this ebay seller and he's authentic.

And this amp, add a powered sub to its dedicated SW out, later if required.

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32719...c-1480143099988-00402-UneMJZVf&aff_platform=y

The only drawback is, You'll have to wait for at least 15 days for them to reach you. I personally haven't listened to the combo, but the speakers sound good more on brighter side though , there are many FMs using this versatile amp.
 
Last edited:
@vineetrad, I've looked into your list; here are my findings:
At bhaleraoenterprises/Vardhaman, JBL305 costs almost 30K (298$ in US) :(
Aktimate Mini+costs 39K in Bangalore (out of budget). Mini+B is not available.
Rokit 5G3 is 29K
All are well above my budget :( I wanted something within 20K. JBL 305 actually is tempting. What to do?
Also in case of JBL since it's an active and comes with DAC so ther's no need of my Schiit DAC? Many reviewers(Z reviews) in YT suggests to hook it to an ext DAC. And won't it be overkill for my requirement/setup?
And in case I'm going for a cheaper active-passive setup (like swan1080/others) do I need an amp? It'll be always hooked up to the laptop.
 
@tuff, thanks for the link. I'll go through it.
I've some doubt regarding DAC and DAC with headphoneamp/preamp. My initial plan was to plug my laptop usb to Schhit M2Uber DAC usb and then take the RCA out to the non-powered speaker(like swan 1080 and other budget bookshelf's). What I missed is there is no preamp built in Schiit Modi2 Uber DAC. So do I need to get a preamp/headphone amp too? Another way is to get Active speakers as no need of any amp. I was previously considering AudioEngine D1 which is a DAC+Headphone amp but I bought Schiit already.
Sorry for the NOOB questions :(
 
Swans 1080d have built-in amplification. so your DAC output goes straight into the speakers input. So your connection would be laptop usb out > Dac >Speakers input in via RCA cables. You control the volume using swans volume control.
 
Use a sock in the rear ports as a cheapo solution to reduce any boominess if you cannot maintain the recommended wall distance with any of the speakers.

My main suggestion will be stretch you budget and focus on getting the best speakers you can. Sub can wait if you really require one. If possible to audition any of the speakers you are considering do that. If you like the sound signature nothing else matters. Just buy it. You KNOW you are getting something you love rather than going on other people's opinions, theoy, etc.
 
Get the Swans M200, paired with Schiit they should sound wonderful. Since you will be keeping them on the desk using the speaker's native volume control should not be an issue.
How big is your room? I have them in my bedroom, the size is 10 x 11, sound very nice, they do.
 
I feel that your dac choice is way beyond the capability of your spkr choice.
Change budgeting and allot more money to spkr, amp.
Get a schiit fulla instead.
Suggestions -
- amp, spkr in one - jbl lsr 305
- separate - norge amp & spkrs
 
Last edited:
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