As I mentioned above, I spent the weekend to look around Tokyo for speakers/amps/dacs etc, and to no surprise, I couldn’t find any SMSL/Loxjie/Toppings.
I was mostly introduced to Marantz, Denon, Fostex, B&W, Yamaha, Luxman, and Pioneer. All great brands, some I can probably purchase cheaper than outside Japan.
However, footprint and price wise, it seems like “chi-fi” always wins.
I can get the all of the gear you mentioned above locally without paying $100+ on shipping and taxes!
・Loxjie A30: $190
・SMSL AD18: $165
・SMSL SA300: $135
・SMSL Sanskrit MKII: $110
You mentioned you have both the AD18 and SA300. Do you switch them out time to time or use them in different rooms?
Now I just wish I hadn’t seen the Sprout100, it has everything I need and is quite the eye candy…perfect fit under my desk shelf too!
You said it yourself price and desk real estate. Who wouldnt like the more expensive legacy brands, get what you can afford lot happier that way. To be honest since you are going with $600 speakers get a nice amp/dac combo with more power than you need, 50W-100W real wattage. You dont need anywhere near 50w on a desk, but you Want 50w.
All my setups are TV 2.1 based and the speakers are chi-fi aside from the dedicated home theatre so theyre on the budget/US prices. I for sure swap out componets its almost a health condition. The SMSL AD18 is on the shelf now i prefer component so i can try DAC/amps add subs, crossover devices to handle movie bass effects without going the AVR route.
Sorry, to answer your question on a subwoofer. YES, not happy unless i hear the sound of a floorstander in the room.
The spout is very nice, wish i had good enough speakers to pair with it.
The Sprout100 will probably be about $800~$850 after shipping and taxes.
Desk real estate wise, both the Sprout and all the SMSL/Loxjie work fine.
I assume the Sprout has a slight upper hand in DAC/Amp implementation, and it definitely wins the eye candy award (although the SMSL and Loxjie aren’t ugly by any means imo).
So, the question I need to ask myself is: Is the slight DAC/Amp implementation advantage and better looks of the Sprout worth over 4x the price?
I honestly can’t say yes to that question, hence I think I’ll opt for a SMSL or the Loxjie A30.
If I were to go with the SMSL, would you recommend a DAC/Amp combo such as the AD18 or separate components, such as a Sanskrit/MA500/MA300 + SA100/300?
Also, I have read some comments on the SMSL and Loxjie powering the Q150s just fine, but do you think they would be sufficient to power a Q350 (which I hear is power hungry)?
Noted on the subwoofer, I might get a small one to fit under my desk (will need a low pass amp too).
Forget the AD18, its good cheap sound but lacks subout. The loxjie A30 got a very positve review by zeos, he noted the loxjie has power for a desktop amp and a subwoofer out.
I read on the ASR forum the sprout measures well but havent heard it in person. What i do know $135-$200 chi-fi DAC/AMP seperates paired with micca OoO/ RB42c, nuemi BS5/BS5c, klipsch RP600/ R15 in a bedroom 2.1 sound great. So im fairly confindent nearfield on a desk is enough power.
I might add these amps to consider.
Sabaj A10a
Sabaj A20a
Aiyima A08
The parasound Zamp is in-stock on amazon but the price increased from $275 to $449
Yep, I don’t think I’ve seen any negative comments regarding the A30, especially since it is less than $200.
Good to know that even the RP-600M can be powered by $200 chi-fi DAC/AMPs, I probably won’t have an issue powering the Q150/Q350 then.
I guess for now I will wait and see which speakers I can get during holiday season.
Even if the the Borea BR02 go on sale again on Adorama for $280, shipping and taxes bring the price up to the same level as a regular priced local Q150.
Same goes for the Borea BR03; the current price tag of $350 is nice, but shipping and taxes brings the price above a regular priced local Q350.
Since KEF themselves had the Q150/Q350 on sale for $300/$500, best case scenario is that KEF Japan honors those prices as well come holiday season. Will keep a look out on their site and slickdeals too.
From what ive learned big speakers are easier to power and its what ive experienced with my budget collection.
I guess if you enjoy gear just as much as music, separates is the way to go.
Theres only solution to picking the right speaker. Collect them all .
Thanks for the input. I’ll probably look into separates but keep the Loxjie A30 as a fall-back plan.
Regarding speakers, wish I had the money and space to collect!
Alas, I’ll probably be limited to 2 or 3 pairs max, but I’ll probably start out with a Q150 (or BR02) first, then maybe up the size if I feel they are insufficient for my room.
I was looking at some Fostex subs, they also have a 5in sub if 8in is too much for my room.
KEF sub would also compliment the Q150 if I choose it over the Triangles.
I feel like a 10in would be overdoing it considering the size of my room, and the fact that houses in Japan are relatively close together, so wouldn’t want to disturb neighbors.
Either way, I don’t plan to get a sub at the same timing as the speakers; I’ll first try out just speakers and see if I actually need a sub!
@Shuna For what it’s worth, I am running the Triangle BR02’s and I love them. I am currently driving them with the SMSL S-8 stack. The S-8 stack is doing a great job, but somehow I think the speakers have a bit more to give, so I am considering an amp upgrade, though I haven’t decided on which amp yet. Point being the BR02’s are really good. I wanted the BR03’s really bad but I just could not pull them off for my desk, whereas the BR02’s fit my space perfectly. Hope this helps.
Thanks for your input. Good to know that the BR02’s work with the S8 stack without any issue.
Do you have any other speakers, possibly the Q150?
Also, how do you have your speakers placed on your desk? (how far away from the wall and ears?)
No, unfortunately the only other speakers I have tried with the S-8 stack were some Neumi BS5’s and a pair of older Wharfdale bookshelf speakers. They both did a very good job in their own right but lacked the bass response, detail and depth of the BR02’s.
I do have them on my desk, yes. They are about 1.3 meters apart, half a meter from the wall and One meter from my ears as I sit. I have them placed on foam risers that sets them up about 40mm with a slight upward incline. However, there is a sweet spot at about Two meters and slightly above my sitting ear level where these things really give it to ya! Signal chain is as follows:
Source (PC/Amazon Music HD) > Wyrd 4 Sound USB re-clocker > SMSL SU-8 > SMSL DA-8S
Overall I have to say that I am very pleased with this near field setup. I also live in a place where there are neighbors close by, so I have to be careful about sound levels etc. and so far I have had no complaints.
Thanks for sharing your setup, will keep note as reference for my own setup.
I plan to have the speakers around the same distance apart from one another and same difference from my ears. Not sure if I can get half a meter distance from the wall though.
Still trying to decide on a speaker, but as mentioned above, the BR02 even at the $300 discount is the same price as a locally sourced Q150 without discount due to shipping and taxes, so I’m leaning towards the Q150 atm. Even more so if I can get the Q150 for the discounted $300 price point in Japan.
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