I am looking for some good desktop speakers between the $200-$500 range to replace my Polk S15 speakers. I prefer to pay as low as I can and get the best bang for the buck. I will only be using them in a desktop setting close to the wall about 2-3 feet in front of me toed in and placed in a equilateral triangle from my seating position.
I love my S15’s, but since getting into this hobby, I have been finding myself always wanting more. I started with some Infinity SM65’s, switched to the Rokit G5’s, the JBL LSR305’s, KEF Q100’s, and then to my now Polk S15’s. I loved every single one of those speakers and they all had their positives and negatives, but now I am looking to upgrade again. I don’t know if I will ever be happy.
My system is powered by my Emotiva BasX A-100 amp (which is amazing) and music is being sourced by my PC that has a great sounding internal DAC built in to my MSI 970 gaming motherboard. I also have two Sony SA-W2500 10” Subs to cover the bass.
I prefer to have speakers that have excellent highs and mids. Lack of bass output is negligible as I will be using subs to cover the low end and plan to for the foreseeable future. I will be using the speakers primarily for music and gaming, about 50/50. I listen to a little bit of everything with EDM being my favorite genre. I want these next speakers to be my last for a while (we’ll see about that) as I don’t want to put any more money into this hobby so I can focus on upgrading my computer. Only passive speakers, I’m done with the active route.
Here are the speaker choices I have narrowed it down to in order:
Klipsch RP-150/160M
Infinity R152/162
KEF Q150
Elac UniFi UB5
Emotiva Airmotiv B1
Ascend Acoustics CMB-170SE (Lowest on my list due to looks)
Does anyone else agree/disagree with these choices? Any other ideas I can throw in there? Any helpful comparisons between these that can help my decision? Any help from you guys would be fantastic. Thanks ya’ll.
From that list the Emotiva B1’s look good because their lack of low-end is covered by the subs and they’re really good at everything else as far as I’ve heard.
I use Jamo S803s on a desk because they are front ported and can be placed close to the wall. Easily found below the $200 lower limit also so low risk. I might be one of those crazy people and use one of their tower speakers for a desk setup when they go on sale. I have heard great things about the Klipsch and KEFs you have listed but haven’t tried them to compare against.
I listen to a lot of EDM myself and have an S808 sub(small bedroom) and they sound great together
Well i’m more of the active type but the Klipsch have got a few good words.
Why have you changed so much or what has been the main reason if there is one? You have had a decent speakers there.
JBL Studio 230 might also be option as passive ones.
I’m just really addicted to sound right now and love hearing the different choices out there and am trying to hone in on exactly what it is that I really want in a speaker. I indeed had some great speakers and loved each one.
My first pair of real “audiophile” speakers, was the the Infinity SM65’s. They sounded absolutely amazing. Fantastic highs and mids, but got rid of them because they had absolutely no low end.
The Rokit’s were after the Infinity’s and they were great, I just upgraded to the JBL’s because they were on my list for a long time and was sure they were much better.
The main reason I got rid of my JBL LSR305’s was that I got really annoyed at the hiss. I ended up getting a ground loop isolator that removed the sound altogether, but started getting paranoid on all the reviews I read saying that ground loop isolators tend to remove some aspects of the sound. Not sure if I heard that myself, but I kept thinking I was missing something. They were absolutely amazing monitors, wouldn’t say they were WAY better than the Rokit’s, but they were better.
I had the KEF Q100’s next and they were beautiful and had great imaging. I also felt these had great highs and mids like the Infinity’s and also lacked low end. I only liked these better than my Infinity’s because they had better imaging and soundstage. The Infinity’s were really close though.
Then there were the Polk’s I have now. I feel these have been more well rounded than the KEF’s and Infinity’s. They have great highs and mids, not as good as either the KEF’s or Infinity’s, but pretty darn good. They did; however, have really good low end in a desktop setup and that is what sold me because at the time I didn’t have a sub. To my ears, they had better low end than the other speakers I have owned. Not great low end, just better. The power port on the back of the Polk’s help with that I believe.
Now bass is not a major concern. Just want something that can produce amazing vocals and acoustic performance more than anything.
EDIT: Thanks for your opinion on those JBL’s. That is one I was looking at for a while as well, but they look butt ugly in my opinion and I’m not sure I could get over looking at those all the time.
I own the LSR305s and love them! They have pretty good details Soundstage and imaging with some good bass not boomy or super impact full but it will shake your whole desk, even on foam pads. If I was to go back and get something different I think the Vanatoo T0s and Encore T1s are amazing for everything they offer. Also think you can’t go wrong with the ELACs I’ve head good things from them.
I’ve demoed the kef q150 and the ls50 on a few occasions even in treated rooms. If you don’t like imaging then you’ll love those. I also tried the elac b6.2 and it was pretty nice but it didn’t listen long enough to get a good opinion. I hear that the elac b5 is GREAT especially if you like a little more low end. I own the Klipsch rp160m . . Don’t get the 150, 160 is more with everyone’s time imo. Great imaging and when nearfield it feels like I’m gaming at a movie theatre and my music has a massive presence.
I loved the JBL LSR305’s, but hated the buzz. The Vanatoo’s have always been on my list if I decided to go back to a powered set of speakers though. Always wanted a pair of Zero’s.
Thanks for your opinion on the Klipsch’s. Those are literally at the top of my list and one reason I want them is because of how dynamic and neutral sounding everyone says they are. Plus they look amazing.
The Elac B5 and B6.2 would definitely be more of a side-grade than some of the other options from what I’ve heard though.
Clear highs, well defined mid range, great soundstage and dynamics would be a what I’m looking for most in a speaker. Low end is not as big of a factor any more. They just need to be very “musical” more than anything. I’m a little bummed out I missed out on the last sale JBL had on their Studio 530 speakers. I hear they are some of the best speakers for musicality in it’s price range.
I decided to go with the Infinity R152 speakers. They were the cheapest and I had good experiences with Infinity in the past so I thought I would give this one a shot. I bought them refurbished when they were on back order and it took almost a month to get delivered to me, but it was worth the wait.
These are amazing speakers. The first thing I noticed was the imaging. It is rock solid and very clear. It was a night and day difference between these and my Polk’s. These also sound fantastic with vocals. I haven’t had a chance to really turn them up yet and see everything they have to offer, but I am happy with them as of right now. I have them paired with an Emotiva BasX A-100 amp and my motherboard’s DAC.
For any late lurkers, I’ve had both the Klipsch 150Ms and ELAC UB5s for a few years now. I love both sets and I think they occasionally go on clearance for great prices these days.
The UB5 has more bass for sure, but those Klipsch sound AND look incredible. If I were to do it over again,I’d probably get the 150Ms and a quality sub woofer.
That said, I don’t know if anything new has been introduced in the last 2 years that would beat these out at the current price point. Good luck!