I’ve mostly been into headphones, but after my ananda’s right cup stopped working and realising I actually used them more as a speaker…I think it’s time I move on to speakers, but the issue is I am completely lost on where to start because of my…unique criteria.
The main issue I have is space: due to poor sight reasons (120/20 sight, it’s p bad), I have to sit very close to the screen (can be between 20-30cm) which means the desk is about as close. It’s never a problem with headphones, but it starts to get complicated if I want a good set of speakers that are about as good as the anandas’s sounds.
I don’t have precise measurements, but I would say that:
The speakers MUST be laid horizontally instead of vertically for them to make sense (there are no rooms for them to be at an elevated down angle)
The width (shortest face side) MUST be 18-20cm or lower. This is because my screens are suspended using an arm and it’s about as high as I can place them relative to the desk and the desk is basically the only place I could put them
The depth, there’s a bit more leeway, around 25cm I would say, but anything more than that and it starts to get very complicated because I have 2 PC towers on the ends of the desk (my main linux PC and a secondary Windows one built from leftover hardware)
There’s not much limits to the height (longest face size), there’s plenty of space there
Additionally, I am not yet sure if I want active or passive, I have an smsl sp200 I been using for my anandas, but I do not know if it’s powerful enough for a set of speakers. If it’s any indications, to get to a comfortable listening volume with my ananda on, I needed to put it on high gain at 12 oclock. If it’s not, I can try to free up a plug or 2 for an active set of speakers.
As for the sound I am looking for, essentially, I would like to get something close to the anandas in terms of mid and high clarity, but I would also like to have a smidge more bass which I felt were a little lacking (I have a set of 58x I use sometimes and I sometimes feel like they make some bassy stuff sound better than the anandas).
I am ready to pay up to 800 cad I would say.
I just need to have some pointers on where I can start to look into because it’s a completely new side of audio equipment to me and given my specific needs, I am not sure where to start.
Maybe you can take a look at the Swans OS-10?
I haven’t heard them myself, but Z keeps creaming his pants over them. They should also perfectly fit within the dimensions you’ve given.
Downsides might be that the controls are located on the top and that the sides are covered in fabric.
But in general I would look at Swans, Edifier or iloud for compact options.
There is also the Genelec G-One. But those have rounded sides that you will need to stabilize.
An over budget option might be the KEF LSX II or the LT variant. (maybe there is a good used pair somewhere for a good price?)
Or… If you’re willing to commit herecy, you might want to consider a soundbar? That is what I’ve done with space constraints I have with my tv corner. I have not regretted it so far. (Bought a Sennheiser Ambeo)
Get the Swan M10 or M10 Plus instead as they come with a sub which is much better than just that one and is similar priced or cheaper. Although I have the better Oasis 140 and no the OS-10.
It’s interesting because I’ve also landed on looking at the os10 last night, but I could definetly see some problems, the main one being touch controls.
Though, my big question is can I get passive speakers with the amp I have or I need a beefier speaker amp? Because a downside of going active is I don’t get to use my DAC (which I learned after the fact is sort of needed because my PC is particuraly noisy, even had to break a ground loop it was so bad).
If say I wanted to eye the oasis instead, what sort of amp would it need if the smsl sp200 won’t do it?