Hey all! Looking for advice on monitor/speakers for my rig.
Large screen/cockpit setup in a small room. I have a SMSL su8 Dac, Schiit loki and a Schiit magni3 headphone amp for my 58x headphone but really looking for good monitors/speakers to complete this setup. I would prefer xlr but that is negotiable so to speak. Budget of $500. There are a crazy amount of reviews out there but always look for more advice from actual owners and not necessarily from either paid or possibly biased reviews. I do have a sub to add to system so just looking for the pair of speakers. On my other pc I have the Jotunheim with Kali audio LP6’s as well as 6xx headphones so yes quality is a must!
Thanks in advance for any help.
Hmmm, what do you listen to and what games do you play? You have a fair amount of options in this price range, especially for some nice studio monitors
What environment would they be used in? How much space can you give the speakers in your setup?
Also what sub do you have at the moment?
As for music it varies on mood I guess. Classic rock ,country, blues, jazz, classical?
Sometimes I just wanna bang my head so to speak and sometimes I just want to get lost in good music period… Difficult I know. As for gaming I do a lot of race sims as it is a full race cockpit set up… I really appreciate your quick response. Oh and as for the sub . One is a Definitive technology 8 inch and the other is a JBL 8inch.
Hmmm, so a good all rounder with good impact. Do the speakers need to be smaller or can they be a bit chunky? I’m thinking perhaps an Adam t5v because it’s a great nearfield all rounder and also isn’t as harsh as other studio monitors (so music is mostly enjoyable to listen to and not overly critical). Also it has very good separation, imaging and staging. They do want some space between them and the wall though, so I would say you want around 3ft from the wall and them
If you wanted something smaller, this might be pushing your budget a bit but the iloud mtm is pretty great for the size and performance, would suit your needs nicely.
Do you know the models of the subs just so you can see how you would integrate it into the system?
You are like a mind reader here LOL. I have been considering the T5V’s, and no they would be around 400 so not too bad. I would not call them chunky as they are way smaller than my Kali’s. The JBL sub is old but it has been sitting in a corner for about 8yrs not being used
and it is a psw 1000 8inch while the Def tech is a pro sub 600 (I was wrong as it is a 6inch)
I should add that the stands sit about 3 feet off the wall in that room
Nice, then the adams should preform pretty well 
How do you plan to connect the def tech sub? I see a LFE, so you could get a Y subwoofer cable and split the unbalanced out of the su8 to chain it in
Yes that would be the plan. I am still considering options of course but having another agree about the T5V’s is very much appreciated.
Some other monitors I have liked recently are the tannoy gold 7 and focal alpha 50 monitors, real sweet stuff
all I can say is WOW! Those are seriously nice!
Tannoy recently has been killing it for the price, pretty nice monitors, and focal is always solid
They are a wee bit over what I want to spend but dang are they nice looking…
what is your impression on the Kali IN8 3way monitor or have you seen them?
So personally I’m not a fan of the in8 at the price point (heard it recently actually, same time I heard the tannoy), it is solid but I would instead suggest buying a nicer used monitor at that price they go for. It is respectable monitor for sure, but I think they have more competition now, where the lp6 was a more attractive monitor for the price imo
I was just cur5ious as I have thoroughly enjoyed my LP6’s here. still surfing around but really considering the T5Vs
The in8 was solid for sure, I just think that the competition in that range is more prominent and some other options might be more desirable choices
So I now have the Adam t5v and the sound is great but not very loud… Wondering if I am missing something along the way. Pc volume pegged using digital out to my SMSL SU8 which is also pegged and they (T5Vs) go up in volume DEFINITELY but NOT what I would call LOUD. maybe the subwoofer taking too much? or maybe turn up the gain on the T5Vs?.. not sure but could use some insight here.
What gain do you have them set on, and also are you positive that all your digital volumes are pegged?
You would want to adjust the gain on each speaker to where you think the max volume you would want is appropriate
gain on them is about 10-12 up. max is 18. I did that after writing the question. Much better now… Hoping it will not hurt them but nothing I find says so. By the way, Thanks for your advice. They have great sound!.. Just not really loud to start with. Yes I did go through everything and Digital is set at 100%. Tweeter is amazing.
Also should mention that they are behind my triple screens (not easy to get at). However they have a clear shot under the monitors. Not 100% sure they will stay there.