My 12 years of joyful bliss with a pair of Swan M200 have come to an end. Their internal amp in kaput. Audioengine speakers get great reviews, and I see some interesting-looking studio monitors on the music store sites. I want to spend as little as possible, within reason. Any recommendations?
AFAIK, the M200's were not true active speakers but they had a passive crossover and originally came out as Sonus Faber wannabe knock-offs. But they had pretty good sound. Since it's a passive with a built-in amplifier, and you want to spend as little as possible, how about just replacing the internal amp?
My 12 years of joyful bliss with a pair of Swan M200 have come to an end. Their internal amp in kaput. Audioengine speakers get great reviews, and I see some interesting-looking studio monitors on the music store sites. I want to spend as little as possible, within reason. Any recommendations?
I haven't heard the Vanatoo's yet but so far everything Gary has recommended has fit my ear. I have heard Audio Engines. The reviews are deserved. Just don't go and snatch 'em from your boy because they really are good. LOL. If you have ADAM available in your area, you might want to check out the Artist series. The Artist 3 is a terrific little speaker. They don't go low at all but the clarity of the mids and highs are great.
I use Behringer Truth B1031A actives and they work for me. I liked them a lot better than the Audioengine offerings, although I really wanted some KRK's. I'm not a critical digital music listener and just wanted something to have playing while I'm browsing or on a forum.
Gary came in the next day raving about them and convinced me to review them for my game and mobile magazines. Gary seldom raves. They *are* very, very nice for that price point.
I think you're headed down the right track looking at truly active monitors, which the Audioengines are not (they're passive with built-in amps). What's your budget?
I finally bought a set of desk speakers. Nothing terribly imaginative, a wood-finished pair of Audioengine 5+. I'm running them in conjunction with a Klipsch something-12 subwoofer, all being fed by a MAudio A24/96 card. The system rocks.
Here's what I wasn't ready for; the Audioengines are on a totally different level than my old Swans, sonically. So much more open and transparent, fast and vibrant. I'm very happy with the purchase.
I've been through numerous desktop speakers and was not happy with any, especially with the integration of the subwoofers, which was often on the floor.
I decided to go a different route. With an arbitrary budget of $700 I went to Sam Ash music and auditioned just about every powered speaker/monitors they had. I ended up with the Fostex PM-2 speakers. I paid a bit under $500 for the pair and am very happy with them. The bass and treble are well integrated and the resolution is very good.
Anyone using desktop stands? Audioengine offers stands for the 5+, and I'm currently experimenting with cones/(big) rubber feet under mine, though thinking of a more elegant solution.