Any audiophile / Hi Fi guru here ??

[Kinioo]

Hi all,

I need some advice on Speaker / amp/ configuration for my home office:

- the room is quite small 2.4w x 3.5L x 2.4H (m);
- the speakers / AMP /DAC will work (mainly) with my laptop;
- the system will be mainly for music (heavy rock), games, (movies occasionally) plus a guitar plugged in via external interface / VST;
- speakers should not be too big as they need to be placed on my desk (in both corners, screen plus laptop in the middle) but don't want tiny plastic-ish speakers;
- ideally some active subwoofer under the desk...
- need headphone out & AUX/MP3/phone in ports.

Now,

a) should I look for a 'PC gaming speaker package (in my budget may be the best option, but not sure how good it is for music?) something like 2.1 ?; or
b) should I invest in separate units: DAC, amp plus separate speakers / subwoofer ?

Budget is up to £200 or very near.

Many thanks,

Chris

[simonw]

Chris - I'm no audiophile but I wanted some desktop PC speakers recently and spent a lot of time researching the options. I looked at studio monitors, bookshelf speakers and PC speakers (Bose, Logitech etc). I eventually settled for a pair of Audioengine 2+ (see here: and here: http://audioengineusa.com/Store/A2-plus ... p-Speakers and for a review, here: http://www.whathifi.com/audioengine/a2/review (there are lots of other reviews if you Google). The sound is amazing and for me they struck the right balance between sound quality and size. Most of the alternatives I looked at were much bigger, and I managed to pick them up for a bargain £145 (vs £195 on Amazon) in a clearance somewhere.

[Zappa]

If you are looking for a good music sound stay clear of desktop gaming speakers and look for something more audio biased.

personally I would forget about a sub woofer under your desk and invest in a good quality second hand amp (NAD / Marantz) off ebay and get some bookshelf speakers (again second hand off ebay,KEF,B&W etc ) then put a couple of shelves up and place them on the shelves. A sub will just give you loads of unwanted bass.
You can then feed the laptop to the amp (via a DAC if you get one)

A DAC is a worth while investment but anything decent will blow your 200 budget right off.

In summary second hand high end stuff is far superior to new stuff at equivalent prices.

[PaulinBont]

+1 on Second-hand high end kit; there is always a good stock of good quality kit as the Hi Fi purists are forever trading up.

I bought my second-hand stuff from these guys for less than the cost of a mediocre new set up:

http://www.audiot.co.uk/

[simonw]

The challenge I found was finding good quality *and* small enough to sit on a desktop. Otherwise I'd have gone the amp/bookshelf route too. The Audioengines are pretty impressive though, it has to be said! Enough bass sitting at a PC without the need for a sub, with a decent soundstage and pretty good detail at lower volumes, which of course a lot of the low end stuff can't do.

[Chunkychops]

I have a pair of M-Audio AV40 speakers - my little 12'X 12' office is my entertainment hub and the speakers are absolutely brilliant - They are reference speakers so neutral sounding. I don't know what they would be like with a guitar though.
They have been replaced by these:

[Dave DRZ]

I'm no audiophile, but I got a Bose Soundlink Mini 2 for my birthday and I think it's the dog's do-dahs. Well within your price range and portable if you want to move it round, outside, another room etc. Thy are bluetooth compatible with an aux socket as well http://www.trustedreviews.com/bose-soun ... -ii-review

I was in Richer Sounds a few months back buying a new turntable and the bloke behind the counter was quite sniffy about the fact that my main stereo is a Bose Acoustic Wave system, obviously Bose doesn't cut it amongst the purists in the shop, but my my ear you can't beat it for the price (thumbs)

Dave

[Stevied]

Got to agree with you on the Bose Soundlink
Great bit of kit.
I've got some pretty serious hi-fi to play with but this doesn't disgrace itself in any way

[AirbusPaul]

Got to agree with you on the Bose Soundlink
Great bit of kit.
I've got some pretty serious hi-fi to play with but this doesn't disgrace itself in any way

Listening to my Bose Mini Soundlink in my hotel room at the minute Bluetooth great sound and fits your budget (thumbs) .

[Kinioo]

Thanks all for your replies.

Currently Doing some research on 2nd hand amps/DAC's/speakers.

M-Audio AV42 look god as well.