I am looking for some nice speakers to listen to music. I listen to a lot of music all the time, and I listen to a very diverse range of music (piano, electronic, acapella (vocals) and much more, just to give a few examples). I want something that is nice to listen to and doesn't require me to sit still in the sweet spot, as is the case with some studio monitors, at least as far as I have heard
So far I have looked at these: JBL LSR 305 (Primarily studio monitors, require some setup because of balanced inputs and separate speakers -> a little too expensive at 350€ and probably not optimal for my usecase since they are studio monitors, although apparently with a very big sweetspot)
Mackie CR4 it's a dual set, only 4" sub though, perfect in the price range, i am only concerned about the sound quality and I dislike the design very much Mackie MR5 Mk3 Little more expensive than the CR4s, but they have a better design and 5" sub. With these ones I only dislike the bit of setup I'll have to potentially do since they are separate, but at least they have unbalanced RCA inputs, so setup is better than the JBLs ^with these two pairs I am also a little concerned about sweet spot stuff etc, although they seem less professional so perhaps that is less of an issue.
Logitech Z906 Bit unusual in this list, but my brothers use them, setup is simple and very customizable, no additional costs and it's within my price range although the logitech page says otherwise. However they are said to have very bad highs so I am worried that they don't fit my style or variety of music since my brothers only listen to electronic music and hiphop. I'm afraid they might just make the piano or vocals sound muddy.
I'd very much appreciate some advice, as the title suggests, 300€ is my maximum although I'd be willing to add another 50€ for a very, VERY big improvement.
I have a Topping VX2 amplifier and some Monitor 7 bookshelf speakers that I got as a birthday present in 1992. It works really well. I hereby suggest that you buy some cheap amplifier on ebay and serach for some used bookshelf speakers in your area. I believe it's the best bang for the buck solution, if you are lucky and get some good deals you'll end up spending around 100€
Just for reference, the other setup I have is an Audient id22 soundcard with genelec 8020b speakers. I prefer the Topping setup when I want to just listen to music.
All I can say is with the Logitech Z906 they have more wattage and of course have the bass that all Logitech surround speakers have than the lesser model I have by them and I love what I have and so I'd say if you can get these at a price you are comfortable with get them. Now as for my advice this is not coming from an audiophile or whatever they call them. I like lots of bass with my music and games and Logitech delivers at an affordable price. Also let me say the source always matters when you are talking about piano or vocals sounding muddy. Sometimes listening to music on YouTube I get great quality sound and at other times no but that is to be expected. Anyway best of luck with your purchase and enjoy whatever you get.
I've had my Z906's for maybe four years now and it's not something that I've noticed in general; but yeah at least when listening to some piano music and compared with my (ca $130) AKG K612 Pro headphones, there is certainly a noticeable drop in high note detail. Not sure how fair such a comparison is and whether most speakers in the range can compete, but I'd just like to share I noticed it. (not listening to classic piano much otherwise). I'd at least recommend trying to get a direct listening test when it comes to the Z906 option.
Otherwise for games and movies I'm quite satisfied with them, even if my headphones beats them hands down when it comes to overall clarity. Their best value for their money (often on sale, I got mine for $250) is probably more for movies or loud pop music. The Z906's also benefit from spacing out the side speakers even if used on a desk, which in turn kinda requires having a bit extra space compared to two monitor speakers.
In another thread someone suggested the Micca MB42X. OMG I bought a pair 2 weeks ago and they are so friggin' sonicly glorious. I have them paired with a sub from my Logitech G51 setup and they are pretty sweet. I plan to get the Micca MB42X-C center and a pair of the 3" COVO-S to use as rear speakers also.
The bass is pretty strong, in fact I turned it down a bit in the EQ because I wanted most of my bass coming from the sub. The tweeters are highly directional. When I sit in my main chair, if I move my head a little I can hear the highs beaming straight into my ears. Overall the sound is transformed dramatically over the Logitech speakers, even though I am still using the Logitech amp and sub.
Combine these with a powered sub-woofer and you will be happy. I don't know what is a good sub to buy.
If you read this review at NoAudiophile the guy provides an EQ file for EqualizerAPO that he made using DSP. It work pretty good, but I reduced the bass.
That Z906 does seem like an odd choice given your other choices.
If you listen to anything where bass is a want, then obviously the Z906 with sub is going to do that. Otherwise the closest thing you have is the Mackie MR5's going down to 45hz. THe CR4's only come down to 70. Obviously frequency response has no bearing on overall sound quality --- and everyone's ears are different...
Do you plan to be listening at a desk, or wanting something for like a living room setting? I'll throw another option into the mix if you're looking for something on your desk...
Definitive Technology Incline's. I personally think they sound great. If you connect to your PC via USB, you set them to use their own internal DAC, or just use whatever your PC has. If you have a nice DAC already, use that. If you have a shitty soundcard, use the DAC in the Inclines. If you have it using the internal DAC you lose volume control on the PC however. Can also connect to them using optical cable or 1/8" jack. High aren't fatiguing, bass is there (they will go lower than anything on your list except Z906's with sub) if you're listening at office/bedroom Desk volumes - and not expecting to fill a large room. Later down the line if you are a bass head, they can be connected to a powered sub.
If you can find them, they should be in your price range. In the States they're about $175-$200 used, new can vary a lot. New they were originally $400, and I lucked up and got mine for $250 new.
Honestly it doesn't matter so long as they aren't bad. Speakers are either good or bad. These are good. Pick the one you like the best for looks or save some money. They are all damn good.
What country are you from? Better yet, can you give us some links to some websites where you might buy the speakers from?
Also The audio engine and the cambridge audio speakers are the only two sets of speakers that are halfway decent.
The logitech speakers in particular should die in a fire and no one should ever recommend them in any circumstance.
If you have a receiver lying around somewhere or can pick one up for cheap, then I would look at the martin logan motion 5 speakers.
I really don't like martin logan speakers such as their full panel electrostat speakers, but they did a fantastic job with the bookshelf speakers. And they will often go on sale for 300 US.
Now if you don't have a receiver or amplifier and are willing to consider used vintage gear, then please for the love of god consider the celestion 3 bookshelf speakers. Not the celestion 3MK2. Just the plain celestion 3s. They sound brilliant and they usually for about 100 bucks a pair on ebay and what not.
That would give you 200 bucks for a proper (slightly used) marantz or denon receiver.
