Lets talk 2 channel desktop...

ZLTFUL

So my new job has me in a position where I can listen to music while at work at a reasonable level.
I have thought about a headphone setup but, frankly, I would prefer to be able to hear someone walk up behind me or to be able to call to me from the other side of the cubicle wall without having to put on and take off headphones.

So I have been debating on a little 2 channel setup for listening to music at work.
Source will mostly be my iPhone but a CD now and then may find its way into the mix played through the computer.

Critical listening isn't the requirement here but I do want solid sound quality. Mostly background music but bear in mind that my norm for background music is LSis. Hehe.

The budget would be cheap as possible without buying something that is basically throwaway...I would also like to keep it low as I don't want to risk it walking out of the office after hours (office is staffed 24/7/365 but not all in the same area).

Was thinking of either some A2s from Audioengine or something passive with a small tube or t-amp to power them.
I have also thought of scavenging the guts from my LS-FXs or RT-FXs as they are just gathering dust and aren't worth enough to ship them out... And using the drivers to build a pair of DIY speakers. This isn't all that cost effective as I would also need to build new crossovers for them...

So throw me your thoughts. I am not looking for a 100% system...just something that is cheap, sounds decent and will last me some time.

Go!

voltz

I still like a refurbish Ipod on the cheap and music rip into Apple loss-less (ALAC) as a source (since playlist are the rule of the day) (and it saves your phone for other things with a nice amp!



the A2's sound like a nice choice!

At work mine is plugged into a FM transmitter as we have to use hearing protection headsets.

voltz

or this NHT Superpowered 2.1's ?

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NHTSUPO21

Mikey081057

The audioengine P4's are on my desk with a Qinpu A2 tube amp... nice conversation piece and sound really nice...I use a dragonfly dac on on my laptop doc.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=1AUENAP4

EndersShadow

As you know well I will be following w interest lol.....

EndersShadow

Ryan thoughts on the Dayton bookshelves that are like 50 bucks a set?

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-b652-6-1-2-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-pair--300-652

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-b652-air-6-1-2-bookshelf-speaker-pair-with-amt-tweeter--300-651

Or even....

https://emotiva.com/products/powered-monitors/airmotiv-4s

Or maybe even some klipsh stuff to its easy to drive?????

teekay0007

If you're looking for a super cheap and nice sounding setup, you might want to look into some of the Logitech 2.1 (or 2.0) systems. I've had one for years and it sounds surprisingly good for what I had expected from it. Yes, it can even crank a little!!

It also connects directly to your iPhone or computer headphone/earbud jack, so it's super convenient.

This (Logitech Z-4) is the one I got, probably going on 10 years ago, on sale for about $50 and it still impresses me. The 2 speakers, of the 2.1, are nearly invisible and the little sub can be hidden away too.

WLDock

Myself...as soon as I get some space I plan to have a computer/work bench/office/headphone rig. The active Swan M200mkII have been on my wishlist since forever.... mated with a cheap DAC like the Dragonfly, using the PC for tunes.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/swans2/1.html

They look great also!


There are cheaper and there are better but the Swans systems seem to offer a nice value. They have several Multimedia options.

http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/swan-multimedia


Not sure how much deck space you have but the $149 each Chane A1rx-c seem like a good buy...but might not be as good of a value as the Emotiva AIRMOTIV as they are not active.

http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/A1rx-c

$239.99 and $24.99 shipping @ massdrop.com!
http://slickdeals.net/f/7267860-last-day-chane-a1rx-c-arx-a1b-upgrade-bookshelf-speaker-pair-264-98-shipped-massdrop

Great feedback at their site above and here:
http://www.cnet.com/news/the-149-chane-a1rx-c-speaker-is-almost-too-good-to-be-true/
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/battle-of-the-best-affordable-bookshelfs-help-me-vote.92313/#post-1055982

ZLTFUL

EndersShadow wrote: »

Ryan thoughts on the Dayton bookshelves that are like 50 bucks a set?

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-b652-6-1-2-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-pair--300-652

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-b652-air-6-1-2-bookshelf-speaker-pair-with-amt-tweeter--300-651

Or even....

https://emotiva.com/products/powered-monitors/airmotiv-4s

Or maybe even some klipsh stuff to its easy to drive?????

Mixed feelings on the Dayton stuff...I like that they added the AMT tweeter but the silver mid reminds me of the Monitor Series II from Polk...which I didn't mind but didn't love.

The Emo Airmotivs have been on my short list...but...Emo. LOL.

While I love the classic Klipsch speakers, size is going to be a limiting factor here. I did have the ProMedia 5.1 system when I was gaming and it sounded fine for that but I really want to avoid a sub at the office.


The Swan Multimedia stuff looks very promising. I will have to check them out as well...

ZLTFUL

DSkip wrote: »

Why not go with open ear cans? My sennheiser 598 does a great job letting me hear my surroundings.

Honestly, I am not much of a headphone guy. And even open cans would require me to pull them off every time someone came to my desk (my boss has stopped by just to see how things are going 7 times so far today alone...)

polkfarmboy

I have a couple of the little music fidelity M1 power amps FS in silver. Maybe thats a little too much?

ZLTFUL

I would be totally for the MF gear if it wasn't for the cost. Hehe.

ZLTFUL

I have a decent set of cans but they verge on being noise cancelling. I will use those when I can just buckle down and ignore the world...but when I am doing normal tasks, I would like to not be wearing headphones. I appreciate the suggestion though.

audiocr381ve

EndersShadow wrote: »

Or even....

https://emotiva.com/products/powered-monitors/airmotiv-4s

Don't sleep on these. I'm listening to them right now and they sound wonderful. The tweeter retains all of the detail you could want yet you can put them right up against your ear and they wouldn't fatigue. They kick out some bass too. I've had them in both treated and untreated rooms and I can't find a single reason to get rid of them.

EDIT: Btw, people who have compared these with Audioengine's offerings usually end up keeping the Airmotiv's.

hochpt21

I have some Audioengine A2's, connected to a Jolida glass fx mini dac, then to my computer.

I run some ripped cd's, some regular cd's, but mostly the free version of Spotify.

I am extremely happy with that setup.

Sounds good at low volumes which is important, but can rock pretty loud if need be.

ZLTFUL

Good feedback guys. I will let you know which way I go. Just need to talk it over with the accountant.

Thorton

teekay0007 wrote: »

If you're looking for a super cheap and nice sounding setup, you might want to look into some of the Logitech 2.1 (or 2.0) systems. I've had one for years and it sounds surprisingly good for what I had expected from it. Yes, it can even crank a little!!

It also connects directly to your iPhone or computer headphone/earbud jack, so it's super convenient.

This (Logitech Z-4) is the one I got, probably going on 10 years ago, on sale for about $50 and it still impresses me. The 2 speakers, of the 2.1, are nearly invisible and the little sub can be hidden away too.

I have the Z-4 too for my computer room. They're very good for the cheap price I paid and feel no need to upgrade.

ZLTFUL

I need to avoid a subwoofer...I can manage sizeable speakers on the desk but under my desk is home to 4 workstations.

tonyb

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....kinda fugly if you ask me Skip.

ZLTFUL

I like the green with that green amp...obnoxiously overbearing...just like me!

Mikey081057

ZLTFUL wrote: »

I like the green with that green amp...obnoxiously overbearing...just like me!

I think the Crayola color for that green is offically booger

teekay0007

tonyb wrote: »

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....kinda fugly if you ask me Skip.

That's EXACTLY what I was thinking when I checked out the link! I also would have a problem with buying from a company that apparently either can't afford to or doesn't have the foresight to hire an intelligent high school student to proofread their 'Product Information' content.

hochpt21

I actually like that color green

I'm sure you're more than aware, but I mentioned the powered Audioengine A2's, they also make the larger A5's.

WLDock

DSkip wrote: »

... but they are the most visually stimulating desktop speakers I've seen.

You got that right! Everyone would know about those at work. This sound like a new topic for a computer audio forum...." Whats the most visually stimulating desktop speakers around?"

http://www.pocomaru.com/light-show-fountain-speakers-28
http://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/GLA-55-no-reflection_1-540x381.jpg
http://www.specimenproducts.com/little-horn-minis-2/

http://www.accessorypower.com/popup_image_additional.html?products_image_large_additional=images/products/SonaVERSE_EDG_main_LRG_01.jpg&pic=0&pID=2513&zenid=1052419172ed9f659aa95a9e204a4249

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-xVevVXXbdM/TF1B1JF0oEI/AAAAAAAAAd8/66Afqd1kBqA/s320/yellow+pipe+speaker.jpg

http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000025886/78b4/SmallPod-RED.jpg
http://audio-heritage.jp/YAMAHA/speaker/ns-pf7.JPG
http://randommization.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/sneaker-speakers.jpg

ZLTFUL

So I wanted to follow up on this with what I ended up doing.

As much as I didn't want to, I ended up going with a headphone rig.
Last night I ordered the following...
(1) Pr AKG K-240 Studio (I am aware that these are Chinese made AKGs...they don't have a bunch of bad press though and at #68 on the HeadFi list of cans, they are a solid mid-fi selection. The fact that they were less than $70 helped too.
(1) Little Dot I+ Hybrid tube headphone amp. Seems to have a solid reputation and it was only $116.
(5) GE JAN5654W tubes. Obviously, I will only need 2 but this gives me spares. They ranked 93/100 on the HeadFi Little Dot tube rolling guide. They were cheap (<$20 for 5) and they have a good reuptation.
(1) AQ Evergreen 3.5-RCA cable (already had this so...yeah)

I haven't picked up a DAC and most likely won't as I am not allowed to use the computer as a source. I will have to rely on my iPhone and the guest wifi here at work but with Plex, I am able to stream all of my media content from my NAS at home. Plus the likely suspects...Pandora, FM.com, etc...etc.

I do want to pick up a set of Voshkod 6ZH1P-EV tubes because nothing says cool like a set of tubes from a cold war era Russian rocket. Well...that and they supposedly sound pretty good too. Hehe.

With ~100gb of storage space available on my iPhone, I will also be able to load up oodles of ALAC files.

The AKGs are a semi open design which will give me a bit of ambient noise but will also allow me to hear someone asking me a question from the next cube over.
And ultimately, the idea of having the speakers and an amp out on my desk led me to consider this route instead.

EndersShadow

Yeah, I need to pay for and install iPeng and get that setup to let me listen to my stuff from home through the wifi here... that would be much more prefered...

Someday when I get my setup configured w a NAS I am sure I will pester you w questions about Plex hehehehe....

ZLTFUL

Plex is pretty Dan...er I mean idiot proof.

EndersShadow

True, but iPeng works w Squeezebox Server (which I have setup). Plex isnt on my computer and I dont think I can run it on a regular PC but I havent really looked into it either....

Teach me obi wan....

ZLTFUL

You can run Plex Server on any computer. And most NAS options come with the Plex Server app pre-installed or available for download.

I am currently running it on my laptop at home until I build my home media server. My NAS also runs it but cannot do encoding so I usually have it disabled simply because of that.
While my laptop is an i3 based laptop, it has enough processing power and RAM to do some basic encoding. But ultimately, I want a high demand home server for my media.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I'm late to this discussion but in case anyone runs across this thread in the future I'll throw out a recommendation.

I have a pair of the Focal XS Book speakers and they're good for a desktop setup. I'm running them thru the Audioquest Dragonfly 1.2 DAC. So iMac -> DAC -> Focal XS Book speakers.

This is not the nirvana of near field audio, but is a pretty good setup. There are regular 'boxy' monitors that sound better, but the Focal still sound great and have a more slim profile and IMO are just better looking than a lot of options on the market. In my office they blend in well with all the aluminum and look great and are good enough since I don't do critical listening at my desk.

ZLTFUL

I am a sucker for Focal...even their "cheap" speakers just have something about them I like.

If I wasn't in a government environment where unencrypted USB drives and CDs/DVDs are giant red flags for the security ops folks, the Dragonfly would be my DAC of choice. Amazing what that little beast can do for the price.

I am with you...just need good enough for my desk at work. Only really need music for when I am plugging away at permissions for new shares or working on a script for a new OU tree.