Looking for audiophile active speakers for computer setup

dragon1952

As the title says I'm looking for a pair of 'audiophile' active speakers for my computer setup. I'm currently using some Fostex pmo.4n's which are OK but I'd really like something better.
I'm not interested in studio recording or mixing, just listening to hi-res music through my computer using JRiver or Amazon Music typically.
I've got a Schiit Modi 3 DAC which just has RCA outs so the speakers need to have RCA input although I guess I could use adapters.
I have my computer in a corner alcove that is 4 ft wide and the speakers are about 35" apart from middle to middle. I've got 10 inches on the shelf they're on from the back wall to the front of the shelf. I'm not too concerned with height and width although these are 9 inches tall which puts the mid tweeter at very close to ear level.
I can spend up to $1K maybe, although $700-$800 would be more palatable.
Some I've looked at online that seem interesting are probably the usual suspects like Adam A4V, Kali LP6 v2, Presonus R65, Focal Alpha 50 Evo, JBL 306P, etc.
It seems a lot of these are designed for studio but like I said I'm only interested in sound quality. Also, I'm not a bass freak so not too worried about that.
Any real life advice or recommendations would be appreciated!

pearsall001

Check out these 3 from KEF:
LS50II
LSXII
LSXIILT
All 3 will fill the bill nicely & are in your budget.

VR3

Pretty much any studio monitor in your price point will work great

Clipdat

These are excellent sounding powered speakers: https://tmraudio.com/bookshelf-speakers-monitors/elac-navis-active-bookshelf-speakers-gloss-ebony-emara-pair/

dragon1952

Thanks for the recommendations. After a large amount of researching and deliberation I decided to go with the Focal Shape 40's. They seem perfect for my space and listening distance and their size is very similar to my Fostex' which will put the tweeter at ear level. I got one mint open box at a discount and one at regular price so just over $1k for the pair.
https://focal.com/products/shape-40

Emlyn

Looks like a cool line of speakers with the passive radiators on the sides. I wasn't aware that Focal made so many different powered studio monitor speakers.

VR3

Awesome! Focal monitors are well received

Congrats!

Clipdat

dragon1952 wrote: »

Focal Shape 40.

Great choice! I use these on my computer setup along with a Rythmik L12. I'm sure that you will love them.

Be patient after you hook them up and listen for the first time, they require at least 10 hours of play time to really open up and show you what they can do. Don't judge them too harshly right out of the box.

Congrats and enjoy!

pearsall001

Congrats on your new purchase. They look like a great choice for sure. Enjoy!

dragon1952

Clipdat wrote: »

dragon1952 wrote: »

Focal Shape 40.

Great choice! I use these on my computer setup along with a Rythmik L12. I'm sure that you will love them.

Be patient after you hook them up and listen for the first time, they require at least 10 hours of play time to really open up and show you what they can do. Don't judge them too harshly right out of the box.

Congrats and enjoy!

Cool....I've got the Rythmik F12SE . How did you integrate yours with the speakers?

msg

Wow, quick decision!

I would have put in a recommendation to try the Audioengine HD3s propped on 2pr each Sound Addicted acoustic foam monitor pads, aimed up a bit.

They do need a sub.

One of the things I like best about them is that they have a bass cut switch. Basically just a high-pass. I forget the frequency cut off, but it makes a huge difference in clarity. 100Hz, I think?

I run 2 of these setups. One sounds better to me than the other, and it's due to the listening space, I'm sure.

The best sounding setup essentially has no back (or front) wall because they're set up on a desk I have in an open main space. They image pretty well, and are very easy to listen to for extended periods, very much non-fatiguing, but not dead sounding. They also sound much larger than they are. This was the first setup I ever had where the speakers disappeared. I remember listening one night early on, and getting depth and a bit of height on its little 3-4ft sound stage, and looking directly at the speaker and feeling like they weren't playing, that the sound was just floating nearby. I couldn't believe it. It was strange. Then I made some changes - improvements? - and lost that performance and never got it back.

I tried the larger HD6 a couple of years later, but I didn't like those at all. The HD3 are the magic sweet spot, imho.

Also, you mentioned your Schiit Modi 3 - is that the multibit version?

I'm running the first (best) system with a Modi 3 as well (not multibit anymore) and the Magni 3 as a front end so that I can use headphones there if I want, too. I will say that the DAC in the HD3s is supposed to be same/similar to Audiogine's D1, which sounds a bit fat and flat to me, and I much prefer even the entry Modi 3 over it. I was using the Modi Multibit in this setup for a while, but moved that DAC to another system.

One thing you might consider trying in your space one day just as an experiment, is pulling your desk back about 2-3ft if you can, while keeping the speakers where they are on your desk. See what you think.

dragon1952

I wanted to try something a little different and I think these are it. I'd actually done quite a bit of research before posting here but there is a lot of knowledge here so I wanted to at least get some opinions. These kind of popped in the equation at the last minute but they looked exactly like what I was envisioning so I jumped. I was 'this' close to pushing the buy button on the Neumann KH80's.
These actually have the bass cut or high pass also.
My desk is pretty much the only place it can be as it's right behind the doorway.
I have the Magni 3/Modi 3 also but not the multivitamin. I tried it in comparison and didn't like it as well....too analytical.

msg

Excellent. Looking forward to hearing your impressions as you get some time with them.

I went through a bit of a powered desktop speaker craze for a bit, but never got around to trying anything else. Yet.

dragon1952

Yea,. I've had these Fostex speakers for probably 11 or 12 yrs.. Spend all my money on the main stereo and then lately guitars and amps. I haven't really given these much thought until now.

Clipdat

dragon1952 wrote: »

Cool....I've got the Rythmik F12SE . How did you integrate yours with the speakers?

I'm driving the speakers with the Benchmark LA4 preamp, which has a summed mono output in addition to the main L and R output. That mono jack connects to the Rythmik sub via a specifically wired Benchmark XLR to RCA cable. The Shape 40s are connected via XLR cables from the LA4's main out.

I left the Shape 40's high pass switch at "FR" or full range. I set the crossover knob on the sub just below 80hz, this seemed to be right where the speakers rolled off naturally. Volume level of the sub was set by ear while using frequency sweeps off YouTube. Was pretty easy to get it dialed in!

dragon1952 wrote: »

I was 'this' close to pushing the buy button on the Neumann KH80s.

Good thing you didn't! Those have some tweeter hiss when nothing is playing from what I've read. The Shape40 has absolutely zero self noise or tweeter hiss.

dragon1952

I got the Shape 40's the other day. Listening to them gives a very similar experience compared to my main system speakers (KEF R3's), albeit on a smaller stage, but very similar tonality, imaging, clarity, etc.
Very nice, tight bass for a 4 in. driver.
I haven't really been using my computer speakers for critical listening, usually just guitar and amp reviews or guitar lesson vids, but I may start having something on at least in the background when I'm just browsing, which I haven't been doing for some reason.
I feel this was a rather extravagent purchase for what I typically use my computer system for, and I probably would have been perfectly happy with something half the price, but WTF, I'm 72 (in a week) and I could die at any moment :^ )
If the wife knew how much I paid she'd **** a brick though.