Nearfields for audiophile listening?

I’m also looking for near field active monitors and came across the RL906D’s which I like as they have AES inputs. My question is this: I have a single AES out to drive a stereo pair. How the heck do I do that? A simple splitter will work from a physical perspective but will trash the impedance. Thanks!

 

There are passive splittters that include an impedance matching transformer, and there are active splitters that regenerate the input signal on multiple outputs. Examples:

Passive: https://www.sescom.com/products/vie...-y-y-splitter-cable-impedance-matching-aesebu
Active: https://henryeng.com/aes-digiswitch-2x4/​

 

I have a set of beautiful maple Viena Acoustics Haydn Grands. They are unbelievably beautiful, both to look at and so amazingly musical. They are dreams in near field and they are not rear ported so they work fine next to a wall. The dimensions are a bit tall, but I put them on a yoga block that I carved into two triangles. Beauty and the beast. I would never have used them, but the former owner of my house left them behind. Grab a set for $600 on eBay right now. They are so damn good.

https://www.whathifi.com/us/vienna-acoustics/haydn-grand/review

 

I’m interested in recommendations that work well against the wall due to space constraints. I plan on using stands, they will be either behind or next to my desk. I assume they should be front ported and I don’t have any room treating expertise, this will be my first pair of audiophile speakers.

If possible, I’d rather make a purchase than take on a project, I’m still putting a lot of effort into learning vinyl and don’t have the mental energy for another audio project right now.

Preferred budget is under $1k for the pair but I can push it if needed. Not interested in a sub, that would probably be too much for apartment neighbors. Will be used for music, video games, movies, and whatever other sounds come out of my computer.

 

The ideal solution is sealed/acoustic suspension speakers/monitors. I can tell you from experience that these excite the room least while positioned near a back wall. Front-facing ported designs are better than back-facing ported designs, but I believe both excite the room womewhat more than sealed designs when up against a wall.

Are you looking for powered speakers/monitors? Or can you work with passives?

 

I don’t have a speaker amp but am open to getting one if it would allow for a better setup given my constraints.

 

Do you mean multiple room nodes with ported vs as or just that ported gets a bit lumpy in the bass? Depending on price points, passive as speakers might be a limited lot at least under $1k when I was looking, but I suppose they exist.

Seeing how @loadexfa might be sitting in one position at the desk, multiple room nodes will not have to be dealt with, just the null or peak where he sits. And if going powered then lots of those have eq built in for wall and desk placements.

I've always been too scared with powered when spending more than a few hundred. If an amp goes you are up the creek without a paddle, whereas with passive you just swap in a substitute amp. I suspect it is critical to know the warranty service with a powered brand and how quickly they take care of it. I am sure the amps in many powered monitors are pretty cheap class d with maybe an ab exception here and there.

 

Wouldn't be a bad idea to make a list of SBAF approved/rec'od nearfields in the #1 post.

Actives:
- Used Genelec's for good bass extension and good dynamics, sharpish treble and suckout in the mids
- JBL 305 for not bad sound for cheap
- Adam A5X when dome treble is too boring for you and you can live with limp-d bass

Passives:
- ATC when money is not tight (haven't really heard one, but the signal here is strong)
- Harbeth when you are a softie and money is not tight
- B&W 805D is pretty good for a 2-way but good 3-way money which will be better.

etc what others (@rlow @Psalmanazar ) have recommended.

 

Limp-d bass may be exactly what I need considering apartment living.

Thanks everyone for your feedback and suggestions!

 

As @bixby comments below, there aren't many sealed passive speakers--period (or that many sealed actives, for that matter).

I know this is more than your budget, but the passive monitors I'm using on my desktop, ~12" from back wall (actually, an inset picture window) are so amazing I have to mention them: ATC SCM12 Pro's. These are relatively large, heavy 2-ways. The dynamics & bass are astounding for a speaker of this size. They're not much to look at (actually, I've fallen in love with the spartan look), but they do make a joyful noise:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SCM12Pro--atc-scm12-pro-6-inch-passive-studio-monitors

I checked and there are none available used/F.S. I actually bought mine that way, paying $1,050 incl. shipping. It was the best purchase of the last 20 yrs.

ATC is a famous, esteemed British mfr known for pro audio monitors (mine are the least expensive of that line, also the only one not available in active form). They do make consumer-grade variants that are rather attractive--also rather expensive. The number in each model name designates internal volume. Mine have 12 liter internal volume:

• The SCM-11s have 11 liter internal volume and many very happy users
• The SCM-19 V2s have 19 liter internal volume (quite a bit bigger which = even better bass)

https://www.musicdirect.com/speakers/atc-scm11-v2-bookshelf-speakers

https://www.musicdirect.com/speakers/atc-scm19-v2-bookshelf-speakers

Both occasionally come up F.S. (try Hifishark.com)

Note that the small 2-way Spendor, Harbeth, Rogers Audio designs (all BBC derived) are acoustic suspension. But all are kinda pricey, though said to sound amazing.

Sorry no more info. If I can find other brands, I will advise. Acoustic suspension speakers are a dying breed, but I love what they do in the bass--they're not just easier to place, but reproduce bass in a way I prefer.

 

Similar to harbeth offerings, the LS3/5a is excellent nearfield, BUT, despite being a sealed design I find they do not excel super close to the wall. Since the whole cabinet is thin wall, I find I get too much bass energy/reflections into the back wall. I should have heeded advice from folks that they excel a good distance from the wall (some people say multiple feet). Going to experiment with some back wall conditioning to see if I can downplay this issue. In the future with a bigger office I guess I will have to go CEO style/middle of the room desk setup.

All that being said, I would be curious about the Sound Artist LS3/5a for a budget nearfield option. It is a Chinese clone/knockoff, but some impressions act like it sounds quite good. And, it is not a true acoustic suspension/thin wall design, just MDF plywood. Less good overall (and you get what you pay for) but might be better for close wall placement.

 

@Inoculator Wow, someone else who has owned or owns the Chartwell LS/35a! I bought a pair ages ago for a bedroom setup in the 80s. They took a lot of power to make them "bark" as I say and I probably was too far away to do them justice.

Definitely a unique speaker. For my room, a change to a past fave Dynaco A25 worked much better for me in that mid field on the bed listening position. I have often wondered how they would sound on the desk. Probably pretty nice since I rarely listen loud.

 

A sealed cab helps, but is no guarantee guarantee of great bass performance when super close to walls and sitting on a desk etc. Bass is omnidirectional after all. Many potential ways to try to address it, but ultimately EQing that sucker down might be the only practical way to go.

 

I should clarify, I have the new Graham Audio LS3/5a (they bought the Chartwell license). Many people consider them to be the best LS3/5a iteration, although I think the new Falcon gold badges are taking over as the de facto "best". (but that could just be due to wider US distribution now that Falcon is working with MoFi) Either way, once I heard a pair of these speakers at my local shop I knew I had to own a pair someday. During the start of COVID I was overhauling my nearfield setup, and a lightly used pair popped up for a super good price with exchange rate from a seller in France. I took a chance and snagged em, and I am oh so glad I did.

I still owe SBAF a write-up on these, but I am still kind of working out positioning/gear synergy. Still working on getting a welder buddy to make me some open frame stands, and ideally would love to give them more breathing room.Currently doing some amp/dac experimenting.

I started out trying out the Aegir I already had on hand, but it was underpowered. Arrestingly good vocals (like the best reproduced vocals I have ever heard, equivalent to being in the front few rows for live music in a small venue... Spooky), but everything else was not very filled out. I then scored a used Primaluna Prologue Premium. This amp brought the bass and the stage. It is easy to forget that the bass only extends to about 70hz because the response is so good with this amp. I have been overall happy with it, and you can really tweak the amp with tube rolling, but sometimes it is almost too forward/revealing/transparent/energetic for my nearfield setup. I leave on my amp all day while working from home, so have an Akitika on the way to see how it stacks up as a budget option that I don't have to worry about leaving on, that ideally will run a bit quieter (I have DC issues that cause some transformer hum issues, Akitika has a DC scrapper add on), and hopefully be a bit more laid back/warm.

 

Every sealed/acoustic suspension speaker needs lots of power. I have a 250 WPC fine-sounding class D am on my ATCs (Wyred 4 Sound ST-500); on the infrequent occasions when I crank them up, my ears give out way before the amp does. But let's just say the power-band of a sealed speaker, now it responds to lower power amps in particular, is radically different than most vented speakers.

 

I’ve heard the Primaluna stuff can be a bit forward and edgy in the upper mids and highs, and cool overall. Hopefully a more neutral, warm or laid back (at least on the top end) amp will fix that. Not sure what the Akitika sounds like, but hopefully It helps. The Graham stuff isn’t rolled off like some other British monitors, they’re pretty extended, airy and detailed up top.

 

I've heard a few Harbeths over the years. Really lovely sound. But there's quite a jump from the smaller 2-ways to bigger 3-way (and huge price jump).

 

I recommend the mackie hr624 mk1. The older version with wooden cabinets. I love mine to death they just nail FR and tonality. They’ve always been my reference that I judge all headphones against. Not the last word in resolution or bass definition (or extension but that’s a given). They’d be fine up against a wall they have acoustic space settings on the back, one of which is up against a wall or even in a corner. Plus treble adjustment and bass roll off adjustment if you ever do get a sub. Plus, you can easily find mint condition used pairs on Craigslist for 350$ or so. I haven’t heard every monitor out there or anything but the ones I have heard have had much inferior tonality and FR compared to the mackies. The only thing I’d consider instead is a pair of magnestands or Maggie’s but that would basically require a house.

 

Lucky you, having a Mackie HR624! I read a lot of good things about this one, would have happily bought them--but the depth measurement is just a little too long for my very cramped desktop. No knock on the Mackies...most powered monitors have additional depth due to presence of amp plates on the back.

I also read some great comments about the HEDD Type 07 monitors (w/front facing ports). Those are just a big too deep for my desk, too.

It ended up easier to accommodate a pair of passive monitors on this desktop than any of the larger, more authoritative powered designs like these 2. While it's true that I needed an amp to drive the passives (all my previous monitors were powered), that class D amp is so cool that I stand it on one side/off to the side, where it kind of disappears (got approval from Wyred 4 Sound to do it--these things give off zero heat).

PS: Are you really the Best SABF Member of All Time? How do you know?

 

Yeah, I was getting curious about the FR on the Graham Chartwells, especially since what I was hearing wasn't exactly what you would always expect from BBC monitors as you note, and when I reached out to them they sent me the FR for my exact pair/serial number. (love an audio company with great customer service). No major BBC dip here.