budget speakers for the office
heftydude -- Thu, 09/11/2008 - 00:27
Intrigued by Chris Jones review of the NuForce Icon as a way to upgrade my audio at the office, I now need a decent set of speakers for the office computer. I listen mostly to hard rock, metal, alternative, etc. but I also like good vocal recordings (a la Chesky 10 Best, Johnny Cash).
Looking at:
PSB Alpha B1, Usher S520, possibly the B&W 685 (but concerned about lack of low end and lack of funds).
I'm particularly interested in Chis Jones take on this as he reviewed the Icon with the S520 and maybe he's heard the other speakers. I can get the PSB and the B&W in town, but the nearest dealer for the Ushers is 150 mi (I got family that lives there, so no big deal on the trip).
I'd appreciate anybody's thoughts/experiences with these speakers given what I like to listen to.
You might want to look at the Aperion 4b also - if $130 per speaker allows you to put some money toward a subwoofer, the Aperion/sub solution might give you a more full range solution.
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
The best small speaker for the money, in my view, is the B&W 685 at $650 per pair.
robert_harley6 wrote:The best small speaker for the money, in my view, is the B&W 685 at $650 per pair.
I did listen to the 685s at the dealership and was quite impressed. I started looking for an excuse to buy them.
If I recall correctly when you wrote about the B&W in TAS, you mentioned that they didn't go as low as a certain Focal pair that got reviewed in the same issue. I believe the gist of your comments was about how it depended on your listening preferences and the importance of matching speakers to music to gear, etc. Given That I like music that tends hammer the low frequencies, I was discounting the 685s some. Granted, these are for the office, and I won't be rattling the windows so perhaps they will fit the bill just nicely.
SS- I will definitely look into the Aperions. I was hoping to avoid a sub though.
-fred.
I reviewed the Focal 706 and the B&W CM1 ($900) in Issue 177. Wayne Garcia reviewed the 685 in Issue 176.
The CM1 is very small and refined, with a terrific midrange. This was the speaker I wrote didn't have the bass extension of the Focal. The 685 has deeper extension than the CM1. The CM1 is more specialized; it is best on small-scale music and vocals.
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