They made an Active version. Expensive. I have looked for a pair second hand but never seen any of the newer versions for sale. I had the David 5001 as car speakers and then as desktop speakers with an amp for a while.
Advent Baby II, bought in the early 90's, I had to re-foam the woofers and replace a tweeter, the cabinets still look brand new, and they sound far "bigger" than their size. I also have the Klipsch R-51M which are similar in size to the Emotiva. Very happy with them as well. Got them for around $100.00 during the pandemic.
Randy, by virtue of using quantitative analysis,"5 times" on the standard 1- 10 scale, makes him a QUANT. This is an empirically valid discursive styling. Hence, without resorting to power p oint presentation, or Stereo Review's Julian Hirsch oscillation graphs, the declarative "5 times" spares us all a pedantic tsunami of words. Unlike me. So, don't belabor the obvious pedestrian turn of a well used phrase that succinctly gets to the point. Unless you want to read my unpithy deconstructed analysis.
You asked what we use on the desktop. I use a long discontinued pair of satellites with a powered sub by Cambridge Soundworks called Computerworks. Love the sound. Satellite/Sub combos were all the rage for desktop speakers for a while.
I have the Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble 1 as my main speakers. Had to have the small units re-coned (foamed) after about twenty years (yes, they're vintage now), but they still sound like new. Love them to this day. Only thing I would consider upgrading to would be another small speaker: The Gallo Acoustics A'Diva SE. However, no need to fix what ain't broke.
@cheapaudioman . . . I'm glad you and your family made it back home safely. 🙂👍🏽 I run a pair of Realistic Minimus 7's that I bought new in '81 from a Realistic STA-95 45W receiver / B channel and never needed to refoam the woofers. The rated FR of the Minimus 7's is 120 Hz to 20 KHz, but sound like they go deeper than 120 Hz with their 4" woofers to this day. I have a pair of Optimus Pro LX4 speakers on my desktop with 4" woofers and Linaeum Monopole Tweeters. The FR on these is 100 Hz to 20 KHz and I originally used them as rear surround speakers in the 80's. An Emotiva BasX A2-Mini drives them on the desktop with a manually adjusted Aiwa TS-CD20 subwoofer 🔊🔊 for a truly interactive desktop system! 😎👍🏽
Love ribbons as transducers (both as tweeters and as microphones). Although on the fragile side (thinking of mics), ribbons tend to have somewhat attenuated high end but are extremely accurate (especially at reproducing transients). As an engineer I prefer not to use words like air but I'll make an exception. Agreed you can just smell (and hear) the fresh clean air transitioned by ribbons. Most Ribbon speakers are pricey. I'll have to check out a pair of these. Thanks.
I have a pair of vintage Realistic Optimus Pro LX5 II speakers with Linaeum ribbon tweeters (built in 1999 according to the stickers on the back) on my desktop. They sit on little metal stands to the sides of both monitors. They're powered by a little Aiyima D03 amp and supplemented by a Polk 10" powered sub under the desk. They still impress me with how well they perform.
I love the Linaeum tweeters! I have a pair of the Pro LX7 speakers that I bought new in 1997. Those have the monopole tweeters unlike the dipole tweeters of the Pro-LX5. The LX7 speakers are hard to beat. ;-)
Your take on these are exactly what I have experienced. I have them as my computer office setup and they sound so clear. I have them paired with a svs sb 1000 and they sound very nice in my setup. Love them.
Yes! I have the klipsch sub woofer, the 10' paired perfectly with the fives. Do you? Trust me, the fives become LIGHT YEARS BETTER when paired with the sub. They automatically send the low frequencies to the sub, and this allows the drivers to become MUCH MORE EFFICIENT. The sound quality will blow you away!
@ yes 100% true right now I’m running them with a twin 8 inch Yamaha sub because the 12 inch Klipsch sub I have is just too much for the room that I’m using them in
I'm using a pair of Pioneer SP-BS22-LR for my Mac. I am running them through a Schiit Modi and a Fosi TB10A. And I think they sound great. Granted, they are a little larger than what your showing. And I got them for a low, low price of FREE. They were given to me.
I have that whole series including the 52’s 22’s center, atmos mods I don’t really use them anymore but I will keep them because they are true unicorns. They sound amazing and scale up really well with good gear.
The new Emotiva XB1 speakers seem like the competition might also be the Elac B4 since they are similar in size. I'm glad you had a great time with your family and enjoyed some snow.
Cambridge Soundworks New Ensemble 2. I bought them ages ago and I still run them in my living room (minus the surrounds) and they still sound fantastic! Also the WAF is very high on these as they are practically invisible.
It would be nice if Emotiva would offer different finishes in their new speaker line. I heard Dan say on their podcast that they would be doing that so hopefully it will come to fruition this year. I would like to see a white or even a walnut finish. It is difficult to find white speakers that are actually decent and affordable and many folks want them for their living room or office.
Recently I got some vintage Chario Hiper 1000 bookshelves (nineties). They are great. €141 in an auction. Good bass extension for a small room, superb soundstage. They weigh 17lbs each. Crossover looks like a lot of thought went into it. Btw these Emotiva's are 533 in europe and Q-acoustics 5010 are 650 over here.
Good video. In europe these cost 533 euro. At that price they have some stiff competition from xtz, teufel, mission, kef, elac, fyne, adam, dali etc. And you would have budget left to add one or two edifier t5 subs.
Vintage - Rock Solid Sounds. Still using these speakers on my patio and I bought them in 1998! Rock Solid was designed by B&W and made in Taiwan. Cool speaker with built in stand that can articulate for mounting to a wall. They sit between my deck joists that add some punchy bass. Rated at 75Hz to 20kHz with 50Hz mounted on a wall, which I believe! These guys are out there for $100 pair, great buy IMHO. I'm running B2+ with my SVS SB1000 in my office and love the sound. Big fan of Emotiva!
I think the monolith B4 speakers sound bigger than they are. They have a nice base kick to them and dig a little deeper than 71 Hz but they are reported.
Yeah, I like the Martin Logan. I am moving my two MO4IBL and MO6IBL to my computer and installing two FB1B and the FC1B for my mains. Need to decide on something for the surrounds and rear that are a little smaller and easier to mount.
With low efficiency speakers, the mentioned Wiim amp may not be a great match due to its limited power supply. The TI chip coud certainly deliver the power, but with a stronger power supply unit.
Since I picked up the Kanto Ora and Sub 8, that intro music KICKS with the bass lol Edit: Coming back to say, hell yeah I know a small system that plays bigger, see the above sentence =D
Huge Radio Shack fanboy (well fan-senior citizen at this point). Have 4 sets of the Minimus 7s in various states of modification from stock to replacing everything but the case.
RS used to have these super tweeters, in case, just needed to be hooked up in tandem to the speaker. GAME CHANGER! Especially for my Bose 501s which needed the top end help! And yeah, I remember the Minimus 7s, and still have my Infinity Sterling TS speakers kicking around somewhere.
I use a set of older Fluance Signature Hi-Fi 2 way bookshelves. Got them after watching an old video of yours and they just happened to be on a super clearance sale at the time…early 2023 I want to say. Those things still knock my socks off every time I fire them up and pair them with my Jamo floors running from my vintage Denon Receiver that I rehabbed from a thrift store. I know it sounds like a shitty low-budget setup, but it’s actually a fantastic-sounding low-budget setup.
I picked up a pair of SVS prime satellites on sale for $250 and an Emotiva 8” sub to complement an Infinity C250 center driven by a Denon X1700H. The metal dome tweeters on the SVS work well with the C250 and they are tiny enough for the WAF. Dynamic for movies and good enough for music. I’m quite happy with them in a small living room.
I have a couple pair of JBL Control 1 speakers. I bought them used and reconed the drivers. A pair of them work well as desk top speakers. A Dayton Audio powered sub under the desk filled in the bass nicely. Love your channel!!!
They're powered, but the iLoud MicroMonitors punch way above their size, I think. I paired them with a subwoofer (PreSonus Eris 8) and it makes for a superb desktop setup. If someone made passives the same size as the MicroMonitors, I'd go for them
@festerofest4374 how do you know when someone is a vegan? they tell you. ironically just like MAGA. This is an audio review channel, is it really that hard to keep politics out of it?
For a cheap small speaker, I'd go for the elac bs41. For around 100 USD, it's very good. The bass is pretty punchy and the highs are not very bright. It can all be "fixed" with an eq.
Running some Polk TL3 for my surround system and matching centre and sub. They are small but mighty My main setup are floor standing missions (Not small)
ADS 210 BI AMP CIRCA 1977 or the ADS 410 not bi amped. Great sounding speakers . 410 sold for 200 dollors a pair 210 sold for 500 a pair. Paired with the nakamichi cassete deck, inteneded for auto application. Sold at Hi Fi Hutche mt. Prospect IL. Miss the old audio stores.
I have a pair of Snell Type M speakers that I’ve had since the 90’s and they still sound pretty damn good. They are a sealed 90db small speaker but only play down to 80hz ish so they definitely need a sub.
Hi Randy I had a pair of Tannoy Fusion F1 that are quite small speakers with excellent perforance, even in a big room. But talking about small speakers, I have 2 desk configutrations, both with the Kef HTS2001 (the eggs) together with a passive bass module unit (Tannoy CPA5 SB in one desk and Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III in the other)... they sound great. But the good, is that the Kef Eggs also works very ggod just alone (without subwoofer) in a desk. They are really good, with clearity , good soundstage,... I am using them in one deck drived by a SMSL SA300, but in the other deck I am using a 2 W Schiit Rekkr, and it works also great.
When you listening to the music to 80 db and power supply 1,000 watt or 100 Watts there is a difference in dynamic and clarity so there is a difference.
Love your channel. Have you ever looked at Paradigm out of Canada? Great speakers in a lot of price ranges. I have been very happy with the Titians I purchased 25 years back.
I held back on Emotiva because they were so inefficient. However, when CheapAudioMan talked about using a pair of their XC1 center channels as a 2 channel system I gave it a try; having 89db efficiency. Well, these speakers punch way above their weight! And you don't need a sub! Also, you can crank these babies and rock the house down. Give them a try, they have 30 day return policy less shipping back if you don't like them.
In my garage system I have a pair of AuraSound LSB-527M's which feature a Linaeum monopole tweeter and a Peerless 5.25" poly mid-woofer. The highs are sweet and they have punchy midbass. I have them paired with a budget 15" Dahlquist powered sub and I think it sounds pretty darn good and this is certainly not my first rodeo. The Aura's are being powered by an old JBL AVR and I'm quite surprised how good it sounds. All of the components are over 25 years old. In my HT I picked up a pair of Emotiva B2+ and their C1+ CC at their inventory lose-out pricing which now appears to be a flat-out steal. Soon I'll be swapping out the Emo's for Klipsch RP8000F II's and their 54C(?) CC.
For something that plays much bigger than their size… While a bit more pricey, about 25 years ago I heard a pair of Vienna Acoustic’s bookshelf speakers that had a 5 1/4 woofer and tweeter. I could there was a sub hidden in the room. They did have about 100 watts going to them, but man were they impressive.
Favorite small speaker? Easy! Gallo Acoustics A'Diva SE. (small to medium) Room filling sound from speakers that disappear completely, with the best imaging you will ever hear. Unfortunately, the price has gone up, but they're still under 1K/pr.
JBL control 1 circa 1990. I live in a small place and can't risk cranking up some 8 inch woofers and disturb my neighbors. I also use a Yamaha ns 10 set from about the 1980s. I use them as desktop speakers, so I keep them at low volume. Both speakers are perfect for my needs/taste. However, I am so curious about ribbon tweeters, if ever I buy new speakers they will be emotiva or the goldenear depending on my budget.
A really god video, Randy, thank you! Thank you particularly for the comment on the relationship between the tweeter-woofer matching and overall speaker efficiency. If Klipsch can honestly declare 90dB in any frequency, it means the low end of the RP400M or the RP600M cannot be really low, because the efficiency of this speaker size in the bass cannot reach 90dB. It's physics!
Haha, funny you mention the Realistic Minimus, I just built new crossovers for a pair of 77s(5 1/4” mid bass woofer) and that’s what I was watching the video with :P I get what you mean, especially if it’s a sealed cab. Bass is kind of mediocre, but I will posit that the Klipsch La Scala, at least in the 80’s, are designed for a cut off of 52hz. While you don’t have the weight of the bass coming through, the detail makes for a terrific listening experience. Buy for the use case. These guys aren’t going to bring out every last detail in the 1812 overture, but based off the form factor, they will be more than adequate at playing some background music for a party or listening to UA-cam videos and music while you work.
This is still too big for my current workstation. My speakers will only be 2 feet from my ears and these speakers won't fit underneath my monitors. What's the solution besides just whatever Amazon Basics sells?
DAlis' Spektor 1 - I never had, but the 2s - are not bad at all. Sound less resolved than the Oberon 1, but if you replace, at least, the tweeters' capacitor ( best - to replace all the x-over components ) to a better one - the sound gets, noticeably, nicer. Replacing the caps on the Oberon 1 - on the other hand - makes them too "screamy", so some attenuation is also needed.....
The AMT is not operationally a ribbon. Wikipedia has an explanation. There is no other transducer which operates like an AMT including all "ribbon" transducers.
Hey! wondering if you could take a look at Tyler Acoustics? I can't find many details about peoples personal experiences with the speakers and was very curious.
What would you guys recommend as a sub $200 amp for these if I only plan to use my PC as a source? Would you guys recommend pairing a subwoofer as well? If so, what are some good budget options? Sorry, this is my first time diving into the world of hifi audio and it’s quite daunting with all of the options.
I have the B&W MM-1 desktop USB powered speaker. Punches well above its size but is packed with electronics and gets hot in use. B&W have no replacement for this model the nearest being the Formation Flex.
Let me tell you something… the Dayton Audio Mk402x really flew under the radar of the hifi reviewer community. You reviewed the larger version but the smaller one was special one. Its biggest weakness is that it is way too insensitive and boomy close to the wall. Once you got the position right and the power it needs it punches way way above its weight. Dayton audio doesn’t make it any more. That main weakness about it needing too much power to get loud is probably one of the reasons. Also it absolutely required break in to sound good. I love my pair and I think I will keep it for a long time. Wide soundstage, deep tight bass and smooth midrange and articulate highs.
Back in the 70’s loved the Visonic “Little” David speakers.
They made an Active version. Expensive. I have looked for a pair second hand but never seen any of the newer versions for sale. I had the David 5001 as car speakers and then as desktop speakers with an amp for a while.
Running a couple of Emotiva B1+ as my main PC speakers and can't imagine anything better for that.
$120 more than the B1+ I purchased 2 yrs ago for a lesser speaker? I guess inflation has also affected the speaker industry.
Exactly. I bought B1+ a few years back for like $287 plus a discount
Same here.. love the b1+ kinda disappointed with the price point on these new guys
@@joshblank1 I saw a pair of used B1+ on ebay sold for over $200. People who bought them, love them.
Apparently you haven’t checked the price of eggs.
Advent Baby II, bought in the early 90's, I had to re-foam the woofers and replace a tweeter, the cabinets still look brand new, and they sound far "bigger" than their size. I also have the Klipsch R-51M which are similar in size to the Emotiva. Very happy with them as well. Got them for around $100.00 during the pandemic.
I put new foam in my Baby lls as well, they sound great !
Mission LX-1. Absolutely addictive little speakers.
I can't remember any speaker you presented NOT being better than others 5 times the price..... 😂😂😂🤦
Y’all just can’t let Randy win. Is it this, or he’s “not the Cheap Audio Man anymore?”
As an owner of Emotiva speakers, I can confirm, they are crazy value.
Sscs5 are still budget king of all time
Randy, by virtue of using quantitative analysis,"5 times" on the standard 1- 10 scale, makes him a QUANT. This is an empirically valid discursive styling. Hence, without resorting to power p
oint presentation, or Stereo
Review's Julian Hirsch oscillation graphs, the declarative "5 times" spares us all a pedantic tsunami of words.
Unlike me. So, don't belabor the obvious pedestrian turn of a well used phrase that succinctly gets to the point.
Unless you want to read my unpithy deconstructed analysis.
Laugh and have another cup of Coffee 🤣🤣🤣🤣
You asked what we use on the desktop. I use a long discontinued pair of satellites with a powered sub by Cambridge Soundworks called Computerworks. Love the sound. Satellite/Sub combos were all the rage for desktop speakers for a while.
my desktop set-up is a vintage (NLA) Cambridge "Soundworks" (not Computerworks) satellite system, 2 small cubes with a sub. sounds great .....
Anybody make anything like that these days?
I have the Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble 1 as my main speakers. Had to have the small units re-coned (foamed) after about twenty years (yes, they're vintage now), but they still sound like new. Love them to this day.
Only thing I would consider upgrading to would be another small speaker: The Gallo Acoustics A'Diva SE. However, no need to fix what ain't broke.
@cheapaudioman . . . I'm glad you and your family made it back home safely. 🙂👍🏽 I run a pair of Realistic Minimus 7's that I bought new in '81 from a Realistic STA-95 45W receiver / B channel and never needed to refoam the woofers. The rated FR of the Minimus 7's is 120 Hz to 20 KHz, but sound like they go deeper than 120 Hz with their 4" woofers to this day. I have a pair of Optimus Pro LX4 speakers on my desktop with 4" woofers and Linaeum Monopole Tweeters. The FR on these is 100 Hz to 20 KHz and I originally used them as rear surround speakers in the 80's. An Emotiva BasX A2-Mini drives them on the desktop with a manually adjusted Aiwa TS-CD20 subwoofer 🔊🔊 for a truly interactive desktop system! 😎👍🏽
Go Big Red! Great hat today Randy.
NHT Super Zero was a classic tiny speaker that punched above its weight class.
Love ribbons as transducers (both as tweeters and as microphones). Although on the fragile side (thinking of mics), ribbons tend to have somewhat attenuated high end but are extremely accurate (especially at reproducing transients). As an engineer I prefer not to use words like air but I'll make an exception. Agreed you can just smell (and hear) the fresh clean air transitioned by ribbons. Most Ribbon speakers are pricey. I'll have to check out a pair of these. Thanks.
Life might be ephemeral, but 'Randy & Emotiva' are forever.
That speaker travelled further in your hands/arms than it ever would on a truck from Emotiva factory to Kalamazoo ;-)
I always search for closeout/discontinued speaker, example would be Whatfdale diamond 225, great speaker and i save 100 bucks
I have a pair of vintage Realistic Optimus Pro LX5 II speakers with Linaeum ribbon tweeters (built in 1999 according to the stickers on the back) on my desktop. They sit on little metal stands to the sides of both monitors. They're powered by a little Aiyima D03 amp and supplemented by a Polk 10" powered sub under the desk. They still impress me with how well they perform.
I love the Linaeum tweeters! I have a pair of the Pro LX7 speakers that I bought new in 1997. Those have the monopole tweeters unlike the dipole tweeters of the Pro-LX5. The LX7 speakers are hard to beat. ;-)
Your take on these are exactly what I have experienced. I have them as my computer office setup and they sound so clear. I have them paired with a svs sb 1000 and they sound very nice in my setup. Love them.
I’m listening to you on my Klipsch The 5’s, play much louder than their size. Picked them up for $400 a couple of years ago.
Yes!
I have the klipsch sub woofer, the 10' paired perfectly with the fives.
Do you?
Trust me, the fives become LIGHT YEARS BETTER when paired with the sub.
They automatically send the low frequencies to the sub, and this allows the drivers to become MUCH MORE EFFICIENT.
The sound quality will blow you away!
@ yes 100% true right now I’m running them with a twin 8 inch Yamaha sub because the 12 inch Klipsch sub I have is just too much for the room that I’m using them in
I'm using a pair of Pioneer SP-BS22-LR for my Mac. I am running them through a Schiit Modi and a Fosi TB10A. And I think they sound great. Granted, they are a little larger than what your showing. And I got them for a low, low price of FREE. They were given to me.
I have that whole series including the 52’s 22’s center, atmos mods
I don’t really use them anymore but I will keep them because they are true unicorns. They sound amazing and scale up really well with good gear.
RSL CG3M at $105/ea are a steal. Very nice desktop/small room loudspeakers at a decent price.
Vintage Baby Advents. Amazing sound.
I have a pair that needs to be re-foamed (woofers). I look forward to finally getting that done and hearing them!
@@SallyMcCrackerIt’s not a difficult job, maybe ‘difficult’ if you’re trying to not make a mess with the glue.
The new Emotiva XB1 speakers seem like the competition might also be the Elac B4 since they are similar in size. I'm glad you had a great time with your family and enjoyed some snow.
I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the snow, John
I like my little Klipsch R-41m because they are easy to drive. But for a small room filling speaker I'd chose the Micca RB-42.
Cambridge Soundworks New Ensemble 2. I bought them ages ago and I still run them in my living room (minus the surrounds) and they still sound fantastic! Also the WAF is very high on these as they are practically invisible.
Those have been my main speakers since the 90s. Mine still sound great.
It would be nice if Emotiva would offer different finishes in their new speaker line. I heard Dan say on their podcast that they would be doing that so hopefully it will come to fruition this year. I would like to see a white or even a walnut finish. It is difficult to find white speakers that are actually decent and affordable and many folks want them for their living room or office.
My favourite small speaker is the PSB Alpha LR1. frequency response: 90-21,000 Hz (±3dB)
sensitivity: 87 dB
impedance: 6 ohms
recommended power: 15-80 watts
3/4" aluminum dome tweeter
3-1/2" clay metalized polypropylene woofer
bass reflex (ported) design
gold-plated five-way binding posts
keyhole slot and threaded insert for optional wall mounting
black ash vinyl finish
4-11/16"W x 7-3/16"H x 6-1/2"D (each)
weight: 4.1 lbs. (each)
Recently I got some vintage Chario Hiper 1000 bookshelves (nineties). They are great. €141 in an auction. Good bass extension for a small room, superb soundstage. They weigh 17lbs each. Crossover looks like a lot of thought went into it. Btw these Emotiva's are 533 in europe and Q-acoustics 5010 are 650 over here.
Good video. In europe these cost 533 euro. At that price they have some stiff competition from xtz, teufel, mission, kef, elac, fyne, adam, dali etc. And you would have budget left to add one or two edifier t5 subs.
Honest question. Beside size what is the difference between desktop speakers and bookshelf speakers ?
Vintage - Rock Solid Sounds. Still using these speakers on my patio and I bought them in 1998! Rock Solid was designed by B&W and made in Taiwan. Cool speaker with built in stand that can articulate for mounting to a wall. They sit between my deck joists that add some punchy bass. Rated at 75Hz to 20kHz with 50Hz mounted on a wall, which I believe! These guys are out there for $100 pair, great buy IMHO. I'm running B2+ with my SVS SB1000 in my office and love the sound. Big fan of Emotiva!
I think the monolith B4 speakers sound bigger than they are. They have a nice base kick to them and dig a little deeper than 71 Hz but they are reported.
My vintage Klipsch KG2's definitely pack more punch than their size would indicate
Love my little KLHs (9706 & 970A) about $3 each 😊. Although I needed a heat gun and Kershaw to get the grills off 😢 to reattach a tweeter.
I still love my vanatoo t0’s I’ve been running them with a sub in my living room for almost 5 years now. Great little speakers.
I'd say Martin Logan Motion 4i. It's an amazing speaker for the size and unlike other ML speakers it's relatively cheap at $249 each.
Yeah, I like the Martin Logan. I am moving my two MO4IBL and MO6IBL to my computer and installing two FB1B and the FC1B for my mains. Need to decide on something for the surrounds and rear that are a little smaller and easier to mount.
Swan OS-10s on the active side and the Micca RB42s on the passive side.
With low efficiency speakers, the mentioned Wiim amp may not be a great match due to its limited power supply. The TI chip coud certainly deliver the power, but with a stronger power supply unit.
i own the emotiva airmotiv b1+ and still love them. No desire to upgrade from them at all.
Thanks for the review. Good to know you made it home ok. Blizzards are no joke.
Since I picked up the Kanto Ora and Sub 8, that intro music KICKS with the bass lol
Edit: Coming back to say, hell yeah I know a small system that plays bigger, see the above sentence =D
Huge Radio Shack fanboy (well fan-senior citizen at this point). Have 4 sets of the Minimus 7s in various states of modification from stock to replacing everything but the case.
RS used to have these super tweeters, in case, just needed to be hooked up in tandem to the speaker. GAME CHANGER! Especially for my Bose 501s which needed the top end help!
And yeah, I remember the Minimus 7s, and still have my Infinity Sterling TS speakers kicking around somewhere.
I use a set of older Fluance Signature Hi-Fi 2 way bookshelves. Got them after watching an old video of yours and they just happened to be on a super clearance sale at the time…early 2023 I want to say. Those things still knock my socks off every time I fire them up and pair them with my Jamo floors running from my vintage Denon Receiver that I rehabbed from a thrift store. I know it sounds like a shitty low-budget setup, but it’s actually a fantastic-sounding low-budget setup.
Emotiva ought to get more credit for all they do as an "Independent" especially in this day and age. Not easy!
Another great one CAM! but i gotta say the dog was the star of the show.
I picked up a pair of SVS prime satellites on sale for $250 and an Emotiva 8” sub to complement an Infinity C250 center driven by a Denon X1700H. The metal dome tweeters on the SVS work well with the C250 and they are tiny enough for the WAF. Dynamic for movies and good enough for music. I’m quite happy with them in a small living room.
An even smaller speaker that slaps surprisingly hard is the Monitor Audio 50. Also very cheap and cute looking cubes.
B&w m1 definitely plays bigger
I have a couple pair of JBL Control 1 speakers. I bought them used and reconed the drivers. A pair of them work well as desk top speakers. A Dayton Audio powered sub under the desk filled in the bass nicely. Love your channel!!!
They're powered, but the iLoud MicroMonitors punch way above their size, I think. I paired them with a subwoofer (PreSonus Eris 8) and it makes for a superb desktop setup. If someone made passives the same size as the MicroMonitors, I'd go for them
Advent mini's that I bought new in 1990. Had to re-foam the woofer's a few years back, but thanks to Simply Speakers, the process was easy.
Awesome screen name - MAGA!
@festerofest4374 how do you know when someone is a vegan? they tell you. ironically just like MAGA. This is an audio review channel, is it really that hard to keep politics out of it?
@spamcan9208 Valid point. I just got too excited I guess.
@@festerofest4374 All good, you at least you're being reasonable and respectful.
I heave some Realistic Minimus 7s, and I love the sound in my tiny den area.
Celestion 3 mk11 and tannoy 603 mk11 are my favourite small pair iv owned
I just had to post a comment because of all the minimus 7 owners I saw in here 😊
they certainly occupy a special place in my hi-fi CV! 🤗
The Adam Audio T5V active speakers comes to mind.
Which are cheaper and active.
For a cheap small speaker, I'd go for the elac bs41. For around 100 USD, it's very good. The bass is pretty punchy and the highs are not very bright. It can all be "fixed" with an eq.
Running some Polk TL3 for my surround system and matching centre and sub. They are small but mighty
My main setup are floor standing missions (Not small)
Was always partial to the Wharfdale Diamond 3’s back in the day. Very similar size to these Emotivas too.
ADS 210 BI AMP CIRCA 1977 or the ADS 410 not bi amped. Great sounding speakers . 410 sold for 200 dollors a pair 210 sold for 500 a pair. Paired with the nakamichi cassete deck, inteneded for auto application. Sold at Hi Fi Hutche mt. Prospect IL. Miss the old audio stores.
I have a pair of Snell Type M speakers that I’ve had since the 90’s and they still sound pretty damn good. They are a sealed 90db small speaker but only play down to 80hz ish so they definitely need a sub.
Hi Randy
I had a pair of Tannoy Fusion F1 that are quite small speakers with excellent perforance, even in a big room.
But talking about small speakers, I have 2 desk configutrations, both with the Kef HTS2001 (the eggs) together with a passive bass module unit (Tannoy CPA5 SB in one desk and Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III in the other)... they sound great.
But the good, is that the Kef Eggs also works very ggod just alone (without subwoofer) in a desk. They are really good, with clearity , good soundstage,...
I am using them in one deck drived by a SMSL SA300, but in the other deck I am using a 2 W Schiit Rekkr, and it works also great.
When you listening to the music to 80 db and power supply 1,000 watt or 100 Watts there is a difference in dynamic and clarity so there is a difference.
Emotiva xb2 owner here, I can confirm that they are killer speakers for the money.
My ELAC Debut 3.0 DB53's are arriving in the mail today (a purchase based purely on cheapaudioman reviews!).. Are these in the same league?
Yes, there is no replacement for displacement. That's why the Tekton Design Moab exists.
whats up with no subs on the emotiva website. need something to pair with the XB2's
Love your channel. Have you ever looked at Paradigm out of Canada? Great speakers in a lot of price ranges. I have been very happy with the Titians I purchased 25 years back.
Adam audio d3v, i usually am against active speakers in principle but these on my desktop are seriously impressive
I held back on Emotiva because they were so inefficient. However, when CheapAudioMan talked about using a pair of their XC1 center channels as a 2 channel system I gave it a try; having 89db efficiency. Well, these speakers punch way above their weight! And you don't need a sub! Also, you can crank these babies and rock the house down. Give them a try, they have 30 day return policy less shipping back if you don't like them.
Go big red!!! From a fellow University of Nebraska - Lincoln alumni!
Add an 8 to 10 inch sub woofer and a monoblock amplifier tpa3255 based and a good small room system, yes.
Nebraska is doing pretty good in college basketball this year
In my garage system I have a pair of AuraSound LSB-527M's which feature a Linaeum monopole tweeter and a Peerless 5.25" poly mid-woofer. The highs are sweet and they have punchy midbass. I have them paired with a budget 15" Dahlquist powered sub and I think it sounds pretty darn good and this is certainly not my first rodeo. The Aura's are being powered by an old JBL AVR and I'm quite surprised how good it sounds. All of the components are over 25 years old. In my HT I picked up a pair of Emotiva B2+ and their C1+ CC at their inventory lose-out pricing which now appears to be a flat-out steal. Soon I'll be swapping out the Emo's for Klipsch RP8000F II's and their 54C(?) CC.
I have a pair of Micca MB42X that I use for my desktop set. They're really great.
Micca RB42 user here as well.
For something that plays much bigger than their size… While a bit more pricey, about 25 years ago I heard a pair of Vienna Acoustic’s bookshelf speakers that had a 5 1/4 woofer and tweeter. I could there was a sub hidden in the room. They did have about 100 watts going to them, but man were they impressive.
Favorite small speaker? Easy!
Gallo Acoustics A'Diva SE. (small to medium) Room filling sound from speakers that disappear completely, with the best imaging you will ever hear.
Unfortunately, the price has gone up, but they're still under 1K/pr.
JBL control 1 circa 1990. I live in a small place and can't risk cranking up some 8 inch woofers and disturb my neighbors. I also use a Yamaha ns 10 set from about the 1980s. I use them as desktop speakers, so I keep them at low volume. Both speakers are perfect for my needs/taste. However, I am so curious about ribbon tweeters, if ever I buy new speakers they will be emotiva or the goldenear depending on my budget.
It's actually 82dB at 2 watts /1 meter since it's a 4 ohm speaker. (V^2)/R = watts
Russ
Little speakers that punch above their weight? I still have some Canton Plus S speakers(and their Subwoofer +C)still around. Circa 1984ish.
A really god video, Randy, thank you!
Thank you particularly for the comment on the relationship between the tweeter-woofer matching and overall speaker efficiency. If Klipsch can honestly declare 90dB in any frequency, it means the low end of the RP400M or the RP600M cannot be really low, because the efficiency of this speaker size in the bass cannot reach 90dB. It's physics!
Micca RB-42's. Little speaker, HUGE sound. Killer bass from a 4"woof.
Haha, funny you mention the Realistic Minimus, I just built new crossovers for a pair of 77s(5 1/4” mid bass woofer) and that’s what I was watching the video with :P
I get what you mean, especially if it’s a sealed cab. Bass is kind of mediocre, but I will posit that the Klipsch La Scala, at least in the 80’s, are designed for a cut off of 52hz. While you don’t have the weight of the bass coming through, the detail makes for a terrific listening experience.
Buy for the use case. These guys aren’t going to bring out every last detail in the 1812 overture, but based off the form factor, they will be more than adequate at playing some background music for a party or listening to UA-cam videos and music while you work.
This is still too big for my current workstation. My speakers will only be 2 feet from my ears and these speakers won't fit underneath my monitors. What's the solution besides just whatever Amazon Basics sells?
DAlis' Spektor 1 - I never had, but the 2s - are not bad at all. Sound less resolved than the Oberon 1, but if you replace, at least, the tweeters' capacitor ( best - to replace all the x-over components ) to a better one - the sound gets, noticeably, nicer. Replacing the caps on the Oberon 1 - on the other hand - makes them too "screamy", so some attenuation is also needed.....
What is that song at the start of the video, it’s in lots of yours and I have not been able to identify it
iso indies - back in my bag again
Try the Cambridge sx50 and the matched sub. Elegant English warmth and clarity
Those are awesome. I had some in the first year of the channel
Love the intro song.
Monitor audio radius 90 last version, available pre owned cheap but still selling new for £399
The AMT is not operationally a ribbon. Wikipedia has an explanation. There is no other transducer which operates like an AMT including all "ribbon" transducers.
Can these speakers act as Atmos surround rear speakers?
Thanks! Sorry for the long comment below.
No problem! Thanks for watching.
I always think with 5.25" woofer is the perfect balance
if both space and quality are being considered...
I completely agree. Especially if you can cross them over with a sub
Hey! wondering if you could take a look at Tyler Acoustics? I can't find many details about peoples personal experiences with the speakers and was very curious.
i love the jbl lx2 and lx10, especially the lx2 sounds way bigger than it actually is
So, is this a bookshelf speaker more suited to a Romulan or a Vulcan?
What would you guys recommend as a sub $200 amp for these if I only plan to use my PC as a source? Would you guys recommend pairing a subwoofer as well? If so, what are some good budget options? Sorry, this is my first time diving into the world of hifi audio and it’s quite daunting with all of the options.
I have those Realistic speakers. They are labeled Optimus on the grill cover.
I have the B&W MM-1 desktop USB powered speaker. Punches well above its size but is packed with electronics and gets hot in use. B&W have no replacement for this model the nearest being the Formation Flex.
Let me tell you something… the Dayton Audio Mk402x really flew under the radar of the hifi reviewer community. You reviewed the larger version but the smaller one was special one. Its biggest weakness is that it is way too insensitive and boomy close to the wall. Once you got the position right and the power it needs it punches way way above its weight. Dayton audio doesn’t make it any more. That main weakness about it needing too much power to get loud is probably one of the reasons. Also it absolutely required break in to sound good. I love my pair and I think I will keep it for a long time. Wide soundstage, deep tight bass and smooth midrange and articulate highs.
please do the Ascend acoustics CMT340 SE2 a bit more but it has a really good Klippel score based on the cost. would love to hear your thoughts on it.
Emotiva I know you’re peaking around in the comments- PLEASE come out with a white finish!
Shame that in Europe we can't get Emotiva products.
Good news. You can buy these in Europe. But nowhere near the US price. One pair of xb1 will cost you €536,95. Shipped free from Denmark I believe.