Frequency Response - Low-end Speakers.

[Zishaan18]

Hi!
I've been just lurking this forum for a month now, without an account but as fate has it my brother has moved out and with him he's taken all the audiophile gear we had purchased (on his recommendation) along with him to The States. So now I'm left with almost no budget, some TWS which don't sound great (realme air buds 3) and a laptop without speakers. I'll borrow a DAC from a friend of mine but need to buy some cheap but good speakers under 7k.

I've found some good 2.1 systems and some towers (from reviews and my horrendous research):
Obage DT-51 (and DT-31)
Obage HT-144 (and HT-303)
Swans M10
Edifier R1280T
Edifier 1800DB
Hivi D1200

The main problem I'm facing right now is, while these products provide the frequency range and sound signature on their websites and reviews, I can't seem to find the raw frequency response curve for literally any of the speakers mentioned above. I've noticed that frequency response is only shown by high-end speakers (which is fair) but since I consider it a very meaningful metric and an important factor before purchasing my speaker I'd like to know which one you lads would recommend, sources to find frequency response of speakers and any additional suggestions and things to look out for before coming to a decision.

I'd be moving out too in a year so my room might get bigger, I'm going to use them beside my desk mainly for music.
Currently, I'm trying to explore more genres so this is what I listen to often i.e Classics and Instrumentals, Heavy Metal, Indie, Punk Rock, Rap, Dutch pop, Acoustic country, Hindi, Jazz and lofirap.

Thanks for taking the time to read!

 

[arj]

My suggestion, get a good pair of headphones . you will be compromising on sound quality so much that its perhaps not worth it. For the same money you can get a headphone which will give you far more joy and once you build up a budget go for a music setup.
Most of the specs dont mean much as what you lose lies far beyond the specs

If so, the SONY - MDR-7506 is available for under 7K and if you can go higher the wonderful Audio technica M40X at around 9.5K. play it with your Phone.

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

My suggestion, get a good pair of headphones . you will be compromising on sound quality so much that its perhaps not worth it.

Agree. And since you are looking for a desktop solution, the Eneby 30 from IKEA fit your budget and have surprised many with their sound - room filling, distortion free and ample taut bass.

Products - Discover IKEA Full Range Of Furniture And Homeware

Look through our whole inventory of IKEA furniture, which includes beds, tables, sofas, and even modern kitchens. Shop now both online and in-store.

ingka.page.link

Here’s a review:

Ikea Eneby

Ikea Eneby review: Ikea's first step into the world of Bluetooth speakers has turned out surprisingly well. These are excellent for the money.

www.trustedreviews.com

 

[alpha1]

Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum

Audio reviews, science and engineering discussions.

www.audiosciencereview.com

A lot many speakers are covered there, with very detailed measurements.

Save the DAC for later (minimal improvement in sound), and with the money saved invest more in speakers today (very large impact in sound).

 

[arj]

Save the DAC for later (minimal improvement in sound), and with the money saved invest more in speakers today (very large impact in sound).

did you mean for the budget of speakers or overall across all DACs ?

 

[Zishaan18]

Agree. And since you are looking for a desktop solution, the Eneby 30 from IKEA fit your budget and have surprised many with their sound - room filling, distortion free and ample taut bass.

Products - Discover IKEA Full Range Of Furniture And Homeware

Look through our whole inventory of IKEA furniture, which includes beds, tables, sofas, and even modern kitchens. Shop now both online and in-store.

ingka.page.link

Here’s a review:

Ikea Eneby

Ikea Eneby review: Ikea's first step into the world of Bluetooth speakers has turned out surprisingly well. These are excellent for the money.

www.trustedreviews.com

I appreciate the reply, though I am looking for a less modular and bulkier setup that provides individual channels.

Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum

Audio reviews, science and engineering discussions.

www.audiosciencereview.com

A lot many speakers are covered there, with very detailed measurements.

Save the DAC for later (minimal improvement in sound), and with the money saved invest more in speakers today (very large impact in sound).

Thank you, I'll look into it!

did you mean for the budget of speakers or overall across all DACs ?

7k for the speakers only.

 

[arj]

7k for the speakers only.

My question was for @alpha1 on his comment on Speakers being more important than DACs.at this price level perhaps yes since the speaker is very compromised.

 

[rijuc]

for 7k, check out the Google nest speaker.. it is really good for the price.. you wont be able to use it with the DAC but you it'll have you covered for now.. unless the DAC you're borrowing is very compelling, i'd advice not to build a speaker/amp system around it..

 

[alpha1]

did you mean for the budget of speakers or overall across all DACs ?

Most people cannot tell jack shit difference between this DAC or that DAC or the inbuilt DAC of any crappy laptop/PC/TV/chromecast/fire/ipod/phone/you name it any device which outputs headphone or line out.

It is yet another component of golden-ears industry that spews products like audiophile cables (https://audiophilestyle.com/blogs/entry/148-quantum-mechanical-tunneling-and-cables/)

 

[arj]

aah..Ok so you mean dacs dont make a difference and the dac in a phone and something like a Chord are the same ?

 

[bobbyprajan]

I upgraded DACs a few times and my observation is that good DACs does make a difference but as you go up beyond a threshold, the incremental gains tend to diminish

The best DAC I own is a Topping E50, so these may not be the case for high end DACs

 

[alpha1]

aah..Ok so you mean dacs dont make a difference and the dac in a phone and something like a Chord are the same ?

Nope, DACs make a difference to the output signal; but I clearly said most people cannot objectively observe any notable difference.

And my remark on the "golden-ears" was with reference to most people choosing to become a part of herd without critically evaluating.

 

[keith_correa]

Nope, DACs make a difference to the output signal; but I clearly said most people cannot objectively observe any notable difference.

As is true with most things these days, the majority of people hear with their eyes. If an inexpensive DAC were to be encased in a pretty enclosure with nicely blinking colored lights, most would claim that they are now able to hear the elephant in the room sighing.