Good Powered Speakers - Devialet / Kef / Dali/ Elac /B&W

chenZi

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Looking for #audiophile opinions for really good speakers. I have scoured many US-based audio forums. visited shops to listen to various speakers, looking for an additional opinion from Indian music perspective too (Rahman, Classical, Illaiyaraja etc) too since all forums are titled towards western music. I do listen to Jazz/Western Classical. I live in US.

* I am also excluding passive speakers and setup - these speakers will be used in my office room at home and i do not want to have a dedicated full setup. Need really good powered speaker systems that are space-efficient.

* Need speakers that can reveal good soundstage performance, good dynamic range, detail, tonal balance, treble, good mid-range, bass and very low distortion!
Here is my shortlist after spending a lot of time listening in shops and reading. I do not get much time to listen to music during normal day but when I get those 30 or 60 minutes early morning or late night, want it to be a really good experience! I would ideally get one from this shortlist as I have spent time listening to these speakers and the process has been very long due to Covid restrictions :)

1. Devialet Phantom Reactor 900 - ( 2 speakers in stereo mode since they sell one at a time) - These are phenomenal and can be felt only when you see and hear them in person. They are made in France and has some impressive technology behind them. Quite an eye-catching and tech marvel! Of course, priced for that. Cons - Relatively newer company. vert few analog connectivity options depend a lot on the phone app. One of my top contenders to keep things simple.
2. KEF LS50W Wireless speakers - They are pretty good, little larger for my desk but can fit in easily. They have a screen to do stuff and not app dependent. Newer versions are expected anytime. KEF - The iconic British brand was acquired by a Chinese company and these are China-made speakers. Also looked at the smaller version KEF LSX - again lot of dependency on app, but a decent option.
3. Klipsch Fives and Sixes - Made in the US, they aren't as good as KEF or Devialet or Dali.
4.Dali Calisto 2c Speakers -Made in Denmark. Quite Good and traditional looks.
5. Elac Navis Powered Bookshelf speakers - Made in Germany. Really good high-end traditional speakers. Sounds phenomenal. Wireless options are missing and adds to the cost. But a really good contender for top choice.
6. Bowers and Wilkins formation DUO- British Made, Great sound in every way except analog connectivity - needs an additional device. More expensive than other options.
I currently use Spotify Premium 320Kbps stream but plan to add/upgrade into a lossless format via Tidal/ HD streaming services. I am looking for speakers that can last 10+ years.
* Bonus points for their connectivity to use them with my MacBook pro and work from home setup and also use when grabbing a quick game with kids on Nintendo switch.
 
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2. KEF LS50W Wireless speakers - They are pretty good, little larger for my desk but can fit in easily. They have a screen to do stuff and not app dependent. Newer versions are expected anytime. KEF - The iconic British brand was acquired by a Chinese company and these are China-made speakers. Also looked at the smaller version KEF LSX - again lot of dependency on app, but a decent option.
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LS50W is definitely not meant to be kept on a desk.
Next to a desk on stands is passable (maybe).
LSX is more of a desktop, near field solution.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
LS50W is definitely not meant to be kept on a desk.
Next to a desk on stands is passable (maybe).
LSX is more of a desktop, near field solution.

Cheers,
Raghu
Agree with Raghu here on LSW. LSX should be a better option if you're looking for a space saving setup on a desk in a relatively smallish work oriented room with a near field listening position.

Since you also liked Elac and live in US, isn't it easier to try at home and return if they dont work in your room? In fact any of the choices you make I believe it's much easier to get a home audition & narrow down the one that fits your room in US when compared to India.
 
You can choose powered speakers based on below requirements & Preferences.

1. All-in-One Solution (Speaker/Poweramp/Preamp/DAC/Streamer) Vs Just Speaker/PowerAmp Combo.
2. Nearfield Vs Farfield Monitors.
3. You prefer Very Clean & Bright/Analytical speaker for short listening sessions or slightly warmer, slightly rolled-off highs, non-fatiguing speakers for Longer listening.
4. Other future requirements like "Adding single or Dual Subwoofers" & "Integrating Stereo with HT"


1. If you want an All-in-One solution, KEF LS50W & LSX are one of the best in this category. LS50W is the best choice for HiFi Minimalist who don't want to add seperates like Preamp/DAC in future. Even if you connect a High-end DAC to LS50W, you will hear a improved Sound Quality for sure but will never reach that High-end DAC's true potential because once the Analog signal reaches to LS50W it will convert into digital signal, does the DSP processing and then again converts it into analog using LS50W inbulit DAC. So, LS50W inbuilt DAC is the Limiting factor we need to live with. On the other hand, Elac Navis ARB-51 is a combo of just Speaker/Power-Amp. To make Navis to work, we need "Preamp & DAC" or atleast a DAC with voume control. Navis ARB-51 is the best choice if you want your speaker to scale well with High-end Preamp/DAC's. Connecting a Preamp/DAC/Streamer combo like "Bluesound Node-2i" or "Cambridge Audo CXN V2" with Navis will give a better sound quality than LS50W.

2. If you are looking for Nearfield Monitors, please look for speakers which is originally designed for Nearfield. For Example, Elac Navis ARB-51 is a Bad choice for Nearfield. Speakers like "Focal Shape 65" is a good choice for Nearfield listening.

3. If you prefer Very Clean & Bright/Analytical speaker for short listening sessions, look for speakers like KEF LS50W. If you prefer slightly warmer, slightly rolled-off highs, non-fatiguing speakers for Longer listening look for speakers like Navis ARB-51.

As you are in USA, Suggest you to audition the shortlisted speakers based on your requirements & Preferences and then take a decision.

Good Luck.
 
If you can stretch your budget to 4k do consider auditioning the Genelec 8331. This is in a much higher performance class to the speakers you have listed.

Since you are in the US you can get very good deals on Audiogon and Gearslutz and even get the 8341 used within your budget.


They are powerful, compact, three way, with world class room correction. Has a very high quality built in dac.

The Genelec One series (specifically the 8351 but the 8331 is designed to sound exactly the same except for bass extension) compare with the Kii Three and Dutch and Dutch 8c which are 12k-15k USD active speakers.

 
Thanks, everyone. I was able to get quite a deal on KEFLs50W at $1500 (brand new, cash price) from my regular AV dealer and got it for my office room. I have then on Isoacoustics stands. Really love the sound! I have a home theater room with a Sony 4K projector and has a Sonos 5.1 (since I used to live in an apartment and change them every year or so, wireless was convenient at that point). While satisfied with Sonos for movies as of now, I do plan to get good speakers and set up this as a listening room. Keeping my eyes on a Kii Three / Dutch and Dutch or a pair of Devialet Golds.
 
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Looking for #audiophile opinions for really good speakers. I have scoured many US-based audio forums. visited shops to listen to various speakers, looking for an additional opinion from Indian music perspective too (Rahman, Classical, Illaiyaraja etc) too since all forums are titled towards western music. I do listen to Jazz/Western Classical. I live in US.

* I am also excluding passive speakers and setup - these speakers will be used in my office room at home and i do not want to have a dedicated full setup. Need really good powered speaker systems that are space-efficient.

* Need speakers that can reveal good soundstage performance, good dynamic range, detail, tonal balance, treble, good mid-range, bass and very low distortion!
Here is my shortlist after spending a lot of time listening in shops and reading. I do not get much time to listen to music during normal day but when I get those 30 or 60 minutes early morning or late night, want it to be a really good experience! I would ideally get one from this shortlist as I have spent time listening to these speakers and the process has been very long due to Covid restrictions :)

1. Devialet Phantom Reactor 900 - ( 2 speakers in stereo mode since they sell one at a time) - These are phenomenal and can be felt only when you see and hear them in person. They are made in France and has some impressive technology behind them. Quite an eye-catching and tech marvel! Of course, priced for that. Cons - Relatively newer company. vert few analog connectivity options depend a lot on the phone app. One of my top contenders to keep things simple.
2. KEF LS50W Wireless speakers - They are pretty good, little larger for my desk but can fit in easily. They have a screen to do stuff and not app dependent. Newer versions are expected anytime. KEF - The iconic British brand was acquired by a Chinese company and these are China-made speakers. Also looked at the smaller version KEF LSX - again lot of dependency on app, but a decent option.
3. Klipsch Fives and Sixes - Made in the US, they aren't as good as KEF or Devialet or Dali.
4.Dali Calisto 2c Speakers -Made in Denmark. Quite Good and traditional looks.
5. Elac Navis Powered Bookshelf speakers - Made in Germany. Really good high-end traditional speakers. Sounds phenomenal. Wireless options are missing and adds to the cost. But a really good contender for top choice.
6. Bowers and Wilkins formation DUO- British Made, Great sound in every way except analog connectivity - needs an additional device. More expensive than other options.
I currently use Spotify Premium 320Kbps stream but plan to add/upgrade into a lossless format via Tidal/ HD streaming services. I am looking for speakers that can last 10+ years.
* Bonus points for their connectivity to use them with my MacBook pro and work from home setup and also use when grabbing a quick game with kids on Nintendo switch.

You might want to consider the Buchardt A500 + hub + remote package to the list as well. (you might wanna spend 3750 US for everything incl Shipping) It seems compact, seems to sound good, streaming services built in, separate DAC's for different driver, returns are possible if you don't like, can tune the driver response just by flashing a new firmware, it has got room correction too. If you aren't too far from the speakers and if the room is small, I think it should fit your bill.

KEF LS50W & Elac Navis were too compared to the A500 in the John Darko review (rave) . Sean from Zero Fidelity reviewed the same as well. (positive review. But, not rave.. The caveats for Sean don't seem to be a caveat for you). Check those out.

Cheers..
 
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If #audiophile opinion is what you want to know, then KEF LS50W with a pair of decent stands seems to be the best deal amongst the options given. Klipsch Sixes would go with the furniture as well but wont sound as good. I would suggest avoiding the Reactor pair.
 
If #audiophile opinion is what you want to know, then KEF LS50W with a pair of decent stands seems to be the best deal amongst the options given. Klipsch Sixes would go with the furniture as well but wont sound as good. I would suggest avoiding the Reactor pair.
hi
why would you suggest avoiding the reactor pair?
 
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