Suggestions of Active Bookshelf Speaker and DAC For Desktop

JBL 308pmkII
JBL 306p mkII
JBL 305p mkII

Mackie MR524
Mackie MR624
Mackie MR824
(If you like better aesthetics)

Kali IN 5
Kali IN 6
Kali IN 8
(measures good and 3way)

Can also add a subwoofer from JBL - choose any :8”/10” (12” and above might be not suitable nearfield)
 
JBL 308pmkII
JBL 306p mkII
JBL 305p mkII

Mackie MR524
Mackie MR624
Mackie MR824
(If you like better aesthetics)

Kali IN 5
Kali IN 6
Kali IN 8
(measures good and 3way)

Can also add a subwoofer from JBL - choose any :8”/10” (12” and above might be not suitable nearfield)

How is the Yamaha HS8 & Presonus E8 EXT or the Tannoy Gold 7? Have you heard them?

Kali models have good reviews but aesthetically not very pleasing for me..
 
How is the Yamaha HS8 & Presonus E8 EXT or the Tannoy Gold 7? Have you heard them?

Kali models have good reviews but aesthetically not very pleasing for me..
I have not heard them.....but you can check out their spinorama. (Off course you have to correlate this with your in room acoustics).


For me SQ is more important than aesthetics.
 
JBL 308pmkII
JBL 306p mkII
JBL 305p mkII

Mackie MR524
Mackie MR624
Mackie MR824
(If you like better aesthetics)

Kali IN 5
Kali IN 6
Kali IN 8
(measures good and 3way)

Can also add a subwoofer from JBL - choose any :8”/10” (12” and above might be not suitable nearfield)
I've not listened to the Mackies, but out of the other two, I'd choose the Kali IN5s (as long as they are the v2s).

You could also consider the Kali LP6 (much cheaper, nearly as good), and my personal favourite, the Adam Audio T5V. (I use a pair of Adam T5Vs with the Adam T10s in my home office). You should be able to listen to these two at any good studio supplies store.
 
Yes.. i am intend to listen it for near field purposes.. i dont want to buy from tata cliq for such high amount..

The studio monitors you have mentioned, are those enough to fit a room of 150 sqft? Swans one i have an eye on too but dont know if its better than the s2000mk3 model
It was the same seller on Tatacliq as well when i checked but yes, flipkart and Amazon are very good with response in case of any issue.

I am currently using the Fluid audio fx80 in a 150 sq-ft room and it is more than enough for this room size. You may feel the need for a subwoofer if you go for models with smaller drivers but all of them benefit with a subwoofer integration for sure. So with subwoofer, then can fill in even larger room
 
JBL 308pmkII
JBL 306p mkII
JBL 305p mkII

Can also add a subwoofer from JBL - choose any :8”/10” (12” and above might be not suitable nearfield)
Did you by any chance experienced this jbl series with nano series? am curious on their comparison but could not find anything on that over internet.

Specifically curious on Nano K8 as they are remarkably heavier than rest of the speakers in the series (even compared to 308p). While I don't think just more heavy implies better speaker by default, it has piqued my interest in which components of the build resulting that.
 
Did you by any chance experienced this jbl series with nano series? am curious on their comparison but could not find anything on that over internet.

Specifically curious on Nano K8 as they are remarkably heavier than rest of the speakers in the series (even compared to 308p). While I don't think just more heavy implies better speaker by default, it has piqued my interest in which components of the build resulting that.
I can only estimate from their spinorama.

However the reviews can be checked.
 
KEF LS X or
KEF LS50II - Airplay, Google Chromecast built in, HDMI
Klipsch Sixes or Fives?
Sonos Fives?
Google Home Max - though dated cast anything than BT.
 
KEF LS X or
KEF LS50II - Airplay, Google Chromecast built in, HDMI
Klipsch Sixes or Fives?
Sonos Fives?
Google Home Max - though dated cast anything than BT.
From this list only Sonos fives or google home max are the ones within budget mentioned by OP. And they are not stereo.

From the rest, would only recommend LSX for desktop set-up. I like Klipsch fives but i think for near-field they would be fatiguing.
 
From this list only Sonos fives or google home max are the ones within budget mentioned by OP. And they are not stereo.

From the rest, would only recommend LSX for desktop set-up. I like Klipsch fives but i think for near-field they would be fatiguing.
Sonos or Google Home Max can be set as stereo from the app. You have to get two units.
 
@SwaroopKS You can add the Swans to the above list, but you will need an external DAC. Hifinage are the distributors for Swans.
The other option is Air Pulse, this higher priced offering from Edifier which has DAC, bluuetooth built in. Headphonezone are the dealers.

Though I am yet to hear the QAcoustics M20HD, reviews are good. You can get audition for it in Chennai.
Another similar one is the Magnat Multimonitor 220.

I now personally own a Presonum MTM which is quite good.
If you want a little extended bass for desktop modules, look at a number of 2.1 offerings out there. Edifier, Swans are some examples.

If you want to check out studio monitors, call up "Inventory" in Mylapore. If lucky you might have something up for audition. They deal in quite a few brands including Presonus and Kali
 
@SwaroopKS You can add the Swans to the above list, but you will need an external DAC. Hifinage are the distributors for Swans.
The other option is Air Pulse, this higher priced offering from Edifier which has DAC, bluuetooth built in. Headphonezone are the dealers.
Thanks Kannanji, but just to confirm the requirement is for OP. In fact my strong recommendation was Hivi D1090 which is Swans. They have been rebranded as Hivi and they got rave reviews.

Hifinage seems to have stopped stocking Swans, they only have older models and all of them are sold out except for one model. Hivi D1200, D1090, M200DSP etc are latest gen which are available through different distributor through Flipkart and Amazon.
 
No recommendation for the Yamaha HS8 model?
These are quite good, but without a subwoofer, they have very minimal bass. (Not enough bass for Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock, 2000s Rock & Metal, or Western Classical, for reference. I'm not a bass-head at all, but I found these quite a bit lacking.)
 
Have you considered Schiit Modi 3+ for DAC, I think Schiit will be better in comparison to the ones you have mentioned
 
Have you considered Schiit Modi 3+ for DAC, I think Schiit will be better in comparison to the ones you have mentioned
It would be great if you could provide us with some additional insights regarding your observation.
 
It would be great if you could provide us with some additional insights regarding your observation.
In comparison to topping E30 or an Ifi Zen V2.. Although now I realized these were mentioned in another response, not in the original post.
 
In comparison to topping E30 or an Ifi Zen V2.. Although now I realized these were mentioned in another response, not in the original post.
Could you elaborate/provide us some insights on the attributes of the Modi 3+ that you found to be better than the E30 and ifi Zen 2?
 
Could you elaborate/provide us some insights on the attributes of the Modi 3+ that you found to be better than the E30 and ifi Zen 2?
E30 polarity issue for one.. then multi filters which make it more complicated and not the purest. Again as i said "I THINK".. which say its my opinion.. you may have a different opinion and thats perfectly fine. Let me know why you think Modi 3 is not a match or worst here
 
E30 polarity issue for one..
That's surely a great insight. Never knew it had one, at least not from hearing it. Will have to listen for it (and now that the seeds have been sowed, I'll never be able to listen to it again without keeping my ear out for it).
then multi filters which make it more complicated and not the purest.
To a lot of us, there is no such thing as pure. But it's great that you stated the reasons. Now somebody who's actually looking for experimenting with filters can understand why you consider the Modi 3 to be superior i.e. the lack of filters which can be complicated to some.

I may add here that there are 6 filters to choose from which can be cycled through the remote from the listening position - quite convenient.
Again as i said "I THINK".. which say its my opinion.. you may have a different opinion and thats perfectly fine. Let me know why you think Modi 3 is not a match or worst here
The intention was not to put you enguard but elicit more information. To elucidate, since I've heard the E30 and Ifi Zen Dac but not the Modi 3, I was curious to know the reasons which led you to believe that the Modi 3 is better.

In this hobby, I would imagine a person arrives at an opinion either from their own experience with the product, reading about it (specs, test results etc.) or hearsay (third person accounts or reviews).

It helps if the person tendering his opinion also states the reasons for it. That way, the querist can decide the amount of reliance he places upon any given opinion as well as benefiting other hifiers who may have similar questions (like I did).

For example, filters are inter alia a feature i considered before getting the E30.

And while we are on the E30, and while I think that it has a perfectly good sound that won't disappoint, especially for the price, and a whole host of features and connectivity that someone might find more useful than the Ifi Zen DAC, the latter sounds better to my ears.

My reasons are that the Zen DAC has finer detail retrieval, has a softer presentation and yet, sounds more dynamic than the E30 despite the latter having a sharper overall sound signature. In fact, the very reason i went for the Zen DAC was because i wanted a softer presentation than the inbuilt DAC of my Cambridge Audio CXA81 (which has a fantastic DAC in its own right but again, with a sharp sound signature).

In fact, the Ifi Zen DAC sounds very similar and goes toe to toe with my Chord Mojo when connected over USB from my PC.

It is only while connecting to a better source such as the Allo USBridge Signature that the Chord Mojo distinguishes itself and stamps its authority over the Zen DAC by delivering a superior mid range performance. To elaborate, the Chord has more meat on the bone and a richer midrange which the Ifi simply cannot muster making it sound drier in comparison.

And such is the performance of the Chord Mojo, and i shudder while saying this, that i think it is better than my RME ADI-2 DAC FS. While a second opinion from another set of ears is well warranted in what is otherwise an outrageous statement, my reasons are that the Chord has better tone and timbre and focuses (or brings to the fore allowing the listener to focus) on the right cues and details in the music despite the RME clearly having the advantage in detail retrieval.

Coming back to the topic at hand, I have no reason for believing the Modi 3 is either better or worse than the Modi 3 or Ifi Zen DAC. Had you elaborated on why the Modi 3 was better than the Ifi Zen Dac V2 and the E30, i would at least have anecdotal information on this aspect and perhaps, have arrived at the same conclusion as you. But I'm yet to get that information.
 
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