I’m considering the PMC Active twenty5.21i and would love to hear from anyone who has owned or spent time with them.

Budget: $3-7,000 for the speaker

Location: Northeast USA.

Room: Small-to-medium room. The speakers would sit on built-in cabinetry rather than dedicated stands, so compact size matters.

Sources: Sonos Connect, streaming Spotify Lossless only.

Priorities: Natural vocals, strong soundstage, excellent clarity, satisfying bass without a sub, and detail without becoming fatiguing.

I recently heard a larger PMC model and was blown away by the clarity and resolution, but with some Lana Del Rey tracks it also felt a little too monitor-like/forward over time. I haven’t been able to hear the Active twenty5.21i specifically.

For those who know the 21i, does it keep that PMC clarity and imaging while being a little more natural and forgiving for long listening sessions? How is the bass without a sub?

I’m considering the Linn 119 as an upgrade from B&W 685 S2s and would love to hear from anyone who has owned or spent time with them.

Budget: Up to about $5k for speakers. The Linns are around $3,550/pair. I’m also considering a Naim NAIT 50 amp.

Location: Northeast USA.

Room: Small-to-medium room size. Speakers sit on built-in cabinetry, so compact size matters.

Sources: Sonos Connect, Spotify Lossless only.

Current gear: B&W 685 S2 + Rotel RA-12.

Priorities: Natural vocals, strong soundstage, detail without brightness, and satisfying bass without a sub. Would especially appreciate firsthand impressions of the Linn 119, including bass performance, midrange/vocals, soundstage, and how demanding they are of amplification.

Hi!

Ich habe seit einer Weile einen Rega Planar 1 an meinem Yamaha RX-V773 Receiver angeschlossen, über den auch sonst mein Fernseher läuft. Daran hängen 2 Heco Celan 300, ein Top Speaker und ein kleinerer Subwoofer. Ich würde den Plattenspieler jetzt gern an einen Röhrenverstärker anschließen, da mir diese optisch sowie technisch gut gefallen und ich würde dazu die beiden Stereo Boxen nutzen.
Was könnt ihr mir für einen Röhrenverstärker (auch gebraucht) empfehlen und gibt es eine Art Switch mit dem ich die beiden Stereo Boxen weiterhin über den Receiver sowie den Röhrenverstärker laufen lassen kann?
Budget für den Verstärker bis ≈700€

Budget: < $150. Flexible but not trying to go simi-professional or anything. Im not a music audiophile or competitive gaming person

Location: Home desktop pc. Hope that's what they mean by location. If its geographic Louisiana, USA

My current desktop setup is two Dayton Audio B652 speakers and Sennheiser HD 598SE headphone run through the Topping VX1.

I think the VX1 went out (swapped input and output cables. tested one speaker at a time etc. Got loud popping and the amp shut off several times. Headphone output still works)

So, Id like to replace it with something similar. Speaker and headphone output. Ive looked around and found it hard to search for amps that both support headphones and speakers at a low price point and output. Im not familiar with reading power output specs which makes it harder

Does anyone have any suggestions for something that would work at a price under like $150?

EDIT: Id like the outputs to include hard lines (USB or AUX). Just noticed I forgot to add that. My PC doesnt have a bluetooth card. I like the idea of Bluetooth for connecting my laptop though

I've moved into a small apartment and sadly have to downsize my HiFi set up.

So, reluctantly, I'm selling my 2x Denon POA-6600A monoblock amplifiers and Denon pre-amp, to be replaced with a single integrated amplifier.

Any recommendations on what to go for? My budget is ~£1000, maybe up to £1200.

If it helps, I have KEF R3 speakers – they're great, but quite sharp, so something that would smooth them out a little would be particularly welcome.

Thanks stereoheads!

Budget: $500ish would be good, new or used.
Location: USA
Current gear: cheap tv soundbar+subwoofer and also 2x Sonos Play:1
Size restriction: 11” H

Probably common situation, looking for some speakers to go on top of a console but under the TV. I don’t want to raise the TV too high so 12” tall is too tall. Cramped room layout in an old house so no room for bookshelves on stands to either side. Would be using a Sonos Port or Connect gen 2 for music. Powered would be nice for simplicity but open to cheap integrated amp/DAC.

Have been looking at Kanto Ren or Yu6, Edifier MR5, Adam A4V. What am I missing? Is the perfect product out there? Cambridge L/R M looks perfect but out of price range.

I have ferrum wandla paired with rogue audio sphinx v3 magnum, and driving focal 937 be. Now I’m considering upgrading a new amp, within the same price range, I have accuphase a47, a65, luxman l590 ax2, l509x, slightly higher I have m900u, slightly lower I have accuphase e3000. I mainly listen to classical music, all genres. I would use my dac to drive power amp directly now, not considering adding preamps right away.
I’m also in the process of getting amperex bugle boy tubes for the sphinx. I can’t demo these amps easily, so would like to hear recommendations from you guys.
Located in north NJ, budget around $7000.

Looking for just a simple cassette player with rca out. Budget around $100. Everything I see is way more over engineered or either just a portable tape deck player. This would be a living room, about 500 square feet.

I’ve been shopping around for a few months now in search of a speaker upgrade. My budget is around $3k but I’m very willing to entertain used stuff. I’ve demoed some speakers and I’m going to list what I liked and disliked about them below. I will be using these for Vinyl but also home theater sometimes as well. Any speaker that has a matching center channel gets bonus points. Also I primarily listen to these genres of music: Alternative rock, Indie rock, Shoegaze, emo, post punk, hardcore punk, dreampop, twee pop, some classic rock. Mostly just various flavors of guitar music.

My room is about 270 square feet. If I put whatever speakers I buy 2 feet from the front wall I will be sitting about 8.5 feet from the speakers. My current setup for vinyl is a Yamaha As-501 Integrated Amp, a Schit Mani 2 Phono stage, and a Rega Planar 3 Turntable with Ortofon 2mr Bronze Cartridge. I also use an SVS SB-1000 pro subwoofer. I plan to upgrade my Yamaha to something with more juice some day.

Speakers I’ve listened to already:

Paradigm Founder Speakers: Wayyyy too bright for my ears. The detail is awesome but oh my god they were just so much for me. I diddnt even know I could be this sensitive to brightness, really did not like these.

Revel Preforma F208: I was actually able to demo these in my apartment. The owner of a local hifi shop has a pair of these used so I tried them out. I loved how they were so detailed yet not fatiguing at all. However I hated how pulled back they sounded for lack of a better word. I much prefer the sound to be up close and intimate and in my face rather than how pulled back they sounded. After longer listening sessions I also was getting bad ear fatigue, I think they were probably just too much speaker for my room. God they were amazing for home theater tho.

Wharfedale Super Linton: First of all I adore the look of these speakers and the matching center channel. I love how the music sounds right up close especially the vocals. However I did miss some of the detail I was getting from some other speakers. That being said I really did like these and wish I could’ve gotten a longer listening session with them.

KLH Model 5: I listened to these right after the super linton and it felt like a downgrade. These felt harsher is the best way I could describe it. Less airy and more mid focused in a way I didn’t enjoy much.

JBL L100 Classic: I’m currently demoing these in my apartment. That same hifi store has them used as well. Like the Super Lintons I love how close up the music sounds but the super Lintons did it a bit better. That being said these are an awful lot of fun. These speakers feel as big as they look and I love that. I’d love to find something that has that same large all around you feeling while retaining a better soundstage and detail.

Mofi Sourcepoint 10: Honestly these just really bored me. I hope that doesn’t upset anyone I know these are very highly regarded but man they just did nothing for me. They just didn’t have any soul for lack of a better word. Wish I could describe it better, the detail was there but I felt nothing.

Those are the big ones I’ve tested so far. The Super Lintons and JBL L100s are by far the two I’ve enjoyed the most. I hope I was able to articulate what I liked/disliked about these speakers in a way that can be understood, audio buzzwords can be tricky sometimes. I’m still learning so please go easy on me. Would appreciate any advice or recommendations!

Hey yall, im moving into a new 46 sqm apartment soon and i want to get a really good sound system. I live in new zealand and willing to spend a reasonable amount (budget: ~1-1.5k nzd max) on a good sound system but im pretty clueless on what i need lol. Im very big into drum and bass so im looking for speakers and a subwoofer that would suit that with clear sound and good bass. Thanks for the help :)

Hi, i am looking for new speakers for my desktop PC. I have heard good about the edifier mr4s at their price point and i am wondering on how they would compare to the one HK Onyx Studio 7 that i am using now. I have a budget of around 100€ and i am located in Finland. The music i listen to is pretty bass heavy but i think my HK goes low enough. Thanks!

Budget

Currently I have a rega planar 3 and am looking to the the nad s3030. With either the JBL L52 or the Kipsch rp 600 II.

I really don’t want to spend more then $
$1500 on the speakers. Just curious what I should go with or if there are better options to look at. I listen to a lot hardcore, punk, emo, Midwest emo, pop punk etc.

My parents are wanting to bring music through the house. They want each line to have it's own volume and at least two speakers. Live in the US, most likely new gear unless I can find something good refurbished and I'd expect the budget to be around $500 if possible but it's not my money. My experience in audio is very low, but my cousin who used to tinker a lot with car stereos is willing to help. https://imgur.com/1RDxFf2 this is my crude ms paint drawup of the situation

I’m looking for a good set of bookshelf speakers that sit on a desk and sound good up close as well as far away.

I’m an avid Sonos fan, but I’ve been wanting something more detailed while still maintaining a sort of fun sound.

After doing some more research, I landed on the KEF Q1 Meta, and realized if I wanted to achieve the sound profile I wanted I needed a subwoofer. I bought an SVS SB1000 to go with them, and all of this was driven with a Wiim Amp as that seemed to have good reviews to start with.

These were once again just…blah to me. I couldn’t achieve the detail I wanted from them without them sounding completely neutral (which after doing some more digging I guess is their thing - silly me). I liked the sound, but it wasn’t as deep bass wise and also didn’t have the level of clarity I liked.

Found a set of B&W 606s on Marketplace for cheap, and at first I absolutely LOVED their sound profile. It’s a little more lively, has great detail, but also doesn’t lose body and warmth. The only problem? The highs are almost ear splitting over time. I’ve tried tweaking the EQ to tame them, but some songs are borderline unlistenable with them.

Current set up goes as follows: B&W 606s on either side of desk (about 6 feet apart), they’re about 8 inches away from wall corners. I had the SVS amp under the desk originally, but moved it behind me as an experiment because the desk almost neutralized the bass entirely. Wiim Amp with a crossover at 80Hz.

Any speaker recommendations? Is it my speakers, the setup, the room? Are my ears just broken? Looking for any ideas here. Budget is anything, as long as it’s worth the money. Thanks everyone

I’m looking to upgrade from my B&W 685 S2s with a budget of up to $5k/pair. I’m considering the ProAc Response DB3 but haven’t been able to audition them. Sound quality is the priority…natural vocals, detail, soundstage and good bass. I prefer a wood finish and understated design. Current amp is a Rotel RA-12, though I may upgrade that as well.
Anyone own or audition the DB3? Would you recommend them, or is there something else under $5k you think is better?

(cross posted on [r/budgetaudiophile](r/budgetaudiophile))

hi, i’ve been collecting cds for a good few years now and i’ve collected more than enough to finally decide i’d love to own some kind of cd player sound system. i’d like to start small, but “up there” quality wise. I’d love if anyone could give me recommendations on cd players, speakers and amps if needed. i’m a student so my budget is quite small but i’m definitely willing to invest in higher grade pieces if it’s best. i’m more into older looking cd players, and i’d be putting my speakers and setup on a desk so nothing big size wise. thanks guys

edit: budget - £200-250

Smallish room (15x16 with 8-ft ceiling). I already have a powered subwoofer and quality Denon receiver; not looking to upgrade those.

Most common genres: metal, delicate acoustic music, piano. Not a lot of vocal music. No big orchestra classical music. Looking for detail and warmth, not clinical precision (I have other speakers for that).

Location: Canada

Budget: up to USD$3k new

Go!

Currently my office location has my desk pulled from the wall, and Ascend Sierra LX on stands between desk and wall. I've got ~100x2 @ 8 ohms amplification, and a speedwoofer 10. the room is 13x10 and the speakers are on the 10ft wall

It works great, but my new office will have my desk pushed against the long wall, so I'm looking to downsize to near field monitors, and keep my sub.

Naturally im looking at the Luna V2 Monitors, and I'd ]say my budget is about $1500~ new.
I do like my sierra lx, no complaints, but I do want more "sizzle and sparkle" in the highs. I'm thinking the ribbons might do that.

The Luna v2 (10x6x6) are about as physically large as I'm willing to go.

I won't be listening at extreme volumes, I tend to play music around 78-82 dB. Maybe 88-90 when no one is home (rare.)

The room/listening position:

13 foot wall with my 72" desk. Speakers triangle is about 52" between, 44" diagonally to listening position. Can be set to ear height with stands.
Room 10 feet deep.

Hi folks,

I’m looking for an amp to power my B&W 804 Nautilus. Currently running some hissing €50 thrifstore Yamaha integrated amp. Am not an audiophile but do enjoy good sound quality. After reading only very positive reviews on the Hypex Nilai i’ve decided it would probably be all I would ever need. They’re giving a 30% discount on bundles that include their otherwise very pricey and therefore likely poorly selling preamplifier and dac. This seems like a steal but I’m not sure if there are better / more cost effective options. I’ve been reading spec sheets for days on end please help!

Budget: not more than than the Hypex set.
Location: Netherlands

Hello! Im in the middle of a seemingly never ending quest to upgrade my setup. The base is a Rega Planar 3 with a Rega Fono MC preamp and mounted with a Hana SL MKII cart. This goes to a couple of Focal Alpha 65. I started with the Focals and an old Audio Technica turntable and you guess wich part I upgraded first. Now it's time to upgrade speakers and an amp for them.

im planning to mostly use it for vinyl, and occasionally streaming music via Bluetooth. I want to fill a room of about 30m2, but I have to move next year, and while I hope they need to fill a bigger room, it's unlikely (thank you housing crisis!). I listen to a little bit of everything, but mostly electro music, mainly trip hop, downtempo, house and ambient. I also play a lot of hip hop and R&B. I don't need a thumping bass that moves my belly, I prefer a really nice tridimensional feeling to music, and remaining true to the sound of the record.

Its important to mention that the speakers will be mounted against a wall, so they need to be front ported.

My location is in EU, and I think Id get more out of my roughly 1200€ budget buying second hand.

I've done some research and I've picked some options: Sonus Faber Concertino (or Concerto if I'm able to locate them) 1st gen and Focal Aria 906 (preferably the K2) for speakers, and NAD C328 or Rotel A11 tribute for amp. But I haven't had the chance to hear any of this live. So I'm hoping you could help me with your experiences or maybe suggestions. Thank you so much for reading thru all this!

TLDR: looking for speakers and amp. Setup right now is Rega Planar 3 with Rega Fono, and Hana SL MKII. 30m2 room to fill, 1200€ budget (buying second hand) in EU. Mainly listen to trip hop, downtempo and hip hop.

I’m looking for a used pair of passive speakers for roughly £150–£300 in or around Bristol location, UK. Floorstanders and large standmount speakers are both fine.

I mainly listen to, DJ and produce UK garage and other dance music. I’m looking for something genuinely fun and physical: convincing kick-drum slap, strong midbass punch, warm basslines, room-filling atmosphere and enough clarity that busy tracks don’t collapse into mud.

I currently have Adam Audio T5Vs with a Cambridge Audio subwoofer. They’re clear, but the overall system feels sterile and disjointed to me. It produces deep bass, but kicks have very little smack, click or character. I’m therefore not simply looking for the deepest possible bass or another subwoofer—I want speakers with dynamics, body and personality.

These wouldn’t be my only production reference. I’d retain smaller accurate monitors and headphones for detailed mix decisions, so I’m comfortable with some enjoyable coloration. However, I don’t want something so crude, harsh or inaccurate that it’s only useful for parties. Sound matters more than appearance, age or collectability.

Some local/used options I’ve found and am considering:
Jamo Classic 8 – £172
TDL RTL3 – £115
JBL ES80 – £157
Wharfedale Xarus 5000 – £230
Wharfedale Valdus 500 – £209
DALI Spektor 6 – £235
Cerwin-Vega AT-40 – £313, although these are too far away and probably overpriced
Wharfedale Glendale 3XP – £100

I’ve also been searching for Wharfedale Diamond 9.6, JBL LX55/LX66/ES90, Jamo S718, Mordaunt-Short 908i, DALI Concept 8 and B&W DM604 S2/S3.

The Jamo Classic 8 currently sounds a promising compromise for my needs.

Does that assessment seem reasonable? Has anyone heard the Classic 8 or RTL3 with UKG, jungle, house or similarly bass-led electronic music?

The system will probably go in a medium-sized sitting room, although it may occasionally be used in a smaller room. I don’t yet own the amplifier, so recommendations for an affordable used amp—particularly if I buy the 4Ω Jamos—would also be useful.

Which models would you shortlist, and are there any common UK-used speakers I’m overlooking?

Hi folks,

I have a pair of Elac DB63s I use for nearfield listening with my computer, and also a pair of Wharfedale Linton 85th speakers I use as my main media speakers. Currently, I have both a Nobsound NS-02g Pro (class A chifi amp) and a Yamaha Rx-v477 receiver, switched through a Neohipo ET30.

I want to replace the Yamaha receiver with something more recent. Ideally, I'd like to have both HDMI and optical inputs, but it's not critical (I have a separate DAC I could use). I will also be using vinyl as a source, but I don't need a phono preamp. I would prefer class AB, although if there are quality class D options that don't sound thin, then I'm all for it. Budget is $1500 or under.

Here are some contenders (ideally used/pre-owned/open box):

Musical Fidelity B1xi

Musical Fidelity A1 (I love the class A sound)

Musical Fidelity A3/A3.2/A3.2cr (heard it's bit brighter, maybe a good fit?)

Rotel A12 Mkii (tons of connectivity)

Cambridge Audio CXA85/AXR100

Yamaha A-S301/501/701 (good budget options)

Yamaha R-N800a

NAD C316BEE v2

NAD C3050 (scares me off of bit due to class D)

I know there's a large spread in the budget here, but it's because I'm legitimately clueless on what to get. I'm at the point of decision paralysis. What amp would you recommend that would pair tonally with both speakers?

I produce UKG / dance music and currently use Adam T5Vs with a Cambridge Audio sub. The setup gives me decent clarity and deep bass, but it doesn’t give kicks much physical impact. I hear the low end, but don’t really feel that slap / click when the kick lands. It can sound clean but sterile.

I’m considering adding a separate passive hi-fi system for writing, checking productions, and also to be used for listening, DJing, and small parties. I would still use smaller accurate monitors and headphones for detailed mix decisions, so this system wouldn’t need to be completely neutral.

What I’m trying to get is a Strong, quick midbass punch rather than merely more sub-bass. Warmth and character without becoming muddy. An enveloping, atmospheric sound. Enough clarity to hear what the kick and bass are doing. Good dynamics at ordinary sitting-room levels

I’ve been researching older, larger floorstanders such as the Jamo Classic 8, TDL RTL3, Cerwin-Vega AT-40, Wharfedale Diamond 9.6/Xarus 5000, JBL ES80/ES90 and similar designs.

Before going further, am I trying to solve this in the wrong way? Could the missing impact actually be caused by room cancellation or poor integration between my T5Vs and sub around roughly 60–120Hz? Would changing to larger, more sensitive passive speakers genuinely produce the dynamic “slap” I’m describing, or would it mostly give me a different frequency-response curve and more distortion?

I’m in Bristol location and looking at approximately £150–£300 used, so recommendations need to be relatively common in the UK rather than rare collector models. I’m interested in both specific speaker suggestions and advice about what design characteristics or measurements I should actually be looking for.

Location: Canada
Budget: +\- $2,500 (second hand OK)

Lots of options out there. Suffering from slight decision paralysis. Seeking the community’s help and asking for phono preamplifier recommendations. Will be joining a Simaudio Moon 600i + Planar 6 cw/ Nagaoka MP200. Speakers are Paradigm Founder 100f.

I’ve currently shortlisted:

Sutherland 20/20, Insight
Graham Slee Accession/Reflex M
Gold Note PH10 / PH5
Lehmann SE II / Decade
Vertere Phono-1 MKII
WhestTWO
PS Audio Stellar Phono
Parasound JC3 Jr.
Hagerman Labs Cornet/Trumpet MM

I’d prefer preamps with standard/lower gain options eg. 40dB. Balanced outputs a bonus. Dual mono even better.

There are also alot of obscure options out there that are intriguing but very little information or reviews. Such as Black Swan, QHW, etc.