[BobM]

My daughter asked for some new desktop speakers for her dorm room at college. They need to play off the mini-jack on her Android phone, or her laptop, and be fairly small. I know there are tons of these out there, so I am looking for recommendations on what might be appropriate and sound good, without a separate subwoofer. And priced right.

Thanks,
Bob

[mcgsxr]

For $12O I'd be super tempted to take a run at these Bob.  I would think for the intended use they would be excellent.

I was impressed with the larger ones, but have never heard these A2's.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=129121.msg1363812#msg1363812

[charmerci]

Yeah - you're lucky I'm not in a position to buy them right now especially at that price...otherwise I would! 

[JimJ]

When I was in the dorms in '04, I managed to fit a NAD 3020, dbx EQ, JBL Studio 3-ways and a 12" subwoofer in a sealed box.

Needless to say, we became the party room. Which is of course what you're probably trying to avoid

[rockn]

Buy these, you won't be disappointed! I own a pair. 

[Don_S]

Buy these, you won't be disappointed! I own a pair.

These what? 

[gregfisk]

Buy these, you won't be disappointed! I own a pair.

Yes, buy these, I heard they are the best ever, especially for the price

[persisting1]

The A2s will be perfect for her. I'm extremely happy with mine.

[Doublej]

While I don't have a specific recommendation, I would buy pair of Bluetooth enabled speakers. That way you can eliminate the wires from the source to the speakers.

I think the bigger AudioEngine have Bluetooth.

[JLM]

More suggestions:

NuForce S3-BT: $300/pair; powered design; single/top mounted volume control; F3=50Hz; advanced BT or RCA inputs; no subwoofer output; nice looking; great wireless performance; warm sound, pristine treble, limited spls

PSB Alpha PS1: $300/pair; powered design; single/back mounted volume control; F3=80Hz; RCA, mini jack inputs; subwoofer output; compact, nice looking; wide sweet spot, clean, clear, delicate; reportedly used at desktop of Paul Barton himself


BTW, the Audioengine A2 has been replaced by the A2+ that added a built-in DAC: $250/pair; powered design; single/back mounted volume control; F3=65Hz; RCA, mini jack, USB inputs; subwoofer output; no grill; shielded, sleep function, compact

[JEaton]

I like that JLM mentions the positions of the volume controls. IMO, that's an important consideration for powered speakers. Of course, her phone and laptop will have software volume control, but it's not always handy when you need to immediately adjust the volume. Rear volume controls are mostly intended to be set once and forgotten, because they're just not very convenient.

[Wayner]

These won recommend component by Absolute Sound:

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-60655-focal-xs-book-speakers.aspx

[Doublej]

These won recommend component by Absolute Sound:

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-60655-focal-xs-book-speakers.aspx

FYI, no volume control on these as best I can tell. Otherwise they be a perfect IMHO.

[JEaton]

FYI, no volume control on these as best I can tell. Otherwise they be a perfect IMHO.

From the documentation, it looks like the control on top is both a power/standby button and a volume dial.

http://www.focal.com/en/focal-xs-book/297-focal-xs-book-3544055690252.html

[BobM]

I've looked at more speakers in the last week than I care to admit. I think this one is probably perfect for my daughter. It is Bluetooth or wired. It has a rechargeable battery, so it is portable. It is not stereo, but she is OK with that, and it is small.

Ultimate Ears MINI BOOM Wireless Bluetooth Speaker/Speakerphone

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Wireless-Bluetooth-Speaker-Speakerphone/dp/B00E9YIFQ4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1414354274&sr=8-5&keywords=bluetooth+wireless+speaker+boombox

However, I'm getting the bug to update my own desktop speakers, and so far I think these are leading the pack:

Emotiva Airmotiv 4s | Powered Studio Monitor

http://www.amazon.com/Emotiva-Airmotiv-4s-Powered-Monitor/dp/B00JMQ5X2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414354430&sr=8-1&keywords=emotiva+speakers

The Focals also look very nice at about the same price point. Does anyone have any compare between the 2?

[Doublej]

Just stumbled on these Kanto's bluetooth, powered speakers. Check out MassDrop for some deals.

http://www.amazon.com/Kanto-YUMIBLK-Bookshelf-Bluetooth-Technology/dp/B00AMAJG94

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/kanto-yu5-speaker-system

[JLM]

For an audiophile, I'd suggest the following desktop speakers (all quite compact and not typical studio dry sound):

Adam A3X: $650/pair; active design; ribbon tweeter; single/front volume control; F3=60Hz; RCA/XLR inputs; no subwoofer output; highly resolving, tight/tuneful bass, highs are breathed, thrilling, convincing, can fill a room

Focal CMS 40: $900/pair; active design; each/front volume control; F3=60Hz; RCA/XLR inputs; no subwoofer output; fuller bass/more dynamic than A3X, impressive size/solidity of image

Neuman KH120: $1500/pair; active (professional) design; each/rear volume control; F3=54Hz; RCA/XLR inputs; no subwoofer output; very clean/neutral/transparent, smooth, natural dynamics, image is large/stable

Serene Pebble: $500/pair; single driver (active - duh) design; single/rear volume control; F3=70Hz; mini input; subwoofer output; bamboo/leather cabinet; design premise - low non-linear distortion; sweet/engaging/natural/uncolored/dynamic/non-fatiguing, superior imaging, wide sweet spot

[BobM]

I'm changing my way of thinking just a wee bit. I have a pair of small AR speakers sitting around doing nothing. Their footprint is just about the same size as any of these powered speakers. I can use these for the desktop, but then I need an amplifier with an integrated USB DAC that is small enough to sit on the desktop and provide enough power to drive these speakers.

Class D to the rescue I think. Does anyone know of one that is inexpensive and have at least 25 watts of power (preferably more)?

I saw this one over at HifiMeDIY.com and it looks very interesting. It also works with higher sampling rates than standard CD.

http://hifimediy.com/amplifiers/ready-made-amplifiers/ud80-digital-amplifier

- Fully digital amplification
- Up to 2 x 80W at 8 ohm, 2x50W at 4 ohm
- Accept sample rates 32khz, 44.1khz, 48khz, 88.2khz, 96khz and 16 and 24 bits
- USB input (no analog inputs!!) Asynchronous USB mode
- No drivers for Windows, Mac and Linux. Some iPad's and - Android devices also works.

- Dimensions: 12.5cm x 9cm x 3.8cm including volume knob

[gregfisk]

Hi Bob,

I don't know anything about the amp/dac you posted a link to. I bought this amp for my Daughter and while it doesn't have the power you are asking for it sounds very good and powered the older Boston Acoustics bookshelf speakers I gave her plenty loud. Then you could by something like a MODI usb dac for $99.00 and know you'll be getting good sound. Look at the 3116 thread for more info. people are really liking these boards and this one is already put together at a very good price point.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.XSMSL+SA-36A+Pro&_nkw=SMSL+SA-36A+Pro&_sacat=0

[BobM]

There's actually several SMSL amp's with varying price and power points. SA-36, SA-50, SA-80

All T-Amps, but that may be totally appropriate for a nearfield desktop. It's not like I'm goign to power anything in my main system with these.

Need to check into them further. Thanks for the heads up.