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Get familiar with the reaction system: Introducing the Reaction System
Brother seeks bookshelf speakers, DAC/AMP w/ Bass, Mid & treble control . . .
50 ~ 100WPC stereo.
Any suggestions?
I pointed him at this combo but still interested in looking at other options --> https://www.amazon.com/Edifier-S2000MKIII-Bluetooth-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B07ZVP9XBG/?encoding=UTF8&ref=pd_hp_d_btf_gcx_gw_per_1
He suggested these but for the price I think he can do a lot better --> https://emotiva.com/products/airmotiv-xb2-bookshelf-loudspeakers
TIA.
Comments
What's the price limit?
May want to take a look at Mackie Studio Monitors - they have a few different series / price ranges.
Bass, Mid, & Treble - sounds like a nice vintage Marantz receiver might be just the ticket!
No doubt, Tom (what'cha got and $?)
Thanks guys - I forwarded some questions to him - we'll see what he has to say in a few days I suspect.
WiiM Amp seems like a good fit for the electronics side.
That looks like a killer unit - love the parametric EQ option. Might have to save my pennies and replace my desktop amp with it.
Yeah - I would just go for the Wiim. Marantz stuff is going for what I consider ridiculous money these days.
Hey everyone – I’m the brother in question, and I just wanted to jump in and say I really appreciate the input and recommendations you’ve all shared. It’s been very helpful to read through and start getting a sense of what might suit me best.
After spending time listening to the systems my brother has put together, I’m ready to step into a better listening experience myself—and to finally introduce my family to something that sounds better than the litany of cheap Bluetooth boomboxes they’ve been cycling through from Amazon.
As a bit of additional context, I used my brother’s Yamaha NS10Ms for several years while doing audio-for-video mixing, and I really enjoyed the clarity they delivered. That kind of clean, detailed sound is something I’d like to recapture—ideally with a setup that’s also enjoyable for casual listening.
Right now, I’m leaning toward purchasing a set of passive (non-powered) bookshelf speakers and an entry-to-intermediate amplifier—something that pairs well enough that I won’t immediately regret not spending more. I’m also open to floor-standing speakers if something in that range makes sense. My source needs are already covered between the Qudelix-5K and Motu 4, so I’m not looking for anything with built-in DAC, Bluetooth, or EQ.
My budget is around $500–$700, and I’m open to both new and used gear. I’ve heard good things about the Emotiva Airmotiv XB2, but I’m definitely open to other suggestions that might better match what I’m after. I may occasionally move the setup from my home office to my back porch, so portability is a minor factor—nice to have, but not essential.
Thanks again for sharing your expertise. Let me know if you have any questions
I know the Kali line gets great reviews, but those are all powered. If you can build your own cabinets, you could do much worse than the Keramiskas designed by Craig (PWRRYD).
Thanks Tom!
Those keramiskas and a wiim amp should be great, you can add a subwoofer later.
Boy, looks like I really butchered the name of your speaker on that name tag. Sorry about that, Craig.
Now he's dreaming big?
Asked him what size room he has in-mind for listening . . .
Cornwall are serious hardware, will play plenty loud. Probably not the most accurate speaker out there, though.
They are definitely forward voiced.
About 10x over budget unless ya score a realy good deal on some older ones.
Jr's Insomniacs might fit the bill and the budget. I still get a lot of use out of mine. I hope to be able to compaire them to the cabrini # by the end of the weekend
Good call! The combo of the holographic 2nd order harmonics on the mid along with the sealed bass was pretty special IMO. Especially for the very low cost of entry. The tweeters are NLA but I think Ive got a pair of them sitting around that I don't have a specific plan for currently.
I did them as towers. Since it is a sealed woofer design it doesn't care much, just trades a tad bit of the upper bass punch for lower end extension.
Oh brother,
First you think about a bookshelf with everything integrated "DAC/AMP w/" tone controls, and wireless connectivity for around $300 like the Edifier-
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/dayton-audio-sig-series.399555/post-7759553
Before you know it, you’re in real trouble:
https://diy.midwestaudio.club/discussion/2167/how-many-drivers-do-you-have/p1
And even though you have this:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/15-woofer-suggestions-for-end-game-3-way.402411/post-7896830
And before that, one of these:
https://www.htguide.com/forum/forum/mission-possible-diy/40770-statements-ii-a-musical-evolution?p=780336#post780336
You still play with these:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/diy-2-way-with-complete-spinorama-cta2034a-measurements-purifi-and-scanspeak.390316/
Steve, look after your brother, before he turns into one of us, and there’s no way back
Tk, That ^ is exactly why I sent him this response to his latest inquiry:
"I'd suggest you start here for the basement/office/TV system:
https://www.parts-express.com/Polk-Audio-XT70-Large-Floor-Standing-Tower-Speaker-243-611?quantity=1 (need 2)
Technical review - response looks good to me:
https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/polk_xt70/
I can fix you up with amp(s) from my stash . . .
Steve.
On 4/27/2025, Justin wrote:
Hi Steve,
Here are the three spaces where I'll be listening to music:
I’ll mostly listen in the basement office and on the outdoor deck.
The basement office is probably my best listening space, though I will need to rotate my A/V setup to the back wall in the included pic.
The back porch is where everyone likes to listen to music, and is also the place I’m subjected to the worst Bluetooth speakers. I considered using my M-Audio monitors out here, but the rear ports make them less than ideal for leaving outside.
I may use these little monitors to reinforce dialog for the TV in our living room, although that brings its own issue of controlling the TV and speaker volume separately, which is a PITA. In either case, this area is at the bottom of my project list.
Apologies for the volume of information, but this is where I'm at. I figured it would help to show you the three areas I'm trying to design for.
## For the basement, it seems like a good pair of bookshelf or floor standing speakers would be appropriate, and the listening distance would be 12 to 18 feet from the back wall.
I know that I like everything you've played for me, and I suppose that I'm open to both passive and active speakers, provided that I'm not replacing active crossovers every couple of years. But it also sounded like a good pair of passive unpowered speakers and decent amplifiers might be fine as well.
## I'm feeling inundated with too many variables to make a decision, and need to stop going down more rabbit-holes and pick something so I can stop the analysis paralysis.
I'm good with buying new or used, and would gladly purchase something from you at your asking price if you think any of your stuff would fit the bill. ## # I think I could expand my budget to about $1,500.
"
Modern electronics tend to bite the dust before anything mechanical. So I'm not the biggest fan of the powered speaker idea, since they are typically proprietary. With passive speakers: if your amp smokes you can at least put in a cheap backup to get you by until the other gets repaired/replaced.
Outdoors I'd suggest just looking for outdoor speakers to mount somewhere. Anything else will eventually suffer for it one way or another.
For starting out and not necessarily knowing what you want.. there is always craigslist/FBM. Parts express had a remake (DTA-1) of the original T-amp that accepted batteries, but I think they discontinued it. It was nice because it was inexpensive and you could hook it up to a laptop to test speakers out "in the field" without needing power. Something like it may still be available somewhere.
Everything integrated has more potential for failure, that's for sure. From the toaster to the fridge to the TV to the computer. All for the sake of convenience, or so they t(s)ell us...
It's like the intranet that you have to use at work. Same content, but every 6-12 months the buttons get moved / the layout gets given a refresher. It's the tech equivalent of a chin tuck and nose job. And every so often it breaks.
Did anyone even ask for the botox?
really, it's just to keep the economy and jobs going.