High-end computer speakers recommendations

[BoredSysAdmin]

I'm just at the beginning of my searches, and so far these are the ones that were recommended to me the most often. But i'm open for more recommendations, i can go up to $1000 for a pair of speakers, without counting the amp (but i have zero amp knowledge, never bought one before)...
JBL LSR305 was one of your suggestions so i thought it was among the best choices, but now you are saying it's the cheapest options, so if you have anything better to recommend i'm still open !

Please note that i am not an audio professional, i don't know how a speaker set compares to another one, so if something is better than AudioEngine5+ i need some explanations to understand better. AE5 suggestion seems to be the most popular so i wrongly assumed it was the best option

Ok, Just making sure
JBL 305 are very impressive speakers at their price point and maybe a bit higher, but if you budget allows something nicer - might as well.
Since you mentioned you're from Canada, why not considering absolutely excellent psb imagine b bookshelf
Also few more good speakers from 2nd hand:
http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649285736-paradigm-reference-studio-20-v4/
http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649289506-joseph-audio-rm7si-signature-mk2/

 

[anarchoi]

Wow, the Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v5 looks AWESOME !!! At $800 each (i don't like buying second hands and prefer the look of the v5) it exceeds the $1000 budget a bit, but i'm really tempted...

If i go with something like this, how much budget would i need for a good amp ?? I'm not the kind of guy who spend a lot of time equalizing and playing with different settings, but i want to get the maximum out of my speakers. It would need to be compact, as i would put it under or inside my desk.

Lastly, bad news about the Subwoofer, i would have to spend at least $600CAD+tx on it. I got an answer from the US retailer, and with all the shipping/importing fees it would end up being the same price for me.

We can ship to Canada, but the cost is very expensive considering the
cost of shipping and brokerage fees alone would be around $150 USD.
Not to mention the additional taxes/duties charged by the province. It
can range anywhere from 15% to 25% the base price of the sub. If you
are still interested in the STF-2, please provide us with your shipping
address. Thanks!

Sincerely,
The Hsu Research Sales Team

So i'm not sure if it's worth it. Maybe i should open a different thread for the subwoofer once i made my final choice for the speakers.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

Wow, the Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v5 looks AWESOME !!! At $800 each (i don't like buying second hands and prefer the look of the v5) it exceeds the $1000 budget a bit, but i'm really tempted...

If i go with something like this, how much budget would i need for a good amp ?? I'm not the kind of guy who spend a lot of time equalizing and playing with different settings, but i want to get the maximum out of my speakers. It would need to be compact, as i would put it under or inside my desk.

Lastly, bad news about the Subwoofer, i would have to spend at least $600CAD+tx on it. I got an answer from the US retailer, and with all the shipping/importing fees it would end up being the same price for me.

So i'm not sure if it's worth it. Maybe i should open a different thread for the subwoofer once i made my final choice for the speakers.

With good speakers you dont necessarily need a sub, it all depends how much bass you want. Behringers I linked for example have plenty of bass by themselves.

 

[MR.MAGOO]

My current Bowers & Wilkins MM1's still sound great (as compared to the stock speakers in my iMac), however I'm finding I want a bit more 'push over the cliff' and 'volume goes to 11' (like in the movie Spinal Tap). Too many choices out there, but I'm zeroing in on the Audioengine A5+ with their S8 subwoofer. It will all fit well on my computer desk. Audioengine seems to have a better warranty (3 years), not sure that should be a factor or not. Have not listened to anything other than the MM-1 and my old JBL 'Creature' system.

 

[shadyJ]

Since the listener is so close to the sub and speakers in computer setups, I find it better to get speakers that can cross lower than normal in these situations, and use a lower crossover than 80 Hz. The reason is, with the subwoofer so close, localization is so much more noticeable in these setups. So it might be a bit counter-intuitive, but I always recommend larger speakers with capable woofers and a lower f3 here.