soundsystem for small room

Hi all,

I spend a lot of my time abroad and have all my cd collection backed up on my ipod classic and android phones. I can't be lugging around my hifi seperates everytime I travel so have had to settle for playing my music through a 15 year old pair of boston acoustic BA735 computer speakers (see image below). The sound isn't great and they are due a long awaited upgrade. Space is also an issue seeing as I live in a small flat.



I tend to listen to my music in Flac format and mp3 320 and to be honest I can't tell the difference when listening on my current setup.

I have read a bit about the pure digital i20 but still don't quite understand what else I would need to get it up and running and if it would make a difference in terms of SQ. Based on the previous comment, would the following work?:

ipod classic 120GB - pure i20 - harmon kardon soundsticks

I've listened to a pair of Harman Kardon soundsticks and they sound much better than what I've got and would fit the bill when it comes to space saving. An ipod dock seems to be the most convenient option so I would be prepared to consider that option.

I am open to any suggestions and would greatly appreciate any comments. I am on a fairly limited budget of around £100-200. The Harman kardon soundsticks and pure i20 would cost about £120

 

If you could stretch your budget just a little, to maybe £150, then you could get a pair of Mordaunt Short M10 speakers for £49.99 from Richer Sounds (which seem to get some very positive reviews) and there's this Yamaha mini system for £100 on Ebay just now for £100. Comes with an onboard iPod dock, has 65w per side which should be just about enough in your space for the speakers which are 86db. A little over your price range, but only by about £30. Maybe worth a look?

Caveat: I've no idea what either sound like, so you'll need to do a little reading up, but it gets you on the road if nothing else.

http://www.richersounds.com/product/standmount-speakers/mordaunt-short/m10/mord-short-m10-blk

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-R-...298?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item488171b5da

 

Are you concerned about the dac of the ipod? I think that dock is good for getting digital out but I am not sure how much better a dac it is than the ipod classic.

I have not heard those h/k soundsticks, and I am also not fan of a sub in those computer speaker setups, but I would be suspicious that you would be happy with them in the long run; so I probably would skip the dock and do lineout with something like a $10 FiiO Lineout cable either to 3.5 mini or rca and spend the money on better powered speakers. As I prefer good overall sound vs a ton of bass at the expense of that, I would look at these, hopefully amazon uk has them.

https://emotiva.com/products/powered-monitors/speakers/airmotiv-4s

http://audioengineusa.com/Store/A2-plus-B-Powered-Desktop-Speakers

It might be out of your size or price range but also the larger; these are the only ones I have heard and this is probably what I would do in a fairly portable setup.

http://audioengineusa.com/Store/A5-plus-B-Powered-Speakers

 

The Soundsticks are OK but you can do better. The Audioengine A2s are surprisingly good for their size and will play loud in a small room. Of course they lack low bass but are otherwise well balanced. The A5+ speakers provide additional bass at the cost of a somewhat larger size. I think the A5s sound quite good in a small room.

 

Budget, guys, budget: Up to £120. The A5s come in at over £300 and nearer £330 new.

 

Thanks for your advice, I'll read up on them and pop into a local richer sounds when I get the chance.

£300+ is definitely out of budget but as previously mentioned I could stretch to £200 if necessary.

 

I've just read that the ipod classic already has a dac - I'm a complete novice! The audio engine speakers look like a good option but I can't afford to stretch my budget that much.