I am very happy with my main setup of SN3, Cambridge Audio CXN100 and Dynaudio Contour 1.3 MKII.
From my years of experimenting to get to that, I still have an extra Cambridge Audio CXA81 lying around, and I’m thinking of putting that into good use for my home office sound system. Looking for advice on smaller speakers to go with it. They would either sit on my desk, maybe on stands (which I don’t have), or maybe even wall-mounted, as I learned that some speakers work quite well when wall mounted, which was new to me. Sound would come from my laptop via Tidal.
Right now I am thinking about used Dali Oberon 1s (which I can buy used for 150-300€), Q Acoustics 3020c (not that great offer of used ones in my area) or similar.
I believe I should be able to get this through for few hundred euro. If not, I will use another pair of Dynaudios (Audience 42), but are quite big for my setup. In that case, if you have an advice for stands that are in that price point, also appreciated.
Have a great day all,
Robert
UPDATE: I also have a Naim SuperUnity at hand, which could come into place instead of CXA81, I guess one of them will have to go away.
I’m currently using Arcam Mu-So (to avoid confusion with Naim’s Muso) with a Musical Fidelity v90 Amp. Others here on the forum are using Neat Iotas and PMC DB1. Desktop audio though is a pain to get right, so my Beyerdynamic headphones get used a lot.
DALI Kupids are getting good reviews and would be less obtrusive on your desktop.
I personally use Audience AV The One full-range speakers from California in my desktop system, and love them. But they are discontinued and are probably quite difficult to find in the UK.
By the way, IsoAcoustics ISO-130 speaker stands are excellent on the desktop.
At home I use an Atom with Tukans which is good, a tad bass light but ideal for my needs. For my work office I use something a little better on value - Nad D3020 V1 into Q Acoustics 3020i. Speakers were new and amp from EBay, sound is better than I expected. Early morning before everyone else arrives I can turn it up and enjoy.
thanks for those tips Tamarin. I forgot to mention that I’m in Germany, but the same goes for Audience AV there as in UK, not easy to find. I do like the IsoAcoustics ISO-130 stands, they for sure will be one viable option. As for the Dali Kupids, very easy to find here and I do like the Dali sound, I remember it quite vividly from my Yamaha amp days. Nice setups you got there mate!
Indeed @el_soldado my office is not the easiest for setting up, and struggling to find even the positioning with two big screens - one of the questions will be either floor stands or desk stands for speakers, none of those have spacious room around them currently.
What I have in the office here is way better I suspect than most non-forum members hear in their homes. It is nice to have and helps with the work I do and the long hours I spend here each day.
I should have noticed the price quote in euro instead of quid!
Too bad regarding the scarcity of Audience The Ones in Europe. They’re quite remarkable despite being very compact. I prefer single, full-range drivers for near-field listening, in order to avoid short-distance driver coherence issues.
I run 3 pairs of The Ones, including the TV system. Not to mention a spare 4th pair. Audience also makes the larger ClairAudient One + Ones, which are another desktop option if you happen to have a large desk. Those are more costly though, if you can even find them in Germany.
I’ve found that raising the speakers and/or pointing the tweeters at your ears (including vertically) makes a significant difference with near-field systems. Some mechanical isolation doesn’t hurt either.
Thanks! I’m starting to suspect that I might be slightly obsessed with audio.
I know what you mean, but being obsessed to audio is basically being obsessed with art/music, and I see that as one of the less problematic obsessions, that’s what I tell myself anyway.
I hear you on the vertical tweeter to ear alignment, it does seem to be one of the factors I can influence fully now I know the importance of it.
Thanks again for the tips, work to do with my setup now.
ADAM is indeed abundant on the German used market, HEDD not so much and more on the expensive side, bot new to me though, appreciate the suggestions @dico1
I treated myself to an Atom and a pair of wall-mounted Neat Iotas for my office after weeks stuck at home during COVID lockdowns.
I enjoyed that little system until the price of the Nait 50 dropped dramatically at which point the Atom got replaced by N50 plus Chord Qutest — not a bad little setup.