Reddit mentions of Monitor Audio Bronze 2 Bookshelf Speakers - Walnut

I'm going to give you answers that you didn't come here for. Get ready.

So your apartment says no subwoofer? Get a pair of tower speakers if you can. They'll have plenty of bass. I have a couple pairs that I use without subwoofers anyways. I'm going to take you slightly over budget, but bear with me. These guys here have those three woofers on the front, but take a peek at the bottom. They have an 8" woofer pointing down, to act as a sub but without being a sub.

Get an SMSL amp (the sa36a will probably work, but I'd go for the sa50 just to be safe) and you're at like $560.

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But poly I want bookshelves, not towers. I can't fit towers in my room/apartment/life.

Alright bookshelves it is. Here's another answer that you don't want to hear. None in that price range are going to have a resounding amount of bass. Yeah, they'll have enough, but they won't reach way down. There is, however, a way around that, and it comes in thr form of building your own. Those ones will have bass, be bookshelf sized, and make you happy. If you decide to go DIY, head over to r/diyaudio and ask around a bit more for some advice and get some more specifics. DIY can save tons of money for you.

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But poly I can't build anything!

Fair enough. That is pretty common. I'd take a look around at the sales going on currently. Klipsch and Elac have great sales, and you'll be able to pick something amazing up for an amazing price. And if you want something super classy and cool, these fancy guys should do the trick.

Oh, and for a 2.0 system, whichever one you get, an smsl sa50 would work. Plenty of power and it has RCA inputs, so you can plug it in to something else. I've got one with a RCA to 3.5mm connected to an echo dot, and it's great.

I hope some of this helps! Let me know if you have any questions.

Edit: fixed tower speakers link

New, you could consider the Monitor Audio Bronze speakers, or the Zensor 3's. There are also a pair of Monitor Silvers, which look to be in excellent nick, should you decide to reconsider your stand on used. You could pair it with the Yamaha A-S301 amp, or consider this Teac or indeed this NAD depending on the features you're looking for in an integrated amplifier.

Amp

NAD 3020 V2 ($399) has:

• Phono pre-amp
  
• Optical-in for your movies
  
• Subwoofer out
  
  Turntable
  
  U-Turn Audio ($309) have gotten good reviews from the few people I know that have picked one up. They look nice and do their job.
  
  Speakers
  
  This is way trickier and way more personal, I personally have had very good luck with used gear from Swans, Canton, Mirage, Chario and JBL that I would have never been able to afford new and have been very happy with. The only speakers I've gotten brand new recently were the Elac B6 and I enjoyed them too.
  
  Some options with the rest of your budget ~$500
  
  Wharfedale Denton 80th (~$500) Absolutely beautiful, review well, I only had a brief listen in person so can't entirely vouch but I liked what I heard
  
  Elac UB5 (~$400) Very nice bookshelf, the concentric set up for the mid range and tweeter is nice and slick and fits a 3 way design into a bookshelf footprint nicely.
  
  Monitor Audio Bronze 2 (~$500) Again, lovely design, enjoyed them when I auditioned them but ended up going with some used Cantons that time.

What the u/astrnght_mike_dexter said is correct.


The recever is decent, good enough for this price range.
A good stereo system will always sound better than a mediocre surround system.


$500 will get you some really nice bookshelf speakers.


https://www.amazon.com/Wharfedale-Denton-80th-Red-Mahogany/dp/B00RDMZJ9U
https://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Uni-fi-Bookshelf-Speaker-Black/dp/B01CRYWVG2
https://www.amazon.com/Acoustics-Concept-Bookshelf-Speakers-Gloss/dp/B00D8XYH32/

https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-Reference-Premiere-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B07G3D2C8S/

https://www.amazon.com/SVS-Prime-Bookshelf-Speaker-Pair/dp/B00PASUMV4/

https://www.amazon.com/Dali-Oberon-Bookshelf-Speakers-Walnut/dp/B07H2N5CNT/

https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Audio-Bronze-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B002LPTH92/

https://www.amazon.com/KEF-Q150-Bookshelf-Speakers-Black/dp/B071P6KQZX/

Your need for acoustic panelling will largely depend on the furnishings of the room. If the room is mainly hard surfaces, with no carpet and with solid furniture, you might look into dampening. For your budget, however, you're really only looking at adding a thick rug rather than full-on room treatment options.

Basic advice: to play music from your computer you need a DAC, an amplifier (including a pre-amplifier) and speakers.

Computers have DAC's built in to their headphone outputs, but they tend to be of poor quality resulting in poor sound quality. Integrated amplifiers include a preamplifier built in, and tend to represent the best bang for buck.

For your budget, I recommend spending a decent amount on speakers, and only as much as you have to on the other components. Get a DAC like the HiFimeDIY Sabre USB DAC ($42), the Schiit Modi ($99), or the ODAC ($145). Amplifiers vary quite a lot with price and availability depending on where you are, but you might look out for the Marantz PM6005, the Rotel RA-10, the Onkyo A-9010, the Yamaha A-S300, or the NAD 326BEE or D3020. Note that some of these have built in DACs, so you might like to spend the extra and get a PM6005 (for example) and then you won't have to worry about getting a DAC.

That leaves about $400-700 for speakers, depending on how much you spend on your amp and how much you decide to budget. You can either go floor-standing speakers, or buy stand-mounted (aka "bookshelf") speakers. This is up to your personal preference. At your price point you tend (as a very general rule only) to get better mids and highs from stand-mounters, but better bass from floor-standers. Floor-standers include the KEF Q500 ($550), the Monitor Audio Bronze Series 5 ($314) and 6 ($424), the Wharfedale Diamond 230 ($699), or the Q Acoustics 3050 ($799). Stand-mounters include the KEF Q100 ($424) or Q300 ($649), the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 ($378), the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 ($249), or the [Q Acoustics Concept 20] (https://www.amazon.com/Acoustics-Concept-Bookshelf-Speakers-Anniversary/dp/B01I46G1VI/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1484025379&sr=1-5&keywords=q+acoustics) ($430). There are many, many more speakers, and they make by far the greatest difference to the sound you will hear, so I strongly recommend you go to a bricks and mortar store and listen for yourself before deciding on a set. Remember that if you buy stand-mounters you will also need to buy stands to put them on.

You will also need cables to connect your computer to your DAC, your DAC to your amp, and your amp to your speakers. MonoPrice cables are good value. Avoid buying overpriced cables from HiFi retailers as these tend to be incredibly high margin items. Getting decent banana plugs on the speaker cables (if you can in your country) will make plugging and unplugging the speakers a whole lot easier.

Good luck and please let me know how you get on!

The audiophile recommendation will be for a proper stereo setup -- assuming you can actually spread the speakers out and kind of designate a proper listening spot. You can get some nice speakers that sound fine for just listening to music, but if you want to truly experience music and get lost in the sound, a proper stereo setup is the only way to go. It'll also be a much better investment -- good passive speakers will last you for decades.

If you want just a basic stereo setup with no subwoofer, I'd go for a SMSL AD18 amplifier, and Monitor Bronze 2 speakers. You'd need speaker wires too to connect the two, but that should be a real nice little setup.

Since you are getting a sub, you could crossover the speakers at 80hz. The Monitor Audio Bronze 2 would work quite well: https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Audio-Bronze-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B002LPTH92 $372

Bronze Center $224 https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Audio-Bronze-Center-Speaker/dp/B000GJEUP6

Unless you have researched it and are positive you want go with dipole/bipole speakers, I would go with the Monitor Bronze 1 $300 https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Audio-Bronze-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B00XW02HB0/

You can do much better for the sub. Get the Rythmik LV12F for $600

Total: $1500, and you get a better subwoofer.

Denon X1500H receiver for $300. If you want to jump up, you could look at the Denon 3000 series (not sure what the best deal is there).

Im enjoying my Monitor Audio Bronze 2's immensely. I see they are on Amazon right now for ~$375 new or $299 used.

https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Audio-Bronze-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B002LPTH92/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541175067&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=monitor+audio+bronze+2&dpPl=1&dpID=51vdtRpHeTL&ref=plSrch

They also look fantastic, but thats just my opinion.

These are both studio quality monitors. The JBL's for sure are outstanding speakers. Very flat, extended sound. Youcan certainly go the passive + amp route as well. But if its just a casual bedroom setup this will be a lot simpler. lack of upgradeability would be the main concern.

You can go this route as well...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Monitor-Audio-Bronze-2-Walnut/dp/B002LPTH92/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1497042266&sr=8-2&keywords=monitor+audio

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Denon-PMA520AE-Integrated-Amplifier-Black/dp/B007Y3OBAQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1497042306&sr=8-6&keywords=integrated+amp

Monitor Audio Bronze 2 Bookshelf Speakers - Walnut https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LPTH92/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_eC2gDbRQMP4Y2

Bronze .2s are definitely the best looking speakers at 500 or less!

Ahh good find! If you’re not familiar, camel camel camel is an amazing tool and you can set alerts to come straight to your email! Always be sure to check both amazon and 3rd party new if they have both :)

https://camelcamelcamel.com/Monitor-Audio-Bronze-Bookshelf-Speakers/product/B002LPTH92?context=search

I’d maybe consider the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 over the ELAC.

Or, spend $400 on the integrated, Emotiva TA-100 for instance, and spend $800 on the speakers, HSU CCB-8’s for instance.

Unless you plan to upgrade in the not to distant future, doesn’t make much sense having your integrated costing noticeably more than your speakers.

I just saw this on slickdeals: Monitor Audio Bronze speakers 25% off

Bronze 2 Bookshelves (pair) [amazon.com]: $375 (normally $500)

link

Edit: I haven't heard these...I do have JBL 530 and am a bit underwhelmed by them.

Since you already have an amp, you have lot of options. People love the KEF Q300 and the Monitor Audio Bronze 2, plus both are front ported, which is good if you'll be near a wall. There's also a lot of talk here about Elac, Wharfedale, DT, and so many others. Though the best deal is probably to buy used off of craigslist or ebay (local pickup).

Hey guys. I have onkyo a-9010 amp and I would like to connect it to PC with the best result in term of quality of sound. At the moment it is connected from PC to cheap dac with optical cable, then from DAC to amp with cheap RCA cables. Sound is ok, but I wonder if it can be better by using other things. What do you guys recommend? My onkyo is UK model, there is no any optical input in opposite to EU version.

DAC: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Toslink-Converter-Adapter-Optical-Black-96-Khz-2-0ch/dp/B00KNNSKV0/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_23_bs_tr_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CVXDZ7S5SB6DBBN85GHP

Amp: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Onkyo-A-9010-UK-Integrated-Amplifier/dp/B00SH2JSJW

Speakers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Monitor-Audio-Bronze-2-Walnut/dp/B002LPTH92

Right, I think I've finally figured out what amp and speakers to buy. What do you think of a Pioneer NC-50DAB-B and Monitor Audio Bronze 2 speakers?
Links:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Monitor-Audio-Bronze-2-Walnut/dp/B002LPTH92/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497537265&sr=8-1&keywords=Monitor+Audio+Bronze+2
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M1MXTS8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1Q9VK43HAN4C&coliid=I2HN3FK355B6BB&psc=1

I see. I have no input on the headphone front, but if you want a good passive speaker within your budget, check out these:

Klipsch RP-160M
https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-RP-160M-Walnut-Bookshelf-Speaker/dp/B075JM5PS3/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1539787054&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=rp-160m&dpPl=1&dpID=41MvcSzOiSL&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1

Elac Uni-fi UB5
https://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Uni-fi-Bookshelf-Speaker-Black/dp/B01CRYWVG2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1539787075&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=ub5&dpPl=1&dpID=418QB%2BHSU1L&ref=plSrch

JBL Studio 230
https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Studio-230-Bookshelf-Loudspeaker/dp/B00GJXSWZW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539787150&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=jbl+studio+230&psc=1

Monitor Audio Bronze 2
https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Audio-Bronze-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B002LPTH92/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539787206&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=monitor+audio+bronze+2&dpPl=1&dpID=51vdtRpHeTL&ref=plSrch

Here is what I would do. Grab a refurbished Yamaha A-S501BL for $350 on Amazon. Then pump the difference into improved speakers, say some Monitor Audio Bronze 2

My recommendation is do NOT get a sound bar! You can get much better sound for the money and bars are notoriously bad, even the higher end versions. If you can spend up to $500, I would get a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze 2's. For $200 less, you can pick up some KEFQ100s (I use the Q500s for gaming personally). These are both passive speakers meaning you will need an audio visual receiver to power them, but you can pick one of those up very cheap on craigslist. If you do not have an amp/avr to power these, I would get these:

Speakers: https://www.amazon.com/KEF-Q100-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers-Black/dp/B0047K3X1M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511213706&sr=8-1&keywords=q100

AVR:https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-V381BL-Receiver-Black/dp/B01BY7YOAY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511213787&sr=1-1&keywords=rx-v381

If you already have an amp/avr *or can get one for free/cheap on craigslist, I would get these:https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Audio-Bronze-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B002LPTH92/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511213758&sr=1-3&keywords=bronze+2


Both of these options are highly regarded in the audiophile world and receive great reviews by reputable audiophile groups like WhatHiFi. The best part is if you decide to upgrade your sound system or want to use them for something else, they will be great stereo speakers that you can use somewhere else in your house. If you buy a soundbar it's use is limited and it provides very low quality imaging.