Good BT shelf speaker set

[sizona]

Hi, like a lot of us old folk I got rid of my albums back in the 90's for cd's etc. Now wants to go back to getting back some of my favourite LP's.

Recently bought a TEAC 400XBT turntable (with analogue and BT outputs), now need some small minimalist 6" height x 5" depth, doesn't matter width bluetooth speakers (not a standalone BT speaker and preferably not cable connected to the turntable)

Any recommendations for suitable speakers with a decent bass response please? Ta

[Techno9000]

The Audioengine A2 has a nice bass response for a small speaker. The size is just around that you have specified, with a width of 4”.
I ve got the non Bluetooth version and really like the sound.
The current Bluetooth version can also be hardwired via a 3.5mm stereo plug or USB.

[Griffith4ever]

BlueTooth compression completely negates any of the analogue "advantage" of vinyl surely?. Might just as well stream it at a higher bitrate from the internet?.

I share your enthusiasm for returning to physical albums. I bought a good CD player and dug out a very good old analogue amp for this purposta and started buying CDs again. Its nice to listen to a whole album, no phone, no apps, just press play and listen to it all.

Edited by Griffith4ever on Friday 13th February 09:41

[sizona]

Thanks for your input guys, will investigate further.

Yes BT does loose some of the signal so will try to hardwire any kit.

[GravelBen]

Griffith4ever said:

BlueTooth compression completely negates any of the analogue "advantage" of vinyl surely?

Bit of a 'worst-of-both-worlds' situation - get the distortion and reduced dynamic range of vinyl (which I'm aware some people prefer), then digitise and compress it anyway!

On the speaker topic, I've just ordered a pair of Edifier M60's which are around the size you want and get some very good reviews, I'll be using them for computer speakers but they be a good option for you too. Will update once they arrive and I have a chance to test them out.

Realistically any speaker in that size range is going to be lacking low-end bass compared to bigger speakers, but some do better than others and if you don't have space for bigger speakers its just a compromise to live with unless you can run a sub as well.

[sizona]

GravelBen said:

Bit of a 'worst-of-both-worlds' situation - get the distortion and reduced dynamic range of vinyl (which I'm aware some people prefer), then digitise and compress it anyway!

On the speaker topic, I've just ordered a pair of Edifier M60's which are around the size you want and get some very good reviews, I'll be using them for computer speakers but they be a good option for you too. Will update once they arrive and I have a chance to test them out.

Realistically any speaker in that size range is going to be lacking low-end bass compared to bigger speakers, but some do better than others and if you don't have space for bigger speakers its just a compromise to live with unless you can run a sub as well.

Thanks for the reply, yes please let me know how you find the Edifier's, they do get good reviews so be interesting to see what you think. Look forward to hearing back.

[Paul Drawmer]

If you're actually placing the speakers on a shelf, back against the wall behind; then is it better to chose speakers with front facing bass reflex vents?

[danb79]

Edifier speakers are hell of a lot better than their price tags suggest and would highly recommend them

These aren't Bluetooth but they're super easy to connect:

Speakers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edifier-Powered-Monitor-S...
Bluetooth receiver: https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Bluetooth-Amplifie...
3.5mm to RCA cable: https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Splitter-Controlle...

This is the set up I've got in our spare room now as the wife wasn't happy with my old Arcam/Acoustic Energy/Rega separates system and the cables everywhere; so that's now sold on

The Edifier speakers are on the heavy oak bookshelf; on decent isolation foam blocks and for £99 they sound bloody amazing!

If you want to spend a bit more and have all in one; these are amazing!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edifier-S1000MKII-Audioph...

My bother has these as his vinyl system connected to his Project Debut TT as the B&W speakers I lent him stopped working as did the Topping T-amp (age etc)

[GravelBen]

sizona said:

Thanks for the reply, yes please let me know how you find the Edifier's, they do get good reviews so be interesting to see what you think. Look forward to hearing back.

First impressions of the M60, from near field listening at low to moderate volume on a computer desk (connected to the PC by USB) so no comment on wider room sound yet. And just on default settings.

Solid and well built, heavy for their size. They are smaller than they look in photos, genuinely about the same height as my phone but quite deep. They come with well finished aluminium stands to angle them upward for desk use which is a nice touch.

Setup and bluetooth connection was quick and easy.

They really do have a far fuller/bigger sound than expected from their small size. No sub-bass rumble (as expected) but they go well into mid bass, and much deeper than you would ever expect from the size of the speakers.

The tune (whether its hardware tuning or the DAC, I'll try analog input sometime to see if it changes) I would say is designed to be warmer inoffensive easy listening at default settings, to my ear the lower mids are boosted and the highs are rolled off a bit.

Pros and cons to that approach - more forgiving and less fatiguing with harsh recordings or long gaming sessions etc, sensible for desktop speakers. But the flipside is losing a bit of delicacy and clarity in the higher end, they aren't studio monitors. But that may change significantly with some EQ adjustment, which is easy to do via their app.

Stereo imaging and separation of different voices and instruments is actually very good, up to a point - if the music is particularly complex and multi-layered things can start getting a bit congested and muddled. Could potentially improve that by isolating them better from the desk and moving them further out from the wall.

Compared to my reference powered bookshelf speakers (Yamaha NX-N500, which are really good, probably 3x the size and much more expensive so its not at all a fair comparison) - the M60s can't compete for delicacy/nuance/detail, and the bass is much less precise and tightly controlled.

But overall, for the price and how compact they are I'm quite impressed.

Edited by GravelBen on Saturday 7th March 00:12