bubbagump
10-24-2006, 04:53 PM
I bought a pair of the infamous Insignias recently for less than 40 bucks including tax. I tried them out in a couple places around the house. I compared them directly with a pair of Paradigm Atoms, Legacy Studio-i's and Classics just for grins. In larger rooms they sound overly warm, especially compared to the Atoms. I was using the Atoms in the nearfield with my computer and a Panny SA-XR70. When I swapped the Atoms with the Insignia's, the Insignia's really came into their own. As a nearfield monitor, they are buttery smooth compared to the Atoms. The Atoms in the nearfield sound harsh by comparison. Conversely, the harshness I hear in the nearfield with the Atoms is a positive in larger rooms where the nearfield harshness translates into a more detailed high end and tighter midrange. Anyway, the Insignia's are staying with the computer. If you don't have an extra receiver, I'd guess they'd do well with a T-amp. For a total of about 70 bucks I can't think of a better computer system. I like the Insignia's so much in this capacity that it makes me want listen to the KEF model this is an obvious imitation of. KEF never really caught my attention but now I'm curious.