Need some quick advice about these two speakers

[StefanS]

With Black Friday approaching I am scouring the internet for good deals, and thankfully I have found a few. I found the Studiophile AV40's at a reasonable price and the Studiophile BX5a's priced $90 higher. Now, I am willing to invest money into some good speakers, but from reading the reviews and looking at the specs I could not make a decision. They are both great speakers, but I can't find any reason why the BX5a's are worth buying over the AV40's. Here are their respective specs: AV40's (http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/StudiophileAV40.html) and BX5a's (http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/StudiophileBX5a.html).

Originally I was basing my decision on the reviews people posted, but since everybody posted the same thing (i.e. "awesome speakers, great speakers, clear sound, etc.) for both speakers, I had to revert to the tech specs. I don't understand most of the stuff on there though. I was hoping that maybe someone here could help me in that department. My question is - are the BX5a's worth the extra $90, and what exactly makes them that much better? Also if you have any other recommendations for me I would greatly appreciate them. Thank you.

[Feanor]

With Black Friday approaching I am scouring the internet for good deals, and thankfully I have found a few. I found the Studiophile AV40's at a reasonable price and the Studiophile BX5a's priced $90 higher. Now, I am willing to invest money into some good speakers, but from reading the reviews and looking at the specs I could not make a decision. They are both great speakers, but I can't find any reason why the BX5a's are worth buying over the AV40's. Here are their respective specs: AV40's (http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/StudiophileAV40.html) and BX5a's (http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/StudiophileBX5a.html).

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Welcome to AR Forums, StefanS,

There are obvious differences based on the specs you link to. The BX5a's have larger drivers and is more powerful. It has XLR instead of TRS inputs. Each BX5a has its own amplifier whereas with the AV40 the amp or amps are in one speaker such that you connect the second speaker via speaker wire.

The differences between to two are substantial and the BX5a is the much superior speaker based on specification and, no doubt, will play a lot louder if that's a factor for you. However which is "better" for your application and budget is up to you.

[StefanS]

Welcome to AR Forums, StefanS,

There are obvious differences based on the specs you link to. The BX5a's have larger drivers and is more powerful. It has XLR instead of TRS inputs. Each BX5a has its own amplifier whereas with the AV40 the amp or amps are in one speaker such that you connect the second speaker via speaker wire.

The differences between to two are substantial and the BX5a is the much superior speaker based on specification and, no doubt, will play a lot louder if that's a factor for you. However which is "better" for your application and budget is up to you.

Thank you for the welcome. You mentioned that the BX5a's have the TRS inputs. What's the advantage of TRS inputs over RCA inputs (which are the standard for the AV40's)?

Also can you help me understand these specs? The only major differences I see between the BX5a's and the AV40's are the fact that BX5a's are more loud ( signal to noise ratio is 100 dB vs 90 dB), more sensitive (85 mV => 90 dBA vs 100 mV => 90 dBA), and that they are dual amplified. Are these things worth the extra money? How much louder are we talking about, and what does sensitivity mean? Im a real noob in this department :blush2:

[Feanor]

...

Also can you help me understand these specs? The only major differences I see between the BX5a's and the AV40's are the fact that BX5a's are more loud ( signal to noise ratio is 100 dB vs 90 dB), more sensitive (85 mV => 90 dBA vs 100 mV => 90 dBA), and that they are dual amplified. Are these things worth the extra money? How much louder are we talking about, and what does sensitivity mean? Im a real noob in this department :blush2:

Stefan,

Before we answer the specific questions it would be relevant to know how you are going to use the speakers and what other equipment you'll be working with.

Are these speakers to be driven from a computer? If so, will you be sitting right in front of the computer, and will be speakers be on you desktop? Or will you be driving the speakers from an iPod/MP3 player?

TRS and XLR connections are really for professional application; if you'll be using your computer or MP3 player, you'll be fine with the RCA connections.

The sensitivity ratings relate to the amount of power source device, (computer, MP3, or whatever), has to put out to drive the speakers to the stated level. Both values are quite low suggesting that you'll have no problem driving the them from a small device like an MP3 player.

Whether you need the extra power of the BX5 depend on how you will use them. If you'll be listening to them as computer speakers sitting at our desk the A40 will be plenty powerful; on the other hand if you want to fill anything larger than a small room, you'd probably benefit from the BX5.