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AE A5 vs PSB B1 + NAD316 for Music and Movies

Hi Gents,

Many thanks for all the help everyone has given me so far.

I previously posted that the PSB Alpha B1 + NAD 316BEE was my favorite passive combo after lots of auditioning. They beat even higher-end setups - given the sonic signature I prefer (I have low-end taste I think haha).

The setup was for my new place. Initially I had music only in mind. But now, while discussing with the girlfriend, I realized that slightly more than 50% of the time we would be using the speakers to watch movies and TV shows. The other 50% would be background music.

I'm increasingly having less time to sit down and listen critically = (

Given this new state of affairs, would you recommend the Audioengine A5 over the PSB Alpha B1 and Nad combo?

I've previously auditioned the AE5s, however they were not properly setup and even then managed to impress me quite a bit. For music performance IIRC, the PSB + NAD combo was immensely musial - but I'm worried about how this passive setup would work with movies and TV shows. I remember a slight highlight on the midrange and a slight lack of low end - which might make TV shows and movies sound weird.

The AE5s are also cheaper and more compact to setup.
milesandcoltrane
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kbarkamian
647 posts
 
The Audioengines are great computer speakers. They're no match for the PSB/NAD combo IMO. The AEs work great set up as nearfield speakers in an office environment. They work great as background/non-critical speakers too.

I'm not trying to bash the AEs. Their strongpoint is not filling a larger room with music and soundtracks IMO. The NAD/PSB combo is bigger and more powerful, which is necessary for what you're trying to do IMO.

If you need more bottom end, you could always get a subwoofer now or later.
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