Wiim Amp with Polk XT15 & Polk PSW10

[Vicious]

IMHO Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 are worth adding to your list. They perform really well for the price (link to YT review and link to another review), but note that they are deeper than the XT15 you have now.

Actually, the low depth of the XT15 makes them IMHO a really nice (passive) option for desktop systems such as yours! A lot of passive speakers seem to be quite a bit deeper so may be intrusive in a desktop environment.

Regarding your other candidates, most of them weren't measured so it is difficult to say how the might perform.
In most cases another speaker from the series was measured so perhaps that could give some clue (even if not conclusive):

• Monitor Audio Bronze 50 and 100 - I can only find measurements for the Silver series and those look solid, but that may have no relation to Bronze series performance.
• Polk XT20 (link to review) - Similar to the XT15 you have just bigger; for an ultra-nearfield desktop setup such as yours I don't see a benefit of going with a bigger speaker. Similarly bright too.
• Klipsch R50m - I can only find measurements for the R-41m (link) and that one didn't perform particularly well. Bright and a lot of resonances.
• Q Acoustics 3010i - I can only find measurements for the 3020i (link) and that one seems to perform OK-ish. Some resonances.
• Polk ES15 - I can only find measurements for the ES20 (link) and that one seems to perform pretty well. Main issue is a resonance from the port, but overall a reasonably balanced response.

The Wharfedale Diamond 12.2 is the only stock I can find in South Africa - A bit above the price compared to the rest, but I might be able to make a plan.

I have noticed the WD 12.2 have good reviews, are the a newer version of the 12.1?

 

[dominikz]

The Wharfedale Diamond 12.2 is the only stock I can find in South Africa - A bit above the price compared to the rest, but I might be able to make a plan.

I have noticed the WD 12.2 have good reviews, are the a newer version of the 12.1?

No, they are the bigger model (6.5" woofer instead of 5").
Unfortunately, as far as I see 12.2 haven't been fully measured either... Partial measurements can be found here, and those look solid.

 

[Vicious]

@dominikz Interesting find i made locally

Pylon Opel Monitors - Demo units and they’ll let them go for the price of the Whaferdale 12.2’s

I’ve never heard of Pylon but seems they play in the bracket above the speakers i’ve listed?
Excuse the tag, your input is just awesome every time and you’re like the all-knowing

 

[dominikz]

I’ve never heard of Pylon but seems they play in the bracket above the speakers i’ve listed?

Unfortunately for us consumers, in the HiFi industry price has almost no correlation to performance. There's a lot of examples of cheap audio devices that perform really well, and expensive ones that perform so poorly they seem almost broken.

I was unable to find any measurements for the Pylon Opal loudspeakers so it is impossible to say where they sit. If it was me, I'd definitely choose among some of the models where full anechoic measurements are available. Everything else seems like too much of a gamble to me.

Excuse the tag, your input is just awesome every time and you’re like the all-knowing

I'm glad you find the info useful!

 

[Vicious]

Dropping the Pylon's
There's next to no info, reviews or benchmarks to review and make this a consideration - I'm back in the Wharfedale camp as a decent upgrade (To my XT15's )

 

[slartibartfast]

Unfortunately for us consumers, in the HiFi industry price has almost no correlation to performance. There's a lot of examples of cheap audio devices that perform really well, and expensive ones that perform so poorly they seem almost broken.

I was unable to find any measurements for the Pylon Opal loudspeakers so it is impossible to say where they sit. If it was me, I'd definitely choose among some of the models where full anechoic measurements are available. Everything else seems like too much of a gamble to me.


I'm glad you find the info useful!

Looks like Erin is going to test a Pylon speaker soon.

 

[harkpabst]

Looks like Erin is going to test a Pylon speaker soon.
View attachment 21140

Time may be a healer, but it is the timely coincidence that fuels our excitement.

 

[Vicious]

Found a Monitor Audio Bronze 100 set for 255$, 1 month old and warranty still intact. Paid and should be shipped by Monday