The Audiophiliac's top 10 desktop speaker list (pictures)

This Top 10 speaker list isn't in any particular order, it's just a sampling of the best desktop/computer speakers, priced from $249 a pair and up.

 The original Audioengine A2set the standard for affordably priced, audiophile grade desktop speakers. The A2+ ($249/pair) sounds the same, but adds new features such as a built-in USBdigital converter and better quality connectors.

Even in this highlycompetitive market, Audioengine stayed the course, the little A2+, standing amere 6 inches tall, always sounds sweet. Granted, it probably won't satisfyheadbangers' lust for power, but the A2+ will smooth over any grit or nastinessfrom cruddy sounding MP3s or YouTube videos.

Available at Crutchfield.com

The M-Audio BX5 Carbon's soundis beautifully balanced and clear, definitely up to audiophile standards. As Ilistened, at first I just enjoyed myself and forgot to pay attention. Once Ifocused on the task at hand, I noted that bright recordings sounded harsh, butthe BX5 Carbon $149 (each) was just doing its job, telling it like it is.

BX5 Carbon available at Amazon for $149 (each).

The deeply recessed"waveguide" surrounding the tweeter is the first tip-off the LSR305 is special. The guide focuses and controls thetweeter's dispersion, and how the speaker projects sound forward into the room.The LSR305's five-inch woofer was designed to match the tweeter's dispersion,so the blend between the two drivers is perfect.

With good recordings the speakersproduce a sense of spatial depth, and the stereo soundstage spreads wider thanthe actual locations of the two LSR305s. It's a nearfield monitor, designed tosound great from as close as 36 inches away, but the LSR305s also soundterrific as stereo hi-fi speakers.

LSR305 available at Amazon for $140 (each).

Even before you hear KEF's LS50 speaker there's no doubt it's a unique design. The speaker's single"rose" colored driver sports radial fins, and the cabinet has a swept-back front baffle. I've never seen anything quite like it before. The speakerstands 11.9 inches tall, it's 7.9 wide, 10.9 deep, and weighs 15.8 pounds. Theinternally braced MDF cabinet has the build quality of a very high-end design.The sound is just as extraordinary as the look, and the LS50 can be used as adesktop monitor or as hi-fi speakers. Unlike most of the other speakers listedin this survey, the LS50 isn't self-powered,so you need to also buy a stereo power amp.

The LS50 commemorates KEF's 50thanniversary; MSRP runs $1,500 (pair).

The Airmotiv 5s is a direct descendent of the Airmotiv 5 that debuted not that manyyears ago; the carryovers from the original model are the 5.25-inchpolypropylene composite woofer and folded-ribbon tweeter. What's new? Thecabinet and electronics are upgraded over the original design. There are two50-watt amplifiers in each cabinet: one for the tweeter, another one for thewoofer. The rear panel has RCA and XLR inputs, and three-position woofer andtweeter tone controls.

Eachproduction Airmotiv 5s' frequency response is calibrated to be within a half adecibel of the factory's reference specification. That exceedingly closetolerance ensures every production speaker will sound the same. Emotiva sellsthem for $349 (pair).

Take a good look atthe picture of the Equator D5 speaker -- do you see anything unusual about itsdesign? Where's the tweeter? Look closer -- there it is, right in the center ofthe woofer! The D5's "coaxial" driver combines the tweeter and wooferinto a single driver, and that's really cool! The speakers sell for $400 (pair).

Magnepan is known for its six-foot-tall, flat-panel speakers, but the Mini-Maggies are 14 inches high, 9.3 incheswide, and just 1.25 inches thick! They can be super thin because they don't useconventional cone woofers; Mini-Maggies feature proprietary thin-film drivertechnology and ribbon tweeters. TheMini-Maggies are made in Minnesota withAmerican-made parts.

The Mini-Maggie system also includes athird panel, a woofer that measures 22.5 by 19.25 by 1.25 inches. The speakersand woofer are covered in black cloth and sit on small stands.

Sitting three feet away from thespeakers the sound takes on a three-dimensional presence, and the crisp attackand dynamic impact of well-recorded drums are on par with what you get fromhigh-end hi-fi systems. You can almost feel the texture of the drum heads, andhear the metallic brassy ring of the cymbals.

The Mini-Maggie's tweeters are so pureand effortless, you don't think about their sound. It was just there, more akinto the way we experience high-frequency sound in real life. The three-pieceMini-Maggie system retails for $1,490. It isn't self-powered, so you also needto also buy a stereo power amp (the woofer panel and speakers are designed towork with stereo amplifiers).

The little Genelec G Onemonitor is a close cousin of the 8010A monitor Genelec sells to professionalsound engineers all around the world. The G One is a really tiny speaker, so itshould be partnered with a subwoofer, like Genelec's matching F One. ThisGenelec system can also be used in home theater and hi-fi systems in very smallrooms.

The first thing you noticeabout the G One's sound is how articulate it is. Drums and other percussioninstruments' dynamic contrasts are vividly presented; the G One's resolutionand clarity are truly exceptional. You hear everything -- the good, bad, or ugly -- sounds in yourrecordings. Play an audiophile recording, and you'll hear how good it reallyis, while nasty and harsh recordings sound nasty and harsh.

The G One retails for $395 each, andthe F One is $795.

Adam's rather unusual tweeter, the X-ART airmotion transformer, is made in the company's factory in Berlin, Germany. Thetweeter's "pleated" diaphragm compresses and expands with the audiosignal. Air is drawn in and squeezed out, "like the bellows of anaccordion," and the tweeter's high-frequency response extends beyond therange of most dome tweeters. The X-ART has a much larger radiating surface areathan a dome tweeter, which is one of the reasons why it produces lessdistortion than dome tweeters. If you've only heard domes, the F5's treble willbe a revelation.

The F5 also features a 5-inchfiberglass-paper woofer, sourced from outside suppliers, but made to Adam'sspecifications. Each F5 speaker is bi-amplified: there's a 25-watt amp on thetweeter and a 35-watt amp for the woofer. Rather than go with an off-the-shelfClass D digital amp, the F5 has superior-sounding Class AB amps, whichaudiophiles prefer. The speaker is 11.5 inches tall and sells for $499 perpair.

The Focal Alpha 50 has an all-new1-inch "inverted" aluminum dome tweeter (it curves in instead ofbulging out), and a new 5-inch polyglass woofer. The tweeter is mated to a 20-watt, Class AB amplifier, and the woofer to a 35-watt AB amp. The drivers andbuilt-in amplifiers are designed and manufactured by Focal. The medium-densityfiberboard cabinet weighs 16.1 pounds; the speaker has balanced XLR andstandard RCA inputs.

The Alpha 50 tells the truthabout the sound of your recordings -- the good ones sound really good, the beststuff is astonishing. Close up, desktop listening minimizes typical roomacoustic issues/problems, so you hear a lot more direct, from-the-speakersound, and with a something as tasty as the Alpha 50 that level of quality maycome as a big shock. The speakers sellfor $349 each.