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But the point I was trying to make is that with a 2.1 system either the low frequency unit handles some of the mid range, in which case that's mono, or it only handles the very low frequencies which leaves the tweeter having to deal with everything else.



The two speakers are not just tweeters, they are designed to be capable of handling the frequency range necessary for full 20Hz-20KHz sound reproduction. That would be inclusive of what we term Low-Mids on up. Not a problem.

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I guess this begs a rather more basic question, ie with a conventional two unit cabinet ie woofer and tweeter, what is actually doing what? I realise the crossovers distribute the frequencies to the appropriate unit, but I wonder if whether there is any blending, of if the units handle only above or below the crossover frequency? You'd think it would sound unnatural if it was completely separated at the xover frequency - no?



No. Actually, with use of electronic active crossovers, with separated amplifiers, it is possible to knife edge the regions with virtually no overlap in frequencies - and it can sound very good indeed.

However, when using passive crossover circuits, which share the same power amp, there is likely to be a certain amount of overlap anyway, not much, and a good designer will incorporate a 6dB per octave rolloff into the filtering, which has a very musical quality to it. Again, not a concern here at all.

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From an intuitive standpoint tweeters look pretty tiny - can they really dish ut the mid-range? Way back in the old days, I seem to remember having a mid-range speaker in there too.



Again, those are not tweeters. Some designs use two drivers, a midrange speaker along with a tiny tweeter, other designs use a single drive that has the capability of covering the entire needed frequency range. Neither is by itself superior to the other, if designed properly, matter of fact, the single driver designs are typically a bit BETTER sounding than the older multiple driver designs. Less overlap, but more importantly, the single driver design totally eliminates crossover distortion and phasing problems.

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1. I don't like playing with 'phones - probably natural if you're used to a studio, and I may have to if recording tracks - but for general playing its not my favourite.



Well, I've got years of studio experience under the belt at this point and I, too, prefer the use of speakers over headphones. For one thing, the headphones give me a false spatial recreation that is bothersome. Cellos appearing to be coming out of my collarbone, stuff like that. *grin*

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2. I need to get a new sound system anyhow thats compact to plug my PC/laptop into - ideally a one box system ie active speaker suits me best. Do they really only make these as near field versions?



With my laptop out on the road, I use a set of Altec Lansing BX1220 speakers. Two little cylinders, powered from the USB port of the laptop, these little things can move a surprising amount of air and sound very good indeed. Not nearfield monitors, but a powerful enough design that I can easily play my Trumpet along with BiaB if needed and I can hear the music well.

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3. I take the point about directioanlity and head height. However in practice my speakers are raised to avoid reflections off the desk. So they are about 30 cms above my head when at the desk, and 30 cms below when I stand to play sax. If I cant get a non-nearfield monitor, I'm inclined to get a nearfield version, and mount the speakers on pivoted brackets so I can adjust the angles to suit - sound OK?



If you are not recording and mixing, the use of nearfields is not necessary. In the case of practice with an instrument like the Tenor Sax, which can develop up to about 7W of its own audio power, I'd be more concerned with siply moving air in the room than with the things that make nearfield monitors special. On top of that, I would be concerned with the use of nearfields and higher SPL's (Sound Pressure Levels) to a certain extent. Most could likely handle the task, most would cost a lot more money than what you stated the real use of these speakers would be. The Altec Lansings mentioned above cost less than $20US and are an outstanding value, don't let the price fool you. They are not nearfields. But they could be used as such in a pinch. I have.

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4. Alternatively get a 2.1 system, but I guess I'm a bit picky about losing sound quality.

Any more thoughts?

Cheers, Tommo



This is really a situation where the Law of Diminishing Returns kicks in quite quickly.

The best thing to do is AUDITION speakers with the music content that you intend to play through them. You could take your laptop and a suitable connector along with you to do such. I've already done the search for the portable laptop speaker and narrowed it down to the BX1220's and love 'em as portable USB powered speakers that can do the task well and still be portable.

There are plenty of good offerings to be found today, don't limit yourself to just nearfields for recording purposes here, since your stated job is not to do mixes but to have good sound to play along with at home.


--Mac

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