A step up from the Edifier powered speakers are Fluance Ai40 $169 on sale.
If going with a mini amp:
A good deal is closeout 6.5" DCM MTX Audio TP160S-B $249 $109. Review by u/DieselWang, Video Review and DCM TP160S vs the SVS Ultra Bookshelf.
Or compact 4" Micca RB42 $149 have a great low end. Or the lower cost original 4" Micca MB42X $79.
5.25" Boston A25 $149 bogo.
DIY Kit: 5" C-Note $100. Add around $50 for supplies then budget for tools if you don't have any. Compare to built speakers costing over twice as much. Glue, clamp, solder, paint, assemble.
Single Box Dayton Audio MKBoom Portable Bluetooth Speaker Kit $129.
Thank you for the rec!
Do you think these would work better than the Micca MB42X?
Yeah it's crazy the little details we think are super important when getting into a hobby that seem to be pretty unimportant later on. I had a Lamy Safari as my first pen, but going into it I thought that the snap cap would be a huge issue. I thought it would be super loud or annoying to put on and off or something like that. Turns out it's not even a problem now that I've got the pen lol.
That pentel looks awesome! I really like the simple and classy look of it. That's a big reason I like the Lamy 2000. It looks like a black pen at first, but is much cooler once you really look at it.
Honestly with speakers, cheap stuff is a lot more fun that expensive stuff to me. I've got a pair of Quad Z-3 towers. Yeah, of course they sound good. If they cost that much and don't, there's a big problem. The thing I like about cheaper speakers is how they all have a very fun character. Once you're spending a lot of money, every speaker out there just tries to sound exactly the same. Cheaper speakers do different stuff though. There are some speakers that focus on midrange, so vocals sound really sweet and warm. There are some that focus on the top end, so you get every little detail up top. There are some that focus on dynamics, so you get that "front row of a concert" sorta feel. I like experimenting with all that stuff. It's just fun. And you don't have to spend a ton of money and get those KEFs to really get into it.
Just for fun, I'll build a cheap setup for you, so you'll know what to get in the future if you ever feel inclined haha.
The Micca MB42X are really the "go-to" starter speaker. They're one of the cheapest that sound decent. And, honestly, they sound really good.
SMSL SA50 to power them. That's on sale for the same price as the SA36 right now. They're the same thing, just this has more power. You don't need it, but you might as well have it haha.
Some speaker cable. You need to cut it and strip it to put it into the speakers. There are quite a few tutorials out there on it. It's pretty easy.
Boom, just like that you've got a sweet stereo speaker setup that will blow any single speaker out of the water, and easily impress anyone! It comes to around $150 with everything.
I'm not trying to talk you into anything, but I'm basically pointing out that you don't have to spend thousands of dollars to get a respectable system.
While we're on this, another thing I like about hobbies is that anyone can be in it at any price range, and that's super cool to me. If someone only has money for a $15 Pilot fountain pen, who cares? That's awesome that they like fountain pens! They don't need to have a $200 fountain pen to be cool. Just anything is sweet. Same with speakers. You don't need a multi thousand dollar system to be "into audio" or whatever you'd call it. If you've got a setup that you like, at whatever price, that's sweet! I'm glad we both enjoy music.
The DV-32's are good speakers for the price ($50) and size. They are very good surround speakers but they do need help if you're using them as mains. They don't go very low and will sound very thin without a sub to handle the bottom end. The tweeter is clear without being too strong and the mids I found to be fairly clear.
They will start to sound crappy if you push them too hard or ask them to produce too much bass. The lack of a port really makes them quit around 100hz so you'll need to watch the low end. These are not a full range or stand alone speaker. If you can't add in a sub I would pass on them. If you don't mind a sub pick up a Dayton Sub-800 $100 and you'll be very happy with the combo. Be sure to set the xover on the sub if you're not using an AVR to power your speakers.
If you're looking for stand alone speakers without a sub I would look at the DefTech 800's (look for refurbs on Ebay or used) as they are quite good in the near field. Micca MB42X wouldn't be a bad choice either but they are a bit larger.
If you're looking for about the best speaker without a sub and don't mind getting your hands dirty I would look at a set of Overnight Sensations for $120. They are on sale and if you can do some basic assembly you'll be rewarded with an amazing little speaker that doesn't need a sub unless you're a big bass fan.
Hope this helps and feel free to ask me questions. I've heard quite a few small speakers in my time as I'm a big fan of them.
Whatever you do go with discrete audio components. You could go with a Home Theater in a Box set like this Yamaha YHT-5950U. Or start with a 3.1 setup and add rear speakers later as budget allows.
Later add rear speakers as budget allows. A second set of NEUMI BS5 or a set of Micca MB42X would round out the setup nicely. If you get the Denon S760H you could also add a small set of front Atmos height speakers like the Micca COVO-S for a 5.1.2 setup.