PC Speakers

[trax1]

I need to buy new PC speakers, the ones I have have been messing up lately, so I'm not looking to get really expensive speakers, just something small, like around $30-40.  Can anyone suggest a good set of speakers in this price range?

[1701E]

The Logitech S210 (2.1) or S200 (2.0), 35$ and 30$ respectively are good ones.  I used the S210 and had no trouble, good sound, easy to set-up, durable.

[GenMata]

Altec sound fairly good too.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=50001063%2040000060&Manufactory=1063&SubCategory=60&SpeTabStoreType=0

User reviews here give you good idea of what you're getting.

If you want better 2.1 The logictech Z2300 will really blast your world.
I paid $115. These sound awesome. 200 Watts. 400 peak. Clear sounds, great seperation and a huge woofer with inline control a handy bonus. Best speakers for the money. THX certified.

I just wish one of my sound cards worked correctly on AH.
realtec 7.1 = nope
Diamond dxDDL = Nope
older Montego Bay digital = Nope

I'm beginning to think AH has sound issues.

[Masherbrum]

Altec sound fairly good too.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=50001063%2040000060&Manufactory=1063&SubCategory=60&SpeTabStoreType=0

User reviews here give you good idea of what you're getting.

If you want better 2.1 The logictech Z2300 will really blast your world.
I paid $115. These sound awesome. 200 Watts. 400 peak. Clear sounds, great seperation and a huge woofer with inline control a handy bonus. Best speakers for the money. THX certified.

I just wish one of my sound cards worked correctly on AH.
realtec 7.1 = nope
Diamond dxDDL = Nope
older Montego Bay digital = Nope

I'm beginning to think AH has sound issues.

Use a SoundBlaster and ditch the others.   "Measure twice, cut once."

[TilDeath]

THis nis what I use for my speakers and they ROCK DEEP DEEP base if wanted room rich Mids and great but not toney highs http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836113017  This is 20 over your budget but I feel well worth it.  I bought these when they were 199.99 about 3 or 4 years ago. 

[Fulmar]

I hate tiny satelitte speakers.  Klipsch, Logitech, and Altec Lansing all make good speakers.  I've had my Altec Lansing 641's for probably 7-8 years now IIRC.  About $150 at the time.  The subwoofer features 2 x 6.5" drivers, which is more bass than I've ever thought about needing.  I've only had the volume maxed once, and it was deafening, period.  The remote on the unit kind of sucks, but I've enjoyed these speakers for years.

[BaldEagl]

I'm using Klipch's now but they are well out of your price range.  I've also got a set of older Altec's (10 years old) that still sound good (but were also over your price range when I got them) and just recently got a set of USB powered Logitecs for my laptop (and are also slightly over your price range) but, unless your looking for something portable, I wouldn't recommend them for normal use (but they are great for a laptop).

Stick with a name brand; Altec, Bose, JBL, Klipsch, and you probobly wont be dissapointed but get at least 2.1's.

[trax1]

I think I might go with these, there about $10 over my budget, but they have free shipping which saves $10.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836113021

Edit: Actually just found them on Amazon.com for $44.95 with free shipping.

[BaldEagl]

Those should work.  Enough power, name brand and decent frequency response.  I wish neweg would list the THD on a consistant basis. 

IIRC my Altecs are 35W, Klisch are 75-80W and the Logitecs are 2W (what do you expect out of a USB port).

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Those should work.  Enough power, name brand and decent frequency response.  I wish neweg would list the THD on a consistant basis. 

IIRC my Altecs are 35W, Klisch are 75-80W and the Logitecs are 2W (what do you expect out of a USB port).

When comparing speakers or AV sets people should remember these rules of thumb:

Higher wattage does not equal better sound - a system with 20W power output can sound infinitely better than one with 1000W

Advertised wattage on _any_ integrated system is 99.99% certain false. An advertised 100-1000W system typically has 12-20W RMS. Often the devices own specs give it away i.e. promises 2x1000W but tech specs on the back of the device say 0.5A fuse and power consumption 80W. Expect to pay a minimum of 1,5 dollars per true amplifier watt of power. This rule does not apply with pro amps like t.amp though.

Speaker size does matter - a small box has audio-physical restrictions limiting the output.

Stay away from integrated 'soap box' solutions like Logitech if you want good sound. Far better example is to get 4xBehringer 2030A active speakers + a subwoofer and hook them up to the computer. Studio level sound at ridiculously low price: http://www.thomann.de/fi/behringer_b2030a_truth_aktivmonitor.htm

[trax1]

Not sure since the price is in Euros, but isn't that something like $350 American?  If so I really don't consider that a ridiculously low price.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Not sure since the price is in Euros, but isn't that something like $350 American?  If so I really don't consider that a ridiculously low price.

For a high quality active speaker that is a ridiculously low price. Those multimedia jokes you can find at walmart do not play in the same league.

I meant this as a general advice, not a direct recommendation to this guy as it obviously exceeds his price point by tenfold. It was meant to be general info for people who are looking for sound systems and are at 'how many watts' level of thinking.

[BaldEagl]

I meant this as a general advice, not a direct recommendation to this guy as it obviously exceeds his price point by tenfold. It was meant to be general info for people who are looking for sound systems and are at 'how many watts' level of thinking.

I knew all of that and more.  Not sure why I included that specific info.  In fact I thought about it afterward but didn't log back in to delete it.

Regardless, at his price point he'll probably be happy with what he selected.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Any experienced sound system shopper also knows that specs never tell basically anything about the end product.

This is because when talking about speakers, the direct output of the speaker is not the defining factor in overall quality. You can have a speaker with absolutely flat frequency response that will sound crap in your room. A typical speaker radiates sound omnidirectionally at bass frequencies and very directionally at the highest frequencies. This in practise creates big problems unless the designer compensated for it. Either he has to control the directivity by increasing it (horns around tweeter, dipole, large mid/bass speakers etc.) or he has to compromise the flat frequency response in order to get as flat as possible power response (overall sound level in room).

Since these measurements are readable by expert eyes only, in practise the only way to find out a true good sounding system is to carry several sets to your _own_ listening position and try them out.

Because of the way the room interacts with the speaker even listening to a set at your friends does not guarantee that it will sound good at your home. Unfortunately.

[BaldEagl]

I also knew that.  I have 3 sets of Infinities in three sizes/configurations that I bought specifically for the first house I owned.  Of course, I put the biggest set in the living room, the smallest set in the dining room and the middle set in the basement rec room.

I was noticing one day that the living room set seemed base heavy and there wasn't much I could do to tweak it out, so I brought them down to the rec room (much bigger than the living room) and brought the other set upstairs.  Both sets sounded 150% better.

Matching your speaker to your room dimension/environment is incredibly important in a high fidelity stereo system.

I would hardly consider any PC speaker system high fidelity so talking audiophile in relation to a PC speaker set for under $50 is just silly.

If you want audiophile quality out of your PC then you'll need to record in lossless and do what I do... transmit the signal wirelessly to my stereo (or wire it).  The wireless broadcaster/transmitter is under $50.  The stereo isn't.  No, I repeat NO PC speaker system will touch it.