Advice on powered 2.0 speaker setup (kitchen)

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darkdub

Weaksauce
Joined
Mar 22, 2011
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I'm looking to build a simple entertainment / computing environment in our kitchen. The plan is to use one of our older laptops, mounted to the underside of a cabinet on a lazy-susan with a cable guide. From there, we're going to use a wireless keyboard / mouse (speaking of which, are there any decent wireless keyboards with the little "eraser" mouse?) and a set of powered speakers.

There is literally no room for a sub, and I don't want to go too crazy. If I stick to a budget of about $200, what can I get? I'd like to find something that doesn't sound too tinny in the highs, can produce decent lows, and images fairly accurately. I looked at some monitors, but even the smaller KRK's seem to be going for $200 - $250 each.

Any ideas / recommendations?
 
I'd say go to PartsExpress.com...pick up a little 15-25 watt per channel amplifier and some decent book-shelf speakers from whomever you prefer.

Link to amplifiers

And again just whatever speakers fit your budget...real crappy speakers seem to be falling by the wayside so even some cheap Sonys or Yamahas from BestBuy should do a pretty decent job. But of course speakers are totally a personal thing, so I'm not really one to give advice in this area, just go try some until you find a pair you like.

Hope this helps some and good luck on the project!
 
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Thanks for the input! I'll be checking out those tiny amps, too. I'll post pics when it's all said and done.
 
For this application I think in-wall or in-ceiling speakers are the way to go.
 
450 said:
For this application I think in-wall or in-ceiling speakers are the way to go.
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Probably so... but by the time I do something like that, I'l have blown a significant portion of my relatively small budget on materials alone. For now, ugly wall-mounts are the way to go.
 
I have KRK rokit g2 8's and love them. I'd check into the krk5's or maudio bx5a. They are going to be very clear, very loud, and offer a nice range of sound in your budget
 
LeninGHOLA said:
They do sound really good, but they cannot replace the need for a decent sub.
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OP isn't going to use a sub, so it works out well. Audioengine has a 30 day in home trial. Get them, and if they aren't what you're looking for, return them. It's that easy.
 
These AudioEnergy A2's dont look good to me at all ..... 65Hz-22kHz for 200$ is not very good sorry to say
 
dj LiTh said:
These AudioEnergy A2's dont look good to me at all ..... 65Hz-22kHz for 200$ is not very good sorry to say
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Never heard of AudioEnergy? I'm guessing you're speaking of the Audioengine :p
Yeah the A2's response on paper doesn't look impressive. Though from what I heard in person I really was wondering where the sub was at in the store. They go down lower then what their specs say they do. They look so small, yet sound sooooo big! I would guess with some room gain they will go down to ~50Hz pretty easy.

Found a response graph of the A2's if anyone is interested here:
http://www.thinkdigit.com/Audio-Devices/Digit-April-2010-Speaker-comparison-test_4318.html
 
I like the audioengine A2's look nice, and I've seen other comments about them in the past, but having the volume control on the back might present a frustration in the future.

Hadn't heard about the Samsons before, but they look pretty sweet for what I want. Too bad the local wallyworld's don't carry 'em.
 
dj LiTh said:
These AudioEnergy A2's dont look good to me at all ..... 65Hz-22kHz for 200$ is not very good sorry to say
Click to expand...

The Audioengine A2s are a great small form factor speakers. They have received extremely positive reviews. Look it up.

You have to understand the limitations of a 2.75" driver. You're not going to get chest thumping bass at reference levels. I would not hesitate to buy the Audioengines.

If you can afford $29 more, upgrade to the Audioengine A5. These will make you happy :D

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1321472051&/Audioengine-5-black;-lowered-p

Another option are a pair of Swan speakers. You'll get a lot of bang for the buck from multiple speakers they sell. I've heard the Swan D1010MkII08 and the D1080MkII08. Both good for the money. Maybe you could fit the Swan M10s under there?

http://show.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/st.pl?spkrmoni&1269019701&item&Audioinsider&4&5&6&http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/srch_fs.plQQANYAAKEYWAApurlsrchAAEXYAAst26AAAAswan

For some reason it only links to the Swan H2. Not those. Go to Swan Active Desktop Sound to see the other speakers.
 
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