Haven't bought PC speakers in 10 years

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Valnar

Supreme [H]ardness
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I have a pair of Altec Lansing's with a subwoofer, and one of the satellite speakers just went belly up. I'm in the market to replace them with another 2.1 setup. Sound clarity and accuracy is more important than booming bass.

So, what are the good choices? What should I absolutely stay away from?
 
I use a Klipsch 2.1 Pro Media and its a good setup. You can pick them up at Best Buy for $139.99 on sale, if not its regular $154.99
 
Computer speakers != sound clarity and accuracy. But if you're playing mp3s, it doesn't matter.

The Klipsch ProMedia is a good set, but I found them a bit tinny. The sub is really good for computer speakers though.
 
Well, my Altec Lansing's were $250 at the time, so I don't mind spending for a good set. I do want a sub, yes.

GJSNeptune said:
The Klipsch ProMedia is a good set, but I found them a bit tinny. The sub is really good for computer speakers though.
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I'm not a fan of Klipsch. Err, actually I'm not a fan of horn tweeters. 'Not sure what they put in their small stuff.
 
If you haven't bought pc speakers in 10 years... no reason to start now. :)

guess the main question is budget.
 
$250?...did you own the ATP5s? Those were some interesting speakers. The satellites were fantastic although the sub sounded like someone blowing through toilet paper rolls.

I didn't personally care for the Promedia 2.1s...room mate ditched them for a pair of iFis which were significantly better, particularly the sub, which didn't sound like a boom box anymore.

As far as PC speakers, asside from the iFi most of the 2.1 sets are total ass. If you need the small form factor, decent satellites are expensive. Building a decent 2.1 set would probably involve a T-amp ($40), a pair of Mirage Nanosats ($400) and a decent sub like the Hsu STF-1 ($300)...you see where this is going. Axiom Audio also sells the Audiobytes on their website for $550. You will get more bang for the buck if you can accomodate larger speakers--and they will sound better, to boot.
 
astrallite said:
$250?...did you own the ATP5s? Those were some interesting speakers. The satellites were fantastic although the sub sounded like someone blowing through toilet paper rolls.
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I have the ACS285 set. Three inch drivers, 1 inch tweeter and a 6 inch sub. Yah, the sub was a bit small, but I don't need 20Hz. The sats were a perfect compromise between size and function though.

$550 might be a bit too much, but I agree with you that everything out there labeled as "computer speakers" seem to suck. I wanted to stay away from needing an amp, except for the active sub of course.

Edit: I just checked them out. Maybe I will get them. They have the correct specs (IMO) for a PC speaker, including 3" drivers. My Altec's didn't even go down to 100Hz on the sats.
 
Klipsch Promedia 2.0's are decent plastic if you can find them, some class-D amp is integrated.

PartsExpress Dayton T-Amp will make just about any set of unpowered speakers sound good for $30. Find some old bookshelf pair on craigslist or kijiji, peeps practically give away their old speakers, and sometimes they have good drivers.

In general, the whole audio consumer electronics world is ridiculous, especially speakers, and thats why a lot of people DIY.
 
I will be staying away from Klipsch from now on after the amount of money i spent on repairing my Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 and it is now malfunctioning again and Klipsch does not give a shit about their customers
 
I just brought home the Audio Engine A2 speakers. Holy crap, they sound bad. Boxy, subdued treble, muddy. Eeek. I can't believe the reviews of these things that say they're good.

Back they go. The search continues.
 
GJSNeptune said:
Try the A5s?
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Not if the A2's are any indication of how they will sound. It appears they sacrificed any midrange or treble in favor of an artificially enhanced bass. It's almost like they're defective, but I think it's by design because both speakers sound the same.
 
I guarantee the A5s sound amazing.

That is, if you have good equipment and play high-quality audio.
 
I bought a pair of M-Audio AV40s a while back from Guitar Center that I've been pleased with. Albeit, they are lacking the low end. I ended up using the small 8" sub from my existing 2.1 system to fill out the lower frequencies and in my opinion, it sounds pretty good. Granted, if you are looking for an out of the box 2.1 solution, this might not fit the bill. From what I've read on other forums, others have used a 10" or 12" Dayton sub with the AV40s and been pretty pleased. Depending on your price range, you can probably find the AV40s for around $100 - $120 and the Dayton sub for another $100 - $120.
 
Anyone have experience with the Swan speakers? I think I should be looking at 2.1 systems because 2.0 would make the speakers on the desktop too big. The M20W looks interesting.

If I could find a good classic Altec Lansing setup (like the ACS621) I'd be happy with that too. They don't offering anything in their current lineup that looks any good.
 
So if you had a 2.1 system, the satellites wouldn't be on your desk? But they would with a 2.0 set?

Some Swan sets are designed to have the sub positioned between the satellites, so you'd have all three on the desk.
 
GJSNeptune said:
So if you had a 2.1 system, the satellites wouldn't be on your desk? But they would with a 2.0 set?

Some Swan sets are designed to have the sub positioned between the satellites, so you'd have all three on the desk.
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That's the Swan M10. I'm not interested in that one. However, it looks like the M20W may be discontinued, or not available in the US. :(

Edit: The M50W is replacing it. It should be available in a month or so according to a US Reseller. That'll be the setup I want unless something else comes along.
 
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BERTUZZZZi said:
I will be staying away from Klipsch from now on after the amount of money i spent on repairing my Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 and it is now malfunctioning again and Klipsch does not give a shit about their customers
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You are far from correct about customer support. They redesigned (after a ton of complaints on the Klipsch forums) a defect that rendered the ProMedia system useless after a fair amount of moving them around. Since then the systems are great and the CS is way better. dont be so obvious troll
 
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Valnar said:
That's the Swan M10. I'm not interested in that one. However, it looks like the M20W may be discontinued, or not available in the US. :(

Edit: The M50W is replacing it. It should be available in a month or so according to a US Reseller. That'll be the setup I want unless something else comes along.
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I love my Swans.

I have the D1080mkII's and I couldn't be happier.
 
I bought an Altec Lansing ACS621 set off eBay. The deal was very good and it's a known quantity for me. This will hold me for awhile.

When Swan's new offerings come out later this year, I'll evaluate again.
 
I got my ACS621 set from eBay. It sounds very good. I'm happy with it, despite the cheap parts (paper drivers, which means they won't last as long, not that they can't sound good).

I also bought a pair of Creative Labs Inspire T10 2.0 speakers for my second computer. These sound really good for their size! This is the sound that I was expecting when I bought the crappy Audioengine 2 speakers. I recommend the T10's for people who just need a pair of small speakers. If the rest of their lineup is as good, they are pretty safe bets.
 
You liked the T10 better than the A2? What didn't you like about the A2? I'm just surprised as the A2 retails for four times more, and the A5 have gotten some nice reviews around here and elsewhere.
 
I have the Swan M200MKII and the Swan D1080MKII. Love both of them for what they are - decent quality active speakers that are meant for near field listening. The Swan M200MKII sound better, though not sure why since, from what I remember, I think they are both using the same drivers. I believe it might be the different cabinet structure and the better amp in the Swan M200MKII. The cabinet is sturdier and the amp is definitely stronger and supplies steadier power.

I believe there's a used pair on sale in our FS forums right now, in fact.
 
They should sound different even if the drivers are the same (it would be odd if they were) since the 200s have a slanted baffle which means you are always listening off-axis, unless you happen to be standing, and in a really awkward leaning position. You will hear as much sound that is reflective as there is direct radiating. A slanted baffle improves driver cohesion since it gives the woofer a running start but the tradeoff is the sound radiating pattern, which is more vulnerable to differences in room reflections than a direct radiating pattern. The best of both worlds would be a mixed crossover with a flat baffle but thats the more expensive option.
 
450 said:
You liked the T10 better than the A2? What didn't you like about the A2? I'm just surprised as the A2 retails for four times more, and the A5 have gotten some nice reviews around here and elsewhere.
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The A2's had an boomy bass and no treble. They sounded hollow, boxy.... just awful. The little Creative Lab speakers sounded much fuller over the whole range and the treble was much better. My ideal is my home theater setup which include some well respected kit speakers, so I compare against those.
 
Valnar said:
The A2's had an boomy bass and no treble. They sounded hollow, boxy.... just awful. The little Creative Lab speakers sounded much fuller over the whole range and the treble was much better. My ideal is my home theater setup which include some well respected kit speakers, so I compare against those.
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I'm looking for some compact speakers so I might take another look at the T10.

I'm sick of using floor speakers in my bedroom.
 
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