Need New Speakers to Go With New Sound Card!

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Absinthe7667

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Oct 10, 2008
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So I've settled on the HT Omega Striker (Too much butt-hurt with Creative) for my new sound card and now moving on to the speakers!

I'm going to be using them for music and movies; my headphones are for games.

Here are my top pics:

Logitech Z-2300 2.1 (CAD $89.99):
36-121-122-01.jpg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121122&Tpk=z-2300

Logitech Z-5500 5.1 (CAD $239.99)
36-121-120-05.jpg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120&Tpk=z-5500

Edifier S330D 2.1 (CAD $120)
27404_l.jpg

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27404&vpn=S330D&manufacture=EDIFIER


I was looking into Klipsch's PC speakers as I heard good things about the Pro Media series, but apparently they die out quite fast on average. The Logitechs may not have the best sound quality out there, but for price to performance and build quality, they're apparently great.

The Edifiers caught my attention due to several websites remarking their excellent music playback quality and note that they also have optical and analog inputs whereas the Z-2300 only has analog, however upon reading up on them in another thread in this forum, some users have confirmed that the internal build quality is poor as hell.

SOOOOO does anyone else have any personal opinions based on history of use for any of the above products or any other speakers? I'm not looking for a audiophile set up, but something that sounds nice and isn't expensive as shit balls.

5.1 is NOT a must have, although a bonus to boost the movie watching experience, however I'd be perfectly happy with a higher quality set of 2.1 speakers.

The price I have listed for the Z-5500 (CAD $239.99) is around the range of the most I'd want to spend and I'm very much open to any other suggestions for sound set ups.
 
if you could get an amp, id go with bookshelf speakers. You could always add a sub later should you need it. And of course you could piece meal it(buy a component at a time as you go) The price vs quality will be unmatched compared to what you'd spend on PC speaker setups. This is of course if you are somewhat of an audiophile and prefer better quality sound while gaming/music/movies. Your killing that solid soundcard with inferior speaker setups imho. But to each his own, simply a suggestion here. Good Luck.
 
If you can spend up to around $250, try the Audioengine A2 or A5 and add a subwoofer later. (Audioengine has a 25% off coupon: MW09)

Or the Acculaine A1 + subwoofer

Or the Swan D1080MKII + subwoofer

Or the Behringer MS40 + subwoofer

Or the M-Audio AV40 + subwoofer

Or the Swan M200MKII + subwoofer later.
 
So I can't seem to find these Swan speakers that everyone has been talking about here in Canada, however, I found the M-Audio AV30s (~$90) and AV40s (~$150) and the Audioengine A2 for $199.


Couldn't find much for commercial reviews on them with the exception of the M-Audio speakers. One thing I find weird is that for high quality speakers, they don't seem to have optical.

Alai, you mentioned adding a subwoofer on, but I guess I should have mentioned that big pounding bass isn't something that I entirely need. Most of these 2.0 set ups have a fairly strong woofer built in that would probably suffice for my mid to low volume music listening and movie watching.

Considering that I'm now more intrigued about these M-Audio speakers, I'm curious if anyone knows how they size up to the competition between these other highly recommended manufacturers like Swan, Audioengine, Behringer, etc.
 
The AV40 and MS40 are approximately the same quality and should be about the same price. The A2 will blow the previously mentioned away in clarity and liquidity during music, but I think the AV40 and MS40 are better for games and movies due to a bit more bass.

Btw, the Swans you can get from Audioinsider. You have to call them and ask to ship to Canada. For some reason, they don't include it in their online ordering drop-down menu. There was a specific person there who took care of Canadian customers, but I don't remember his name anymore. Try giving them a call.

Also, what does optical input have to do with the quality of speakers? I am fairly certain, generally speaking, the higher the quality of speakers, the less likely an optical input exists. Same way higher quality speakers start to not have integrated amps.

Absinthe7667 said:
So I can't seem to find these Swan speakers that everyone has been talking about here in Canada, however, I found the M-Audio AV30s (~$90) and AV40s (~$150) and the Audioengine A2 for $199.


Couldn't find much for commercial reviews on them with the exception of the M-Audio speakers. One thing I find weird is that for high quality speakers, they don't seem to have optical.

Alai, you mentioned adding a subwoofer on, but I guess I should have mentioned that big pounding bass isn't something that I entirely need. Most of these 2.0 set ups have a fairly strong woofer built in that would probably suffice for my mid to low volume music listening and movie watching.

Considering that I'm now more intrigued about these M-Audio speakers, I'm curious if anyone knows how they size up to the competition between these other highly recommended manufacturers like Swan, Audioengine, Behringer, etc.
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I obviously don't know a lot about speakers, but I was under the impression that optical would give you better clarity over your standard inputs.

Now for the AV30s and AV40s, is there a noticeable difference in sound quality between the two?

I'll probably end up settling on one of those two models as the extra money (and probably a bit more than I want to pay for shipping) from Swan doesn't sound too appetizing at the moment and I can get the M-Audios from local shops.
 
Absinthe7667 said:
I obviously don't know a lot about speakers, but I was under the impression that optical would give you better clarity over your standard inputs.

Now for the AV30s and AV40s, is there a noticeable difference in sound quality between the two?

I'll probably end up settling on one of those two models as the extra money (and probably a bit more than I want to pay for shipping) from Swan doesn't sound too appetizing at the moment and I can get the M-Audios from local shops.
Click to expand...

Haven't heard the AV30, but I'm guessing it's the same difference as between the MS20 and MS40, but less so. The difference is less of a bass and less capable of volume. Detail-wise... I thought they were relatively the same but the MS40 sounded less tinny. Sounded more like real monitor speakers.
 
Hmm, well, I looked around for the best prices on the M-Audio AV40s and I found them for around $140-160, but sold out and on back order everywhere that had them for a reasonable price. Considering I'm ordering my sound card soon and want everything set up ASAP just for convenience's sake, I took a look around and stumbled across the Audioengine A2 for $199 and they're in stock.

Now I'm not an audiophile, but as a guy who appreciates crisp, clear and quality sounding audio output in music, movies and games, is the $50 really worth it? Keep in mind that I am on a budget and spending another $100 that HT Omega Striker. My original plan of probably going with the Logitech Z2300 or Edifier 2.1 set + the sound card would have left me with $100 more in the pocket! But if the quality of sound and build is better than the M-Audio AV40, then I'll feel better about unloading the money.
 
Yes yes yes!!!

The A2 absolutely rocks! A tad lacking in bass, but crisp, clear, and high audio fidelity for entry level audiophile gear. You will want to add a subwoofer down the line, but the A2 are amazing.

Absinthe7667 said:
Hmm, well, I looked around for the best prices on the M-Audio AV40s and I found them for around $140-160, but sold out and on back order everywhere that had them for a reasonable price. Considering I'm ordering my sound card soon and want everything set up ASAP just for convenience's sake, I took a look around and stumbled across the Audioengine A2 for $199 and they're in stock.

Now I'm not an audiophile, but as a guy who appreciates crisp, clear and quality sounding audio output in music, movies and games, is the $50 really worth it? Keep in mind that I am on a budget and spending another $100 that HT Omega Striker. My original plan of probably going with the Logitech Z2300 or Edifier 2.1 set + the sound card would have left me with $100 more in the pocket! But if the quality of sound and build is better than the M-Audio AV40, then I'll feel better about unloading the money.
Click to expand...
 
I took a second look at the A2s and it would seem that their volume control is in the back! WHY?! WHY IS IT IN THE BACK?! Seems like I'm going to have to avoid these after all. From where I'm sitting and where I'd want to put them, I'd have to either push my monitor and the speakers to the side to change the volume or stand up and awkwardly position myself hunched over everything to get to it.

Well then... Looks like I'm waiting on stock for the AV40s unless you know a way to install a volume control to them or know of another good set I could find in Canada at the moment!
 
Hahaha. I forgot about that. Such a lame design decision. If I think of anything else, I will let you know. As of now I am fresh out of ideas.
 
Absinthe7667 said:
I obviously don't know a lot about speakers, but I was under the impression that optical would give you better clarity over your standard inputs.

Now for the AV30s and AV40s, is there a noticeable difference in sound quality between the two?

I'll probably end up settling on one of those two models as the extra money (and probably a bit more than I want to pay for shipping) from Swan doesn't sound too appetizing at the moment and I can get the M-Audios from local shops.
Click to expand...

The optical is only useful if you have a crappy soundcard / onboard sound with bad DACs, not sure on the quality of the DACs built into the monitors, but a decent sound card isn't bad either, a receiver probably has better DACs though.
 
Agreed. You cant really assume anything in this case.
Its best to try both ways and see which DACs you like best.
To give you an idea, I just tried a Xonar D2 (using analog of course) vs my P5K-E mobo's integrated and it was a revelation of detail.
Its a shame the xonar only uses the higher end DACs for Left and Right. I would have been happy with the main 3 channels at least.
There are many factors that play big role when trying to find differences between sources.
Are your speakers and electronics revealing enough?
How good are your ears at picking up the differences?
What kind of room acoustics do you have?
That last one is HUGE...some people claim more than 50% of what you hear is your room thus "fixing" room acoustics in many instances make a bigger difference in sound quality than getting a more expensive amp or pre amp for example.
Just a though.... :)
 
mr007 said:
i love my Logitech Z-5500
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:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:( This statement always makes me cringe!!!!

Just spend a little extra and get the AudioEngine A5. Trust me you won't regret it. Then when you get the time, go buy a decent sub from The Speaker Company.

Check out: www.thespeakercompany.com I currently own their ASW-10 sub for my office and it is an amazing sub for the price. Easily out performs my old Promedia sub and is on par with most of the subs that cost around $300-400. Good luck.
 
Absinthe7667 said:
I took a second look at the A2s and it would seem that their volume control is in the back! WHY?! WHY IS IT IN THE BACK?! Seems like I'm going to have to avoid these after all. From where I'm sitting and where I'd want to put them, I'd have to either push my monitor and the speakers to the side to change the volume or stand up and awkwardly position myself hunched over everything to get to it.

Well then... Looks like I'm waiting on stock for the AV40s unless you know a way to install a volume control to them or know of another good set I could find in Canada at the moment!
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Last time I checked most keyboards have volume control built in???

Besides once you have set the levels on the AudioEngine's you should keep it where it is. Then you just change the volume through your computer. If you need a little extra volume, then set the level on the speakers higher, but in practice people shouldn't try to adjust the sound through the speakers. They should adjust the sound through their computers.
 
@Runnin: True, I've never really used my keyboard for volume controls. (I usually don't bother buying keyboards with media keys as I like standard sized keyboards, although this one does have a volume control) I've been spoiled with Creative's one good feature of having a little separate volume control for easy use.

Well, as an update, something interesting happened this evening. I mentioned to my father that I was looking into some nice speakers for my computer to see if he knew any local places that would carry nice computer speakers as he's pretty much an audiophile with his stereo music set up. Turns out he has an old pair of Acoustic Research AR7 speakers from the 70s and he suggested that I try out some of his old stereo receivers he had lying around. The first Akai one had some bad input ports, but this Yamaha receiver routes the sound quite clearly and the sound output is hugely better than my old Creative set up. Although it is much clearer, my father and I agreed that it sounds a little a muffled in regards to clarity. Still much more clear than my old stuff, but not as clear as you know it could sound.

We just set these up for fun as the AR7s are a little bit larger than what I was looking at for desktop speakers as they're about 15" (H) / 10" (W) / 6.5" (D), but I'm thinking that considering they're sounding this much better with the Realtek on-board sound and I know that my old Audigy 2 sounded notably better than it, then once I get my HT omega card, I'm expecting the sound quality to whip up to some level of awesome.

So considering that these are very nice speakers and technically worth much more than I was going to spend anyways, replacing something like the receiver with a newer one (AKA, not so much with the broken knobs and fidgety inputs) then it would be a better investment, aye?

I don't know if that made much sense, as I've had quite a bit to drink, but I'm warming up to the idea of having this receiver here for physical controls.
 
I have headphones, yes. Razer Piranha stereo headset and yeah, I know, I was broke at the time and these were the best bang for my buck at the time, but considering I only really use them for gaming, they get the job done. So what's the importance of these headphones?

If you're inferring that I should plug them into the receiver to test the quality output in it, then unfortunately I can't as it doesn't have a slot for them! Again, this receiver is old as all hell too.
 
Ah. Actually, that's what I was thinking and I was going to tell you about headphone amps and stuff. But that's all good if you using Razer just for games.
 
Yeah, some friends were telling me about headphone amps and their benefits, but I can live without it. My non-Vista-compatible Audigy made gaming sound good enough with this headset, although terrible with my Realtek on-board. Once I get the HT Omega, I'd assume it'd go back to being just as good and therefore I'd be all right for time being.

So I'll probably let this thread die for the next week or so until I get the sound card, but just so I can compare parts in the worst-case-scenario event of it being the old ghetto Yamaha receiver I have that's muffling the sound output; are there any receivers you would recommend?

Man, I'm going to be pissed if it's the speakers!
 
Just a quick anecdote on your HT Omega anticipation:

I purchased the Swans D1080MKII speakers (2.0) because i was in an apartment and didn't want to bother the neighbors with subwoofer thunder. I was getting a "popping noise" from these Swans (did not have any popping noise before from my crappy speakers). I assumed the high quality speakers must be ok, and figured the problem must be due to running onboard motherboard audio and having to compete for cpu cycles.

So I did a lot of research and everyone basically surmised that even high end Creative Audio cards suck these days and I went back and forth over an Auzen or HT card, and ended up getting the HT Omega Claro Plus (with the upgraded front channel amp).

Threw the new card in, drivers, etc... and damn, was the difference incredible. But I was still getting the popping noise. I was kinda afraid that the problem might be the Swans or some other interference.

Chasing down possibilities, I wondered about the CPU or RAM or PSU. The quickest and cheapest solution was adding additional RAM to the computer. Lo and behold, that was the issue... not enough RAM to handle quality audio processing.

To make a long story short, the high quality Swans and the HT Omega card were so good... they were signaling to me that there were problems elsewhere on the machine. Hehehe. So enjoy your HT Omega card!!!
 
A vote for the Swam M200MKII's. A very full sound and a surprising amount of punch in the low end. Of course I eventually mated them with a 10" Dayton subwoofer and now they are perfect.

I have a thing against pretty much all internal soundcards so I went with an external Fubar II DAC and wow, what a difference that made. The slightly more expensive Devilsound DAC is also a good choice.
 
criccio said:
A vote for the Swam M200MKII's. A very full sound and a surprising amount of punch in the low end. Of course I eventually mated them with a 10" Dayton subwoofer and now they are perfect.

I have a thing against pretty much all internal soundcards so I went with an external Fubar II DAC and wow, what a difference that made. The slightly more expensive Devilsound DAC is also a good choice.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a very nice setup.
 
For music and movies, I just saw this post on Slickdeals that looked really nice:

http://www.slickdeals.net/permadeal...pany-ACHT-200-5-1-Home-Theater-Speaker-Set-75

http://www.thespeakercompany.com/ACHT-200-51-Home-Theater-Speakers-P43C7.aspx

The Speaker Company has the ACHT-200 5.1 Home Theater Speaker Set for $196.48 - $121.49 (with code ACHT7499) = $74.99 with free shipping.

The deal no longer works because that set is sold out. HOWEVER, it could come back once they get more in stock. It might be worth waiting to see if that's the case (or call and ask).
 
All righty, so here's the deal:

The Acoustic Research AR7s that I got from my dad have a blown tweeter and the Yamaha receiver has some cutting out issues.

To be honest, I know the AR7s are great speakers and the one that works sounds great even with my shitty on-board sound, but I don't want to have to deal with issues from these over the years and really, their beaten up gross tan colour isn't for me! These are generally what they look like except the wooden cabinet on mine is a bit more scratched up:

BIG_Acoustic%20Research%20AR-7.jpg


Note that they are also huuuuuuuge.

So, I think I'll be going with new speakers after all.

Now for the original question with updated contestants! Which speakers?:

Audioengine A2 (~$199 before shipping/tax)

Swan D1080 MKII ($160 before shipping/tax/customs -- Can't find them in Canada, but Audio Insider said they'd ship it to me for charges out the ass. I estimate that everything adds up to around $250 after shipping and customs)

M-Audio AV40 (~$150 before shipping/tax)


If the Swan speakers are noticeably better than the rest, then for sure I'd put up with the shit that I'll probably get from customs and the shipping time as well as the overall cost. But if it isn't so much noticeable, then I'd prefer either the A2s or AV40s unless there's another speaker set I'm forgetting about!
 
Alai said:
If you can spend up to around $250, try the Audioengine A2 or A5 and add a subwoofer later. (Audioengine has a 25% off coupon: MW09)

Or the Acculaine A1 + subwoofer

Or the Swan D1080MKII + subwoofer

Or the Behringer MS40 + subwoofer

Or the M-Audio AV40 + subwoofer

Or the Swan M200MKII + subwoofer later.
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How would The Speaker Company's stuff compare to the speakers listed here? The prices are so much less and I've heard good things about TSC.
 
njp142 said:
How would The Speaker Company's stuff compare to the speakers listed here? The prices are so much less and I've heard good things about TSC.
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They are pretty decent too. But I wouldn't know what specific speakers to get.
 
Alai said:
A2.
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Hmph, to be honest, I would have thought that you would suggest the Swans, as I can see in your signature that you're a Swan owner yourself!

Any particular reason you're recommending the A2s over the 1080s and AV40s; just quality of the specific makes?

Just want to be sure I'm going for the best quality for my buck!
 
Absinthe7667 said:
Hmph, to be honest, I would have thought that you would suggest the Swans, as I can see in your signature that you're a Swan owner yourself!

Any particular reason you're recommending the A2s over the 1080s and AV40s; just quality of the specific makes?

Just want to be sure I'm going for the best quality for my buck!
Click to expand...

Well, the D1080MKII are excellent at $135 shipped which is what I got them for. I can see your shipping is a bit harsher so I thought it would be better to go with something of better bang for the buck. I dunno, how much is the A2 shipped? It's easier to know what to recommend when I get the final price.
 
Final shipping prices:

A2s = $244 (Will take two to three days)
AV40s = $178 (Will take about a week)
D1080s = ~$240 (Will take 2 - 3 weeks)

It's hard to say how much customs will charge exactly. The fellas at Audio Insider said that it's best to assume around 25% of the amount paid will be added.

It'd be nice if I could find Swan stuff from a Canadian retailer!

So as you can see, the A2s are appealing for convenience, the AV40s are appealing for price and the D1080s, well, it's hard to say where they fall.
 
Lol. The D1080MKII are nice (got them for my mom), but the A2 should be better bang for the buck since your shipping and customs fees won't be so exorbitant.
 
And the AV40s just don't compare, huh? Damn, would have been nice to save that $60 difference between those and the A2s!

Thanks for all the help!
 
Lol. Well, they are both nice speakers. You COULD get the AV40 and be quite satisfied. However, the A2 will be MORE satisfying, particularly if you are mostly listening for music and/or will get or already have a sub.
 
Absinthe7667 said:
So for future reference, what would be a good subwoofer that complements the A2s?
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I hear their sub complements their speakers nicely. Lol. They are a bit pricey, though.

I am fairly sure any good sub will do fine. Check out the Energy ESW 8" that was recommended by spaceman and sold on Audio Advisor (cheap but good) or the Dayton HT series (relatively cheap but good) from Parts Express or the PSB subs (little pricier but even better, not sure where is best to buy from).
 
didn't wanna make a new topic, but i'm piecing together something for my dad since his logicrap stuff blew out..how does this sound

Onkyo SR506
Acculaine A1(anyone recommend some stands?)
dayton 12
 
eggyhustles said:
didn't wanna make a new topic, but i'm piecing together something for my dad since his logicrap stuff blew out..how does this sound

Onkyo SR506
Acculaine A1(anyone recommend some stands?)
dayton 12
Click to expand...

Pretty awesome. Never bought stands before, so not sure.
 
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