Looking for 2.0 powered speakers under $200

anthrex

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jul 7, 2004
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I am looking for a decent 2.0 system with a reasonable compact size (looking at a depth of under 8"). I used to have M-Audio AV40s but they were stolen. I was looking at maybe the Swan D1010 IV. I'm up for other suggestions of course. Also wondering if they would are worth the $50+ leap in price. I will be mainly using them for music, movies and hopefully if I can get enough for a decent rig, gaming.Thanks for the help!
 
A little outside your price range, however I'd consider saving up for the Swan M50w.
 
The Klipsch 2.1 sounds great for the price. They sound just as good as their HT stuff.
 
i love my Gigaworks T20 II.... they sound as good as the promedia 2.0 without the volume IMHO
 
Thanks for the replies. I wish I could go 2.1 but my space makes it difficult to accommodate the m10 or m50s or Promedia 2.1s. Also looking at reviews of the Gigaworks T40 or T20 it would be a significant step down from the AV40s. I thought about the Audioengine A2s but from what I can tell from the few people who have heard them and the D1010s, the D1010s are better sounding. The only thing keeping me from immediately going the D1010 is that they are very wide compared to my old AV40s.
 
They definitely are on my short list. I wish they had a volume nob that was easier to access and were cheaper since they will be kind of inbetween the AV40s and the D1010s in terms of audio quality. I'll probably eventually get something like a Fiio E10 (or whatever else is decently sized and has good performance) as a DAC with a volume nob to satisfy that, but it'd be a while since I'd rather spend money on the rest of my rig first. So many trade offs make it tough to decide!
 
The M200 are great but they've gone up in price haven't they? Even the older MKII are up around $280 when I remember them being around $200 at one point. They're probably still worth the price, just out of the op's budget (along with other similar sets like the M-Audio BX5)

Samson MediaOne 3a or 4a are a good alternatives to the AV40 imo (been hearing about persistent QC issues with the AV40). I've got a discounted variant of them (that came with a dock) and I've been pretty happy, got some Audioengine rubber stands to angle them when my Eyefinity setup took over my desk's top shelf (had to move them down, so I angled them up). They've got a volume knob on the front too along with a second input.

The A2 are nice if you really want something more compact, but if space isn't a big deal I don't think they're any better than larger/cheaper pairs like the AV40 or others mentioned.
 
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Thanks for all the input guys! I wish I could have gone with your guys suggestion, especially the MKII, but since it was more of a restriction by space than saving my pennies I went with the Swan D1010 IV because of its slightly smaller footprint (relatively) and decent specs. Also the final straw was the B-stocks came back in and knocked off over $40 making them only $15 more expensive than the AV40 and cheaper and better than the Samson Mediaone 4a. I can't wait I get them tomorrow!
 
Thanks for all the input guys! I wish I could have gone with your guys suggestion, especially the MKII, but since it was more of a restriction by space than saving my pennies I went with the Swan D1010 IV because of its slightly smaller footprint (relatively) and decent specs. Also the final straw was the B-stocks came back in and knocked off over $40 making them only $15 more expensive than the AV40 and cheaper and better than the Samson Mediaone 4a. I can't wait I get them tomorrow!

And you didn't go wrong with them, Great speakers they are.
 
Thanks! I was wondering if anyone could suggest me a good compact DAC or some other solution for making my sound come to life. I was thinking of the Fiio E10. Trying to stay under $100 if possible.
 
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I was mistaken I thought my D1010s were coming in today but I got to wait a few days :(
As for the D3 that sounds kind of amazing! I just want to be sure that it will help the audio quality from my laptop. (Sorry don't know too much about this stuff) If it does what I think it does (acting similar to my old X-Fi forte in terms of making everything sound better) there doesn't seem to be anything else that will compete with it at that price. I'll wait a tiny bit before I bite though just in case anyone else has suggestions :)

Looking at it again I don't know if the D3 is right for my laptop (Asus Ul30a) maybe I should look into the D5 or still into the E10 still.
 
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Aww your laptop doesnt have a optical or coax out so the D3 wont work. The E10 is great if you need a headphone amp.
 
Aww your laptop doesnt have a optical or coax out so the D3 wont work. The E10 is great if you need a headphone amp.

Yea I don't need a headphone amp as I will never use head phones with any of my computers (besides earbuds) so would the D5 be ok then? I could obviously when I get my real computer back up and running step up to something nicer. The $25 dollar amount is pretty awesome in that respect.
 
This audio stuff is hard! I was looking around and keep seeing the O2 DAC being thrown around at $100 that isn't too unreasonable. I was just wondering though if I could use that through USB not really sure how it works. Either way it seems like I should wait a little bit and then decide. I'm just getting anxious because I am getting my speakers soon
 
This audio stuff is hard! I was looking around and keep seeing the O2 DAC being thrown around at $100 that isn't too unreasonable. I was just wondering though if I could use that through USB not really sure how it works. Either way it seems like I should wait a little bit and then decide. I'm just getting anxious because I am getting my speakers soon

Its not hard. Just buy something. In any case, it'll sound great.
 
The ODAC Should be a great performer for the price. I also think its supposed to be portable.
 
I saw those on another thread here and was definitely interested but their size was why I did not mention them. I also already ordered my Swan's, but thanks for the response!

I'm still trying to figure out if a DAC is worth it. The D5 seems like it would perform worse than on board audio. Also looking around at E10 reviews it seems like the headphone jack is a piece of garbage and is awaiting a third revision. At the low end it seems like the UCA202 seems to be the only option. I think I'll try and wait for the ODAC to be released and then decide if it is worth it to go to go higher end.
 
I saw those on another thread here and was definitely interested but their size was why I did not mention them. I also already ordered my Swan's, but thanks for the response!

I'm still trying to figure out if a DAC is worth it. The D5 seems like it would perform worse than on board audio. Also looking around at E10 reviews it seems like the headphone jack is a piece of garbage and is awaiting a third revision. At the low end it seems like the UCA202 seems to be the only option. I think I'll try and wait for the ODAC to be released and then decide if it is worth it to go to go higher end.

The D5 will be better than on board, The E10 is still a nice unit and the number of ones with a bad jack is probably somewhere around <1%, I don't like Berhinger much there stuff is usually sub standard build quality and the ODAC will be a good performer.
 
I can't believe nobody recommended the Audioengine A2's I'm not sure how big they are though, I currently own the A5's and they sound like <3.
 
I can't believe nobody recommended the Audioengine A2's I'm not sure how big they are though, I currently own the A5's and they sound like <3.

'Sup?

The M200 are great but they've gone up in price haven't they? Even the older MKII are up around $280 when I remember them being around $200 at one point. They're probably still worth the price, just out of the op's budget (along with other similar sets like the M-Audio BX5)

Samson MediaOne 3a or 4a are a good alternatives to the AV40 imo (been hearing about persistent QC issues with the AV40). I've got a discounted variant of them (that came with a dock) and I've been pretty happy, got some Audioengine rubber stands to angle them when my Eyefinity setup took over my desk's top shelf (had to move them down, so I angled them up). They've got a volume knob on the front too along with a second input.

The A2 are nice if you really want something more compact, but if space isn't a big deal I don't think they're any better than larger/cheaper pairs like the AV40 or others mentioned.

I guess I left it kinda vague by only saying A2, tho I mentioned Audioengine two lines earlier. If size is an overriding concern, the A2 are great, they're tiny compared to many of these other monitors (like external hard drive tiny).
 
@Impulse, sorry I don't know much about audio and still learning :)

OP, if you wanna get it refurbed I think if you sign up for their newsletter they'll give you a 10% off coupon, otherwise if you get it from onecall you can get an open box for $169 - $10 off coupon from signing up for their newsletter.
 
At $144 I'd say they're a much better buy, specially since apparently Audioengine still gives you a full warranty on them.
 
^onecall's also an authorized dealer so you still get warranty but I think it's longer for the refurbished
 
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