Looking for a good 2.0 setup for $100 or less

A

aggr1103

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Mar 24, 2007
Messages
1,188
And I'm torn. I'm a modest audiophile. Love my hd-555 cans and would like a nice set of 2.0 speakers for my rig. I'm planning on getting the razer barracuda soundcard down the road but before that I'd like to go ahead and get the speakers nailed down. These will mainly be used for gaming and occasional music. I basically need a set of speakers so I can hear the family if they need something.

Been looking at these -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836127107 - m audio studiopro 3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836127010 - m audio studiophile av 30

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836196007 - behringer ms20

Which of these is the best buy? Also, which is the largest set? Space isn't an issue, but I am curious. My wife will think its wierd to buy a set of $100 speakers and they come out the size of soup cans. I will be satisfied if they can give me solid, room filling sound. (I know...flame me for that comment).

Thanks in advance!
 
dandragonrage said:
I think you'll need to double your budget to get anywhere near "good."
Click to expand...

I swear every time I post something up like this I get a post similar to this one. My definition of "good" means they will give me quality sound within my $100 budget. I will mainly use them 1hr. out of the day at most, so its not like they will be used heavily anyway.
 
"good" is relative. never ask an uptight audiophile if your speaker choice is "good" because he will only recommend the best of the best which you probably won't be able to afford (or want to pay for, if you can afford it).

m-audio is usually a good choice. i've never heard of behringer, but maybe look into more reviews on different sites of the 2 m-audio sets.
 
< 5.25" woofer speakers need a sub badly (or won't go loud, or both). 5.25"-6.5" woofer speakers generally need a sub but not quite as badly.

OP, if you get these kind of responses so much, ever stop and consider that maybe you're asking the wrong question?
 
or maybe the right audience hasn't given him the type of response he is looking for?

he's probably well aware that he will need a sub if he wants good bass response. he just said he's looking for a relatively cheap setup that "will mainly be used for gaming and occasional music. I basically need a set of speakers so I can hear the family if they need something."

he's not asking for recommendations for good speakers in general. he's asking for a 2.0 setup less than or equal to $100, so maybe try to keep your opinions and suggestions within his specifications??
 
swan m10's would probably be your best bet. im pretty sure you can get them for around $100
 
OP, not sure of your other selections but I've read quite a few positive reviews about the swan M10's, they ought to even provide plenty of the type of bass required for music listening. And while all of these proposed speakers use cheap drivers, the swans are known to use good cheap drivers (the other choices may have decent cheap drivers as well, i'm just not sure of it).


p4gs said:
he's not asking for recommendations for good speakers in general. he's asking for a 2.0 setup less than or equal to $100, so maybe try to keep your opinions and suggestions within his specifications??
Click to expand...
Not trying to split hairs here but the OP himself included the phrase "looking for good 2.0 setup" right in the title, and in his original post he stated that he's a "modest audiophile" and that he's looking for a "nice 2.0 setup", all of this in addition to offering "room filling sound". Of course he also listed other parameters such as his $100 budget, but requests worded like this are going to attract responses similar to the one dandragonrage posted.
 
OP check your PM, I got a pair of Swans D1080MKII that I just got a month ago and now looking for something else.
 
Good pc speakers like the promedia or m10 will be better than $100 monitors. Twice, I've seen someone upgrade to budget bookshelves + amp, and ended up sticking with their promedias.
If you want something cheaper, I've seen edifier 2.1's pretty popular at head-fi.
 
p4gs said:
m-audio is usually a good choice. i've never heard of behringer, but maybe look into more reviews on different sites of the 2 m-audio sets.
Click to expand...

I can't speak for their speakers, but I have some experience with bass guitar amps made by Behringer. They suck. :eek:
 
swan m10 is slightly more than 100 new but they are way better than klipsch for sound quality. if you are stuck on $100 then idk. good luck and space is out.
 
Newegg used to have the Swans for 89.99 a few months ago they would have went 69.99 with the 20$ off by using paypal. That's how I got mine for less than 100 the audioinsider had them for a little over 100 during that time plus shipping. Now I'm not sure. Too bad newegg is based on demand, if they see they can get more profits on something them are selling they bump the prices up a little like the Swans. But the Swans are the way to go if you want accurate sound and not roof blowing over the top bloated bass that comes from logi and kilp.

Anyway if you wan 2.0 on a lower budget. Bestbuy's Insignia's, 2.0 polk audio's that go for 80$ and 50$ respectivly. Also the M-audio's are good. Insignia's are very great sounding and looks great in piano black finish.

To sum up:
Audiophile: Swans
Gamer: Logi
 
Swans m10 without a doubt. You seriously can't go wrong with these. I love them. They are worth the extra $10-$15.
 
Swan's M10's sound really good when they work. I have had mine for 3 months and the build quality stinks. I have had them apart twice to deal with one of the input connectors.
They sound great when they work.
 
ghostchild said:
Newegg used to have the Swans for 89.99 a few months ago they would have went 69.99 with the 20$ off by using paypal. That's how I got mine for less than 100 the audioinsider had them for a little over 100 during that time plus shipping. Now I'm not sure. Too bad newegg is based on demand, if they see they can get more profits on something them are selling they bump the prices up a little like the Swans. But the Swans are the way to go if you want accurate sound and not roof blowing over the top bloated bass that comes from logi and kilp.

Anyway if you wan 2.0 on a lower budget. Bestbuy's Insignia's, 2.0 polk audio's that go for 80$ and 50$ respectivly. Also the M-audio's are good. Insignia's are very great sounding and looks great in piano black finish.

To sum up:
Audiophile: Swans
Gamer: Logi
Click to expand...

+1 to the insignias. I got em not too long ago and I always can't wait to hear some quality audio on them. the problem is, he would need to power them which would blow his budget.
 
80 for insignias 50 for t amp or 30ish for the older one. Just a little, but I think he can push it........
 
Thanks for the responses guys. Anyone know where I can find any swan speakers online now?

dandragonrage said:
OP, if you get these kind of responses so much, ever stop and consider that maybe you're asking the wrong question?
Click to expand...

Your right. Maybe I do ask the wrong question. So the question now is - how do you ask questions like this to reduce the redundant responses?

If I asked for a good $100 2.0 setup I would get asked its purpose. I thought I did that. I can live without room filling sound, but I do want quality - by quality I mean no static or pops. They're not going to be used much as I will primarily use my cans.
 
I opted for the swans a week ago but now I'm making the move to a nice receiver and Energy Take Classic 5.1 setup.
 
Insignia's do sound great when they have a decent receiver powering them, and they still sound good with a low wattage amp.

I was originally looking for a 2.0 setup (because I already have a separate powered sub) for ~$100. I was then persuaded twoards the Swan M10's.. I didn't like the idea of a 2.1 setup since I have a nice sub already, so I upgraded my budget to fit the Swan D1080MKII's... then after being weary of buying them after hearing about hissing sound issues, I ended up getting a pair of Insignia Bookshelf speakers from Best Buy. I was going to go with a T-Amp, but I didn't like the idea of such a low-wattage setup.. I tend to prefer higher volumes to rock out to :p so I bought a recertified Denon DRA-395 receiver to power em at 80 watts per channel.

Extremely happy with the setup, but the moral is: be careful when bumping up your budget!!! lol I ended up spending a lot more than I wanted to haha

Jesuswept, +1 for Energy speakers! My home theater has been using Energy's "Veritas i" series speakers for 8 or so years and they still impress me on a daily basis.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top