2.0 Bookshelf Speakers

T

Thales

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Jul 29, 2007
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Looking for 2.0 setup suggestions that are bookshelf speakers, not prepackaged deals (no Klipsch Promedias...).

I've looked at the Insignias and the Polk R150s (which were $50 at frys.com until they sold out before I could pick some up).

Budget is less than $100. I intend on finding a decent used $40 receiver on craigslist or the bay to go with these.

Suggestions?
 
That price range I would try for Polks yeah. Receiver get a Yamaha or Pionner if it is a recent model.
 
BIC DV62si is what I would get for a 2.0 setup, excellent highs/mids and very very good lows for a 2.0 setup.
 
PFFT, you guys are so wrong, the Polks are AMAZING!!!! They barely need a sub woofer, especially if you are moving from a sub-par 2.1 system.
I am the biggest basshead you would probably know and the Polks are TEH leet, and they can take a 5Hz signal!! (don't worry, it is on my "never to do again" list)
 
So I ordered a pair of these from frys.com, and my order shows "Cancelled" but I never recieved an email saying this would happen, and the order shows that they did charge my credit card. Anyone know what the deal is?

Looks like it was my mistake. Blah, this means I missed out on these...
 
I have both the Insignias and the Polk 150s... in my opinion the Polks are the better deal. The Insignias sound great but could sound better with some internal mods... whereas the Polks sound great right out of the box, and they run the range of audio with class. They make a great gateway speaker into the realm of audio. Of course speakers can sound different to every ear, so it's best to listen to them before buying if at all possible.
 
lol

any bookshelf short of the very best needs a sub.

simple fact that a 3-6" driver has a tough time going below 40hz with authority.
 
So I ended up purchasing the Polks, and they just didn't measure up. So much so that I returned them. The highs were tinny and the bass lacked definition. Granted, I lack an ideal sound card/receiver arrangement.

Classical sounded phenomenal, as did jazz. But rock and hip hop were almost abysmal. The 5" mid-woofers just ended up being distorted. A sub is definitely necessary.

Ordered the Swan M10s to replace the Polks. Hopefully they'll be better.
 
Thales said:
So I ended up purchasing the Polks, and they just didn't measure up. So much so that I returned them. The highs were tinny and the bass lacked definition. Granted, I lack an ideal sound card/receiver arrangement.

Classical sounded phenomenal, as did jazz. But rock and hip hop were almost abysmal. The 5" mid-woofers just ended up being distorted. A sub is definitely necessary.

Ordered the Swan M10s to replace the Polks. Hopefully they'll be better.
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What a mistake. I have a ~95 Pioneer VSX-401 and they sound warm and are great for hip-hop and everything. By any chance were you running these through just the sound card? Jeez, I don't know how these could sound horrible unless you did not have enough wattage to handle them properly. And by wattage I mean around 25-30 w. My Pioneer only does 75w MAX (at maybe 1khz), and I only need to go to around 9 o clock from the base of 6 o clock and the max of 4 o clock!!!!! AKA around 8 out of 30. About 1/2 to 3/4 up they start to bottom out ^_^.
 
Thales said:
Ordered the Swan M10s to replace the Polks. Hopefully they'll be better.
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Sorry but... you just made a horrible decision. You now have a SINGLE ugly ass midwoofer that needs to be placed where your monitor goes and has less than half the displacement of a pair of the Polks.
 
dandragonrage said:
Sorry but... you just made a horrible decision. You now have a SINGLE ugly ass midwoofer that needs to be placed where your monitor goes and has less than half the displacement of a pair of the Polks.
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Still one of the best 2.0/1 systems for PC. Can he upgrade? No. Will he get "tolerable" music out of the system? Maybe. I swear though, even with this 5, yes FIVE dollar receiver (and 60$ speakers) I get great spatial effects, great bass (when called for), great effects from movies, nice warm sound, AND upgradeability.
 
I didn't say "you just bought the worst sound system ever and even a telephone would sound leagues better."

But he just downgraded for sure. Computer speakers are computer speakers.
 
dandragonrage said:
I didn't say "you just bought the worst sound system ever and even a telephone would sound leagues better."

But he just downgraded for sure. Computer speakers are computer speakers.
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What is ironic, is that at my job we have Senn headsets, and for some reason the telephone still sounds like shit, but at least I look coool.
 
So I ended up purchasing the Polks, and they just didn't measure up. So much so that I returned them. The highs were tinny and the bass lacked definition.
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maybe the problem was your amp, which one did you use?
 
montypythizzle said:
Still one of the best 2.0/1 systems for PC. Can he upgrade? No. Will he get "tolerable" music out of the system? Maybe. I swear though, even with this 5, yes FIVE dollar receiver (and 60$ speakers) I get great spatial effects, great bass (when called for), great effects from movies, nice warm sound, AND upgradeability.
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Your opinions are suspect, you claimed they barely even need a subwoofer. =P When I think of speakers that barely need a subwoofer I think of speakers like av123's RS1000.
 
Nicolaskl said:
Your opinions are suspect, you claimed they barely even need a subwoofer. =P When I think of speakers that barely need a subwoofer I think of speakers like av123's RS1000.
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I mean, they still had room filling bass. Equivalent to a decent 8" subwoofer. (no 8" X-Sub though for you AV123 fiends)
 
I suppose some qualifications are in order. What I was looking for was a simple setup that would sound decent and remain <$200. The Polks started necessitating the purchase of many other accessories that I simply didn't want to deal with. A sub, a receiver (I was borrowing a friend's to try them out initially, a Sony STR-DE475; not great but not awful), something to upgrade the quality from the sound card, etc.

Suddenly I have 50lbs of equipment and $250 less at least. And for the sound that the polks delivered on their own, I was disappointed.

The Swans will undoubtedly be quieter, but I imagine that their sound will be better balanced. They are also cheaper and more manageable (soon to be a college graduate - gotta be able to move around).
 
Thales said:
The Swans will undoubtedly be quieter, but I imagine that their sound will be better balanced.
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I'm not sure I'd use that word when they have a single woofer for both channels. This is not a subwoofer, but a woofer. One that plays higher than a subwoofer, up into the frequencies that you'll be able to localize.
 
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