"All-in-One" Speaker Set?

[Ghent915]

Hey guys:
I have a set of old school Logitech Z-2200's (back in the day when Logitech still could build speakers...same drivers as the legendary for the time Z-560's).
I'm wanting to upgrade to something better. I do MOSTLY music listening, with a touch of gaming thrown in for giggles. House shaking bass isn't a priority, but clear, crisp sound is. When I say all in one, I mean that I'm not eager to move over to a dedicated amplifier/bookshelf system, yet...

As such, I'm looking for recommendations for what to consider. I've seen the Audioengine A5's, which I'm drooling very much over. However, before I drop the coin on something like those, I'd like other opinions so I don't get them, and wind up feeling like I got bent over the desk (The Z-2300's were a fiasco I DON'T want to repeat).

Any reviews, commentary, opinons, etc are welcome. Keep the flames for the 4th of July BBQ though.
Thanks!
-Ghent

 

[Saggy]

Hi,
What is your max budget?
I am not very versed in the audio world but I can tell you what I did recently.
I know you are not ready to move to a dedicated system yet but here is my story.
I wanted to upgrade my speakers, originally I was going to buy z5500, since it gets the job done and I am not an audiophile. Long story short, I ended up buying receiver/speakers because I think in the long run it would be worth it and since it gives me better flexibility. However the price difference is huge, from the $260 z5500 to over a grand for an entry level receiver/speakers 5.1 system.
The thing is, I didn't want to spend anymore than $300 for the audio upgrade, but after auditioning the dedicated system, I can't justify spending $300 on z5500 for a minor upgrade.

As it comes down to, the most important thing is your budget, how much are you willing to spend and think about if that extra cash you spend is justifiable to you. My justification to myself is that since I have a 2.1 system already, upgrading to z5500 would not make that much of a difference, however for the dedicated system I bought would, even though it costs over a grand. Since I wanted to upgrade, I might as well "upgrade". That mean, I over spent 700 instead of 1000, since I was set on upgrading, a dedicated system upgrade is worth 700 to me.(it's really a bit more than 700 but you get the point, the real extra cost is the difference between what you were going to buy and what you actually bought.)

Quite a few people on the forum use the Swan M10 but it's a 2.1 system, I am not sure how good it is, but it seems pretty inexpensive though.
If your budget allows, I think my recommendation is this, buy an entry level receiver and 2 speakers, you are set and you can always add more later since music is your primary use, 2 speakers will do for now, then add a sub later.

shop around, yamaha 663 is only 400 shipped and spending 2 hundred on 2 speakers will get you a nice system for 600 total.

One more thing, the moral of my story is, if you don't want to spend more than your budget, DON'T audition sets over your budget, or you will be sorry.

sorry if I can't be of more help
Saggy

edit: some added info and obvious typos