Best PC Speakers for gaming $100, not much space

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Ladic

[H]ard|Gawd
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So here is a pic of my setup, I would like some 2.0 speakers, maybe 2.1 but the room for subwoofer is limited undernheath. The bugdget is about $100.

z7vLgIL.jpg


The bose look like nice option, is there any other good options on that price range, for gaming?

http://www.amazon.com/Bose-Companio...&ie=UTF8&qid=1441144602&sr=1-20&keywords=bose
 
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That's what I'd do. I noticed Best Buy does have an open box klipsch for a hundred...
 
+1 for the Promedia 2.1 because they are excellent and would have a smaller desktop footprint than what I'm about to suggest.

Sticking within your budget, the Mackie CR Series CR3, M-Audio AV-30 or AV-32
 
I would recommend the Creative Labs GigaWorks T20 or T40 over the Promedia 2.1s.
 
TechLarry said:
Why ?
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The ProMedias are bass focused. The CL products won't have as much bass but are a much more well-rounded audio system. Better midrange and high end. They are just a pretty well made and well rounded speaker for the money. The series II T20 and T40 were tuned for more bass over the series I.

If you want bass more than anything though, then get a system with a separate sub.
 
grunwald said:
The ProMedias are bass focused. The CL products won't have as much bass but are a much more well-rounded audio system. Better midrange and high end. They are just a pretty well made and well rounded speaker for the money. The series II T20 and T40 were tuned for more bass over the series I.

If you want bass more than anything though, then get a system with a separate sub.
Click to expand...

I consider them more "Music" focused.
 
The Klipsch Promedia was my gateway drug to the world of computer audio. I've spent an obscene amount of money chasing that dragon. :p
 
http://www.amazon.com/Samson-MediaOne-Active-Studio-Monitors/dp/B001CS5F40

It's a shame those Samson monitors have gone up in price by like $25 (currently $140), they blow away the Creative T20/40 mentioned if you preferred to go 2.0 over 2.1 (Promedias). The Promedias are tough to beat if you need/want a sub, which honestly, I can't fault if they're more for gaming then music.

Anything that's musically better will usually still be more bass deficient and will also be either more expensive (stuff like Audioengine A2) OR larger (couple passive bookshelves + amp, would come in under $100 but they'll be big boxes on your desk), or both.


Edit: Actually there's a new version with Bluetooth built in that's cheaper at $100 (see below), at least the 3" woofer version is... Can't vouch for them tho, never heard them.

I've heard/had the old 3" Samson StudioDock 3i tho (MediaOnes + USB DAC & iPod dock) and they were pretty good. They're no longer my desktop speakers as sig indicates but they were for a few years and I was satisfied with them.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DGAXXV4/
 
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Another solid 2.0 option would be a couple smaller bookshelves like these:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00E7H8GG2/

Along with a small T-amp like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0049P6OTI/

Total would be $113... Might not be much better than the Samson powered speakers, certainly more cabling, but one advantage of a setup like that is it'd be easier to add a sub later (or use them for other purposes, as rear channels etc).
 
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Yet another solid 2.1 option would be the Swan M10, I'd almost forgotten about them:

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=N82E16836140006

For music, they're a pretty strong value at $105. For gaming I'd probably still lean towards the Promedias tho... The Swan 0.1 is really more of a mid woofer, so bass is not only weaker but placement is tricky since it's meant to go on the desk or above ya.

I strongly favor passives and a little amp over the Swans tho, that Lepai amp plus some Pioneers like these would blow them away:

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004MEWZE4/

And still come in right at $100, they're pretty large tho, much more so then the Miccas I linked earlier... Which is why I linked those instead.
 
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Impulse said:
http://www.amazon.com/Samson-MediaOne-Active-Studio-Monitors/dp/B001CS5F40

It's a shame those Samson monitors have gone up in price by like $25 (currently $140), they blow away the Creative T20/40 mentioned if you preferred to go 2.0 over 2.1 (Promedias). The Promedias are tough to beat if you need/want a sub, which honestly, I can't fault if they're more for gaming then music.

Anything that's musically better will usually still be more bass deficient and will also be either more expensive (stuff like Audioengine A2) OR larger (couple passive bookshelves + amp, would come in under $100 but they'll be big boxes on your desk), or both.


Edit: Actually there's a new version with Bluetooth built in that's cheaper at $100 (see below), at least the 3" woofer version is... Can't vouch for them tho, never heard them.

I've heard/had the old 3" Samson StudioDock 3i tho (MediaOnes + USB DAC & iPod dock) and they were pretty good. They're no longer my desktop speakers as sig indicates but they were for a few years and I was satisfied with them.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DGAXXV4/
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Those are way underpowered for me. The 5" versions are only 20 watt. Yes, they cost a LOT more but my M-Audio M3-6's are 160 watt. Each.

I was shaking the house, literally, playing World Of Warships last night. It was awesome :)

Those samsons would never do that.
 
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Ok, but not much is gonna shake the house for $100, short of the Promedias on sale for $120... And speaker wattage is one of the most useless specs there are at face value. Like I said, for gaming or just "shaking stuff" the Promedias are probably his best choice.

However, he also mentioned not having much room for a sub and the Promedias are over his budget after all, so I offered a couple other choices that are either 2.0 or closer to budget, or both... While making it clear that low end response will be weaker, but that there are also other advantages.

Edit: On the subject of power, the T40 are 32W btw, do you think that actually makes them better than any of my recommendations (which are both over/under that overall)? Taking into account the their tiny woofers and slim plastic build...

Of course your M-Audio monitors are better than anything mentioned, for $400 I'd certainly hope so, not sure how that's relevant to the OP tho. :p (no offense)
 
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Impulse said:
Ok, but not much is gonna shake the house for $100, short of the Promedias on sale for $120... And speaker wattage is one of the most useless specs there are at face value. Like I said, for gaming or just "shaking stuff" the Promedias are probably his best choice.

However, he also mentioned not having much room for a sub and the Promedias are over his budget after all, so I offered a couple other choices that are either 2.0 or closer to budget, or both... While making it clear that low end response will be weaker, but that there are also other advantages.

Edit: On the subject of power, the T40 are 32W btw, do you think that actually makes them better than any of my recommendations (which are both over/under that overall)? Taking into account the their tiny woofers and slim plastic build...

Of course your M-Audio monitors are better than anything mentioned, for $400 I'd certainly hope so, not sure how that's relevant to the OP tho. :p (no offense)
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It was just a comparison of what power will and won't do.
 
Impulse said:
And speaker wattage is one of the most useless specs there are at face value.
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Amen.

Speakers' sensitivities can easily differ by 6dB while still being pretty close to average. That's a 4x wattage difference for the same SPL, and we can find greater differences without too much trouble.

And a lot of amps aren't rated well, especially in cheap, powered speakers. Even the Klipsch set (which I like for the money) plays this game: "Subwoofer: 130 watts peak (50 watts @ 5% THD, 50 Hz continuous".
 
Thanks guys, ending up buying the klipsch from best buy. Is there a way to turn the speakers completely off? seems the volume know even all th way down, still a little sound comes out of the speakers.
 
HammerSandwich said:
Amen.

Speakers' sensitivities can easily differ by 6dB while still being pretty close to average. That's a 4x wattage difference for the same SPL, and we can find greater differences without too much trouble.

And a lot of amps aren't rated well, especially in cheap, powered speakers. Even the Klipsch set (which I like for the money) plays this game: "Subwoofer: 130 watts peak (50 watts @ 5% THD, 50 Hz continuous".
Click to expand...

The most important thing about a Speaker set is...

Does it rock your world?

If so, it was the right choice for you :)

I've been playing World of Warships lately. It is a VERY loud game. Even at moderate levels, my M-Audio Sub/Monitor setup has the Fireplace in the living room rattling. The cat packed his bags and moved out yesterday. He came back when he realized he had to eat though :)
 
Ladic said:
Thanks guys, ending up buying the klipsch from best buy. Is there a way to turn the speakers completely off? seems the volume know even all th way down, still a little sound comes out of the speakers.
Click to expand...

It's hard not to be happy with them.

The one word of advice I'll give is be very careful with the POD socket on the sub. Do not allow any pressure on that connector. It IS a weak spot.

It is a ton better since they changed from a straight connector to an 90 deg connector though.

It's not a big deal any more, just be careful when moving the sub around not to smash that against the desk or something.
 
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