Good 2.1 speakers for ~150

K

kioras

Gawd
Joined
Jul 10, 2008
Messages
736
I am looking for a good 2.1 speaker set, ideally with good sound quality, to go with my upcoming new system build. I am currently using intergrated audio, but I do plan on using either an asus or creative sound card.

I will be mostly using these speakers to play video games on the computer, listen to music, and watch movies.

The budget I have set aside for the speakers is roughly ~150 dollars, as I am tired of my 6+ year old 15 dollar midiland set.

I have thought of a logitec set, however after browsing the boards here, it is apparant that they are not the best choice.
 
2.1 for $150, hmm.

What ratio would you say you listen to your 3 sources? Games/Music/Movies.
And what kind of music do you listen to?

Is used out of the question?
 
Last edited:
Since normal computer speakers are frowned upon here, you wont be able to find a 2.1 set for less than $150. A decent 2.0 setup is already at least $100 and a regular subwoofer is already at least $100. Together, that totals to about $200 already.
 
I rarely watch movies, as I have just gotten my current monitor, a 24" 1920x1200 display, before it was an ancient 21" CRT.

I would probably rate my usage at roughly 50% music, 40% games, 10% movies.

The type of music I listen to is hard rock and metal mostly.

My price range would be about 200ish would be the top end, as long as the quality difference would be significant enough to make it worthwhile.
 
Last edited:
I know audiophiles would beg to differ, but I really do enjoy my logitech z2300 2.1 set. I'm running an auzentech forte and the combo is just killer if you set up the EQ correctly to compensate for the imperfections in speaker balance. I do like my audio to be of good quality but I guess I'm not as crazy as some. My ratio of music/games/movies is pretty similar to yours. I've had these speakers for a few years now and they're still great sounding.

I have also heard great things about the Swans m10, I would check those out as well. If I had known about them at the time I probably would have gotten them instead.
 
Try the Z-2300 for $139 when on sale, They sound good for regular computer listening, But buy a pair of stereo speakers for some more action.
 
SudburyOntario said:
Try the Z-2300 for $139 when on sale, They sound good for regular computer listening, But buy a pair of stereo speakers for some more action.
Click to expand...

Well from what I heard, the computer speakers are not quite as good as actual bookshelf audio speakers.

Would a 2.0 set offer better quality then the z-2300? since thats been my other option.
 
kioras said:
Would a 2.0 set offer better quality then the z-2300? since thats been my other option.
Click to expand...

Depends on the speakers, but you will lose a lot of bass. If they are good 2.0 speakers the bass will likely be more accurate and musical, but with much less boom and thump which tends to sound good with games and movies.
 
kioras said:
Would a 2.0 set offer better quality then the z-2300? since thats been my other option.
Click to expand...

Provided it's chosen well? Easily.

The .1 is the sticking point since a "real" subwoofer will start for around $100 itself, but good 2.0 speakers will still thrash your standard 2.1 kits.
 
This comes down to a question of why we have subwoofers to begin with and that is to cover the low-ranges that the main speakers can't handle. With surround sound this evolved into lots of home theater in a box setups with tiny satellites and massive subwoofers to cover the fact the satellites had nothing to bring to the table.

A subwoofer is optional if you have a good pair of 2.0 speakers. The reason for this is computer speakers rarely go below 150hz before switching to the subwoofer. Any decent pair of speakers you buy should go down to 80hz minimum, some in the $100-200 range can hit 55-65hz, although you'll still want to cut them off higher if using a sub (around 70-80hz). But a lot of people mistakenly think they need a sub for good sound since cheap computer speakers are overly reliant on them. A subwoofer definitely adds to a sound system since it lets you dedicate your speakers to a smaller range of frequencies, however half-ways decent speakers can hold their own without a sub.

You want my advice - spend the $150 on good speakers and buy a sub later when and if you feel it's abs. necessary. The worst case scenario then becomes that you have to wait a little longer to buy the sub, but overall you'll have better speakers.
 
seemlessthunder said:
You want my advice - spend the $150 on good speakers and buy a sub later when and if you feel it's abs. necessary. The worst case scenario then becomes that you have to wait a little longer to buy the sub, but overall you'll have better speakers.
Click to expand...
Any recommendation as to 2.0 sets that fit the bill?
 
Thanks for the replies, sounds like a good set of bookshelf 2.0 is the best way to go for, is there any reconmendations for a 2.0 to start with, or a a good direction on what specs to look for, or a general audio buyers guide for audio idiots?
 
People speak highly of the Swan D1080MkII's and AudioEngine A2's as far as a good audio buyers guide I could use one too lol.
 
Last edited:
I would probably recommend the Energy Take Sat's first before the A2's just because they're passive and you can switch them to surrounds later if you go to a full surround setup. Portable stereo amp will run you ~$55 for a decent one so not a bad idea. Roughly equivalent to the A2's but cost less and more modular.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top