Looking For 2.0 or 2.1 Speaker Setup

J

JBrinley

[H]ard|Gawd
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As the title states, I am looking for a 2.0 or 2.1 Speaker setup for my TV/Entertainment Center. I have been reading around these forums the past few days and have been looking at the Swan D1080MKII 08 Or M-AUDIO AV40's. The Swans have an advantage not having any LEDs because this setup is in my bedroom, but this is not a deal breaker. Both seem to be nice speakers.

Also looking for other recommendations; 2.0 or 2.1. I have a budget of $200. They also must be self powered; no receiver needed.

Thanks!
 
The only issue I can foresee with using an active monitor pair in that setting, is that the volume control will be on the speaker's themselves, with no way of controlling it via a remote.

That being said, with a $200 budget, I would go with the Swan M200MKII's. $189.99.
 
I would have them hooked up to either my TV output, or my HTPC, which both would be controlled via their remotes. Does the Swan M200MKII's hook up via RCA cords? Im an audio noob, sorry :D
 
Yes they have RCA inputs, but they accept a line level input. The volume must be controlled on the speaker themselves as that is where the amplifier is.

For your situation, you need to find passive speakers and an integrated amplifier that has a remote, or a pair of active monitors that have a remote.

Your suggestion of controlling the volume with the TV will not work.
 
Unfortunately I don't have any recommendations of my own, hopefully someone else will chime in. If I was you I would look into a used receiver and a set of bookshelves.
 
criccio said:
Yes they have RCA inputs, but they accept a line level input. The volume must be controlled on the speaker themselves as that is where the amplifier is.

For your situation, you need to find passive speakers and an integrated amplifier that has a remote, or a pair of active monitors that have a remote.

Your suggestion of controlling the volume with the TV will not work.
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??? I used to use my MS40 on my TV via RCA (you can't have amped RCA connectors so all RCA are line level). It's fine to use active monitors on your TV or HTPC. Just don't expect to be able to use a subwoofer on your TV without something that has multiple RCA outs. Your HTPC might be able to handle multiple speakers depending on your setup.

As for passive speakers and receivers, they will cost you a bit more. I would suggest sticking to active for now until you can expand your budget.
 
Alai said:
??? I used to use my MS40 on my TV via RCA (you can't have amped RCA connectors so all RCA are line level). It's fine to use active monitors on your TV or HTPC. Just don't expect to be able to use a subwoofer on your TV without something that has multiple RCA outs. Your HTPC might be able to handle multiple speakers depending on your setup.

As for passive speakers and receivers, they will cost you a bit more. I would suggest sticking to active for now until you can expand your budget.
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Thats not the problem. I completely agree with you. The issue is that he intends to control the volume via the TV... Active monitors are designed with volume controls on their bodys as that is where the amplifier is, and the designers assume they will be in reaching distance to control the volume. I can't think of any proper way to control the volume of active monitors from the source. That would entail lowering and raising what should be a steady line level input... not ideal.
 
I suppose. I don't think that's necessarily the case for designers of multimedia speakers though (read: Swans). They know people are hooking these speakers up to literally everything. IMO, same thing with lower level studio monitors.
 
You would be fine with using active monitors and just turning the volume knob on the monitors up to max and just controlling it with the TV remote. Most TVs have variable outs for analog stereo.

As for the comment about not lowering and raising a "steady" line level signal, what to you think a volume potentiometer is doing? The amplifier inside the active monitors has a constant gain setting, we change the volume by changing the line level signal that is fed to the amplifier. So it actually works in exactly the way you say it shouldn't be done, lol.
 
The signal just needs to be attenuated at some point, whether this is done at the source or at the amplifier doesn't really matter. I have built several gainclone chipamps that have no volume control built into them at all. The volume is controlled by my preamp and they work perfectly fine this way.

An amplifier with a volume control is an integrated amplifier, with the volume potentiometer working as a type of preamp, a passive one in that case since the potentiometer is essentially just a variable resistor that controls the strength of the line level signal being fed to the amp.

I don't know if I'm explaining it very well, but the amplifier in a set of active monitors is a fairly simple one and it has a constant gain in the circuit, say 20db just to pull a number out of my ass. The volume knob is just limiting the strength of the signal that is then amplified by 20db. The amp would only be stressed when it is trying to amplify a very strong signal where it would start to heat up and have problems. Again, I don't know if the way I'm explaining it makes sense, hehe.
 
Look, if you're worried about the signal power the TV might output, you can always plug it into the front aux-in port on the AV40s. This port is DESIGNED for just about any type of source. Plug the TV in there, then control the volume with your TV remote.

And let's be honest folks: unless you're looking for room-shaking sound, you'll never have to crank the AV40 volume knob more than halfway, so he won't have to leave them cranked all the way on.
 
It probably is better to control the volume on the speakers themselves, but you're probably fine setting it at a good middle ground (not max) and making small adjustments up or down on your HTPC/TV (if it's got a variable output) depending on your needs (night viewing, etc). So long as you're not trying to crank up the volume on the HTPC w/the speaker's knob at 10% or something, just avoid the extremes either way imo.
 
Can we at least come to an agreement that for the OP's specific situation, a desktop active monitor setup isn't ideal? Technically, if you are going to be sitting on a couch away from your desk, near-field monitors probably aren't your best option anyway.

Can someone come up with a receiver/integrated sterero amp + two bookshelves in the $200 range that has a remote?
 
I dunno enough about stereo amps (or cheaper amps in general) to make a good recommendation! Though I'm sure there's gotta be some good options rather than going w/active monitors.
 
Well I picked up an open box 6.1 channel pioneer receiver for 100 bucks, so finding something like that would leave a 100 bucks for a pair of starter speakers. And if the OP is willing to go used you can get a lot of speaker for 100 bucks. Just start scanning your local craigslist, lots of good deals can be found there.
 
Impulse said:
It probably is better to control the volume on the speakers themselves, but you're probably fine setting it at a good middle ground (not max) and making small adjustments up or down on your HTPC/TV (if it's got a variable output) depending on your needs (night viewing, etc). So long as you're not trying to crank up the volume on the HTPC w/the speaker's knob at 10% or something, just avoid the extremes either way imo.
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I definitely agree with you, I was just trying to make a point that you could have the monitors at max and you could still control the volume with the tv. The best compromise to make a setup like that work would be doing like you said and putting the volume setting on the monitors to play as loud as you would ever actually want to listen to, like half or whatever, and not at max. Some potentiometers can have channel imbalance issues at the extremes of its range so somewhere towards the middle would be best.
 
With that kind of budget, I would just grab a stereo receiver. Screw 6.1 and screw separate amps unless you can somehow find a really nice deal for one.
 
FWIW, I use my cell phone (a Sony Ericsson) as a BT remote for my PC w/it's 2.0 active monitors and my netbook when it's hooked up to the HDTV (for the occasional Hulu video) and it works fine, heh. It comes with a couple built-in Bluetooth remote profiles and Sony provides an app to create more of 'em, nice lil' surprise I stumbled upon after having bought the phone a year ago.

If your TV has a variable output and/or you can get a cheap lil' USB/IR remote for your HTPC, a set of 2.0 active monitors will be a pretty good value compared to mostly anything else... They might not be optimal but unless you have a gargantuan room they'll deliver well enough. The Swans you were considering are excellent for the price.

I'd consider the M200MkII's as well though, if you can swing the extra dough ($190), they're another excellent value for the price and might suit you better if you've got a medium-sized room.
 
for those of you comparing the different swans keep in mind that like receivers and passive bookshelves, these active bookshelves can only play as cleanly as their amps will allow. Try not to think of wattage as playing loud as most of these can play loud, instead think of how high you can turn up the volume and still have clean output. With active bookshelves, the defining aspect after tweeter and woofer quality is amp quality.
 
criccio said:
The only issue I can foresee with using an active monitor pair in that setting, is that the volume control will be on the speaker's themselves, with no way of controlling it via a remote.

That being said, with a $200 budget, I would go with the Swan M200MKII's. $189.99.
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Are those Swan's louder than the M10's?
 
Most likely, yes.

IMO, and its shared here, the M10's are pretty much the low end of Swan's line.
 
Apologies in advance for the OT question. Are Swan M10's magnetically shielded? I have read on another forum that they are not. This would surprise me since even my cheapo Yamaha speakers are magnetically shielded.
 
Zenshi said:
Apologies in advance for the OT question. Are Swan M10's magnetically shielded? I have read on another forum that they are not. This would surprise me since even my cheapo Yamaha speakers are magnetically shielded.
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I don't know, but I'd say Swan is the "cheapo brand" if you compare it to Yamaha.
 
Depends on which speakers you're comparing. Lol.

But, eh, my CMT-340SE aren't shielded. And they blow away any Swans except MAYbe the Divas.
 
Alai said:
Depends on which speakers you're comparing. Lol.

But, eh, my CMT-340SE aren't shielded. And they blow away any Swans except MAYbe the Divas.
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You sure? I had CBM-170s which were shielded, and on their website they list CMT-340SE as fully shielded as well.
 
sskk said:
You sure? I had CBM-170s which were shielded, and on their website they list CMT-340SE as fully shielded as well.
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Yeah, but my pair was some kinda refurbed and RMA'd pair or something. I don't remember exactly. Stock is shielded for sure tho.
 
I auditioned the AV40s the other day, they were less than impressive. Sure, they had impressive bass for speakers their size (once you activated the bass boost), but it sounded like they were lacking on the mids. Especially when compared to a good set of headphones, like the Sennheisner HD 280 Pro I had nearby.
 
Is the AV-40 or any speakers worth it if I attach it to audio out on my LCD TV? I dont care about surround sound
 
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