Need a solid 2.1 setup without breaking the bank

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Xpletive

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 3, 2008
Messages
242
I have an old altec lansing 5.1 setup and its taking up too much room on my desk, i think a quality 2.1 setup may be in order - especially because the subwofer completely overpowers the rest of the speakers even on the lowest setting.

Are there any good 2.1 setups (i think they're referred to as monitors?) that will give adequate mid-range/bass, that are powered, and i won't have to get a sub?

Uses are mostly casual music listening (alternative, etc), some gaming as well.
 
A 2.1 setup uses a sub. If you want two speakers without a sub, it'd be a 2.0 setup.

The Swans are great, but the sub is designed to go between the satellites, so make sure you can do that.
 
silent-circuit said:
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?products_id=89

/thread
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Those look fantastic (and cheap!), but not sure where i'd put that middle piece.

GJSNeptune said:
A 2.1 setup uses a sub. If you want two speakers without a sub, it'd be a 2.0 setup.

The Swans are great, but the sub is designed to go between the satellites, so make sure you can do that.
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I guess you can tell i'm an audio noob :) i'm not 100% against a sub, its just the one i have right now sucks so much that i'd like to make sure its an upgrade and not a step backward if i do include a sub in the new setup.

I'd also like to utilize the onboard S/PDIF optical output, are there any quality 2.0 or 2.1 speakers that take that as an input?
 
What's "without breaking the bank"? That would be like... $300 for me. Why do you want to utilize SPDIF? Do you know what it does?
 
Alai said:
What's "without breaking the bank"? That would be like... $300 for me.
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sorry i should have specified, my budget is just as you said - 300 or less, since i haven't bought speakers in about 7 years i consider it an investment but i don't want to go too crazy
 
Also, (I just read your OP again) if you're looking for monitors (only), are you referring to a pair of speakers that do output 2.1 sound like the Swan M200MKII?

Also, please answer my second question in previous post.
 
Alai said:
What's "without breaking the bank"? That would be like... $300 for me. Why do you want to utilize SPDIF? Do you know what it does?
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Because its an onboard feature of my P6T and i'm tired of having 5 different cables to plug into the back of my computer - i'm also assuming the sound quality would be better over SPDIF than what i've got going on now, but that is just that - an assumption.

Alai said:
Also, (I just read your OP again) if you're looking for monitors (only), are you referring to a pair of speakers that do output 2.1 sound like the Swan M200MKII?
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That might be what i'm referring to - basically just want two speakers that can handle some "decent" bass, nothing extreme.
 
Alai said:
are you referring to a pair of speakers that do output 2.1 sound like the Swan M200MKII?
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So i'm looking at that Swans (MK200MKII) and they look fantastic, but taking a peek at the back of them (and at the risk of sounding really dumb), how are they going to hook up to my computer?

swansback.jpg
 
Banana plugs! I'm sure there's some sort of converter cable available, and failing that you should be able to splice something up easily enough.
 
Gotcha, so is it worth getting an SPDIF DAC for a pair of these? (i'm learning :))
 
Something like this:

spitfiredac1.jpg


spitfiredac2.jpg


although at $267 for the DAC not including speakers i'd already be over my budget.
 
I got my Audioengine A5 set for $314 shipped. No sub. They have nice, warm bass, but I need more umph, so I'll be getting a sub eventually.
 
The Swan M200MKII come with RCA-RCA and RCA-mini cables. Just plug her in and she'll be ready to roll. You can plug directly into onboard.

If you really want a separate DAC, then you're going to need to think about how you want to split the two in your budget.
 
Alai said:
The Swan M200MKII come with RCA-RCA and RCA-mini cables. Just plug her in and she'll be ready to roll. You can plug directly into onboard.

If you really want a separate DAC, then you're going to need to think about how you want to split the two in your budget.
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I think i'll spring for the swans and have it go to the onboard for now, then upgrade to a DAC when the wow factor has worn off.

Just to recap, these swans will blow away anything "off the shelf" altec lansing/creative speakers that are marketed specifically for pc's right?
 
Yeah. I doubt the MKIII will be THAT much better than the MKII. They are virtually the same speaker set except more finely tuned and an added feature or two on the MKIII.
 
spaceman said:
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-VSX-5...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1230000872&sr=8-1

http://www.thespeakercompany.com/TSB-525-2-Way-Bookshelf-Speaker-Pair-P45C6.aspx

http://www.thespeakercompany.com/ASW-8-8-Subwoofer-P61C17.aspx

There you go. Enjoy.
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+1 for The Speaker Company!!!! My P6's are amazing. I have put them through about 35 hours of music and I can tell that bass is getting deeper. Plus I finally got them fine-tuned to my room so now the sound sounds like it is coming from the center of my monitor and spreading around the room like it should.

The bookshelves spaceman has pointed out in here are really nice. Also, the sub is better than the popular Dayton 10" sub from Parts Express. It has just as good range and is a lot less boomy, which is exactly what you want for a good 2.1 setup.
 
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So which is the better buy out of the Swans? The M10 which is alot cheaper and with a standalone sub... or the M200MKII's with build in bass that might not be as good?
 
i just got the d1080mkii in the mail today and i love them. i havnt not tried the m200mkii yet, but i recommend these completely.
 
I really enjoy the bass on the Swan M200MKII. More so than my Behringer MS40. Haven't tried the M10, but the M200MKII have a nice tight bass. I'm not a basshead so this is preferable to me.

What you CAN do it purchase the D1080MKII and then expand it into a 2.1 system by buying a sub later like the ESW8.

As for putting the M10 sub under the desk, you can do that, but the bass won't be quite as heard as it is felt.
 
Does anyone know where I can get speakers stands for the M10's? I once saw a pic of the m10's in stands and it look really nice.
 
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Xpletive said:
I have an old altec lansing 5.1 setup and its taking up too much room on my desk, i think a quality 2.1 setup may be in order - especially because the subwofer completely overpowers the rest of the speakers even on the lowest setting.

Are there any good 2.1 setups (i think they're referred to as monitors?) that will give adequate mid-range/bass, that are powered, and i won't have to get a sub?

Uses are mostly casual music listening (alternative, etc), some gaming as well.
Click to expand...

Don't waste your time on those small self powered speaker, an entry level receiver from Yamaha, Onkyo or Denon will be all the power that you need and they start at about 200 dollars... Get some small tower speakers and use a cheapo subwoofer...

I just purchased these speakers and they will blow you away.. English Speakers
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/542350278/kef-iq5-walnut

Here are some other quality towers, from a Candian company
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLS500

Both of these speaker lines and these particular makes are well respected in the audio community, no Best Buy junk here and they are very affordable...
 
thomasward00 said:
Don't waste your time on those small self powered speaker, an entry level receiver from Yamaha, Onkyo or Denon will be all the power that you need and they start at about 200 dollars... Get some small tower speakers and use a cheapo subwoofer...

I just purchased these speakers and they will blow you away.. English Speakers
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/542350278/kef-iq5-walnut

Here are some other quality towers, from a Candian company
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLS500

Both of these speaker lines and these particular makes are well respected in the audio community, no Best Buy junk here and they are very affordable...
Click to expand...

Your price quotes on the receiver in your speaker setup just ate up 2/3 of the OP's budget...
 
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