New speakers!

A

area5x2

Weaksauce
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
122
So I currently have these cheap Labtec speakers from like 7 years ago

And I'm looking to upgrade to a much better sound system for my computer. What are some good speakers? I mostly just listen to music, rock, jazz, and flamenco :p , and sometimes play games and watch movies. So the speakers must be decent at playing music. Here's what I'm currently looking at

Logitech Z5500

vs

Altec Lansing FX5051

vs

Cambridge Soundworks

vs

Klispch Promedia 2.1

So if you have any opinions on them or any other speakers, please share :) Budget around $200
 
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Lol. Do you really need 5.1 sound? A lot of people prefer 2.1 for music.
These Swans m10 are thought of highly around here, and good for the price. I have a set myself and I love them.
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/prod...desktop/p/swan-m10/cPath/21_24/products_id/89

The audio gurus around here will :facepalm: you for posting the speakers you posted and tell you to get a receiver and some bookshelves for good quality. All depends on your budget however.

I've heard mixed things about the klipsch pro medias though.
 
FinalAura said:
Lol. Do you really need 5.1 sound? A lot of people prefer 2.1 for music.
These are thought of highly around here, and good for the price. I have a set myself and I love them.
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/prod...desktop/p/swan-m10/cPath/21_24/products_id/89

The audio gurus around here will :facepalm: you for posting the speakers you posted and tell you to get a receiver and some bookshelves for good quality. All depends on your budget however.

I've heard mixed things about the klipsch pro medias though.
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My budget is around $200, preferably under it. I'm a newbie when it comes to audio, sorry. Not looking for anything "amazing" just something to fit the bill of decent computer speakers around $200.
 
Dude, if you're going to link things, at least give people a preview as to what they're linking to. Nobody wants to click on 5 different links just to see a rundown of your choices. Believe me, most of the people whose advice you want will know your choices by name anyways.

For example, "Hey, check out these Swan M10s!" reads better than "Hey, check out these: http://www.theaudioinsider.com/prod...desktop/p/swan-m10/cPath/21_24/products_id/89 !" It's just good etiquette, especially when you're asking for advice.

Moving on... the Swans come highly recommended as probably the best "desktop speaker" options out there for 2.1. Google up some reviews for verification. At $125 shipped, they're a solid buy and they look pretty damned sexy to boot. (Btw, to put my money where my mouth is, I have a set arriving tomorrow sometime. I probably won't be able to do a review for another week or so, though.)

I'd think about how bad you really need 5.1. I use a headset when I want surround sound, but mainly b/c I'm not really into the time/space and pain in the ass of setting up a surround soundstage for PC use and the extra cost associated with doing a solid 5.1 setup.

-S
 
Mmmm. I went back and edited it myself almost immediately after posting, but what exactly did you change?

-S
 
semisonic9 said:
Mmmm. I went back and edited it myself almost immediately after posting, but what exactly did you change?

-S
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What you told me to change :confused: I added the names to the URL links so people know what they're clicking.

Also, how are the Klipsch IFI's compared to the Swan M10's?

Also, what soundcard should I get to go along with new speakers? The HT Omega Striker has some really good reviews on Newegg.
 
Here we start to really get into preferences, and are mainly limited by your price range.

-S
 
I've been looking into the Swans and there seems to be a Swan M12, is there any discernible difference between that and the M10?
 
Depends on how sensitive you are. Alot of people complain about the looks of the M12 compared to the M10 as well.

But supposedly, technically, the M12 ARE better in terms of audio quality.

If you can handle a 2.0 setup (lacks a bit of bass), the best are the Swan D1080MKII so far (to maximize the $200) or the M-Audio AV40 for even cheaper (but not as good). If not, get the Behringer MS40 with a Dayton 8" subwoofer. It will cost a little bit over $200 but not much more.

Otherwise, settle for the M10.
 
Alai said:
Depends on how sensitive you are. Alot of people complain about the looks of the M12 compared to the M10 as well.

But supposedly, technically, the M12 ARE better in terms of audio quality.

If you can handle a 2.0 setup (lacks a bit of bass), the best are the Swan D1080MKII so far (to maximize the $200) or the M-Audio AV40 for even cheaper (but not as good). If not, get the Behringer MS40 with a Dayton 8" subwoofer. It will cost a little bit over $200 but not much more.

Otherwise, settle for the M10.
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Well I don't want too little of a bass, as I do listen to some rock. It looks like I'm looking at the M10 right now.
 
I would go for a home theater setup. That's what I'm using and i don't have any complaints.
 
Swans m10 have bass, so no worries there. If you need more, you can adjust the eq of whatever player you want. Its not thumping bass, though its nice and clean. If you need that bumping bass, you'll have to add a sub.
 
Will a new sound card such as the Asus Xonar make a noticeable difference in audio quality from Onboard Audio?
 
Yes. But I would recommend instead of a soundcard, to get a standalone DAC, and run a S/PDIF line from your onboard audio to the DAC. Then the DAC to the powered monitors your looking at. That will sound amazing. If you don't have S/PDIF, then there are also great USB DAC's.
 
I would give Audioengine A2 a try if you listen to music mostly. From the spec it seems more promising than the M-Audio AV40. You won't regret it.

dL
 
area5x2 said:
Well I don't want too little of a bass, as
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Then you should avoid the M10 like the plague. For music at moderate (read: low) volumes the M10 is a good choice but I wouldn't touch it for gaming or movies.

It all depends on what you're going to be doing with it. If music is the most important thing and what you're going to be doing with the system the majority of the time then the recommendations here are good. If its 30 percent music and 70 percent gaming and movies then as far as I'm concerned all the subless and surroundless suggestions here suck.
 
I don't value surround very much and I play games waaay more than I play music by itself (I like to play music while I play games too).

I prefer higher quality sound.

I also don't currently have a sub and I think it's fine.
 
Alai said:
I don't value surround very much and I play games waaay more than I play music by itself (I like to play music while I play games too).

I prefer higher quality sound.

I also don't currently have a sub and I think it's fine.
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Well then you're willing to give up 100% of the benefit of surround and 50% of the benefit of low end in order to gain 20 or 30 percent better performance in mids/highs. For me that math doesn't even come close to adding up.

If that's what you personally like then that's your prerogative, but people around here advocate that philosophy like it's the only valid one, which it isn't. For a movie and gaming rig I'd take the Z5500s over the M10s every single time.

Not having a sub for games and (especially) movies isn't fine either, it sucks. People watch movies at my house and practically crap their pants when they realize how much of the audio spectrum they've been missing on their shitty subless systems.
 
Nicolaskl said:
Well then you're willing to give up 100% of the benefit of surround and 50% of the benefit of low end in order to gain 20 or 30 percent better performance in mids/highs. For me that math doesn't even come close to adding up.

If that's what you personally like then that's your prerogative, but people around here advocate that philosophy like it's the only valid one, which it isn't. For a movie and gaming rig I'd take the Z5500s over the M10s every single time.

Not having a sub for games and (especially) movies isn't fine either, it sucks. People watch movies at my house and practically crap their pants when they realize how much of the audio spectrum they've been missing on their shitty subless systems.
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I'm kind of worried that the Z5500's boomy bass might severely overwhelm its mids and highs, that and it's out of my price range :p
 
Well, if I had the budget for Z5500, I would definitely get a sub. And a sub that's NOT from Logitech is a sub I would rather have. I would especially avoid their crappy satellites.
 
If I were to get a DAC, which one should I get? I have optical S/PDIF In/Out ports on my motherboard. Nothing too expensive preferably.
 
I got into audio engineering many years ago and think you're looking at the wrong stuff. I've been through the whole Creative, Altec Lansing, Logitech, Klipsch range of things before realising that many of these products are for a niche purpose of sound reproduction.

Why not hit up a niche with a similar seating arrangement but a focus on quality rather than LCD readouts and flashy design? :)

I'm using Genelecs now, but push many people to try out Behringer Truth B2031A studio monitors. They aren't expensive, are based off the more expensive Mackies and I can promise you you'll shit your pants. Never again will you even consider buying speakers marketed for general computer use.

I've told so many friends and workmates and they all swear by them. They are all preaching to others too.

Good luck and happy listening :D
 
I tried a pair of M-Audio Studio Pro 4's once, but ultimately switched back to the Klipsch 4.1's for the desktop. The M-Audio's were great if I sat in one exact position, but that's rarely the case. The Klipsch have a much smaller physical footprint that makes finding a home for them a bit easier IMO. There's 4 of course, so gaming proved more engaging with surround. For critical listening, I always lean on headphones anyway.
 
Good info Ribby, I had forgotten about Genelec and Behringer. They make some great sounding monitors for the price. OP, definitely look into those. Either the Behringer MS40 or the MS20 are what I would get. They have a built in DAC, so you can connect a S/PDIF line directly to them.
 
I've been hearing some bad things about the MS40's (mainly from zZounds) so I'm leaning towards the M-Audio AV-40's. I'm also thinking about getting a subwoofer to go along with the AV-40's. Would the built-in DAC make all that of a difference for the MS40?
 
I think this will be my final choice. Does this look good?

AV-40
X-Fi Titanium
Dayton Sub-10

What is a recommendable way to connect the whole thing to the X-Fi?
 
area5x2 said:
I think this will be my final choice. Does this look good?

AV-40
X-Fi Titanium
Dayton Sub-10

What is a recommendable way to connect the whole thing to the X-Fi?
Click to expand...

It is easy to connect. All that you need is a pair of 1/8th stereo to rca cables which you can get at places like monoprice, ramelectronics for cheap. Just plug those into the x-fi and connect to your av40s and sub. There are separate outputs on the x-fi for this. Select 2.1 speakers and boom.

I would say that you should try for a BIC sub over a Dayton if you can afford it. I believe they are still under $200 shipped even for the V1220 which is a beast.
 
Is the crossover configured automatically or how should I do that so that the low frequencies get sent to the sub and the higher frequencies to the speakers?
 
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