Next Best Thing

C

Chuwy

n00b
Joined
Sep 17, 2008
Messages
28
Well.

The Swan M10s are out of stock till who knows when (late September). But the real kicker is the the system I actually wanted to buy (incredibly badly) went out of stock the same day I was about to buy it.

So what is my best course of action now? My budget is under $100 and I'm using a laptop.
 
The edifiers are still in stock in Canada, and if they went out of stock in the states, they'll be back soon... the swans m-10s are discontinued I thought.

just wait a few weeks max.
 
If you're looking for a pair of desktop speakers, either the Behringer MS20 or MS40 or the M-Audio AV40 are probably your best bet. They are a little over 100 the last time I checked but well worth the price. The Edifier are actually listed under $100 but come with a subwoofer (which is great but less portable), however, shipping costs are a killer because they come from Canada and weigh alot.

For speakers that are grand total under $100 and still sound good... I can't help you. Try to find the Edifier S330D, Behringer MS20 or MS40, or the M-Audio AV40 used. Try the head-fi.org forums.

Edit: My bad. You're right.
 
Since 2 guys posted the same wrong info...

The Swan M10s are coming back, at a higher price, sometime in the next month or more. The OP had the right of it.

The Swans were sweet for the money, but they'll be hard to recommend if they come back to life in the $150 range.

-S
 
semisonic9 said:
The Swan M10s are coming back, at a higher price, sometime in the next month or more. The OP had the right of it.
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Not entirely "wrong," perhaps. I think the M10 discontinuation is a bit like the KSC35 discontinuation...they cut it off then later realized there was substantial money in making another batch.

Not that "maybe coming back sometime at some price" is much help to the OP.
 
Whoa seriously? Awesome.

Yeah I wouldn't buy it for that price. I have the z-5500, enough comp speakers >_<.. going bookshelves next.

They do look really nice though.
 
ashmedai said:
Not entirely "wrong," perhaps. I think the M10 discontinuation is a bit like the KSC35 discontinuation...they cut it off then later realized there was substantial money in making another batch.

Not that "maybe coming back sometime at some price" is much help to the OP.
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Lol. I knew I had some kind of kernel of truth in what I said. I've seen everyone say that it was discontinued And I haven't bothered looking at M10 information since then. I thought maybe I made a really off-the-mark mistake there.
 
As popular as they were for budget systems, I don't think anyone will mind being wrong when/if they come back anyway. :D
 
how DO the Behringer MS40s sound anyways? There's 10 left in stock @ provantage for $103, so with any luck it'll be the same price as the edifiers I was about to buy.
 
Behringers are supposed to be solid. I'd run a search on these forums, (and the interweb) or hope somebody with more experience than myself comes by to expound on these thoughts, but both the Behringers and the Edifiers seem to come up repeatedly as top choices in this price bracket. *shrug*

-S
 
I personally own a Behringer mixer as well as a previous owner of a Behringer bass amp.

The mixer has some issues with hissing but mainly the USB interface it came with is totally a piece of junk (because of constant static hiss that is being recorded thru it regardless of having anything actually plugged into it).

The amp had to be returned because the power supply was malfunctioning (delayed turn on, started at about 5 second delay all the way to the point that it was minutes of waiting for it to finally turn on). Since I had a guitarcenter warranty on it, they replaced it right away.

I have only owned two Behringer products, but of those two, they both have pretty bad issues and I have heard that many other people feel the same way I do with the quality of their products.

Therefore, I do not recommend Behringer for anything unless you want to do something cheap and don't want it to last a long time. Behringer amps in particular are loud, but the tone is what you pay for: nothing close to what you really are wanting unless you don't have ear.

M-Audio on the other hand makes sweet stuff! If it was me, I'd look into the M-Audio stuff a bit.
 
alright, so now im just waiting for the edifiers to get back in stock. in the meantime, im still thinking about whether or not this is a smart decision for a high school student on a 20/week allowance. If i were to for speakers with a pricepoint south of this one, what would be the next best thing?
 
That's why you don't buy Behringer MIXERS or AMPS the same way you don't buy Logitech's crap audio systems.

You get Behringer MS20 or MS40 and you get Logitech keyboards and mice. That's it. Nothing else from them. But damn, the stuff you are SUPPOSED to buy from them are nice.
 
Using a laptop? You probably want a USB powered monitor setup for best results.

Most laptops have an spdif output but if it is the cheapo kind like on my laptop, it is unlikely to work at all. If you have an optical output or an external sound card, that is different. I can show you some other products.

For $100 and USB, this is what I like.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/M1Act320USB/
 
Alai said:
That's why you don't buy Behringer MIXERS or AMPS the same way you don't buy Logitech's crap audio systems.

You get Behringer MS20 or MS40 and you get Logitech keyboards and mice. That's it. Nothing else from them. But damn, the stuff you are SUPPOSED to buy from them are nice.
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I found that a little bogus. I offered my facts and my opinion from those facts. A review from ZZsounds.com said this about the MS20's:

Quality:
Very low-quality drivers. Can't tell about the electronics. These don't seems to be designed like some of the more expensive "monitors" (no active crossover), which is expected at this price.

Value:
Cheap, but don't deliver where it matters - the sound. In the end you get far less than what you paid for.
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For 100 bucks, there is much better speakers in general than going with a company that puts out loud but not quality speakers. For example I have used several Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speaker sets (my old roommate, two of my current roommates, two of my friends) and they are reliable, tested by THX to show they produce accurate enough sound to be of George Lucas' taste, and sometimes you can find them around 100 bucks.

As I said, if you want something loud, cheap, and don't need it to last a long time, then Behringer might be a good choice. But for most people who are asking us to give them advice for getting good all around speakers, I'd actually like to tell them to get something quality.
 
I really don't think you're going to find THAT much better for $100. Klipsch is decent but as you said... "sometimes" you can find them around $100.

Honestly, I don't think that consumer's review said much. It basically said, "You can find better for more money. This one is cheap because it's cheap." Wow. I could have told you that one.

I think the next best alternative would have to be the Edifier S330D.
 
Klipsch Promedia 2.1's: even if they are refurbished or used (can't actually find words that say it's new) 77 bucks is in the ballpark. :p http://www.topsale-electronics.com/product_info.php?products_id=476

For laptops, almost all of their onboard sound cards suck. I haven't actually used any of the express card sound cards but I'm sure they can deliver better than a sound card. Regardless, it'll cost some to increase your sound quality by getting a new sound card...
 
Klipsch Promedias have NO MIDRANGE, flabby ass boom box bass and PIERCING highs. I know, I had 2.1, 4.1, 5.1 ultra. They all sucked.

Never recommend them again.
 
its doesn't have to be usb because the laptop is a desktop replacement anyways and the outlet is like, 3 feet away. thx tho.
 
well, I just found a deal on craigslist for some z-2300s going for $75. I can pick them up tomorrow. So whaddaya say guys? Is 60 bucks worth the increase in sound quality and decrease in sound volume? I live in a small dorm room, and my laptop has realtek sound. any ideas?
 
Mmm. You'll find a lot of people around here hating on the z-2300s, but that might be hard to pass up for $75. It's kind of borderline for me, though, and I guess it depends on your financial situation. I'd usually rather fork out a few extra bucks to make sure I'm satisfied with the crap I buy than live with something sub-standard for years at a time.

Still, I like a good bargain. Any chance you can haggle him down further? You could always try to sell them later if you don't like them.

-S
 
I love my logitech mouse. I had a decent headset + mic combo awhile ago that was great (for like $12). Also heard good things about their webcams.

-S
 
Logitech, Creative, Klipsch pc speakers all suxor the mucho macho. Bose too of course, can't ever forget them.

Just glad the word is finally getting out. My crusade is slowly finding purchase in the minds and hearts here.

The Z-2300s are worth $40 used tops. I would much prefer you get some decent headphones for the $$. If I was rich, I would buy everyone of these youngsters some Koss Sb40s just to get them started down the right path.
 
Augh, spaceman, you tear my heart out. I really have no other choice for 75 dollars.
 
What city are you in? Try an ebay search with your zip code and see if there are any local deals. Craigslist too.
 
semisonic9 said:
I love my logitech mouse. I had a decent headset + mic combo awhile ago that was great (for like $12). Also heard good things about their webcams.
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You're getting my Ikari Laser from my cold dead hands. It's like a Deathadder all over again, except this time the guy making the casing wasn't an idiot.


Chuwy said:
Augh, spaceman, you tear my heart out. I really have no other choice for 75 dollars.
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If true, you're looking at a $20 discount to let them trade you crap speakers for fairly decent speakers. It doesn't exactly sound like a very good trade to me, especially not on something you plan to use for a couple years...:confused:
 
oh, and the biggest problem is, most of the stuff on craigslist, unless they are specifically made for computers, I have idea how to hook them up. my guess is i would need a reciever, which i have neither the space, or the money for.

anyone willing to take a look on boston.craigslist for me? my budget is just slightly north of $100.
 
Chuwy said:
oh, and the biggest problem is, most of the stuff on craigslist, unless they are specifically made for computers, I have idea how to hook them up. my guess is i would need a reciever, which i have neither the space, or the money for.
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T-amps are very small and cost ~$50ish.
 
The BX5s would be great. Should be easy enough to hook up to a sound card and he has cables for you too. Just ask him how to hook them up. Those are so much better than the 2300s it isn't funny. Like 5X better especially in the midrange.
 
I'll say it again, listen to them.

Yeah, all the people who are here don't recommend them/hate them because they like their sound, but these won't sound like 10$ speakers from 10 years ago. Give them a listen, they might be more than enough for you. This place is known as logitech speaker hate :p

That being said, 'sound quality wise' yes there are better options, but if you find yourself struggling for options in that price range, go give them a listen and decide yourself.
 
Adreneline said:
This place is known as logitech speaker hate :p
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I don't hate 'em, I just think they usually cost too much for the quality you're getting. Irrespective of any arguments about build quality - try listen to a recording with meaningful mid to low range sounds through a 2" dynamic driver then through a 5" dynamic driver. It's not a fair fight if you can get both for the same price.
 
Wait, where did you find a motherboard with no audio output? If you were just overlooking it, what output options does it have, what's the audio chip etc?
 
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