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Thinking about buying these today , I am not a big gamer or really need much for what I do.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6836121048

If you're going to use them mostly for music then $50 more will get you these:
http://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-Premi ... B000VKEFMS

jihadjoe wrote:

If you're going to use them mostly for music then $50 more will get you these:
http://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-Premi ... B000VKEFMS

Yeah I agree with this. They're just much better speakers all together. The ones OP linked are gonna be LOUD and BOOMY, but those A2's will sound so much better.

A bit more troublesome, but what I'd actually do (if it was me buying) is shop around in the Home Audio section for speakers. They often have great deals. If you stick to 8Ω stuff it's pretty easy to drive with a cheap Lepai T-amp.

Just browsing around now and setting the price filter to $100-$200 I found these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6882780027
$179 for Klipsch floorstanders! That's a super deal, IMO. Add in the Lepai amp and you'll be golden.

There's also Pioneer's Andrew Jones' designed bookshelf speakers for $129, which plus the amp is just about the same price as the initial Logitechs. Or previous gen towers for about $150.

Pioneer FS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6882117403
Pioneer BS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6882117424

Self-powered Studio Monitors often provide substantially better sound quality than most computer speakers. You just have to be sure that you're getting a pair which are magnetically shielded.

So Audioengine is worth it then? Massdrop frequently offers the A2+ for the price of the A2.

Those Klipsch have a $50 rebate too, if you're into that sort of thing.

For the price, you could consider the Dayton Audio B652's with a DTA-1 T-amp. I just got this setup. It sounds good and the price is right.

At $129, these Hercules XPS 20 80 will be way better bang for your buck than the audioengine A2. Plus, they should get you better bass response (especially extension) with their 4" vs the 2.75". These normally go for Around $170 or more (eg,Musician's Friend, Amazon, zzsouds). At $129, I wouldn't look any further for a pair of powered monitors for gaming and music. Fidelity will be way superior to any Logitech 2.1 system.

After a quick search, the only review I could find was in Dutch (Google translate to the rescue). Once you get to the $200 mark, you get into other monitors that would give these competition. But if looking for something under $150 (and particularly $129), I doubt anything else would beat the build quality and performance of these.

Do think about AudioEngines - great sound for the money.

Too bad Swans are so hard to get

cynan wrote:

At $129, these Hercules XPS 20 80 will be way better bang for your buck than the audioengine A2. Plus, they should get you better bass response (especially extension) with their 4" vs the 2.75". These normally go for Around $170 or more (eg,Musician's Friend, Amazon, zzsouds). At $129, I wouldn't look any further for a pair of powered monitors for gaming and music. Fidelity will be way superior to any Logitech 2.1 system.

After a quick search, the only review I could find was in Dutch (Google translate to the rescue). Once you get to the $200 mark, you get into other monitors that would give these competition. But if looking for something under $150 (and particularly $129), I doubt anything else would beat the build quality and performance of these.

Those Hercules speakers look awesome

The Egg wrote:

You just have to be sure that you're getting a pair which are magnetically shielded.

Why? The two big reasons were CRTs and maybe wiping floppys. CRTs are long gone as monitors and even if you still have a boot floppy lying around, as long as you don't stick it on top of the speaker itself it should be OK.

notfred wrote:

The Egg wrote:

You just have to be sure that you're getting a pair which are magnetically shielded.

Why? The two big reasons were CRTs and maybe wiping floppys. CRTs are long gone as monitors and even if you still have a boot floppy lying around, as long as you don't stick it on top of the speaker itself it should be OK.

I'd be mostly concerned about mechanical (aka magnetic) hard drives. I haven't done any testing myself, but I can't imagine that putting one in close proximity to a large magnet is a good idea.

The Egg wrote:

I'd be mostly concerned about mechanical (aka magnetic) hard drives. I haven't done any testing myself, but I can't imagine that putting one in close proximity to a large magnet is a good idea.

Not to worry. The sheer amount of coercivity a read/write head must overcome to flip magnetic cells in a vanishingly small area means the mostly-static EM fields from a speaker magnet/voice coil assembly haven't a chance on scrambling your bits. No, the whole danger from speakers was the purple fringes in your CRT-based TVs back in the days of Cro-Magnon Man, especially tweeter magnet assemblies.

Captain Ned wrote:

The Egg wrote:

I'd be mostly concerned about mechanical (aka magnetic) hard drives. I haven't done any testing myself, but I can't imagine that putting one in close proximity to a large magnet is a good idea.

Not to worry. The sheer amount of coercivity a read/write head must overcome to flip magnetic cells in a vanishingly small area means the mostly-static EM fields from a speaker magnet/voice coil assembly haven't a chance on scrambling your bits. No, the whole danger from speakers was the purple fringes in your CRT-based TVs back in the days of Cro-Magnon Man, especially tweeter magnet assemblies.

Putting your collection of VHS tapes on top of the speaker cabinet wasn't a good idea either.

But yeah, due to their extremely high bit density, modern HDD platters need to have very high coercivity to keep adjacent bits from flipping each other. The write head flies just a few nanometers above the platter surface, and creates a very intense magnetic field over a very small area to write the bits.

The Egg wrote:

I'd be mostly concerned about mechanical (aka magnetic) hard drives. I haven't done any testing myself, but I can't imagine that putting one in close proximity to a large magnet is a good idea.

Speaker magnets are way weaker than the magnets in the HDD itself that are used for the head positioning.

NovusBogus wrote:

So Audioengine is worth it then? Massdrop frequently offers the A2+ for the price of the A2.

Yes, as an Audioengine user I'd happily recommend them. Massdrop is the cheapest place to snag them unless AE does a rare special promo code deal. I previously used a Logitech Z-5300 5.1 system, and moving to a 2.0 setup left me quite impressed with how much better the bass clarity and definition improved.

notfred wrote:

The Egg wrote:

I'd be mostly concerned about mechanical (aka magnetic) hard drives. I haven't done any testing myself, but I can't imagine that putting one in close proximity to a large magnet is a good idea.

Speaker magnets are way weaker than the magnets in the HDD itself that are used for the head positioning.

Yeah, no kidding. Those neodymium rare-earth magnets are stronger than anything else in the house. I make sure to snag them out of every failed HDD I can.

tsoulier wrote:

Thinking about buying these today , I am not a big gamer or really need much for what I do.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6836121048

I have those speakers. They are awful for music.
Would not recommend at any price.

Another vote for a proper pair of powered monitors or a bookshelf+amp combo kit. A good set of 2.1s will do fine for personal theater duty or gaming (and in any case, the Best Buy exclusive Klipsch 2.1 is a hard deal to beat), but any near-field 2.1 setup severely distorts the soundfield for music.

Most people will use a 2.1 setup that way without noticing the difference, but once you've heard the imaging capabilities of a good monitor or bookshelf setup, you'll wonder how you ever thought the 2.1 system was worth the money.

If you're looking at a 2.0 system you can put together yourself, check out this sticky thread from Reddit

A brief note about speakers for desktop/PC use. Speaker systems are designed for one of several specific uses: going from largest to smallest, these are stadium/concert, large room, small room, and near field monitor. A near field application is one in which the vast majority of the sound is intended to be direct from the loudspeaker, with very little reflected or reverberant sound. The distinction between small room and near field monitor may seem arbitrary, but it is basically comes down to this - if in the design process you're trying to compensate for the lack of perceived bass six feet from the speaker, you're probably designing a small room speaker. If you're not, you're designing a near field monitor.

A well-designed, small nearfield monitor like the A2+ will sound better on the desktop than even a good small bookshelf speaker powered by a competent amp. The A2+ has proper compensation designed into the line stage, and there's no cost wasted on crossover components. Money spent on a dedicated powered desktop setup, assuming that it will always be used for that purpose, is money better spent.

I agree with the others; you can do much better than the Logitech or similar systems for not much more outlay. The Audioengine A2/+ is a good option for a small, self-contained package.

If you're willing to go with external amplification and can wait until next month—they're out of stock—consider the Affordable Accuracy monitors ($150/pair introductory price) from Philharmonic Audio. These are the Pioneer SP-BS22-LRs that were mentioned earlier but modified with a Vifa tweeter and a reworked crossover designed by one of the foremost experts, Dennis Murphy. (Murphy's Philharmonic also makes arguably one of the best speakers money can buy, the Philharmonic 3 at $3300/pair.) The changes should neutralize the warm tonal balance in stock form.

You will want to raise your speakers to ear level and clear off the desk to reduce early reflections and excessive (and uneven) bass reinforcement.

When looking at high end speakers be sure to check the dimensions because a lot of these things are huge and unlikely to fit comfortably on your $30 Ikea desk that has barely enough room for the ramen as it is.

I love how the OP's budget always needs to be stretched just a little more in these types of threads.

OP, since you said you don't really need more for you applications. Just find a nice 2.0 setup around your budget. Several nice 2.0 systems have been recommended already in this thread.

These should serve you just fine: http://www.amazon.com/Creative-GigaWork ... aworks+t40

The Egg wrote:

Self-powered Studio Monitors often provide substantially better sound quality than most computer speakers. You just have to be sure that you're getting a pair which are magnetically shielded.

Seconded. You can get a pair of gen 2 Rokit5's for $200, and they'll blow any PC speakers out of the water.

Hey if he mails in the rebate coupon for the Klipschs in my second suggestion it's almost inside the original $150 budget.

I think It's still a killer deal, $129 for a pair of floorstanders that would otherwise cost $400. Being floorstanders they should extend lower than bookshelves or studio monitors and not need a sub, but again being floorstanders there is the issue of needing quite a bit more floor space.

Those Klipsh speakers are $179 each, not for the pair. I bet they're nice, but really not in the price range you listed.

But seriously: Logitech sucks for anything that is supposed to provide clarity and bass. Sucks bad. They're as good as any other brand for getting a set of powered computer speakers for $10-15, but their "fancy" stuff is just horrible. I'm speaking from personal experience.

I agree with the others: a good 2.0 stereo is the way to go.

Against others' recommendations, I don't recommend bargain basement studio monitors. I've heard many of them, and they are just as colored and cloudy as a lot of the speakers you want to avoid. (Really good studio monitors, on the otherhand, are fantastic!) I'd stay away from all of the studio monitors less than $300/pr.

Get yourself a pair of bookshelf speakers meant for home stereo that you can put on your desk, and a cheap two-channel receiver (or class-T amp) to power them. I strongly recommend http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117405 Someone else mentioned these above, but this is a better price: here they are $80 for the pair, or $50 if the mail-in rebate works. They are clear sounding and have surprising bass for their size. They are neutral and can get loud. They'll sound acceptable setting on a desk, better if you put them on foam isolation pads (so the vibration doesn't turn your desk into a resonant, mid-bass "speaker" of sorts). And they'll sound better still if you put them on some cheap stand-alone speaker stands.

A pair of decent book shelf speakers powered by a two channel home receiver (or surround receiver, doesn't matter) will sound dramatically clearer and more real than any set of computer speakers. And will likely give you a better sounding stereo than 90% of the people you know.

Milo Burke wrote:

Against others' recommendations, I don't recommend bargain basement studio monitors. I've heard many of them, and they are just as colored and cloudy as a lot of the speakers you want to avoid. (Really good studio monitors, on the otherhand, are fantastic!) I'd stay away from all of the studio monitors less than $300/pr.

Well sure. Compared to $400 and up monitors, a set of $200/pair will generally be vastly inferior. But relative to that Logitech 2.1 system, most should be very good indeed. Yes, the cheaper monitors tend to be more colored. But who cares. He's not using them for mixing. As for cloudy? Again, relative to those Logitechs..

I do agree, though, that going the desk amplifer/passive speaker route is a decent alternative. However, you're not going to likely find a pairing to match those Hercules active monitors I linked to above at $130. But perhaps starting around >$200 with something like these Miccas for speakers and something like this for the amp

And I don't see the utility of recommending floor standers - or even most bookshelves. These are meant for nearfield application. The imaging with floor standers is going to suck when at your desk (unless your desk is in the middle of the room)

I've heard a handful of cheap studio monitors, but certainly not a comprehensive list, and not the Hercules you've mentioned.

With the cheap studio monitors I've heard, yes, they are more clear and have less frequency aberrations than the Logitechs (or any other computer speakers I've heard). No question there. But they're still not as clear and still have more frequency aberrations than several brands of cost effective-bookshelf speakers I've found (and mentioned). Of course, nothing beats a shootout. That would be fun to participate in.

Recommending floorstanders to someone who needs speakers for his desk is silly. It will always depend on the buyer's needs. That said, if the floorstanders put the tweeters at the right height, I've discovered I prefer them: not only is the bass response generally better, but they tend to be more efficient as well, and the price increase to get the floorstanders is often less than the cost of speaker stands (which bookshelf speakers and studio monitors need to shine anyway).

Personally, I would call either the Pioneer set or the Micca set a coin toss. Either one is the right size and price point for a basic desktop monitor.

I'm at work after-hours often enough to enjoy tunes at proper listening levels, and although my system was custom built, it's in the same ballpark: 5-inch woofer, 1-inch dome tweeter, ported box, roughly 85dB efficiency, and amplified at 40W/channel. Bass falls off below 50Hz but the accuracy and detail across the audible range is incredible, and the imaging is spot-on. Nearfield listening with a small, good pair of bookshelf speakers is a genuine treat.

ludi wrote:

Personally, I would call either the Pioneer set or the Micca set a coin toss. Either one is the right size and price point for a basic desktop monitor.

I'm at work after-hours often enough to enjoy tunes at proper listening levels, and although my system was custom built, it's in the same ballpark: 5-inch woofer, 1-inch dome tweeter, ported box, roughly 85dB efficiency, and amplified at 40W/channel. Bass falls off below 50Hz but the accuracy and detail across the audible range is incredible, and the imaging is spot-on. Nearfield listening with a small, good pair of bookshelf speakers is a genuine treat.

Well said, sir.