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Decent 2.0 speakers?

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Aynjell

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
I need some decent but cheap 2.0 speakers. I'd like to play music from my server if at all possible. :)

Has to give solid sound throughout, I guess. Not audiophile quality, but something that doesn't take up much space and plays music decently. If you own them and use them that's even better.
 
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Go to Best Buy and grab a pair of JBL silver speakers. They are great. 49$ I think.
 
Best Buy has (or used to) have 2.0 Igsignia's that went on sale every so often for $50. The crowd over at avsforum loves them for the price.
 
Best Buy has (or used to) have 2.0 Igsignia's that went on sale every so often for $50. The crowd over at avsforum loves them for the price.

The Insignias have gone up in price a bit after everyone found out how good they sounded for the price. In the same price range would be something from www.thespeakercompany.com. They would also need an amp, a $30 T-amp would probably be sufficient, and sound very nice. The T-amps can be purchased from Parts Express, and they are also being sold by various vendors on e-bay.

I think something like the insignias, or a pair of speakers from The Speaker Company, along with a T-amp could be put together for under $100 and would sound much better than any pc speaker system for the same price.
 
I wonder what the OP has for outputs to play music 'from his server'? Anyhow I will just post regarding Audioengine powered speakers. I got a pair of A2 used and they are very good for music and games and are quite compact although a little deep for their overall size. They reproduce the full range for most all music aside from maybe organ music (obviously) and perhaps some artifically low electronic music. No 'impact' from bass but the music is all there and they can even cause a very slight vibration in my desk. The SQ overall is fantastic, with good imaging and slightly forward but generally neutral voicing. I think I need to make little stands to put them at ear level for even better sound :D They aren't particularly cheap new is all. I just wonder how good the A5 is after hearing these - same thing with a touch more bass would be awesome.
 
I need some decent but cheap 2.0 speakers. I'd like to play music from my server if at all possible. :)

Has to give solid sound throughout, I guess. Not audiophile quality, but something that doesn't take up much space and plays music decently. If you own them and use them that's even better.

Budget? Powered or passive? Space constraints?
 
Spend a few more dollars and get something good, or save more money. The upgrade path will be cheaper in the long run. Id look into Audio Engine A2s. They run about $200. Theyre not really audiophile quality, but its extreme bang for the buck. Theyre active (integrated amp) speakers, so you dont have much to hook up.
 
Spend a few more dollars and get something good, or save more money. The upgrade path will be cheaper in the long run. Id look into Audio Engine A2s. They run about $200. Theyre not really audiophile quality, but its extreme bang for the buck. Theyre active (integrated amp) speakers, so you dont have much to hook up.

I can't say this enough: This is for my server. It just has to play sound. *sigh*
 
If it "just has to play sound" I would go with the cheapest you can find. If not, I like my Creative GigaWorks T20 for $90 they aren't too expensive and have good sound output.
 
I can't say this enough: This is for my server. It just has to play sound. *sigh*


If this is all you need, just get something cheap from a well known brand like Logitech or Creative as they have a reputation for reliability. We all have different opinions on what sounds "good", or even tolerable. "Cheap" is relative too, $50 speakers are cheap to some of us. After listening to quality speakers, I just can't listen to anything cheap because I know it doesn't sound right and there are parts of the music the cheap speakers aren't reproducing.

For $20 speakers, these have pretty good reviews.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836116030

Just remember that there is a limit to the quality of sound you are going to get from $20, for a lot of us, these wouldn't even be tolerable. Personally, if I were going for a bare minimum setup I would get a bargain set of bookshelf speakers like:
http://www.thespeakercompany.com/P5-PR-525-2-way-Bookshelf-Speaker-Pair-P42C6.aspx
I would find an old amp from a yard sale or thrift store, these can be had for about $10, or I would get a t-amp. The improvement in sound compared to the "multimedia" speakers would be exponential. If you are posting here for advice about speakers, then you probably care about sound quality. If you care about sound quality, you are likely to not be satisfied with the Creative speakers and will end up replacing them eventually. Save the $20 and get something decent the first time around.
 
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I actually traded dripnazi my antec 900 for a 19" monitor, some jbl creatures, and a power supply. APparently my case was much more valuable to him. :)
 
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