Best PC Speakers for 2009?

I've got an old pair of (2.1) PC speakers that I've been using since 2004 (Samsung), they worked perfectly fine (200W sub, 2x 14W speakers) and they just died on me - so obviously I'm looking for a replacement...

Most of my time is spent watching shows on my PC (TV), gaming, and some music - I am by far not a music audiofile expert but I appreciate quality sound. I'm looking to spend between $75 - $200 (USD) for a nicer pair of speakers - now the only question is ... which ones ...

I've done some reading and 2 things really suprised me:
1- I would have assumed (5.1) was the way of the future, but for my needs (and in general) most reviewers seem to recommend (2.1) instead, for the price/quality that is
2- The highest rated speakers are from 2004 !...!

Seems the general concensus is the following:
1- (2.1) Logitech Z-2300
2- (2.1) Altec Lansing's VS2321
3- (2.1) Harman Kardon Soundsticks

Seriously ... the best on the market is still an old 2004 PC speakers...?
I do not have a hard time believing that (2.1) is best for my needs (and price) but to go for a system like the Logitech Z-2300 (from 2004..?)

So, obviously I'm here looking for feedback, I love "nifty" speakers (like the SoundSticks which look like an awsome Jellyfish) but they still have to work well (15W sub is pretty pathetic no?) ....

Any comments, feedback, ideas, etc... would be much appreciated - having a hard time swallowing that in 2009 I'll be buying 2004 speakers again...
Thanks,

pc speakers haven't come very far in the last few years. In fact, I've had the same set of harmon kardon soundsticks II since 2005, and they're doing quite fine. If you can get your hands on the klipsch 2.1 set from quite a few years ago, they were pretty nice.

The fact is, there aren't really any good computer speakers....period. When the boomy muddy....cheap....logitech Zxxx systems are the best available, it certainly shows that most people spend more time overclocking then listening to music.

If you want decent sound, your only real option is to run your sound out to a separate receiver, and get a nice set of bookshelf speakers and a sub.

Don't you find the SoundSticks "weak"? Personally I find they look really nice but looking at the specs and comparing with the Z2300 they seem rather lacking ... What do you think? They were my first choice until I noticed the sub was like 45W or something like that ...

As for PC speakers sucking ... true but for the price of a real system they are still cheap ... no?

If used with decent drivers, 45 "real" Watts is a lot. A bloody lot, in fact. For example, I own a pair of speakers with 10" subs, capable of more excursion than the ever-so-famous (and crappy!) Z-5500 one. Logitech marks their subwoofer for 188W. My speakers peak at around 50W a piece.

You can't judge by Wattage, Wattage doesn't matter. 10W can be five times louder on one speaker than another.

If you can't judge by Wattage what can I use to compare and find the best speakers/price? There has to be a spec more important then most...

All specs combined (THD, IMD, SNR, SPL, Wattage, and about 50 other funny acronyms) make up how good a speaker is. What I tend to look the most at is THD (distortion), which should be under <1% at the most, combined with SPL/1W and Wattage ratings. Good systems have <0.1% at their rated power, however, computer speakers are usually rated at 10%, which is ****. You can remove 10-20% of the output power to get what power you can suck without the speakers sounding like total crap.

Then comes SPL, which is a killer. It's a rating for how much sound a speaker can produce at given power. A speaker with 93dB SPL/1W will be twice as loud as a speaker with 90dB SPL. A 50W 93dB/1W speaker is as loud as a 50W 90dB/1W speaker, which is twice as loud as a 50W 87dB/1W speaker.

Most manufacturers don't state most specs, and just as many lie, so you have to go on what you have. More serious manufacturers like JBL and Altec Lansing put out more truthful specs than Logitech, for example.

the soundsticks surely aren't loud. If loud is what you want, logitech is the way to go. The soundsticks do have nice highs, and clean bass...(in comparison). They're ok to play games with, but they do play music quite nicely. The logitechs are nice for explosions...but that's about it. They're terrible for music.

And as for the price of a real system....you wouldn't have to spend much more to have considerably better sound. Pick up a refurb $150 onkyo receiver, some decent bookshelf speakers, and a dayton 150 watt sub, and you could rock a nice 2.1 setup for under $400...easily...that would smash any computer speaker set out there.

Anyway...if you just want to play games and have loud noises, go with the logitechs. The soundsticks are a nice budget option for cleaner, more veratile sound (more than enough for a small room). But if you want something decent, a separate receiver setup is the only way to go.

Logitech is always a good option

I recently got a good deal on a pair of Polk Audio RTI6's and I can only say good things about them. Going from a pair of decent logitech speakers (z-2200 I think?) to these.... night and day. I would not waste any money on computer speakers as you are way better off finding a good deal on a used reciever and some bookshelf speakers.

You are limited though, you would have to spend significantly more if you really wanted a surround sound setup but you would be surprised how good a stereo sounds.

an option for cheap....absolutely kick *** 5.1

Dayton audio HTS 1200, 5 speaker set from dayton audio can be had with a nice 10" sub for under $200. Pair with a used receiver, and not bad at all.

I've actually got a set of these in my living room hooked up to an onkyo tx sr506 with a 12" dayton sub, and it's not half bad. Certainly better than any HTIB sys, and lightyears better than any computer speakers.

I'm a very satisfied Z2300 user, (mine are from 5 years ago, still going strong). They give a lot of bang for the buck in a 2.1 system.

Otherwise I would suggest the Z5500 digital surround sound system from Logitech, I have yet to see a better value for PC speakers in terms of quality and performance : price.

Does any of these speakers beat my Klipsch THX 5.1 Promedia? Mine is so old and if it die on me, I wonder what I should get next?

What would be a good 2.1 setup for music alone?
I just bought the x-540s for games which do a fine job, but for music they are terrible. I am going to try converting my mp3s to mp3SX 5.1 to see if that helps but I doubt it will.
I'd like to move away from computer speakers into a more conventional approach.
I listen to alot of progressive metal and classical music which has quite a bit of complex instrumentals.

I want a 2.1 setup that will hook up to my digital i/o of my sound card as this is superior to analog, has more treble to pick out the instrumentals, bass that is apartment friendly.

I'd like to keep a 300 dollar budget, and perhaps also include a receiver that I will be able to hook both of these speaker systems (2.1 system and x-540 so I can control by a remote).
I also want it to be upgradable to 5.1. I don't need excessively loud speakers, just high quality speakers that won't wake the neighbors and has an upgrade path.

These don't really have an upgrade path.. but I use these: http://www.edifier.ca/english/speakers/s330d/s330d.htm in my room and they're great, very balanced, nice clean bass, no overkill on it, 2.1 system with optical/coaxial inputs, as well as the typical 2-channel input, (there is no single jack, would need a 2 to 1 adapter to connect to computer if it doesnt have coax/optical)

They don't have a remote control sadly, only a corded volume control with headphone output and also mic input.

They're not the loudest system, but they're clear, the bass is strong enough without being overkill, etc. But Like i said there's no real upgrade path as far as i know.. Just my suggestion for something extra to look at.

OC101 said:

Does any of these speakers beat my Klipsch THX 5.1 Promedia? Mine is so old and if it die on me, I wonder what I should get next?

Click to expand...

i use the 2.1 version and mine still blows people away... hehe

alrightgame said:

What would be a good 2.1 setup for music alone?
I just bought the x-540s for games which do a fine job, but for music they are terrible. I am going to try converting my mp3s to mp3SX 5.1 to see if that helps but I doubt it will.
I'd like to move away from computer speakers into a more conventional approach.
I listen to alot of progressive metal and classical music which has quite a bit of complex instrumentals.

I want a 2.1 setup that will hook up to my digital i/o of my sound card as this is superior to analog, has more treble to pick out the instrumentals, bass that is apartment friendly.

I'd like to keep a 300 dollar budget, and perhaps also include a receiver that I will be able to hook both of these speaker systems (2.1 system and x-540 so I can control by a remote).
I also want it to be upgradable to 5.1. I don't need excessively loud speakers, just high quality speakers that won't wake the neighbors and has an upgrade path.

Click to expand...

AudioEngine makes some rocking speakers.

I tried out the A2's and they sounded awesome for 200 duckies.

http://www.audioengineusa.com/a2_home.php

I returned the A2's to AudioEngine and bought the A5's.

http://www.audioengineusa.com/a5_home.php

There is a discount coupon that will bring the A5's down to right at 300 bones.

I have a AudioTrak Prodigy HD2 sound card...Go RCA outta the HD2 into a Velodyne VX-10 subwoofer that has a crossover that chops anything under 80 from getting to the A5's.

http://www.floridamusicco.com/proddetail~prod~prodigy_hd2.htm

http://www.velodyne.com/products/product.aspx?ID=8

Granted all this business is about 550...But some seriously good sounding stuff.

If you look around you can find the VX-10 at Fry's for 129.00 dollars...Get you some A2's @ 200.00 and for about 350 duckies have a great sounding setup.

If you are a gammer...Probably not the way to go...But if you listen to music, man you will be in heaven for 350 bucks.

The A2's are nothing short of amazing for 200 dollars.

http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/1207ae/

I never tried the VX-10 connected to the A2's...But they have the same tweeter as the A5's...The A2's are front ported and are not as sensitive to placement versus the rear ported A5's.

If I let someone sit at my desk it just about takes a couple sticks of dynomite to get their rear ends up...Everybody...And I mean everybody just cannot believe how good it sounds.

Either set sound awesome without a sub.

Nice upgrade path though.

A2's and add a sub and end up spending about 350.

Or go with the A5's and add the sub and end up spending about 450.

Here is a thread about all this business.

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=553128

In my humble opinion...The A2's and a VX-10 for 350 bones would be hard to beat.

I've got the A2s and they are definitely great speakers for general music listening which imo is what most people do at their desk (as opposed to dedicated listening where you relax, dim the lights, close your eyes) even on their own without a sub...they'll represent full range music and bass lines properly just without a sub's 'impact' and no boominess as is typical of most computer speaker subs. They may have a slight lower midbass addition tuned in due to their front transmission-line port but it rolls off smoothly and isn't a 'hump' it just anchors the lowend and doesn't stand out in such a way that you get 'one note' bass like from many ported subs. The mids and highs and nice and crisp without being fatigueing. They're also quite compact which is nice and doesn't stand out even from the specs unless you build a mockup from paper or something. Unless one absolutely needs surround I agree that a good 2-channel setup is going to be more satisfying all around but some people may prefer to have surround.

I wholeheartedly recommend them as the basis for a quality 2-channel desktop setup that's still simple (no amp etc.) The only real downside is that the volume is on the back. I can only guess how much better the A5s are, they probably fill out the bottom end a bit better and maybe have better mids too because the mid&bass driver isn't as strained doing bass. If it was a matter of $200 A2s or ~$300 A5s I'd stretch for the A5s...I simply got my A2s for a nice price

*I guess I got kind of derailed since people are talking about music playback, but the OP wasn't...in a way if it does music right a system will do other things right as well but might be overkill too. For TV and movies a 5.1 system, even if not as good at 2 channel, may be better for your uses. One thing about the OP is he seems confused that the better PC speakers are from 4 years ago...lol, well, audio doesn't advance like computer technology does so when something audio-related was designed really doesn't mean much.

I've been actually looking at these.
Polk Audio RM6750 Black 5.1CH Home Theater Speaker System
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290066

or
Energy Take 5 Pack 5CH Home Theater Speaker System System
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882269004
which would need an ebay or craiglist subwoofer to go with it.


Granted, I would need to buy a receiver, and no doubt that Audiotrack Prodigy would be amazing if it were not for the fact that certain EAX games may not be supported.

Anyone know a good receiver I could pick up used or refurbished that would support digital i/o?

Now I feel like I wasted 75 bucks on the X-540s... I wonder if I could hook up a better subwoofer to the speakers and make them better?