PC Speakers

B

Bang Diddley

Well-known member
Hi Dissensus,

Been away a while . . .

I want to get some decent PC speakers. Can anyone suggest any ?

2.0 or 2.1 setup. Budget is about £100. Maybe a touch more for the right setup.
 
nomos

nomos

Administrator
A while ago I was looking but never followed through. I'd narrowed it down to Creative Gigaworks T20/40s or M-Audio Studiophiles. Both sounded good to me. I'd originally planned to go 2.1 but, reading reviews, it sounded like most of those systems were geared toward video games and explosion movies. Too much boomy bass and not enough middle.
 
B

Bang Diddley

Well-known member
nomos said:
A while ago I was looking but never followed through. I'd narrowed it down to Creative Gigaworks T20/40s or M-Audio Studiophiles. Both sounded good to me. I'd originally planned to go 2.1 but, reading reviews, it sounded like most of those systems were geared to0
ward video games and explosion movies. Too much boomy bass and not enough middle.
Click to expand...

yeah that's the impression i'm gettiing. 2.1 set ups are to too much boomnoise (we got a poster by that name i think :) )

So far im thinking about the AudioEngine A2's which are a 2.0 set up.

Ive tried a 2.1 setup on my home hifi and not really been impressed as the sound doesn't sound as cohesive for want of a better word as a 2 floorstander speaker set up.
 
slowtrain

slowtrain

Well-known member
Yup, we have a 5.1 I think, just because it was really cheap, but even with the bass fully minimised its pretty intense... They're for people who wanna hear nuclear bombs on their xboxs sorta thing
 
you

you

Well-known member
ok, guys, I need help too.

I have a mac and want to enjoy my tracks on real speakers, I always used to hook up to the Hi-fi, phono out to a video in etc...... but thats at home and it's a little big.

I've been looking at the Harman Kardon sound sticks ( why do I sense a learned audiophile groaning at this? ) - coz they look nice - but then started worrying about amps and proper kit. I dont need massive volume, just good quality, textured sounds, everything from IDM to Scriabin to Dillinger Escape Plan to Quasimoto will be listened to....... yeah I got no taste...

Should I get an amp then speakers? Or just get dem Kardon tings?

?
 
B

Bang Diddley

Well-known member
Still not bought anything yet. Good reports on the Altec Lansing mx5021. Tho still on the Audio Engine tip if I can get them for a decent price.
 
matt b

matt b

Indexing all opinion
you said:
Should I get an amp then speakers? Or just get dem Kardon tings?
Click to expand...

Whilst beautiful, the Kardon soundsticks have a gaping hole where the mids should be.

For sound quality, there are better around.
 
nomos

nomos

Administrator
^^ i'd still consider the gigaworks or m-audios mentioned above, or go with a lower end powered monitor if you want better quality without the hassle of an amp. i think m-audio are trying to market the studiophile series as a compromise between monitors and regular computer speakers. the edirols mentioned by massrock look nice as well.
 
you

you

Well-known member
hi nomos

I think those two options are my best bet.

I'm leaning towards the M audio as I think the stats look better - but aesthetically I'd rather spend money on the gigaworks.

For comparision,

M-Audio Studiophile AV 40 Speaker System

20 watts per channel
Frequency response: 85Hz-20kHz

Gigaworks T40 series II

16 Watts RMS per channel (2 channels)
Frequency response : 50Hz ~ 20kHz

I've read that the M-Audio's have wood as their body, supposedly this will improve their sound. I'm unsure of what the Gigaworks T40 series II are constructed from. Any truth in this?

Also does the frequency response make a great difference ( I'd think it would ) - does this make the Gigaworks 'better'.

Help an indecisive git....
 
nomos

nomos

Administrator
i've heard the T40s in someone's home and they sounded really nice and balanced, though it was rock/country being played so i can't be sure how well they extended into the lowest end. but i was certainly impressed. the m-audios i only got to hear in a shop while the twit of an owner was nattering on at me about how the ear can't hear anything below 80Hz anyway. :rolleyes: in that environment, at least, they sounded nice but lightweight. they certainly didn't cut right off at 85Hz, but i tried a very low, clean bassline through them and it came out distorted (a buzzy hum in place of the original sine-like tone) while losing most of its body. in the end, i figured that would be the trade off in that price range without a sub. best to try both out if you can.

i found the reviews on amazon really helpful with this stuff, starting with the 1-star ones and moving up.
 
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you

you

Well-known member
Heard some Bose Companion 3s in John Lewis today, sounded, uh, nice. Quite full and textured but it was shite music.

Cannot find any stats about these online, wattage etc.

Anyone have any experience with Bose stuff, they are a little more expensive than other options discussed but they look nicer, Bose have a good rep but naturally I dont want to blindly trust that...
 
B

Bang Diddley

Well-known member
Bose tend to be expensive for what you get. I think I heard the ones you talking about but the high freq speakers didn't carry any mid range so if you didn't have the sub had to be on and then there was too much boom.

Nightmare getting the right balance but I've decided against a 2.1 set up for sure. I'm all outta cash atm so it's all about headphones.
 
you

you

Well-known member
Well.... I ended up going down the whole stand alone amp and speakers system route.

Got a panasonic SA-XR50 hooked up to Q Acoustics 2020, sound is unbelievable, so detailed - noticing bad MP3's, sloppy riffs, flat production...... I didn't notice these aspects before, now I can really appreciate the good sounds, and good tracks.

I'm going to connect my phillips CD/CDR via an optical lead to the amp soon, looking forward to that.

Can anyone talk to me about khz sample rates with regard to the amp, it changes as I select different sound modes.... so for now i'm keeping it at it's highest and changing the EQ on the mac......but most MP3's on the mac are at 44Khz regardless of being 128 or 320 bit..... What would a CD be????

Thanks

Audio Noob
 
you

you

Well-known member
really? So worrying about 192khz dropping to 48khz is a bit silly really considering the source......

Is a DAC worth it? Could I get a DAC for my MAC with an optical out?
 
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