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$150- Speakers

tcG

tcG

Golden Member
If I told you, good Anandtech user, that I had $150 for the best pair of computer speakers I could get (used primarily for music), what would you recommend to me?

I'm not looking for computer speakers here, I'm looking for recommendations on a custom setup complete with satellites, a subwoofer, etc.
 
Cheaper Polk
http://shop2.outpost.com/search?search_...regular&sqxts=1&query_string=polk&cat=

You still need a receiver/amp though. A computer speaker's sub can power speakers, but the vast majority of regular HT type subs do not have that capability.

Options might be:

Pair of bookshelf speakers with amp
Pair of powered Monitors

It would be quite difficult to stay around $200 and get a sub, speakers, and a power source for the speakers.

My office system was in that ballpark and just consists of a pair of refurb AV123 X-LS bookshelf speakers and a sonic t-amp.
 
I would suggest something along the lines of this or this and pair it with a T-amp.

I think the Infinity Primus 150 speakers are about $120/pair and those are supposed to be good for the price.

The Polk R15/R150s are decent as well.

The x-ls would be nice if you could snag some refurbed ones but they're getting out of your budget.

There's also the PartsExpress speaker kit thats about $150.

The Swan M200 is also a consideration but it looks like they are about the same cost as the x-ls (although they contain their own amp).

And of course you've got the good old Klipsch Promedia 2.1 which would probably give the best bass feel since it includes a subwoofer, but the satellites, while far from bad, wouldn't be able to match the larger speakers.
 
Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

My office system was in that ballpark and just consists of a pair of refurb AV123 X-LS bookshelf speakers and a sonic t-amp.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the Outpost link, that makes things much easier.

No way! I have that exact same desk... boy, that thing is heavy...

Alright guys, now I'm looking at these + a decent sub (preferably not over $100), which will come out to ~$150... any suggestions? Thanks for all the help guys!

...or should I get these?



 
Alright, things just got a lot more complicated (for me, at least 😛)...

I have a Sansui G-9000 receiver in my attic...

http://www.audioreview.com/cat/amplific...ceivers/sansui/PRD_124569_1593crx.aspx

...and from what I've read, it seems pretty nice... should I use this as a receiver, buy a seperate sub/bookshelf speakers... how would I hook this setup up to a computer soundcard?

Would it be possible to hook the sub/speakers into the receiver, and then the sub into the computer?
 
What kind of music do you listen to? If having a ton of bass is not the most important thing, I would recommend looking to get a higher quality pair of speakers and trying them out on their own first. A good pair of speakers is going to be the most important element in how things sound.

Computer speakers really need a sub to cover the low end since the tiny satellites typically can't do anything resembling bass on their own. The physical size of "real" speakers and their increased driver area really helps them out in that department.

I know what you mean about that desk being heavy. It was enough work to just move it a foot away from the wall to give the speakers some room in back
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughli...k%20System/X-LS%20side%20and%20top.JPG

Having a receiver already really simplifies things. As long as that's in working order, you'll be in great shape using that.

To connect to your computer, you'll just need to get an adapter like this
https://www.cablesforless.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=14203

You'll plug into the 3.5mm stereo output of your soundcard to one of the inputs on your receiver. (Aux or whatever it has) Then just wire up speaker wire to the speakers paying attention to get the polarity right.

You could certainly go with a pair of $50 speakers like the Polks and a cheap sub like that Sony or the 10" Dayton from partsexpress, but you might want to think about just getting the best pair of speakers you can afford instead and worry about a sub later.

It would be a lot easier to just add a sub in later if you thought you needed it vs. getting very inexpensive components and possibly trying to upgrade it later.
 
Thanks a lot... uh... JELLO. 🙂

I'm going to take your suggestion... receiver, nicer speakers, and no subwoofer... now the question remains... $150 for speakers... what do I get?

PS- I have a subwoofer from one of my Logitech speaker sets... can I use that?
 
Originally posted by: tcG
Thanks a lot... uh... JELLO. 🙂

I'm going to take your suggestion... receiver, nicer speakers, and no subwoofer... now the question remains... $150 for speakers... what do I get?

PS- I have a subwoofer from one of my Logitech speaker sets... can I use that?
Click to expand...

Which logitech speaker set?
 
As for speaker choice, I've been pretty impressed with my X-LS compared to some of the other things I've tried in the pricerange.

I've seen used X-LS go for about $150-$175 + shipping from the F/S forum on AV123
http://av123forum.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14
The X-LS won several "speaker of the year" awards since it came out recently.

There's also the Ref 0.5 from AV123 for ~$150 + shipping, but I'd be a bit more worried about running those without a sub.

If you're willing to go used, there are a lot of options like that for under $200 from a variety of manufacturers.
 
Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Originally posted by: tcG
Thanks a lot... uh... JELLO. 🙂

I'm going to take your suggestion... receiver, nicer speakers, and no subwoofer... now the question remains... $150 for speakers... what do I get?

PS- I have a subwoofer from one of my Logitech speaker sets... can I use that?
Click to expand...

Which logitech speaker set?
Click to expand...

Inspire 2.1 2400

...connections include two aux (one for each speaker), and a 3.5mm jack (to plug into the soundcard).
 
Originally posted by: tcG
Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Originally posted by: tcG
Thanks a lot... uh... JELLO. 🙂

I'm going to take your suggestion... receiver, nicer speakers, and no subwoofer... now the question remains... $150 for speakers... what do I get?

PS- I have a subwoofer from one of my Logitech speaker sets... can I use that?
Click to expand...

Which logitech speaker set?
Click to expand...

Inspire 2.1 2400

...connections include two aux (one for each speaker), and a 3.5mm jack (to plug into the soundcard).
Click to expand...

That's a creative set, right?
 
You could try using that, but honestly the bass from a pair of good speakers might sound better without it.

With the kind of drivers and components they use with computer subs like that, you might not really get much of an improvement from using it.

If it was one of the larger subs from the logitech THX certified line, then I think it might help you out a lot, but I'm not so sure on that one.

You could certainly try it though :thumbsup:

Integrating a sub like that into a system with a vintage receiver might be a little tougher than usual. It might be easiest to just run the speakers full range from the receiver and then configure the soundcard for 4.1 operation or something and then plug in the sub (without connecting the speakers) into the rear jack with the receiver getting the front output. Then try to configure the output to just be surround stereo so both outputs from the soundcard are sending the same signal.

Volume control might be a bit tricky with that as well.

 
Thank you kindly for all this help Jello, my posts are looking a bit meager compared to your extremely informative walls-of-text...

What about plugging the sub directly into the power outlet/soundcard... and bypassing the receiver all together? Would that cause volume problems? Would it be out-of-sync? Is there anything wrong with doing that?

Right now, I am ready to buy a pair of X-LS's, plug them into the receiver, and then plug the receiver into the soundcard with the 3.5mm --> RCA cable.
 
It might be a good idea to go out and listen to some different speakers to get a feel for the kind of sound you like before you jump into anything.

Maybe try out some budget speakers vs. some $200-$300 options and hear what the differences are. Then decide if a budget pair + sub would make you happier than a pair of better speakers on their own.

The computer sub will need to be plugged into a wall outlet since it has a built-in amp that powers it no matter how you give it a signal.

The volume problem is since you might want to plug the sub into the soundcard, the receiver volume would not change the sub volume. You might be able to hook up the sub to the receiver though. Without knowing more about the connections on the back, I'm not sure how easy that would be.
 
If those are pre-amp outputs, you should be able to use those to hook up to the Creative sub.

Does your camera have a macro mode? (this is usually a flower symbol)
That would help you take close-up shots in focus

EDIT: I haven't worked with too many receivers this old (I was born in 1983) so I'm not too experienced with the kind of connectivity options they offered on units like this.

Are those the only RCA connections in back, or are there other inputs? (Like Tape, Aux, etc)
 
It has Tape, Phono, Aux, etc, but those are all on the other side... I think those are intended for things to be hooked up to. I intend on plugging the soundcard into "Aux".

If I'm understanding correctly, all I need is another 3.5mm --> RCA audio cable in order to plug the subwoofer (3.5mm) into the receiver (RCA).
 
Originally posted by: tcG
It has Tape, Phono, Aux, etc, but those are all on the other side... I think those are intended for things to be hooked up to. I intend on plugging the soundcard into "Aux".

If I'm understanding correctly, all I need is another 3.5mm --> RCA audio cable in order to plug the subwoofer (3.5mm) into the receiver (RCA).
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too. The pre-outs would just be sending the signal out again which the sub could then pick up and use.

The only thing I'm really worried about is whether you have to enable the pre-outs and if you do, does that disable the amp and thus your speakers would no longer be powered.

There's a switch up there in your pics, but I can't tell what the writing says. Looks like "Direct Coupled" and "Capacitor Coupled".

I don't know which one you'd want to use.
 
I'll try both. 😀

Plan looks like 2 3.5mm --> RCA adapter cables, Sansui G-9000 Receiver, X-LS pair, crappy subwoofer (may or may not work)...

...good?
 
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