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Best Speakers for under $250 ?

Piano Man

Diamond Member
A friend's dad called me up and asked for me to get speakers for his son. THe only guideline is that it has to be under $250. Now, my friend of mine listens mostly to jazz, so quality,not power is of upmost importance. However, I know he also likes old school hip-hop so a little bass would be nice also. Any help would be great since I haven't been keeping up on the speaker market this past year. Thanks.

Oh, he does not play games, so four speakers is low priority.
 
Klipsch Promedia's 4.1! They are exactly $250, and I think that they are having free shipping at the moment. Someone correct me if I am wrong. These are the best computer speakers in the price range.
 
Those Klipsch 2.1's are on preorder status. When are they coming out, and is there any diffence between them and the 400's other than they have 2 fewer speakers?
 
The 2.1's are 200watt and they have head phone jack and 3 speakers/sub. The 4.1's are 400watt and have 5 Speakers/sub. The extra $50 for the 4.1's is much worth it but like you said he doesnt need all that power.
 
I've heard good things about the Klipch, but never heard them. I've heard the Altec Lansings ATP5, and I think they are sweeeeeet! So I would recommend the Altec's, but keep in mind I havent yet heard the Klipch. Can anyone back me up here? How do the Altec's compare to the Klipch?
 
You don't mention whether your friend is looking for speakers that will double as computer speakers or mainly stereo, left and right. So, i'll assume 2 channel stereo off an integrated amp or a pre/power combo.

I'm sure that the Klipsch is great for computer use but for 2 channel stereo i'd get something better like the PSB Alphas, Paradigm Minis or the NHT SuperZeros or something to that effect.

If your friend listens to Jazz then sound quality is "not" very important? What do you mean that Jazz doesn't need "quality"? You need to reproduce the tonal quality and spatial imaging to get top flight Jazz. If you are listening to crap music (no offense to Eminem listeners out there) then anything will sound okay. But if you want to reproduce faithfully the music then you need decent transducers.

In addition, what will be your friend's setup? To get the best sound you have to have proper speaker placement. That's another consideration. If your friend isn't that worried about proper placement then you may not have to be as "picky" in your speakers and can go for best bang for the buck regardless of any compromises.

Good luck.
 
the klipsch speakers are sweet... i am going to assume for the computer ;-) i have listened to them, and they are niiiiiiiiiice =)

anyway, i listen to classical music, and i like my yamaha yst ms50s. but since that budget is higher than the price of my yamahas, i guess i'll recommend the klipsch 2.1 which is what i heard (as in with my ears).

oh, as for the classical music, for me, 4 speakers with a sub is MUUUUUUUUUCH better than 2 speakers and a sub.

nothing like full emmersion =)

jazz is not exactly classical music, but i've also listened to jazz, and 4 speakers are niiiiice. =)

so basically, since i don't know exactly how much anything is, if the klipsch 4.1 are within budget, get those, if not, 2.1
 
Ok, maybe my grammer is off, but I think jazz NEEDS quality, sorry if I confused you. Yes, these will be computer speakers coming right out of the sound card. Anyone know when the 2.1's come out? Right now it says preorder.
 
Cool. BTW, has anyone heard of those "Monsoon" Flat Panel speakers? Cheaper than the Klipsch and decent sound. May not be in the same league though.
 
I've picked up the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers this week ($199 retail price); I found a local dealer who had them. They're an enhanced but 2.1-piece version of the v400, and as such ought to be THE best PC speakers in existence.

There is one problem however: My 24-bit soundcard isn't here yet, so I cannot audition any #$@!! speakers! 😀 They're stowed in my closet until then.
 
Boston Acoustics BA4800 are $300 canadian (a little under $200 US)

They don't have the bass power of the promedia's but they have a much better quality sub, and especially the mid and high ranges, and the blend on the BA4800s is just so much better...

The Klispch promedia's really aren't that great...I'm not sure why they have such a huge cult following, I've heard them and the only thing about them that impressed me was the power of the sub....the quality was decent but certainly not great or even really good...the mid range sucked, and thsoe damn horn tweeters are terribly annoying. All in all I was thorougly unimpressed, they are excellent gaming speakers, but musc and espeicially movies look elsewhere...

Oh yeah those 2.1s are such a bad deal...2.1 for 4/5ths the price of the 4.1s uhmm yeah...
The klipsch 4.1 have a decent price if you like that kind of speaker, those 2.1s are horribly overpriced...


In general Altec lansing speakers are pretty decent, they are certainly a cut above the Cambridge soundworks, they lack in midrange compared to BA though. They have the massive ADA885s, for $250 at www.paradisepc.com...they are some pretty sweet speakers, 4.1 8" sub with extneral dolby decoding...for midrange and quality sound I still say BA-4800 though.

Klipsch, ADA885, and BA4800 are all good sets for different things, I don't think the Promedia's will be good for what he wants, they are more of a gaming speaker.
 
Leo - i have a live, send those speakers here and ill test em for ya 😛


Promedias are incredible - you wont believe until you hear.
 
Sephiroth_IX, I can't hardly wait! It's a shame, all these people struggling to find a store with 2.1's while I have a pair I cannot use 😉
 
Leo V, do the 2.1s sound different than the 4.1s ? I thought that they 2.1 was just the 4.1 without the rear speakers. I didn't think there was any one difference.

Perhaps I was mistaken and the 2.1s aren't so bad after all...
 
Noriaki, the 2.1 has improved crossover circuitry that yields a better midrange, and a better power supply (for cleaner sound and reduced distortion). Also, the subwoofer uses a single driver, but it's more efficient and supposedly cleaner. There are more differences, see link below. This is not from firsthand experience--my soundcard isn't here so I can't use my speakers. As a headphones user, I get the added benefit of a built-in headphone amp. Once I get my rig together, I'll try posting something more coherent 😉

Here is my source:
http://www.gamersdepot.com/hardware/speakers/klipsch/promedia_21/001.htm
 
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