bose companion? or something else?

[taltamir]

I am sick of crappy sounding sound... and of bulky speaker sets... What good is that 5.1 speaker set when I have a computer sitting on a TABLE, it is phyiscally impssible for me to put it in surround unless I place my computer in a 5x5x5 foot box.

So I looked at the Bose companion... sound beutiful, 100$ for just two speakers (or much more for their more serious systems)... simple, elegant, and good...
And I know they are ripping into me with the price...

Now, I know I can do alot of research and find out that everything else is not even close to it... except maybe one or two offers from some company somewhere that happen to be a fraction of the cost but the same or better quality... thats how it always is with companies that offer the best of the best...

So what I am looking for now is two things:
1. Can you point me at a set of speakers that are as good as the bose in every respect, but don't cost as much.
2. Or confirm that you have researched it and found that nothing compares... and throw a vote for just paying the premium and buying the bose...

If I do opt for one of the higher end bose speaker sets that cost over 200$ I will also get an X-fi for them.. But not before, I am better off spending that money towards getting the next up speakers then upgrading my audio card...

 

[Peter]

2.0 speakers? Have a look at the Behringer MS20 and MS40. They are near-field monitor speakers with a twin-input amp in the right one. Inputs are dual analog and single digital S/PDIF (optical and cinch). Their sound rendering is impressive, 20 or 40 watt is plenty for a desktop. The MS20 should be in your price bracket.

 

[taltamir]

wow, I looked them up they sound (heh, pun not intended) so impressive...

I need to get some comparative reviews from various sources though... which I will look for tommorow...

If frys carried them i would just grab a pair and see how they sound, but as it is I gotta make sure I am making a smart purchase when ordering online...

Thank you very much for pointing me in the right direction.

 

[Zepper]

I wouldn't buy anything with the Bose name on it. Overpriced, and inaccurate sound to boot.

.bh.

 

[shortylickens]

ANYTHING but Bose.
And I mean anything. If you are considering them, then obviously you are not too concerned with sound quality and certainly not an audiophile.
You will probably be sated by the stuff found at Walmart or Target.

If you are concerned about sound quality you should look at any other brand that has similarily priced equipment. Your dollars will go much further with any other brand.

EDIT:
There is no such thing as a hi-end Bose or higher-end Bose. Just overpriced and really overpriced.

 

[Peter]

taltamir, for the Behringer stuff, you might want to look in a music shop rather than a computing equipment store.

 

[taltamir]

Thanks for the suggestion peter... I will look for some music stores in my area.

Shortylickens... Gee thanks.
The bose speakers on frys demo sounded the best from the demo units they had... however I know it doesn't mean much because of the horrible connections they have there... and I have noticed they are not perfect, but couldn't tell if it was because of the atrocious connections or the speaker quality... I did come here to ask for alternatives after all didn't I?

If I would have bought them and they really do inaccurately reproduce sounds then I would have noticed and returned them...

 

[shortylickens]

I couldnt tell if you were being sarcastic or not. On the assumption you were I will say this:

Sony, Philips, Panasonic, Toshiba and all the others actually make stuff that sounds better than Bose and doesnt cost nearly as much. I would just go to a store and look into them.

If you want real quality I would suggest Boston Accoustics, Polk, Klipsch and their brother Aragon, to name just a few.
The best place to research most audio systems is the mall or a Best Buy. Once you find something you like write down the model number and find it online for half price or cheaper.
Thats how I ended up with my Logitech Z-5300's. I heard a friends Klipsch ProMedia 5.1's and they were nice, but I hate spending that much money on something that will sit on a desk. Best Buy had both, I listened to them both, then I went home and ordered the Logitechs from Newegg. Spent about 1/3.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: Peter
2.0 speakers? Have a look at the Behringer MS20 and MS40. They are near-field monitor speakers with a twin-input amp in the right one. Inputs are dual analog and single digital S/PDIF (optical and cinch). Their sound rendering is impressive, 20 or 40 watt is plenty for a desktop. The MS20 should be in your price bracket.

Those MS40's look SWEEEEEET! And holy crap the dealer locator on their site is telling me the Best Buy less than a mile from my house carries them. I'm getting sick of this HUGE ass Logitech Sub, some nice desktop speakers would be great and these I gotta check out. good info man

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: QueBert

Originally posted by: Peter
2.0 speakers? Have a look at the Behringer MS20 and MS40. They are near-field monitor speakers with a twin-input amp in the right one. Inputs are dual analog and single digital S/PDIF (optical and cinch). Their sound rendering is impressive, 20 or 40 watt is plenty for a desktop. The MS20 should be in your price bracket.

Those MS40's look SWEEEEEET! And holy crap the dealer locator on their site is telling me the Best Buy less than a mile from my house carries them. I'm getting sick of this HUGE ass Logitech Sub, some nice desktop speakers would be great and these I gotta check out. good info man

Hi, and best buy has a good return policy (for one thing, it is not an online store)... Sounds good to me, I am gonna go look for a pair now.

 

[Zepper]

I've never seen Bose put a true tweeter in any of their speakers, so, to one degree or another, they all sound nasal (as if the sound is coming thru BS's (Barbara Streisand's) nose). Accurate highs are irritating, doncha know...

.bh.

 

[herm0016]

there are better speakers than the beringer. you should check out m-audio, KRK, samson, alesis, mackie, warfdale, event, yamaha. they all make similar products for cheap studio monitoring. i would suggest the krk, the alesis and the warfdales. check out zzounds.com musiciansfriend, sweetwater and other similar sites.

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: herm0016
there are better speakers than the beringer. you should check out m-audio, KRK, samson, alesis, mackie, warfdale, event, yamaha. they all make similar products for cheap studio monitoring. i would suggest the krk, the alesis and the warfdales. check out zzounds.com musiciansfriend, sweetwater and other similar sites.

which one of those long list you would recommend? I don't mind paying alittle extra for quality.. what do you think is the best speakers in the 100-200 range?

 

[Peter]

herm0016, yes sure, more money buys better sound. Still, the Behringer MS20/40 are the only ones in that price range with a digital input ... or is there anything else that might sound better? I found an alternative 30W pair for $179 on one of the sites you listed, almost looking the same as the MS40.

 

[taltamir]

I noticed all those companies call their speakers "monitors" not speakers... heh, I am used to monitors being LCDs....

I guess thats a sign a quality right there... if they call them "speakers" like logitech and other computer companies do then they aren't that good... if they call them monitors they are probably a step above
(for gods sake I am joking here, don't give me flak about that statement!)

 

[Zepper]

Well they call them monitors as they are marketed to recording studios rather than consumers. What weight you give the name is up to you. Just like consumer speakers, some are really good and some are less so, much less. I certainly wouldn't buy any 'sound unheard'. And monitors of that size are generally designed for nearfield (2-4 ft. radius) use while consumer speakers are more for far field applications (8 ft. or more radius). That's assuming there was any design involved at all...

.bh.


.bh.

 

[taltamir]

consumer speakers are for 8ft or more? that makes no sense? who in their right mind buying something like a logitech z series speakers for 150$ will sit 8ft away from it?

 

[Zepper]

Not talking specifically computer speakers here. Just getting to the diff. between small monitor speakers and those for home audio. The small monitor speakers are more similar to computer speakers (also near field) but were not made for the purpose.

.bh.

 

[Peter]

Exactly ... when you're in a proper music shop, 'monitors' are for close range listening. Stage monitors are there for the musicians to hear what they're doing, and the kind of monitors we're discussing here is for the mixman's desk.

That's what makes them so suitable for (ab)use as computer speakers - they're made for close range listening, they have magnetic shielding so they won't interfere with your CRT monitors, they have the amp and controls built in.

And, my personal experience, their quality (sound and build) is far above the usual plastic crap sold by the usual suspects in consumer grade 'multimedia audio'.

 

[Peter]

Now ... I've been researching the topic a bit more, thanks the herm0016 for the pointers

Edirol (Roland) MA-15D (or DBK if you like 'em black) technically offer similar things as the Behringer MS20/40, and they're in the same price range. (Edit: Well, at least over here in Germany. MA-15D are 120 euros, Behringer MS20 is 99, MS40 is 139)

http://www.zzounds.com/item--EDIMA15D
http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHMS40
http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHMS20

So ... anyone got something to say how they compare? Or got an actual review of either (not these pricegrabber site "user review" efforts kthx)?

Also ... any more alternatives?

 

[0roo0roo]

bose bang for buck is pretty horrible. and its much much worse when it comes to their computer speaker line which is a horrible joke. its not based on bose hate, they have some ok things like the headphones which although overpriced, do perform half decently. their computer speakers on the other hand are shameful.

and never rely on testing speakers at shops. large warehouse + sitting on a shelf = horrible sound environment. plus they are usually setup poorly and or have been poked at by naughty customers.

and theres no way around using a large subwoofer if you want full range sound with small sats. the bose has that tiny pathetic sub.

and an xfi would truely be wasted on bose.

 

[konakona]

EDIT: link fixed and working again

If I am not mistaken, I dont think OP wants to go all out with bookshelf/receiver as that would be more hassle and financial/spacial burden.

I would probably look into those new swans or edirols Peter suggested; they have very compelling reviews, and judging by what I got out of M200s, I am inclined to trust them.

In case price is of your higher priority, take a look at these: http://www.meci.com/product_in...hp/products_id/2200272

These, I have confirmed to be terrific sounding for what they cost. Shipping was moderate to TX, ends up being 27~23 shipped per unit depending how many sets you order (minimum order amount from MECI is $20 though). Features MDF cabinet and D'Appolito configuration. There used to be glowing reviews on the net, which I am no longer able to find through google. Trust me, these are worth every penny.

My co-worker is sold and wanted me to get him two pairs of these; I put in an order for a total of 5 sets, lets see how that goes

and an xfi would truely be wasted on bose.

I wouldnt go on a creative bashing parade, but xfi is mediocre at best in all seriousness IMO. The card sold for its EAX featureset, not for stellar analog output quality; well deserved for the intended market but shoudlnt be taken as a hallmark of high grade audio playback in any sense...

 

[Peter]

konakona, the link doesn't work (404).

Using a digital connection is the one major step forward in getting good audio out of a 'normal' PC box. Don't bother discussing speaker quality until you did that - or get one of those 'pro' sound cards that actually do have good analog signal quality.

With the former being 8 euros and the latter more like 150, guess what I did

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: Peter
konakona, the link doesn't work (404).

Using a digital connection is the one major step forward in getting good audio out of a 'normal' PC box. Don't bother discussing speaker quality until you did that - or get one of those 'pro' sound cards that actually do have good analog signal quality.

With the former being 8 euros and the latter more like 150, guess what I did

thats interesting, since my order is still being processed and I used that exact link to put in that order. Maybe they didnt update the page as early as they should have? we will see

getting the sound out (hope you did it bit-perfect) is one thing, and finding an inexpensive and good DAC to convert the digital data to audible sound is something else. ultimately you need a DAC of one kind or another, and many speakers that have digital-in capability have laughable quality not far ahead of internal soundcards if not worse.

As for me, I am trying to troubleshoot my monica2 - one of the cheapest and known to be decent options available. If you know enough about circuits, maybe you could design and bulid one yourself... The Beresford DAC has been generating some interest as of late.

 

[Peter]

Your link is bad because you pasted the abbreviated URL (the "..." in the middle is /actually/ there)

The fun bit of having the digital audio processor in the speaker (as in these Behringer and Edirol monitors) is that the processor knows the speaker properties.

Remember this is "how do I get decent sound onto my computer desktop" not "how to wow the fine eared audiophile", so let's not overdo it