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I need some speakers!

S

SteelGuy

Member
Hey all

I'm in the process of building a new PC and realized that in the midst of it all I forgot I don't own any speakers anymore....

When I had the Promedia's they were decent, lasted me for 4.5 years or so at least. They didn't sound too bad...in fact they were the sound for a party or two 🙂

But reguardless, some of you are much more versed in this sort of thing then I am, and although I should depend on my own ears, I know that there is more of a bang for the buck that I can get.

I'm debating between getting these speakers, Logitechs (Which from a few older models that I've heard sound worse...esp bass wise), and perhaps even Swan's or bookshelfs.
Of course with swan's or bookshelfs I dunno how the sub thing would work out.

Seems as though I can get some used promedia's on ebay for about 50$

My budget..isn't sky high after this PC - less then 200 for sure for it all.

I thoguht about the whole bookshelf, reciever thing...seemed too cumbersome...and I'm not sure how much better then my previous setup it would sound.

I'd appreciate any advice. THanks.
 
To get a decent sub for a bookshelf or swan setup, you're looking at over $100. This one is a good deal.

By then you're looking at closer to $350 to get everything up and running for a Swan set. Receiver/bookshelf would be that range or more depending on what you buy.

So, if you need a sub and want to keep cost down, I think Klipsch Promedias are a nice option. If you already owned them and liked them, then I think it would be a very good idea to get another set.

 
Judging from the prices being given - I'd say Swans or a Home theatre type system is out.

The logitech's seem to be nice - How are they in terms of Music though?
138 for a 5.1 sure beats 150 for a 2.1 system....
But then again It's my understanding that logitech's are gamer speakers and not geared to music...and since I can't hear em in person...what do you guys think in terms of music...
I'm sure in games either speaker set will be aok.

Also - is it worth looking at Ebay for some speakers - klipsch go for 50$...
not sure if I would want to do that with logitech considering they're so cheap.

Thanks again.
 
Any chance of going to a Best Buy or Circuit City or something? They usually have a few speaker sets out to listen to. Not the most ideal listening environment, but it will give you a better idea about the differences.
 
Originally posted by: SteelGuy
The logitech's seem to be nice - How are they in terms of Music though?
138 for a 5.1 sure beats 150 for a 2.1 system....
Click to expand...
Boomy bass, rolled off highs... You get what you pay for.
 
Originally posted by: Gurck
Originally posted by: SteelGuy
The logitech's seem to be nice - How are they in terms of Music though?
138 for a 5.1 sure beats 150 for a 2.1 system....
Click to expand...
Boomy bass, rolled off highs... You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...

136/6 around 23 or so dollars per speaker

150/3 around 50 dollars per speaker. Gurck is right. You get what you pay for
 
Lol...Steel...looks like I found you...roomie (yes, it's Jihad Joe) ^^

I'm in San Antonio right now...jacking someone's wireless as we speak.

Steel, as you know, most subs in the sub-$250 region sound boomy and bloated, and will invariably annoy your neighbors.

The best setup I can think of for you, at your $200 price range, is that Dayton 10" sub for $100 the first guy posted, and a pair of Klipsch 2.0 Promedia Ultras. This will save you the "cumbersome" receiver/bookshelf situation, and actually be an upgrade from your Klipsch 2.1s. All you need to connect these two babies to your PC will be a $7 stereo splitter from Radioshack, and with this setup you can turn the sub on or off whenever you want to (since the PM 2.0 Ultras will drop off at around 120hz. The subwoofer has a low-pass filter (user adjustable crossover) from 40-160hz, and setting it at the 120hz region should do the trick).

If buying the sub and satellites seperately is too much work you can revert back to your PM 2.1s. I would look to buy used from an actual seller rather than from a liquidation company, since it is a gamble and they do admit the speakers are often in unknown condition. In that case, you might be safer spending alot more than $50.

In terms of computer speakers, they haven't really evolved much in the last 5 years, mainly because the cost of materials isn't getting any lower, so they spend their efforts making speakers look prettier without much in the way of sound advancement. In the sub-$200 price line, the Klipsch 2.1s (as a satellite/subwoofer set) are still your best bet.

Dell 2001fps are down to $480 now...I'm still waiting for it to hit $400 like it did 3 months ago.
 
Hey JJoe

Hmm - I never thought about doing the 2.0's Klipsch Ultras....

How would the 2.0 Speakers be vs the 2.1 speakers...
and I mean the speakers specifically..

I'm guessing the speakers are better (You have two drivers on the 2.0 Ultras vs the One on the 2.0) And since they both have same power supply and same company ect....I would think that the 2.0's only hold some advantages (maby more range) then the 2.1 speakers.

On that note, I searched out some reviews and found mostly positive...maximum PC gave it a negative...but they seem retarded, saying that the 2.0's sucked compared to the 2.1's...and judging by their other reviews...their other inconsistincies speak for themselves..

I can definetly see how the 2.0's with that Dayton sub would be better then the 2.1's...
But for now I defeintly want speakers ( I won't get the sub outright).

And it seems that the bass is probably better on the 2.0's..
What do you think of getting the 2.0's for now.....maby getting that sub later on - and the 2.1 speakers vs 2.0 speakers.

Thanks.

Oh yeah its July 4th today...the first was 3 days ago.... cough hehe
 
Where are you seeing that they have the same powersupply as the 2.1s?

The 2.0s will have less range than 2.1s.

As for the 2.0s and the Dayton, you will likely have more range as the dayton will go lower than the Klipsch sub. I'm not sure how the 2.0 satellites compare to the 2.1 satellites.

Why would you think the 2.0 bass would be better than the 2.1 bass? A subwoofer's purpose is to provide bass.
 
Ah i mean to say that the 2.1 clearly have more range, more bass etc...

My terminology wasn't clear... I mean to say which sattelites have more range, 2.1 v 2.0 and how theay compare to each other.

I was thinking that the 2.0's satellite would be better than 2.1's sat based on the fact that there are 2 drivers...

i agree w/ you yoyo on the dayton
+2.0's being better than straight 2.1s

But will the sub be the only improvement or are the speakers hoing to be better too

 
I'm not sure on the satellites.

They will probably sound different, not sure on which would be "better".

The 2.0s have two divers vs the single in the 2.1 satellites, but the 2.1's driver is larger than the two 2.0 drivers.

It's hard to tell from specs which would be the better speaker on its own. When in 2.1 usage, the 2.1 satellites are being used with a crossover in the sub, so the bass performance on their own without this crossover is kind of a mystery.

Just an example to illustrate this (sort of)
I just got some RS550s that have two 6.5" drivers. The next model up in this speaker line is the the RS750 with four 5.25" drivers.
The 750s are more expensive, but several people who have heard both have liked the sound of the 550s with fewer but larger drivers.
I just mean to show that more is not necessarily better, especially if the drivers are totally different.
 
Fair point on the number of drivers..

I guess It's a crapshoot - at most its slightly worse...(2.0 sats)

I used to use the sub on the klipsch...but in the end i had to turn it all the way down (like slightly on) cause of neighbors. Sounded okay still.

I haven't found any reviews or people comparing the two systems directly - and having owned one..I haven't had a chance to test out the 2.0's..

 
I think Best Buy has the 2.0s and 2.1s. Maybe call up your local store and see if they have the 2.0s on display to listen to.
 
The Klispsch 2.1s don't have much extention. It's not just the size of the drivers, but also the size of the speakers (and weight) that determine bass extention.

Here are some speaker measurements: http://www.soundstageav.com/speakermeasurements.html

I used to have the Athena AS-B1s, which as one 5.25" driver, but weighs 14 pounds. It doesn't begin to drop off (outside of +/- 3db) until around 85hz.

I now own the Axiom M22tis, which have dual 5.25" drivers, but weighs only 10lbs (it's a lot smaller and thinner of speaker). It drops off as early as 100hz.

Klipsch 2.1s are real satellite sized speakers and are crossed over with the Klipsch subwoofer at 120hz. Since this is high enough of a frequency to make the subwoofer directional (its location is no longer invisible to the listener), it must have been done for the benefit of the satellites and not the subwoofer. (In other words, the Klipsch 2.1 satellite must be dropping off not too far off from 120hz. Logitech, which also uses a 3" driver on their satellites, has previously said on their forums that their satellites extend to about 140hz before dropoff. While the satellites are not identical, you can get a general sense of how low a small sat with a single 3" driver can accomplish. The satellites (Klipsch 2.1s) only weigh 2.1lbs each, so its possible the lower bass extention is accomplished through the tradeoff of bass distortion.

The Klipsch 2.0 Ultras are much bigger speakers, in fact they are NINE INCHES DEEP. Here's the frequency response graph:

http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/util_get_image/9/0,1425,sz=1&i=92684,00.jpg

You get good bass until 112hz, where it starts to roll off, which is VERY SURPRISING giving the size of these speakers. Of course, it says nothing about the clarity of that bass (something bigger drivers are good for), but these dual 2.5"s clearly can extend below what the 2.1s are capable of. How do I know this?

Well the published specs are 31-20KHz at +/- 3db. Of course, we all know how reliable published specs are, and 3d sound stage measured the response closer to +/- 5.5db at the 120 to 20khzregion , with a -5db bottoming out at 120, so it looks like the response of the satellite is pretty similar to what the Logitech 3" satellites accomplish. At the -5db point, the PM 2.0s appear to extend down to slightly below the upper bass region of 90hz before nosediving (of course, clarity again is debatable, but considering the fact that you would be comparing with the 2.1s sub, I'm pretty sure it would be clearer than what the 2.1 sub is capable of).

If you want to pick up speakers RIGHT NOW, I would definitely suggest the Promedia 2.0s. Given the size and the dual driver design, I would almost guarrantee greater clarity than the 2.1s in midrange and treble (probably a higher tweeter crossover than the 2.1s, giving the tweeter more breathing room and less distortion). The upperbass/lower midrange region is likely to be much clearer than the 2.1s as subs are for bass; even people with high end SVS/Hsu subs will cross it over in the 80hz region.

Edit: minor punctuation changes.
 
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