logitech X-230 for 2.1 speakers..any good

[nealh]

I saw the logitech X-230 speakers and since I can not easily setup a 5.1 package in my office are these pretty good?

thanks

Neal

 

[Eureka]

They're good in the low-budget area, they go for about $40 ish. There are better systems, but this is one of the best in the price range. A little more and you could get the Inspire T3000 though.

Norm

 

[yhelothar]

I'd fork out a bit more and get the Altec Lansing MX5020
No subwoofer either so they'll look nicer and take up less space.
You probably don't want thumping bass in your office too. Not to mention logitech's subwoofer tend to be boomier than the competition.

 

[nealh]

I am leaning toward spending about $80 and getting the I Trigue 3300 from creative they sound pretty good in the store..a bit better than the X 230

 

[Eureka]

Hmm... for office do you really want a sub in there? If not, you could always go for Swans M200...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=36-136-102

Newegg didn't have them in stock when I was looking at them. I'm regretting it now.

Anyway, you could also get the Z-3 or Z-2300 at that price ($80), as well.

Norm

 

[nealh]

I am sorry it is my home office...I game a bit too

so I already own a 4yr old set of labtec speakers with a small sub...sound pretty good but I figure the I Trigue 3300 will an upgrade and pass the labtrc stuff to my wife

 

[nealh]

Originally posted by: cevilgenius
Hmm... for office do you really want a sub in there? If not, you could always go for Swans M200...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=36-136-102



Norm

those are very nice but out of my price range..at $180

 

[Eureka]

Hehe, those are the best.

Otherwise, get the Z-3...
Black: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121117
Wood: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121114

T3000:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836116147

And JBL Creature II:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836101011

Norm

 

[LED]

Neal, I had a similar situation with a client and he wanted to stay in the $75 range so he got the Z-3 that cevilgenius linked to and for the price I was quite impressed and he then later got some Klipsch 2.1 and moved the Logitech to the rears which worked nicely with a 4.2 arrangement and is now satisfied although I noticed a weakness from the power after the Klipsch were set up ;0

From my opinion after purchasing and listening to Logitechs compared to other quality Speakers...the most noticeable thing that I do not like about them is twofold:

Mostly I do not care for the Satellites as a 2-inch aluminum phase plug driver vs a mid/tweet arrangement just doesn't get it IMO and also they seem to exaggerate with a boomy Bass sound which can be adjusted by volume but that'll just in/decrease the volume...Now in your situation it will not be effected much cause once you move them to the rear then a little less Bass and the Sats will not require extreme Bass or full range sound when coming from the rear freq requirements.

When they were standalone...I must admit that I was quite impressed with it's price/performance and the wood sure looks nice in 1 Office environment

 

[alcoholbob]

The clearest stereo multimedia speakers under $100 are basically:

1) $99 Klipsch 2.0 Ultra
2) $75 Altec Lansing MX5020

My room mate has the Ultra, which is really amazing, they compare to my Axiom M22tis ($440) really well in the bass area, and not only get loud, but have far better clarity, dynamics, and decay times than the Klipsch 2.1 Promedia we had.

As for the MX5020s, they are very impressive as well, although definitely not as clear as the Klipschs (a lot more distortion on the low end; then again it's something all Altec Lansing speakers have suffered since they moved into the "flat panel" speaker designs). However, it's still very impressive, especially considering it's a 1" tweeter and 3" midrange against tweeter and dual 2.5s for the 2.0 Ultra.

Both of these speakers are HUGE for multimedia speakers, with the Ultra having the advantage of a very deep 6.5in cabinet (compared to a very thin but tall and wide one for the 5020s). This is probably what translates to the less distortion in the bass response, and less reverberation in the cabinents.

Both of these...make my old Logitechs (Z-680s) sound way out of its league. All I can say is, the budget 2.0 market is becoming VERY impressive with these nice speakers by Klipsch and Altec Lansing.

They aren't as impressive looking as all the "toy" multimedia speakers out there, and are built for sound quality. I would suggest them for music, but of course the toy speakers have their market too for the kids who like all the flashing lights and nice silver designs.

 

[alcoholbob]

The Altecs are easier to find a space for, being so much thinner. I just got a pair of 5020s for my laptop. I find the bass somewhat reverberant but the sound is still awesome, espectially for the price (I got these second hand for about $30).

 

[nealh]

Originally posted by: cevilgenius
Hehe, those are the best.

Otherwise, get the Z-3...
Black: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121117
Wood: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121114

T3000:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836116147

And JBL Creature II:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836101011">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836101011</a>

Norm

Read reviews that stated "issues" with the Z-3's were corrected with the Z-4 line....

Hmm...Klipsch are silver only....I really need black all my office is cherry or black..silver will be a no-no to the wife

I was pretty impressed with the I Trigue 3300 in Office depot...not best place to test...I am going to try out the ITrigue 3200...CC has it for about $60 with tax and the remote has a dial that you can tell volume settings more easily and they are just slightly less in power vs 3300

Remember, I am comparing this to a Labtec Pulse 424(I think this was the model)2.1 ..

I do not listen to much or movies on my desktop..I game some..so while I love nice stuff..really can not justify top $$ which is why I am stay on a real budget...so I have to give a bit

I own a Onkyo HTIB-650 5.1....which apparently used POLK drivers in the speakers ...very nice system 2.5yrs ago

So even in my "high end" I did not spend alot as it was my first forray into audio equipment and I am impressed for now

BTW thanks for all the help..wish I could justify spending more I do love nice sound

I do most of my audio listening in my car and I got MB Quart Premium speakers with JL audio 500/5 amp and JL audio 10IB baffle sub...very nice but spent a few$$$

 

[CalvinHobbes]

I just started looking at a new 2.1 config for my game PC.
So far, I'm looking at:

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1
Logitech Z-2300
ALTEC LANSING MX5021
Klipsch Promedia GMX

Am I missing anything from that list?

 

[videopho]

Originally posted by: nealh
I saw the logitech X-230 speakers and since I can not easily setup a 5.1 package in my office are these pretty good?

thanks

Neal

:thumbsup:

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: CalvinHobbes
I just started looking at a new 2.1 config for my game PC.
So far, I'm looking at:

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1
Logitech Z-2300
ALTEC LANSING MX5021
Klipsch Promedia GMX

Am I missing anything from that list?

These would be 2.0 with the option to go 2.1 eventually, but:
Swan m200s
Bookshelf / cheap receiver

 

[Eureka]

The Klipsch Promedia 2.0 comes in black too...

GET THE M200, unless you listen to bass-heavy music, where you'll need a sub.

Norm

 

[yhelothar]

Ditto on the M200.. Most people are surprised when they see how big mine are
They sound so nice..
http://astroguy.org/room1.jpg

 

[Eureka]

Yeah... I'm thinking of returning my MX5021 for them.

How's the bass though? I don't want my metal to sound castrated.

Norm

 

[alcoholbob]

I bet it'll sound a lot better, tighter, with less distortion in the 60-100hz area (where tight bass is generally construed).

In terms of BRUMMMMMMM, subsonic bass, it's not gonna be there that you may have expected from the MX5021s.

 

[Eureka]

Hehe, . It's just not metal without the subsonics...

Norm

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't subsonic imply frequncies below 20hz?

Neither set is going to do that really.

According to the Swan specs, the m200s are at about -20dB @ 20hz. Do we have any figures on the Altec set?

 

[Eureka]

Like 35hz @ -5 or -10db, I forget.

Norm

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I looked up the Altec specs

They state -10dB @ 30hz

at 30hz the Swans are about -13dB or so going off the graph

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: cevilgenius
Yeah... I'm thinking of returning my MX5021 for them.

How's the bass though? I don't want my metal to sound castrated.

Norm

Heh, my friend also traded his MX5021 for the M200. He's also a metal fan.
The bass will definitely lose its punch. It's there, and it's nice, tight, and controlled - unless you have a small room, and you put them in the corner, then the upper bass will be HEAVILY exaggerated, and it'll destroy your music. Speaker placement with these Swans are very difficult.

Alternative rock and acoustic guitar sounds amazing on these though. I sounds so live compared to my old altec lansings. I put on some Jack Johnson, or some Claire de Lune on the harp, and I just close my eyes and imagine them playing in front of me.

For games and heavier rock where I might want some bass, I have my Altec Lansing ADA880s hooked up to my surround. The 8" subwoofer on the set really adds a punch to the music. I leave it off 90% of the time though. I personally have grown to hate bass more and more. It's good when I'm hyper and just want to crank up some music, but when I want some soothing natural sound, M200s really hit the spot.

But you might need to get a new soundcard. Audigy2 doesn't sound too good with these speakers. They're decent, but once you hear the M200s on a better soundcard like the Chaintech AV-710(basically 2.0 version of the M-Audio Revolution), you'll hear a nice improvement. However, this $20 champ lacks hardware acceleration for games, so your gaming sound will take a huge hit. But it works great with my Audigy2.

 

[Eureka]

I'm using a AV-710.... but 70% of my music is bass-heavy metal. I guess I'll just stick with the MX5021.

Norm