Looking for suggestion to replace my mostly dead speakers...

[mayboy128]

Edit: I forgot to say that these will be used with a desktop/laptop!
Hi guys, I'm new here. I was looking for a good forum to ask this question, and y'all seem to be very knowledgeable. My name's Austin, I'm from Texas, and I consider myself an audiophile. MP3's stand out like a sore thumb compared to lossless stuff to me (I know that can sound douchey but I promise I'm not an elitist haha!). My dad says I have a "producer's ear." I tend to pick apart all the different instruments and background parts of songs, and will often notice things other people don't. That being said, I am not very learned when it comes to the technical side of things (like hardware, or terms). I hope y'all don't mind that I've come to ask your advice!

I've been rockin' the Labtec Pulse-424's.

They were released over a decade ago, and msrp'd for $50 at the time, but oh my goodness were they (for the most part) beautiful sounding speakers.
Here's some discussions on a few old forum threads about them:

Spoiler

http://www.hardwarecentral.com/showthread.php?2670-Labtec-Pulse-424-three-piece-speakers.......
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=898481
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=468062

Here's their basic specs:
Frequency Response: 35Hz – 20KHz
Power Output: Subwoofer: 20 watts RMS
Satellites: 12 watts RMS (combined)

I use them almost solely for music (as well as basic internet stuff); I like to dance and sing in the 16' by 12' room (which is frickin' engulfed in sound!) when no one's home haha

Sadly, though, one of the satellite speakers has died (which makes the subwoofer half as powerful since these are only recognized as 2.0 speakers on the computer).

Now I'm looking for a replacement, around $300. I'll list the things I want that the Pulse-424's had, as well as the traits I want that the Pulse 424's lacked. After looking over that, if y'all would, could y'all please recommend to me some new 2.1 speakers?

What the Pulse-424's had:

• Sound that filled and engulfed a 12'-by-16' room, and which had a surrounding effect to it.
• An absolutely THUNDEROUS subwoofer that you can feel, and which makes the whole setup, IMO. The bass levels can be made higher or lower with a little manual thingy-majig on the subwoofer itself.
• I haven't heard a whole lot of speakers, so I'm not an expert on it, but after reading descriptions of it and hearing people describe the speakers as so, the Pulse-424's have a nice warm sound which I would like.

What the Pulse-424's lacked (which I would like)

• Higher possible volume, and in turn a higher volume threshold before it starts distorting.
• Being able to play mid-high frequency piano without distorting.
• Like I said, I'm not knowledgable in the technical side of things, but I'm guessing a wider frequency response is better, right?

I'm pretty clueless, but in the research I've done, the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's have seem to come up a lot; but I'd like to hear y'all's recommendations

I sure would appreciate all the help I can get, thanks for your time

 

[gar655]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that, how the hell can you be an audiophile or have a producer's ear and be satisfied with that previous setup?

They may have sounded better than their $50 price but I'm betting they didn't sound very good.

So with that said, if you were happy with that setup the Klipsch promedia 2.1 should put you in audio nirvana.

 

[mayboy128]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that, how the hell can you be an audiophile or have a producer's ear and be satisfied with that previous setup?

They may have sounded better than their $50 price but I'm betting they didn't sound very good.

So with that said, if you were happy with that setup the Klipsch promedia 2.1 should put you in audio nirvana.

Dude I'm telling you, they sounded awesome! Haha still, thanks!

 

[kornphlake]

Take a look at Audioengine's powered speakers and a home theater sub.

 

[Soccerman06]

Would you consider headphones?

 

[NutBucket]

Down with headphones! Neighbors be damned!

 

[mayboy128]

I updated my original post. I forgot to mention that these speakers will be hooked up to a desktop or laptop.

Take a look at Audioengine's powered speakers and a home theater sub.

Thanks for the recommendation! The Audioengines in my price-range (the Audioengine 2 (A2)) seem to be around $200; that only leaves about $100 for a subwoofer. What would you recommend when it comes to subwoofers in that case?

 

[mayboy128]

Would you consider headphones?

Absolutely not. You can't hear yourself singing with headphones, and dancing becomes a lot harder lol. We don't live near our neighbors so sound isn't an issue.

 

[kornphlake]

I updated my original post. I forgot to mention that these speakers will be hooked up to a desktop or laptop.


Thanks for the recommendation! The Audioengines in my price-range (the Audioengine 2 (A2)) seem to be around $200; that only leaves about $100 for a subwoofer. What would you recommend when it comes to subwoofers in that case?

I'd actually recommend not buying a subwoofer at first, you'll be surprised how much bass good speakers can put out without a sub. Once you've got the speakers, if you still feel like you need a sub you can start saving and add the sub later, a good 8 or 10 inch sub will cost >$200 unless you're willing to DIY. Even DIY it would be tough to stay in a $100 budget, a plate amp alone typically cost that much.

 

[mayboy128]

I'd actually recommend not buying a subwoofer at first, you'll be surprised how much bass good speakers can put out without a sub. Once you've got the speakers, if you still feel like you need a sub you can start saving and add the sub later, a good 8 or 10 inch sub will cost >$200 unless you're willing to DIY. Even DIY it would be tough to stay in a $100 budget, a plate amp alone typically cost that much.

Honestly, the DIY stuff is pretty intimidating to me haha

This kinda has to do with speakers in general as well as the bass from good speakers: it's just hard to buy speakers online because you can't really know exactly how they'll sound. Are there any places which let you try before you buy?

 

[Howard]

Behringer B2031A. That'll last you until you can get a good sub with a receiver.

EDIT: Ah, what the heck. The price went up like crazy on it since last year. Well, the B2031P is just as good as long as you can find a cheap or free receiver. Even a stereo receiver from the early 90s is fine.

 

[Soccerman06]

If you consider DIY, these would be right for you. All you have to do is make the enclosure. Add a receiver and your done

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-706 (has enclosure just glue together)
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-700 (built enclosure is oos, apparently sears has some?)

Add a BIC F12 later if you want more bass

 

[mayboy128]

If you consider DIY, these would be right for you. All you have to do is make the enclosure. Add a receiver and your done

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-706 (has enclosure just glue together)
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-700 (built enclosure is oos, apparently sears has some?)

Add a BIC F12 later if you want more bass

Thanks for the links; those don't look so intimidating! The only problem I have is with space, but things can always be rearranged.

@Howard
Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[kornphlake]

Honestly, the DIY stuff is pretty intimidating to me haha

This kinda has to do with speakers in general as well as the bass from good speakers: it's just hard to buy speakers online because you can't really know exactly how they'll sound. Are there any places which let you try before you buy?

I believe audioengine offers a 30 day in home trial, they do have a dealer locator on their website. There are 8 resellers within about 10 miles of my home, admittedly I've never been to any of the stores listed, I don't know if they actually stock audioengine product.

Thanks for the links; those don't look so intimidating! The only problem I have is with space, but things can always be rearranged.

I built a pair of tritrix's, they're great speakers for the cost and don't need a sub at all for music. The Overnight sensations get great reviews but I've never heard them personally, I built a speaker that is very similar but uses a different woofer and it too sounds very good for the price I paid, the 4" woofer does compromise some tactile impact, but the bass is acceptably audible without a sub. The most difficult part of building speakers is making them look nice in my opinion.

 

[mayboy128]

I believe audioengine offers a 30 day in home trial, they do have a dealer locator on their website. There are 8 resellers within about 10 miles of my home, admittedly I've never been to any of the stores listed, I don't know if they actually stock audioengine product.



I built a pair of tritrix's, they're great speakers for the cost and don't need a sub at all for music. The Overnight sensations get great reviews but I've never heard them personally, I built a speaker that is very similar but uses a different woofer and it too sounds very good for the price I paid, the 4" woofer does compromise some tactile impact, but the bass is acceptably audible without a sub. The most difficult part of building speakers is making them look nice in my opinion.

I looked it up; there are some places that sell them near me.

I'm gonna do some thinking on what my final decision will be. I'll get back to y'all once I've decided (if anyone has anything left to recommend however I'll make sure to acknowledge and look into it).

 

[Zorander]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that, how the hell can you be an audiophile or have a producer's ear and be satisfied with that previous setup?

X2. Time to upgrade.

I owned a set of Videologic Sirocco Crossfire, which supposedly eclipsed the Klipsch Promedia in SQ and definitely sounded great to me. Later I replaced it with a full-sized stereo setup (Rotel + Quad L) and there was such a jump in scale & 'believability' that I swore never to go back to multimedia speakers again. IMHO, you don't need a subwoofer with a good stereo setup (unless your material or 'listening habit' really demands that extra bass weight/extension).

Good suggestions thus far and I will add more by saying I have good experience pairing Tripath TA2020-based amps ($50 ballpark on Ebay) with a pair of sensitive speakers (say, 88-94dB/W). I once replaced the amp on a 20+ years-old Sony system with this and the difference was just stunning.

$300 budget ($250 left after the T-amp) gives you quite a bit of room in terms of speaker choices. My knowledge of speakers are limited to UK brands (Wharfedale, Epos, Mission, Focal, etc) so I'm not helpful to you in this respect. Googling around at that price point should yield you a wealth of choices. It's then a matter of finding out which are available to your local area (and still choosing from what I'm sure still is a long list).

Have fun and regards.