Need speaker recommendations

[PaveLow]

I'm definitely not an audiophile, I'd just like something a little better than my tinny little Labtec speakers. Here are my requirements:

1. A good sub with 2 satellites (more is nice, but not a big deal).
2. Low cost (~$75).
3. A headphone port on one of the speakers--most of the time, I need my games and music to be quiet.

The Altec Lansing ACS54 looks perfect, except there's no headphone port anywhere. :| Any other recommendations? If I did get the ACS54s, is there any way to quickly and easily switch between speakers and headphones?

 

[PaveLow]

*bump*

 

[Zim Hosein]

PaveLow, what about the Altec Lansing ATP3's? I'm not sure about the headphone feature, but they do fall into the first 2 points you need. Maybe another AT member can verify if the ATP3's have a headphone jack. Hope this helps.

 

[PaveLow]

I checked some reviews of the ATP3, and there's no headphone jack. I can't find a single Altec Lansing product that has one.

 

[sohcrates]

I'm a big fan of the Altec Lansing ACS 45.2's

I know several people with them (as per my recommendation)....and they really rock as a 2.1 setup for the price (less than 50 bucks on pricewatch)

but again, no headphone out...that seems to be something that many manufacturers just don't care too much about.

My solution (before getting my livedrive with a headphone output) was just to make a switch box out of radio shack parts. a simple DPDT switch, some wire, a project box, and 3 1/8 inch stereo female jacks. costs about 15 bucks or so.

i could help you with some rudimentary wiring diagram if you desire.

 

[PaveLow]

Hmm...the Labtec Pulse-424s look perfect for me. Apparently, Labtec includes a headphone jack on most if not all of its speaker sets, plus the 424s are really cheap (~$50). Here are some quotes from reviews of the 424s:

"One advantage that the Pulse-424 has over some of the four-piece speaker sets, are the controls on the face of the right satellite speaker. Those of you who own standard powered speakers may not appreciate having the ability to plug in a pair of headphones into a jack that is a reasonable distance from your chair."

"The Labtec Pulse are far and away the best $50 speakers we?ve ever heard."

"These speakers blew us away. For the money, the Pulse are the best 2.1 speakers we've ever tested. The real shocker, however, is the quality and power of the subwoofer. Its wood enclosure houses an eight-inch passive radiator that receives 20W and delivers deep, thick bass that you can feel, even at very low volumes. At times it was even a bit too boomy. We're thankful that the unit includes a volume knob for fine-tuning. The sub is easily the most impressive unit we've ever heard in a sub-$200 speaker system."

Hot damn!