Speaker recommendations for $150?

[Jofo]

I'm in the market for some new speakers to connect to my PC, but not actual PC speakers since I hear they tend to be relatively weak. I don't want to spend a whole lot since I'm not exactly an audiophile, but I do want speakers that produce good audio quality. I'm just curious what my best options are with a budget of $150 (I may be willing to go up to $200) if I want speakers and a sub and everything.

Any recommendations would really be appreciated. I came here for help because I don't really know anything about audio equipment.

 

[vi edit]

Not sure what you mean by "weak". A Klipsch Promedia or Logitech Z series will run you out of the room in volume and bass. For that limited budget I think they are your best best.

 

[Jofo]

"Weak" meaning that the mids or highs are lacking. Klipsch Promedia 2.1 and Logitech Z623 are exactly the two speaker sets I was looking at originally, but as I did more research, the consensus seemed to be that even cheap shelf speakers will sound better than those computer speakers.

I use speakers mainly for music so it's important to me to get a nice full sound.

 

[Tiamat]

$400: Swans M200mkiii
$300: KRK Rokit 5 / Audioengine A5
$250: mAudio BX5 d2

Below this amount, the Klipsch promedia 2.1 will be a good choice. Cheap shelf speakers may sound better, but you usually have to buy some sort of amplifier for them which takes up desk space and adds to the overall cost. Also, most of the "cheap shelf speakers" are made for in-room listening and not near-field listening like at your computer desk. Speakers designed for in-the-room listening are designed to take into account the high frequency decay over the ~ 10' span between the speaker and the listener by increasing the output of the tweeter. When you sit ~3' from these speakers, the high frequencies have not decayed as much as intended by the designer, so these speakers will sound a bit hot in the tweeter frequencies. The choices I listed above are active studio monitors so they have the amplifier embedded into the speaker and their tweeters are designed for ~3' listening.

I went from Klipsch Promedia 2.1 to the Swans M200mkiii and the upgrade is definitely immediately gratifying. A few months later I ran into a spare Rel Q201E and am using it for the very low frequencies. I won't be changing my setup unless something breaks. You certainly can try inexpensive passive shelf speakers, as I did in the past, but I found them to be tiring on the ears due to the hot high frequencies at near-field listening.

Here is the full progression of my speakers:
Klipsch Promedia 2.1 -> Klipsch Promedia 2x 2.1 "4.2" -> Klipsch Promedia 5.1 Ultra -> B&W 602S3 -> B&W N805 -> B&W 804s -> Klipsch Promedia 2.1 -> Swan M200mkIII + Rel Q201E.

The B&W 804s are in the family where they belong...

 

[Jofo]

Okay, this is good stuff to know. I'm just totally uneducated when it comes to audio.

So you would recommend the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 for music? I just want to make sure I don't get speakers that are noticeably thin at any frequencies.

How do speakers from complete stereo systems stack up? The system I'm upgrading from is a 10-year-old JVC MX-G50 stereo: http://reviews.cnet.com/audio-shelf-systems/jvc-mx-g50/1707-6721_7-6148622.html

It cost me $200 at the time. I don't know if that system is laughably bad compared to what you can buy today for $200 or $150. I'm sure they're not amazing speakers but I've been satisfied with them for all these years. I'm only upgrading because the subwoofers broke.

 

[vi edit]

Here's just the thing....a set of studio monitors or high end bookshelf speakers are technically "better" speakers than the 2.1 Klipsh or Logitech sets. But to a large percentage of the buying public they don't want "better". They want louder. The 2.1 systems have an over boosted mid/bottom end with very large subwoofers filling in what the small satellites can't. It's a muddied, overly loud bass. But you can feel it, hear it, and it rocks that house. That's what many people *prefer*.

Studio monitors in this range like the M Audio AV-40's can somewhat hit the bass levels of the 2.1 systems, but no where to the volume and depths of the subs.

Plus a lot of the studio monitors are really large, ugly (think 1980's looking) speakers. They take up a lot more desk space than a small satellite and sub you can cram under your desk.

"Better" is a relative term. If a studio monitor sounds thinner than a 2.1 system to someone who likes over boosted low ends they aren't going to say it's better.

I'll be honest, for basic listening, games, and rock/metal music I prefer to use my 2.1 cheapie computer speaker system with the big ass subwoofer. But when it comes time to sit back and listen to some very mellow, blues, jazz or acoustic stuff I'll flip over to high end stand alone speakers.

For somethings I like the over boosted bottom end that the low end systems provide. If I want to sit back and enjoy the imaging and beautiful reproduction of music then I'll move over to the dedicated speakers for that. But 90% of the time it's the 2.1 set that's in use.

For your budget a true bookshelf system + amp to drive it isn't going to get your very far and it's going to likely sound thin compared to a 2.1 system or lower end powered monitor like the AV40's.

Last week Best Buy had the Klipsh Promedias on sale for $100. You really can't go wrong for the money with a setup like that.

 

[hans030390]

If you already have a stereo receiver, get the Dayton BR-1 bookshelf speaker kit off Parts Express for $150-160. They are generally comparable to good $300-400 retail speakers. All it takes it some really, really simply soldering.

If not that, there are some budget speakers from Pioneer that are supposed to be really nice for the price:

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Speakers/Home+Theater+Speakers/SP-BS21-LR

You can find them on eBay for well under their $100 price tag.

If you don't have a receiver, I'd check Craiglist or a local pawn shop. I got a decent 5.1 receiver a few years back for $60. I'd also recommend checking out the budget Dayton subs from Parts Express if you're needing a sub as well.

 

[Jofo]

vi edit, you've got me interested in the M-Audio AV-40s. Do you have recommendations for any other studio monitors in the same price range?

My speakers will be used for listening to music of all kinds, from classical to electronic. I don't really care about enhancing the sound for video games or movies. So in that respect, it sounds like the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 system isn't so much what I'm looking for.

hans030390, thanks for the recommendations! I'll add the Dayton and Pioneer speakers to my list of possibilities.