# Desktop speaker suggestions



## El_Mayo (Sep 29, 2013)

My current desktop speakers are being shitty and the audio's only coming out of the left speaker. Any suggestions on some good speakers to get? I have a logitech set with 5 speakers and subwoofer but I only use the front left and right ones so ideally a good sounding 2.1 set.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Sep 29, 2013)

Corsair Sp2200

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2011/05/27/corsair-sp2200-review/1

Good price, these seem ok to me.

Edit just found these, they look sweet, with a digital amp too.

http://www.otoneaudio.co.uk/speakers/desktop2_1/StiloPro


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## AsRock (Sep 29, 2013)

For computer speakers 2.1 i would go for Klipsch ProMedia 2.1
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000062VUO/?tag=tec06d-20


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## droopyRO (Sep 29, 2013)

> Corsair Sp2200
> 
> http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/201...p2200-review/1


Be very careful with these, mine have these awful high pitch buzzing coming out of the subwoofer and right speaker and im not the only one.
Do you have Microlab there ? http://www.microlab.cn/product_detail.asp?id=234&bigclassid=15&smallclassid=71 they are cheap like 40-50 euros here.


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## Peter1986C (Sep 29, 2013)

Creative Gigaworks T20 is a good 2.0 set with manipulatible bass and treble, comes with aux in and headphones connections. Sound is good for the price range but do not expect high-end stuff.


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## El_Mayo (Sep 29, 2013)

Looking for a set less than £80 ideally


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## Vario (Sep 29, 2013)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012KZNP4/?tag=tec06d-20

+
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AX26TPU/?tag=tec06d-20
+
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002RMPHMU/?tag=tec06d-20


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## AsRock (Sep 29, 2013)

El_Mayo said:


> Looking for a set less than £80 ideally



Keep saving up  .


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## acerace (Sep 29, 2013)

Try here. http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/4738/9-computer-speakers-tested-with-or-without-subwoofer


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## 95Viper (Sep 29, 2013)

droopyRO said:


> Be very careful with these, mine have these awful high pitch buzzing coming out of the subwoofer and right speaker and im not the only one.



Yep... 'tis a fact.  This is a common problem with the SP2000.
Mine started the buzz after a couple of weeks.
Got a set rotting away in the closet, 'til I get 'round to fixin' them or trashing them or giving them away.

I am very happy with the Logitech Z623 for my PC use.

Amazon: Logitech Speaker System Z623
.
.
.


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## Vario (Sep 29, 2013)

Protip: Computer speakers suck! go with some home audio speakers and a small amplifier.


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## droopyRO (Sep 29, 2013)

95Viper said:


> Yep... 'tis a fact.  This is a common problem *with the SP2000*.
> Mine started the buzz after a couple of weeks.
> Got a set rotting away in the closet, 'til I get 'round to fixin' them or trashing them or giving them away.
> .


I gave them to a old person that dose not hear the buzzing(witch is audible only when they are turned on and not playing any sound), best 80 euros i threw away, but i least did make someone happy


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## kalstrand (Sep 30, 2013)

I have to agree with the Logitech Z623.  I have a set and they are really good.


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## Kursah (Sep 30, 2013)

See if you can find some old Logitech X-230's..still some of the best cheap 2.1's I've ever had the pleasure of using. I went hi-fi 2.0 afterwords. I use a pair of Pioneer SP-21's and a small Class-T Dayton Amp. Works amazing but adds bulk and wiring. Not as much bass (though I have a 12" powered sub when I feel I need more bass), but the sound quality is amazing for my needs.


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## Fourstaff (Sep 30, 2013)

Kursah said:


> See if you can find some old Logitech X-230's..still some of the best cheap 2.1's I've ever had the pleasure of using. I went hi-fi 2.0 afterwords. I use a pair of Pioneer SP-21's and a small Class-T Dayton Amp. Works amazing but adds bulk and wiring. Not as much bass (though I have a 12" powered sub when I feel I need more bass), but the sound quality is amazing for my needs.



Seconded, X230 (and its larger sibling X530) are both the most bang for buck speakers I have seen for some time, replacements for both (Zx23) are shit. You can try to look for Creative's speakers (one of the Gigaworks) if you don't appreciate thumping basses (due to lack of subs).


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## jgunning (Oct 1, 2013)

Fourstaff said:


> Seconded, X230 (and its larger sibling X530) are both the most bang for buck speakers I have seen for some time, replacements for both (Zx23) are shit. You can try to look for Creative's speakers (one of the Gigaworks) if you don't appreciate thumping basses (due to lack of subs).



thirded! =P I owned the 5.1 version of the x230's and they are THE BEST speakers I have ever owned!
Bass was out of this world when I originally bought them! Still use them today 


JG


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## remixedcat (Oct 1, 2013)

My xmy ex 530 sare starting to sound like crap


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## erixx (Oct 1, 2013)

steal your daddies 3-way stereo speakers...


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## remixedcat (Oct 1, 2013)

no can do I lost my dad


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## shovenose (Oct 1, 2013)

I would recommend the Klipsch or Bose speakers if you're going for a 2.0 system.

I don't believe in Logitech speakers unfortunately - they aren't bad but Logitech is not truly a speaker company. They are a peripherals company that happens to make speakers. Klipsch has been making speakers for a long time.

Bose stuff might be overpriced but their stuff sounds great and they know how to make a speaker.


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## Fourstaff (Oct 1, 2013)

shovenose said:


> I would recommend the Klipsch or Bose speakers if you're going for a 2.0 system.
> 
> I don't believe in Logitech speakers unfortunately - they aren't bad but Logitech is not truly a speaker company. They are a peripherals company that happens to make speakers. Klipsch has been making speakers for a long time.
> 
> Bose stuff might be overpriced but their stuff sounds great and they know how to make a speaker.



Promedia 2.1 comes to mind, but it costs £100. Bose is just overpriced for the sound they provide. You may have better luck with bookshelf speakers but I know almost nothing about those.


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## El_Mayo (Oct 3, 2013)

Kursah said:


> See if you can find some old Logitech X-230's..still some of the best cheap 2.1's I've ever had the pleasure of using. I went hi-fi 2.0 afterwords. I use a pair of Pioneer SP-21's and a small Class-T Dayton Amp. Works amazing but adds bulk and wiring. Not as much bass (though I have a 12" powered sub when I feel I need more bass), but the sound quality is amazing for my needs.



I had X-230s haha that's what I need to replace.



Fourstaff said:


> Seconded, X230 (and its larger sibling X530) are both the most bang for buck speakers I have seen for some time, replacements for both (Zx23) are shit. You can try to look for Creative's speakers (one of the Gigaworks) if you don't appreciate thumping basses (due to lack of subs).



I ended up buying Z323s before I saw this. I don't mind them though, I paid £33 and they sound similar enough to my X-230s. I'll definitely look at getting better headphones when I move into a proper place as opposed to my student flat. The bass feels about the same as my old set so that's a plus.

I'm gonna look at getting Microlab or the Z623's in the future


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## Deleted member 24505 (Oct 3, 2013)

I'm using an old technics stereo, and a pair of mission 760i se's.


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## JunkBear (Oct 4, 2013)

I'm using and old amp too. So powerful the main poiwer is fused and each speakers side are fused. You can find some cheap at thrift store. Get a multi audio splitter box and plug everything in it. That will be crazy you see.


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## Fourstaff (Oct 4, 2013)

El_Mayo said:


> I ended up buying Z323s before I saw this. I don't mind them though, I paid £33 and they sound similar enough to my X-230s. I'll definitely look at getting better headphones when I move into a proper place as opposed to my student flat. The bass feels about the same as my old set so that's a plus.



The Z323 sound absolutely garbage compared to the x230's to me. Muddy vocals, unwanted thumping bass, nonexistent highs, but if you like it all is good


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## JunkBear (Oct 4, 2013)

Fourstaff said:


> The Z323 sound absolutely garbage compared to the x230's to me. Muddy vocals, unwanted thumping bass, nonexistent highs, but if you like it all is good



Sounds like a girlfriend saying : "I would not have done it like that but up to you!"


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## El_Mayo (Oct 5, 2013)

Fourstaff said:


> The Z323 sound absolutely garbage compared to the x230's to me. Muddy vocals, unwanted thumping bass, nonexistent highs, but if you like it all is good



They sound really similar to me. The old set weren't exceptional, that's gonna be my future set. It was like my headphone jump from Sony XBRs to Audio Technica ATH-M50s. That's the kinda jump I wanna make with my next speaker set


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## Kursah (Oct 5, 2013)

Then you should go hi-fi. Get a powered 8" or 10" sub. 

I love my Pioneer SP-BS21 speakers: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MEWZE4/?tag=tec06d-20

And being powered by this Dayton DTA-100a amp: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JK8BDK/?tag=tec06d-20

I actually don't run my 12" Dayton powered sub...too much bass. That's why I recommend an 8" or 10". But honestly the pioneers can put out decent bass with some eq-ing, but they are not bass monsters. Definitely not as much bass as the X-230's but plenty for everything I listen to. If I want a lotta bass I slap on my Denon D2000's. Also the Dayton amp has an amplified headphone output as well.

If you want the difference between the great and in my mind legendary (for cheap PC 2.1 speakers) Logitech X-230's, then get out of the pre-made PC speakers and actually build something more hi-fi. Going from cheaper sony heapdhones to the M50's is a good jump, and if you expect that from speakers, you will need to pay for it imho.

You might get more bass but it won't be as accurate, it will be muddier. Good luck with the hi's and mids on a 2.1 kit as well. Get some good speakers. The Pioneers are great, but take some time to research and build your own setup if you don't like my suggestions. I've been very happy with my setup, and when I want bass my Dayton 12" powered sub will knock my apt off it's foundation, but does it sound good when it's all tuned and comes together. I use my Creative Console EQ, run analog out from my X-Fi Forte using a 3.5mm to RCA (low level L and R channel) wire like this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002KR1OG/?tag=tec06d-20

Overall not much more difficult than other PC speaker setup, and depending on your market the cost may even be comparable, and even if it costs more, the overall quality is well worth it imho.

So if you wanna go to the next level, it's pretty obvious in my mind where you need to go. Otherwise you will end up side/down-grading like the X-230's to 323's. I've heard both of those...and my X-230's (my G/F has them) blow the 323's her sister has out of the water...no comparison. Though I did slap an Asus Xonar DG in my G/F's PC and that made a HUGE difference in sound quality compared to the onboard solution, and also has a pretty decent integrated HP amp for cheaper headphones.

I hope that helps you on your venture into upgrading your PC speaker system, make it worth your time and invest in the better parts now so you're not wasting your money and your time later replacing cheaper junk you shouldn't have purchased in the first place.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Oct 5, 2013)

These are what I'm using, lovely little speakers. Mission 760i SE


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## TheSchnitzelkiller (Oct 5, 2013)

Teufel, an german brand also makes some high quality computer speakers, worth looking into, bit expensive tho..

http://www.trustedreviews.com/Teufe...ecoder-Station-5_Surround-Sound-System_review


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## Kursah (Oct 5, 2013)

Some other brands to look at are KRK, Swan, M-Audio, Audioengine, etc. I was researching my hi-fi setup back in Spring 2012...here's one of my posts from that thread, keep in mind a few of those models were soon to be replaced as well...so there may be newer versions with different names or qualities, as always do research based off of suggestions that fit your needs:



Kursah said:


> Well I made a decision and it actually ended up going a different direction from what I've spent the last week researching. But we'll get to that later, I figured I'd link some of the active powered speakers/monitors I was looking at in varying price ranges.
> 
> *Audioengine A2 - $200* - Those that buy them for PC use love them and usually mix them with a sub for a 2.1 setup that nothing mainstream PC (logitech, creative) can supposedly touch.
> 
> ...


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## Kursah (Oct 14, 2013)

9 days and no more posts...I'm curious as to what you ended up doing El Mayo!

I hooked my sub back up...using hi-level from the speakers as I don't have RCA's available and I want to use my 21's for some more midbass punch. The RCA outs from the sub have a 275hz 8db cutoff.

My Pioneer SB21's have been replaced by 22's but they're almost identical. And my Dayton 100 Sub is replaced my a much improved 1000 sub. I didn't replace them...I'm just letting you know what models replace them. I will say after about 10 minutes of tune...WOW! I've been just enjoying the Pioneers and they do sound very good...this little DTA100a amp is a beast! It does seem more recent reviews are not very good..but my amp has been through a lot and kids and hasn't failed...never runs hot...and puts out plenty of power but there are some other very good options or if one gets an old used receiver unit that would work well too.

Either way...this thread made my unplug the headphones for a bit (well unplug my much loved Iron Buds!) and enjoy my speakers more seriously. I'm glad I did and I'm even happier I went this route. While I can always listen to my much loved and very old refurbished in 2006 (I think..it was right around then..about a year before I joined TPU) Logitech X-230's. They still sound great...it's really amazing how much sound those cheap little speakers put out even to this day. But then my system that cost me around about $250US that is just an another level completely....EPIC!

I hope you are enjoying an improved audio experience El Mayo!


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## AsRock (Oct 14, 2013)

tigger said:


> http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn18/munachi/Mission 760i SE/IMG_6263.jpg
> 
> These are what I'm using, lovely little speakers. Mission 760i SE



The bigger ones of those old speakers were better and i remember the treble lacking some. i have had issue's with small rubber dome tweeters (preference) but i bet ya got them for a nice price. The much older speakers were much better.

They about 13 year+ old now ?. in fact maybe getting on to 15+.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Oct 14, 2013)

AsRock said:


> The bigger ones of those old speakers were better and i remember the treble lacking some. i have had issue's with small rubber dome tweeters (preference) but i bet ya got them for a nice price. The much older speakers were much better.
> 
> They about 13 year+ old now ?. in fact maybe getting on to 15+.



They still sound well nice. The drivers are in nice condition, but the cabinets a bit so so, no matter though.


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## El_Mayo (Oct 14, 2013)

Kursah said:


> 9 days and no more posts...I'm curious as to what you ended up doing El Mayo!
> 
> I hooked my sub back up...using hi-level from the speakers as I don't have RCA's available and I want to use my 21's for some more midbass punch. The RCA outs from the sub have a 275hz 8db cutoff.
> 
> ...



I got the Z323 in the end, but I would like to buy a serious set up. I don't know a lot about amplifiers and stuff like that but I live near a music tech store and I'm sure they sell monitor speakers and the like so I could see what they've got in stock


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## Deleted member 24505 (Oct 14, 2013)

El_Mayo said:


> I got the Z323 in the end, but I would like to buy a serious set up. I don't know a lot about amplifiers and stuff like that but I live near a music tech store and I'm sure they sell monitor speakers and the like so I could see what they've got in stock



There are some very nice Active(with built in amps) monitor speakers, or you could go for a nice 2 channel amp and a pair of the new pioneer SP-BS22-LR speakers-

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Designed-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B008NCD2LG


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## T3RM1N4L D0GM4 (Oct 14, 2013)

My Xonar DS drives this Edifier kit:
http://www.amazon.com/Edifier-USA-M1380-Multimedia-Speakers/dp/B004N31D9W/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1381750798&sr=1-10&keywords=edifier

Cheap and simple enough, but I really love its sound quality


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## CJCerny (Oct 14, 2013)

tigger said:


> There are some very nice Active(with built in amps) monitor speakers, or you could go for a nice 2 channel amp and a pair of the new pioneer SP-BS22-LR speakers-
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Designed-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B008NCD2LG



This is an excellent recommendation.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Oct 14, 2013)

This is pretty nice too- 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Topping-TP30-Digital-Amplifier-USB-DAC/dp/B005D7SKWK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_recspk_3


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## Kursah (Oct 14, 2013)

El_Mayo said:


> I got the Z323 in the end, but I would like to buy a serious set up. I don't know a lot about amplifiers and stuff like that but I live near a music tech store and I'm sure they sell monitor speakers and the like so I could see what they've got in stock



Nice man I hope those Z323's take care of ya until you upgrade! I didn't know much either about Class T amps and what-not. I just spent a lot of time researching and seeing what others had good success with mixing and matching together in my budget. It was either buy some powered speakers like my big quote has several links to or mix shelf speakers with an amp and powered sub.

Monitor speakers should be quite nice, you may still seek a sub of 8" or 10" though depending on your bass needs though. But you could always start with speakers + amp or powered speakers and then add a sub later on if you need. I suppose that's later on when you make the decision to upgrade again! Enjoy your new setup for a bit!


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## Deleted member 24505 (Oct 22, 2013)

These are what I am using now, they are studio speakers.









Each speaker is exactly the same. I don't know the wattage.

They have Immedia broadcasting ltd on the back but I don't know any other details about them.


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