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Another Speaker Thread

FadeToBlack

FadeToBlack

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 27, 2005
1,843
5
Accoville, WV
I've posted many threads regarding what speakers to buy in the past and now I'm in the market for some again.

I've been using the built-in speakers in my iMac since I got it in August. Previously, I had Altec Lansing 2100's (which I loved) then got Bose Companion 2's that didn't really live up to my expectations. I ended up giving those to my aunt, as she needed some speakers.

So now, I'm again in the market for speakers. I'd like a good 2.1 set and I have a pretty specific set of requirements.

1 - They MUST have volume control/power switch on or near the satellite speakers and NOT on the sub.

2 - They must be relatively compact, as I have limited space.

3 - They must provide pretty good sound. I'm no audiophile by any means, but I'd still like to have some good sounding speakers, as these are what I listen to all my music on. I don't own a home stereo.

4 - They must be relatively affordable. (at or around $100)

I know that there's tons of threads on this subject, but since I have some pretty specific requirements, I figured it'd be fine to start a new thread.

Thanks in advance for your help. :)
 
I'm relatively impressed by my wife's JBL Creature computer speakers.
 
Based upon your $100 price I would also support the JBL. They do a nice job and meet your cost limits. They sound pretty good.

I use the Bose Companion 3 Series II and like them for several reasons but they are above your required price.
 
I find that for an audiophile, those creatures do not impress.

Go with the Soundsticks II, or Logitech z-2300
 
Montie Da Champ said:
I find that for an audiophile, those creatures do not impress.

Go with the Soundsticks II, or Logitech z-2300
Click to expand...

Neither of those will impress an audiophile either, but that's besides the point.

They may be $50 beyond your budget, but I'd highly recommend the M-Audio Studiophile AV30. They aren't exactly proper monitor speakers but they're very impressive for their price/size anyway.

If not the AV30, then the AV20 is $130, but the $130 vs $150 price tag and difference in performance makes the AV30 a no brainer, despite it's higher price.
 
I've had several 2.1 sets [Klipsch, Harmon Kardon, Altec Lansing, Logitech, etc...], and none have impressed me like my M-AUDIO powered monitors do. It's like night and day.
 
thegoldenmackid: the altec lansing fx6021's are very hard to find and out of his budget.

and the logitech z2300s DO impress minor audiophiles. cnet gave them a highly acclaimed 9/10 spectacular rating.
 
Montie Da Champ said:
thegoldenmackid: the altec lansing fx6021's are very hard to find and out of his budget.

and the logitech z2300s DO impress minor audiophiles. cnet gave them a highly acclaimed 9/10 spectacular rating.
Click to expand...

you can find them for like $150...the OP has kinda gone through most of them, obviously the monitors are going to be much better
 
I'm liking the idea of the M-Audio AV-20's. Yeah, they are definitely a bit high in my price range, but if they are worth it, then no big deal. I've always said "You get what you pay for!" and that's true in most cases. You can get them for only $95 on Amazon.com.

They meet all of my requirements from what I can see, but I do have one question.

Will they fit on my desk? :p

Here's a pic:

iMac3.JPG


The modem that's sitting on the right side will be gone and there's now an iPod dock on the left side. That's a 20" iMac, BTW, to give you an idea of the size.

That's for all the suggestions, everybody. If these M-Audios will fit on my desk, I'm gonna get 'em.
 
digitalnicotine said:
Yep, they'll easily fit. Good job on finding a decent price for them. :)
Click to expand...

One little issue, though. The modem actually WON'T be gone. I have to keep it, 'cause I've been trying out Verizon DSL for the past week or so and have had nothing but trouble out of it and I've decided to stick with cable, so the modem has to stay. If I move the iMac over some, do you think they'll still fit?

Just a little FYI on the Verizon thing. I had their modem/router combo in my living room, which is why it isn't in here on my desk. Constant wireless dropouts and just loads of problems. Gonna send that crap back and stick to cable. :cool:

Hopefully the speakers will still fit.
 
The Studiophile AV 20's are fairly compact, so I think they will fit on your desktop with the modem. Worst case scenario, since you're buying from Amazon, if they don't fit, you can return them? But I think you have plenty of space. :) Good luck.
 
digitalnicotine said:
The Studiophile AV 20's are fairly compact, so I think they will fit on your desktop with the modem. Worst case scenario, since you're buying from Amazon, if they don't fit, you can return them? But I think you have plenty of space. :) Good luck.
Click to expand...

I think I may buy a table of some sort to sit beside my desk, so that I can put my modem on that and have extra storage space.

So yeah, I'll probably end up getting these speakers sometime soon. I'll post an update in this thread once I get 'em.
 
vendettabass said:
Edirol MA15D
Click to expand...

Those look like really nice speakers. Thanks for the link. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go with the M-Audio's, though, since I can get 'em on Amazon. The Edirol's aren't available on there. I usually try to get my stuff on Amazon, as they have always been great to me when it comes to returns, etc. Appreciate the suggestion, though. :cool:
 
For your price, if you can find them, the JBL Creatures.. I have the JBL Spots on my iMac, and love them.
 
nyc2socal said:
For your price, if you can find them, the JBL Creatures.. I have the JBL Spots on my iMac, and love them.
Click to expand...

I really like the looks/size of the Creatures, but when I ordered my iMac, I also got a set of those. They were defective (one of the speakers didn't work) but I really loved the style and size of them. My HUGE complaint with them was that the power button was on the sub, which is ridiculous, since the sub should be placed under the desk. I returned them and have just been using the internal speakers in my iMac since.

I probably should have mentioned that in my original post. :p

Appreciate the suggestion, though. :)
 
Just get a great home stereo and route your mac's audio output into the stereo's aux input. That sounds like it'll exactly fill the niche you're looking for. Heck you can probably get a nice stereo that someone you know is willing to give away for free.
 
motulist said:
Just get a great home stereo and route your mac's audio output into the stereo's aux input. That sounds like it'll exactly fill the niche you're looking for. Heck you can probably get a nice stereo that someone you know is willing to give away for free.
Click to expand...

Takes up too much space. :p

I still live with my parents and my room is small, so I don't have room for a stereo.

I'm probably just gonna get a bigger desk or a table to sit beside my desk, so that I'll have more space to put stuff. The desk I have now is just too small for everything.
 
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