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choosing speakers for my mbp unibody

J

jackaz127

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 5, 2008
24
0
hi everybody, i'm looking for some external speakers for my mbp because i'd like something better than the ones it come with.

i was looking for something with a cool design, enough quality and my budget is between 100 & 150$.
i hope somebody will help me in my choice, so far i found:
-harman & kardon soundsticks II; but i'm afraid that they're a bit old.
-jbl duet III; they seem to be good.
-bose companion 2; don't know if they are worth it.
-others?

what do you think about these? something else to suggest? i'll really appreciate any help.

greetings from italy! byebye. :)
 
I don't know too much about compact speakers, but I am running a set of Logitech Z5500 off my iMac and they are amazing ;) (If you don't mind the size..)
 
The Harman Kardon Sound Stick II's are actually shockingly awful in terms of sound quality, i guess if its in your bedroom casually listening to music then theyre fine, and they look cool, but i wouldnt recommend them for any sort of professional or extended use. The JBL's arnt that great either, and they look like something Dell would make, again the Bose are actually the best out of what you have listed in terms of quality, but overpriced and fairly ugly.

Whilst I dont like Creative that much as a company, the Creative Inspire T10 Speakers are excellent value for money, you can pick them up for around $40 - $50 and youll be really pleased with the crisp quality and heavy base im sure. Also theyre quite weighty so they wont vibrate around on your desk :) Theyre also good around computers because theyre magnetically sheilded to prevent any interference, but thats just me being uber-picky :p
 
thank's both. :)

cy88, thank's for your suggestion but i was looking for a 2.0 or 2.1 system, i have space but i don't wanna be surrounded by speakers and wires.

kastenbrust, thank's too, so, the place where i'd use them is actually a bedroom and i don't need pro quality, just reach a compromise between design and quality, with that budget. those bose i don't know: i don't really like the brand and i think they are not powerful enough to compete with the other two.

i checked those creative and the t20 and t40 too but i really dislike them and although they probably have a great quality for the cost, they're not what i'm looking for.
do you have any other suggestion? :eek:
 
If you can get them in Italy, try getting Aego M's. Very highly rated, good sound, fantastic solid build quality, 2.1 setup. Maybe a bit expensive, but well worth the money.
 
Stereo receiver and big speakers. Only way to go!:D

Seriously...

Have you looked into the Logitech Z2300? I'm not a fan of any sort of audio components newer then 1995 so I have no idea myself on how they sound. I hear great reviews.

Also look into the Logitech X-240 since that one is alot cheaper.

Check into the HP GM325AA as well. That one is 30 watts, HP makes a 50 watt version as well. Those are newer and I haven't checked the reviews on that but I thought I might throw that in as well.

If none of those satisfy you, you can just go to a guitar center and look into studio monitors too.
 
I have the bose companion II speakers and I am actually very happy with them. I figured if they didn't work out I could always return them. I've had them for a few months and love them. They create really good sound for such little speakers with no subwoofer. Many colleges request that you don't subs in dorms so these are perfect for me.
 
ErikCLDR said:
I have the bose companion II speakers and I am actually very happy with them. I figured if they didn't work out I could always return them. I've had them for a few months and love them. They create really good sound for such little speakers with no subwoofer. Many colleges request that you don't subs in dorms so these are perfect for me.
Click to expand...

Because retards ruined it for the rest of us.:(
 
thank's everybody! anyway, what i'm looking for is not a very high volume: in my room right now there are 900watts (500 + 2x200) of pure power and i realised (hahaha) that it's definitely too much.
what i want is something that is actually cool, and if it has to be 3pieces they must be cool (i know it is the worst way to choose speakers but that's it). :)
 
The Logitechs are very good and they do a pair without the subwoofer. I have found the Bose to sound good but are well overpriced esp. when you consider that they are computer speakers...
 
For the amount of money you are willing to spend, you can get some pretty sweet speakers. Logitech is a good company. You may also want to look at Klipsch... my friend has the ProMedia 2.1 and it kicks a**
 
hi guys, sorry if i reply just now but i've been very busy.
i checked your advices and i've not decided yet:
i've also noticed the altec lansing fx 3022 and i like them pretty much.
what do you think about them? :)
 
01jamcon said:
If you can get them in Italy, try getting Aego M's. Very highly rated, good sound, fantastic solid build quality, 2.1 setup. Maybe a bit expensive, but well worth the money.
Click to expand...

Where can you find these?? They seem so hard to find in the US, too. Are they discontinued, or were they limited distrib. to begin with?
 
I have the Logitech Z2300's and they are very good, especially for the price (~$100). The bass kicks butt and the satellites are good enough for most needs - the midrange is a bit lacking. They also sent me a whole new system for free when I blew out one of the sat's so I would highly recommend them.
 
anubis26 said:
I have the Logitech Z2300's and they are very good, especially for the price (~$100). The bass kicks butt and the satellites are good enough for most needs - the midrange is a bit lacking. They also sent me a whole new system for free when I blew out one of the sat's so I would highly recommend them.
Click to expand...

wow i might try that with mine and see if i can get some free-bies :p
 
what about the M-Audio AV-40's. I got them recently and they sound great. 2.0 system. smallish bookshelf speakers. about 6" wide, 8"tall and 6.5" deep

powerful sound. i use them in my dorm room (pretty tiny) on about 1/4 volume for a room filling sound, anything higher can be heard outside. (although its crystal clear all the way to that volume)

plus you can have them for $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836127004
 
DoFoT9 said:
logitech X530's!!! or are they too bulky for what you want?
Click to expand...

yeah and six pieces are definitely too many for me, i want two or at max three.
the other logitechs look good but i don't like them so much, thank's for the advise anyway.:)
yeah I saw those m-audio but I don't know, they look a bit too "plastic" to me.. can you understand what I mean? you say their quality is ok? both in terms of sound and construction. :)

about the Altec Lansing FX 3022 instead? nobody knows anything about???:)
 
+1 for the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers. I picked up a pair for ~95 shipped a couple of years ago, and they're still an amazing set of speakers, even for a price two or three times more than they go for. THX certified. You'll love them.
 
Sounsticks all the way!

I'd recommend the HK Sounsticks II.... they are one of the few speakers in the size range that give a full spectrum of sound (Low, Mid, High).

In fcat most computer speakers tend to be lacking in the mid-range... Where these babies shine. They are weaker on the Bass than the Bose or Promedias, but give a more true sound.

kastenbrust bashed the Soundsticks for being "shockingly awful"... but I will respectfully disagree. True they are no monitirs, but probably one of the better 2.1 systems in the $$$ range.... and in all seriousness, when someone calls these bad and that they are not good for professional use, and then recommend a $40 Creative set.... makes me wonder...

Go for the HK for purity of sound, or the Bose if you like electronic music, hip hop, etc and like the thumping Bass (but willing to forego the mid range).

Peace!
 
I heard the Altec Lansing Experimentalist Bass the other day. I listened to two or three songs and was somewhat disappointed by them. For the price range I'd much rather go with the Creative T40s in terms of two speaker small systems; but you seem less interested in audio quality as opposed to the rest.

The M-Audio's are going to sound tons better and are much better build quality. While my Altecs were good computer speakers, they also didn't hold up particularly well. With that being said I'd recommend the FX6021 over any 2.1 in it's price range that you can buy in the U.S.

One last suggestion(s): Genelec 5040A (And if you want it the 6010A) I heard these recently and was quite impressed given the price range.
 
jackaz127 said:
yeah and six pieces are definitely too many for me, i want two or at max three.
the other logitechs look good but i don't like them so much, thank's for the advise anyway.:)
yeah I saw those m-audio but I don't know, they look a bit too "plastic" to me.. can you understand what I mean? you say their quality is ok? both in terms of sound and construction. :)

about the Altec Lansing FX 3022 instead? nobody knows anything about???:)
Click to expand...

oh dang, i was going to recommend the X230's but if you dont like the looks of them...
 
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