I'm quite lost. What are good speakers?

[gothamm]

so soundsticks it is then?

you might want to try it out first.

The soundsticks, while having decent bass, is a bright sounding speaker. If you like treble/energy, then they are great. If you like a warm, laid back sound signature, with rich creamy mids and bass impact, and like listening to music for hours in a single setting without fatigue, then the klipsch promedia. both are great speakers, and it comes down to your preference in sound sig.

 

[michael.lauden]

Duff-Man says....huh? What do you base that remark on? Is the insinuation that users on a Mac forum don't know anything about audio and/or speakers? There's over 20 replies to the original post and only a single "recommendation" of Bose. There's been several decent replies with ideas that fit the op's modest budget...oh yeah!

he was probably referring to the suave mac users who ONLY shop at sharper image. more of a jest

 

[orbital~debris]

I thought an photo of the speakers I recommended might be of interest, as you don't seem to see them on display in shops very often.
Also, here's a link to a photo i found of the Aego M in a real world scene.
New Aego M speakers

PS
It's good that the photo of the Soundsticks was posted - it shows how they are supposed to be deployed on a desk (with the ring stand flipped around behind the stick, so it kinda 'floats' above the desk). I've seen so many photos where people haven't noticed how they're supposed to be set up, and stand the stick inside the ring at a slight angle. The Soundsticks are much more stable (and can be angled more steeply) the correct way. Also, this allows the very directional sound of the four transducers to be angled up towards your ears if on a desk.