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Music Speakers...?

C

Colton534

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 30, 2009
32
0
Unknown
I'm looking for some good input on some laptop speakers for mainly music with a little movie watching. I'm looking to get some and there are just to many choices and i'm not sure what i need.

The speakers will be connected to my aluminum umb, and sometimes an iPod. i'm looking for some good quality without breaking the bank (haha who isn't). i want clear crisp highs and good deep lows with no distortion. it's going in a larger room so power and clarity at high volumes is a big a factor.

i'm leaning towards the 2.1 systems, (2 satellites and a subwoofer) but would consider a quality set of just 2 speakers if the acoustics go deep enough.

:apple: Thanks for your input, anything will help. :D
 
AudioEngine A2s and A5s are both pretty good. I'd only get the A2s if are short on desktop space. I mean they are pretty kick butt as I have them as well, but they are significantly smaller than the A5s. They don't have a dedicated woofer, but are pretty good nonetheless.
 
Thanks for the threads. has anyone heard of the logitech Z-2300 2.1 system? i'm trying to stay around and under 100 bucks.
 
Colton534 said:
Thanks for the threads. has anyone heard of the logitech Z-2300 2.1 system? i'm trying to stay around and under 100 bucks.
Click to expand...
Yes. I've had the Z-2300 in the past and they're great, however for a large room may be on the edge since the sub will more than suffice but the drivers are pretty small (2.5").
 
I really like the M10's by Swan. But they seem to have been replaced by the (eye sore) M12 model. i've read specs and reviews on both and it seems like the M10's got a LOT more attention then their refresher. any insights?
 
Colton534 said:
I really like the M10's by Swan. But they seem to have been replaced by the (eye sore) M12 model. i've read specs and reviews on both and it seems like the M10's got a LOT more attention then their refresher. any insights?
Click to expand...

Where do you see that the M10's have been replaced? The M10's are still sold on the audioinsider (the only place to get swan speakers), and they appear to be in stock. They are $10 more than the M12 set.

I also highly recommend the M200's if you want to get away from a sub.
 
CubeHacker said:
Where do you see that the M10's have been replaced? The M10's are still sold on the audioinsider (the only place to get swan speakers), and they appear to be in stock. They are $10 more than the M12 set.

I also highly recommend the M200's if you want to get away from a sub.
Click to expand...
They were updated, but they really are two different systems. It's not like Swan just went back and tweaked a tweeter.

axboi87 said:
Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 coming soon...
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=4503
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Don't recommend a single thing (even if it is B&W) without listening to it, it's a good rule of thumb. I'm really interested about their new headphones.
 
JoeG4 said:
Wow no reps for Klipsch 2.1s? Yikes! I still think those are .. awesome. I think it's humorous that they haven't changed them in well over a decade, but they're still great speakers.
Click to expand...

They are the closest to the Swan's in terms of quality, but they are really different speakers, the bass on the Klipsch is overwhelming.
 
The problem with Swans M10 is that they're not readily available. When recommending something rare I would recommend something that is not-so-rare. It is awesome point everyone in a direction for whatever reason, but I personally recommend the Audio Engine A5s if you cannot find the Swans.
 
thegoldenmackid said:
The AudioEngine's are three times the price, and while it may not be relevant in this thread, most people's price range seem to fall in the $100-$150 range.



:confused:
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I don't know why you're confused. You know better than most that the Swans M10 are difficult to find. There is one US seller and they only get so many per month. If you're still confused PM me.
 
be carefull of Audio Insider.

I made an order and sent an email to customer and got a really quick response and was told what would happen with my issue immediately. However it's been over a month and I have had no change and they have not done what they said they would do. I'm starting to get frustrated because I was very impressed with them....at first.
 
Nice 2.0 and 2.1 Speakers in the $100 range

I have a little experience with 2.0 and 2.1 speakers in the "around $100" range

For 2.0 speakers, the JBL Duet, Duet2 and Duet3 sound very nice. I have used the $49 Duet personally. Bose has a 2.0 speaker set at $99 also but I've never tried those.

For 2.1 speakers, the Harman-Kardon Soundsticks 2 are hard to beat at the price. For sound that is. The controls are poor and the styling quirky but the sound is excellent. These are my favorite speakers to listen to but the controls are awkward. They're on my back room system. Maybe I'll put them on my TV set sometime.

I also use the Logitech Z4 2.1 system which has a really, really nice control arrangement but sound that is a little muddled in the mid-to-upper ranges.
It's pretty decent sound and the fantastic wired control pod makes up for it, so the Z4 is on my primary system.

Have Fun,
Keri

PS. The Duet, Z4 and Soundsticks2 have all been in production for a couple of years now. They apparently have "staying power".
 
Colton534 said:
... i want clear crisp highs and good deep lows with no distortion. it's going in a larger room so power and clarity at high volumes is a big a factor....
Click to expand...

So these are NOT going to be those small "computer speakers" and they do not need to be portable.

If so, then what you want is a "stereo system" and NOT a pair of desktop computer speakers. They area a world apart. The desktop speakers are for what they call "near feild sound" while the typical stereo system is intended to fill a room with sound.

Questions:
1) Room size and general description.
2) Budget
3) Do you have space for larger speakers? What is the maximum size you can use
4) Do they have to be powered speakers? What about an amp and passive speakers. Would that work?
5) How good are your ears
 
CubeHacker said:
The M10's are still sold on the audioinsider (the only place to get swan speakers), and they appear to be in stock.
Click to expand...

I ordered on oct 14th. I just got off the phone with Jon at audioinsider and he said the delivery got in a few days ago and is clearing customs now. He also said that they may be able to start shipping as early as tomorrow.

For anyone else reading this with an order on backorder, I think it's safe to say that if you ordered around the time I did and have already paid, that your's will ship in this allotment. If you're going to place a new order, all I can say is good luck :p
 
ChrisA said:
So these are NOT going to be those small "computer speakers" and they do not need to be portable.

If so, then what you want is a "stereo system" and NOT a pair of desktop computer speakers. They area a world apart. The desktop speakers are for what they call "near feild sound" while the typical stereo system is intended to fill a room with sound.

Questions:
1) Room size and general description.
2) Budget
3) Do you have space for larger speakers? What is the maximum size you can use
4) Do they have to be powered speakers? What about an amp and passive speakers. Would that work?
5) How good are your ears
Click to expand...

I'm going to go with Chris on this one. It will cost significantly more, of course, but going with a receiver and passive speakers is going to give you a much better listening experience for a larger room than a pair of computer speakers ever could. The other bonus is that, with a good A/V receiver, you have the ability to grow your system as your needs and budget change. You can start out with a simple 2.0 system and add speakers as needed, going up to a full 7.1 for a home theater if you ever wanted to.

When watching movies, are you connecting your laptop to a television or just watching them on the screen? If just on the screen, then you're not going to be sitting very far away and can get away with computer speakers. For music, it depends on your listening tastes.
 
thegoldenmackid said:
The AudioEngine's are three times the price, and while it may not be relevant in this thread, most people's price range seem to fall in the $100-$150 range.
Click to expand...

The A2s are only $200 for the whole set; it's definitely worth it. Of course the reason I got them was before of their size and lack of a standalone subwoofer.

Yes that does means twice as much as the $100 budget, but again when I made the suggesting the OP didn't provide a budget… good quality without breaking the bank is definitely why I recommended the A2s. To me that's quality without breaking the bank.

They won't fill a room with sound (well depends on the room I guess), but when it's used with a laptop for movie watching, I can't image the OP would sit more than a few feet away; it's not like we're talking about a movie theatre demanding 10.2 surround sound.
 
i just bought the Logitech Z320s for $49 at BestBuy. They were like $60 something...I think they sound good. I live on the second story of a 4 story apartment empire, so I didn't really need the sub. Neighbors would probably get mad...
 
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