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Which 2.1 speaker set should I get?

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dferigmu

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 3, 2004
265
0
Washington, DC
I'm looking for a powerful speaker set with a subwoofer. I've heard good things about the JBL Creature II and the Harman Kardon Soundsticks 2, but they don't seem very powerful. I need something that puts out stereo-level sound and I don't want to spend more than $150.

I have heard very good things about the Logitech Z-2300 and the Klipsch GMX A-2.1 Personal Audio System. Is either one better? Or does anyone have any other suggestions?
 
Klipsch is much better then Logitech.
Go for the ProMedia 2.1 they might not be the most stylish but they have 200 WATTS of crystal clear highs, smooth mids, and BOOMING bass.
They can be found on eBay for well under $150 shipped (I got mine for $107 shipped). :D
 
sjpetry said:
Klipsch is much better then Logitech.
Go for the ProMedia 2.1 they might not be the most stylish but they have 200 WATTS of crystal clear highs, smooth mids, and BOOMING bass.
They can be found on eBay for well under $150 shipped (I got mine for $107 shipped). :D
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I've heard they have a low lifespan though and the Logitech's got a 9.0 rating on CNET.
 
dferigmu said:
I've heard they have a low lifespan though and the Logitech's got a 9.0 rating on CNET.
Click to expand...

I've had my Klipsch Promedia 2.1 for about 3.5 years now and i haven't noticed any degradation in sound quality. I'd definitely recommend them, as i have recommended them to quite a few friends already and all have been pleased with them. None of them (at least 4 people i can think of right now) have had any problems with them.
 
A lot depends on your context, too. For a library-sized classroom of 40 students, international travel, plug and play ease, I went with the Harman/Kardon Sticks II set up. Just got it today at CompUSA and am pleased with what it's putting out. I'm not an audiophile by any stretch, but the sub woofer and two sticks are putting out good sound for what I've run it through in a couple of hours which includes PPT and Keynote presentations, DVD and .aiff files from iTunes.
X
 
you should get the Logitech Z-2300 i have one that i bought a month ago. you wont regret it. the sound is clear even when you put the volume all the way up.also the bass will move your whole room around lol. it has 200 watt in total. you will love it man
 
wnameth said:
You could get the Altec Lansing FX6021 2.1 Amplified Speaker System, I know it is a little pricey, but they are excellent, i used them in bestbuy today, and plus they kind of have a G5 look to them. ( i am not sure how to make a word into a link, so here is the full link)

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/prodd...S10039704&catid=20399&newdeptid=20374&PCName=
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Agree, the altec lansing are sweeeeet... I have them and they are amazing...great sound, good bass, if you can afford them, get it. YOu can't go wrong.
 
I also have the logitechs and while I haven't heard the Klipsch (I'm sure they probably produce sound more accurately) the logitechs sound really good. Amazon has them for $109 shipped. I consider myself to be somewhat of an audiophile in that I can't stand speakers that don't sound good. I spent a lot of time listening closely to make sure these would satisfy me.

Good luck.
 
Zeke said:
I also have the logitechs and while I haven't heard the Klipsch (I'm sure they probably produce sound more accurately) the logitechs sound really good. Amazon has them for $109 shipped. I consider myself to be somewhat of an audiophile in that I can't stand speakers that don't sound good. I spent a lot of time listening closely to make sure these would satisfy me.

Good luck.
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Yeah, I saw that. I'm very tempted to buy the Logitech Z-2300 considering they have gotten rave reviews. One question: Do they provide too much base? I did read about that somewhere. I want some base, but not so it takes over everything else.
 
dferigmu said:
Yeah, I saw that. I'm very tempted to buy the Logitech Z-2300 considering they have gotten rave reviews. One question: Do they provide too much base? I did read about that somewhere. I want some base, but not so it takes over everything else.
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I'm not sure on the Logitech but you can control the bass on the Klipsch with a knob. :)
 
p_companion_m.jpg


Bose Companion 3
 
risc said:
p_companion_m.jpg


Bose Companion 3
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Way way too over priced. And if you read his first post you'll know that he can't spend over $150 (your only $100 off). I have compared the Bose next to my Klipsch and the Klipsch blow the Bose away (at less than half the price).

You should listen to the sound system before you buy it.


P.S. the Bose sound nice for normal volumes but if you want good sound that rocks the house go Klipsch or if you must......Logitech. :cool:
 
I'll second the Klipsch Pro Media 2.1. I've had mine for 2 years and they've performed perfectly. Nothing special to look at but sound reproduction is perfect. The only slightly annoying thing about them is the on/off switch is located on at the back of the subwoofer...not the most convenient place Klipsch!

Apart from that, I can't recommend them highly enough.
 
I would go with Mackie near-field HR624 monitors. You can add bass later as you can expand the system. Total flat frequency response and tight unbelievable bass.

Mackie HR624
 
sjpetry said:
Way way too over priced. And if you read his first post you'll know that he can't spend over $150 (your only $100 off). I have compared the Bose next to my Klipsch and the Klipsch blow the Bose away (at less than half the price).

You should listen to the sound system before you buy it.


P.S. the Bose sound nice for normal volumes but if you want good sound that rocks the house go Klipsch or if you must......Logitech. :cool:
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Yeah, those Bose ones are too expensive, especially since I can get something very good if not better for $100 less.

Is it possible to buy both the Logitech and Klipsch speakers, try them both and return one? Maybe that's what I should do.
 
dferigmu said:
Yeah, those Bose ones are too expensive, especially since I can get something very good if not better for $100 less.

Is it possible to buy both the Logitech and Klipsch speakers, try them both and return one? Maybe that's what I should do.
Click to expand...
Check their return policy. Is there a place where you can listen to them near you (compusa, apple store)?
 
sjpetry said:
Way way too over priced. And if you read his first post you'll know that he can't spend over $150 (your only $100 off) .... the Bose sound nice for normal volumes but if you want good sound that rocks the house go Klipsch ....
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Weird from the pricing I've seen here (in Australia) the Klipsch ones are a heap more expensive, I've in the market for new speakers here too and since a few of you are recommending the Klipsch I've decided to try and find a dealer here.
 
risc said:
Weird from the pricing I've seen here (in Australia) the Klipsch ones are a heap more expensive, I've in the market for new speakers here too and since a few of you are recommending the Klipsch I've decided to try and find a dealer here.
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In the US the Bose are $249.99 and the Klipsch are $179.99 (but can be easily found on eBay for around $100). :)
 
Lacero said:
I would go with Mackie near-field HR624 monitors. You can add bass later as you can expand the system. Total flat frequency response and tight unbelievable bass.

Mackie HR624
Click to expand...

Well, I don't think these will help dferigmu, considering they are about $650 outside of his price range. I'm assuming you are plugging these awesome speakers because you own a pair. :)

While my post may not be all that helpful to the original poster either, this does fit into the topic of 2.1 speaker sets. I'm more in line with Lacero with my audio tastes. I'm not a huge audiophile, but I do not care for most Logitech and Klipsch computer speaker sets because the bass is always boomy, I hate that. I like having flat freq. response and decent imaging.

I own a pair of the Acoustic Energy AGEO2. I paid $400 for them about three years and have been very pleased. Since Acoustic Energy is based in the UK, I'm sure MR's UK readers pick them up for cheaper than what I paid here in the US.

I bought a Mac Mini as a second machine. I intend to keep the AEGO2 system with my PC since that's how I listen to music in my bedroom. The mini will go near my kitchen/dinning area and I'll need another pair of speakers. I didn't want to spend as much money on the second pair of speakers, but I want decent sound. I'm looking to spend about $200, preferably no more than $150. Important qualities for me are flat freq. response and MOST importantly no artificially boomy bass. I can't stand that and most all the stuff at Best Buy, Comp USA, etc have that problem, even when you turn the sub down all the way, it still seems unnatural. I don't care if the bass does not extend too low, as long as it sounds clean.

If anyone knows a good speaker solution that fits my requirements I'd love to hear your suggestions.

Thanks!
 
I've got the Klipsches myself... paid $160 retail without doing a lot of price hunting; they'd probably be cheaper online after some looking around. They're absolutely amazing, and affordable.
 
feakbeak said:
Well, I don't think these will help dferigmu, considering they are about $650 outside of his price range. I'm assuming you are plugging these awesome speakers because you own a pair. :)

I bought a Mac Mini as a second machine. I intend to keep the AEGO2 system with my PC since that's how I listen to music in my bedroom. The mini will go near my kitchen/dinning area and I'll need another pair of speakers. I didn't want to spend as much money on the second pair of speakers, but I want decent sound. I'm looking to spend about $200, preferably no more than $150. Important qualities for me are flat freq. response and MOST importantly no artificially boomy bass. I can't stand that and most all the stuff at Best Buy, Comp USA, etc have that problem, even when you turn the sub down all the way, it still seems unnatural. I don't care if the bass does not extend too low, as long as it sounds clean.

If anyone knows a good speaker solution that fits my requirements I'd love to hear your suggestions.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

That's kind of what I'm looking for. I need something that's not above $150-200 and provides high-quality, powerful sound, but not booming bass. I mainly listen to alternative, techno, and top 40 songs. I'll also use it for DVDs.

So far, it seems like the Logitech's are good if you want big bass, the Klipsch are popular if you don't want as much bass, and all the other suggested are more than $300!

I think I'll try the Logitech and Klipsch one's and then decide. Maybe I'll even bring home some of the Soundsticks and try them.
 
dferigmu said:
That's kind of what I'm looking for. I need something that's not above $150-200 and provides high-quality, powerful sound, but not booming bass. I mainly listen to alternative, techno, and top 40 songs. I'll also use it for DVDs.

So far, it seems like the Logitech's are good if you want big bass, the Klipsch are popular if you don't want as much bass, and all the other suggested are more than $300!

I think I'll try the Logitech and Klipsch one's and then decide. Maybe I'll even bring home some of the Soundsticks and try them.
Click to expand...

If you aren't looking for booming, overwhemling bass, then a 2.0 system (one without a sub) might be a smarter option. Subwoofers are usually not all that great for music, but work very well for movies, where there are a lot of low frequency explosions and such.

One of the best 2.0 multimedia speakers would have to be the Swan M200. For music they easily beat out the Klipsch in terms of sound quality. You can read the following review for a better description of its strengths. The only downside is that the only place I know of that sells these is newegg.com. Oh yeah, and make sure you have the room on your desk, cause these speakers are HUGE!
 
If I can tell you anything, it would be that Klipsch are your best bet. Logitecs are purely for bass, not accurate sound reproduction. Altec Lansings are OK, and Bose are overpriced and don't sound as good as they are cracked up to be. You can't go wrong with Klipsch. I have a Promedia 4.1 here, and I love them to death. I listen to classical music mostly. Incredible detail. I also listen to organ music. It's the most difficult sound to reproduce because you are dealing with frequencies that no speaker can accurately reproduce.

Look around for a set by Klipsch. You'll never look back. Great detail. They're not built for looks. They're built for the express purpose of playing music. And that's just what they do.
 
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