Agreed 100%. My ears found the AudioEngine A2 over-hyped, for instance. 

Thanks for the inputs guys. The NHT also seems to have rave reviews. Time to do some research :)

Thanks for the inputs! This looks like a long term project requiring quite some study. I'm looking into this, but meanwhile would still like some inputs on my original post - if there exist small-ish matching speakers for the lepai amp in budget 

Well I guessed so :) ..    But what you say is extremely intriguing. At the risk of sounding noob-ish. Are you suggesting I should go back, buy separate drivers and build my own speakers?   I've never done anything even close to that, but wow! I would be most willing to - can you give me...

Also, specifically, does anyone have any experience with the Pyle Home PCB3BK 3-Inch 100-Watt Mini Cube Bookshelf Speakers - seem pretty popular on Amazon...

Hi guys,  I am buying the lepai tripath 2020 amp from amazon for about 20 bucks. I want to build a decent sounding system on a budget, and am interested to know your thoughts on my requirement -   I want to carry the amp and speakers back to India (I'm in the US for a short trip, and any...

Eric, yes I had to turn the mp3 player to the max, even then the A2's demanded a lot more power.   Update:   I finally purchased the JBL Jembe 2.0. After bringing these babies home, and having played them for about an hour, I feel that this is a positively great purchase for around $60...

No, the store did not stock the Altec Lansings, nor the Creatives (I was disappointed since I specifically wanted to try the Creative T40)

Just wanted to update - had a fun time auditioning a few speakers. Updating with my observations if this helps someone down the road.   1. Bose Companion 2 (auditioned at - Bose store, Rockefeller Centre, NYC, J&R Music World, NYC)   When I heard these first, they were paired to a...

That is of great help PeterP. And it makes complete sense. Just curious though, does this mean that only the aux input is padded, or both inputs?   I seem to remember during the audition that the main input itself was directed to my Sansa clip zip, but I can't be sure. I can audition again...

At first, when I connected the Clip to the speakers, the volume on the clip was at about 50%. Upon hearing almost nothing, I cranked up the Clip volume to 100%. Finally, to test the limit, I maxed the speaker volume. Even at this point, the speakers weren't exactly making anyone uncomfortable...

Hello head-fi'ers,   I was researching for 2.0 speakers for use with my mp3 player (primarily) and my laptop (more details at http://www.head-fi.org/t/617693/need-2-0-speakers-bit-of-an-odd-requirement) and finally got time to visit the Bose store to try out the Companion 2 (the other option...

Thanks guys. Trog's suggestion about a full fledged amp and speakers is interesting, the only issue being the ability to carry it back from the US. I won't have that much space in my luggage, despite business class 

Thanks for the replies guys. Sorry to bump this thread, but I just saw this thread on head-fi: http://www.head-fi.org/t/611333/sandisk-sansa-clipzip-is-not-good-for-speakers   It seems that my mp3 player in question, the sansa clip zip CANNOT drive speakers? I'm a bit confused - arent these...

Ah, thanks Obob.. would be great if you could tell me the model number. Though the problem is that the availability of year old models. X140 has decent reviews, and is only ~$28...