[Shizdan]

Looking to get either 2.1 or 5.1 Speakers for My PC for $300.
I am looking for....
-Gaming 50%
-Music 50%
-I have an Auzentech prelude so i can use CMSS-3d (I think) For surround Sound...
-Must be able to handle loud volumes and have good bass.....As I like to Rock out!!!

 

[Shizdan]

bump

 

[taso89]

2.1 all the way.. Get a good pair of B-stock Swan D1080MkII or the M200MkII's I have (they have zero distortion at high volumes, they're practically loudspeakers) and get a nice sub to go with it. Done!

I don't think a receiver could fit in your budget so you'd be stuck to powered equipment, luckily the Swans are powered as are most subs. Something like the Logitech Z5500 would fit in your budget too but the only good thing about them is the sub and even that won't hit the kinds of lows a home theater setup could hit. Swans + quality sub would be as good if not better than $600 home-theater-in-a-box setups, minus the surround effects you'd get with a 5.1 setup. And the Swans speakers, if properly positioned, have far better soundstage that gives a 3d-effect than the Denon D2000's to be honest. In games it's always super-easy to position enemies in Far Cry 2, while with the Denons I genuinely had trouble using the sound to locate them.

The only thing I miss from the Denons is the super-low bass extension and that's something a sub will give you.

 

[Shike]

Gotta love having a good set of speakers around. Here's my personal suggestion for you.

Step 1)

Consider bumping budget up slightly, another $100 should help handle shipping and give a little play.

Step 2)

Get an integrated amp off ebay or audiogon of a decent brand (NAD, Rotel, Luxman, Marantz, etc). There's always something good going for about $150. For example, this vintage Luxman would work wonders.

Step 3)

Buy the speakers! There's a good chance at scoring some cheap Energy speakers at Audioadvisor. C50 bookshelves and ESW8 sub.


So, all together that should cost around $350, $400 with shipping. Now just get a decent mini to RCA cable and hook it up. In the future you can also add an external DAC.

This setup would probably blow away any boxed setup you could find in the same/similar price range.

 

[Maxvla]

Agreed with above posters. Some decent bookshelves and a small inexpensive sub + low end amp/reciever. It may cost more than your $300, but boy will it ever be worth it compared to some logitech or klipsch 5.1 in a box.

Btw, surround sound is very overrated when you are talking music. Great quality stereo (+sub if needed) will always sound better and more natural. I don't really get the whole multichannel music anyways. When was the last time you went to a concert and people were performing behind your seat?!?

 

[Shizdan]

Ok i will bump the budget to $400

 

[Shike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shizdan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok i will bump the budget to $400

Excellent. Start shopping around for a used integrated amp on ebay if you're not happy with the Luxman.

here's an excellent integrated NAD. You can find a review from TNT-Audio about it here.

A definite steal IMHO.

I stand by the speaker recommendations as Energy has always received fair marks. Maybe grab some 16ga. speaker wire while you're at it and the 1/8 plug to RCA. this should do the trick

 

[Maxvla]

HarmanAudio on eBay can get you some decent deals also mostly amp/reciever. Check this one out. You don't need 7.1, but for the same price as the one Shike linked (first time) you get future flexibility if you decide to make a full theater setup later on. I use a Harman low end like that one (but older) for my computer setup and it works great.

For this setup you mostly want to be picky about your bookshelves, then somewhat picky on the sub, then mostly just throw in an amp/receiver that's name brand (made right) and does what you want it to do, because having a high quality amp/receiver isn't going to do much on a system that's mostly a few feet from you. You won't be pushing a lot of power or volume since you are so close to it.

edit: The one Shike just posted would be good also and it's even cheaper. After reading the review I'd certainly recommend going for this option.

 

[Maxvla]

Hell, Shike. I'm tempted to buy that NAD for my work setup! And of course I need that like a hole in the head...

 

[Shizdan]

Alright so what speakers should i go with?

I see Audioadvisor has some good deals!

 

[Maxvla]

One thing worth noting on the speakers and sub Shike linked is orders over 199.99 will get free shipping. The speakers and sub combine to 199.98, which I'm sure if you email them they will honor. That would save you at least $40. So, NAD for 99.99, 29.99 shipping, Energy speakers 99.99, Energy sub 99.99 = $329.96 shipped.

Edit: It's actually free shipping on 199.95 or more so you clear it by 3 cents!

 

[Shizdan]

HAHA SCWHINGGGG

 

[Shizdan]

Would these be better

 

[Shike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hell, Shike. I'm tempted to buy that NAD for my work setup! And of course I need that like a hole in the head...

lol, I know what you mean. Not a lot of people tend to notice the bargains you can get on older integrated amps on ebay. I didn't notice until I started shopping for a pre/pro.

Fortunately for me, even though I had a surround sound setup I was able to score a "non-working" updated NAD T163 unit for $75. Soldered the mains, fixed OSD transformer, straightened the chassis. If it weren't for the fact that paint was scraped off the top you wouldn't know anything had happened to it. Sounds AMAZING, and all on a college student budget

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shizdan Alright so what speakers should i go with? I see Audioadvisor has some good deals!

The best "bang for the buck" is definitely the Energies.

Taking into consideration your budget if you buy the NAD you should have $270 (due to shipping). If you buy a sub and bookshelves, the shipping will be towards $50. This leaves the budget at $220. Buying the adapter knocks it down to $210. Speaker wire knocks it down to $200. Hence, the original ones I linked to would cost the remaining $200.

If the shipping turns out to be a bit lower or you think you can swing a little bit more you can step-up the bookshelves to the C100. However, they only have the cherry cabinet available for them and only black for the sub so the decor' won't match. Of course, the midrange would probably sound a tad bit more coherent with the step-up (as if it wasn't already going to perform extremely well

).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla Edit: It's actually free shipping on 199.95 or more so you clear it by 3 cents!

It only applies to non-clearance items, so he'd still have to pay shipping. I bought a pair of Focals and had to pay shipping even though they were around $300.


EDIT:

Fixed link

 

[Maxvla]

Looks like the same speaker except 5 1/4" driver instead of the 4 1/2. I doubt it's worth 50% more money $99 vs $149