[deadman_uk]

Hi all,

My wonderful Altec Lansing MX5021 2.1 speakers just died and I need to find a new replacement for my PC (Music, movies and games). Since they don't sell these anymore, and I want to buy new (so I get a warranty), what 2.1 speakers would you recommend? I am not interested in 5.1 and 7.1 as I do not have the space so please do not recommend these. I understand the MX6021 will be out soon but the MX5021 have a frequency response of 30Hz to 22kHz where the newer MX6021 has a response of only 40Hz - 20KHz? I don't know much about speakers but why would anyone go with the MX6021? They cannot reproduce as greater range as the MX5021 or have I got this all wrong?

It is important that the response of the 2.1 speakers are equal or greater than the MX5021. I do not want to get speakers that sound worse than what just broke.

2 Speakers that interest me are:

- Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra 2.1 MX6021
- Creative GigaWorks T3 2.1

But both are these responses are worse than the MX5021 (40Hz - 20KHz and 30Hz - 20KHz instead of 30Hz to 22KHz). Does this mean they will sound worse? I live in the UK by the way and my budget is £150. I heard the M-Audio AV40's are good but their frequency response: 85Hz - 20kHz. This sounds bad to me considering the typical human ear can hear between 20Hz - 20Khz....

 

[deadman_uk]

I really believe getting a pair of bookshelf speakers like the M-Audio AV40 and Behringer MS40 would be the best choice but overall I feel they really need a subwoofer to go with them. I am having an incredibly hard time finding a good sub in the UK to go with either of these bookshelf speakers, nor do I know how to set them up correctly and what wires to buy. I've heard others say you may need an amp and DAC (not sure what these do...) as well, further increasing the complexity and price of this. It's just too much hassle, plus they would probably take up way more desk space than I would like as well. Sigh...

After reading this review, I think I have an idea of what I want to go for now. Before reading that review, I never heard of the Logitech Z-Cinema but it got a good review there and also other websites I've read say it's pretty damn good plus it comes with a 2 year warranty. If I don't get the Z-Cinema, it would be the Creative Gigaworks T3 but I am having a hard time finding this speaker in stock in the UK, it is also more expensive and only comes with a 1 year warranty.

The Razor Mako really peeked my interest and has good reviews everywhere but it's £100 over my budget so I will have to drop that. I am no longer considering the MX6021, it just isn't good enough and the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 I can't find anywhere in the UK for sale. I contacted Klipsch UK and they said they have some on order due in early next year (too long of a wait for me, I need some speakers now).

So yeah, I think I will go with the Logitech Z-Cinema, if not it would be the Creative Gigaworks T3.

 

[mark2410]

aego m series : acoustic energy

 

[deadman_uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif aego m series : acoustic energy

Ok, I will check out the Aego M and see how good it sounds. Would you say it's better than the Logitech Z-Cinema?

 

[leveller1642]

Not much help to you Deadman, but I have heard the redundant FX-6021 and they were the best 2.1 speakers I've heard- not that I've heard many, but they seemed better than my Soundsticks 2, at least in a non nearfield situation.

Altec Lansing FX6021 2.1 Speakers

Mark2410's suggestion of the Aego M series seems like a good one if they are within your budget. An english speaker company produces another decent set, but I cannot remember the brand- I post back when I remember.

 

[deadman_uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leveller1642 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not much help to you Deadman, but I have heard the redundant MX-6021 and they were the best 2.1 speakers I've heard- not that I've heard many, but they seemed better than my Soundsticks 2, at least in a non nearfield situation. Altec Lansing FX6021 2.1 Speakers Mark2410's suggestion of the Aego M series seems like a good one if they are within your budget. An english speaker company produces another decent set, but I cannot remember the brand- I post back when I remember.

You seemed to be confused, the FX6021 and MX6021 are not the same. I will look at the Aego M.

EDIT: Yeah, the Aego M are really good speakers from what I read, a little more expensive than the Logitech Z-Cinema but equally or better. Does the Aego have a headphone port though? This is very important...

 

[deadman_uk]

I hear the Logitech Z-Cinema cannot be connected directly to the sound card, is this true? If so, how am I able to get sound? I want to be able to use my Creative XtremeMusic sound card with this...

 

[Neet]

THX Makos are a wolf in sheeps clothing.

 

[deadman_uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neet /img/forum/go_quote.gif THX Makos are a wolf in sheeps clothing.

But far supass my budget....

 

[utkusu]

Edifier S330d. I don't have it but I heard nothing but good things about it. I am not sure whether they are available in the UK, though.

 

[deadman_uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by utkusu /img/forum/go_quote.gif Edifier S330d. I don't have it but I heard nothing but good things about it. I am not sure whether they are available in the UK, though.

Wow, they are really good looking speakers. I've heard good reviews from these from the 5 minutes research I've done however, there appears to be a common problem with the left/right channel being switched. Several guys on [H]ard Forum have experienced this:

Edifier S330D digital pc speakers - Page 3 - [H]ard|Forum

Any idea on how long their warranty lasts for?

 

[gevorg]

I would go with 2.0, either active or passive. All these cheap .1 subs just give bassy noise, not real bass. That money is better spend on better speakers. You can always add a real subwoofer later on if you really need that extra punch.

I had MX5021 speakers over 5 years ago. I've upgraded from them to Athena B1 bookshelves and a tripath amp. It was a major upgrade, even though Athenas are nothing special, just nice budget speakers. I'm sure there are plenty of good speakers that will better MX5021 at your price range, so just do your research and you'll find something that suits you the best. Buying used is an interesting option to consider.

 

[deadman_uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gevorg /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would go with 2.0, either active or passive. All these cheap .1 subs just give bassy noise, not real bass. That money is better spend on better speakers. You can always add a real subwoofer later on if you really need that extra punch. I had MX5021 speakers over 5 years ago. I've upgraded from them to Athena B1 bookshelves and a tripath amp. It was a major upgrade, even though Athenas are nothing special, just nice budget speakers. I'm sure there are plenty of good speakers that will better MX5021 at your price range, so just do your research and you'll find something that suits you the best. Buying used is an interesting option to consider.

As I already said above, I cannot find a good sub to go with either the M-Audio AV40 or Behringer MS40 bookshelf speakers within the UK for a good price, plus I don't know how to set them up properly.

I am planning to go with the Logitech Z-Cinema but am not 100% sure at the moment.

 

[utkusu]

I don't know about Edifier's warranty. My guess is it is one year. The problem with the left/right channel is not a big one, you can always plug left to right and vice versa

Another suggestion will be Audioengine5's. I dream of getting them, so I read some reviews about them. One of the speakers have some kinda sub built in it, so it might work for you. The bright side is they will probably sound a hell better than anything by Logitech or Edifier. I saw them for 350 CAD, so they should be not too far away from your budget. But you might want to double-check the subwoofer thing, my information is a bit vague. Of course, there is also the issue of availability in the UK.

cheers,

 

[deadman_uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by utkusu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know about Edifier's warranty. My guess is it is one year. The problem with the left/right channel is not a big one, you can always plug left to right and vice versa Another suggestion will be Audioengine5's. I dream of getting them, so I read some reviews about them. One of the speakers have some kinda sub built in it, so it might work for you. The bright side is they will probably sound a hell better than anything by Logitech or Edifier. I saw them for 350 CAD, so they should be not too far away from your budget. But you might want to double-check the subwoofer thing, my information is a bit vague. Of course, there is also the issue of availability in the UK. cheers,

It's true about the Edifier....I am not sure if they are better than the Logitech though.. argh why is this so hard?!

The audioengine... these? £100 over my price range.