[kitkat12012]

I'm looking for a pair of PC Speakers for a gift.  2.0 or 2.1 maybe.  I'm thinking about spending around $100
 
I was wondering if you guys have some suggestions.
 
Uses would be mostly for music on a home office pc, so best bang-for-buck with good music SQ for around $100 is my target.
 
As for connections, I'll be hooked up to the mobo audio out, no dedictaed sound cards right now.
 
I'm currently thinking about getting an Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra.  It seems nice based on its reviews.  Although it's at $160 and a bit over my budget so I'm still looking for some alternatives.
 
Any other suggestions guys?  Thanks

 

[JRG1990]

Edifier R1600T  ,

 

[kitkat12012]

Quote:

Edifier R1600T  ,

this one looks sweet.  lots good reviews on it too
 
it definitely won't fit on the desk though since the person I'm giving it to has dual monitors.  Would the SQ suffer if these speakers are placed on the floor instead?
 
Also, I did a quick google search and I can't seem to find a US store that caries them.  Most of the search results were for UK stores.
 

 

[DeafInOneEar]

For under $100:
 
This: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SS-B1000-8-Inch-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B000OG88KY/ref=sr_1_2?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1299706699&sr=1-2
 
This:  http://www.amazon.com/Lepai-Tripath-TA2020-Class-T-Amplifier/dp/B0049P6OTI/ref=sr_1_2?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1299706347&sr=1-2
 
And you'll need a cable like this:  http://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-3-5RCA-3-3-5mm-Stereo/dp/B000F7VBTW/ref=pd_sim_e_13
 
And some speaker wire, of course.
 
You can get the speakers directly from the Sony store and the amp and cable/wire directly from Parts Express.
 
It's hard to beat this combo for under $100.

 

[JRG1990]

Yes sound quality would greatly suffer if you put them on the floor, ideal vertical placement is as close to ear (listening) level as you can get.
Other options are the alesis M1 active 320 or Creative gigaworks t40 , or for a 2.1 system Edifier s330 .
 
 

 

[JRG1990]

Quote:

For under $100:
 
This: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SS-B1000-8-Inch-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B000OG88KY/ref=sr_1_2?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1299706699&sr=1-2
 
This:  http://www.amazon.com/Lepai-Tripath-TA2020-Class-T-Amplifier/dp/B0049P6OTI/ref=sr_1_2?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1299706347&sr=1-2
 
And you'll need a cable like this:  http://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-3-5RCA-3-3-5mm-Stereo/dp/B000F7VBTW/ref=pd_sim_e_13
 
And some speaker wire, of course.
 
You can get the speakers directly from the Sony store and the amp and cable/wire directly from Parts Express.
 
It's hard to beat this combo for under $100.

Since the edifiers were too big for his desk the sonys will also be to big, a smaller alternative to the sonys is the Jbl control 1 mk2's , great sounding little speakers and quite efficient aswell.

 

[kitkat12012]

Quote:

Yes sound quality would greatly suffer if you put them on the floor, ideal vertical placement is as close to ear (listening) level as you can get.
Other options are the alesis M1 active 320 or Creative gigaworks t40 , or for a 2.1 system Edifier s330 .
 
 

the alesis m1 320 looks interesting and the price is great too, although it might still be a bit too large for the desk
 
as for the gigaworks t40, I looked in Amazon and only saw the 2.0 series for these.  I'm not sure if this is the same as the one you had in mind though. 
 
I kinda like them too but at $130 it's a tad bit over my budget.  the t20 is exaclty on my budget though, any huge differences between t40 and t20?
 
 
as for the edifier s330, also looking in Amazon, I only saw edifier s330D and I'm not sure if this is the one you were talking about, but this is twice my budget so I'll probably skip for now
 
@DeakInOneEar:  sounds like a great plan, too bad bookshelves won't fit the available desk space
 
 

 

[JRG1990]

The creative t40's are 2.0 speakers , i'm not sure how they compare with the t20's. There is also the audio engine a2's there pretty tiny but they add unnaturual bass to the sound.
 
There are smaller bookshelf speakers than the sonys to pair with this
http://www.amazon.com/Lepai-Tripath-TA2020-Class-T-Amplifier/dp/B0049P6OTI/ref=sr_1_2?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1299706347&sr=1-2
 
or this
 
http://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-DTA-1-Digital-Amplifier/dp/B001PNOH2I/ref=sr_1_436?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1299774641&sr=1-436 
 
The jbl control 1 mk2s are small , Pyle Home PDMN38  like the jbls but even smaller.

 

[stokitw]

T40 sounds more complete than T20.
T20 sounds shallow in comparison.
 
Mind to get a used one for gift?
I actually have one pair of T40 (series I not series II) available for sale..
Quote:

the alesis m1 320 looks interesting and the price is great too, although it might still be a bit too large for the desk
 
as for the gigaworks t40, I looked in Amazon and only saw the 2.0 series for these.  I'm not sure if this is the same as the one you had in mind though. 
 
I kinda like them too but at $130 it's a tad bit over my budget.  the t20 is exaclty on my budget though, any huge differences between t40 and t20?
 
 
as for the edifier s330, also looking in Amazon, I only saw edifier s330D and I'm not sure if this is the one you were talking about, but this is twice my budget so I'll probably skip for now
 
@DeakInOneEar:  sounds like a great plan, too bad bookshelves won't fit the available desk space