Replacing Z-2300s, I need good speakers for the basement...

[t1337Dude]

My dad bought some Z-2300s and pretty much blew out one of the satellites in two weeks. After that useless purchase, I figure I should come to you guys and ask what to get next. I've had my eye on the M-Audio Studiophile AV 40s. My price range is ~100$-$300. Are these good choices? Or should I grab something else? In the future, would it be possible to make a surround sound system out of these or would it be unnecessary? Would it be possible to hook these up to the Z-2300's subwoofer so my last purchase wouldn't have been completely in vain?

I'm not much of an audiophile so I don't know too much.

 

[taso89]

I don't know what kind of outputs the z-2300 sub but it's probably some proprietary Logitech connection designed for just the Logitech speakers. What you could do is get some nice speakers and a cable splitter to feed signal to both your exisiting sub and new speakers, but in the $100-300 range you probably won't need the sub at all.

Recommendations:
Swan M200MkII - $210 new on theaudioinsider.com (55Hz-20kHz)
Audioengine A5 - $325 (a little outside your price range but may be well worth the price) (50Hz - 22kHz ±1.5dB)

Either of those would be excellent choices in powered desktop speakers. The Logitech sub would give you a little bit more bass extension but I would keep the sub volume low so that you let the superior speakers do most of the work.

 

[Aiml3ss]

In all honesty, the Z-2300 subwoofer is very muddy. Sure its loud as hell and will play rap extremely well, but it is not as crisp and accurate as other subwoofers out there. For under $150 you can get an extremely good sub.

Parts-Express.com:*Dayton SUB-120 HT Series 12" 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer | subwoofer sub powered sub SUB-120 home theater 5.1 7.1 surround bass LFE Theaters110308 gifts1117

Considered one of the best subwoofers out there. It can be connected to a receiver and and even the Audioengine 5's Taso89 reccomended. I personally would get the Audioengine A2's or Mackie MR5 and then buy that sub listed above.

 

[j3ff86]

Audioengine A5's are $260 with coupon MW09. Best Buy has the AV40's for the same price as Amazon if you want to test those out.

 

[t1337Dude]

If the Z-2300 subwoofer is useless, I won't use it. I'm not concerned with replacing it if the bookshelf speakers provide enough bass. Those AudioEngine 5s look absolutely dreamy. Are they worth the extra $$$? If so, I'll aim to pick them up. Would the Dayton Sub-120 go well with them? Or is that overkill?

 

[Aiml3ss]

If you google Audioengine A5 review, you will see that EVERYONE loves them.

I would first buy the A5's and see how you like the bass. If its not enough then go ahead and purchase the Dayton. Remember to give the A5's plenty of room from walls, atleast 6 inches away. They also sound better on stands and are very directional speakers meaning they are very sensitive to how you have them facing.

 

[taso89]

I would also buy the A5's (I wish I had) and forget the sub. You'll get like 25Hz of bass extension with the sub, but it's a pain to calibrate the two if you are using a regular desktop setup. If you don't find the bass adequate you can always add a nice sub later down the road.

 

[uraflit]

i have the A5s and love em

the only urge to buy a sub is for action movies, but even without a sub they are ok

 

[advan031]

First few hours with A5s I thought the bass was lacking for my taste but after a day or two + mopads...it now has more than enough bass for me. I plan to add a dacmagic soon.

 

[t1337Dude]

I'd be putting them on a desk which has a backing since it covers most of the wall. Does it actually matter if there's a wall behind them or is just the back of my desk good enough?

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by taso89 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would also buy the A5's (I wish I had) and forget the sub. You'll get like 25Hz of bass extension with the sub, but it's a pain to calibrate the two if you are using a regular desktop setup. If you don't find the bass adequate you can always add a nice sub later down the road.

Good advice. Sub integration takes a lot of patience. If you don't have the right space/room for it, it will sound horrible. Trust me I've tried with my A5's, all with good subs too. In the end, I opted to stay with the A5's minus the sub for music. They have enough bass when placed properly and decoupled from the resting surface. They also go down to 45Hz without rolloff in my system (better than would be expected considering the specifications).

 

[j3ff86]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aiml3ss /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you google Audioengine A5 review, you will see that EVERYONE loves them. I would first buy the A5's and see how you like the bass. If its not enough then go ahead and purchase the Dayton. Remember to give the A5's plenty of room from walls, atleast 6 inches away. They also sound better on stands and are very directional speakers meaning they are very sensitive to how you have them facing.

Eh I don't necessarily love them. See my complaints here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/5794035-post8.html
My mistake for recommending them earlier, the power-saving features are nearly a deal breaker imo.

 

[t1337Dude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by j3ff86 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Eh I don't necessarily love them. See my complaints here: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/5794035-post8.html My mistake for recommending them earlier, the power-saving features are nearly a deal breaker imo.

That's pretty lame, but I'm afraid that if they sound as good as everyone says, I'll be purchasing them regardless. Though the M-Audio 40s are now looking pretty good too.

 

[Aiml3ss]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aiml3ss View Post If you google Audioengine A5 review, you will see that NEARLY EVERYONE loves them. I would first buy the A5's and see how you like the bass. If its not enough then go ahead and purchase the Dayton. Remember to give the A5's plenty of room from walls, atleast 6 inches away. They also sound better on stands and are very directional speakers meaning they are very sensitive to how you have them facing.

 

[t1337Dude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aiml3ss /img/forum/go_quote.gif

If there's anything better than the A5 in the price range, I'm all ears. Whatever it will be, it'll be hooked up to an Auzentech Forte, so even decent speakers should sound pretty good.