[Justinheng]

Hi all,
 
I'm thinking of getting a pair of computer speakers for my room. My budget is about $300. I mainly listen to EDMs so bass is important to me. However, the limitation is that i do not have enough space for a book shelf speaker, therefore i'm thinking of the bose companion 20's , sonos play 3s, audioengine a2+. Any thoughts and suggestions on what i should get? 
 
Thanks

 

[Kawaii]

nvm... no longer on sale

 

[cel4145]

You need a sub for EDM. That's how you over come the bass limitations of small speakers. Tiny drivers cannot provide deep, satisfying bass.

Look into the Swan M50W. Or if you are really limited on size, I'd go for the Focal XS 2.1.

Or, if you have room to put an amp near your desk (but not on it), the NHT SuperZeros are fantastic passive bookshelf speakers. Get an amp now, then add a sub later when you can afford the bass upgrade

 

[Straz]

Audioengine A2+ gets my vote, quite bassy for there size. partially down to the artificial bass boost. Not bad for EDM at all all things considered.

 

[cel4145]

Audioengine A2+ gets my vote, quite bassy for there size. partially down to the artificial bass boost. Not bad for EDM at all all things considered.

Yeah, but the bass boost is centered at 140hz, and they roll off really hard from there. So you get no sub bass out of them.

If bass is important, the Klipsch Promedia 2.1s would be better for EDM.

 

[Justinheng]

thanks so much for your suggestions, i'm looking more for a 2.0 system. Does anyone know which has the best bass out of bose companion 20, audioengine a2, focal xs book and  polk audio hampden?

 

[akunotensai]

I would've actually recommended the Polk Hampdens. I heard those back at CES and they sounded great, especially the bass - clean and substantive bass if you position it correctly. They sounded larger than their physical size if you understand that analogy. But I think Polk's sale is over so you won't find it for $200 or whatever it was going for a day or two ago, so $360-$400 might be less enticing especially when you want to spend under $300. 
 
I heard the Bose Companions and there's definitely a lot of bass, but it's not the kind of bass that I like - there was too much of (that might sound stupid) and it was loose, just not at tight as I like my bass. You might like it though.
 
The Focal XS don't have weak bass but the bass is a bit subtle and not really powerful. I personally wouldn't go for those for EDM.
 
The bass was also a bit weak (or lacking) on the Audioengine A2s if I remember correctly. The 3" drivers don't seem to cut it if you're going without a sub.
 
Not to make it more of a decision for you but I know that the Definitive Tech Inclines are on sale at the moment and those sound good also. They're loud without getting distorted and the bass is good, not heart-thumping, but adequate. They're about 12" tall though.
 
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/definitive-technology-incline-desktop-loudspeakers-black/1903004.p;jsessionid=FE07D73BE28943412D4EC4C7DC7F7AFC.bbolsp-app04-184?id=1219066875626&skuId=1903004&st=incline&cp=1&lp=1

 

[kraken2109]

You can't beat physics. Small speakers will not give good bass.

 

[Tablix]

^This is the truth, anything under 5" driver is really going to struggle with low end.  Personally I think that you should aim for 6" or 7" drivers unless you want a sub as well.  If you can get them within budget the KRK RP5s or JBL LSR 305 will be a good entry point, but budget is usually the issue, this depends very much on your local suppliers.

 

[germanium]

  You can't beat physics. Small speakers will not give good bass.

 
 
You might want to read this http://bobcarvercorp.com/files/MarilynMonroePaper.pdf  Bob has proven that not only can you get lots of bass from a small driver but you can also make it efficient even with a small cabinet. It can also be clean & tight sounding if properly setup. It does take special amps though to make this happen because you have to overcome immense back electromotive force, far more than you find in typical speakers. 

 

[cel4145]

You might want to read this http://bobcarvercorp.com/files/MarilynMonroePaper.pdf  Bob has proven that not only can you get lots of bass from a small driver but you can also make it efficient even with a small cabinet. It can also be clean & tight sounding if properly setup. It does take special amps though to make this happen because you have to overcome immense back electromotive force, far more than you find in typical speakers. 

Sure. We already know that one can build a headphone driver with deep bass. But Carver is not talking about speaker drivers in his discussion. He's talking about building a sub. So with subs, since that is the example, it's still much less practical than using similarly priced larger drivers. Spend a $1000 on building an 8" sub and put it up against $1000 well built 12" sub, and physics wins every time. In a BIG way.

That all being said, I somehow feel that Carver's discussion is completely irrelevant to $200 commercial desktop speakers.

 

[germanium]

Sure. We already know that one can build a headphone driver with deep bass. But Carver is not talking about speaker drivers in his discussion. He's talking about building a sub. So with subs, since that is the example, it's still much less practical than using similarly priced larger drivers. Spend a $1000 on building an 8" sub and put it up against $1000 well built 12" sub, and physics wins every time. In a BIG way.

That all being said, I somehow feel that Carver's discussion is completely irrelevant to $200 commercial desktop speakers.

All I was saying really is that if some one wanted to build something with good bass & small size it is possible. However you are correct in saying that it wouldn't or couldn't be done for something that cost a mere 200 dollars.

 

[cel4145]

All I was saying really is that if some one wanted to build something with good bass & small size it is possible. However you are correct in saying that it wouldn't or couldn't be done for something that cost a mere 200 dollars.

Well, it's possible to build a rocket to fly into orbit if you have enough money. Physics makes that extremely difficult, too

 

[Koss02]

  Hi all,
 
I'm thinking of getting a pair of computer speakers for my room. My budget is about $300. I mainly listen to EDMs so bass is important to me. However, the limitation is that i do not have enough space for a book shelf speaker, therefore i'm thinking of the bose companion 20's , sonos play 3s, audioengine a2+. Any thoughts and suggestions on what i should get? 
 
Thanks

I can personally vouch for the def tech incline speakers:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/746190/desktop-speaker-guide