Decent desktop speaker system?

[chucker]

Topic says it all. Price range should be let's say $40-70. Needs to work as analog as that's all my g/f has, but if feasible, maybe a digital/optical option would be a nice bonus.

I have no idea what brand to pick from (Logitech? Altec Lansing? Creative?), and my g/f probably won't much care to have any premium kind of quality or brand. Anything will be better than what she has right now.

The setup should be two speakers and a subwoofer; I don't think anything more than that is needed unless it's more affordable than I think.

So, any ideas? :)

[Ebby]

This is close to my system:
Speakers (http://cgi.ebay.com/Yamaha-YST-M15-Multimedia-Speakers_W0QQitemZ8731830339QQcategoryZ3702QQrdZ1Q QcmdZViewItem)
Sub (http://cgi.ebay.com/Polk-Audio-RM6000-subwoofer-only-Polk-Audio-sub-woofer_W0QQitemZ5836358818QQcategoryZ3275QQssPageN ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

It sounds really nice and these Yamaha speakers, though old, are very reliable and reproduce a large range of sound. I added a Sub (I have a Polk Audio 550 but have it way turned down to 4) to help in the low end where most speakers have trouble. I am VERY pleased with my setup and have not changed it for 6 years. (A little tweak here and there but that's all.)

[psmith2.0]

I've had, and used, those JBL Creature II speakers (the funky looking ones, you've seen them, I'm sure) for almost two years now, I guess.

No complaints whatsoever.

They list for $99.95, but I just entered them on Pricegrabber.com and most places are selling them for below $70, in the mid $60's.

Looks like they come in some new colors now: metallic red and aluminum (in addition to the classic black and white (I have white).

Plenty of volume, plenty of bass. Never had a problem with them.

[ShadowOfGed]

I have the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers that ran about $150 from Best Lie... erm, Best Buy. That's more than you're looking to spend, but when I heard them next to some of the other speakers, they sounded better by a very, very large margin.

Then again, I'm one to buy more expensive stuff with the intent of having it last me a lot longer. Just my two cents, as it's what I have, but I think it will suit me well for a long time to come, and they're of excellent quality.

Looks like they're still sold, according to their website (http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=103). Color me surprised, I'd figure they'd have been discontinued at the rate these industries move. ;)

Speakers are a tough buy, because there's so many, and quality varies... yet it's not always directly related to price. Good luck finding something that fits her (your?) needs. :)

[chucker]

Thanks for the suggestions. Since sound quality wasn't the primary concern (she isn't much of an audiophile), I ended up picking the JBL Creature II which I had totally forgotten about. It's already ordered, to ship in a few days. So should be there by christmas. Excellent! :)

...now on to the next item. *cough*

[awilso]

A lot of discussion on this can be found here

linky

http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=8053 :\

[chucker]

True, bu that thread is almost half a year old, and besides, the problem already got solved anyway. ;) *waits for it to ship*

[awilso]

Well chuker - I guess you alrady know my opinion.

JBL sucks....period :smokey:

[chucker]

Except that I had already ordered before you pointed me to that thread, so I have not much of a choice. I just hope the sound won't be worse than her current cheap-o Altec Lansing speakers, but I don't think that's possible. :)

[awilso]

Except that I had already ordered before you pointed me to that thread, so I have not much of a choice. I just hope the sound won't be worse than her current cheap-o Altec Lansing speakers, but I don't think that's possible. :)


You're right friend, nothing can be worse than Altec speaker. Hope you enjoy a renaissance ;)

[chucker]

You're right friend, nothing can be worse than Altec speaker. Hope you enjoy a renaissance ;)

Fortunately, I'm using Sennheiser headphones myself. :D

[awilso]

Fortunately, I'm using Sennheiser headphones myself. :D


Yeah me too - listen to Bob Dylan Versus whoever that dubm SOB who sang the title tune to Titanic - man they have to overlay a syth top note because she cant reach it....


only Sennaheiser can do this :D

[Benton]

I won these in an online contest at www.mymac.com. Otherwise, I never would have heard of them. These really,really sound good.
http://www.rslspeakers.com/