Want better desktop speakers than what my monitor (Asus VG248QE) provides, but on a small desk.

[RegulatorRWF]

So I usually use my headphones, but there are times I prefer being able to not have headphones on and still watch YTTV/Netflix/Disney+...

 

When I am the sound quality is just really poor and it's hard to understand speech especially. I don't know how many options I really have due to the following limitations:

No sound card

X570 Auros Elite MoBo only has line out or SPDIF OUT (I have no idea is this can do audio)

I don't want more than 2 speakers and my desk isn't super large so I'd like them to be low profile

 

The spec sheet on my monitor about the speakers says the following:

Built in 2W stereo speakers for an immersive home entertainment experience; Compliance and Standards BSMI, CB, CCC, CE, C Tick, ErP, FCC, Gost R, J MOSS, PSE, RoHS, UL/cUL, VCCI, WEEE, WHQL

 

LTT, am I out of luck for getting better quality with those limitations? Should I invest in a sound card, and if I did what speakers would I want to pair with them? Could I get better speakers than my monitor without a sound card with just a line out?

[rice guru]

How much you wanna spend? . If you just want something really cheap and just better than your built in monitor speakers I would go with a creative pebble. 

[RegulatorRWF]

9 hours ago, rice guru said:

How much you wanna spend? . If you just want something really cheap and just better than your built in monitor speakers I would go with a creative pebble. 

I can't justify too much money but less than 200 should be fine.

[rice guru]

So small and compact my rec would be a micca rb 42 with a smsl sa50 and a set of speaker cables should be good for a desktop solution but these speakers can take more power but for the sake of budget we are sticking with 50 w. If you have a bit more desk space the edifier 1700 b is an option , same with the monoprice mm-3. But if you want something really small with no amp required the kanto u2 exists for like $230

[RegulatorRWF]

1 hour ago, rice guru said:

So small and compact mybrecx would be a micca rb 42 with a smsl sa50 and a set of speaker cables should be good for a desktop solution but these speakers can take more power but for thebsake of budget we are sticking with 50 w. If you have a bit more desk space the edifier 1700 b is an option , same with the monoprice mm-3. But if you want something really small with no amp required the kanto u2 exists for like $230

What are your thoughts on the Micca RB42-C Center Channel Bookshelf Speaker with 4-Inch Woofers and Silk Tweeter? I'm not really looking for much bass, just need clear speech. Would the 42C work stand alone or only with other speakers?

[rice guru]

The 42 c works well as a center channel and if you were to wire it mono it should work fine but you still need an amp. You would need a mono amp or bridge a stereo amp and should work fine

[RegulatorRWF]

15 minutes ago, rice guru said:

The 42 c works well as a center channel and if you were to wire it mono it should work fine but you still need an amp. You would need a mono amp or bridge a stereo amp and should work fine

Ok, so it seems the easiest solution with minimal gear is the pebble? This is what I'm thinking, https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VVP8BGD/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A286IZ33TR5AUQ&th=1

[RegulatorRWF]

21 minutes ago, rice guru said:

The 42 c works well as a center channel and if you were to wire it mono it should work fine but you still need an amp. You would need a mono amp or bridge a stereo amp and should work fine

Also I don't have a USB-C on my mobo/tower, would it be fine to use a wall plug, or should I get the USB 2.0 one?

[geo3]

I would agree with the RB42, they are great for the size and work well on a desk. They are what I am using currently. I'm not so sure on the center channel idea though.

[rice guru]

45 minutes ago, RegulatorRWF said:

Also I don't have a USB-C on my mobo/tower, would it be fine to use a wall plug, or should I get the USB 2.0 one?

Yeah a wall adapter should work fine

[RegulatorRWF]

27 minutes ago, geo3 said:

I would agree with the RB42, they are great for the size and work well on a desk. They are what I am using currently. I'm not so sure on the center channel idea though.

Don't I need to buy an amp as well? I'm not sure what that would require space/power wise.

[da na]

The Creative Pebble is good, so are the Edifier r12u

[rice guru]

6 hours ago, RegulatorRWF said:

Don't I need to buy an amp as well? I'm not sure what that would require space/power wise.

Yes it would require an amp. For a desktop space 50w class D amp should be fine you can find a amp that is pretty cheap and fairly small for like $50 like the smsl amp I suggested

[geo3]

7 hours ago, RegulatorRWF said:

Don't I need to buy an amp as well? I'm not sure what that would require space/power wise.

Yeah, an amp is needed for passive speakers. But you can get ones that are quite small. 

 

For an idea of how much space usage we're talking about this is my setup. I have the speakers on stands but that's not necessary, the RB42s come with foam wedges you can put them on. The amp is the box on the right with the screen on it, (The other 2 are my headphone amp and dac) and you can find speaker amps that are even smaller than this. The power is just a standard transformer brick that sits under the desk. 

[rice guru]

14 hours ago, geo3 said:

Yeah, an amp is needed for passive speakers. But you can get ones that are quite small. 

 

For an idea of how much space usage we're talking about this is my setup. I have the speakers on stands but that's not necessary, the RB42s come with foam wedges you can put them on. The amp is the box on the right with the screen on it, (The other 2 are my headphone amp and dac) and you can find speaker amps that are even smaller than this. The power is just a standard transformer brick that sits under the desk. 

Been looking to get myself some stands. What are you using?

[geo3]

1 hour ago, rice guru said:

Been looking to get myself some stands. What are you using?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SHCLR7T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[rice guru]

9 minutes ago, geo3 said:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SHCLR7T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks