Speaker Advice

[Hulkstern]

Disclaimer: I apologize in advance because reading this after I wrote it I realized I sounded like I was making picky/whiny request so please proceed if you do not mind that disclaimer.

 

Hey so I am on the market for a nice 2.1 sound system similar in style and form as my current Logitech Z-2300. I like the unobtrusive speakers and control pod. Now I would prefer something in the same league/form factor as these because on my current upgrade path where I am going for 3 27" monitors and the unobtrusive form factor of these speakers really fit me. now studio monitors wouldn't work for me because they are (usually) simply too large for what I am planning to do with my setup. Also I would prefer if I could keep the pounding base (by option of the bass nob on the controller) that one can achieve in with the 8" subwoofer. Now this is more a less an if possible request as I do not know if they still make desk speakers in this fashion but something that can reproduce the volume of these (200watts) would be lovely. Thank you in advance.

[awesomes8wc3]

probably not worth it to upgrade, the z-2300 were pretty good for a computer speaker back in the day. logitech's current lineup sucks, they don't really care about the computer speaker market anymore (they're not really that popular anymore tbh; OEMs package them with systems, and people buying new stuff are either using headphones or bookshelves nowadays).

i remember the klipsch promedia 2.1's to be pretty damn good, but i think they're discontinued now. might be worth a look?

you might be able to find something decent from creative but i'm not familiar with their lineup.

i really don't think upgrading your computer speakers would be worth it, costs too much and too little of an upgrade to be worth it. you don't have room for bigger speakers so that's not an option.

 

if you do decide to upgrade, you probably could keep the sub if you really wanted to, you would just use a Y-splitter to split the output on your soundcard to two. reason being i'm not aware of any sound card that supports stereo+ext. sub through the separate outputs, just 2.1 all done through the regular speaker out with the speakers internal crossover.

 

tl;dr just keep your current setup.

[Hulkstern]

thank you for the advice and I'll make sure to take a look at what you mentioned. The reason I am looking for an upgrade is that they're starting to look a little rough around the edges from their 8 or so years of service, I am looking at a way spruce them up myself (appearance wise) to maybe take them to a car audio shop or send them to Logitech to get the equivalent of a tune-up. again thank you for the advice and I will make sure to look at what suggested.

[straight_stewie]

18 hours ago, Diecreepers56 said:

Hey so I am on the market for a nice 2.1 sound system similar in style and form as my current Logitech Z-2300. I like the unobtrusive speakers and control pod. Now I would prefer something in the same league/form factor as these because on my current upgrade path where I am going for 3 27" monitors and the unobtrusive form factor of these speakers really fit me. now studio monitors wouldn't work for me because they are (usually) simply too large for what I am planning to do with my setup. Also I would prefer if I could keep the pounding base (by option of the bass nob on the controller) that one can achieve in with the 8" subwoofer. Now this is more a less an if possible request as I do not know if they still make desk speakers in this fashion but something that can reproduce the volume of these (200watts) would be lovely. Thank you in advance.

How much money are you willing to spend, and how much learning/work are you willing to do? What sound card do you have, and are you willing to replace it? IMO you'll probably never get good sound from a new pre-built marketed towards computers these days.

[spwath]

7 hours ago, straight_stewie said:

IMO you'll probably never get good sound from a new pre-built marketed towards computers these days.

No. Thats why I encourage people to do this:

 

[Crunken]

Logitech Z623, best speaker's i've ever used

[GamerDude]

Sounds like the Z623 would be right up your alley, since you're looking for a pair of front speakers that aren't too obtrusive (3x 27" monitors side-by-side do take up quite a bit of space). Bookshelf speakers, no matter how small, have a bigger footprint compared to those Z623 ones, since the sub does the 'heavy' lifting. 

 

I do agree with spwath, if you can deal with used speakers, they present a very good price/performance ratio.  

 

 

[Hulkstern]

thank you guys for all these recommendations and the Logitech-Z623 does like a good option. I also was looking a bit more and I found the Logitech - z533 (I can't really find out how large the satellites are though) and they seem like a good option but I was wondering what you guys think. Oh and I also found that Best-Buy still sells the  klipsch promedia speakers. but I am still looking around .

[-i.nwA_]

i would recommend to invest in a pair of studio monitors, youll get a much better value for your money

[Hulkstern]

19 hours ago, straight_stewie said:

How much money are you willing to spend, and how much learning/work are you willing to do? What sound card do you have, and are you willing to replace it? IMO you'll probably never get good sound from a new pre-built marketed towards computers these days.

 

 

 

19 hours ago, straight_stewie said:

How much money are you willing to spend, and how much learning/work are you willing to do? What sound card do you have, and are you willing to replace it? IMO you'll probably never get good sound from a new pre-built marketed towards computers these days.

 

 

^Don't know why two of these keep showing up but oh well.^

1 hour ago, -i.nwA_ said:

i would recommend to invest in a pair of studio monitors, youll get a much better value for your money

 

Sorry I didn't respond but what I am doing right now is since I am not that well learned in the audio side of things. Though I think I have not done a shabby job with my current system (audio wise) I built it with some guidance and advice from my father (he built most all the computers in our house, excluding laptops and obviously mine) I am using the Gigabyte 990FX Gaming's built-in audio solution and have my Z-2300 plugged directly into the audio ports on the back of the PC. (If you need to know more about my build please refer to my signature or my profile) I am looking for a possible upgrade path/step up from my current set as my current ones are starting to look rough around the edges from about 8 years of service and I am preparing for the inevitable. I am not looking for studio monitors as those will not work with what I am planning to do with my system (three 27 inch monitors on a single stand) I am also looking for something in the same form factor/style as my current set. With my WISHlist being: Having at least 120 watts of power (I don't know how stupid I sounded there so feel free to rip me apart, but I really just mean having the capability to go balls to the wall loud), have a adjustable bass nob (sometimes I find that the bass in some content is too loud or too quiet *cough*dubstep*cough*), and that's about it.

[GRYPHON420]

Look at Some Of Alesis Active Monitors ELEVATE 5 Very good Pick up a for $150.  As a Music Producer I user them.  And if they are to big grab a pair of ELEVATE 3

 

I Know you said You are looking for 2:1 but they have Bass Boost and to be Honest They don't even need it. 

 

Good Luck Hope You get whats you are looking for.

 

 http://www.alesis.com/products/view/elevate-5

[straight_stewie]

On 7/24/2016 at 8:27 PM, Diecreepers56 said:

With my WISHlist being: Having at least 120 watts of power (I don't know how stupid I sounded there so feel free to rip me apart, but I really just mean having the capability to go balls to the wall loud), have a adjustable bass nob (sometimes I find that the bass in some content is too loud or too quiet *cough*dubstep*cough*), and that's about it.

The relationship between power consumption and volume is a complicated one (meaning there is no set relationship). It depends on many factors including amplifier efficiency, maximum gain, speaker efficiency, line loss, and input line level. But I digress.
 

On 7/24/2016 at 8:27 PM, Diecreepers56 said:

I am looking for a possible upgrade path/step up from my current set as my current ones are starting to look rough around the edges from about 8 years of service and I am preparing for the inevitable

 

On 7/24/2016 at 8:27 PM, Diecreepers56 said:

I am not that well learned in the audio side of things

Now is the perfect time to start learning! I'm not sure how much money you are trying to spend, but I think I know what you want, so I will outline what I would do if this were my first "complex" build.

• Mini DSP 2x4 using the 2x4 Advanced software
• Edifier R1280T
• Polk Audio PSW110

The total price is roughly $300 if you look around for good deals.
 

There is no remote bass knob, but the EQ software will give you the ability to control each channel from the computer. The best part is that with this DSP as your needs change, it can be configured to handle 2.2 (what you will do, and then just leave one sub output unused), 3.1, or 4.0 audio. 

With the miniDSP you will want to use the S/PDIF or usb (which you will have to use anyway for the EQ) because it bypasses the crappy internal DAC in your mobo and allows you to use the nice one in the mini.