What's a good pair of computer speakers?

[Stealth3si]

Recently, my faithful pair of SONY SRS-PC50 rear speakers stopped working after 10 years of use.

Now, I was going to get the Logitech S220 2.1 Speaker System because of the Amazon/Newegg reviews and that it meets my needs for the kind of performance I am expecting out of such a sound system. HOWEVER, I discovered through other people's comments online that the speakers are hardwired together by a very short audio cord. This means the speakers are not "extendable." Since I need the speakers to be 7-8 feet apart in my room, I want to be able to conveniently extend their range with the stereo extension cables I already have. I don't want to manually cut the wires because I'm afraid I may cross over the wrong wires in the wrong way and decrease the sound quality.

This means I have to look for another set of speakers that are minimally "decent" (to meet my needs) like the Logitech S220 2.1 but where the speakers are "extendable" if you get my drift. The problem is that I have looked everywhere on the internet and I could not find any 2.0 or 2.1 speaker system setup that allows me to place the speakers 7-8 feet apart due to the fact that they are HARDWIRED!!!! UGGGH!!!! :mad:

Can someone please help me find another 2.0 or 2.1 speaker system that is in the same price range? I wouldn't mind paying $10 or $15 more for a better performing set, though.

[CWR03]

I have a set of Bose speakers - unfortunately they've been discontinued, but they sound amazing. I've seen them on eBay used for as little as $40 US. Most are black. These are the only ones I found on an eBay search:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Bose-Computer-MusicMonitor-PC-multimedia-speakers-LQQK_W0QQitemZ180483447083QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSpeakers_Subwoofers?hash=item2a05a6d92b

The Bose Companion 2 sound good, but not as good as these and are $100 US retail.

[Stealth3si]

Hmmm... these seem a bit too "bulky" for me.

[kumi]

I have a set of Swan M10s (http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php/p/swan-m10/products_id/89) which are one of the best 2.1 multimedia speakers at their price point. The speaker cables are RCA jacks which can be easily extended. The subwoofer is meant to be placed on the desk, not on the floor (can be placed upright for a smaller footprint.)

[LoRd_MuldeR]

I can highly recommend Bose PC-Speakers:
http://www.bose.co.uk/GB/en/home-entertainment/digital-music-solutions/computer-speakers/companion2/index.jsp

I'm really happy with the sound. The sound is very clear and still has enough "punch" even without a sub-woofer.
Actually it's pretty impressive how much bass they manage to produce with those small speakers...

See also:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&client=mozilla&q=bose+pc+speakers&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=9204240441844510111&ei=SvutS8O2PJiKngOw9qXXDw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAYQ8wIwAA#ps-sellers

[CWR03]

The Bose do look a bit bulky, but they aren't very high sitting on the desk, about 7 inches tall. The right speaker accepts all the inputs and the left plugs into the right with an 1/8" mono plug, so it would be very easy to expand if the 6' wire isn't enough. The Companion 2 hook up the same way. I like the dual inputs so you can run two PCs on one set of speakers without switching anything.

[mariush]

Quality sound and 20$ don't really match but whatever.

You know, you could just cut the hardwired cables and extend them with some regular speaker cable.

Otherwise, I'll recommend the Logitech X-540 which I have and it sounds good: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121006

All speakers are connected with regular RCA connectors so you can buy RCA male - RCA female extender cables and have as much as you want. It's probably out of your budget though at 80$.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

The Bose do look a bit bulky...

Really?

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/2850/speakersk.jpg

[Stealth3si]

The Swan and the Bose (still) are too expensive for me.

Quality sound and 20$ don't really match but whatever.

You know, you could just cut the hardwired cables and extend them with some regular speaker cable.I would rather not have the hassle and risk of degrading the sound quality if I incorrectly twist the cores.

What do you mean by "regular speaker cable?" I do have 3.5mm (1/8") stereo extension audio cables.



Otherwise, I'll recommend the Logitech X-540 which I have and it sounds good: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121006
I'm not looking for a 5.1

[LoRd_MuldeR]

The Swan and the Bose (still) are too expensive for me.

Well, if you really want "good" sound, then you won't get that for free.

I had a pair of 'no name' speakers before and the Bose speakers definitely make a HUGE difference. 100% worth the money, in my opinion...

What do you mean by "regular speaker cable?" I do have 3.5mm (1/8") stereo extension audio cables.

He probably means, that if the speakers are hardwired together, you can simply cut the cable and extend it with a "regular" speaker cable.

You can buy suitable speaker cable of arbitrary length (taken from a reel) in any electronics store. Looks like this:
http://aka.fotovista.com/dev/6/0/14450006/l_14450006.jpg

Then you can connect the "extension" cable to the speaker's native cable (the one that you have cut before) via screw terminal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_terminal) or by using a soldering iron (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldering_iron).
Actually that's what I did years ago with some "hardwired" speakers that had some non-standard connector in order to connect them to my amplifier.

BTW: The Bose speakers are connected with a standards 3.5 mm Klinken (TRS) connector, so you could use your existing extension cable.

[CWR03]

I was saying they look bulky in photos of the speakers alone, but they're really not that big.

A friend of mine has a Logitech 2.1 system which retailed for $100 US, but it looks like it's been discontinued as well. It sounds quite a lot better than my Bose pair because of the sub, but I prefer just two speakers on the desk.

[mariush]

He probably means, that if the speakers are hardwired together, you can simply cut the cable and extend it with a "regular" speaker cable.

You can buy suitable speaker cable of arbitrary length (taken from a reel) in any electronics store. Looks like this:
http://aka.fotovista.com/dev/6/0/14450006/l_14450006.jpg

Then you can connect the "extension" cable to the speaker's native cable (the one that you have cut before) via screw terminal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_terminal) or by using a soldering iron (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldering_iron).
Actually that's what I did years ago with some "hardwired" speakers that had some non-standard connector in order to connect them to my amplifier.

BTW: The Bose speakers are connected with a standards 3.5 mm Klinken (TRS) connector, so you could use your existing extension cable.

That's exactly what I was saying. Buy that cable as seen in the picture in the distance you want (twice the length as you have two speakers and you need cable with two wires in it for each speaker).

You can just cut the cable at some point, remove a bit of insulation from both original and new cable you bought, twist the copper strands together and isolate them with duct tape. If you want a more "pro" look, you can use those screw terminals.



Or, without "buying native cable", you can buy RCA jacks and on each speaker, place a RCA male connector on the speaker side and a RCA female connector towards the subwoofer side. Now you can use a regular RCA male to RCA female extender cable to extend the cable.

You need a pair of RCA jacks for each speaker (male and female) and the extender cable... which looks like this:

http://www.uxcell.com/golden-plated-rca-male-connector-adapter-coaxial-cable-p-31906.html

You cut the cable from the speaker and you can see how easily it can be connected to these jacks, the signal cable screwed to the middle and the ground to that bar.

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/2-rca-male-2-rca-female-cable-extension-12-ft

If you don't know which is male and which is female, when what you stick into something is the male...

Regarding ... I don't need 5.1 system - that system I recommend has all speakers removable so you can only connect the 2 left and right speakers and keep the other speakers in the box. The system will work as 2.1. The advantage is higher quality subwoofer and better quality speakers.
Think of the rest of the speakers (center and back speakers) as added bonus.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

Regarding ... I don't need 5.1 system - that system I recommend has all speakers removable so you can only connect the 2 left and right speakers and keep the other speakers in the box.
The system will work as 2.1. The advantage is higher quality subwoofer and better quality speakers. Think of the rest of the speakers (center and back speakers) as added bonus.

Buying a 5.1 set but then using it only as 2.1 speakers is a waste of money in my opinion. One could get higher quality stereo speakers for the same money instead.

Furthermore if you get "proper" stereo speakers you won't miss a sub-woofer. With those super-tiny surround speakers, as they are used in 5.1 sets, the additional sub-woofer is essential.

But "full range" speakers, as they are used in proper 2.0 sets, are a different story. Well, I certainly don't feel like a sub-woofer is missing with the stereo speakers mentioned above.

Anyway, if he insists on a sub-woofer but doesn't need surround, then he'd be better off with a 2.1 set (stereo speakers + sub-woofer). Like this, for example:
http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/digital_music_systems/computer_speakers/companion_3/index.jsp

...which of course will be more expensive than pure 2.0 speakers of the same quality class.

[Stealth3si]

Well, if you really want "good" sound, then you won't get that for free.

I had a pair of 'no name' speakers before and the Bose speakers definitely make a HUGE difference. 100% worth the money, in my opinion...
I really want something that is "competent" but not necesarily "good."

I was not expecting to get it for free or 'no name' speakers.

As for the rest of your and mariush's post, thank you for the clarification. I will definitely heed that advice should I ever need or want to cut them.


Regarding ... I don't need 5.1 system - that system I recommend has all speakers removable so you can only connect the 2 left and right speakers and keep the other speakers in the box. The system will work as 2.1. The advantage is higher quality subwoofer and better quality speakers.
Think of the rest of the speakers (center and back speakers) as added bonus.Buying a 5.1 set but then using it only as 2.1 speakers is a waste of money in my opinion. One could get higher quality stereo speakers for the same money instead.

Furthermore if you get "proper" stereo speakers you won't miss a sub-woofer. With those super-tiny surround speakers, as they are used in 5.1 sets, the additional sub-woofer is essential.

But "full range" speakers, as they are used in proper 2.0 sets, are a different story. Well, I certainly don't feel like a sub-woofer is missing with the stereo speakers mentioned above.

Anyway, if he insists on a sub-woofer but doesn't need surround, then he'd be better off with a 2.1 set (stereo speakers + sub-woofer). Like this, for example:
http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/...on_3/index.jsp

...which of course will be more expensive than pure 2.0 speakers of the same quality class.

It seems if a 2.1 system is too expensive for my situation, then I would limit my search to a 2.0 system within my price range.

[Stealth3si]

If someone out there could help me locate the ones I'm looking for in my original post, then I will decide for myself if it is worth purchasing, considering the quality and reviews. However, I can't find a pair set that is not hardwired, or at least if it is, allows 8 feet apart from each speaker.

HEEELLLPP!!!

[CWR03]

You never mentioned your price range, you only said what you had before and that you'd be willing to spend $10-15 more.

If you are in the US and can get into a Sam's Club on your own or with a friend with a membership card, the Bose Companion 2 are only $68. But again, I don't know your price range.

[Stealth3si]

You never mentioned your price range, you only said what you had before and that you'd be willing to spend $10-15 more.
Sorry. I thought when I said I was going to get the Logitech S220 that I was clear, if not, implying, about my price range.


If you are in the US and can get into a Sam's Club on your own or with a friend with a membership card, the Bose Companion 2 are only $68. But again, I don't know your price range.
:thanks:

Interestingly enough, I just found the Creative Inspire A200 speakers for under $30 at Fry's B&M, which fits my situation nicely and after I'd "hotswapped" my old speakers for the new ones I discovered the Sony speakers still actually work because it was faulty cabling that led to me to believe that they had died in the first place.

I know the Inspire A200 isn't a good system but for the sound quality I was expecting given the cheap price, it isn't bad. I am completely satisfied with them, although I wasn't impressed at all.

[equity space]

Bose or Creative Labs are good.