New pc speakers, recommendations

DublinDude · 12 Oct 2020 at 19:34

Hi there,

I have the Logitech Z-2300 for a good few years now which connects to Xonar STX sound card. I am hoping to upgrade EVERYTHING later this year or earlier next.

I'm no audiophile but I do appreciate good sound. Right now I don't game on PC but I may get back into that once I do my everything upgrade later. So its mainly YouTube, Netflix and some music.

Doing some earlier research, I want something sleeker in design. The Z-2300 woofer is huge and takes up too much space on my desk. (I tried it on the wooden floor under desk but those downstairs were ready to murder me).

With the little research I have done, I am leaning away from the usual pc gaming speaker brands and probably away from the 2.1 system.

Here is what I am looking at so far but I open to better recommendations and suggestions.

1) Edifier R1850DB
2) PreSonus Eris E4.5 4.5
3) Edifier S1000DB (prob too big and pricey)
4) Q Acoustics 3020i
5) Kanto YU4 (prob too pricey)

Also, out of curiosity, should I invest in a decent sound card or would the audio on one of the latest motherboards suffice?

Thanks in advance

crazy8s · 12 Oct 2020 at 20:17

What is your budget?

I have the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 and find them to be great. Has an optical input too.

zaphod-159 · 12 Oct 2020 at 20:25

It all depends on your budget but I would recommend taking a look at audioengine.
Audioengine hd3 although a bit pricey, is the perfect sweet spot for size/audio quality. On the other hand the a2+ are just incredibly small and sound really good for the price/size. You have the option of wireless (bluetooth) for both, which is quiet nice to have in my experience.

DublinDude · 12 Oct 2020 at 20:38

crazy8s said:
What is your budget?

I have the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 and find them to be great. Has an optical input too.

Budget would be €100-200, but nothing crazy over that. I will add the Ruark to my list

zaphod-159 said:
It all depends on your budget but I would recommend taking a look at audioengine.
Audioengine hd3 although a bit pricey, is the perfect sweet spot for size/audio quality. On the other hand the a2+ are just incredibly small and sound really good for the price/size. You have the option of wireless (bluetooth) for both, which is quiet nice to have in my experience.

Actually I think I was looking at an Audioengine recently but can't remember which one.

zaphod-159 · 12 Oct 2020 at 20:48

DublinDude said:
Budget would be €100-200, but nothing crazy over that. I will add the Ruark to my list

Actually I think I was looking at an Audioengine recently but can't remember which one.

Do keep in mind that you can sometimes find speakers for half their RRP if you are buying used. I buy most of my audio equipment this way and considering speakers/headphones get better with burn-in, it might even be the better option! So be on the lookout for a nice pair of used HD3s is what I suggest. You will end up getting the most for your money imo.

DublinDude · 12 Oct 2020 at 20:54

zaphod-159 said:
Do keep in mind that you can sometimes find speakers for half their RRP if you are buying used. I buy most of my audio equipment this way and considering speakers/headphones get better with burn-in, it might even be the better option! So be on the lookout for a nice pair of used HD3s is what I suggest. You will end up getting the most for your money imo.

Thanks for that. I will have a look out for bargains. Where do you normally get them?

zaphod-159 · 12 Oct 2020 at 21:02

DublinDude said:
Thanks for that. I will have a look out for bargains. Where do you normally get them?

Your usual auction website for most, I have also bought a lot of headphones used through the head-fi for sale forum. Happy hunting.