Recommend some good 2.1 PC speakers?

NeilF

NeilF

NeilF

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My 20+ year old Cambridge Soundworks speakers have finally gone (non-stop buzz). So want some good 2.1 speakers with a separate volume controller that I can put infront of me on the desk?

The two I've spotted so far are:-
  • Logitech Z407
  • Logitech Z533 - People seem to complain of a noise/hum/buzz when not in use?

Anything people can say about those, or any other options folks can recommend?#



EDIT: My old speakers are Cambridge Soundworks FPS 1000 from before 2000 :)
 
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hornetstinger said:
Buy Logitech then throw them in the bin and buy proper speakers
Look at wharfedale diamond 9.0 or 9.1 with sw-150 subwoofer or acoustics 3020i
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I just want some good desktop speakers for a hundred or so quid, not large speakers, an amp and £300+ less in my wallet. :eek:

My old Cambridge Soundwork speakers have been more than adequate for 25 or so yrs, so just want to replace with something ideally just as good.
 
Gray2233 said:
Stop thinking you need 2.1 for a start.

The PC speaker market convinced many people that they needed a sub to get a full range of sound, despite the fact the sub was muddy as all hell (aka anything from creative). I'd recommend getting a couple of good passive speakers and a mini amp, you can get a decent one for under £20 (LEPY is worth a look) and then some speakers such as Wharfedale Diamond 9.0's for under £100.

They will give you a more complete range of sound and better bass than garbage like Logitech "2.1" setups.
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That sounds like sensible alternative. But I would say book shelf speakers of that size would be too large to go on my desk.

Ie: One of the beauties of my Soundwork speakers are the are just a few inches square.
 
Gray2233 said:
I'd really measure up with the 9.0's and see if you can fit them in, it's a much better route than the things you're looking at.
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Understood... But for the importance of the 'quality' of sound is to me vs the space and asthetics their size would be, they're just too big for my taste.

But I fully understand the thinking and value behind that approach!

I just want fairly good sound with a compact/friendly setup, for youtube and etc music... eg: The Logitech Z407 speakers have a foot print of just 9cm square. My current Soundwork ones (which sound nice to me) are only about 8cm square.
 
Gray2233 said:
What about a couple of speaker wall brackets, mount them above the desk? You can pick them up for 10-15 quid.
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Understood, but I'm just not seeing enough value for my preferences in larger speaker (and they are large compared to 10x10cm alternatives), on my desk, or mounted on my wall with wires running up the wall...

Soz...
 
hornetstinger said:
Then buy whatever speaker shaped objects produce a sound
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I could do, or I could ask on a forum for advice/tips/help, hopefully getting some which fits my requirements/needs...

Nice bookshelf speakers are a damn good option (along with a mini amp) but alas their size just doesn't fit my bill. I'm sorry if that upsets you.

ps: I've spent a while looking for smaller "bookshelf" type speaker options but they appear to lose the lower frequency response etc.
 
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hornetstinger said:
That's why you have a sub. Regardless speakers will handle bass a lot better than Logitech boom box "subs"
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So that would then mean returning to the LEPY mini amp, say using my little Mordant Short MS302s (up in the loft) and then also cross wiring an active (small) sub in too...

Hmmm...

I sold an old Sony sub woofer just last year that had sat there for years collecting dust :)
 
Just a bit of info incase it helps anyone else.

Seems a lot of these cheaper Logitech units (without power buttons) auto-sleep after 10-20mins of no sounds. So then it takes them 2-3 seconds to power back up.
 
JasonM said:
I've written a few times about this, but the vast majority of 2.1 systems, the satellite speakers are to small to handle mid-range, certainly compared to say a 5" or 6" studio monitor, slight exception is the Edifier S350db that have reasonable size satellite speakers, but still won't match the mids of a good studio monitor.
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All understood. But I'm not going for uber audio quality as the speakers are only used for YouTube and a bit of dance/trance music here and there in my study. As such I'd like to keep them fairly small (on my desk) and not too expensive.

Seems Wavemaster Moody 2.1's are top of my list a the moment, given the issues I've discovered with Logitech, and the lack of other aternativers around the pricepoint I'm comfortable with.
 
hornetstinger said:
3" drivers in satellites and 6.5" in subwoofer, a tiny little ported box

Absolute rubbish
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LOL! I've had my Cambridge Soundworks for over 20yrs, with technically a lower spec than that. So those must be total absolute rubbish!

But given I've been more than happy with that total absolute rubbish, I suspect then I could be fine with what you describe as absolute rubbish :)
 
hornetstinger said:
Look into q acoustic 3010i and a t amp plus sw-150 sub. Better than those wavemaster. Goes lower than 150hz for the main speakers lol
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Undoubtably better, but also basically 4x the price, a more convoluted setup, and also more imposing (larger) on the desk.

I absolutely understand the audio fidelity the kind of solution you propose will be better than what I'm currently looking at, but it's beyond the spec I need. ie: I don't feel I need to shell out that sort of cost for speakers on a PC in a small study for use primarily listening to YouTube articles, and periodically a bit of music.
 
hornetstinger said:
FPS 2000 were rubbish too I had them. Guess you're used to crap sound.

Just buy whatever cheap crap is on clearance
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Lol! Touchy! :) I apologise if my lack of desire to spend as much as you'd like, or commit as much desktop space as you'd like, upsets you.

I've had at least a reasonable amount of audio exposure, and again to my ears the FPS 1000 - which if I recall were somewhat different to the digital capable FPS 2000s - sound pretty good.

But ultimately, we're talking about a small study, where just "good sound" will suffice for the modicum of usage they will get.
 
JasonM said:
Can you put some floor stands at the side of the desk?

From myself and hornetstinger we would never touch these level lower level speakers. Personally I would rather go second hand on gear, or search the clearance section of websites.

OCUK forum is a little strange when it comes to audio. People will spend a small fortune on the latest monitors, or pay a premium on thermal paste, yet I suggest some speaker isolation foam and desk stands to improve audio vast majority take no notice of you.
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Understood... Different people, different drivers/values etc.

My study is basically 6ft square, so space and 'tidiness' is at a premium. Hence why smaller, tidy, user friendly speakers rate so highly for me, while they wouldn't obviously for others...

As you suggest, it is likely my little thread here asking for small, cheapish speakers probably offends some of the posters here :)
 
JasonM said:
I did not realise this, a room this small your very limited on speaker size - speakers have to be proportional to the space they are in. Even a pair of 2.0 speakers with 5" drivers could be to large for that room. You might even find you have to reduce the output of even a small sub.
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Well, all I can say as a reference, is my little (now dead) 2.1 (actually 4.1) unit sounds fine in the room to my ear, for its purpose :)

At the moment the only unit that seems sensible pricewise/spec wise is that Wavemaster Moody. The more expensive Logitechs seems to offer no improvement in sound from what I can see and indeed seem to offer issues like unwanted autosleep modes and beeping.

The only other small dedicated unit seems to be the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1, but at well over £200 not really worth it. Plus the Wavemaster as the stand alone volume controller you can put in a user friendly location.
 
NeilF said:
Well, all I can say as a reference, is my little (now dead) 2.1 (actually 4.1) unit sounds fine in the room to my ear, for its purpose :)

At the moment the only unit that seems sensible pricewise/spec wise is that Wavemaster Moody. The more expensive Logitechs seems to offer no improvement in sound from what I can see and indeed seem to offer issues like unwanted autosleep modes and beeping.

The only other small dedicated unit seems to be the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1, but at well over £200 not really worth it. Plus the Wavemaster as the stand alone volume controller you can put in a user friendly location.
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Ahhh... The Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers actually are under £200, and also do have a detachable volume controller which can be placed in a more conventient location - https://www.klipsch.co.uk/products/promedia-2-1-bluetooth

Hmmm... :cool:

EDIT: A lot of users complain of a buzz from the sub.
 
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mattyfez said:
Probably been mentioned but do you really need a sub?
A good quality 2.0 set up can sound very good indeed, especially if it's a small room and not a nightclub lol.
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Well, my gutt feel is yes... Having had and not had subs on various audio setups, I like what it brings to the table ears :)
 
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