Speaker Upgrade (from antique Logitech 5.1)

Temujin · 12 Mar 2021 at 12:18

Hi All,

My old logitech 5.1 system is starting to fail, I think i've had it 10+ years now so it's a fairly good run!
I'd like to replace with a set of active monitors but don't really know where to begin, whilst I appreciate the bass supplied by a separate sub, i'm not overly fussed I think. My current reference for good sound is some sennheiser HD599 driven via a Behringer audio interface, so i'm not really much of an audiophile!
I currently only have onboard sound, could look at a separate card if required also!
I don't really want to spend loads, say under £200, which I know is fairly limiting, but as above, i'm not an audio pro. I'd like them to sit on the desk so don't want anything too big.

What sort of options do i have, some form of Edifier speaker?
Thanks!

dacads · 14 Mar 2021 at 21:31

Yeah Edifier S350 will be your best bet for a 2.1 system. Slightly over budget but worth it.

Temujin · 15 Mar 2021 at 13:02

dacads said:
Yeah Edifier S350 will be your best bet for a 2.1 system. Slightly over budget but worth it.

Ta, didn't really want to have a separate sub though if at all possible just looking for speakers ideally!

Parsley · 15 Mar 2021 at 20:19

iloud micro monitors.

They're over budget (£280ish) but if you want compact with no sub I can't think of anything better for that sort of price.

dacads · 15 Mar 2021 at 21:43

Temujin said:
Ta, didn't really want to have a separate sub though if at all possible just looking for speakers ideally!

My bad

I think active monitors will be the way forward then.

I’d consider the Presonus Eris E5

Drumroll · 15 Mar 2021 at 21:55

I would recommend the Edifier S350 that I got new, from somewhere else, £10 cheaper + 20% discount for new customer (£190odd quid) free delivery, but you already discarded the 2.1 system.
There's another options from Edifier, 2.0, like R2750DB, plenty of power, and should give good bass even without a dedicated sub box.
A cheaper option could be Edifier R1700BT.
To be fair, I'm over the moon with my S350.
Can't believe how much was lost using a soundbar.

Marine-RX179 · 16 Mar 2021 at 16:15

OP what type or media consumption you mainly use the speakers for?

Monitor speakers would be great for listening to music generally speaking, but for gaming and action movies without a sub the lacking of the atmospheric boom in the lower frequency range would be quite apparent.

2.1 setup won't sound as good as monitor speakers for music, but they are better rounded for varies type of usage.

Temujin · 17 Mar 2021 at 08:43

Thanks for suggestions all.

As for what they'd be playing:
- streams/youtube content/TV series
- some music (spotify, bandcamp, etc)
- single player games

I have some hd599s for most heavy lifting, but just generally use speakers for when i'm not so fussed on volume or needing to hear everything!

Captain_Bosh · 14 Apr 2021 at 15:38

Also using a Logitech 5.1 setup (Z906) (and Sennhesier HD598 headphones )

Just upgraded to a pair of Edifier S1000DB's which I am really happy with. They are big and heavy but there are only 2 of them and they have integrated subs. I'm not really an audiophile either but they noticeably sound better than the Z906 system and they sound clearer at a lower volume so I can listen to music without it going through the entire house a bit easier.

Connectivity is good too with 2 RCA's, Optical and Bluetooth. No 3.5 but you can just use a 3.5 to RCA cable.

They are expensive new (£300 ish) but managed to get them used for around £170. The newer S2000DB model cost a little more and the S3000DB's get price around £500.

Guest2 · 20 Apr 2021 at 18:45

Another vote for the iloud micro monitors. I have them and they sound fantastic for the amount of desk space they take up. You could also sling them in a suitcase to take on holiday as they are small enough

£233 from an Ocuk competitor

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/iloudmm/

Reviews

http://noaudiophile.com/IK_Multimedia_iLoudMM/
https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/ik-multimedia-iloud-micro-review
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/ik-multimedia-iloud-micro

Mine are currently connected in to my retro Win 98 SE machine, Soundblaster 16 ISA card. Pumping out OPL3 tracks from games sounds glorious as does using Scream tracker

JasonM · 21 Apr 2021 at 14:41

Just picking up on a couple of points.

The problem with 99% of 2.1 speakers is the satellite speakers tend to have very small drivers, and these small drivers are typically poor are recreating mid-range frequencies. So yes for 99% it's true they are not suited for music.

However on the Edifier S350 the satellite speakers have bigger drivers than typically come with most 2.1 systems, because of this they should handle mid-range frequencies quite well.

Regarding a sub. A sub is important as it provides missing frequencies (normally below about 40Hz) that desktop speaker can't handle.

How a sub should be setup, it should be invisible, meaning it's only noticed when the sub is disabled.

For my computer setup I have 2 Yamaha bookshelf speakers with 4.5 inch main drivers. Then I also have a sub that is only filling in the missing frequencies the main speakers can't support. With the sub I have much better depth in sound, and fuller sounding vocals. If I disable the sub there is an instant reduction in sound quality.

The short answer however is you should probably get the Edifier S350 as they will recreate a much fuller range of frequencies then similar sized desktop speakers alone.

Guest2 · 22 Apr 2021 at 12:34

Also depends on desk / floor space you have if going 2.1. The Edifier S350 read up great and also look great but that sub is quite large and then you have more cables to manage/

If you want something thats truly desktop, instread of bookshelf (and also small enough to travel with) then the iLoud Micro monitors or worth a listen if you can somewhere.

Another revied here -
https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/ik-multimedia-iloud-micro-review

These are them now

Armageus · 22 Apr 2021 at 12:42

Temujin said:
My old logitech 5.1 system is starting to fail, I think i've had it 10+ years now so it's a fairly good run!

What's failing on the logitech? If it's the Sub/Amp and the satellites are still good, you could get one of the small Class D amplifiers and run 2 of the satellites, and then pick up a subwoofer

Something like the SMSL SA300? (Although there are cheaper models/brands e.g. Douk Audio / Nobsound etc)
https://www.smsl-audio.com/portal/product/detail/id/565.html

Just throwing another option out there.

Temujin · 22 Apr 2021 at 13:04

All good points.

As well as one of the satellite speakers intermittently cutting out I want to clean up the amount of space it takes up (the sub is fairly substantial) so that's why I was looking at just speakers without a subwoofer!

peahead · 28 Apr 2021 at 15:08

Hi

I have just recently got a pair of PreSonus ERIS E3.5 reference monitors and they are super impressive for there size and price.

https://www.presonus.com/products/Eris-E35-BT

Jay85 · 21 Sep 2021 at 17:15

peahead said:
Hi

I have just recently got a pair of PreSonus ERIS E3.5 reference monitors and they are super impressive for there size and price.

https://www.presonus.com/products/Eris-E35-BT

Contemplating these or the Edifier S350, similar setup with the sub and 2 monitors.

Ree · 21 Sep 2021 at 17:33

Watch out for the whining issue with the S350 I returned mine because it had it, it's very common (have a google). Just a heads up.

Drumroll · 21 Sep 2021 at 17:36

Tried the Presonus and the constant hissing was a no-go for me.
My first Edifier S350 showed the issue, within few weeks. The replacement is trouble free for almost a year.

Jay85 · 22 Sep 2021 at 09:36

Ree said:
Watch out for the whining issue with the S350 I returned mine because it had it, it's very common (have a google). Just a heads up.

Drumroll said:
Tried the Presonus and the constant hissing was a no-go for me.
My first Edifier S350 showed the issue, within few weeks. The replacement is trouble free for almost a year.

Was looking at a B grade on ocuk but if its been returned is it most likely due to hissing/whining issues? Which one would you recommend?

There's a PMT store pretty local to me so i was gonna go in and have a listen to the Presonus monitors + the Sub + cables for pc connection.

I've had a listen to the Edifier S350 and they're really punchy which i quite like.

Drumroll · 22 Sep 2021 at 09:42

Got mine Edifier from an authorized dealer, 239, but 10% off first order. Close to 200 pounds, free delivery, was a good price.