Upgrading PC audio - speakers and soundcard/amp?

TheVoice

TheVoice

TheVoice

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Glasgow
Hi all, looking for some decent advice here. I've currently got a set of Logitech Z-10 2.0 speakers connected via USB which I'm looking to upgrade from. The majority of my audio usage on my PC is music (a mix of progressive-house and ambient), with a bit of gaming here and there.

What sort of options do I have? I've looked at the Creative T40 in the past and they look nice, but after reading some threads here I've also seen various Edifier sets recommended which got me onto the R1800T, as well the Q-Acoustics 2010i and 2020i. How would these rate against each other?

The other consideration is soundcard, though I've also seen people recommending standalone amps such as the Amptastic Mini-1. Would this be an option worth considering or am I better with a soundcard? Or both?

As you can see, I'm a little lost as to what to go for but I don't want to spend some money on stuff that isn't going to give me a particularly great improvement. My budget is probably in the region of £200-250. I see the Edifiers are £80 which leads me to wonder if the Q-Acoustics are worth nearly double?

Any help or other recommendations would be appreciated. :)
 
Thanks a lot for that. So, stupid question: Would I still need to get myself a dedicated soundcard if I went down the amp + speakers route? Or just if I went for already-amplified speakers like the Edifiers? A soundcard, amp and speakers would be over my budget I think.
 
Thanks, I'll check those out. I've got onboard audio currently, haven't bothered with a proper soundcard so far because both my current speakers and Corsair headset are USB. Difficult to decide what route to take!
 
The majority of my music listening is ambient or thereabouts at the moment so the bass and loudness isn't actually all that important (though nice to have the option there), I'm more keen to have a set-up that'll give me more clarity and pull out some of the detail in the sound as that's what a lot of ambient (and to a lesser extent, prog-house) consists of. Obviously headphones tend to be the best at that but I don't really like using them unless it's late in the evening and using the speakers isn't possible.
 
dacads said:
hmm then you'll have to decide which route to take! All I can say is studio monitors are meant to be detailed and have great clarity so you won't be disappointed in that aspect!

Then again a passive speakers and amp setup would sound quite musical and have some detail as well!

Now it's up to you on deciding what to do :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, plenty of food for thought and stuff to look into a bit more. I'm sure whatever route I take will be a substantial improvement in any case.
 
Just bumping this to say I think I've made my mind up. Going to go for the Q-Acoustics 2020i in graphite, and the Topping VX1 amp/DAC. Does this look alright? Read some reviews of the speakers and they seem held in high regard, and I've seen plenty of positive opinions on the VX1 too.

Thanks for all the help everyone.
 
Thanks guys, I'll have a look into those other speakers but I'm pretty sold on the 2020s to be honest, and I doubt I'll find them lacking in bass as my current Z-10s aren't exactly desk-shakers anyway. Not keen on the Wharfedales though, they look a bit 90s cheap hi-fi to me.
 
The 3020s are beyond my budget and the 2020i is very deep (278mm) which means they'll protrude out into into my desk well past the base of my monitor and I just can't see me getting the full benefit of them when I'm sitting so close. Someone else on the forums has the VX1 and the 2010i and said they were very happy with them and didn't find the bass lacking, so I think they'll be more than enough for me.

It's a tough decision because I do want to get the best I can, but I have to draw the line somewhere and the 2010 or 3010 should (I would hope) still be a significant improvement over what I've currently got.
 
Just thought I'd update with my new set-up:

KzyA8NQh.jpg


VX1 installed no problems, just connect via USB and Windows does the rest. It can be set to turn on/off with the PC automatically too, which is handy. USB cable is a bit short so you may need a longer one if your PC is on the floor at the end of your desk like mine.

The Q-Acoustic 3010 speakers are very solid and weighty without being too big for my desk, and the front grilles are magnetic which is a nice touch and makes them easy to remove/install. Clarity is superb, which was the main thing I wanted out of a new audio set-up. I'm no audiophile at all so I don't know the terminology but I've been playing some of my favourite music the past hour or so and it all sounds very crisp, clear and detailed. I love music that has tiny detail in its layers and usually I have to put headphones on to get the most out of it, but I'm getting that from these speakers in equal measure now.

Very impressed overall, bass felt a bit lacking at first but after trying the right tracks it's there. Obviously not as much as you'd get from bigger speakers or with a sub but plenty for my liking.
 
I wasn't sure about the colour when ordering (the American walnut finish was the same price) but I'm really happy with how they look.

The monitor is a Dell U2412M 24".
 
Yeah I'm very glad I didn't go for the 2020s now, bigger is always tempting but they'd have stock out another 100mm or so which would have just been silly. Even the 3010s make my old Logitech Z-10s look tiny.
 
I'll let you know when I've tried, spent most of the day listening to some of my favourite music again and it's glorious. :D
 
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