I'm looking at replacing my speakers (a 10 year old set of creative 5.1s) with something of much better quality sound-wise. Having looked around the SP2500s get fantastic reviews but my question is are they the best for about that price? (~£180) I've never been that impressed by 5.1 so 2.1 is all I'm after really. Looking at the comments on the SP2500 review on here I've looked into buying a budget amp and some speakers from richer sounds but in order to get speakers with good reviews I'd have to be buying the cheapest amp they sell - would this really give better results than the SP2500s for the same price? (This amp and these speakers). The other (minor) problem I'd have is fitting those speakers on my desk but I may be able to get around that. I'm not fussed by them being 'gaming' speakers or by the brand name - I'd just want them to sound awesome (and preferably not look awful either) Cheers GK
I was considering them, but was convinced to save some cash and go for a pair of Microlab Solo6c. They are a pair of bookshelf speakers, and I thought I would miss the sub but damn I don't, they sound fantastic for watching movies and listening to music etc. Also, these are active monitors not passive, so have a built in amp. I just hooked them up to my Xonar DG and that's it.
I'm happy with my sp2500s too. If you want a detailed critical review http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=251 is good.
Have you listened to BOSE Companion 3's? I'm no BOSE fan, normally they're all marketing and no sound. But having heard these they did sound awesome. They also look great and have a tiny foot print. Might be worth a trip to currys for a listen atleast.
I've also got a pair of Microlab SOLO6Cs, and I think they're really good, probably not as much bass as the sp2500s, but I've not found it to be an issue, regardless of what music I'm listening to. Also almost half the price, which to me is a no brainer
I like the look of these, do they have any outputs to go to a sub at all? Maybe these plus a small BK would be nice?
My sp2500 with titanium hd sound great and could wake the dead. Yes there not audiophile but they sound great on games, music and movies. Word of warning the sub is huge
The Microlabs have no outputs, other than the standard speaker cable to the other speaker. I really would not worry about a sub, the bass that these put out is pretty impressive and not overpowering. They also look a lot more grown up, and are likely to get used for longer because of this and their footprint being much smaller due to no sub. Do check the dimensions though, there are still quite big, bigger than I expected.
Well I already know they're going to be better. My SP2200's had very bad EMI shielding problems and picked up phone calls!
Thanks for all the replies - I had looked at the Bose Companion 3's (although not heard them) - they are a lot more though (£250 instead of £180). I'll definitely look into the SOLO6Cs - less than half price is always good! They may be a little too big but I've not found the sizes of them yet. The SP2500s sub is HUGE isn't it! I'd have space (but only just) on the floor under the desk - it's on top of the desk that space is a bit more tight! Thanks again - rep all round! GK
The solo6c's look good but they are pretty big aren't they - I'll have to have a measure tomorrow and see if they'll fit...
There are also a set of Solo 1c available, no experience but I would imagine you would loose a lot of the bass potential. I actually built/modified a new desk to make these fit
What are the costs between the different sets? I paid £160 for my SP2500's so I'm still up The only issue it not being able to use them to their full potential as ASBOs would occur
At the minute, on scan, the SOLO6Cs are £80 and the SP2500s £180... £100 difference is not a small difference... From what I've read then ASBOs would definitely occur if these were turned even partly up.... Having measured my desk I've come to the conclusion that I'd either have to a) do the same or b) buy some actual speaker stands for these. I wouldn't mind having stands for them but in order to get any the right height I'd be looking at about £50 (from Richer Sounds anyway). The SOLO6Cs are far too big to fit on my desk - the best I could do would be to have them half behind my main display - bit of a waste of time buying new speakers if they're going to be mostly pointed at the back of something solid... So back to my original (now slightly modified) question - are the SP2500's the best around for the money and for the size? (Like I said below the sub being huge is no problem - the satellites are though...)
