Ello bit-tech. Lately I have been less than impressed with my speakers. Upgrading from onboard to an asus xonar dx made a big difference but my logitech speakers just aren't cutting it for me. When I try to get more bass out of them the bass becomes over-powering, when the audio sounds good there isn't enough bass. I'm using the x-530 5.1 set-up which are budget 5.1 at best I'd assume. Had them for a while and just looking for an upgrade. Something that would be clear, offer a bit more bass that isn't overpowering and overall make music more enjoyable. I do play games but I almost always have music on while gaming so I'd want something tuned towards music. Listen to a lot of rap, rock and some dance stuff so I do like a bit of extra bass. Would it be better to downgrade to a quality 2.1? The way my 5.1 is set up there is no real direction, all 5 are in front of me basically and I really don't get any directional feel from it. I'd like to keep it under 250 but I want something that would be solid but powerful enough when I do want to crank it up a bit. As of now they normally stay at around 1/4 to full and when I can I'll crank em to roughly 2/5 the way up. Also, would like to be a simple set-up, don't want to go into any hi-fi stuff that requires amps, dacs and all of that as I really just want something that is simple and straight forward. Unless someone could suggest a reasonable alternative that would provide some good bass and quality speakers and all the stuff necessary to set it up, i may be interested and up to trying it out actually. Thanks, Matt
I'd downgrade to a good 2.1 or 2.0. This is easier said than done though. Most manufacturers seem to assume that everyone wants more speakers with a big sub to fill out their lack of bass response. I've been struggling with a similar problem the last few weeks (existing 2.0 system is useless but don't want to upgrade to 5.1 system). I've decided to buy a good pair of powered monitor speakers from M-Audio, I've read some good reviews on them. http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/StudiophileAV30.html Given your budget you may be more interested in the AV40, which is more powerful. These systems do lack a subwoofer though.
I'll be honest, if your coming from a set that has a sub you'll miss it if you go to one without. My 'audiophile' friend had a set of posh speakers similar the ones above, and even he admitted that they lack a certain something without a sub. What I can recommend more than anything is the Logitech Z-2300. 2 year warranty, THX certifed, and brilliant frequency response so if your like me and insist on a FLAC music collection these show the quality Plus I've had them probably 2 and a half years now without so much as a murmur of a problem http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Z-2300-Multimedia-Speaker-System/dp/B0006FFO9G 11/10 rating from me
Where do you live? 250 what? pounds? Euro? USD? I would go for Behringer Truth B2030A, or if you want more bass B2031A. The smaller versions sound better overall and put enough bass for most people, but ofcourse the larger 8" version will deafen you with quality bass before the distrotion kicks in. I'm a bit suspicious on the small 2.0 and 2.1 sets, they may be "OK" for most people, but I just haven't used any of those and with my hifi discrete 2.1-set I don't see any reason to try them either. Anyway I HAVE tried the Behringers and they do kick ass and can easily be compared to over twice more expensive Genelec active speakers.
According to a friend of mine, who knows what he's talking about, monitors are designed for studio use, and while they give a very good clear sound, it trys for accurate reproduction, and this results in a bit of a flat sound, without much warmth. With regards to computer speakers, i bought a set of logitech Z-5500s, and when i got them i thought they were amazing, but after a year or so i started to find the bass boomy, undefined and overbearing, and the trebles very harsh. For my 18th i got a budget HiFi and and speakers (Cambridge Audio Azur 340A amp and Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 speakers), and realised just how bad the Z-5500s were. They (z5500s) were crap in the mid range. listening to the same tracks on the HiFi opened so much of the background music i'd never heard through the Z-5500s. however, while the small HiFi gave acceptable bass, it was noting tremendous, and i added a home theatre Sub (Mordaunt Short Alumni 9) to the setup, and now it really does sound good (i really dont want to hear anything better and be tempted to pgrade now...) . Unfortunately that lot set me back about £500... it could be done for cheaper though - those speakers are now 1/2 price, so you could get them and a decent amp for £250. It wouldn't shake the floor, but it will sound better than any computer setup, and i think warmer than monitors.
Ahh that's what I forgot to mention. Located in Canada so Canadian dollars. As for the logitech recomendation, I was doing some searching earlier and a lot of people complained about the bass being overpowering and muddy when it's turned up louder. The Behringer's seem very solid but what would be required to set them up to my xonar soundcard? I've never done anything with those kinds of speakers. Also did some searching for both sets of those behringer truth's and the 31's I can find online for 350ish plus shipping which is close to 70 bucks which is way out of my budget. Even the 30's are expensive coming in at 280 plus shipping. Tried checking for used ones online but kijiji and ebay turned up nothing.
They are active speakers so you only require the correct cable to hook them up. Then turn the volume from the speaker to the maxium you'll ever need and then use software adjust for fine tuning. And yes, they are studio monitors, but that's still what I would do. Can't tell if all people like them, but I much rather listen to those than stoopid Logitechs. I'm not going to say the Logitechs are rubbish as I haven't listened to them, but seeing they use the Tangband full range speakers ($10 a pop) and a separate, possibly same level woofer, I frankly just couldn't live with myself
I know for low end logitech the sub's don't operate at the proper frequencies which makes the bass either overpowering and muddy or leaving you wanting more. I was doing some reading and googling. What about the M-audio AV40's that fractal recommended? Think those would be a reasonable upgrade from mine? They are cheaper coming in at just under 200 on the site, though haven't looked for Canadian pricing yet. I'd assume I'd just need speaker wire, and some kind of midi device between the soundcard and the monitors? Again, my speakers now the bass isn't as powerful as I want and could I not add my own sub down the road?
Those M-Audios have tiny drivers, and while theres no definite boundaries, the general rule is that as the frequency gets lower, you need bigger drivers to handle it. The 6" drivers on my diamond 9.1s give decent bass, but in comparison, the 4" (i think) drivers on teh wharfedale diamond 9.0s have virtually zero bass, but are very strong in the mid ranges. (and these are good quality, kevlar drivers. Probably better than the ones in the M-Audio speakers) With those M-Audios the driver is 3", and while it may be compensated for by the speificly designed amp, i seriously doubt you'll get much in the way of bassy vibrations from them.
The M-Audio speakers I mentioned take a simple RCA input so only require a 3.5mm > RCA stereo adapter from a sound card. A powered subwoofer could be added later using the subwoofer output from the sound card. Bass reproduction is a reasonable concern. The AV30s only have 3" drivers while the AV40s use 4" drivers, which should be a bit better. The size of the room in which the speakers are used will effect how 'bassy' they seem. I would think these would be sufficient for a bedroom or similar but might not be enough for a living area. As for monitor speakers sounding 'flat', that is very true. They are designed to have an even response across the audio spectrum. Changing equalizer settings in software does fix this though. Getting a component system with seperate amplifier, passive speakers etc. is the ideal from an audio perspective but it can be quite expensive.
I've said it before and I'll say it again...... Acoustic Energy Aego M system Properly musical, plenty of weight and authority to the sound and well constructed. Studio monitors are (as has already been said) best left to the studio if you really like your music. As for Behringer & M-Audio, don't get me started. I used to work in pro-audio and I've seen enough of that crap. Great for MIDI and cheap electronics, but for bringing music to life - um, no.
I'll take a look into those Aego M speakers, they look a bit on the small side but a quick glance at once review said its enough to fill a room, and I normally don't crank my music up too loud so they seem pretty suitable. They look meh, but sound over looks so I'll do some reading and see if I can find any places that carry them to go give them a test listen. Thanks
Do a bit of a Google for Behringer's business practices and you might be tempted to cross those off your list. I can also recommend the Aego Ms.
Might I also suggest as an alternative, the Altec Lansing MX5021. I've personally attended a demo and they were mind blowing. Another advice would be to actually demo the speakers somehow before buying them. Audio quality is very subjective and can differ from person to person. Moreover, if you use Winamp, try this DSP plugin - www.winamp.com/plugin/enhancer-017/81361 Its an old but very good plugin and helps to get the most out of standard speakers. Furthermore, I would advice you to place the satellites of your current configuration in different directions to get a directional experience, until you cant actually set them up as such due to any constraints.