PC Peripherals Need a good 2.1 Speaker setup for computer

mach9

Das Layzeemeister
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So I got my rig up and running in my newly done up man cave with just the dual monitor and sound setup left to do.

My good old Creative SBS 2.1 370 lasted well for the better part of 12 years of not more, before the remote volume wheel gave up so I parked then away for a while. I figured I might as well get me a new setup.

I'm looking for a good 2.1 system but which will allow me to mount the 2 satellites up on the wall at the corners of my cave and angle them down towards my desk. The sub I intend to keep on the floor beside my desk.

Does anyone have a good recommendation? I'm not looking for anything over the top but I do prefer good clean sound with the ability to control the base. WiFi or Bluetooth capability would be an added advantage but is not a must have.

Duties will include mostly FHD movies and gaming apart from music which is broad ranging in genre (think Adele/Ellie Goulding to Def Lep/Pink Floyd/Queen to Ferry Corsten/Chicane/PvD/John00Fleming etc)

I know the latest trend seems to be a fancy with bookshelf speakers, but I'm keen on having the sub separate to handle the bass duties.

Anyone have some good recommendations? Seen a few Sony/Pioneer systems on Amazon but have no clue if the satellites are wall mountable
 
Your taste in music is similar to mine :)
You haven't mentioned your budget & location (like, you will have hard time to find Klipsch in India).
Point to note: wireless speaker has way too many dependency, such as bt/wifi signal quality, battery health, to reproduce the music. I have serious doubt how they could handle the dynamics of Pink Floyd without clipping.

I would strongly suggest against Sony, Bose, etc. these are downgrade from the creative speaker you are using.
Bose high end is good, but never vfm. Pioneer, if you must, only get form a trusted local shop - lots of fake in Indian market.

If your requirements are flexible, i would recommend to have a look at Klipsch ProMedia 2.1, Swsans M200, Audioengine A2 or Edifier (forgot the model number, recommending just for small form factor).
Listen to them and make your choice based on your personal liking. For example, I didn't liked the Edifier, but one of my friend (mostly into bollywood & pop), has them installed in similar fashion you described, and swear by them.

And please don't compare your old creative speakers with today's speakers lineup in the same category, consumer grade product in India has went in shithole, in last decade. At the absolute minimum and features are important for you, look for Logitech.

You mentioned movies and gaming as well, you can look for JBL Cinema SB150 soundbar (approx inr. 10-11k ) this has amazing audio quality and comes with a active sub.
 
Thanks for taking the time to write that. I'm based in Mumbai. Ironically, sourcing stuff isn't the problem as much as being able to sample or demo sets. Barely anyone keeps demo units or has the real estate to sample units in a good room.

My budget can do a max up to 20k. 25 if I really must.

I definitely don't intend to go wireless for the speakers, I've already had the wiring installed through the false ceiling and just need to plug in the units.

I love my creatives, they were more than good enough for a study room/man cave, but unless I can get someone reliable to fix the damn remote they'll have to be stored.

The only thing I missed on the creatives are clarity on the mids though I could address it somewhat through the EQ on the software.

If you have any specific model numbers please let me know. Edifier have a big range but thought they only did bookshelf?
 
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If you want HQ sound and will use them as true desktop speakers you may consider Swans M50. Bear in mind these are "desktop speakers" only, so they should be at ear level or even lower for best results. They really shine with A R Rehman type music. Check reviews online. I would say they are very musical and powerful as well. Funny thing is you have to sit close them to listen to the magic. The second you get up and leave the desk they sound like simple/decent "speakers". These days studio monitors are also common. Consider Mackie MR 524. Both within your budget.
 
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If you want HQ sound and will use them as true desktop speakers you may consider Swans M50. Bear in mind these are "desktop speakers" only, so they should be at ear level or even lower for best results. They really shine with A R Rehman type music. Check reviews online. I would say they are very musical and powerful as well. Funny thing is you have to sit close them to listen to the magic. The second you get up and leave the desk they sound like simple/decent "speakers". These days studio monitors are also common. Consider Mackie MR 524. Both within your budget.

I really don't prefer speakers at desk level and that's the trouble I'm having. Most of the good multimedia speakers especially ones designed for computer usage are meant for desktop use but I don't like it..

For my creatives to be mounted on the ceiling corners I had to extend their wiring by splicing and joining extra wire. I'm keen to avoid doing that this time. But having said that, in finding wall mounting options even less..

The worse part is I can't demo units & I really don't want to get stuck taking a chance and buying units only to hate the sound.

Hence was considering getting more mainstream solutions. Frankly I'm just confused as hell at the moment on what approach to choose. Was also scouting around to figure out where in Mumbai I could go to try and sample some units
 
I really don't prefer speakers at desk level and that's the trouble I'm having. Most of the good multimedia speakers especially ones designed for computer usage are meant for desktop use but I don't like it..

For my creatives to be mounted on the ceiling corners I had to extend their wiring by splicing and joining extra wire. I'm keen to avoid doing that this time. But having said that, in finding wall mounting options even less..

The worse part is I can't demo units & I really don't want to get stuck taking a chance and buying units only to hate the sound.

Hence was considering getting more mainstream solutions. Frankly I'm just confused as hell at the moment on what approach to choose. Was also scouting around to figure out where in Mumbai I could go to try and sample some units
How about bluetooth earbuds? Screw speakers :D
 
Maybe you can try sampling those 2.1 sound bars in some shops. I've heard the Philips 2.1 soundbar (~9K) and it sounded okay. Mids were good but the bass was too much (like movie hall) and there was no way to decrease bass in the system. Even the volume increase steps was weird. 1 is too low, 2 is low, 3 is high. Goes all the way to 7/9 or something to destroy neighbours windows.The soundbar and the bass unit are separate and I think the bar can be wall mounted. The bass unit is heavy and sits on the floor.
 
I'm based in Mumbai. Ironically, sourcing stuff isn't the problem as much as being able to sample or demo sets. Barely anyone keeps demo units or has the real estate to sample units in a good room.

I think you can try contacting ProAudioHome.
 
I did see a few sound bars but want happy with the projection. I actually found them a little tinny without good depth. Good enough for TV I suppose, doubt they'd be great for what I'm looking at.

Will try looking at ProAudio
 
Thanks for taking the time to write that. I'm based in Mumbai. Ironically, sourcing stuff isn't the problem as much as being able to sample or demo sets. Barely anyone keeps demo units or has the real estate to sample units in a good room.

My budget can do a max up to 20k. 25 if I really must.

I definitely don't intend to go wireless for the speakers, I've already had the wiring installed through the false ceiling and just need to plug in the units.

I love my creatives, they were more than good enough for a study room/man cave, but unless I can get someone reliable to fix the damn remote they'll have to be stored.

The only thing I missed on the creatives are clarity on the mids though I could address it somewhat through the EQ on the software.

If you have any specific model numbers please let me know. Edifier have a big range but thought they only did bookshelf?

your budget is very good as well as you location, definitely look for swans 2000 or Audioengine A2+, ( check this old thread might be helpful - https://techenclave.com/community/threads/where-can-i-get-audioengine-a2-in-mumbai-or-pune.95177/)

Edifier did desktop speaker as well, 2.1 as well as 5.1 speaker system. If i get the Swsans , they are so beautiful i will keep them in my desk :)

Edit: here is a link i googled, https://hifinage.com/catalogsearch/result/?o=Swsans&q=Swans , for best price always buy from physical shop and not online (prices will differ day and night) :)
 
your budget is very good as well as you location, definitely look for swans 2000 or Audioengine A2+, ( check this old thread might be helpful - https://techenclave.com/community/threads/where-can-i-get-audioengine-a2-in-mumbai-or-pune.95177/)

Edifier did desktop speaker as well, 2.1 as well as 5.1 speaker system. If i get the Swsans , they are so beautiful i will keep them in my desk :)

Edit: here is a link i googled, https://hifinage.com/catalogsearch/result/?o=Swsans&q=Swans , for best price always buy from physical shop and not online (prices will differ day and night) :)
His prerequisites are very precise. He needs satellites he can hang on the wall. Maybe the Bose 2.1 will work for him.
 
guys, this is the problem I'm having .. have looked up some good sets, but I anticipate the wiring issues are going to be problematic for the reason being that I have these wires in place currently and I'm not sure if there are any good sets that will allow a connection directly as wire leads. Most sets have different connectors on the satellites and it would appear that I'd have to spice wires or the ends of the connectors which I'm keen to avoid. What's the best solution you'll suggest?

these are standard (but good quality) speaker wires.

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Bump. Where have all you sound experts gone? Anyone with suggestions on the wiring roadblock?
 
So continuing with figuring out my problem, turns out I can go with some great banging speakers which can be wall mounted but in order to interface then with the output from the PC, I'd need either an AVR or I can use it with one of the small Class D amplifiers.

I presume the Lepai models have a good name, but on Amazon India there seems to be done knockoffs as Lepy (Chinese knockoffs of Chinese products?) Lol.

Anyone have any good recommendations on the amp to go with?
 
not a sound expert, just giving some tips.

I've seen those lepy etc amps on amazon and alibaba. i think those lepy etc are all headphone / earphone amps. those won't be able to run the speakers. you will need proper good wattage amps to run the speakers or risk burning the amps.

You could try those car speaker amps which can run up to 100w speakers on 12v dc power. I doubt the build quality though. You don't want the speakers hissing when you switch on the amps or play music.

So if you want good quality music, only a proper home av system is your best bet.

i had terminated my speaker wires into 3.5 mm male plugs. I soldered the wires coming from speakers to a 3.5 mm female port. You can do this with banana plugs too which i think are better built than the headphone plugs and ports.
 
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