Any suggestions on 2.1 speakers for my mom?

I've been happy with my Logitech Z-5500s for the past 4 years, so don't really know what's good out there in the speaker world, but my mom wants to get some speakers and I think a 2.1 set would be best for her needs. I'm starting to research them for her and figure it'd make my job easier if you guys have any suggestions to give me an idea of what some of the best options are. She wants them mostly for music, but I'd like to try and set them up with her TV or at least DVD player as well so she can use them for movies.

Thanks!

Edit: Try to keep it under $150.

 

Budget? If she wants to use them with her TV as a sound system might be better to get bookshelf speakers instead of a computer speaker set.

 

lol oops, I knew I was forgetting something! I'm not sure what prices are like right now, but I'm thinking no more than $150. She doesn't need anything top of the line, but I still want her to be able to experience fine audio quality.

I hadn't thought of bookshelf speakers but it's something to consider (don't know much about them... any pros/cons between them and computer speakers?). I'm still interested mostly in computer speakers as of now, but will start looking into those too so any suggestions either way would be appreciated.

 

How close will she be sitting to the screen?

What size room will she be in (bedroom, living room, basement, kitchen, etc)?

What kind of audio source will she be connected to (computer, DVD player, iPod, etc)?



You typically want to stay away from computer speakers for non-computer use. Computer speakers are focused on delivering their best sound quality and sound volume to a listener that is only a few feet away from the speakers. And a lot of that sound output is focused on delivering thumpy bass hits at a listener that is only a few feet away (e.g. so you can feel explosions in games).

Computer speakers are not typically well suited for room-filling sound, or for listeners that are further away than a few feet and sitting directly in front of the speakers. For that, you'll need a different type of speaker setup. If you could give us an idea of the listening environment and use-case, then we can provide better recommendations.

 

At price category i would go with Logitech Z-4 or Z2300 (the latter if you want better sound clarity for classical music).

 

Thanks for the responses so far. I just realized she doesn't have a receiver (nor do I think it's likely she'd have any interest in spending the money for one right now), which would pretty much eliminate bookshelf/tower speakers as options, wouldn't it?

She wants them primarily so she can do things such as play music from her laptop in the family room (where her desk is) while working in the kitchen or whatever it is she does when she gets home from work (the downstairs of her house is pretty open). I'm sure she'd enjoy it if I could set them up for her to use with movies through the TV as well, but the main focus is definitely music.

She's no audiophile, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but I'd still like her to get as good a listening experience as possible within her means.

Thanks again

 

So, there are two ways to go with this:

(1) Using powered bookshelf speakers (see below) to get the most sound output. How well this works will depend on room size and room accoustics; or

(2) Even powered bookshelf speakers might struggle with multi-room audio (especially with large rooms). If that is the case, your best bet in the ~$150 range is to get her a portable music player, and just load her music onto that.



If you do go with the powered bookshelf speaker route, look no further than the M-Audio AV40 for ~$150. It's a 2.0 speaker set rather than a 2.1 speaker set, but that is actually a good thing given your price range and use case of multi-room audio. Any subwoofer on a 2.1 set wouldn't be large enough to be heard in another room, so you might as well buy a set of high-quality 2.0 speakers that puts a little more money in speaker quality than trying to squeeze a small / cheap subwoofer in there.

http://www.m-audio.com/images/global/media_hqpics/SPav40_front.jpg

 

Make your mom happy, get her some Bose speakers. My recommendation goes to these Bose Companion 3

 

If you're on a budget, Bose is not the way to go. They are notoriously overpriced for the quality you get.

Plus, any multimedia speakers are targeted at delivering maximum sound quality and volume at a listener that is 2-4 feet away... not for multi-room listening. This is why I'd recommend getting powered bookshelf speakers, rather than 2.1 multimedia speakers. They just won't have the volume output to fill a room as well as bookshelf speakers do.

 

No. As nearly 100% of people on the forum will agree, Bose is almost never the way to go. They are extremely overpriced for the audio quality they have; they are oriented towards people who have almost no understanding of technology or are completely incapable of researching products for themselves. They rarely ever provide ANY sort of technical data beyond" Rich, warm sound" and generic crap like that. Every single Bose product I have used so far has inferior sound quality to the non bose product I have for that use (such as headphones, stereos, surround sound systems).
The only reason to get Bose is to impress people who know nothing about audio equipment. Those who DO know about it will NOT be impressed.

And honestly; an "acoustimass module?" What kind of ridiculous name is that? They could call it a subwoofer, but their satellites are so small that they have virtually no midrange, so the cutoff frequency to the "acoustimass module" is higher, which means that you simply don't have as great of a range of frequencies in stereo as with a real 2.1 system.

 

Well, he is buying for his mom, so its unlikely she will know anything about stereo equipment, other than Bose being top notch. So i recommend Bose as it saves you from being questioned by your mom for buying her, lets say 'M-Audio' which Kent recommened, and ive never heard of them before. Bose will also likely impress your mom.

 

You also should notice that his budget is 100-150$ which is far below any Bose speaker's price point so you're suggesting him something severely outside the price he's willing to spend and well, that's not really viable regardless of what you think about their performance performance. I wouldn't recommend a Ferrari over a Camri simply because I know the Ferrari might be a nicer "well known" car if the guy doesn't have close to the budget for it now would I?

 

Well the companion 3 are $220, listing a budget didnt stop alot of NBR members to recommend things that slightly above the OP's budget, especially when its worth it, and it is, its Bose. A further check with Amazon lists them for as cheap as $195, so there you go.

 

Unless I am doing my math improperly, $195 > $150.

 

The only suggestion that was significantly above the OP's budget in this thread is the Bose Companions 3.

 

Just because the person you are buying for knows nothing other than "Bose is t3h aw4some" doesn't mean you should let Bose take advantage of them and take their money. Most of the people here have a fair amount of technical knowledge, and know that there are comparable (or better) sounding options for much less.

The thing is, SHE isn't buying them, the OP is. HE should know better. And the fact that you have never heard of M audio doesn't lend much credibility to your suggestion, as M audio is a major brand of audio equipment (studio monitors, midi devices, etc.).

I agree that bookshelf speakers would fit a TV better. However, if you still want to get 2.1 speakers you should look into the Klipsch promedia 2.1 speakers. I have 2 pairs of them and they are quite good; I have also directly compared them to the Bose companion 3 speakers and they are better, despite costing nearly $100 less. You can get the Klipsches for around $150; less if you get refurbished ones.

 

I'm learning to ignore TechSpert's posts. If you read his posts, they all say "Buy Bose / Monster / Razer brand, simply because I think that brand is the best."

... which is exactly the kind opinion from someone that was only exposed to the audio / computer gear that is available at their local Best Buy.

 

Why would i bother to go anywhere else when BestBuy has top notch Audio Equipment from Bose and Monster. Im pretty sure most people will have this opinion rather than yours "Oh N-Audio is good". To OP, save $50 more, get a Bose, make your mom happy and im sure she wont question your decision. Not to mention, Bose has excellent customer service and warranty.

Well, looking at his post, it does mention *Try* to keep it under $150. Im sure he wouldnt mind stretching his budget a little for some awesome Bose.

 

Don't feed the troll.

 

Yes, it does seem like ignoring his advice would be best for the OP and everyone involved. Although the name "techspert" would seem to suggest "technology expert," I can see that this is a misnomer. Keep in mind that Monster charges $85 for a 7 foot hdmi cable, when you can get an 8 footer from monoprice for 10 dollars (or less if you are ok with a higher gauge). That, and the "beats" headphones not only look incredibly stupid, but they are overpriced and have lackluster sound quality as well.

Best buy has top end audio equipment, oh my... You CLEARLY have never been to a high end stereo shop. High end is NOT Bose. High end is B&W, Mcintosh (NOT the computer company), Klipsch, Kef, Pioneed and others. Interestingly a few of those CAN be found in Best Buy, but only in their high end "Magnolia" home theater "store within a store." If you ever have a chance to listen to a REAL high end speaker brand maybe you will understand why Bose is just hype.

 

Unless the OP has further questions (he hasn't posted for a few pages now), I'm stepping out of this. You are entitled to your opinions. Now I am entitled to ignore them.

 

This thread is now closed -- original poster, feel free to start a new thread if you did not get a satisfactory answer to your question.