Corsair SP2500 2.1 Speakers

Amazon.com: Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2500 High-Power 2.1 PC Speaker System (CA-SP211NA): Electronics

anyone have any experience with these babies? they have raving reviews, so i'm really interested. i originally put in an order for some M-Audio AV40's, but ended up canceling it because i knew i'd miss the subwoofer for my gaming and animes. i don't have much experience with Corsair, as a company, so i didn't want to just blindly throw my money at them. the SP2500's are relatively expensive for some PC speakers.

i just came across these speakers, today. the spec sheet is very impressive. Corsair claims that u can crank these puppies up to 100% volume with only less than 5%-10% sound distortion. i was looking for a system with reference/studio-quality satellites and a very tight hitting subwoofer. is this system too good to be true?

 

How about you look into Edifiers S730, I see that here in Canada they have been as low as $228, right now they're at $350, but maybe if you shop around.

I have Edifiers S330 for $100 and they're simply amazing, don't know what else I could buy for that much that could sound soo good.
Their S730 line was getting great reviews whenever I would glance at it.

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=46910&vpn=S730&manufacture=EDIFIER

 

I was also looking at these and I noticed that most people on Newegg were saying that the cables were way too short. Corsair said that they were going to fix it, but I don't know if that has been resolved yet. (I assume it has been as the issue was brought up in February.) If it has, most people seem to be really happy with them. If you get it, let me know how you like them!

 

i think i'm just going to stick with the SP2500's. originally, i told myself, "i'm only going to spend around $100." ...then $150...now i saw the SP2500's for right under $200, so i decided to bite the bullet. $200 is my set limit for some PC speakers though. i just can't justify spending much more on something that i barely use. i'm already kind of bummed about spending $150 on my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's, and them taking a crap on me with not very much use.

i will probably be putting in my order tomorrow, so i'll let u know. too bad they don't look mountable. i was going to buy some speaker stands for the satellites.

 

What about the Klipsch Promedia 2.1? I've heard its a good overall set and it costs roughly $150

that said, do let us know how this one goes if you end up buying it, I'm curious!

 

i have the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's. the subwoofer just went out one day so now here i am...

i called Klipsch up and they said it's probably the circuit board, inside the subwoofer, that went out or shorted. they quoted me $80, or something like that, to repair it. for $80 bucks though...i'd rather just spend a little more for a new set of speakers. i was really disappointed with Klipsch's customer service as well for not even trying to work with me. with that said, the ProMedia's were the best 2.1 PC speakers i've owned to date. prior to that, i had a number of Logitech, Creative, and other brand 2.1 systems. the ProMedia's absolutely blew those out of the water with it's very nice detailed sound and tight bass. i don't think i've ever needed to turn those puppies up over 50% volume.

the Klipsch really set the bar, for me, as far as PC speakers. i put in my order for the Corsair SP2500's earlier and i hope they live up to all the hype. they were $185 yesterday. when i woke up this morning to put my order in with amazon, the price went back up to it's regular $225.

 

Would love to hear your opinion about the corsair system. I'm currently also looking for a set of speakers and was considering the corsair system. The case I have for my Server/NAS/AllRoundThingy is also from corsair, as well as the power supply and the water cooling system.

So far I can only vouch for their superb customer service (at least here in Europe). The water pump in the water cooler was emitting some strange noises since day one. Corsair instantly replaced it with a completely new kit without asking any questions.

 

good to hear about their good customer service. hopefully they won't turn their back on me like Klipsch did.

another reason why i really wanted the SP2500's is because of their blue accents on the system. i will be building a rig soon with SLI 680's. all of the rig's accents and hardware will be blue.

 

My brother has some of the SP2500's and they sound pretty good. I think they are very sibilant at high volumes though. They do go very loud though. The sub does really good, but I think there is something to be desired in the mid-range.

It should be noted that I am pretty sensitive to sibilance, but even people who aren't, when they're turned up above 80% then they start getting harsh in the highs.

 

supposedly, u will need a good soundcard to fully unlock the SP2500's. i never even had to turn my Klipsch ProMedia's past 50% volume though, so hopefully i won't have to worry about that stuff.

 

Yeah that could help, he is just using his notebook sound card. And yeah, they usually only get turned up that loud when we're drinking and partying.... which usually makes the highs more bearable but doesn't seem to have enough effect on the Corsairs.

 

That sucks that you had a bad experience with Klipsch customer service that is a real deal breaker... I was planning on getting those soon for myself, and hearing that is a bit of a putoff...

Did you order the Corsairs then? a $40 increase in price within hours... amazon does it all the time :O I've had great experiences with Corsair though, flash memory, ram... all from them!

 

Oh I forgot about the message you sent me, was busy cleaning most of the day x:

Anyway, you can turn them up to 100% and they'll sound just as clear at a normal level, but I only run them around 40% of their max, I can't tolerate 100% and I work around loud planes all day. The subwoofer is quite large but doesn't distort unless you start raising bars on the low side of the equalizer and will shake things around if you want it to... it also makes as a nice foot rest.

As for the satellite speakers, they are nicely put together and don't stand out too much aside from the cone being blue. They are bigger than what I was used to but I upgraded from a 40 dollar set, so what do I know? I don't like none of my lower quality tracks anymore because they make the compression really noticeable now.

The wires are just normal 4 pin cpu power cables, if you need longer you can get extensions quite easily... or make your own? The control pod has its own line in as well as 2 more on the sub itself, everything runs through it first. The entire set will use close to what its rated for if you use it at max volume though, I've tested that with the Kill A Watt I have and it has gone to 200 watts a few times... although I got a headache when I tested that x_x
I don't use too many of the special settings on the pod itself, but late night mode is awesome if you don't want to bother anyone else, it will shut off the sub and apply a bit of noise leveling, while sending lower than normal frequencies to the mid speakers so its not super flat sounding (It still cuts off somewhere near 200-150Hz though, I tested a while ago but forgot the exact Hz)

I don't know how well your previous speakers sounded and I'm not an expert on sound, but I'm not disappointed with the 200 I dropped on them; I bought locally just to make sure they were worth it and so I could return them if I wanted... but that was months ago

...no I don't like writing reviews s:

Edit: Newegg has them for 185 after a rebate right now (215 before), free shipping too, up to you.

 

yeah, i ended up ordering the SP2500's. they should be here tomorrow.

lol thanks. +rep

@newegg's price...ugh. i had the SP2500's in my cart on 6/4 @$185. i wake up on the morning of 6/5 and to my surprise, they went back up to it's regular price of $225. -_-

i wonder if amazon will price match, or give me some kind of credit. anyone ever been in my predicament?

 

Could always call or send a email and see what happens... can't say I have been stuck in something like that. When I bought my set at Frys I had them pricematch it to Newegg, which was 200 and free shipping, and all I did was pay tax... which would have been shipping anyway.

If you want I could probably answer more specific questions about them, unless you already decided to just get them anyway

 

they should be at my doorstep anytime today. status says: out for delivery.

i did want to know specifics because i had never heard of Corsair making audio equipment before. after doing a bit more research, all i found were raving reviews for the SP2500. are there any little nuances that u have found only through extensive use? any recommended modes or settings?

 

Aside from running at 40%, the subwoofer has its own control, but I have that set 2 bars from the top, its not as balanced having the sub on max (I would actually say its a bit overpowering running it that high, but I don't mind it), but I might need a new sound card... The levels are separated into 3 areas, blue, green and red, and from what I remember reading you're supposed to run them in the green area for them to sound the best, but I think that might be more of a suggested level so you don't kill your ears too much.

Pressing the center dial works as mute if you're on the main volume level, and will mute the sub by itself if you're on that control... The controller doesn't have the best viewing angles, I will admit. It has its own equalizer built in with a few presets, but I only really use the "Reference" and "Classical", moreso the former. The others are fun to mess with every now and then though if you want to try something different

One thing I do wish it did have was more color schemes for the controller, there's a day and night mode which half inverts the colors, but they're all blue and I like green~

But really, just set them up and have fun annoying neighbors with them

 

Klipsch ProMedia sub vs. Corsair SP2500 sub...

 

That is one big sub! How does it sound though?

 

it's too bad that my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's went out because i would have loved to compare the 2 systems next to each other.

i didn't even use the Klipsch that much, but i remember them sounding amazing. they really set the bar for me as far as PC speaker 2.1 systems with their nice detailed sound and strong tight bass from such a tiny subwoofer. prior to the subwoofer taking a dump on me, they just sat there for a month or 2 so i don't exactly remember their soundstage.

my first impression of the SP2500's was: "dang! they are loud as heck!" i want to let the system break in for about a week before i make my final verdict. as of this moment, i feel like they are at least as good as the Klipsch PM 2.1's were. the difference is that the SP2500 has much more pronounced highs; almost too high/bright at times. i might just use a flat EQ and turn down the highs a tad or i might not. i'll make that decision after the subwoofer fully breaks in. the other major difference is how loud these things can go. the recommended computer sound output was 100%. i have mine set at 77% and control the volume through the speaker's module. they sound "good" or "nice" at below 40%-50% of the system's volume. where the SP2500's really shine is when u really crank the volume up. it almost seems like there's just infinite loudness, with very little to no distortion. the SP2500's bass: i would describe as very clean and tight. the Klipsch PM 2.1's unit was very impressive for it's size and the amount of thump it was producing. the SP2500's subwoofer, again, is at the very least as loud/good as the PM 2.1's without being as muddy/boomy to the soundstage.

i'm not a fan of preset modes and EQ's, so i'm using the 'reference' EQ and 'none' for program. i wasn't really a fan of the post processing those other settings applied to the content i tested out. i did try out the 'karaoke' program and that thing is pretty friggin cool! too bad i already have a real karaoke system connected to my 5.1 HT setup in the living room. overall, i'm pretty happy with the purchase so far. if u can get these for under $200, then i would recommend them to anyone. at it's original price point of around $225-$250, i would have to ask myself, "do i really need something this loud?"

EDIT: i'm about to buy a cool ball and attach it to the back of the SP2500's volume module thingy. that should angle the back up to provide a much better viewing angle. i found that the "night" mode had alot better visibility, but it didn't have the black/green/red indications so i stuck with the "day" mode.

 

Well glad they're living up to your expectations

As I said, I didn't like too many of the other presets, they have their uses but I can do fine without them as it is.

I'm just hoping they stay working for a good number of years, I don't think I'd find anything close to it.

 

appreciate it lol.

i hope they last a while too because i don't feel like spending another $240 on PC speakers lol. that was one of the main reasons why i didn't really mind the MSRP price. amazon.com has great customer service if anything would to happen with the system. *knock on wood* at one point, i was about to just connect my Sony CT-150 soundbar to my laptop lol.

this will probably be my desk's final arrangement before i start piecing together my SLI 680-powered desktop. i'll probably sell off, or give away, the current desk.

 

It being glass, you could probably fetch a nice bit of change for it, depends on how much you want to list it for.

I'd have a glass desk but I lean on mine too much for that (and the rare occasion, sleep )