Help on choosing Speakers!!

I bought a Lenovo thinkpad T61, and its integrated speakers pretty much s*ck..
I also bought a m-audio usb sound card (interface), and now what i have to do is to by speakers..

What i want is them to be as little(small) as possible, and of course as better as possible as well!!
I don't know if i ask too many, but i am here to find out.

Plz tell me what would you buy..
Many thanks in advance!!

Edit: i think i post it on the wrong subforum.... if so plz transfer the thread.. srry

 

try these. here

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but since they connect via usb i won't be able to use the sound card(port only for 3.5mm)..

 

What sort of price are you willing to pay? That has a big affect on the options.

I can't recommend the logitechs linked simply on the price and the size anything that cheap really won't be quality and anything that size really won't offer the "deep bass" claimed (a 3" pressure driver sounds great until you learn that subwoofers are at least 8"). I would actually be fascinated to know how they claim to get a frequency response of 70Hz - 20 kHz with only a 3" driver.

 

I guess $100 would be ok to buy respectable speakers..(i don't have much idea about speakers prices)
So what your' re saying is that i won't have this "deep bass"(i don't know if that is really significant) unless i get speakers with a 8" subwoofer?!

 

I was quoting the product page. You basically won't get decent bass from something that size.

 

So what do you suggest?

 

I depends on the budget. For instance, I personally have a soft spot for the Bose Sounddock (and own one myself) but that is probably out-of-budget and not what you have in mind.

How small do you want the speakers to be?

 

Small enough to fit in my backpack(it's big) with my laptop in it.. so i guess pretty small(portable)!

Yeah this sounddock is more expensive and bigger than what i want..

 

I recommend the Logitech z-2300. Great sound and great price: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Z-23...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1214606919&sr=8-1

EDIT: Oh I see you just mentioned you want it to fit in your backpack. These won't.

EDIT2: I don't know how you expect to get a subwoofer in your backpack...

 

Ok, i guess you're right!(i thought there would be small subwoofers..)
Those you recommend seem great!.. cheap and powerful..(i am thinking of buying them)

I also like the look of these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-I-Trigue-3000-Speakers/dp/B000VWQI30

 

There is a basic problem with what you're asking here: Good but small speakers. The Bose are very good for the size but one must remember that they are actually fairly big, the reason is that it needs to be this sort of size to get the sound.

While I don't actually know about those particular speakers, I know Creative by reputation (bought some of their headphones, which are excellent BTW) and those wouldn't be too bad a choice. Looks at the specs, I wouldn't say it's an incredible system but it will be a lot better than integrated laptop speakers or any portable set up.

 

Yep, so true..
I'll buy the creative ones!
Thank you all for your replies!..

Actually i think creatives reputation is decreasing......

 

By "reputation" I meant more the reputation I hold them in, having bought other products.

 

Just so you know, the Logitechs will utterly crush those Creative speakers. I used to have the Logitech Z-2200 (had to sell them ) and they rocked my building man. I lived in student housing on campus, and when I fired them up, I swear the ten story building or whatever I was in shook. They were unbelievably powerful. You can't fit them in your bag, and I honestly cannot understand why you want portable speakers that aren't portable, but if you can, get those Logitechs, they will rock your house and since you seem to be living in England, rock the hell out of all the houses on your street. Hell, the Queen will know what you are listening to if you blast them. Seriously, they are unbelievable.

 

i use these , good enough for what i need , which is maximum portability , better sound than laptop speakers , no " great " bass though
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/notebook_products/speakers/devices/3503&cl=us,en

 

I have a Logitech mm28. Great sound and it's portable. You can definitely put it in a backpack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFDW5gyyCJs

 

I will take the speakers to Uni (actually in the room i'll be staying) this fall and i would like to be taking them wherever..
Those mm28 seem great for what i want!!(@joycecylam: How much did you buy them?)
Thanks for your answers! You have been really helpful!

 

I bought it on EBay last year. Check it out on EBay. It now costs no more than US$33 which includes shipping to the U.S.

 

i would recommend the Logitech Z-2300. Extremely strong bass with Nice Crisp Highs and also THX Certified The price is very good too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121122

90.99 with FREE SHIPPING

 

I have those logitech v20s, they're pretty great, I also have the Creative Inspire T10s, they're considerably larger, but are still 2.0, and sound great.

 

Woah, these are nice!

These aren't bad either...

Adding both of these to my *speaker wish list*

 

The Logitech Z-2300's will BLOW YOU AWAY!

I purchased these a year ago, and let me tell you, if you watch movies or listen to music, these things will amaze you!

I love to put Ice Age on, and crank the sound during the opening, when the little rodent is pounding the acorn into the ice, and starts the ice to crack, and finally starts the entire mountain to come crashing down! The sound effects will blow you away!

You can crank these up full volume, and get NO distortion!

For $65, you cannot go wrong with these.

 

Yea the Z-2300 has incredible sound ESPECIALLY for the price. I purchased them when they were a little over $100 and I thought it was a great deal. Now when I see them for $65 + free shipping + no sales tax, I think they're one of the best speakers deals around.

 

Small and good sound doesn't work. The bigger (more or less), the better. If you need small, just get a decent pair of headphones. The big ones. And stay away from brands like Sony etc.

Also I would stay away from Bose.

 

JBL On Tour this is very very mobile and is what I carry with my laptop; they sound beautiful....to my untrained ears.
The picture there is of it opened; it can fold closed for when not in use.

A review I found of them.

 

I agree with all of that except regarding Bose. Could you elaborate on your reasons why you would stay away from Bose? In fact, if you're looking for good sound in remarkably small (comparatively) speakers then Bose a decent option.

Again, too small to give proper sound quality. I find the claimed 100Hz-20KHz fairly unlikely. It looks like a decent option if you really must have portable speakers but the review confirms that the bass is lacking.

 

Ok, if space really is such a big issue, and money isn't, then maybe a Bose might be ok. But I would try some NXT systems first, that can be integrated into the wall.

Why I don't think Bose are good... I have two bookshelf speakers for 180 € each, hooked up to a good vintage 70s amp. It's a pretty decent system, although I've heard better (admittedly not in the same price range). Compared it to a Bose Lifestyle 48. The Lifestyle 48 reminded me of some Logitech surround systems... not the expensive ones though. The mids were just missing, the bass wasn't terribly impressive. My bookshelves which have a module which modifies the audio output before it goes to the amp, to even out the lower end (deeper bass with a flat frequency response curve between 41 to 20000 kHz) sound way better. Better balanced over all, the mids are not missing, and they go higher than the Lifestyles. Which I have tried at several different locations. Other Bose didn't really impress me too. Yes, my speakers are huge, but then so what? I like speakers. I don't mind people seeing them, and I like the design of my speakers, although they are not the prettiest (the Bose aren't really attractive, IMHO). If you seriously have enough cash you might get something from Isophon, they'd probably even match the colour of the speakers to your wife's lipstick if you want.
And I am not the only one who thinks like that, it appears as if anyone serious about Hi-Fi has a dislike for Bose.

And then read this:
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

 

It may surprise you to know that I do agree with most of what you have said there. However, it is somewhat missing the point. It is not a like-for-like comparison, your your speakers are significantly largely and that means they are, of course, better quality.
I agree with your line of thinking (Thanks for pointing out Isophon, they look interesting) but one cannot necessarily be an idealist, real world practically came into play and, thus, my reasons for buying the Bose Sounddock were threefold:

• It was portable, inherently a lot more so than any 2.1 system - As I move between 2 locations it is nice to carry my speakers with me.
• I had the cash; Cost is not a huge issue.
• It was better than most 2.1 systems, an equivalent 2.1 probably wouldn't have been much cheaper so this made it quite appealing.

I do also not believe "it appears as if anyone serious about Hi-Fi has a dislike for Bose." is fair assessment, Bose service a market which the big audiophile speaker systems do not and I respect that; perhaps they deserve some of the flak but I do believe that people should think for a moment before engaging in the bashing you see in audiophile forums (I would not wish to be a member of many of those forums exactly because of that behaviour: If they show themselves incapable of even have a reasoned discussion on topics then I don't see what reason I have to post).
Please note, the previous paragraph is not an insult to you but just a general comment on how people frequently react to Bose.

I have read the page and was, I admit, very surprised. I would certainly be careful buying some of Bose's smaller systems (Though I maintain that it is likely not unreasonable for the size: For instance, it is a given that Bass will not be as good from a small "base unit".

 

Hm... the manufacturer of my speakers rejects building small speakers for the reason that it is impossible for them to sound good, and I respect them for that. I have a hard time believing that it is not possible to install at least a bit bigger speakers in a living room. If you move between 2 places a lot and money is no objective then I would rather buy 2 pairs of speakers.

I agree that Bose do serve a market, but it seems to me that they target people who are not really serious, otherwise they would try to compare many speakers, and, I think, would come to the conclusion that there are better speakers. Or at least set different priorities. You don't have to buy huge speakers for good sound quality (or, it doesn't hurt), but they should be bigger than what Bose usually does. But yeah, for the size the Bose are ok.

I'll be leaving my home town/country for a few months (which is why I bought a notebook), but I'll be using headphones while I am not at home. They are even more portable and they sound pretty good, if you get a decent one.

 

I use them mostly from my college's anime-club with my laptop + the JBL speaker for sound; and the club's projector. Since I got it its sound many many times better than my old mid-priced Logitech speakers.

 

BOSE is all brand. If you think Bose are good speakers/make good audio products, their marketing strategy is working and they have you fooled.

 

There is still efficiency to be considered, it would feel extremely wasteful to buy two sets of speakers. It's flawed logic, I know, but it wouldn't feel right in buying two.

I would agree, perhaps their target market doesn't endear them to people who are serious about speakers. I did actually compare it with other speakers and came to the conclusion that the Sounddock was, in fact, the best option.

I'm not too fond of headphones, I have a set of Creative EP-30 (Nowhere near the best but not that bad) and it all sounds a bit too "clinical" + they still seem to lack bass.

Then they may well sound good. Anime isn't usually bass-heavy (I use my laptop speakers for it) so the small speakers won't struggle too much.

I have not been "fooled". I have listened to their speakers (I do OWN some, remember) and I compared them before buying, the Bose were the best option for my use.

 

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