Recommendations: External speakers?

Right, I've given up on my Inspiron 1720 speakers, and I'm looking for a decent set of external speakers to use instead. Which is where you wonderful people come in. Can you recommend me something that's good quality & also value for money (they don't have to be dirt cheap, but preferably not ridiculously expensive either).

Not sure if it's relevant, but I'm from the UK and my OS is Vista. Thanks in advance to anyone who helps out.

Edit: I've never bought a set of external speakers before, so I have to ask: Does it make a difference what Sound Card/audio drivers my laptop has? Or are the speakers basically a completely separate thing, not dependent on anything in my laptop whatsoever?

 

I have the Logitech Z-2300 and it is booming. One of the best deals for the price too... http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Z-23...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1216323295&sr=8-1

Hmm, it's a bit pricey on Amazon right now. Last week they had it for $80. At the moment it seems like ProVantage has the best price for them (where I bought them): http://www.provantage.com/logitech-970118-0403~7LGTS00M.htm

 

I've had the Logitech Z-340 (I think) for awhile and I am seriously impressed. I don't think you could wrong with Logitech. As for a particular model...can't help you there but the one crash posted looks nice. Good luck!

 

Yeah, looking around some of the other topics here the Logitech Z-2300 seems to be a pretty popular choice. Never actually bought a set of external speakers before though, so I have to ask (even if it sounds like a stupid question to the rest of you): Does it make a difference what Sound Card/audio drivers my laptop has? Or are the speakers basically a completely separate thing, not dependent on anything in my laptop whatsoever?

Thanks for the replies, by the way.

 

the z-2300 is a fantastic external 2.1 speaker. i own it, among other speakers, and can tell you it has phenominal sound. the bass is absolutely fantastic. i do have a few concerns about the 2 satellites as they sqeeze the tweeter and midrange into a tiny cone, which produces less than accurate sound reproduction.

this is only a concern if you're an audiophile like me. personally, i use 2 mackie srm450, great pa speakers, but they're a bit more expensive than the z-2300. however don't let the 100 dollar price tag of the 2300 fool you, when i bought this badboy it was 240 bucks, and worth every penny, so that's why im not screaming as i type this wishing i paid 100 bucks for it.

if you're looking for crazy outtathisworld gaming sound and music blasting that'll make ur neighbours call the cops, then the 2300 is for you!!! i know i've had a bunch of complaints

good luck!
ps im sure it's available in the uk, ill look some stuff up for u

 

in my experience, the sound card plays an important role in determining audio quality. GRANTED, your speakers can reach a peak volume and go no further, but an external soundcard will allow you to reach those volume peaks with minor/no distortion.

the big factor here is the bass, since your internal laptop soundcard does not support frequency ranges for the absolutely low freq, cause the internal speakers are usually crap, the speakers will have a hard time interpreting the signal coming from the soundcard, even though you might be playing a high quality mp3 or wav.

but again this is for audiophiles, the difference will be very minor in most cases, and you have to wonder whether you wanna shell out another 200 bucks for a decent usb ext soundcard or 300 for firewire

 

Yea I just have my speakers plugged in to my computer's headphone jack (no 3rd party sound card) and it still sounds great. Granted, not perfect, but still stellar nonetheless.

 

one thing i forgot to mention, when you turn up the volume all the way on your internal speakers, its actually the soundcard that you're controlling most of the time, and if you go too high, the frequencies will begin to distort, so when u send it to an external speaker, it will also distort since speakers are meant to reproduce the sound exactly as the frequencies suggest. so a better soundcard can help you by takin the audio source and using crazy tech to allow for better sound reproduction with no distortion

 

yea i love the z2300, be4 i got my ext soundcard, it was great, but i couldn't turn the volume all the way up without some distortion (and the neighbours screaming) so i gave in and bought an ext soundcard and you can notice the difference, but its not that big, it works better on loudspeakers... if i was just wanting speakers for entertainement, the z2300 alone would be sufficient, and you can entertain ur friends no prob and no one can make a crack about your bad speakers cause you couldn't hear them over the beautiful sound of music

 

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll probably get the Z-2300 and plug it straight into my headphone jack (while I want to improve the quality/volume of my audio, I'm not worried about having it absolutely perfect). Unless there's anything else you think I should know, that's basically all I need to hear. You've answered my questions brilliantly.

 

u wont be disappointed good luck

 

I find them a bit too bassy. Prefer the smaller Z-4's

 

I use a pair of Logitech V20s. The sound is good, not great. It's fine for me because I'm not an audiofile. Thier main selling point for me was they are very light weight and durrable because I travel a lot.

 

I've got the Logitech X230 (since updated to the 240). For $40, they hit pretty hard.

 

I use the logitech Z2300, which are THX-certified. These speakers are great for movies, gaming, etc. I also have the logitech V20s due to it's portability. If you travel a bit, highly recommend to grab these too. Easy to store in you backpack/messenger bag and, is quite compact.

 

I'd go with Klipsch, no logitech, logitechs stuff is alright, but not as good as Klipsch IMO.

 

i bought some refurb'd logitech z-4's off an ebay power seller for like $30 bucks. and i am VERY satisfied with them. real nice and deep bass outta a small package, and the black/silver matched my decor better. if u don't mind spendin a little more for some THX-certified speakers. then go with the z-2300. but i have no complaints about my z-4's. good luck

 

As an alternative I want to turn your heads to the Acoustic Energy Aego M: http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/Product_range/Aego_series/Aego_M.asp

In black or, as I have, white these look sleek and small but deliver great stereo audio. These are by far the best desktop speakers I've listened to and at the price they have no competition..

My two cents, cheers!
J