new PC/laptop speakers (2.1) -Logitech ?

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97tbird

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Well, I've realized that my wife and I are doing more & more listening to music thru our laptops while studying @ the kitchen table...with headphones (Yamaha; closed) the sound is great, but gets tedious after a while, so we've been using the antique, #@$%! Labtec 2.0 spkrs which have horrible sound...I can't stand them anymore...(I'm picky about SQ).

so i've been thinking about getting some new 2.1 spkrs for around $40.00 or so...
and these Logitech X-230 (2.1) seem to be very popular and highly regarded...so I was wondering if any of you guys have any experience with those, and give me some feedback.

Newegg has great reviews of these, but one thing that worried me were a few people who said the the "tube" for the bass port on the sub had come off on delivery...
they are very popular but I'm worried if it's just hype or reality.

here they are:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121123
 
I purchased Logitech 6.1 for my PC a couple years ago...don't like them at all. I like the Dell 2.1 better. Seriously, a nice 2.1 set sounds clean & clear. Better than my car stereo!
 
I have hooked my desktop computer to a surround sound system in the computer room. In the living room, I have an FM transmitter on my laptop that for the home theater system.

My experience with these so called 'computer speakers' has not been very satisfactory.
 
I checked it out on dell.com: I think the only difference is that the A525 looks a bit bigger/more stylish, and are magnetically shielded.

One can still find both on Ebay, Amazon etc new. But I'm going to wait on some more feedback on The Logitechs, and then decide.
Thanks, T&S.
 
I purchased a set of logitech 2.1 speakers, the model was z-something. They are thx rated speakers, and sound excellent. They were a bargain at 79 dollars for the pair with the powered sub. I've had them for 2-3 years now and they sound as good as day one. I crank them pretty regularly. They are of better quality than the klipsch.
 
tbird, how big is the room that you'll be using these in? I know your budget is limited and what you buy will probably still sound somewhat better than what you have now, nevertheless, there are several issues with these Logitechs (any many similar sets in this price range):

1. The sub only has a 5.25" driver and the sub amp only delivers 20 Watts RMS @ 10% THD. In anything larger than a closet this will not be sufficient for any kind of decent bass, or mid-bass in this case. You will be tempted to crank it up in order to actually hear it, and that will just end up producing distorted bass.

2. The main drivers are only 2". This means the crossover to the sub is probably set up pretty high (I'm guessing somewhere around 200-300 Hz if not higher). That will result in the bass being very localized or even some of the vocals actually being reproduced by the sub. Again, not good, at least for someone who values good SQ.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you may not feel like that $40 was money well spent. Is it possible to save up some more? I would strongly recommend main speakers with at least 4" drivers and a sub with at least an 8" driver. This way the voices actually get properly reproduced by the mains while sub does what it is supposed to - play the actual bass notes.
 
QP,
Thanks,
The room (the kitchen) is actually not very big, and I don't listen to music at VERY high volume levels.
But I know what you say about the drivers is true...I was thinking about that myself..
But I wonder why nearly ALL the reviews of the x-230 mention that the bass was "too much" even with the sub @ the lowest level (it's variable)...
Even for $40, I can find a set with the sub being bigger, and the satellites; just not from such a well known brand, but perhaps I should try to look @ some other brands like Cyber Acoustics, which doesn't have great reviews like the Logitech, but has a 8" sub on most of their 2.1 systems...sat's are still only 2.5" though...

This is going to be a tedious decision...like all my A/V decisions have been...but I enjoy that somehow..
(when I'm rich someday, i'll probably go for the $700 Acoustic Energy 2.1 ...lol)

I wish I could find the receiver and the spkrs of my Onkyo receiver somewhere, so that I can hook up the laptop to THAT!
but then again...That would also be out of my budget range.
QP: I'll update on my research.
 
tbird,

Accessories4less.com sells refurbished Onkyo gear at reasonable prices. That's where I got my little receiver (the same one you have) for about $65 last year. They also sell the whole Onkyo executive systems, alas they appear to be out of stock at the moment, which is a shame because something like this would probably suit you well.

When I was shopping around for new speakers for my PC last year, I roamed around all the major electronics stores and listened to a bunch of computer speaker sets. And honestly I didn't like the sound of any of those below $100. They sounded flat and/or the bass was boomy/muddy. There may have been one Klipsch set that sounded half decent, but I can't remember if it was below or above $100. In the end I wound up piecing together my own 2.1 set, and being an audio freak like yourself, I am glad I did. Granted, I blew my initial budget, too.
laugh.gif


Anyway, good luck with the research. It's fun.
 
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Quote:

But I wonder why nearly ALL the reviews of the x-230 mention that the bass was "too much" even with the sub @ the lowest level (it's variable)...

Click to expand...

This just reaffirms what I was suspecting. Most likely too much audio material is being sent to the sub (crossover is set high since the main speakers can't handle mid-bass or even low midrange). This results in sub doing most of the work and thus sounding "too much".

Can the crossover be adjusted on that sub? Or does it only have a volume knob?
 
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I'm pretty sure there's only a volume/level knob on the sub. no crossover adjustment...highly doubt if anything in this price range (< $40.00) has that.
However, a lot of people say that if you know how to properly adjust the eq on the application (I use i tunes & wmp, which have pretty good options for sq adjustment), you can get near perfect quality from these...

I really can't afford the Z-2300. I'm sure it's nice.

I think I'm gonna get the x-230 and take the risk and count on my patience/ability of playing with eq's...
 
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