Computer Speakers

U

UnknownVT

Joined
Feb 15, 2003
Messages
2,575
I had the speakers that came with my PC - adequate for making noise/sound, identifying music tracks and checking for faults/anomolies - but not really for enjoying music.

For playing music I have a small system in the same room to play CDs, cassettes and the radio - and these days I use a headphone MP3 player a lot.

But I had been using my PC for copying CD tracks and conversion for the MP3 player for years - so now have quite a substantial library of music on my PC -
and it seems silly now not to just play the music from the PC -
except of course the low quality speakers.

So I did some research for 2.1 PC speakers - first call was -

ConsumerSearch.com: PC Speakers -

where the concensus seemed to be Logitech and Altec Lansing -
so I did some research on the recommended speakers as well as other speakers from those two makers.

Amazon was a good resource for users' reviews - but one obviously had to read those judiciously. However sorting PC speakers (no brand specified) by bestselling finds mostly Logitech at the top and I came across the Logitech S220 (2.1) near the very top - perhaps they were there just because they were cheap?

The users' reviews were mostly very positive - read more at Buy.com and doing google on "Logitech S220 review" - most of the reviews were very positive, to down right enthusiastic.

logitechs220cio9.jpg


At such a low price I decided to take a risk and bought them - banking on the good return policy should I not like them.

Took only a few minutes to figure it out and hook them up to my PC.

Now there is a limitation to my listening - they are my PC speakers - so the small satellite speakers just sit on my computer table either side of the monitor - so are close like 2.5 ft from the ears - the bass subwoofer is on the floor under the table.

Being close has both advantage and disadvantages -
listening becomes quite critical - it's almost like having headphones - the sound is quite crisp with very occassional tendency toward slight brittleness - the bass is very well balanced (there is a separate volume control).
Volume is more than adequate for my usage - about 1/3 is plenty, 1/2 is loud and 2/3 is uncomfortably loud - need to back away.

I listened to all sorts of music both MP3s (VBR quality 6 about the same as 160K) and regular CDs - concentrating mainly on stuff I knew well, or were demanding - or revealing.

The sound of these Logitech S220 is remarkably good and detailed without harshness (other than the very occassional slight feeling of brittleness).

These are for me amazing for the price and has increased my music enjoying from my PC manifold....

Check them out.

--
Vincent
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Last edited:
Here they are at NewEgg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...21014&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-36-121-014-_-Homepage

The Altec Lansing 2.1 speakers that came with a Dell computer many years ago still sound great. And I have another small 2.1 Altec Lansing set laying around that sounds very nice also.

But wanting something 'more' for my newest computer, I went with these:
2411.1.0.jpg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120
These sound great, and the power is amazing!!

Last year I was building a low-dollar computer for someone who has very little interest in music or loudness. Went with these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836110026
Obviously not meant for gaming or music lovers but the sound was quite impressive, especially for five bucks.

The only speakers I haven't been happy with, a 2.0 set from Creative that I bought at Target while traveling out of town. Not only was the sound mediocre, but they were way overpriced. Paying for the brand name obviously...
 
A few weeks ago I was shopping around for eternal speakers for my MacBook Pro. Originally I was pretty set on Razer Mako 2.1 Speakers despite the $400 price tag, they got excellent reviews. I drove to our local Apple store and the don't carry them, only online. So since I needed speakers and the Mako's where quite expensive I opted for Bose Companion 3 speakers. They came in at $250 and the sound is superb. The footprint of the speakers themselves is small, the large sub tucks away nicely under my desk. It's a really great setup.


Obviously this represents a higher price point, for a long time I was content with $40 Altec Lansing 2.1 speakers.
 
Bob W said:
Here they are at NewEgg
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link.

I couldn't find the Logitech S220 at NewEgg -
now I see why, they're listed as S-220 (a simple "-" made all the difference!)

Doing a search at NewEgg on 2.1 speakers and sorting by Rating -
the top was the Logitech Z-2300 (not surprising - picked as best 2.1 speakers over at ConsumerSearch ) -
second were these inexpensive Logitech S220 2.1!

The more I listen (and I now have them on whenever I am at the PC) - the more I am impressed with the sound for such very inexpensive speakers.

--
Vincent
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I guess it's all in the eye/ear of the beholder and what something is worth to each person.

I consider myself an audio-freak - not quite an audiophile and do not claim "golden ears" - but I am pretty fussy about my sound - I have the now legendary Sony MDR-V6 headphones (for about 15 years) and use those as my stethoscope(!) to listen/scrutinize music sound quality.

Ultimately if I use my PC as a media center I probably would just completely by-pass any dedicated PC speakers, and just hook the PC up to my Hi-Fi system - so these Logotech S220 2.1 PC speakers are less ambitious - kind of an interim measure - something a good step above the poor quality speakers that came with the PC.

Although one can easily say that almost ANYthing would be better than the original supplied speakers (and I'd agree), that's not what I was comparing or aiming for - I still use my higher end stuff as a criteria - including my MDR-V6 headphones -

... and this is the point - these inexpensive speakers do really sound remarkably good - I tried to point out that the majority of users' reviews (even if variable) all seem positive, to the point of enthusiasm.

My original purpose and limitations -
these merely are on the desktop either side of my monitor so are very close (with subwoofer under the desk on the floor) -
also there is the limitation of whatever soundcard in the PC -
PLUS the music source - mostly MP3 (I use LAME 3.98 and VBR quality 6) from CDs -
and the occassional CD - that depends on the CD drive (in my case it's a DVD RW/DL drive - really good as a reader/burner - but is it optimized for sound quality?)

So I did not want to go overboard with my purchase - I mean I could have just bought the top rated Logitech Z-2300 - that seems to have almost unanimous acclaim and picked by ConsumerSearch - but a total of 200watts RMS (2x 40 + 120) at 2.5 feet away? I never sit within 3 feet of my Hi-Fi system.

Think headphones - most players for headphones are literally in milli-watts. So these lowly 17watt Logitech S220 are more than loud enough - on the desktop
and I really like the way they sound - even when compared to my higher end stuff.......

--
Vincent
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At work I have a Tivoli Model 2 table radio (w subwoofer) which I use to listen to the radio most of the time but it also works very nicely when I plug my ipod or PC into it.
 
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