This is really off topic, but I've rarely had a question that couldn't be answered here. Maybe I'll keep getting more obscure until I finally stump you guys.
I know NOTHING about sound systems other than that the speakers I am currently using in my gallery would better function as door stops. They are wireless and due to interference remind me of cereal with their loud and nearly non-stop snap, crackle and pop. I need to purchase a new speaker system but I don't want to spend much over $200. I have all the background music on a computer and play it directly from there. I don't know if I should get computer speakers with an extra long audio cable, speakers with in-built amplifiers, or something else. I really know nothing about this area. Any suggestions on what I should look for or products I should consider?
Posted by Mel Ladewig on January 7, 2008 at 3:53 PM
At $200 it might be hard to find a solution.
You might look for an amp/receiver and route the computer output into that. Do you have access to route the cabling to the speakers (ie. acoustic tile ceiling)? If so, the plain old speaker wire can travel a good distance without much loss, especially if you've got a reasonably large gauge wire.
In a shop space, you aren't trying to create a 3D sound, so surround sound should not be an issue. You just want even channel output and the ability to have quite, but clear sound. And a decent amp (does not need to be new) will help deliver good volume control with clear sound. Not sure if two speakers placed in opposite corners will work or if you need 4 speakers. I'm not sure how big the space is. Indoor/outdoor speakers will probably be easy to mount and should sound better than snap/crackle/pop.
I would certainly think you could find some stuff on flea-bay at a good price, but I really don't know how speakers and amps price.
Posted by Les Barstow on January 7, 2008 at 3:56 PM
If you've got $200 to spend, you can get a good set of powered speakers for a PC. Be sure that the speakers you buy have cables you can extend. Your best bet is probably a unit that has a subwoofer / amplifier unit that takes the output from your PC and connects to the satellite (tweeter/woofer) units through some kind of standard plug.
Alternately, you can buy one of those home audio sets that come with a receiver and speakers; I'm not too fond of those because they're usually kinda cheap, but if you can't find a PC speaker set that can be extended, that's your next fallback in that price range.
Spend about $400 and you can get a receiver and two decent speakers with names and builds that I would trust.
Posted by Scott Borger on January 7, 2008 at 8:38 PM
Klipsch makes the best PC speakers, hands down. You could probably find the ProMedia Ultra 5.1 for around $200-$250 used on craigslist. They also make the 2.1 that has a few less speakers. I have the 2.1 and they sound great. You could easily get the 2.1 for less than $200 if you shop around. Depending on the size of your gallery, you may not need to have alot of speakers. A great place to try out high end PC speakers is the Apple Store. They carry all of the best ones.
Posted by Bret Edge on January 7, 2008 at 11:10 PM
I'm a big fan of the Boston Acoustics PC speakers. They aren't the sleekest looking but the sound quality is exceptional. You can pick up a pair for around $200, including the subwoofer.
Posted by Brad Beeler on January 7, 2008 at 11:37 PM
Since your only playing Music and not watching movies, the 5.1 would be overkill, two of the five speakers would almost not be used, you'd be better off going with a 2.1 or traditional stereo (R&L) with a sub.
One issue I think you are going to run into with computer speakers is the length of wires. Personally I think you are better off finding a used amp (stereo), and some bookshelf speakers. Where you can place the amp close to the computer, and then run almost any length of wires to the speakers. Now days you should even be able to find an amp that support multiple sets of main speakers (typically A & B) . Since you are having to compete with street noise, and are mainly using this system for background ambience, I'd suggest not worring about trying to achieve audophile quality...
Thanks
Brad
Posted by Rick Dunn on January 7, 2008 at 11:37 PM
Another vote for Boston Acoustics - I've been with BA for over 20 years and they never disappoint. I don't know what their latest PC system is, but a google search should turn that up easily enough. Also in the $200 ballpark are the Harmon Kardon SoundSticks II which you can find at Apple Stores as well as online - I was impressed with them when I was shopping for speakers last year.
On the lighter side of the budget scale, I've got to say that a relatively inexpensive set of Altec Lansing computer speakers (a powered subwoofer and two satellite speakers) put out sound from my Dell that was remarkably good. If you're just looking to get something that sounds good as opposed to creating a high fidelity experience, I would think you could spend $100 and get something really nice. I'd make a stop at a Circuity City or Best Buy and test out some of the $~100 Logitec or Altec Lansing 3-speaker systems.
Posted by Les Barstow on January 7, 2008 at 11:42 PM
Erik, you mentioned your sound setup was horrible, so I thought I'd offer this additional piece of advice just in case. When setting up your PC sound system, keep the audio volume within Windows toward the middle and adjust the volume from the speaker controls; adjusting the volume to max within Windows may clip the sound and produce lower quality output.
Posted by Les Barstow on January 7, 2008 at 11:53 PM
I was going to mention what Brad brought up, but went in a different direction: you're playing music, so anything beyond stereo and a subwoofer is overkill (and pointless, and wasting good power driving wimpy back-channel speakers, and...).
Brad, A lot of the PC speaker sets come with relatively standard cabling. My older H-K system uses RCA cabling from the powered subwoofer to the satellite speakers, so they'd be really easy to stretch if I had the need. I thought of the amp/bookshelf speaker solution, but unless you get a good deal on the amp or also buy used speakers, you're not going to come in under $200.
Posted by Jack Garrett on January 8, 2008 at 12:41 AM
Erik,
I work for Microcenter and bought a set of Bose Companion 3 speakers. They cost $249.99 and give some awesome sound. Check out the specs at:
You could also try Sounds Great or Circuit City..they have good selections. I'm not keen on wireless speaker setups...you can lose the signal for no apparent reason sometimes.
Jack
Posted by Steve Bunn on January 8, 2008 at 2:35 PM
Erik,
I have Klipsch's 5.1 Promedia system, which is good, but I'd recommend getting a used stereo amp (or reciever) from Denon, Yamaha or Onkyo. For speakers, I'd recommend Boston Acoustics as well. The CR75 bookshelf speakers are very good for the money, but a quick look at Ebay didn't result in any hits. If you were to pick these speakers up, I'd say you don't really need a sub, especially for background music. The CR65's can be had from Ebay, new, for less than $100. They are a bit smaller than the 75's but I'd guess they have a similar sound. If I were you, I'd still bypass the sub as cheap subs just muddy the sound. You can buy 16 or even 18 gage cord from Home Depot for pretty cheap.
Discussion
10 repliesI know NOTHING about sound systems other than that the speakers I am currently using in my gallery would better function as door stops. They are wireless and due to interference remind me of cereal with their loud and nearly non-stop snap, crackle and pop. I need to purchase a new speaker system but I don't want to spend much over $200. I have all the background music on a computer and play it directly from there. I don't know if I should get computer speakers with an extra long audio cable, speakers with in-built amplifiers, or something else. I really know nothing about this area. Any suggestions on what I should look for or products I should consider?
You might look for an amp/receiver and route the computer output into that. Do you have access to route the cabling to the speakers (ie. acoustic tile ceiling)? If so, the plain old speaker wire can travel a good distance without much loss, especially if you've got a reasonably large gauge wire.
In a shop space, you aren't trying to create a 3D sound, so surround sound should not be an issue. You just want even channel output and the ability to have quite, but clear sound. And a decent amp (does not need to be new) will help deliver good volume control with clear sound. Not sure if two speakers placed in opposite corners will work or if you need 4 speakers. I'm not sure how big the space is. Indoor/outdoor speakers will probably be easy to mount and should sound better than snap/crackle/pop.
I would certainly think you could find some stuff on flea-bay at a good price, but I really don't know how speakers and amps price.
Alternately, you can buy one of those home audio sets that come with a receiver and speakers; I'm not too fond of those because they're usually kinda cheap, but if you can't find a PC speaker set that can be extended, that's your next fallback in that price range.
Spend about $400 and you can get a receiver and two decent speakers with names and builds that I would trust.
http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/promedia-ultra-5-1.aspx
One issue I think you are going to run into with computer speakers is the length of wires. Personally I think you are better off finding a used amp (stereo), and some bookshelf speakers. Where you can place the amp close to the computer, and then run almost any length of wires to the speakers. Now days you should even be able to find an amp that support multiple sets of main speakers (typically A & B) . Since you are having to compete with street noise, and are mainly using this system for background ambience, I'd suggest not worring about trying to achieve audophile quality...
Thanks
Brad
On the lighter side of the budget scale, I've got to say that a relatively inexpensive set of Altec Lansing computer speakers (a powered subwoofer and two satellite speakers) put out sound from my Dell that was remarkably good. If you're just looking to get something that sounds good as opposed to creating a high fidelity experience, I would think you could spend $100 and get something really nice. I'd make a stop at a Circuity City or Best Buy and test out some of the $~100 Logitec or Altec Lansing 3-speaker systems.
Brad, A lot of the PC speaker sets come with relatively standard cabling. My older H-K system uses RCA cabling from the powered subwoofer to the satellite speakers, so they'd be really easy to stretch if I had the need. I thought of the amp/bookshelf speaker solution, but unless you get a good deal on the amp or also buy used speakers, you're not going to come in under $200.
I work for Microcenter and bought a set of Bose Companion 3 speakers. They cost $249.99 and give some awesome sound. Check out the specs at:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0245423
You could also try Sounds Great or Circuit City..they have good selections. I'm not keen on wireless speaker setups...you can lose the signal for no apparent reason sometimes.
Jack
I have Klipsch's 5.1 Promedia system, which is good, but I'd recommend getting a used stereo amp (or reciever) from Denon, Yamaha or Onkyo. For speakers, I'd recommend Boston Acoustics as well. The CR75 bookshelf speakers are very good for the money, but a quick look at Ebay didn't result in any hits. If you were to pick these speakers up, I'd say you don't really need a sub, especially for background music. The CR65's can be had from Ebay, new, for less than $100. They are a bit smaller than the 75's but I'd guess they have a similar sound. If I were you, I'd still bypass the sub as cheap subs just muddy the sound. You can buy 16 or even 18 gage cord from Home Depot for pretty cheap.
Good luck!