Hi,

My current PC speakers are currently dying out (crackling, etc) and me and my Dad are looking into getting some new ones. He mentioned Bose, but for some reason I've always been against them and I know for sure that there are better speakers out there for the same price or less. But what ones!? Could someone recommend any brands which are better?

I've also been thinking about buying some new speakers for the TV, I saw Bose's Acoustic Wave System, this:

http://www.bose.co.uk/GB/en/ho ... s/awms-with-DAB/index.jsp

And it claims to send the music around the room, as if you had surround sound speakers behind you Yet again I'm a bit dubious, so what would you recommend in terms of brands for TV Speakers?

Any recommendations would be grateful, thanks!

If you've got the dollah?

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/

Yes, but not that much xD

It's all very well saying a brand, but the amount of speakers on that website is crazy :P

Are there any specific ones you could recommend? It's mainly the PC speakers I need now. My budget is not huge but perhaps the same price range as these:

http://www.bose.co.uk/GB/en/ho ... kers/companion5/index.jsp

I would go higher maybe if the quality was alot higher.

£300 for PC speakers? Could almost buy a proper amp and real speakers for that money.

Edit: for example...
Amp, £180
Speakers, £70
Leaves £50 for stands or brackets, cabling and interconnect

(no I don't work for Superfi, I just wanted quick figures)

That's exactly why I'm here! I dont have a clue :P

Depends on what you're going to be using them for, how loud you want them to go, and more importantly, how crisp you want the sound to be.

I've got a set of Alesis Active mk1's, and they're stunning. Amazing sound quality (best I've ever owned), but they aren't overly loud, so you can jack them up and not get in too much trouble

I don't need them too loud as the neighbours will complain, but the crisper the better! How much were the Alesis Actives? Would you recommend?

http://www.teufel.eu/index.cfm

I have these
http://www.teufel.eu/PC-Multimedia/Concept-E-Magnum.cfm
and I am very happy with them!

The Alesis Monitor One Mk2 passive are very nice, too. Got them here and they are really great bargain. They cost 150€ over here.

Quote from Alex_Ward :

I don't need them too loud as the neighbours will complain, but the crisper the better! How much were the Alesis Actives? Would you recommend?

Can pick up a set, brand new, for around £250.

I'd highly recommend them, I produce dance music so I require a nice, crisp sound with good response all through the frequency range, and they do the trick nicely

They'd be lovely for the average user to listen to music or TV on. Only downsize is they are proper studio monitors, so they're not very desk friendly, unless you have a big desk like me

nah nobody can beat bose, just twist the little round button looking thing and you can get sound up to 145db

Quote from batteryy :

nah nobody can beat bose, just twist the little round button looking thing and you can get sound up to 145db

I highly doubt you can get anywhere near 145db (at 1m) from anything made by bose. Nor would you want that SPL for any reason aside from an SPL competition in which case you definitely wouldn't use anything made by bose. That's WAY over the threshold of pain of any person, anyway. Though you're probably being sarcastic.

Quote from batteryy :

nah nobody can beat bose, just twist the little round button looking thing and you can get sound up to 145db

145dB. Sure.

Can't see it happening. Maybe in the corporate pap it says "Max. level - 145dB", but that doesn't mean you're going to achieve anywhere near that in the real world.

Cars built for audio soundoffs usually hit the ~145dB level...

I've DJ'd on an expertly setup club soundsystem (50,000 watts) that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds that could just about hit 145dB (Although it'd do it crisp and cleanly), although they legally aren't allowed to go past 100ish...

IIRC the Valve Soundsystem, well known in the D&B scene, can hit around 160, but they don't always use it because it can cause structural damage to whatever building its in, plus it's starting to get close to fatal dB levels.

So, 145dB from your shop-bought home setup? Nah.

Quote from batteryy :

nah nobody can beat bose, just twist the little round button looking thing and you can get sound up to 145db

145dB? Don't think so somehow, that's louder than any rock concert, ever.

If you look for something better than bose, not in terms of max db, look here.
Even the smaller ones sound very good .... of course paired with the right amplifier.

If often wonder why ppl recommend bose.
It is rather stupid to measure quality of sound systems in db.

Quote from Syfoon :

Depends on what you're going to be using them for, how loud you want them to go, and more importantly, how crisp you want the sound to be.

I've got a set of Alesis Active mk1's, and they're stunning. Amazing sound quality (best I've ever owned), but they aren't overly loud, so you can jack them up and not get in too much trouble

Thanks. Ive looked on their website and found the MK2 version:

http://www.alesis.com/m1activemkii

Im guessing these are better than the MK1s, but is the price good and do I need an amp as they're just monitors?

Quote from Alex_Ward :

Thanks. Ive looked on their website and found the MK2 version:

http://www.alesis.com/m1activemkii

Im guessing these are better than the MK1s, but is the price good and do I need an amp as they're just monitors?

Oops, those are actually the ones I meant xD Long time since I saw the cardboard box they came in!

They're self powered monitors, no need for an amp to power them. Better for sound clarity

Bit of a tip though, they have no external volume control, only a gain sorta dial on the back which is a bit inconvenient. I get round the issue as I'm running all my sound through a DJ mixer on which I can control the master output volume, and therefore the overall volume.

I have seen dedicated dials which you plug your inputs and speakers into and gives you control of the volume, and they weren't overly expensive either. Worth looking into

Bose speakers have always been over-priced and/or gimmicky. This tradition started with the Bose 901's (over-priced and gimmicky) and has never stopped since.

I don't know much about PC speakers. I either use headphones or a stereo with normal speakers with my PC.

The best PC speakers would be true near range studio monitors, but these aren't cheap and you'd need at least a power amp (QSC power amps are cheap but good). "Near range" means they are relatively close to the listener. Studio monitors are also middle and far range, with the far range versions handling the most power and producing the strongest sounds.

I haven't shopped for speakers in ages, as they last a long time. Good stereo equipment was long ago replaced with lower quality home theater equipment, and the good stereo equipment prices have escalated as their popularity has decreased.

The main thing is to find a pair of speakers that you like. The things to listen for is the quality of the sound and if that quality or the frequency response is affected by volume level. Sometimes the sound becomes harsh due to actual distortion, or because the speakers are more sensitive to mid to high frequencies at higher volume settings. Other speakers become boomy, sounding like cheap car speakers, "muddying" up the base so it's no longer "crisp" at higher volume settings (this is an issue with many home theater type speakers).

Quote from Syfoon :

Oops, those are actually the ones I meant xD Long time since I saw the cardboard box they came in!

They're self powered monitors, no need for an amp to power them. Better for sound clarity

Bit of a tip though, they have no external volume control, only a gain sorta dial on the back which is a bit inconvenient. I get round the issue as I'm running all my sound through a DJ mixer on which I can control the master output volume, and therefore the overall volume.

I have seen dedicated dials which you plug your inputs and speakers into and gives you control of the volume, and they weren't overly expensive either. Worth looking into

Ok Thanks. So the speakers will just plug straight into the back of my PC then? The speakers I currently have plug into the subwoofer, and connecting to the there is a sound dial to adjust volume. I have these:

http://www.logitech.com/index. ... /devices/231&cl=gb,en

Would I be able to plug the new ones into that, and use the dial instead?

I got these because they were cheap.

Quote from Alex_Ward :

Ok Thanks. So the speakers will just plug straight into the back of my PC then? The speakers I currently have plug into the subwoofer, and connecting to the there is a sound dial to adjust volume. I have these:

http://www.logitech.com/index. ... /devices/231&cl=gb,en

Would I be able to plug the new ones into that, and use the dial instead?

Not really too sure what you mean, but if your system goes;

Source > subwoofer > dial + speakers...

I wouldn't recommend it. You don't want to add a subwoofer to those monitors, they're built to provide their own rumbley bass and they do it very well. If it goes;

Source > dial > sub+speakers...

by all means use the dial, as long as it has either 1 x 3.5mm or 2 x 6.3mm jacks on it.

From the picture, it looks like it has a 3.5mm jack on the front, but if it's an input or output, I don't know. If it's the latter, you'd go

Source > dial > 3.5mm to 2 x 6.3mm split cable > M1's (or any other selfpowered studio monitor).

Yeah mine go Source > dial > sub and then the speakers plug into the sub. But would the base be too much if those speakers already give out base?

I used to have my PC linked up to my big 800w amp and unbranded, but very loud speakers when i lived at mum and dads which could make you feel as if you were actually in a night club or at a real race circuit depending on if you were listening to music or racing if i turned the volume up to about 4 out of 10 notches but now i live in this little tiny flat the amp and speakers will not phyisacally fit anywhere in the living room unless i tip one of the sofas on its side or something, i miss the loudness and general sound depth i had with that setup.