Recommend me a 2.1 PC speaker system for less than $200

you can get vu meters for winamp

 

If you have a multimeter, oscilloscope, wave generator and soldering station, it's pretty easy.

If you don't, simply buy a new one. It's cheaper.

 

Another recommendation for cheap studio monitors, much better sound quality then anything pc speakers will provide

 

the M-Audio AV 30 and AV 40 are the most well known.
I did not hear them but should be a safe enough bet, cheap as in 150 euros.
or maybe check those linked to by green.pixel above

 

Do you not like bass? Without a subwoofer, you're missing out on an octave or more of sound. I don't see how one can call the 2.0 sound "balanced" or having more "range" when there's this gaping hole in the low end.

 

I had a (pretty cheap - $100ish )2.0 system with 6.5' woofers on each. Compared to the sub-woofers sold in computer system at least, the bass on the 2.0 was by far clearer, deeper and it also gave the impression that it covered a wider spectrum.

It wasn't as loud as an 2.1 in the same range, sure, but anyway why would we hear "bad sounds" even louder ? I do on the other hand always get the impression that at least 2.1 PC speakers are pretty unbalanced, allocating too few power to the satellites and too much to the woofer. The volumes may be independently adjustable, of course, but still..

 

Which systems are you comparing? I have some Logitech Z-2200's (they were well below $100 due to a rebate), and they hit 30 Hz. The $200 6.5" monitors mentioned by The549 only do 50Hz.

 

Yes, but it is likely that just hitting those frequencies may not be enough.

I was referring to the Microlab Pro2 2.0 speakers (don't know if the brand is known outside eastern europe & china). As for 2.1 speakers, I've listened to quite a few sets and none of them compare. I currently own a Creative iTrigue 3330 (they were areound $60-$70 5 years ago when i bought them) and it probably also hits around 20-30Hz with its woofer but it's irrelevant to the listening experience. Of course, they poorly reproduce medium sounds and that's their main problem.

So the point is that the Microlabs do have a much more detailed bass (they are specified to go only down to 45-50Hz) regardless, while all the woffers i've listened to up till now are so bulky and noisy.

Granted, Logitech Z-2200 is superior to all those so i don't know how it will fare. And also I haven't heard any higher quality 2.1 speakers from Altec Lansing and Logitech.

I will be looking in a few mounths to replace the creative i have with some 2.0 speakers too, but from an upper price range - around 300 euros i suppose.

Edit: it also goes without saying that the Microlab set I was referring to is inferior to the monitors discussed earlier and which you also mention in your post.

 

Most computer speaker manufacturers don't even follow standardized rules for frequency response ratings. Saying that it can reproduce signals at 30Hz means nothing when it doesn't tell you at what dB level...so for example one speaker being rated 30Hz at -16dB vs another at 50Hz at -3dB doesn't mean the former is better than the latter.

Having said that the easiest way to tell if a speaker is able to reproduce low frequencies at adequate levels is to simple look at the size of the speaker and the size of the enclosure. Even a small 5" woofer can produce good bass if installed in a good sized enclosure.

The main weakness in most 2.1 computer speaker systems or satellite/subwoofer systems is the lack of definition in the MID-bass region usually sounding muddy/boomy. In terms of balance a 2-way bookshelf with a dome tweeter and large woofer usually sounds much better than small satellites + subwoofer.