Good quality speakers for a desktop?

[Deus Gladiorum]

I consider myself to be pretty good with computers, but when it comes to the audio spectrum of things my knowledge could barely fill a cup. All I really know is the difference between 2.0, 2.1, 5.1, 7.1, etc. sound systems; that FLAC and lossless files in general sound far better than MP3s or any other lossy files (assuming you have speakers that are quality enough to hear the difference); and that Beats by Dre are allegedly one of the greatest ripoffs. That's essentially my entire knowledge of audio. Beyond that I know nothing.

Anyway, I'm thinking of picking up some speakers for Christmas, but I'm not quite sure where to start. Part of this question isn't just "can you recommend me a good sound setup" but also where can I start looking to research this sort of thing more? As for the recommendation itself, I think my budget is somewhere around $150 realistically, and this'll be for my desktop. My motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 rev 3.0 and here's a link to it if necessary:
http/www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4397#sp

Apparently my MOBO supports up to 7.1, but I don't think I'd have room for something like that. Realistically I'd say I'm looking for something simple, probably 2.0 or 2.1? I'm not quite sure. Anyways, I'd assume 5.1 would be too much for my budget anyway.

Thanks for the help!

 

[americanaudiophile]

Something like these would work if you can go a bit higher in price
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/audioengine-2-2-0-channel-premium-powered-speaker-system-2-piece-white/3919143.p?id=1218443574077&skuId=3919143&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=3919143&extensionType={adtype}:{network}&s_kwcid=PTC!pla!{keyword}!{matchtype}!{adwords_producttargetid}!{network}!{ifmobile:M}!{creative}&kpid=3919143&k_clickid=46b68ebc-38fe-9ce9-628c-00007414b08d&gclid=CLL54K_9jLsCFag7OgodSh4Awg
If you have an old stereo system then that could be connected to the PC and would allow you to update in stages.

 

[Deus Gladiorum]

Something like these would work if you can go a bit higher in price
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/audioengine-2-2-0-channel-premium-powered-speaker-system-2-piece-white/3919143.p?id=1218443574077&skuId=3919143&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=3919143&extensionType={adtype}:{network}&s_kwcid=PTC!pla!{keyword}!{matchtype}!{adwords_producttargetid}!{network}!{ifmobile:M}!{creative}&kpid=3919143&k_clickid=46b68ebc-38fe-9ce9-628c-00007414b08d&gclid=CLL54K_9jLsCFag7OgodSh4Awg
If you have an old stereo system then that could be connected to the PC and would allow you to update in stages.

Hm, that's a good 133% of my budget, but I'll see. Exactly what is so great about it? As I said, I'm looking to learn a bit more as well so in future I can be a little more capable on my own, so exactly what separates this from any other sound system? Which specs listed on the website really show this? Is it just the brand or something more specific like frequency response?

 

[574Y4N0n]

Something like these would work if you can go a bit higher in price
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/audioengine-2-2-0-channel-premium-powered-speaker-system-2-piece-white/3919143.p?id=1218443574077&skuId=3919143&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=3919143&extensionType={adtype}:{network}&s_kwcid=PTC!pla!{keyword}!{matchtype}!{adwords_producttargetid}!{network}!{ifmobile:M}!{creative}&kpid=3919143&k_clickid=46b68ebc-38fe-9ce9-628c-00007414b08d&gclid=CLL54K_9jLsCFag7OgodSh4Awg
If you have an old stereo system then that could be connected to the PC and would allow you to update in stages.

Hm, that's a good 133% of my budget, but I'll see. Exactly what is so great about it? As I said, I'm looking to learn a bit more as well so in future I can be a little more capable on my own, so exactly what separates this from any other sound system? Which specs listed on the website really show this? Is it just the brand or something more specific like frequency response?

So I dont know why they recommended that speaker to you on a budget but I work at best buy and I have personally tried these speakers that we have on display, http/www.bestbuy.com/site/z506-5-1-surround-sound-speakers-6-piece/1215025.p?id=1218236333141&skuId=1215025&st=z506&cp=1&lp=1 , really the power and RMS and other specs dont matter, its about the build quality of like the drivers, cabinets, and etc. Honestly i tried doing research to see if I can find out the specs on the build but I found zip. The absolute best way to find good speakers would be to test them with your own ears yourself. Anyway those speaker are usually 80-100$ and best buy have them for 65 right now. Also if you were looking for something to save space then the z313 logitech speakers arent bad either, but if you wanted a space saver and loud and strong bass go with the z623 logitechs, really you cant go wrong with any of them they have great build quality.

 

[Deus Gladiorum]

Thanks but I actually just got the speakers I wanted today. Micca MB42s with a Lepai amplifier for $70 total.

 

[574Y4N0n]

Nice are they any good I'm actually looking to.

 

[Deus Gladiorum]

Nice are they any good I'm actually looking to.

They're absolutely excellent. I'm not an audiophile at all, nor have I ever owned a passive speakers system before but they're amazing compared to my previous standards which was used to apple headphones and built-in monitor speakers. This may sound like I'm exaggerating, but when I first got these working the first song I played was "One More Time" by Daft Punk and the bass hit me so hard I literally had tears roll down my cheeks.

Especially for someone like me, the difference is night and day. I absolutely love these speakers. Plus they're beautiful to look at. Just make sure that you buy speaker wire with them as well, as they don't come with their own. I'd like to link you to them, but they're currently out of stock on Amazon and listed as potentially not going to be restocked :\

However, if you can find these somewhere else, these Micca MB42s are superb.