Is a decent 2.0 set appropriate?

[Onus]

I currently have a relatively cheap ($50?) 2.1 setup that is probably 8-10 years old. It could be me, but it seems the sound has deteriorated. I am contemplating a replacement.
I am 54, deaf in one ear, and my top-end is now down to around 13KHz; I am not an audiophile, but I do appreciate good bass and "understandable" voices (midrange).
Is a subwoofer absolutely necessary to get decent bass? If so, is it something than can/should be added separately? Otherwise, I'd like to reduce floor footprint and cable clutter. I have a decent amount of room on my desk behind my monitors.
I've been looking at http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836116043 or http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836110053 (which claims a lower bass). Will these be decent? Although I'd like to reclaim a little floor space from the sub, I'd willing to consider another 2.1 set if absolutely necessary. I do not believe I want wireless, due to loss of quality
My budget isn't rock hard, but considering my own hearing limitations, $75-$100 seems like the most that makes sense without having wasted my money. Your thoughts please?

 

[ssddx]

yes and no.

if you want satelite sized computer speakers a subwoofer is required for adequate bass response. without a subwoofer you can find some nice sounding speakers but without good low end

if you went a different route and went with bookshelf speakers and a small amplifier then you could definitely get some decent bass output without a subwoofer however the speakers are going to be larger. $100 is possible

edit:

the creative t20 is well known for some decent sound clarity however has very poor bass response.

generally genius speakers arent know for being super in terms of quality but they are normally loud. those ones you linked look like something between bookshelves and satelites. they might be loud but i'm not sure i'd trust them on quality sound.

edit2:

what i was saying is similar to this http/www.cnet.com/news/build-your-own-desktop-stereo-for-under-70/ but perhaps with different equipment.

although you could replace the speakers with something else such as something from here http/www.ebay.com/sch/Consumer-Electronics-/293/i.html?_udlo=&_udhi=110&_nkw=bookshelf+speakers&LH_PrefLoc=1&_dcat=14990&rt=nc&LH_ItemCondition=1000 and using a different amplifier (appropriate for whatever you buy).

 

[Onus]

Hmmm, I hadn't considered the bookshelf-speaker option...I think there is room behind my monitors for them too, but I'll have to check.

 

[ssddx]

to tell you the truth... i dont think i can ever go back to computer speakers after having hifi

but your choice. there are plenty of paths you could go with.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

I currently have a relatively cheap ($50?) 2.1 setup that is probably 8-10 years old. It could be me, but it seems the sound has deteriorated. I am contemplating a replacement.
I am 54, deaf in one ear, and my top-end is now down to around 13KHz; I am not an audiophile, but I do appreciate good bass and "understandable" voices (midrange).
Is a subwoofer absolutely necessary to get decent bass? If so, is it something than can/should be added separately? Otherwise, I'd like to reduce floor footprint and cable clutter. I have a decent amount of room on my desk behind my monitors.
I've been looking at http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836116043 or http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836110053 (which claims a lower bass). Will these be decent? Although I'd like to reclaim a little floor space from the sub, I'd willing to consider another 2.1 set if absolutely necessary. I do not believe I want wireless, due to loss of quality
My budget isn't rock hard, but considering my own hearing limitations, $75-$100 seems like the most that makes sense without having wasted my money. Your thoughts please?

the genius speakers claiming 20hz sounds like BS. it may reproduce 20hz, but will be -30db from the other frequencies. the creative ones got good reviews for clarity but without a sub were a bit lean in the bass "thump" department.
Bookshelf speakers + an amp is great, but its probably going to cost you more than your budget to get something decent.

 

[ssddx]

there are quite a few good speakers available for the budget. while perhaps not anything top end, definitely in the "good enough" category.

give this a read... has some video reviews of daytons and sonys (in the $50-60 range) and a few others i'm not familiar with

http/bigbrains.hubpages.com/hub/Top-5-Best-Bookshelf-Speakers-2013

 

[iam2thecrowe]

there are quite a few good speakers available for the budget. while perhaps not anything top end, definitely in the "good enough" category.

give this a read... has some video reviews of daytons and sonys (in the $50-60 range) and a few others i'm not familiar with

http/bigbrains.hubpages.com/hub/Top-5-Best-Bookshelf-Speakers-2013

Wow, those dayton's are really cheap per pair, and a good quality brand. they dont have a particularly low frequency response, but im sure they rate their spakers as a flat response fom 70hz> . Can you link a good budget amp for them? I only wish Amazon delivered electrical goods to Australia.....although i think shipping would outweigh the cost of those speakers.

It's a good idea that bookshelf speakers are magnetically shielded if they are anywhere near your pc, although i dont know if this is still applicable, moreso in the days of floppy disks and CRT monitors.

 

[thee_prisoner]

I have heard the Daytons's and I have linked them many times. I heard them first about a year 1/2 ago when a friend of mine was looking for inexpensive speakers for his son and they sounded good. After that, Dayton had some quality problems with the drivers but switched to another company for better drivers. I haven't heard the newest version but I guess that they solved that problem.

IF you're into tweaking things, you can upgrade the sound for very little cash.

Since you hearing isn't so good, especially the midrange for music and movies(dialogue) you can even consider getting three and using the third one for a center channel. That way depending on what you're using to drive the speakers, for an example a pre amp with amps or a receiver, you could direct more bass to the two mains and more mid-range to the center. Of course if don't have something to power them, they will be worthless.

Anyways, usually the best price found on these are http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-b652-6-1-2-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-pair--300-652 35.00 for the pair now but where 29.00 a few days ago. haha.

be seeing you, the Prisoner...

 

[ssddx]

the place i first saw these had them paired up with a lepai 2020+ amplifier....
however looking at the specs i'm not sure i would recommend that model as the b652 speakers are 6ohm/75w. the lepai is listed as 2x20w (no idea at what ohm...)

a better choice would be perhaps the pyle pfa300 (2x45w so still cant max the speakers out) for $35, or perhaps the pyle plmra120 (2x70w) would work for $32. as long as you dont listen at very hight volumes, total distortion shouldnt be high. of course which amp is best depends on the exact speakers you use.

 

[Onus]

This is all very interesting. I'm pretty sure what I want is the bookshelf speakers and amp, likely with some budget flexibility up to around $150. "Would it get enough use?" is the question...
Ah ha, found this:
http/www.amazon.com/Lepai-LP-168HA-40-Watt-Amplifier-Output/dp/B0070Z87YO/ref=pd_sim_e_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=01619GQETC77NSKZ0NES
...which can take a sub too, if desired. What makes this interesting is that I've got an old Sony (?) AIO Entertainment system that I NEVER use, from which I could take the speakers and sub. If they don't sound good enough, I can replace them with new speakers.

 

[ssddx]

your choice.

a low output lepai amp should work for AIO speakers (questionable how good they sound) but may not work very well for a nicer pair of speakers.

when maxed out the lepai amps sounded like crud with 10%THD

 

[Onus]

Oh well then I'll definitely look at a better amp. Suggestions? Sub output would be nice, if needed.

 

[ssddx]

if you have a powered subwoofer there really isnt need for a connection on the amp itself. its only unpowered subs which need an amp and i wouldnt think it such a good idea to try and pair that into this small amp unless you had a really weak subwoofer. you could connect a powered sub right up to your computer 3.5mm sub output with a 3.5mm cable split out to mono rca jacks (connect the sub one, just ignore the center one)

 

[thee_prisoner]

Yah, the lepai amp wasn't great for the Dayton's for higher volume, amp was ok at low and mid volume. They clipped a lot at high volume. Actually it isn't all that hard to build a T-amp. So I loaned my friend a good an amp we did some tweaking of the Dayton's crossover and they sound pretty good(the crossover tweaking even with the lepai amp sounded better). Pretty much this was an experiment with my buddy and I. He is a master carpenter maker and has been building speakers as a hobby for 40 years so we wanted to see if a pair of speakers with a cheap amp can sound good for 60.00. WE found out they can't sound great but they sound pretty decent. haha. Having said that, if you want to buy some really inexpensive speakers that sound somewhat decent, the Dayton's aren't bad. Then again you might be able to find some used speakers for the same price that will sound better.

Pyle amps are a little step above compared to the lepai's but you still get what you payed for them.

Without knowing the what Sony AIO system you have, hard to say if you can incorporate them, so more info as needed.

Be seeing you, the Prisoner...

 

[iam2thecrowe]

Dayton has some nice little amps to fit nicely with the dayton speakers
http/www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/audio-video/audio-amplifiers.html
the cheap amps from amazon do not produce their rated wattage, much like cheap low end PC pcu's.

 

[ssddx]

true, but the trouble with a "decent" amplifiers is that they can start getting expensive real quick. for 75w normally its about $100-130 just for a good amp at least. i completely agree though... i prefer quality, however that doesnt mean we can ignore budget

likely there would need to be some sort of compromise. something better than the low end but not quite up there with what i'd call ideal. its not really my choice though... its up to onus.

 

[Onus]

I'd rather increase my budget and get some quality, perhaps $150-$175. There's no huge hurry, but I probably need to resist dragging this out too much.

 

[thee_prisoner]

You could probably pick up a thrift store/used receiver for 25-50.00 and with the dayton's, you should be fine.

 

[ssddx]

a used stereo receiver 2x75w @6ohm would be perfect. you could even use a 2x100w

 

[iam2thecrowe]

i agree with maybe going to a pawn shop or something or look in the classifieds for a good second hand 2 channel amp, just make sure you can try before you buy to make sure it works. It will be far better than any cheap dodgy brand off amazon. Have seen a couple cheap 90's model lower wattage (40w/ch) Rotel's in classifieds here in Australia, they are better than anything you can get for their price new and would be perfect for any bookshelf speakers.