Speaker Recommendation for sub 250 USD budget

[acid101]

I want to buy a pair of speakers for my desktop setup.

Either 2.0 or 2.1 would do.
Will be using for both music and gaming and also movies.
As for music genre, i listen to almost every type ranging from death metal to Debussy.
I have been looking at the Audioengine A2+ but from what i gather they are overpriced and due to small size have a less than phenomenal punch.
A buddy of mine recommended a "gaming" speaker, the corsair SP2500 which has quite good reviews but i'm skeptical about the quality they will deliver in terms of music.
What are the options in these price range? HELP!!!!!!!!!

 

[acid101]

No one?

 

[slartybartfast]

Q Acoustics sell some small and credible speakers around this price point

 

the 3020 3010 get great reviews in the U.K. where houses are smaller and small speakers are coveted

 

https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/10/27/review-q-acoustics-speakers-premium-cables-audioquest/

 

[franz159]

For passive speakers, you might want to have a look at Elac Debut Speakers.

 

The B6 goes exactly for 250$ on Amazon now.

https://www.amazon.com/Debut-Bookshelf-Speakers-Andrew-Jones/dp/B014GSEQ06/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505880841&sr=8-1&keywords=elac++b6

 

Very good review on Stereophile

Who cares what they cost? Forget about recommending them to only your non-audiophile friends. Elac Americas' new Debut B6 loudspeaker is an extremely competent audiophile design that is more musical and concise than any other speaker I've heard that costs less than $1000/pair.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/elac-debut-b6-loudspeaker-page-2

 

I'm a very happy owner of another model of the same line (UB5, 499$)

 

[Ralf11]

Pioneer speakers designed by the famed Andrew Jones

[franz159]

6 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

Pioneer speakers designed by the famed Andrew Jones

 

Such as these

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008NCD2LG/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1LHFNT2G5VV0J&colid=1MW5EIOVRQJYO

 

From Pioneer, Andrew Jones moved to Elac and the entire Debut line I mentioned in my previous post is in fact designed by him.

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2015/06/elac-andrew-jones-kick-down-door-to-t-h-e-show-newport-2015/

 

[Ralf11]

Yes, the Elac's are also good and designed by him - they aren't shy about advertising it either...

 

That said, you will get the best or some of the best at that price point.  And while it will be surprisingly good he can only engineer things,  not work actual magic.  You can always use them for a few years then put them in a 2nd system if/when you decide to upgrade.

 

And you can buy speakers up to at least $120,000...

[lucretius]

18 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

And you can buy speakers up to at least $120,000...

 

And well beyond, e.g. Hart Audio D&W Aural Pleasure.

 

[NOMBEDES]

@Ralf11.  Any speaker north of say $75K (I pulled this price out of the air, but you get the point) should not be discussed without detailed consultation with a sound engineer and your home builder or contractor.  Speakers in this price range do not sound good in a home environment.  Very expensive systems require listening rooms that are built to specification.

[esldude]

You might stretch your budget just a little for some JBL LSR305 powered speakers.  You can get those for $300/pr and sometimes there are sales for a bit less. 

 

You didn't say if you wanted powered speakers or not.  I am guessing you did.  These speakers are on the large size for desktops, but still within that realm.  They also have much better low end than you would expect.  They generally will actually do fine to 50 hz or so. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/JBL-LSR305-Professional-Studio-Monitor/dp/B00F1DEI8G

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR305

 

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

To be honest your expectations and budget don't quite align very well.

At your price point I may want to scour local craigslist for used 8" active monitors. If you're very lucky to find JBL LSR308 at your budget - congrats.

Wholehearly agree on LSR305. You could find them a bit cheaper here :

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-jbl-lsr30x-powered-speakers

Only 6 hours left. Act fast if you want these.

[feelingears]

+1 Elac B6

 

Just got a used pair myself; super pleased and much happier than I thought I'd be. Maybe partly because I auditioned the KEF LS50 Wireless and while impressed, just wasn't feeling like going so high up the diminishing returns curve. The B6 more than stepped "up."

[Qhwoeprktiyns]

I enjoy reading the reviews on this site and you may find them helpful: http://noaudiophile.com

[rando]

I'm afraid to laugh since it might disturb the dust made of who knows what.  

 

[left channel]

PSB Alpha PS1 speakers, $249. Very big sound from very small speakers.
https://www.amazon.com/PSB-Speakers-Alpha-PS1-Powered/dp/B00B4NH72Q/

 

They sound even better bundled with a subwoofer, $499 for the system.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HNYRZRW/

Sorry. There's always an upgrade.

 

[Qhwoeprktiyns]

7 hours ago, rando said:

I'm afraid to laugh since it might disturb the dust made of who knows what.  

 

 

He's not afraid to post negative reviews, but does take the time, unlike you, to substantiate his appraisals with detailed arguments and measurements... 

[franz159]

7 hours ago, left channel said:

PSB Alpha PS1 speakers, $249. Very big sound from very small speakers.
https://www.amazon.com/PSB-Speakers-Alpha-PS1-Powered/dp/B00B4NH72Q/

 

They sound even better bundled with a subwoofer, $499 for the system.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HNYRZRW/

Sorry. There's always an upgrade.

 

 

To me, a declared frequency response staring at 80 or 90 Hz means that a subwoofer is mandatory.

I'd much rather spend 50$ more for a frequency response more extended on the bass side, possibly living without a sub

https://www.amazon.com/KRK-RP5G3-NA-Generation-Powered-Monitor/dp/B00FX7MMRO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1508136308&sr=8-3&keywords=krk+rokit+5+g3

Frequency Response:45Hz - 35kHz

[rando]

4 hours ago, hopkins said:

 

He's not afraid to post negative reviews, but does take the time, unlike you, to substantiate his appraisals with detailed arguments and measurements... 

That picture forms the basis of its own argument.  Not that it matters any that I can tell but it measures 960x570.  

[left channel]

8 hours ago, franz159 said:

 

To me, a declared frequency response staring at 80 or 90 Hz means that a subwoofer is mandatory.

I'd much rather spend 50$ more for a frequency response more extended on the bass side, possibly living without a sub

https://www.amazon.com/KRK-RP5G3-NA-Generation-Powered-Monitor/dp/B00FX7MMRO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1508136308&sr=8-3&keywords=krk+rokit+5+g3

Frequency Response:45Hz - 35kHz

 

Agreed, they're very small and I did buy the whole system to round out sound. But alone they meet the OP's $250 requirement, have enough bass for many, and fit well on the desk. The subwoofer is on the floor here. To me the resulting sound is a bit dark, and for my aging ears requires equalization for news and talk, but bassheads love it. My other active speakers have a better range, but were $495 and a bit large for that location.

[realhifi]

19 hours ago, rando said:

I'm afraid to laugh since it might disturb the dust made of who knows what.  

 

 

Clearly BOTH cans should be Chicken noodle if they want to achieve decent imaging.

[rando]

Blue tack and soup cans holding some rough looking wooden objects down was worth a slight chuckle under my breath.  Permanent installations requiring stripping the label and blasting them with black spray paint won that picture a place here because I believed him.  If this guy was half as disheartened and twice as clever he would have switched this Stillpoints stand (8/10 down the page) out for a tuna fish can and sat back to watch if anyone noticed.  It might have been worth getting booted out of the show to get that much awareness of his personal brand by those who matter.

 

 

I was (momentarily) amused by this guys shtick.  It's too bad he is abandoning the audience for lower end equipment he is building up.  His review of the Hi-Vi Swans D1010-IV for example.  A lot more people are likely to buy those powered speakers after reading about them on his site than to take his word on the $2K set he actually recommends.  

[Sam Lord]

Calling Acid101, Acid101... hello?

 

You forgot 3 very important things, so you are either new to audio or just rude.  Figure them out yet?

 

1) What country do you live in? (You sound American.)  It matters. 

 

2) For sound, you need to power the transducers in the speakers.  Powered speakers like AE A2s do that for you.  Do you have a power amp? 

 

3) You had several responses over a month and didn't even say thanks to people who helped you.  Maybe you have good reasons, but neither did you respond when you posed the same question this summer.  Since you're a gamer, you waste plenty of time. 

 

 

Okay, rant over.  Did you buy speakers yet?  My opinions:  I have Audioengine A2s.  They are musical but not remotely flat.  And the volume control is in the back, a royal PITA.  A *lot* of better speakers have arrived in the $100-$300 range in the last decade.  I have Micca MB42x which are unpowered but vastly better, $90/pr.  Powered ones are $130/pr.  If you have a power amp there are many excellent choices from Wharfedales to Elacs, to...all over.  The JBL LSR305s are powered, $260/pr now, and are reported *by people I trust* to be outstanding and much better than their big brothers, the 308s.  You would need a pair of RCA/TS adapter cables though.  The Elacs look great, and the Andrew Jones name is completely justified, look at his work.  All PSBs are good.  So report.

 

 

 

 

[left channel]

 

All good points, @Sam Lord. The Micca MB42X are a great value and if you don't have room for large speakers I highly recommend them. They exceeded my expectations, and I'm now getting rid of two $500 speaker systems in favor of those. I'm driving them with a small SMSL amp that has a pass-through to a subwoofer. A subwoofer on the floor makes a small but very nice addition to enrich the sound, and although I haven't tried it yet I suggest Americans look at the Acoustic Audio PSW-6.

[GUTB]

There’s no such thing as good speakers in that price range, and I doubt even somewhat decent speakers either.

[kumakuma]

7 hours ago, Sam Lord said:

Calling Acid101, Acid101... hello?