Good low-cost speakers

[Mercutio]

I have a bit of a problem.

Namely, the speakers I've been shipping out with PC builds keep failing. Annoyingly, they aren't the $6 speakers one expects to break, but $20 ones that cost just enough that there's some expectation of quality, and just little enough that the company's support people laugh when I say I want warranty replacement.

The speakers in question are Yamaha YST-m101s. At the moment I have *SIX* failed sets of them, none more than 10 months old.

They really do sound good for what they are, until they break. Usually about six months after you buy them. They develop a terrible, incurable static that gradually overtake any other sound output. I don't know what that means but I'm sitting here trying to decide whether or not to throw them out or if it's still worth pursuing the supposed 5-year warranty.

Anyway, in the name of getting something decent for my customers, does anyone have a suggestion for a worthwhile stereo computer speaker set under, say, $30US?

 

[Tannin]

We have a very low failure rate for speakers, Mercutio. So low that we don't think it's worth opening each box to put a warranty label on them - the time we loose doing that doesn't seem to justify the money we save by having warranty cover.

We use three models:

A Compro 80W PMPO pair for about US$5 for business and low-cost systems

A Compro 380W PMPO pair for about US$15 for standard systems

Creative PC Works (woofer plus two tiny speakers) for, from memory, US$30 or so, maybe just over that.

I no longer claim to be even remotely current in audio - you'd have to take me back 20 years for that - but they sound good to me, Michael likes them - he's the closest thing we have to an audio expert - and o far as I recall, we have only ever had one pair fail. Maybe none.

Only damn Creative product I trust these days.

Not knowing which model names gett applied in which country, I found a link to a CNet review. CNet are useless, that goes without saying, but at least you can look at the little picture and get the idea.

http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-7074-404-125430.html

 

[Buck]

Sorry Merc, I usually don't sell speakers. Most people purchasing a new computer already had a system with speakers, so they just continue to use those. Have you looked into Altec Lansing and Benwin? I know your perception of sound quality is well trained through experience, so I don't what type of quality you're looking for.

BR

 

[Buck]

http://www.benwin.com/49bw2000specs.htm

Perhaps?

 

[Mercutio]

I've never had a problem like this.

My history, however.

Historically, I bought cheapies. You know, the $5 unbranded sort. No problems there, and anyone who cared went out and bought their own. I still use those sorts for my lowest of the low cost builds.

Starting about the time MP3s became part of public consciousness (1998?), I started offering a better speaker - I can get them much cheaper than the electronics chain sells them - with my nicer machines. I started with Altec Lansing. Don't remember the model number, but it was a small satellite + woofer arrangement and it worked wonderfully, for about $25.

In 2000, that model disappeared, and I found myself unimpressed by its replacment, and the model below it that offered two larger speakers and no woofer. Blah.

So I went through Benwin, CyberAcoustics and Labtec (blah, for all), until I found a Creative Labs model I liked (SS-20, I think). Good speakers for the $15 I was paying.

Until they started to break. I got three or four pair in and replaced them before I gave up on Creative's speakers (again, no warranty even though there was a warranty registration card in the box).

Back to Labtec. Labtec briefly made a $33 2.1 set that was simply outstanding. Utterly phenomenal. A bargain at twice the price. Never had any fail, and I was PROUD to ship them out with my PCs ("Let's see Dell deliver that! Of course Dell started shipping out THX-certified AL speakers last year, but those Labtecs sounded better, dammit).

Anyway, last year Labtec discontinued that 2.1 set. I found the Yamaha speakers. They're quite good. Excellent sound for the money (but not Labtec 2.1s). And I was happy enough with them until I got a couple pairs back. With six pairs back, I'm now looking at a fairly substantial loss (a bit over $120), here.

Which explains my current interest in finding something decent. Cheap electronics or not, what's there to break in a speaker?

 

[timwhit]

Check out Midiland. They sound pretty good for a $20 set of speakers.

 

[Buck]

There isn't much to break in a speaker. Either the components are inferior, or the assembly quality was poor. I wonder if your situation related to a batch of those speakers? Could a new purchase prove that the speakers themselves are good, they were just mishandled by a distributor? Just thoughts, no accusations. I would hate for you to lose another speaker line that you like.

 

[CougTek]

The Altec Lansing AVS-300 have received praises in several reviews. They aren't too expensive either (45$CDN, about 28-30U$). It's plastic, so yes there's some vibrations, but for the price, they aren't bad.

 

[i]

Ooh ... thanks for the link Cougtek. From that site, I managed to find a picture of the speakers I hate with a passion:

http://www.altecmm.com/product_details.asp?pID=ACS22&sID=2

Don't buy those ones!

I've got a pair, and they drive me nuts. The AC transformer is built into the base of one of the speakers. This might have been a nice thing to do, as it means you don't have to plug a big AC transformer block direct into an outlet - you just plug in a normal two-prong cord.

However, the AC transformer HUMS REALLY LOUDLY. If I hit the speaker hard enough, the hum dims to a barely perceptible level, but over the span of a couple of minutes, slowly loudens again. The design of the speaker is such that there is NO way to open the case (no screws, tabs or anything visible - once they snap these cases closed at the manufacturer, that's it). I've been considering drilling a small whole in the bottom of the offending speaker and just pouring hot glue in to dampen down the transformer's buzz. Then again, electrical fires are not so grand.

The sound is quite good, but the assembly job is clearly awful.

 

[timwhit]

Here is the link to the Midiland webpage. These speakers don't look like they would sound good, but they actually are not at all bad for a pair of computer speakers.

http://www.midiland.com/proddetail.asp?linenumber=54&category=2 Piece

They retail for $20. So I'm sure you can find them much cheaper than that. We sold a lot of these and I never saw any come back.