2.1 Speakers under Rs 10000

[rishiguru]

Well, if you want to watch movies definitely 5.1 or 7.1 is a better than 2.1. But since your room is small you can opt for a 2.1. Top of the line 2.1's are loud enough to make your ears bleed in a small room.

If you are into music definitely go for 2.1. No songs in the world are composed in 5.1 or 7.1 format. They are always stereo.

I don't know if Logitech Z-2300 are still available in India. My friend bought the Z-623 which happens to be its successor. I bought my Z-2300 in 2008 at Rs.10,000. Both have 200W RMS.

Altec Lansing MX-5021 are no longer available in India. Its successor MX-6021 is available At Rs. 7500 + VAT.

Audio Engine's are really good. They are bookshelf speakers and are perfect for music. Don't expect 200W though.

Their is only one distributer for Swans in India. They only keep very low end models so you have to contact them and ask either any high end 2.1 are available.

 

[techboy]

IMO AE5 with 90 watts RMS will kill AL6021/5021 and Log Z5300.

I keep mine at around 1/3-1/4th the volume, and my family is cribbing all the time.

At 1/3-1/2 the volume there is pain in my ears.

 

[theironhorse]

ae5 is stereo buddy.. how wud be able to deliver a bass of 2.1 compared to z-2300

yes ae5 are indeed one of the best but will it be able to deliver low freq response that well ?

 

[rishiguru]

As said by theironhorse a stereo speaker like Audio Engine 5 will not be able to accurately make the low frequency chest thumping response of a dedicated subwoofer.

Speakers are classified as:
1) Subwoofer (Ultra low frequency)
2) Woofer (Low frequency)
3) Midrange (midrange frequency)
4) Tweeter (high frequency)

Normally bookshelf speakers like AE5 uses woofer and a not subwoofer. A subwoofer is capable to produce the deepest low frequency response that a woofer cannot. So you have to choose, either you want an all rounder or a set of speakers like AE5 which excels in music department.

If i need speakers that is to be used in music, movies & games i will definitely go for a 2.1 format. It will definitely be a Logitech because i am a bass freak like Frazier Barretto of Techtree.com. Checkout the PC speaker guide :

Techtree.com India > Guides > Peripherals/Gadgets Buying Guides > PC Speaker Buying Guide

But if you want to listen to music only, then only go for AE5 which is the king of this department.

 

[rishiguru]

My room is not so big, so I stick to high end 2.1 speaker systems as i think they are better for listening music than a 5.1 or a 7.1.

Under Rs 10,000 my choice of speaker sets are :

1) Logitech Z-2300 (200 W, THX certified)

2) Logitech Z-623 (200 W, THX certified)

3) Sony SRS DB-200 (350 W)

4) Altec Lansing MX-5021 (90 W, THX certified, not available)

5) Altec Lancing MX-6021 (200 W)

Note : If you are a bass freak like me, go for Logitech's or Sony. For example the Logitech Z-2300 has a chest thumping 8 inch driver in the subwoofer assembly which at times are powerful enough to knock the wind out of your lungs. Only the Z-623 can stand against it.

If you like the high frequency shrill effect, which is going to freeze your spine in a horror scene, go for Altec Lansing MX-6021.

 

[rishiguru]

I am personally not much of a fan of Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra (MX-6021). To me sound quality & performance is much more important than looks where MX-6021 excels. The problem lies in 200 W power distribution. 68 W to the subwoofer & 132 W to the satellites. So, as long as the volume is set less than half, you can fell some bass, after that the satellites takes over and all you can hear is high frequency shrill. This is the very reason MX-6021 did not qualify for THX certification. Because for THX you need slamming, chest thumping bass to provide the cinematic experience.

Its predecessor the MX-5021 was THX certified since the balance of power was much better, 50W to the subwoofer & 40 W to the satellites. If i have to pick between the two, it will definitely be the MX-5021.

But The king still remains at the top -> Logitech Z-2300.

 

[techboy]

Rest assured, cheat 5.1s, those which you get below 20-30k can't stand to the overall impact and often even the bass produced by AE5 alone.

Adding a sub worth 10-15k to an AE5 only makes the experience worse, tried it personally. To match with AE5s you will need to shell out over 20k if not much more just on the sub, to get better bass than what the setup provides on its own.

When I say bass, I mean tight, punchy bass. If you are looking for boomy bass then a cheap 2.1 will serve your purpose better, but would be crap to anybody who even knows the meaning of audiophile, leave alone being an amateur one.

 

[rishiguru]

techboy, you are getting out of topic. Read the title of the thread "2.1 Speakers under Rs 10000".

AE5 costs way more than 10 grand. Everybody is wise enough to know that the more money you put the better audio equipment you will get.

 

[techboy]

He can get AE2s for 10k.

 

[rishiguru]

AE2 power output is too low, Total of 30 W RMS & 60 W peak RMS. Just does not have the juice to justify 10 grand.

Logitech Z-2300 or Z-623 have total 200 W RMS & 400 W peak RMS. They are also THX certified so you can expect decent sound quality from them.

You also said AE's produce better bass than Logi's. Well i don't know how two 2.5" woofers stand against a mammoth 8" long throw driver of Z-2300. Z-2300's sub is 120 W against 30W total of AE2.

 

[techboy]

You are trying to go by technical specifications. It doesn't work that way.

AE5 with 5.25" drivers and 90W RMS power is more powerful than Sony 500 watts RMS HTs with dedicated 8-10" sub woofers.

AE2>Any 2.1 within 10k PERIOD

 

[biyer]

AE2 power output is too low, Total of 30 W RMS & 60 W peak RMS. Just does not have the juice to justify 10 grand.

Logitech Z-2300 or Z-623 have total 200 W RMS & 400 W peak RMS. They are also THX certified so you can expect decent sound quality from them.

You also said AE's produce better bass than Logi's. Well i don't know how two 2.5" woofers stand against a mammoth 8" long throw driver of Z-2300. Z-2300's sub is 120 W against 30W total of AE2.

its not about quantity of bass its about quality of bass.. I mean how natural do the speakers sound..

also 200W is not 6.666 times louder than 30W... Humans respond to sound on logarithmic scale.. so to double the perceived loudness you need at least 300 watts or 10 times the power...

 

[biyer]

techboy, you are getting out of topic. Read the title of the thread "2.1 Speakers under Rs 10000".

AE5 costs way more than 10 grand. Everybody is wise enough to know that the more money you put the better audio equipment you will get.

more money may not necessarily mean better sound.. also a lot matters on taste ..

for eg a techno/hip hop music loving person would mostly prefer the Logitech 2.1s over audioengine.. but a jazz/soft rock listening person would prefer otherwise its all about matter of taste in music which is extremely personal preference.

 

[techboy]

Nope, sq of AE will be better any day. And even the bass will be tighter.

Don't matter what you use them for.

It is like saying, that there may be things where an AE is better than a Martin Logan. There isn't. PERIOD!

You can use even the lowest model of Martin Logan for anything which you wish and it would beat any Audioengine. PERIOD!

The same is the case with Logitech.

 

[biyer]

Nope, sq of AE will be better any day. And even the bass will be tighter.

Don't matter what you use them for.

It is like saying, that there may be things where an AE is better than a Martin Logan. There isn't. PERIOD!

You can use even the lowest model of Martin Logan for anything which you wish and it would beat any Audioengine. PERIOD!

The same is the case with Logitech.

I think you didn't understand my reply..

 

[techboy]

I did.

You didn't understand that:

A good 2.0 produces better bass than a mediocre 2.1.

A mediocre 2.1 might go lower, but will only produce boom. A good 2.0 will produce tight bass.

 

[biyer]

I did.

You didn't understand that:

A good 2.0 produces better bass than a mediocre 2.1.

A mediocre 2.1 might go lower, but will only produce boom. A good 2.0 will produce tight bass.

you still haven't read my previous post correctly

I never disagreed on that point...

in fact if you read one of my previous post I have stated the same...

What I meant to state was that sound quality preference is an extremely personal matter...

for e.g if you want to throw a party for some college kids(many of whom prefer boomy sound..( frankly hip hop/techno music does sound better with boomy speakers than with moderate budget good speakers.) ...
the logitech would definitely entertain them more than the audio engine... period..

also... another reason why I said that more money may not necessarily mean better sound is that the high end audio industry has lots of people tryiing to sell you snake oil..

just because ""bose"" is way more expensive than wharfedale does not mean that bose sounds better.. period..

 

[rishiguru]

You are absolutely right biyer. I completely agree with you. I have also told in my previous posts, that if anyone want to have speakers that are to be used in music, movie & games Logitech's are preferred choice under 10 grand. If any one wants to hear music specially soft music, pop & soft rock AE's are better.

 

[rishiguru]

I did.

You didn't understand that:

A good 2.0 produces better bass than a mediocre 2.1.

A mediocre 2.1 might go lower, but will only produce boom. A good 2.0 will produce tight bass.

With techboy, toughting that AE2 are so much better than any 2.1 speaker below 10 grand i went to eZone at Chandin Chowk [Kolkata's eloctronic hub]. I bought a lot of things from there, so the people know me well and was pleased to give a demonstration of AE2, AE5 & Logitech Z-2300.

First the Audio Engine 5. Really outstanding speakers. Exceptionally clear sound with nice detailing and punchy bass. They are any audiophile's Mecca. I am really impressed with this speakers, but at 20 grand price tag you expect this don't you? All i can say is AE5 is worth the money you spend on it.

Now, AE2 which cost 10 grand got my attention. The A2 sound very much like the A5?s, which means that they sound great! I wont say that they sound exactly like the A5?s, because they dont. They lack a little bit of the crispness / treble that the A5?s have. Felt like a smaller, downgraded, Asia specific low cost version of AE5. But the bass is amazing!!! I cannot believe how such a set of small speakers can produce so much bass.

Turning my attention to the Logitech Z-2300 which currently costs 7 grand and listening the same song in all three sets i was flabbergasted. I do not know how does Logitech manage is such meager amount of money to produce a set that almost near there with the 3 times costlier AE5.

Of course, AE5 > Z-2300.
Also consider 20 grand of AE5 > 7 grand of Z-2300.

But the point is Z-2300 competes not with AE5 but with AE2. And it simply blows away the AE2. What sloppy, boomy bass ??? The Z-2300 produces chest thumping, slamming, distortion free tight punchy bass at even half the bass volume. And let me tell you there is no substitute for power. When 200 W of Z-2300 goes at full blast, it let itself be known. AE2 meager 30 W output sound like a baby crying after listening to Z-2300. This is where you feel the difference between a system with a dedicated subwoofer and a set of bookshelf speakers.

I do not know how Logitech does it, but high frequency sounds are amazingly crisp, clean and open even with out a dedicated tweeter. High frequency notes sound as brassy as they should, unlike the bacon frying sounds that are produced by Altec Lansing MX-6021 or Creative Gigaworks T3. We are just accustomed to this frying sounds, so we just think they are better.

The satellites had plenty of high end response regardless of the fact that they don't specifically utilize tweeters. In fact, i was hearing subtleties with instruments, in some tracks, that i haven't noticed before in my T3. Once again, i was simply impressed by the natural warm sound of these units.

So, if i had 20 grand to spend i will definitely go for AE5, eyes closed. But for for 10 grand or less i will definitely stick to Logitech Z-2300 or Z-623.

 

[rishiguru]

One may also consider the Edifier S730 or S530