I'm going to go for one of these 2 speaker sets (Creative 2.1)

Which do you think would be superior?

Creative Labs T3030,
http://images.creative.com/iss/image..._hdr_1_6_1.jpg

official product page:
http://www.creative.com/products/pro...&product=14096

Where i'll buy it:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=284194

Creative Inspire T3000
http://images.creative.com/iss/image..._hdr_1_6_1.jpg

official product page:
http://www.creative.com/products/pro...29&nav=artwork

Where i'll buy it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...961698-0365427


Both have 5.25" subs, 3" mids, and same tweeters. Same spec, i think it really is just different casing/design.

I quite like these as they have the mid range drivers too, where as most 2.1 systems have only single tweeters. So hopefully the mids are better.

Go for the ones you like the look of! At that price they aren't going to be Hi-Fi and the difference in price is negligible. Intution would suggest that the 3030 is a later model - but that doesn't mean it is any better... maybe even the reverse as the mfr has updated it to reduce manufacturing costs/increase profit margin.

I'm not really sure what i prefer the look of :o

Both have their design merits

Theres some very funky speaker designs out now :)

Creative do have some very nice ones...

fostex ftw :P

the creative speakers are very good though

Most people think that, outside the Gigas, Creative speakers suck the big one. But the bottom pair are truly ugly as well. :D

A price jump on what you have listed, but for the price these are great speakers :)

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=147321

Matt.

5.1 is where the sound lies not 2.1, its ok for msn messenger i guess....lol
the video logic systems are very nice and loud.
im waiting on logitech`s wireless 5.1.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by csi_grissom

5.1 is where the sound lies not 2.1, its ok for msn messenger i guess....lol
the video logic systems are very nice and loud.
im waiting on logitech`s wireless 5.1.

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I don't have the space or the use for 5.1, i only very rarely play games or watch movies on the laptop, and theres that too, its a laptop so 5.1 requires another part.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Matt D

A price jump on what you have listed, but for the price these are great speakers :)

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=147321

Matt.

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I don't understand these designs, why have 3 exact same drivers in one enclosure? How would that improve the range?

Surely the point is to have different sized drivers that are better at filling in the Hz :confused:

Ahhh u didnt mention it was a craptop m8 sorry yes 5.1 would be a waste on that, have u looked at other makes besides creative? i always found them more expensive and not as good sound as other makes.

T3030 I owuld go for, look nice, and i've heard they sound good too

I have these, and they are superp! I can recommend them.

Creative Labs Megaworks THX 2.1 250D

http://www.yourland-micro.com/images/320_2.jpg

Max (RMS) Output Power (Total) 300 Watt
Signal-To-Noise Ratio 99 dB

2 x satellite speaker - 75 Watt - 150 - 18000 Hz - wired
1 x subwoofer - 150 Watt - 32 - 150 Hz - wired

Sorry, I just realised your looking for some budget 2.1

You can pick these up for about £45, and they are worth it.

I suggest these.

Logitech Z3e

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Max (RMS) Output Power (Total) 80 Watt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by csi_grissom

Ahhh u didnt mention it was a craptop m8 sorry yes 5.1 would be a waste on that, have u looked at other makes besides creative? i always found them more expensive and not as good sound as other makes.

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What would you say is better sound?

I'm moving from some Altec Lansing 4.1 speakers because the sub couldn't produce mid-low bass which was annoying. Most of the time it just shoots bass straight through the floor at the person below while i'm not getting any of it other than some shaking, but no actual sound-bass, just feel-bass.

So i need a system that can do a bit of shake but more importantly the buzz kind of bass that can be heard too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DeludedGuy

I have these, and they are superp! I can recommend them.

Creative Labs Megaworks THX 2.1 250D

http://www.yourland-micro.com/images/320_2.jpg

Max (RMS) Output Power (Total) 300 Watt
Signal-To-Noise Ratio 99 dB

2 x satellite speaker - 75 Watt - 150 - 18000 Hz - wired
1 x subwoofer - 150 Watt - 32 - 150 Hz - wired

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I'd love to go for those, or the Klipsch 2.1 but i really can't go over £50 max i'd say

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DeludedGuy

Sorry, I just realised your looking for some budget 2.1

You can pick these up for about £45, and they are worth it.

I suggest these.

Logitech Z3e

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Max (RMS) Output Power (Total) 80 Watt

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Are you sure those are indeed good?

I don't get how single, smaller sattelite drivers would be better than the mid & tweeter combo on the creatives :confused:

Wouldn't they sound tinnier in the mid?

I've also heard of some issues with the sub on those

Logitech all the way. I've got Logitech 640Z, which is a 5.1 system, not what you are looking for, but compared to a m8s Creative 5.1, they are superior. Better build quality, better sound (hardly hi-fi but good enough).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marcos

Are you sure those are indeed good?

I don't get how single, smaller sattelite drivers would be better than the mid & tweeter combo on the creatives :confused:

Wouldn't they sound tinnier in the mid?

I've also heard of some issues with the sub on those

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They are brilliant. Not as good as the creative gigaworks for £100. But for £45, you will not find a better 2.1 set, or any set for that matter.

They are far better than the two creative ones you are considering.

I bought them for my cousin, who was also on a budget, and I was pleasantly surprised by the loud, clear quality of the sound.

If you like bass, you will like them, however, if you dont like loud bass, then forget it.

Ebuyer has a few decent user reviews here...

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=64005

So theres plenty of midrange? despite just the 2 small tweters?

I have a pair of x230 Logitech 2.1's. £40 from Argos. I'm constantly amazed at the range and quality of sound for something so damn cheap :eek:

I love my audio and am used to good stuff (I mean top end) and the fact that these speakers produce such good sound (for price) is very good :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DeludedGuy

They are brilliant. Not as good as the creative gigaworks for £100. But for £45, you will not find a better 2.1 set, or any set for that matter.

They are far better than the two creative ones you are considering.

I bought them for my cousin, who was also on a budget, and I was pleasantly surprised by the loud, clear quality of the sound.

If you like bass, you will like them, however, if you dont like loud bass, then forget it.

Ebuyer has a few decent user reviews here...

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=64005

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http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...961698-0365427

Seems to be a lot of "too much bass" comments.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marcos

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...961698-0365427

Seems to be a lot of "too much bass" comments.

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As long as you know how to set them up properly, you will love them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DeludedGuy

As long as you know how to set them up properly, you will love them.

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So basically the winamp EQ will save them?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kempez815

I have a pair of x230 Logitech 2.1's. £40 from Argos. I'm constantly amazed at the range and quality of sound for something so damn cheap :eek:

I love my audio and am used to good stuff (I mean top end) and the fact that these speakers produce such good sound (for price) is very good :)

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You've got me thinking about those now :o, quite a lot of the user reviews say the bass is nice

Yeah the bass and response is very good for the price. I mean my last car audio system had 2 x 10" and 1 x 12" drivers as the subs and even I'm impressed wioth this ickle sub ;)

The thing i don't get is why would 2 identical drivers in one enclosure be of use? Doesn't it make more sense to have a proper tweeter and a mid range instead?

Logitech Z-4 (black) or Z-4i (Mac white) for me. Very similar to z-3 but better bass (as far as the reviews say), better remote, and option for second anologue input which you can mix signals i.e. play pc sound for gaming with mates ipod plugged in for music etc...

The Z4 is nice but its double the price of the x-230 and i have to be concious of my spending right now

Get them mate you won't regret it. £40 (less online) and you have yourself a nice sounding set of speakers :)

I think i'm going to trust your opinion on this one and go for it :o

Should i buy them at Amazon or Scan?

Whoever gives you the best price and the one you trust the most!

(Or toss a coin in the air - heads it's Scan, tails it's Amazon - it really isn't a life or death decision!!! ) Go on, be radical, you can make this one yourself!

;)

I'll order them sunday since it would make no difference to despatch. And should give more time for any more input :o

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kempez815

Get them mate you won't regret it. £40 (less online) and you have yourself a nice sounding set of speakers :)

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Ok, just got them.

One of the drivers in the left satellite is not working at all :(, so i have to set it at 75% balance to the left to balance it.

Anyhow, performance is strange, no distortion issues but the bass just seems to come out of nowhere in songs where it should just rise. I guess this is what happens when there are no midrange drivers to fill that section of range.

Not sure what to do now, for £30 they're ok, i'll have to RMA them anyway but not sure wether to step up to the Z3, which will probably have even more of a midrange problem. Or maybe see if the creatives with their 3" mid drivers will go some way to fixing the problem.

I don't think i'll get the performance i want from 2.1 though, if this is the trend

Yeah deffo RMA them mate thats wang!

I found I had to fiddle with them a lot to get them to sound right to me (in my Audigy drivers)

if your looking for total punch then a decent budget set of Bookshelf speakers with a nice AMP (with Opotical input maybe) will do much better. Depends on whether you want to spend the money doesn't it?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marcos

Ok, just got them.

One of the drivers in the left satellite is not working at all :(, so i have to set it at 75% balance to the left to balance it.

Anyhow, performance is strange, no distortion issues but the bass just seems to come out of nowhere in songs where it should just rise. I guess this is what happens when there are no midrange drivers to fill that section of range.

Not sure what to do now, for £30 they're ok, i'll have to RMA them anyway but not sure wether to step up to the Z3, which will probably have even more of a midrange problem. Or maybe see if the creatives with their 3" mid drivers will go some way to fixing the problem.

I don't think i'll get the performance i want from 2.1 though, if this is the trend

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To be honest, you wont get the quality you want for £30, especially from a 2.1 set.

Set your budget to £80, and I can name you a dozen speaker sets that will give you the quality you want.

I still recommend the £50 2.1 set from Logitech, i stand by my earlier post.

The bottom line is, you get what you pay for.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kempez815

Yeah deffo RMA them mate thats wang!

I found I had to fiddle with them a lot to get them to sound right to me (in my Audigy drivers)

if your looking for total punch then a decent budget set of Bookshelf speakers with a nice AMP (with Opotical input maybe) will do much better. Depends on whether you want to spend the money doesn't it?

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Yeah, its a shame they don't just do a decent 2.1 set with good midrange drivers. Seems pretty simple to me.

I do have a beastly hi-fi at home though so maybe i'm just really spoilt. Far too big to bring to Uni :(

Tempted to try the T3030 creatives now, but their signal to noise ratio is 80db where as these are 96, wonder if that makes that much of a difference.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DeludedGuy

To be honest, you wont get the quality you want for £30, especially from a 2.1 set.

Set your budget to £80, and I can name you a dozen speaker sets that will give you the quality you want.

I still recommend the £50 2.1 set from Logitech, i stand by my earlier post.

The bottom line is, you get what you pay for.

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But the Z3s have only one fat sub and 2 tiny satellites, how would they provide any mid range?

What could i get for £80?

These will give you what your looking for.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=97156


http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=74747

I've just sold the older version of the first link because they had even less of the mid range, and more annoyingly the sub only rumbled very low, nothing above that at all. So most of the time ic ould just feel it moving stuff around me but very little actual audible bass.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marcos

I've just sold the older version of the first link because they had even less of the mid range, and more annoyingly the sub only rumbled very low, nothing above that at all. So most of the time ic ould just feel it moving stuff around me but very little actual audible bass.

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From the sound of things, what your looking for is way over your budget, something like £300 would be more fitting.

The second link looks promising but I can't see wether they have mids in the satellites. I just can't imagine a system with just tweeters having the ability to produce all the sound :confused:

What about the Klipsch 2.1? I hear nothing but great things from americans about those

I keep hearing they are the best 2.1 system out there http://www.marcosmoreno.org/forums/smile/dunno.gif

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DeludedGuy

From the sound of things, what your looking for is way over your budget, something like £300 would be more fitting.

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The creative set i listened to at a friends house wasn't too bad, it distorted at full volume but at reasonable level it seemed to handle most things. Probably because of the mids


Just worried if i return these for the T3030 then i'll be stuck with them,

Throw a spanner in the works, I'm a big fan of Edifier speakers.

That said, I have no idea what their newer ranges are like. AFAIK, all my speakers are discontinued :o

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hoodmeister

Throw a spanner in the works, I'm a big fan of Edifier speakers.

That said, I have no idea what their newer ranges are like. AFAIK, all my speakers are discontinued :o

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Can't find them in the UK :(

Can't really tell if they would be a high quality product or wether it would be an inferior product disguised.

I used to get my kit made by them from PCnextday... Seems they don't stock it anymore, though :@

Only stuff I can find by them now is miles outta your price range. Sorry mate :/

I told you to get the Klipsch right back at the beginning, when they werre on Today Only at Scan....:heckle: :p

get some of them alien looking one jbl i think they are good

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Originally Posted by Thorsson

I told you to get the Klipsch right back at the beginning, when they werre on Today Only at Scan....:heckle: :p

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I don't see where you said that :o

I wanted the Klipsch all along but £100 is pushing it right now, 2 months ago it would have been fine

Quote:

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Originally Posted by project187

get some of them alien looking one jbl i think they are good

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I had a listen to one of those sets at a friend's room and they were ok, but i wasn't too impressed. The tiny sats and small sub didn't go very far. I thought they'd be a lot bigger

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marcos

I don't see where you said that :o

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:Oops: That was another thread. There are so many of these speaker threads. Anyway, I doubt that you'll be satisfied with anything less. Maybe you should get some Sennheisers instead...:rockon:

I'm not trying to be too picky or anything :o

Its just such an obvious flaw to me, i just need a cheap (sub-£50) set with competent mid range drivers

Ok, I now have about £65 for speakers. Got refunded for the X-230 and i've sold my other set.

The Z-2300 should be cheaper i reckon, considering they are only £10 off the Megaworks

These seem promising:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=78293

Or the Z3 logitech, but i'm still not convinced of their 1 tweeter design.

EDIT: Actually, i reckon these would do it:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=94471

£55 so its right in the budget, seems competent

Yeh, both of those should be alright.

I would go for the Creatives out of those two.

You're deluded m8. The Creative's are cheap n' nasty (TM). IMO of course...:devilish:

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Originally Posted by Thorsson

You're deluded m8. The Creative's are cheap n' nasty (TM). IMO of course...:devilish:

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Cheap and tacky, yes I agree, but they produce better sound.

Believe, between those two, the creatives have a better sound.

Right, i have the Logitech Z2200 which are basically the same as the Z2300 in a different shell and minor differences to the actual drivers (Same size though)

They are very good for pc speakers if you position them correctly (small sweetspot!). The bass is very strong but when eq is level, bass knob turned to min and bass turned down a little in the creative panel (I'm using X-Fi Extreme music). Other people say they stuff a sock in the port.

The drivers in the sats are 3" with a polished cone in the middle and a small port above them, if you want a pic just PM me and i'll sort it out. Sub is a ported 8" and very good as pc speakers go.

So i spent £85 on my Z2200 about a year back (went for them over Z2300 due to looks as SQ was apparently near identical) and dont regret it.

So if you want some 2.1 speakers at that sort of price that will sound good in most types of music (Very good in acoustic etc but a bite messy in busy music such as rock) then i can recommend them :)

Hope that helps
Ben

If only I could get the Z2300 or Z2200 in the £65-£70 range :(, even used