Help an ignoramus buy new speakers for his PC

[lincolnite]

I want to buy new speakers for my PC. Mine are over a decade old and are starting to show their age. But the ones I have now came with my PC (previous, not current PC). I don’t know how to go about buying speakers on their own. The more I try and learn, the more confused I get.

I know stereo means two speakers, but beyond that I’m mystified by the terms I’m seeing: Passive vs. active speakers; receiver, amplifier, sound bar, subwoofer… What do these all mean? Are there other terms I should know as well?

Also, does it matter if the speakers are connected by 3.5mm, by HDMI, by USB, or wireless?

Ultimately, I’m looking for something with decent sound, fits on my desk with my monitor, not too hard to set up, reliable/long-lasting, and with no crackling or popping. I’ll be using them for gaming and watching shows/movies. Hopefully for under $300.

 

[nopiano]

You could start here…

Best computer speakers 2023: upgrade your desktop audio

Neat, space-efficient computer speakers for every desk and budget

www.whathifi.com

A bit of reading on your part is inevitably necessary to grasp the terms you list. Or search some previous threads in the forum for what folks have liked.

You essentially want powered speakers, and ones which connect to your PC - you haven’t said what output connections you have.

 

[lincolnite]

You could start here…

Best computer speakers 2023: upgrade your desktop audio

Neat, space-efficient computer speakers for every desk and budget

www.whathifi.com

A bit of reading on your part is inevitably necessary to grasp the terms you list. Or search some previous threads in the forum for what folks have liked.

You essentially want powered speakers, and ones which connect to your PC - you haven’t said what output connections you have.

Thank you. As for output connections, my PC has usb, HDMI, and 3.5mm ports.

 

[nopiano]

Thank you. As for output connections, my PC has usb, HDMI, and 3.5mm ports.

I can’t really help there, as last time I had a desktop PC at home, the soundcard only had a 3.5mm socket, and the speakers had the matching plug. But I’ve never had one again since going laptop about 18 years ago.

The reviews include the input each speaker has, so you could try a couple to see if you have a preference. Unfortunately, I dont know if there’s a common pecking order of preference. You mentioned ’noises’ however, and I know it’s quite common for powered speakers to hiss or hum. However you purchase them, I’d recommend being sure you can return them if necessary, because you don’t want noises when sitting so close.

 

[Friesiansam]

With that budget you should be able to get a decent pair of speakers. USB to connect to active speakers with their own DAC, will work perfectly.

 

[Rodolfo]

If your requirements are modest enough, I just installed these Amazon Basics' mighty mites, in silver: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DDGBL5T/ref=twister_B07FCKYFRC?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

Though if you're thinking $300, you may not even be curious about this option. For me, the remaining $287 would pay for almost 3 years of Amazon Unlimited Music streaming. These compact wonders appear surprisingly sufficient for my desktop. My wooden desk vibrates modestly but impressively. The current deal on the silver version is an especially remarkable steal. I'm playing my FLAC files through them very nicely. I tested with a range of music including Mary J. Blige's My Life, Miles Davis's Kind of Blue, and Linda Ronstadt's Live in Hollywood, among other gems. All nice, truly. Everything sounds real and strong, even at about 50-60 percent volume in a 14 x 17-feet room at 22:00 hours. There is a volume control on the right-speaker cable, but I set that at max and can attenuate volume through my bluetooth keyboard controls.

Playing the lead track in Kind of Blue, I realized I had located the speakers wrongly, as Cannonball came in on the right instead of the left. That is an opportunity to note my only reservation, and that is that the wire/cable connecting the two speakers is fixed and only about 30 inches long. My desk is several feet wide, but only about 22" deep, so the stereo sound is pretty close to my chair and is likely to satisfy. As I said, my desktop needs are modest: I don't listen to a lot of music at my computer, and only occasional videos through Amazon Prime, so these should work plenty well for me. They are connected through a USB port and the audio jack on one of my Intel NUCs. Being USB-powered, they turn off completely when I shut down the NUC, unlike the Logitech Z200s that I'm replacing which require an AC outlet connection. I have 30 days to decide, but I've heard enough to feel that for$13, they are indeed remarkable.

Enjoy your shopping and eventual choice.

EDIT -next evening:
Upon further review, I was wrong, simply and surely. I was surprised by how good these little things sounded for their size, but they are not "strong" by any means, nor truly "nice" actually, My requirements are not as modest as I imagined they were. These bargains are cute and would be of OK for better-than-laptop speakers, or for podcasts and the like, probably, but then that's from someone who doesn't listen to podcasts and the like.

Sorry, lesson learned; I won't post another first-day, spontaneous review or recommendation -cute or not.

 

[Jasonovich]

If you're looking to spend not more than $300, no point recommending the usual generic tinny sounding speakers that you can plug into the back of your PC via 3.5 jack.
Firstly, if you're looking for first and foremost, sound quality; get an external DAC, such as Topping E30 for $150 or if you prefer SMSL Sanskrit $140 and active Speakers from Personus erbis II for $120. This leaves you enough for cables. You don't have to look very far, it's all on Amazon.

Both these DACs require 5v AC/DC power supply (make sure you purchase one with a USB connection), these costs about $10 on ebay or less. You can also plug in another USB cable from your DAC to your PC to provide 5v power supply, so you don't really need the AC/DC PSU but if you can stretch it, it is a better option than just the USB cable.

You would need a separate USB cable for the audio and this you connect your DAC to your PC and a pair of RCA cables to connect your speakers to the DAC.
Great sound and all this is within your budget!

Have fun




https://www.amazon.co.uk/vdp/1602bf...B0B7JH1NN4&ref=cm_sw_em_r_ib_dt_89S3uuj1BJ3ZD

 

[jjbomber]

Behringer UCA 222 to connect to the 3.5mm, Bose companion 2 speakers. .