Audio Need a 2.1 Speaker system for my PC - Dual monitor setup (where to mount speakers?)

If you wouldnt have pointed out , i wouldnt have noticed. Anyway its arriving tomorrow , will return it and order the other one(cancelled and ordered the one you recommended).. the stand part will hinder the speaker placement surely
Ah, i thought that was a deliberate move. However, I was actually wondering why would you buy that if you want to place the speakers under the monitor. Grommet style will definitely save quite a bit of space. Here's a video about grommet mount from artikel, should help.

I didn't recommend those as they are just not that popular, plus at the price point of close to 20k it's a bit much considering it was going for 15 a while back. Some reviews even mention the s350db being better than the m601db in terms of sound (mids and highs) but the s350db is again out of stock and costed more at 25k. Then there was this one person on reddit who ordered the s350db, was extremely disappointed in it's performance and bought the obage ht144 which he liked far better for lesser than the edifier price . If it's not that well reviewed then I mostly don't suggest it.

Overall there's not that many differences from what I've seen with active speakers below 30k. There are the edifier s series but people are often disappointed in the sound they get for the cost. Afaik Swan m300 mk3 or the swan s2000 MK3 above 35/40k are far better than some passive+amp setups at that same price but I haven't delved that much into it. There are the Swans Hivi M50 as well but that is a bit old now (first time it was released was way back in 2011) and the connectivity options are limited. And the newer mk3 versions are not in stock in India. Majority of new hivi swan products are actually not being sold in India. I feel a combination of either the edifier mr4/ r1700bts/1855dbs along with the t5 8inch driver subwoofer is probably the best you can get rn in India that is at a budget and is active.
As far as i noticed, M601DB uses same t5 sub. The difference is in the speakers. They would have been a great deal at 15K actually. But at 20K, i guess investing a bit more on 1280DB+T5 seems a better choice especially for long term.

I really miss those old day when we could get a really nice 2.1 from brands like Logitech, creative, genius, altec lansing etc. for a good price that didn't suck. I don't see that anymore. All i see are bookshelf or soundbars.

Also, what are your thoughts about obage, looks like an indian brand? Are they really that good? Coz by the looks of it, they look as cheap & local as any 2-3K generic speakers. They also use very cheap bluetooth module that has like usb, sd card reader combo. But, then i see very positive reviews for the sound and are priced competitively. Some people say obage is even better then these boutique brands like edifier, mackie etc. Are they actually worth?
 
Also, what are your thoughts about obage, looks like an indian brand? Are they really that good? Coz by the looks of it, they look as cheap & local as any 2-3K generic speakers.
While I would not put them above known speaker brands, they are actually pretty decent sounding and well built for the price. I auditioned one at my friend's.
No idea about BT or other features though.
Creative still sells it's Pebble and Pebble Plus 2.1
 
Ah, i thought that was a deliberate move. However, I was actually wondering why would you buy that if you want to place the speakers under the monitor. Grommet style will definitely save quite a bit of space. Here's a video about grommet mount from artikel, should help.


As far as i noticed, M601DB uses same t5 sub. The difference is in the speakers. They would have been a great deal at 15K actually. But at 20K, i guess investing a bit more on 1280DB+T5 seems a better choice especially for long term.

I really miss those old day when we could get a really nice 2.1 from brands like Logitech, creative, genius, altec lansing etc. for a good price that didn't suck. I don't see that anymore. All i see are bookshelf or soundbars.

Also, what are your thoughts about obage, looks like an indian brand? Are they really that good? Coz by the looks of it, they look as cheap & local as any 2-3K generic speakers. They also use very cheap bluetooth module that has like usb, sd card reader combo. But, then i see very positive reviews for the sound and are priced competitively. Some people say obage is even better then these boutique brands like edifier, mackie etc. Are they actually worth?

The amazon way of selecting items is awkward at times.. even then its my mistake of not checking. I had like 45min to buy so that i can get it today(sunday) , so in a hurry didnt check properly..

awesome video , thanks

Obage seems to have its own followers .. amazon reviews are very high for it. for me the speakers are little taller and stout , and dont think it would have as good as edifier/presonus etc.
 
The amazon way of selecting items is awkward at times.. even then its my mistake of not checking. I had like 45min to buy so that i can get it today(sunday) , so in a hurry didnt check properly..

awesome video , thanks

Obage seems to have its own followers .. amazon reviews are very high for it. for me the speakers are little taller and stout , and dont think it would have as good as edifier/presonus etc.
Right, I think obage do sound good, especially for the price as i read the reviews. But edifier speakers are a complete package with better quality components and also looks.
 
As far as i noticed, M601DB uses same t5 sub. The difference is in the speakers. They would have been a great deal at 15K actually. But at 20K, i guess investing a bit more on 1280DB+T5 seems a better choice especially for long term.
Hmm, if the m601DB subwoofer is exactly the same then that's a pretty good combo. There's nothing on the internet that I've read so far that actually confirms it but looking at it from videos they do look 1:1 except for the back inputs. 15k yes but at 20k it's excessive. Personally I would prefer to get the r1700bts or r1855dbs instead of the 1280db but at the current price of 17k and above it's not worth it.
Also, what are your thoughts about obage, looks like an indian brand? Are they really that good? Coz by the looks of it, they look as cheap & local as any 2-3K generic speakers. They also use very cheap bluetooth module that has like usb, sd card reader combo. But, then i see very positive reviews for the sound and are priced competitively. Some people say obage is even better then these boutique brands like edifier, mackie etc. Are they actually worth?
It is an Indian brand, some delhi company actually
The sound that you get for the price is impressive imo. The mids aren't as clear as the edifier mr4s but they're good, I can't describe it well but they're better than your bluetooth speakers for the same price and above imo. And they certainly sound more expensive than they cost. Like most speakers it's bass and treble dominant, certain instruments in the mids do get lost but the type of sound it's aiming for is definitely fun while still trying it's best to sound neutral (which it isn't). Oddly enough I feel like for an under 10k (under 7k if you actually consider the price), It's probably more clear than majority of it's other competitors at it's price point. Dad turns out to love his bass so I had that knob cranked all the way up at the back lmao.

So yes on certain songs that I tested such as darkside paper trails, the bass was making itself known. It's not the crazy disturb your neighbour type but I could feel the beat through the sofa and the air. Treble was a bit sharp so I turned it down.

The bluetooth module on it is crap, takes away the bass from anything that I play on my phone and makes it sound quite boxy, but from what I've heard that seems to be the case with most of the budget speakers, rca or digital/optical input is the way.

Build quality wise, it's obviously some plastic wood they're using, but unless you literally drop it on the floor it's good enough, certainly not meant to be portable lol. Main subwoofer is quite heavy but from what I've seen on youtube videos of people opening it up, I'm not too sure how it is so (unless the drivers themselves are quite heavy).

I haven't tried the USB or SD card readers yet, however one annoying thing is how the FM function which you stumble upon while switching inputs will just blow your ears for a second before you quickly change it again.

There's a remote control too but it's quite useless. There's a skip to next track button if you se use the usb or sd card reader, volume and input, mute and switch off. But I've never touched anything except for mute since I kept the volume at a steady maximum of 32 (yes 32/32 is what they use for max)

There's also a slight annoying high pitch sound that can be heard from the speakers when there's nothing playing or it's on standby and the pc is turned off. From what I've read that's mainly the inbuilt amplifier? Not sure. Can't really hear it that well unless you stand close to it and only I can hear it due to my younger ears from a distance. Parents can't hear it at all due to their older age I suppose.

At a higher budget I believe you can certainly get better speakers for sure but for 6.3 k (lightning deal but according to keepa it drops to that price often), the ht144 is really good. Compared to the 2k my dad spent on a 2.1 artis speaker system back in 2008, it's a good upgrade. I'm curious to know how it stands upto the swan m10s though, another famous 2.1 system from a decade back. It's really a connect, play music, "damn it's quite good for the price" and enjoy.

For anyone who's used to high end expensive gear, I would definitely like to hear your opinion on it, as this was mainly written from a perspective of someone who's been listening to cheap tv speakers and only recently chifi iems.
 
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ok to my surprise the speaker arrived today.

Said good bye to my old tarang , setup roughly the speakers , connected optical from pc to speakers..

The first song played./.. Nothing came out.. fiddled through windows.. couldnt figure the issue ..

checked all cables.. optical was not inserted properly.. started working..

Ran few FLAC 24 bit songs.. pretty flat !! (MEH)

Was thinking , i needed a sub for sure.. then turned up the bass on speaker .. OMG !!!!!!!!!!

The speaker came to life !!!


What a song to test.. wow.. !!

Will be fiddling with new speaker for next few days.. let me know anything i need to do from pc POV - formats , sample rate etc..
 
Hmm, if the m601DB subwoofer is exactly the same then. There's nothing on the internet that I've read so far that actually confirms it but looking at it from videos they do look 1:1 except for the back inputs. 15k yes but at 20k it's excessive. Personally I would prefer to get the r1700bts or r1855dbs instead of the 1280db but at the current price of 17k and above it's not worth it.

It is an Indian brand, some delhi company actually
The sound that you get for the price is impressive imo. The mids aren't as clear as the edifier mr4s but they're good, I can't describe it well but they're better than your bluetooth speakers for the same price and above imo. And they certainly sound more expensive than they cost. Like most speakers it's bass and treble dominant, certain instruments in the mids do get lost but the type of sound it's aiming for is definitely fun while still trying it's best to sound neutral (which it isn't). Oddly enough I feel like for an under 10k (under 7k if you actually consider the price), It's probably more clear than majority of it's other competitors at it's price point. Dad turns out to love his bass so I had that knob cranked all the way up at the back lmao.

So yes on certain songs that I tested such as darkside paper trails, the bass was making itself known. It's not the crazy disturb your neighbour type but I could feel the beat through the sofa and the air. Treble was a bit sharp so I turned it down.

The bluetooth module on it is crap, takes away the bass from anything that I play on my phone and makes it sound quite boxy, but from what I've heard that seems to be the case with most of the budget speakers, rca or digital/optical input is the way.

Build quality wise, it's obviously some plastic wood they're using, but unless you literally drop it on the floor it's good enough, certainly not meant to be portable lol. Main subwoofer is quite heavy but from what I've seen on youtube videos of people opening it up, I'm not too sure how it is so (unless the drivers themselves are quite heavy).

I haven't tried the USB or SD card readers yet, however one annoying thing is how the FM function which you stumble upon while switching inputs will just blow your ears for a second before you quickly change it again.

There's a remote control too but it's quite useless. There's a skip to next track button if you se use the usb or sd card reader, volume and input, mute and switch off. But I've never touched anything except for mute since I kept the volume at a steady maximum of 32 (yes 32/32 is what they use for max)

There's also a slight annoying high pitch sound that can be heard from the speakers when there's nothing playing or it's on standby and the pc is turned off. From what I've read that's mainly the inbuilt amplifier? Not sure. Can't really hear it that well unless you stand close to it and only I can hear it due to my younger ears from a distance. Parents can't hear it at all due to their older age I suppose.

At a higher budget I believe you can certainly get better speakers for sure but for 6.3 k (lightning deal but according to keepa it drops to that price often), the ht144 is really good. Compared to the 2k my dad spent on a 2.1 artis speaker system back in 2008, it's a good upgrade. I'm curious to know how it stands upto the swan m10s though, another famous 2.1 system from a decade back. It's really a connect, play music, "damn it's quite good for the price" and enjoy.

For anyone who's used to high end expensive gear, I would definitely like to hear your opinion on it, as this was mainly written from a perspective of someone who's been listening to cheap tv speakers and only recently chifi iems.
That was very elaborate & pretty much explained everything for me. Thanks for that.

What I've learnt so far is that obage is basically a brand that focused on audio and cut the corners elsewhere. Which is okay as that's it's main purpose. Being local & using of the shelf parts, they manage to price it competitively. They are some of the best options in their respective prices but they are not audiophile grade.

Again, thanks @Rezep
 
ok to my surprise the speaker arrived today.

Said good bye to my old tarang , setup roughly the speakers , connected optical from pc to speakers..

The first song played./.. Nothing came out.. fiddled through windows.. couldnt figure the issue ..

checked all cables.. optical was not inserted properly.. started working..

Ran few FLAC 24 bit songs.. pretty flat !! (MEH)

Was thinking , i needed a sub for sure.. then turned up the bass on speaker .. OMG !!!!!!!!!!

The speaker came to life !!!


What a song to test.. wow.. !!

Will be fiddling with new speaker for next few days.. let me know anything i need to do from pc POV - formats , sample rate etc..
Glad to hear your first impression of them are good.

Play around with all genres, if you have spotify premium use the highest quality, stream from your pc to your speakers via RCA or any clean input (or are you using bluetooth on your phone?)

For songs that are quite popular and are on tidal or deezer or quboz, you can use this website https://doubledouble.top/ to download it directly from them. Personally I download flac files from tidal using this site to play on my simgot ew200. There's a difference in sound quality between the flac files and standard spotify streaming but I only use flac when I want to sit down and listen to a song or album deeply. Otherwise even youtube videos are fine for music lol.

I fiddled around with the sample rates and stuff and just kept the speakers in my windows settings at 24 bit 44100 khz. I suggest someone else to speak about this, I just kept this as standard
 
THANKS @Rezep

Will Surely check them out.

The monitor stand came, setting up was hard.. Given the space i have.The tolerance below the main monitor and speaker is very less. The second monitor is not properly getting fit.. Have to fiddle the main leg to get it working. Or if those fail , will have to mount the speaker on top.

Will share the pics tomorrow.

Wish i had to option to move the monitor up or down. the mounts are in a way that the top of the monitor aligns to same level . I want bottom to match the so that the taskbar will be same.
 
THANKS @Rezep

Will Surely check them out.

The monitor stand came, setting up was hard.. Given the space i have.The tolerance below the main monitor and speaker is very less. The second monitor is not properly getting fit.. Have to fiddle the main leg to get it working. Or if those fail , will have to mount the speaker on top.

Will share the pics tomorrow.

Wish i had to option to move the monitor up or down. the mounts are in a way that the top of the monitor aligns to same level . I want bottom to match the so that the taskbar will be same.
If you haven't already, an easy fix is that you can place the speakers under the monitor in horizontal position. They are about 5.7in in width and you can manage about 7in of space.

Now I'm not sure how will it affect the sound. To make it a bit better, you can use foam under the speaker to tilt it a bit toward yourself.
Monitor foam (Don't buy from amazon, stupid pricing. It should cost around 200-300 in local market)

Another option is that you can use the monitor arm just for the single monitor monitor and leave the second one as is.
 
Update :

Connected the speaker , played with them , ran many videos , music , here is my take

1. Pretty solid speakers !!
2. One really has to keep +1/+2 bass to open up this speaker. If not its very plain sounding speakers.
3. The audio is pretty clear , although it all depends on the sample. I used FLAC/WAV ones , they sound amazing !!
4. The placement could be better for me , but for now , no other option , for this issue ,when i balance towards right , the sound output drastically drops .. very weird.
 
Update :

Connected the speaker , played with them , ran many videos , music , here is my take

1. Pretty solid speakers !!
2. One really has to keep +1/+2 bass to open up this speaker. If not its very plain sounding speakers.
3. The audio is pretty clear , although it all depends on the sample. I used FLAC/WAV ones , they sound amazing !!
4. The placement could be better for me , but for now , no other option , for this issue ,when i balance towards right , the sound output drastically drops .. very weird.
Where have you placed the speaker? And did the monitor arm helped manage the space?

Also, why not share some pictures of the new layout.
 
Where have you placed the speaker? And did the monitor arm helped manage the space?

Also, why not share some pictures of the new layout.
Will surely share the picture , currently the desk is very tidy. Yes the arms did help . but they were not easy to fit. Also the monitor final end point needs very heavy tightening to hold the monitor , or else it starts to tilt the screen , luckily the speaker are at the bottom as support.

There is not much they can help because of very weirdly angled bookshelf cum desk.

So far happy that its far better than the older setup. Created some space underneath the monitors. Not bad , but not optimal either.

As i said , will be shifting my room soon.. i have a desk made out of wood there ..pretty large one. Lets see.

Will share some pics tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for your valuable inputs. This is definitely a step into next level of consuming audio.

The late update is also because of HDMI cable issue(short length) , so i had to order new one.
 
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Are you able to get good audio in that orientation? The speaker directivity will go for a toss.
There is slight imbalance of audio towards left. I tried to rebalance through usual balance option , but there seems to weird out of balance issue. Will have to sort it out. Unfortunately there is no other way , or i can place them close to each other.
That actually turned out to be much nicer. I wish these monitor arms had some way to offset the monitor's height individually, it would have helped especially in your case where both monitors are from different brand. Maybe they are sold separately.
Anyways the setup looks good.

1. Yes , overall pretty satisfied. I did get more space by mounting them like this.
2. There is no way to finer adjust the monitor , its all hard tightening only. No fine tuning in any way. Also if i move one monitor , other also swings.No biggy , since ones fixed , wont be moving them frequently.
3. Planning to upgrade the benq also to 27inch one.
4. The benq monitor is very tightly fit underneath the wooden shelf on left side. If i bring them down , the dell monitor starts to rest on the speaker. Its too close , that i should feel pretty lucky :D
5. Will place the speaker close to each other and check.
6. Given the angle at which the shelf is , getting them in perfect symmetry is not possible.

Thanks everyone for helping me out.
 
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