Audio R.I.P Creative 2.1. Need new 2.1 recommendation.

Ethan_Hunt

Ethan_Hunt

Secret Agent Man
Skilled
I'll cut short the sad story of the death of my beloved Creative SBS370 2.1 speakers and get right down to knowing what is the next best alternative within 3k range. My main concern is BASS, BASS and well, more BASS. I loved my earlier speakers and want some recommendations on it's line. I know most of you "elite" folks would loathe this model, but it was good enough for me for the budget.

Kindly suggest a 2.1 with a good bass effect capacity. I need to get this purchase done at the earliest. Don't like my PC being mute at all. :(

PS: Could you suggest a model which has a remote control to adjust the volume? As I have seen the control pods often giving issues after manually tuning them for a long time.
 
Altec Lansing VS4121 should be your best bet albeit slightly above your budget. That should satisfy your fetish for bass. :p
 
^^ I have those, and I feel they are over rated, look at the Artis ones, I had an old set which was much better then my Altec Lansing set. Check if you can extend the budget, as the MX 5021 are absolutely worth it...
 
^By over-rated do you mean the bass or the speakers as such? These were supposedly the ATP3's replacements so it is (or was?) bound to perform well going by the overall SQ and the bass since I've heard the ATP3.

Btw does Artis make speakers even now?
 
Aces170 said:
^^ I have those, and I feel they are over rated, look at the Artis ones, I had an old set which was much better then my Altec Lansing set. Check if you can extend the budget, as the MX 5021 are absolutely worth it...
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MX5021 is way out of my budget. So anything within the 3k range is welcome.

How are the Logitech 2.1 range? Never seen anyone recommending those out here. Are they not good for the bass category?

How much will the VS4121 cost?
 
^By over-rated do you mean the bass or the speakers as such? These were supposedly the ATP3's replacements so it is (or was?) bound to perform well going by the overall SQ and the bass since I've heard the ATP3.
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Yep they were the replacement, but nowhere near ATP3's SQ.
 
I think I'll go with VS4121.

One quick question, I have a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable which I connected to my S2409W monitor's audio jack and the other end to my PC's line in.

After like 15-20 minutes of use, it use to come up with some weird distortion and hissing noise. To fix this, I would have to turn off my monitor and switch it back on again. But it used to come up after the same time frame again.

What could be the cause of this issue? I think it's that cheap 50 bucks 3.5mm cable that I had ordered off Ebay. Should I change the cable?
 
^^I don't think cable is the issue since if that was the case, it would show up the moment you plugged it in the 3.5mm jack. It appears there's some sort of interference. You are bound to get a cable with the speakers anyway - try it with that and post back.
 
Alright, got the VS4121 and the bass is kick ass, but the vocals are not audible at all. It seems as if the sound is set to a hall mode and the vocals seem very distant. What could be the reason? :S
 
Mess around with the audio-settings of your onboard audio chip from the control panel. Reset the settings. Does the same happen with the PS3 output as well? Connect another audio source and check.
 
Ethan_Hunt said:
Alright, got the VS4121 and the bass is kick ass, but the vocals are not audible at all. It seems as if the sound is set to a hall mode and the vocals seem very distant. What could be the reason? :S
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Aces170 said:
Yep they were the replacement, but nowhere near ATP3's SQ.
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Ive tested ATP3 and VS4121 on same songs, same sound card (SB Live!). Here is the feedback. VS4121 vs. ATP3:

VS4121's bass isnt as deep as as ATP3 (thanks to down-firing subwoofer of ATP3) : -1

VS4121's bass has more quantity and slightly better body (The pros of front firing) : +1

VS has less midrange volume than atp : -1

VS has better midrange clarity and soundstage than atp: +1

VS has slightly improved treble and capable of higher frequency w/o distortion : +1

Overall VS4121 > ATP3 by 1 point.



PS: Sound is a very subjective term when compared between such close rivals. Preferences may differ.

My suggestion to OP: Definitely go with the VS4121 as its the best bang of the buck. Also, invest in a decent sound card (Audigy value or similar @ 1.4k) in near future as it makes HUGE difference on this speaker set.

EDIT: Just remembered, on testing both w/o sound card, both speakers sounded bad but VS4121 was slightly worse.

EDIT2: Incase you plan to audition a VS4121, remember to set its treble knob at 2'o clock - 3'o clock while bass knob between 10'o clock and 12'o clock. Keep volume at good levels to enjoy the best out of the speakers as they sound great over a certain volume level.
 
Desecrator said:
Mess around with the audio-settings of your onboard audio chip from the control panel. Reset the settings. Does the same happen with the PS3 output as well? Connect another audio source and check.
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I didn't check it with the PS3. In fact I'll check that right away and perhaps it would give me a better idea. I too think it's some audio setting, but the point is, my earlier speakers worked fine on the same settings. Anyway let me try that and I'll get back to you.

@sato: Thanks for the comparison and I already got myself the VS4121. ;)
 
Ethan_Hunt said:
I didn't check it with the PS3. In fact I'll check that right away and perhaps it would give me a better idea. I too think it's some audio setting, but the point is, my earlier speakers worked fine on the same settings. Anyway let me try that and I'll get back to you.

@sato: Thanks for the comparison and I already got myself the VS4121. ;)
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Did you connect it properly. Check if there are any loose connectors on the sub side and on pc side. Also, check how the bass/treble setting knobs are set?
 
WOW! I just positioned the speakers properly and now it's amazing. I just played for 2 chapters of UC2 on them and it's unbelievable. It's as if it's trying to produce a surround effect. The instrumental sounds are stunning. Wish these were 5.1 set. :p

I tried PC sound and it seems to be proper as well. Just a few settings and fiddling around with Winamp equalizers, I think I should be good to go. :hap2:

Thanks a ton to everyone and Gannu thanks for your constant inputs. :)
 
Not a problem man! Congrats. Burn in those speakers and should sound even better. Get a sound card asap. :p
 
Mercury 2.1 channel speakers comes with enough bass...i personally used that and i used to keept its bass 50%....coz that much is enough to ear drums to bear....do check that out..
 
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