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Need a 2.1 Speaker better than Altec Lansing MX5021

 

Deadman UK
New member
Username: Deadman_uk

Post Number: 1
Registered: Nov-09
Posted on   
Hi all,

My wonderful Altec Lansing MX5021 2.1 speakers just died and I need to find a new replacement for my PC (Music, movies and games). Since they don't sell these anymore, and I want to buy new (so I get a warranty), what 2.1 speakers would you recommend? I am not interested in 5.1 and 7.1 as I do not have the space so please do not recommend these. I understand the MX6021 will be out soon but the MX5021 have a frequency response of 30Hz to 22kHz where the newer MX6021 has a response of only 40Hz - 20KHz? I don't know much about speakers but why would anyone go with the MX6021? They cannot reproduce as greater range as the MX5021 or have I got this all wrong?

It is important that the response of the 2.1 speakers are equal or greater than the MX5021. I do not want to get speakers that sound worse than what just broke.

2 Speakers that interest me are:

- Klipsch ProMedia GMX A-2.1 (not sure if you can still buy these new)
- Creative GigaWorks T3 2.1

But both are these responses are worse than the MX5021 (30Hz - 20KHz instead of 30Hz to 22KHz). Does this mean they will sound worse? I live in the UK by the way and my budget is £150. I heard the M-Audio AV40's are good but their frequency response: 85Hz - 20kHz. This sounds bad to me considering the typical human ear can hear between 20Hz - 20Khz....
 

Dan L.
Silver Member
Username: Kbear

Canada

Post Number: 401
Registered: Dec-06
Posted on   
But both are these responses are worse than the MX5021 (30Hz - 20KHz instead of 30Hz to 22KHz). Does this mean they will sound worse?

It won't sound worse necessarily, the one that goes to 20KHz simply won't reach as high on the frequency range as the one that goes to 22. But everything up to 20KHz could very well sound better through the Klipsch or the Creative. The human ear can supposely only hear up to 20KHz anyway, and this diminishes over time, so it's very much up for debate whether you need anything higher than 20KHz to begin with.

I understand the MX6021 will be out soon but the MX5021 have a frequency response of 30Hz to 22kHz where the newer MX6021 has a response of only 40Hz - 20KHz? I don't know much about speakers but why would anyone go with the MX6021? They cannot reproduce as greater range as the MX5021 or have I got this all wrong?

The one that plays down to 30Hz will produce lower bass frequencies, but I have heard speakers that can only go down to 50Hz that produce very convincing bass. If bass is important for you though, then you may want to consider the model that goes lower. 85Hz (the M-Audio) is quite weak in terms of bass response, and ideally you'd use a subwoofer with this speaker to fill in the lower frequencies.

In short, frequency range only tells you the frequency range you can expect a speaker to fill, but it doesn't tell you anything about the quality of the sound. The M-Audio might very well be the best sounding speaker over the range that it covers.

I use Klipsch Promedia 2.1 with my PC, and I think they sound great for a set of PC speakers. I'd personally lean towards the Klipsch but that's just my personal preference. I once heard a pair of Creative speakers and they didn't even begin to compare to the Promedia 2.1.
 

Deadman UK
New member
Username: Deadman_uk

Post Number: 2
Registered: Nov-09
Posted on   
Thanks for clearing the frequency response query for me :-)

I have posted this message on a few other forums and some members say I should avoid these mickey mouse setups from Creative, Altec Lansing and Logitech and purchase a pair of shelf speakers with a subwoofer. Is this something you would recommend?

I know how good the Promedia 2.1 are but it is my understanding that the MX5021 are a tiny bit better. I remember reading in 2006 a guy who had them both side by side, and he said they were both great but the MX5021 just won over.

I think the Promedia 2.1 are a discontinued product now, so I doubt I can find these in the UK in new condition.
 

Dan L.
Silver Member
Username: Kbear

Canada

Post Number: 402
Registered: Dec-06
Posted on   
Going with shelf speakers and a sub would surely yield better performance, but I think it's a little more complicated then buying one of the speaker systems designed for use with a PC. It really depends on whether you want the best performance possible out of the system. If you are willing to do what you have to do to get the shelf speakers working then I'm sure it'll sound better.

However, I'm not sure what is involved as I've never used shelf speakers with a sub for a PC before. I think you'd need to run your cable from the soundcard to a DAC and then into powered speakers. Not sure about how you'd connect a sub though, perhaps you'd need a preamp too. You should probably ask the people who recommended this to you if you decide to go this way.
 

Deadman UK
New member
Username: Deadman_uk

Post Number: 3
Registered: Nov-09
Posted on   
I really believe getting a pair of bookshelf speakers like the M-Audio AV40 and Behringer MS40 would be the best choice but overall I feel they really need a subwoofer to go with them. I am having an incredibly hard time finding a good sub in the UK to go with either of these bookshelf speakers, nor do I know how to set them up correctly and what wires to buy. I've heard others say you may need an amp and DAC (not sure what these do...) as well, further increasing the complexity and price of this. It's just too much hassle, plus they would probably take up way more desk space than I would like as well. Sigh...

After reading this review, I think I have an idea of what I want to go for now. Before reading that review, I never heard of the Logitech Z-Cinema but it got a good review there and also other websites I've read say it's pretty damn good plus it comes with a 2 year warranty. If I don't get the Z-Cinema, it would be the Creative Gigaworks T3 but I am having a hard time finding this speaker in stock in the UK, it is also more expensive and only comes with a 1 year warranty.

The Razor Mako really peeked my interest and has good reviews everywhere but it's £100 over my budget so I will have to drop that. I am no longer considering the MX6021, it just isn't good enough and the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 I can't find anywhere in the UK for sale. I contacted Klipsch UK and they said they have some on order due in early next year (too long of a wait for me, I need some speakers now).

So yeah, I think I will go with the Logitech Z-Cinema, if not it would be the Creative Gigaworks T3.
 

Deadman UK
New member
Username: Deadman_uk

Post Number: 4
Registered: Nov-09
Posted on   
I hear the Logitech Z-Cinema cannot be connected directly to the sound card, is this true? If so, how am I able to get sound? I want to be able to use my Creative XtremeMusic sound card with this...
 

Dan L.
Silver Member
Username: Kbear

Canada

Post Number: 404
Registered: Dec-06
Posted on   
Well, I did a brief search and found you can simply use a USB cable. No connection to a sound card is necessary. Try finding the manual for the system to see if you can go through a sound card if you prefer.
 

Deadman UK
New member
Username: Deadman_uk

Post Number: 6
Registered: Nov-09
Posted on   
Dan, I want to use my sound card, it is the reason why I spent £70 buying it several years ago. I am not interested in a speaker that only allows me to use built in sound.

From another forum, a member said I can use a 3.55mm cable to connect to the speakers auxiliary port. I hope this is true.
 

Deadman UK
New member
Username: Deadman_uk

Post Number: 7
Registered: Nov-09
Posted on   
Just ordered the Logitech Z-Cinema 2.1 speakers for £90 (p&p included). Thanks all for your comments.
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