mod sticky this pls.

in this section i will be introducing some methods that you might find useful when buying speakers or any other audio equipment for your pc.

1. Buying based on budget.
if you have a tight budget, and are not willing to splurge on audio equipment for your PC, then usually, a basic headset or set of speakers will do. basic headsset or speakers means those selling for under $50 (for headset) and those under $80 (for speakers).
reccomendded choices for headsets are Sonic Gear Earpumps, selling at $29.90 at challenger (non member) and $26.90 for member. they are great in-ear earpiece which really exceeds expectations. you wont believe this sound is coming from something worht only $30.
recommended choices for speakers are Altec Lansing 151i ($45-50 islandwide), Altec Lansing BXR1121 ($50-55 islandwide) and Logitech R20 (~$55 islandwide)


2. buying based on quality.
If you have deep ppockets or are willing to splurge on speaker systems, then this is what u sould look out for.
expensive speakers dun naturally mean good speakers, and good speakers dont need to be expensive. i will show you a few examples.
what you want to look out for in a hihger end computer speaker are usually these:
has at least, 1 main stereo in, 1 aux stereo in, and a headphone out jack. thse are considered necessary or at least requieerd in a hihger end speaker systemm.
usually, the more expensive ones like the Altec lansing MX5021, uses speaker wires to connect the satellite speakers to the main unit. u can change the wires to higher quality ones or extend the length of them anytime you want. this is also awhat you should be looking for in ah higher end speaker system. expeect pices of such systems to be usually $100-$200 or above, for pc speaekrs. $500 and over if you are hooking up home hifi audio to the pc.
higher end earphones include those built by exotic brands like sennheiser, grado, Ultimate ears, etymotic research and etc etc. these usually feel expensive, and come with thick wires and gold plate plugs. expect prices to be well above $100 for the middle range ones, and way over $200 for hihg end ones.

part 2: deciphering system formats:

every audio system that you purchse should come with a designation number to determine what ttype of system it is.

for example, a speaker system with 2 main speakers and no woofer will be a 2.0 speaker system, one with 2 main speakers and a woofer would be 2.1, and one with 5 main speakers and one woofer would be 5.1

note that u determine these setups by looking at the two numbers:

the number before the decimal in 2.1, which is 2, determines how many main speakers the system has. in this case it has 2. the number after the decimal, whihc is 1 in this case, determines how many LFE (low frequency effect) speakers (subwoofer) the system has, in this case, 1 subwoofer.

therefore, a system with a 2.1 format would mean 2 main speakers in stereo, and 1 subwoofer for bass.

common PC speaker formats are:

2.1 (2 sats [L,R], 1 woofer)
4.1 (4 sats [FL, FR, RL, RR], 1 woofer)
5.1 (5 sats [FL,FR,CTR,RL,RR], 1 woofer)

in the next instalment i shall discuss on what makes up the speaker, and placement of speakers.

wl eh.. no one help me sticky

nvm later got another sct coming up. even pillow also not in here.. thot he'd like this.

nice guide for beginners to choosing

like another thread of mine about how to build new computers, you can slowly go from choosing basic sound systems, to choosing the correct amplifiers, calculate the ohns etc...

and i can use the chance to show off my exposure preamps and handmade power amps

Divoom Revo 3 is an exception .
I own this set and im very satisfied with it .

High fidelity with great audio .
Bass i can’t say anything because it is exceeding my expectations .
Boom here , boom there ! Nice !

Those who want a high-end and fashion looks for a speaker
This set is ultimately recommended .

This is value for money . (:

Originally posted by -SIMPLICITY-:

Divoom Revo 3 is an exception .
I own this set and im very satisfied with it .

High fidelity with great audio .
Bass i can’t say anything because it is exceeding my expectations .
Boom here , boom there ! Nice !

Those who want a high-end and fashion looks for a speaker
This set is ultimately recommended .

This is value for money . (:

until the amp chips catch fire

long-awaited part 3:

satellite / main speakers.

i will (attempt) to give a politically correct discription of satellite speakers.

ok from how i usually explain it, satellite speakers are the bunch of small  speakers that come in the box with the one larger

woofer.

for basic computer speakers, ($10 - $50) the satellite speaker usually comes in a plastic box, with one fullrange driver inside. fullrange, in pro audio terms describes a single speaker driver which is more or less able to produce most of the entire sound specturm of human hearing. this is not to be taken seriously if you are buying lower end pc speakers, most of them cant produce anything over 17,500Hz, and below 200Hz. the designs are usually plain, and no exotic materials used, just thick paper for the speaker cone and a thin plastic dustcap over the voice coil. the surround material is usually made of low quality foam, or in the really cheap ones, the very same piece of paper used to mould the cone. the size of the speaker diaphragm usually ranges from 2-3 inches. the box is usually made of plastic.

for mid class computer speakers, ($50 - $100)the satellite speakers usually carry one or more "fullrange" drivers inside, each usually ranging from 2-3 inches. sometimes, they might even contain a separate tweeter, or high frequency driver, which is usually 1 inch in diameter. materials used in this class of speakers are usually paper also, surrounds are made of slightly higher quality foam, and in some cases, the speaker cone is also moulded over the voice coil, forming a 2 in 1 dustcap. the tweeter is usually a basic dome tweeter, made of plastic. the box is usually made of plastic.

high class computer speakers: i can explain more on this as i own multiple sets in this range. ($100 and above) the satellite speakers usually contain a separate tweeter and midrange driver. sometimes, twin midrange drivers and one tweeter, for better mid tone reproduction. the materials here get exotic: ranging from high grade polypropylene or aluminium cones, thick butyl rubber surrounds, and one piece cone construction or phase plugs instead of dustcaps. these help to reduce air trapped between the space in the voice coil and dustcap during manufacturing, reducing distrotion. the separate tweeter are made of cloth, titanium or polypropylene, and come in varying designs, such as the PA type horn loaded tweeter, dome tweeter or concentric ring tweeters. each has its own property. this will be explained in depth in further episodes. the cabinet construction is usually of high grade MDF plastic or wood.

Originally posted by MyPillowTalks:

nice guide for beginners to choosing

like another thread of mine about how to build new computers, you can slowly go from choosing basic sound systems, to choosing the correct amplifiers, calculate the ohns etc...

and i can use the chance to show off my exposure preamps and handmade power amps

then u shall help me :P

anyway, ur purchase hor.. consider wharfedale pro woofers.. theyre worth a try.. behringer also.

part 5: subwoofers:

this part explains in depth about the different confgurations of woofers found in the market.

1: bandpass
this particular design is popular with cheap speakers, as it is easy to produce, and it hides a shoddily done woofer job. bandpass designs usually create muddy bass and port distortion. this is where the port edges are not carefully made, and chuffing occurs due to air moving speedily over sharp parts on the moulding of the port. usually, the use of a port that is flared evenly on both ends alleviates this problem. the woofer driver is usually mounted on a particle board fitted in the middle of the enclosure. only one of the sides has a port fitted to push air out. the size of the woofer used in cheap ones are usually 4 inches or smaller (horrors). the mere size of it cant push out large volumes of air and hence, bass performance is muddy and poor. however, when such a design is careuflly calculated and built with a much larger driver, things change a lot. the bass produced is loud and deep, without being overbearingly thumpy. the bandpass design is one of two designs where the driver is mounted internelly within the box.

2: sealed box
this cannot be simpelr. its one (or more) woofers, mounted in a box without any ports. the cones of the woofers are usually showing outside the box.

3:horn
like a horn loaded tweeter, the woofer is mounted inside the box, and a horn fitted right infront of the speaker cone. the horn then gradually flares till it reaches the exteiror of the box. this efficiently produces a woofer with wide angle dispersion and a long sound throw. NOTE: LONG SOUND THROW =/= LONG THROW WOOFER DESIGN.

4: ported
this is by far the most popular woofer design. one side of the cone usually shows out of the box, and a port is installed in the box, and ported to the exterior, where the air is sucked in and out to let the woofer move freely. this can allow placement for one or more drivers, sucking and expelling air out of teh same port. in this case, if the port ends are not flared, chuffing or port distortion will also occur due to the turbulence of moving air.

5: push pull
this involes two woofers on a sealed box, where they work in reverse tandem. when one woofer cone pushes out, the other pulls in. usually, one "real" (driven by a current) and one "fake" woofer, where its  just a cone and surround without a voice coil. this design makes for better efficiency, alghout sacrificing llow bass and accuracy.

part 5 continue:

6: isobaric:

where two woofers are stacked "face to face" on top of one another, and both push together in the same direction. the Altec Lansing FX4021 and FX5051 seems to be the only pc speakers using this woofer technology, i havent seen any others sofar. this makes space a problem, as a huge space is needed to fit the two drivers combined height, but it pays off when you feel the low bass that can only be achieved through such method.

anyone know which altec lansing series to get for a laptop? i want it to be compact enough to be packed into my laptop bag(its not a sling carry) and also, where to get it?

Why not get a Edifier speaker instead? Small but powerful.

Originally posted by Manager433:

Why not get a Edifier speaker instead? Small but powerful.

can they last? i dont want to kena those nice sound but use awhile pai liao

seriously... i also think Divoom is good. I got a divoom X3 and i can say this is by far the best set of speakers i've experienced (in its price range - $90). Yes, it is even better than my previous ATP3

http://www.divoom.com/X3.htm

my altec lansing almost 6 years liao. the white colour one.

Originally posted by Pitot:

anyone know which altec lansing series to get for a laptop? i want it to be compact enough to be packed into my laptop bag(its not a sling carry) and also, where to get it?

altec lansing XT1 or XT2.

challenger shd be selling, u must hunt around though. and theyre usb powered so u can only use it with a pc. three figure price though :D

Originally posted by dibilo:

seriously... i also think Divoom is good. I got a divoom X3 and i can say this is by far the best set of speakers i've experienced (in its price range - $90). Yes, it is even better than my previous ATP3

http://www.divoom.com/X3.htm

 

until the amp chip catch fire

Originally posted by Pitot:

my altec lansing almost 6 years liao. the white colour one.

simi model?

me predicts its shd be in the ACS XXX or ADA XXX range? hahah. my atp3 used since the first version launch, i immediately bought one and still using daily till this day.

Originally posted by Manager433:

Why not get a Edifier speaker instead? Small but powerful.

ya the cubic ones not bad. edifier speakers generally good sund qualty. but as i havet used any edifier for extended periods of time esp for years, i cant comment on the qualty. u cannot use display sets to benchmark qualty as ppl can be rought toward the peakers but i dun think one wd be rougth on his own speakers.

Originally posted by dibilo:

seriously... i also think Divoom is good. I got a divoom X3 and i can say this is by far the best set of speakers i've experienced (in its price range - $90). Yes, it is even better than my previous ATP3

http://www.divoom.com/X3.htm

 

ok la srsly speaking.. its a clone of the sonic gear version. not sure what model but sonic gear itself has two of the same spec ones, one is called bluethunder cos its got a blue light and the other dunno what just cos its got a orange light -.-

basicly u can see where the inspiration came from... :)

Originally posted by SBS7484P:

altec lansing XT1 or XT2.

challenger shd be selling, u must hunt around though. and theyre usb powered so u can only use it with a pc. three figure price though :D

wah lao so asspensive!

Originally posted by Pitot:

wah lao so asspensive!

><

u want usb or 240v plug?

wall socket ones cheaper la of course. altec 120i 2.0 cost $40 nia

if the diff between the speakers are just the power source i rather get the plug because all we need is the adaptor.

more then double the price for usb power? confirm bo?

not only that.. the XT1/XT2 uses dual aluminium microdrivers on each satellite. very.. exotic materials

i once opened up a 120i, inside just regular 3 inch paper driver lah..

XT1/XT2 got stylo metal grill, 120i black cloth nia.

hoho.

thats why lo.

and XT2 got inbuilt mic for skype. hehe.

but both are good lar, esp the 120i. totally surprised me for just $40, the midrange was surprisingly good.

wow. thats good. wads the size like? i planning to get the 120i