I'm looking to replace my 30-year old PC speakers. I just need basic, nothing fancy. I know of Logitech and Creative brand, at the low end. Are there other brands that have come along in the last 30 years?
Other than the ones mentioned: AmazonBasics, CyberAcoustics are fine for <$50. On 2025-07-27 01:44, William Park via Talk wrote:
I'm looking to replace my 30-year old PC speakers. I just need basic, nothing fancy. I know of Logitech and Creative brand, at the low end. Are there other brands that have come along in the last 30 years? ------------------------------------ Description: GTALUG Talk Unsubscribe via Talk-unsubscribe@lists.gtalug.org Start a new thread: talk@lists.gtalug.org This message archived at https://lists.gtalug.org/archives/list/talk@lists.gtalug.org/message/UALQYB6...
From: William Park via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org>
I'm looking to replace my 30-year old PC speakers. I just need basic, nothing fancy. I know of Logitech and Creative brand, at the low end. Are there other brands that have come along in the last 30 years?
This isn't a direct answer to your question. It's a dump of what I think I know. I'd love other GTALUGers to post their thoughts or reactions. There's plenty to learn. There are lots of new brands. For example, Edifer. Many of the old brands have been licensed and applied to new junk by an unrelated manufacturer. Trusting a brand isn't optimal but it can save time. Why do you want to replace them? The answer might guide your search. Some answers that I can imagine: - the old ones were fine but no longer work - I want to save space (or wires) - I want better sound for games - I want better sound for music - I want better sound for movies - my hearing range no longer requires high frequency accuracy - I want something that I can use for video-conferencing For music, stereo speakers are expected. In the old days, two big speakers were standard. Now, two smaller speakers plus a sub-woofer might be a better choice. (Little source material has more than two channels.) For movies and games, you might find you want a bunch of speakers to give a more immersive effect, plus a sub-woofer. 5.1 (5 speakers plus a sub-woofer) and 7.1 are common. The placement of the speakers matters but the placement of a sub-woofer is much less critical. The low end for TV sound might apply to a computer too: a sound bar and a sub-woofer. Most speakers for TV or computers are "powered" or "active": they contain their own amplifier. If they are connected by USB, they even have their own DAC. If your speakers are unpowered or passive, you need an amplifier. Probably what we used to call an integrated amp: one that includes the pre-amp. One advantage of an amplifier (or receiver) is that they can support multiple inputs: computer, TV, DVD player, turntable (maybe). Some modern amps are very small. The traditional, old school Hi-Fi market cared about sound accuracy. A lot. That's my culture. The current culture prefers things that sound good. That means lots of base and lots of "sweetening". There's no question that games and movies are a lot more enjoyable with a lot of base. What's your culture? What do I do? My main computer uses a TV set as a monitor. The TV set includes not-great speakers but I actually use decent headphones connected to the TV set. Most of the time the headphones get the sound but they are not on my head! Our family TV sets have a sound bar and subwoofer. For video-conferencing, I just use a notebook. This does not put my/our best face forward but I don't care. Possibly a mistake.
On 2025-07-27 09:31, D. Hugh Redelmeier via Talk wrote:
From: William Park via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org>
I'm looking to replace my 30-year old PC speakers. I just need basic, nothing fancy. I know of Logitech and Creative brand, at the low end. Are there other brands that have come along in the last 30 years?
Why do you want to replace them?
I've been smelling "burnt plastics" for long long time. Main suspect was LED bulbs that weren't rated for "enclosed fixture", even though most fixtures are open. I think it's just the quality of plastics. Anyways, I replaced them with ones specifically rated for "enclosed fixture" (Home Depot's Ecosmart brand). Smell is gone a lot. But, there is still faint smell. I've found out that PC speakers is drawing around 200mA even if the volume dial is set to OFF. It's warm'ish, but can't smell directly though. So, I'm thinking to replace it.
From: William Park via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org>
I've been smelling "burnt plastics" for long long time. Main suspect was LED bulbs that weren't rated for "enclosed fixture", even though most fixtures are open. I think it's just the quality of plastics. Anyways, I replaced them with ones specifically rated for "enclosed fixture" (Home Depot's Ecosmart brand). Smell is gone a lot. But, there is still faint smell.
Ordinary bulbs fit in speakers? I would guess that gas emmissions from plastic decay exponentially. So I wouldn't worrry. But if you smell it, you might find it irritating. Perhaps 25 years ago, I bought a set of inexpensive powered PC speakers. They emitted a puff of white smoke the minute I blugged them in. I exchanged them at the store and the second set worked fine.
I've found out that PC speakers is drawing around 200mA even if the volume dial is set to OFF. It's warm'ish, but can't smell directly though. So, I'm thinking to replace it.
At 110V AC? That's a lot of Watts! More than 20 W. That's more than an ordinary household LED bulb. If the bulbs are easy to remove, you could test the current without them.
I've been smelling "burnt plastics" for long long time. Main suspect was LED bulbs that weren't rated for "enclosed fixture", even though most fixtures are open. I think it's just the quality of plastics. Anyways, I replaced them with ones specifically rated for "enclosed fixture" (Home Depot's Ecosmart brand). Smell is gone a lot. But, there is still faint smell.
Ordinary bulbs fit in speakers? ...
If the bulbs are easy to remove, you could test the current without them. I think the issue is that the bulbs in the ceiling were replaced but
D. Hugh Redelmeier via Talk wrote on 2025-07-27 12:03: there's still a smell so the speakers are the next target to get rid of the smell. I don't think there are light bulbs in the speakers?
I would guess that gas emmissions from plastic decay exponentially.
In my experience, the emissions decay exponentially (or something, haven't measured). i.e. new $thing smells terrible for a few days / weeks then things go back to normal. /I'm enjoying the thought of speakers with light bulbs in them, please don't take that away from me...
On 2025-07-27 18:04, Ron via Talk wrote:
D. Hugh Redelmeier via Talk wrote on 2025-07-27 12:03:
I've been smelling "burnt plastics" for long long time. Main suspect was LED bulbs that weren't rated for "enclosed fixture", even though most fixtures are open. I think it's just the quality of plastics. Anyways, I replaced them with ones specifically rated for "enclosed fixture" (Home Depot's Ecosmart brand). Smell is gone a lot. But, there is still faint smell.
Ordinary bulbs fit in speakers? ..
If the bulbs are easy to remove, you could test the current without them. I think the issue is that the bulbs in the ceiling were replaced but there's still a smell so the speakers are the next target to get rid of the smell.
I don't think there are light bulbs in the speakers?
No, there is no LED bulb in my speakers. :-) Hugh misread my post, probably because he missed my earlier thread regarding "smelly bulb". I also misread my meter. PC speaker is pulling 100mA when idle, so 10W which is still a lot.
On Sun, 2025/07/27 01:23:43PM -0400, William Park via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org> wrote: | I've found out that PC speakers is drawing around 200mA even if the volume | dial is set to OFF. It's warm'ish, but can't smell directly though. So, | I'm thinking to replace it. Depending on what quality you're looking for, you may be able to find small USB powered PC speakers, which you could connect to a "not always on" USB port on your computer. Failing that, power bar with switch for all your computer's parts? Cheers John
William Park via Talk said on Sun, 27 Jul 2025 13:23:43 -0400
I've been smelling "burnt plastics" for long long time. Main suspect was LED bulbs that weren't rated for "enclosed fixture", even though most fixtures are open. I think it's just the quality of plastics. Anyways, I replaced them with ones specifically rated for "enclosed fixture" (Home Depot's Ecosmart brand). Smell is gone a lot. But, there is still faint smell.
I've found out that PC speakers is drawing around 200mA even if the volume dial is set to OFF. It's warm'ish, but can't smell directly though. So, I'm thinking to replace it.
Why do speakers need an LED at all? It's not like you need to see a tuning dial. Why not just snip and tape the LED leads? Modern speaker systems are either expensive or have all sorts of useless technology like those silly infrared sound inputs. You have headphone jacks, you have a sound system that works with headphone jacks, why not just snip and tape and enjoy what you have? SteveT Steve Litt http://444domains.com
On Sun, Jul 27, 2025 at 01:44:55AM -0400, William Park via Talk wrote:
I'm looking to replace my 30-year old PC speakers. I just need basic, nothing fancy. I know of Logitech and Creative brand, at the low end. Are there other brands that have come along in the last 30 years?
I remember having Altec Lansing PC speakers years ago. No idea if they are still around or any good anymore. I have seen Klips PC speakers too. -- Len Sorensen
On 2025-07-27 20:00, Lennart Sorensen wrote:
On Sun, Jul 27, 2025 at 01:44:55AM -0400, William Park via Talk wrote:
I'm looking to replace my 30-year old PC speakers. I just need basic, nothing fancy. I know of Logitech and Creative brand, at the low end. Are there other brands that have come along in the last 30 years?
I remember having Altec Lansing PC speakers years ago. No idea if they are still around or any good anymore. I have seen Klips PC speakers too.
That's what I have now, Altec Lansing ACS33 (2 speakers, 1 base box). :-)
As always, it depends on what you need them for and what you're willing to spend. The main differentiators are sound quality, how you want to power them but also how you want to connect, as the most popular consumer speakers these days are little Bluetooth jobs in which two familiar audiophile brands (Bose and JBL) have commanding presence. Indeed, as Hugh said, trusting old familiar brands might not offer value since some of them have outsourced their names to be put on any old stuff. The cheapest stuff you can buy right now at $15 <https://techsourcecanada.ca/audio-and-headphones/speakers-en/stereo-speakers/crative-pebble-2pc-speaker/> is from a known brand of legacy PC audio, Creative. What used to be brands well-known for expensive and high-end gear such as Klipsch and Acoustic Research are still around but far more at the low end than one might expect. A small few, such as Marantz and Denon, remain elite. If all you need is to hear notification beeps and spoken word from podcasts, almost anything will do including the above Creatives. Aliexpress has a dizzying selection and Amazon Basics has a pair at $24 <https://www.amazon.ca/AmazonBasics-USB-Powered-Computer-Speakers-Dynamic/dp/B07DDGBL5T/ref=sr_1_5>. I have a pair of such nonames on my secondary PC. Your main choices are (a) whether you want it powered by the usual wall wart or a USB-C connection and (b) two discrete speakers or a single bar under the monitor. Next level up ($40 to 200) are the aforementioned Bluetooth speakers which are designed to travel with laptops and phones. Many also have microphones and can double as a meeting room device. Logitech also plays in this space with workable midrange PC speakers, much as they always have. Above that are the smart systems pioneered by Sonos and beyond that rigs like I have, where your PC sends its audio through a SPDIF optical cable to a conventional receiver which is then amplified and pumped through five or more speakers (Pioneer brand FWIW before they went exclusively into car audio). Way beyond what William was asking for but Hugh wanted to expand the conversation and I'm happy to go there. My first job was selling stereos at a long-defunct shop called TAT on Yonge Street, and I was DEEP into audiophile stuff in a previous life. Some but not all of that knowledge remains useful; very few people still agonize over the choice of turntable cartridge or tape deck. And I will disagree with Hugh that audio sources are still just stereo. While old video and music-only releases are still stereo (with some notable exceptions <https://www.slashgear.com/1569760/best-albums-for-testing-surround-sound-systems/>), anything recently released attached to video, whether streaming or on disc, is usually 5.1 or better. (5.1 refers to a centre speaker, front and back left and right, and a subwoofer). And it's not just Dolby anymore, there is a mind-numbing array of Dolby (and competing) technologies, the latest of which is called Atmos, to enhance the listening experience. But methinks that too is well beyond what William needs 😉. - Evan On Sun, Jul 27, 2025 at 1:45 AM William Park via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org> wrote:
I'm looking to replace my 30-year old PC speakers. I just need basic, nothing fancy. I know of Logitech and Creative brand, at the low end. Are there other brands that have come along in the last 30 years?
That's good deal, and good enough for me. Thanks Evan. I'll swing by their store. Their description mentions USB-C and 3.5mm jack, so according to Creative, it's "Pebble V2" which comes with USB-C to USB-A converter. But, it's open box... On 2025-07-28 11:21, Evan Leibovitch wrote:
Indeed, as Hugh said, trusting old familiar brands might not offer value since some of them have outsourced their names to be put on any old stuff. The cheapest stuff you can buy right now at $15 <https:// techsourcecanada.ca/audio-and-headphones/speakers-en/stereo-speakers/ crative-pebble-2pc-speaker/> is from a known brand of legacy PC audio, Creative. ...> On Sun, Jul 27, 2025 at 1:45 AM William Park via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org <mailto:talk@lists.gtalug.org>> wrote:
I'm looking to replace my 30-year old PC speakers. I just need basic, nothing fancy. I know of Logitech and Creative brand, at the low end. Are there other brands that have come along in the last 30 years?
On Mon, Jul 28, 2025 at 6:25 PM William Park via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org> wrote:
That's good deal, and good enough for me. Thanks Evan. I'll swing by their store.
They're a liquidator so you never know; once you get there you may find something better that's not on the website. Since Factory Direct went away, Tech Source has been my goto place for lowest-end peripherals and off-lease PCs. - Evan
On Sun, 27 Jul 2025 at 01:45, William Park via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org> wrote:
I'm looking to replace my 30-year old PC speakers.
The pair of Hot Wheels speakers I have sound pretty good. I got them in a kit, along with a 2 button USB mechanical ball mouse, a mouse pad and a CD wallet. My kit was purchased from Bailey's Home Hardware, 85 Ellesmere Rd. (still in business) on Feb. 8, 2006 for $3.99 + GST & PST ($4.59 total). I don't think they make them anymore but you may be able to find a used set 😉 https://www.ebay.ca/itm/226636638513 -- Scott
participants (9)
-
D. Hugh Redelmeier -
Evan Leibovitch -
ganesh＠rethinkmail.com -
John Sellens -
Lennart Sorensen -
Ron -
Scott Allen -
Steve Litt -
William Park