[HEMIOrange]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Hi

What are you using for good quality sound on your home pc set up?

I use a Creative Stage Air, It is decent to fill a medium sized room with music, clarity is decent but no dedicated sub unit, its just two drivers and a passive radiator. Battery back up is decent and connectivity is hassle free which includes Bluetooth, Aux and USB.


Another one is Marshall Stanmore II, runs only on AC, connectivity includes Bluetooth, Aux and RCA, sound is the best I have heard, punchy bass and crystal clear mids and highs with rock music being its forte.


Image source : respective websites

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Thanks for the honest feedback. I'm seeing a lot of guys using this as a soundbar. For phone calls, a different set up can be arrived at

Already delivered? That was fast!
Another observation - At first the bass extension SQ may sound poor with this speaker with just unmusical thuds while without it the sound is more musical. However careful tweaking of bass EQ in the music player app might deliver better results, YMMV.

[vikramvicky1984]

You could get a jabra 510 or a higher model exclusively for calls. Doesn't take any space and is way superior than anything else for the purpose. Uses USB/bluetooth.
Have something else for music.

[srsriharsha]

Since no one has suggested this, i would like to recommend you check out Logitech Z625. It's an old model with not to much connectivity options like Bluetooth but it is one of the best 2.1 you can buy South of 15k when it comes to sound quality. I am currently using this with the TV and trust me it's too good for a small home theatre. Its a great all purpose 2.1

[gotoguru]

Like cars, there is no perfect setup. However you have the option of customizing according to your needs easily. Songs and youtube can be kept on a single setup. Dont mingle that setup for meeting purposes. Call and meetings can be done on headphones, unless you have a group of people at your side which would then require total configuration of cameras speakers and mic like polycom etc.

[ryder]

If you are looking for a 2.1 setup, Logitech Z623 should be a good option. The bass is tight and highs are crisp.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by sridhu

What are you using for good quality sound on your home pc set up?

Disclaimer: I am not an audiophile but I do like my music and I like it to be natural. No extra bass, treble etc.

I went thorugh a similar process in last year when I realized that I might have to spend another year WFH. I did not have a budget in mind and I wanted to check all the option before I zero in on a product that works for me. Having said that, I was a little weary of spending 30-40K on a sound system as I wasnt sure if its delivering value, yes my Middle Class South Indian Upbringing (henceforth refered to as MCSIU ) can be a stubborn twit at times and it gets hard for me to sort out the demons in my head.

Many have recomended Bose here and they are top notch products. Love the quality of vocals as well as the music from the bose speakers at my friends' place and I have always been on the lookout for decent deals on the home speaker series. This has been going on for a couple of a few years now,yes yes I know its just too long.

I was introduced to the Marshall range of products by an audiophile colleague and the headphones he had, marshall major II, were a class apart. Did some research and I was sold on Marshall Stanmore II and almost placed an order, in 2019 before my MCSIU kicked and I decided to hold off on the purchase. Through the lockdown last year and post that, I was eyening the stanmore II range and did click 'buy now' a few times before abandoing the purchase. By this time I was pretty sure that I wanted a set of speakers that are encased in wood, as the sound quality and delivery is something else, unless its a bose.

While discussing this casualy with a a friend from NID Ahmedabad, he shared a link to Sahil's instagram page. Sahil designs these gorgeous speaker units from scratch and they seem to be made from the best possible materials and componenets available. I was totaly in love with the product but I wasnt sure about the "way it sounds" (reiterating that I am not an audiophile again ). While I continued to drool over Sahil's work, I continued to procastinate on buying a set of speakers.

Finally, things came to a head in the end of Oct 2020, after a whole week of back to back calls and headphone fatigue, I made-up my mind to buy a good set of speaker for my PC and laptop. Selected the Marshall Stanmore II, decided to invest ~30K on it and just before I enter the OTP, my MCSIU kicked in and asked "Is there nothing else out there which offers what you want and is value for money?". I decided to search amazon one last time before buying the stanmore and I stumbled upon this beauty.



This is the Obage soundbase SB001.
The reviews on amazon were raving about the product and a wider search of other products from the brand also had similar positive reviews, with a few small issues here and there. Decided to take the plunge and try it out and I havent regreted the decision. My 2 cents on the product:

• The SB001 definitely delivers clear notes across the low,medium and high range. I enjoy a wide selection of music, Indian classical, 70s-80s-90s Rock, Post rock, select heavy metal bands etc. and the sound reproduction has been near perfect.
• Please dont expect Bose or Marshall level delivery, the speakers and drivers etc. on those products are way way better than Obage, but for a non audiophile, this more than does the job.
• For a small room of 10*8, this does the job very well. Most time the speaker volume is set at 12-15 range and I dont feel the need to bump it up.
• While it does come with a bass mode switch, never felt the need to try it. "Lets get it started" by the black eyed peas sounds so sweet in the regular mode!
• Quality of the cable provided with the speakers are really qood and Bluetooth works very well. I havent ecountered any drops even with hours of usage for office calls as well as music across devices (laptop, desktop, mobile)
• While this is technically called a soundbar, its much bigger and needs more space.

Would definitely recommend the product to anyone looking for a value for money set of speaker + woofer combo for their PC/Laptop.

P.S: Not associated with Obage professionaly OR personally, but glad that there is someone out there who is experiementing and trying to deliver good quality audio at MCSIU prices.

[vjbox]

Its pretty tricky to get good quality audio with single speaker units/ sound bar types for a PC setup. For a desktop PC or a Mac, an ideal Setup would a pair of powered Monitors. If budget permits, look a pair of persons Eris E5 or even the E4.5 that provide superior and well articulated sound. The imaging on these are really good with a very balanced highs, mids and Lows. Just the right combination for both authoring and hearing music.

[glovins2004]

I’m using JBL 2.0 Deep Bass for TV. Costed around 22K INR. Awesome Bass effect and even at high volume no jarring.



Jabra Evolve 75e for PC- 15K INR, good quality audio

[yogeshtulsiani]

If the budget permits, get something like these. These monitors have a built-in DAC so you can connect them via USB. You will still need a mic for your calls which I assume will be already there on your webcam.

Behringer 50 USB

Behringer 40 USB

[karthikg87]

I have been enjoying the Edifier s1000 mkii connected to our TV. The sound is superb with deep bass, clear mids and highs. There is no reduction in clarity even at high volumes.

https://www.edifier.com/in/en/speake...ered-bookshelf

My main criterion was to be able to understand dialogues in movies and youtube videos clearly and these have met it thoroughly.

If you are particular on 2.1 you can try https://www.edifier.com/in/en/speakers/s350db. These also have great reviews.

[karthikg87]

I have been using the Edifier s1000mkii 2.0 for over a year now and been thoroughly happy with it. It cost me 25k. The bass is deep, clear and thumping. Mids and highs are clear and enjoyable even at high volumes.

If you are particular on 2.0 system you can try the s350db from the same company. It also has got rave reviews.

[metalSeeker]

I am currently using Harman Kardon Soundsticks 3 from the last 3 years - amazing sound with decent bass and the system is a looker.

Additionally, have a JBL Charge 3 + Blue Yeti mic setup for taking web calls + conferences

Also use Airpods Pro for taking calls on my cell phone and Meze 99 classics for long music listening sessions typically over weekends

[kpkeerthi]

Originally Posted by sridhu

I need a good 2.1 system with clean sound and deep bass. No need for huge power - bass is just to delineate the music.

You need a quality sound source. Invest in a decent quality DAC first. Everything else is only next.

[evil_grin]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Hi

What are you using for good quality sound on your home pc set up?

Was very happy with it. Realized 2.1 is sufficient

Originally Posted by ryder

If you are looking for a 2.1 setup, Logitech Z623 should be a good option. The bass is tight and highs are crisp.

Originally Posted by srsriharsha

Since no one has suggested this, i would like to recommend you check out Logitech Z625.

I have done a lot of secondary research on this. 10 years ago when I was looking for the best speaker set for my PC, there were 2 top contenders in my 10k budget.

JBL Z623 - tuned for powerful bass - great for movies, games and heavy music
Altec Lansing MX5021 - tuned for clearer treble - great for lighter music.

I got the JBL. And loved it. Excellent quality sound. Disclaimer: My ears aren't discerning enough to recognise the extra quality that Bose provides (only the noise cancellation quality registers on my Bose quiet comfort II headphones). Loved it so much that it was the bar that my next car had to beat - which the Octavia did splendidly.

Last year, I was in the market again for another set of speakers for the living room (the first buy is still serving me well). Same requirement. Looked for what was the best. Again, the JBL Z623 was the undisputed leader in the sub 10k category since Altec Lansing had discontinued their model. Surprisingly audio tech hasn't advanced much in that segment in a decade.

I'd strongly recommend you get that for your music and movie needs.

For conference calls, earphones are way better. Any wired set above a 1k budget will work well. The Sony mdr ex300ap served me really well for 3 years.
Wireless ones are a little tricky. That tech hasn't matured as much. I'm using a Sony WI-XB400 and am satisfied with it.