# Speakers for my laptop - Help, please.



## BillT (Nov 3, 2013)

MaestroViolinist said:


> Now this


Wow. This has got me thinking I need to buy some speakers for my laptop. Any recommendations out there? My budget is around $100.

OTOH, I have an excellent audio system in the other room. Maybe I should get some sort of interconnect instead?

- Bill


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

I don't know if you can afford another $40 in your budget but I recommend this set by Klipsch I see there are third party vendors selling these for new in your price range). Klipsch makes incredible speakers and I don't think you can get better speakers for the buck.

http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-ProMedia-Certified-Computer-Speaker/dp/B000062VUO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385182271&sr=8-1&keywords=Klipsch+ProMedia+2.1

Kevin


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## Wandering (Feb 27, 2012)

There is this system, it is also THX and well reviewed. Here's another for even less with reviews so good it's beyond suspect.

I have the Creative Labs Gigaworks T20s, I've been very pleased with them. They finally did blutooth model upgrade to the system, it's now called a T30, pause to roll my eyes.


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## nightscape (Jun 22, 2013)

I bought the Klipsch 2.1 system about 4 years ago for my desktop and they've always sounded great.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

If you have a high quality audio setup available I would personally never trade it for laptop speakers. Either carry your lap top to the other room, get a streaming server setup (probably out of a $100 budget) or a long cable. A long cable will result in some audio degradation but still better than most laptop speakers in my opinion.


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

I'd recommend the Harman Kardon "soundsticks". They sound fantastic and look great. I've been using them for years, they have even been used as a standalone system with an iPod for a while.
A bit over your budget but maybe with some shopping on the www....

Cheers,
Jos


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

Stream it to the other room. Best of all worlds.


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## BillT (Nov 3, 2013)

quack said:


> , get a streaming server setup (probably out of a $100 budget) or a long cable. A long cable will result in some audio degradation but still better than most laptop speakers in my opinion.


What is a "streaming server"? I Googled it but I could not understand it. (Pity me, I am a mere former SW engineer turned physics teacher.)

Thanks,

Bill


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

It's basically a wifi hifi, it is a box that connects wirelessly to your wifi network (or a direct wired network connection) so you can stream audio or video to it. Then it either has speakers and can play the music your laptop is sending to it or you plug it direct into your hifi.

I haven't really kept up with this so i'm a bit out of date the three main ones were Sonos, Logitech Squeezebox and Apple Airport but there are lots of others now that seem to be in your budget. Here are a couple, can't really vouch for quality though.

http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-NeoTV-Streaming-Player-NTV200/dp/B005MJWGJC/ref=pd_sim_e_4
http://www.walmart.com/ip/D-Link-MovieNite-Streaming-Player-DSM310/20666759


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

I was assuming, maybe wrongly, that the OP was wanting a good sound system where his laptop is located. Otherwise the ideal thing to do would be to by a cable and connect the laptop directly to the good sound system. 

Kevin


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

If he already has a wifi network, streaming is a LOT better than running wires between rooms. I use Apple's airport to stream throughout my whole house wirelessly. I can turn it on and off in each room individually and control playback from my iPhone.


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## Hans Somers (Nov 23, 2013)

Harman Cardon Soundsticks 2
Or via audio out cable into a stereo amplifier


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## BillT (Nov 3, 2013)

bigshot said:


> If he already has a wifi network, streaming is a LOT better than running wires between rooms. I use Apple's airport to stream throughout my whole house wirelessly. I can turn it on and off in each room individually and control playback from my iPhone.


Does a Roku box qualify as a "streaming server"? The description says that, in addition to being able to get NetFlix for my TV, it allows this:

Plus gets loads of other entertainment choices, including:
Music from Spotify, Amazon Cloud Player, Pandora, MOG, Rdio, VEVO and TuneIn

I'm not really sure how this would get connected to my TV as well as my laptop and my audio system....

Does anyone care to comment on whether it is worth the extra $50 to get Roku-3 as opposed to Roku-1?

Thanks,

Bill


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## BillT (Nov 3, 2013)

OK, I got the appropriate wiring to connect my laptop (Dell Studio 16) to my hifi. It sounds awful. Well, it does sound better than the speakers on my laptop. What quality should one expect from YouTube?

- Bill


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

Hi Bill,

I often pump Youtube into my proper stereo and I can live with it happily, in fact I enjoy discovering new works or renditions in this format. Sound quality is ofcourse way different from vinyl, first thing you'll notice is the difference in volume with those compressed, low bitrate streams, for normal listening the volumepot goes to 11 or 12 o clock, whereas with vinyl 9 or 10 is already very loud. 
Also the sound is obviously "thinner" and less detailed, but still enjoyable. After all: it's about the music, isn't it?

What did you decide to buy in the end for your "computersystem"?

Ah, misread your last post. Hooked up to normal stereo, it is. 

Cheers,
Jos


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## Rackon (Apr 9, 2013)

Alas, garbage in garbage out. Most YT audio is highly compressed, tonally thin and lacking in dynamics. It is what it is. Built-in laptop speakers are tinny and awful so external speakers are much better, but a high end music system will reveal a source for just what it is.

If you are interested in listening to music via web sources I strongly suggest you check out audioasylum.com. The inmates there can help you.


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

Maybe a better soundcard for the laptop will improve things, but that's more costs.
I don't use Windows-based computers, but really am happy with the sound those little Apple devices produce, (pod,pad and Mac) it is not my only source, thank heavens, but it is not garbage, well not really anyways
Maybe the tubes smooth things out a bit......

Cheers,
Jos


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