So Sup Forums, I know headphone threads are very popular and there are various guides to buying headphones...

So Sup Forums, I know headphone threads are very popular and there are various guides to buying headphones. But why is there not the same for speakers? I'm really in the market for a new set but I have no idea where to start, except knowing I just want 2.1.

because headphones give you privacy and when you're living with people who are gonna judge you for your anime and porn tastes that is important

you fucking casual

Those look like about trash, can say the same for the sound

>not blasting your shit as hard as possible and shaking the whole house

I'm sure they are trash; I used a random image. I want speakers because I want to listen to music away from my PC, watch video from afar, or play things for other people.

You got to give a budget

/r/audiophile has a guide with recommended speakers.

Below $150, preferably.

You're not getting good quality speakers for under $150. Sorry

Different guy. My budget is 600. Audioengine A5s okay?

Depends, do you want a great sound whilst sitting at your desk, or to fill a room?

>audio engine
They are trash used by generic tech youtubers

I'd say mostly just the desk space, but living room would be a plus, too. I have a nice sound card so I assume I could drive them straight from it, too.

Hmm. For a living room system in guessing you might want 5.1/ 7.1?

I mean possibly, but given that I want to spend 600 bucks or so I was thinking the A5s and then maybe later picking up the sub. Any decent recs for a 5.1 or hell, 7.1 for sub-750 or so? My local audio shop is worthless when it comes to not being totally loaded for a speaker budget.

I have these bad boys. I love them. Absolutely love them.

Audioengine a5+

A5s are a no go. If you want something with a REALLY flat response look at the JBL LSR 308s, they're quite cheap but sound incredible. You'll probably be able to get the JBL sub as well if you do that. I have the 305s and compared to some more expensive monitors i've used nothing compares.

MB42x here.

Are these good?

They recreate an 'authentic vintage sound'. So no. They're great for reference monitors but not for constant listening

Add 100$ more and buy Pioneer BS22 + Dayton Audio Sub-1000 + any amp.
Sounds better than any pre-made 2.1 system - they usually stick shitty small subs there.

>JBL LSR 308s
These okay for on desk? 80" wide desk so they can be 6' apart. Can they be run through a computer?

energy cb-10 and onkyo tx-sr605 on the desk from dismantled living room setup. how is that compared to dedicated (smaller) DACs for quality? starting to hurt on the phsyical space

They'll be perfect. You'll need an interface/ sound card for them to plug into, a quick Google search will tell you everything you need to know about connecting it up to your PC. Also look at isolation pads, since these are designed to be used as studio monitors so they need as little interface from the desk as possible.

DESU the Micca MB42x aren't bad.
Then again I got mine for cheap used.

Okay, thanks. I'll look into them more. To be honest I didn't look much beyond the AE A5+s because that's what my local audio center had.

Yeah, the internet is definitely your friend when it comes to audio equipment. Unless you go to a store that knows what they're talking about, you'll probably end up getting overpriced, overhyped garbage.

What pads would you rec for them? Anything from Amazon actually fit their footprint?

The help is much appreciated, by the way.

They are decent in an overall sense but they are overpriced for what they are. It's kind of like Bose quietcomfort. They're actually pretty decent, just stupidly overpriced, unlike the rest of Bose's products which are amazingly shitty and even more ridiculously overpriced.

To put it another way: Not a whole lot of people buy the A5's and ever think, "This sounds like shit." But at the same time, those same people could've bought something else and gotten even better sound for the same price.

Also second question, my audio card is the Creative Sound Blaster ZxR which has 2x RCA Out (L / R), what cables would work best for connecting directly to the computer? My turntable has my amp.

LSR305 is the king of price/performance
LSR310S not so much, but still a good sub and you generally don't want to pay less than $300-400 for a competent sub in the first place.