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2.0 vs 2.1 for all types of music

2.0 or 2.1

  • 2.0

    Votes: 2 22.2%

  • 2.1

    Votes: 7 77.8%
  • Total voters
    9
N

Nightfury

New Member
I've been googling for a few days already and just don't understand. Ugh.
I am a complete noob, I'm no audiophile. The best audio-related thing I have is headphones worth $100. But I want to buy new speakers for about the same value. (the old ones are for $30, if I remember correct)
What I listen to? Everything. Rock, metal, classical, techno, acoustic. I want to hear both crisp sounds coming from a violin and a beautiful female voice (i.e. Celtic Woman) and punch provided by bands like Sabaton.
I was certain about buying a 2.1 system (logitech z533) but then I stumbled upon a 2.0 system (Microlab Solo-6C), and after hearing it on youtube I was amazed at the sound it produced. Now I think of buying it or some other 2.0 system, but I'm afraid I wouldn't hear the much needed bass for Sabaton. Why? Because I've youtubed some videos and thought that they sound flat. I hear voice there, I hear instruments, but they seem to be lacking something..
Also, I'm afraid that the bass will come out strangely, as I'm used to having a dedicated subwoofer for that.
Or am I wrong? Please give me an advice, I'm losing my mind. I have $100+ for that. All I want is listen to good (by non-audiophile standards) quality music and watch an occassional movie :(
 
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Totally speaker dependent. Where are you located? If anywhere near me, maybe I can help you by playing some gear for you.
 
faber12 said:
Totally speaker dependent. Where are you located? If anywhere near me, maybe I can help you by playing some gear for you.
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Uuuh... Latvia.
Maybe you can say something about those two I mentioned, though? (Microlab Solo-6C and logitech z533) or.. Mackie cr3
 
Sorry, I know nothing about the speakers in question. I would only recommend not using a quality subwoofer if your main speakers play to ~40hz. A quality subwoofer helps all but the best speakers.

Sounds like you are asking about computer speakers? I had a set of Logitech before, and they were not too great. YMMV. Can you return them if you need to? Or demo before buying?
 
For the size speakers you are talking about I would definitely go with 2.1. The small woofers in computer type speakers do not go that low. A subwoofer will help to fill it out.

I have not heard the logitech you mentioned but they get great reviews. People seem to really like them.

Good luck with your search
 
I wouldn't go by the second video you posted. Sounds like there are some phasing issues probably due to the music quality being played.
The Microlab Solo 6C have 6.5" woofers at 50 watts per channel. That ain't too shabby by any standard,
 
faber12 said:
Sounds like you are asking about computer speakers? I had a set of Logitech before, and they were not too great. YMMV. Can you return them if you need to? Or demo before buying?
Click to expand...
What set did you have? I don't want logitech for this exact reason, logitech doesn't seem very reliable at this point (after having compared it to these microlabs that seem to have been working for a decade to some people)
elitopus said:
For the size speakers you are talking about I would definitely go with 2.1. The small woofers in computer type speakers do not go that low. A subwoofer will help to fill it out.
Click to expand...
Microlabs are about 30 cm in height, and I presume the woofers must be quite big in the setup. Why do you think it would be lacking?
valvenator said:
I wouldn't go by the second video you posted. Sounds like there are some phasing issues probably due to the music quality being played.
The Microlab Solo 6C have 6.5" woofers at 50 watts per channel. That ain't too shabby by any standard,
Click to expand...
So you're recommending me microlabs, right?^^ and I'm correct to assume that the base will be sufficient for a medium sized room?
 
Of the three you mention, the Microlabs appear to have the most potential due to the 6" woofer alone. All 2.1 desktop style systems I've heard, including ones from Logitech and Harmon Kardon quickly lose their appeal. Their tiny 2-3" "woofers" rely on a 4-5" cone in the "subwoofer" to handle everything below about 400Hz.

If Latvia is anything like the U.S., it shouldn't be hard to find someone getting rid of a small (or large) powered subwoofer for very low cost. Is Audio Pro (of Sweden) popular there? I have an Ace Bass B2-50 in my living room. Something like that would be a perfect upgrade.
 
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HTWillie said:
If Latvia is anything like the U.S., it shouldn't be hard to find someone getting rid of a small (or large) powered subwoofer for very low cost. Is Audio Pro (of Sweden) popular there? I have an Ace Bass B2-50 in my living room. Something like that would be a perfect upgrade.
Click to expand...
It's another question all by itself. Would you buy a subwoofer with the microlabs or are you just speaking about future improvements (if I'd want them)?
I can't seem to find anything with "audio pro" or "ace bass" here. Audio pro just gives me results of audio devices that say they're for pros, lol
But I believe it would be easy to find a subwoofer, that's true. I could maybe use my old one from a 2.1 system, too (?)
 
Nightfury said:
What set did you have? I don't want logitech for this exact reason, logitech doesn't seem very reliable at this point (after having compared it to these microlabs that seem to have been working for a decade to some people)
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It has been years since I had my Logitech set, but reliability was the issue.
 
Many of us recognize your desire for something more than the headphones you already have, as the first step on - what is for many people - is a long path of upgrades to further your enjoyment of music.

I'd buy a subwoofer after enjoying the Microlabs for a while, and becoming familiar with how they sound. You might decide you like them fine as they are. Conventionally, 6" cones are not enough to produce a convincing low end, so a separate subwoofer later on would be a good first upgrade.

In no way is 2.0 system automatically inferior to a 2.1 system, just because the later has a third part. And with every desktop 2.1 system I've seen, you can't upgrade the "subwoofer" to something better while keeping the "2." part.

Based on your selection of 3 speaker candidates of similar prices, I was hoping to point you in the direction that had the most potential to start with, and also have the option to upgrade, instead of starting all over with something different.

Let us know how it goes.
 
There is no "2.1" music. There is only "2.0" with bass fed to a common woofer whiich works offf the combined bass of those rwo channels.
The real "'.1" to which you refer exsts an a separate chennel in a digital sourc, like Dolby Digital or DTS.

So, what you're sking is which is better, two speaker system with q common woofer, or one without.

The truth of the matter is you can make a "2.1" speaker system out of almost any "2.0" system by simply aadding a subwoofer. But, with a pre-packaged "2.1" system, you're locked into the built in amps and speakers.

And, you can't judge sound quality from a youtube video. It will never be better thsn the equipment on which you're playing it.
 
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