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Re: Cheap desktop audio

I would stay away from the usual Logitech and Creative computer speakers and look towards the pro-sumer active monitors. I did alot of listening and research for an inexpensive desktop audio system. Ive listen to lots of speakers and sound cards in the under $300 price range. Heres what I reccomend in order of price
Speakers:
M-audio AV40 $150
Swan m200 $200
Wharfedale 8.1 active $250


Soundcards:
Creative Xfi xtreme audio $59
M-audio 24/96 $79
Emu 0404 $99
Emu 1212m $150
M-audio 24/192 $150

It really comes down to what you want to spend and how big a speaker your willing to use. The M-audios are the smallest and cheapest and while they sound quite good they aren't as good as the other two. The Swan and Wharfedales are pretty close in size but there is a $50 difference in price. That extra $50 is worth it IMO, it buys you a true bi-amped monitor with separate 60w woofer/40w tweeter amplifiers.
As for the soundcards, they will all do what you want as far as sounding good and letting you record your LPs to your computer, it really comes down to which brand you like better and how many input/outputs you need. Id say the Emu 1212m is probably the best of the bunch but you can ask around for other opinions. I hope this helps you put together a nice desktop system for your PC. Good luck and happy listening!



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  • Re: Cheap desktop audio - Frank25 02/3/0709:21:12 02/3/07 (0)


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