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Small and cheap portable speakers for laptop (and student)?


Jim Feeley

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I don't want to divert the discussion in the other speaker thread, so...

My son is heading off to college in the fall and he plans on majoring in music (probably a mix of jazz performance and some sort of composing). He'll be living in a dorm with limited personal space... we're looking for some decent speakers/monitors for recreational listening and perhaps working through some of his homework. He'll probably rely on headphones for careful listening (no problem; there are plenty of those around here). But we're not sure what to look at or buy for speakers. NFMs I have down...cheaper and smaller speakers, I'm not so sure...

We'd like something powered, compact (not much desk space), decent, and cheap (there are plenty of other expenses associated with this major...we need to buy him some better saxes and oboe, etc). I've poked around gearslutz, but that's a huge site and I didn't find an answer there. Besides, I know you all better. 

So what do you all use for pleasure listening when traveling?

Any thoughts about Mackie CR4, Alesis Elevate 5; are those too big? The various smaller monitors from Behringer, M-Audio, and others? Some sort of bluetooth speaker? We're hoping to spend less than $150US for a pair.  

Thanks.

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Glenn Sanders made me aware of the Bose Computer Speakers, which are surprisingly good. The old ones (black color) are actually better-sounding than the newer gray/aluminum model. Those and a pair of decent earbuds would work fine for a college student. There are in-ear monitors that sound extremely accurate (like the Etymotics), but they're not cheap.

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If size and portability are definitely the most important factors;

 I own and have been using UE mini boom in my apartment, on/off set for over a year now and they are surprisingly balanced sounding for what they are. They also hold the charge quiet well.

http://www.amazon.com/UE-MINI-Wireless-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B00E9YIFQ4

 

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These aren't wireless, but I like the sound of these 2.1 Logitech Z523's. They're about 100 bucks a set. The little sub on it's own amp/pot sounds very warm and rich as you add bass...

I have several pair. I'd buy another. I took some industrial Velcro® and stuck the two speakers to the side of the sub and keep them like that. Even for playing back tracks I've just recorded..the sub really exemplifies the 416's lows for critical listening.

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It looks as though they are discontinued now, but a couple of years ago I picked up some Roland MA-15D's http://www.roland.com/products/ma-15d/ on a lark at a Black Friday Sale and have to say I love them. 

They sound great and I love having an actual volume knob and a headphone input on the speakers, so if you do want to use headphones, there's no need for the 'reach around' that you might have to do with an iMac-style computer.

Might be some used ones out there.

For travel, I have a Bose SoundLink Mini, and love it, too. Very portable, good battery life, easy to set up. I've heard music played on both the Beats Pill and the SoundLink Color and the SoundLink Mini sounds way better, IMO.

Cheers,

R

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  • 1 month later...

+1 on the Bose Soundlink Mini, I use it on the cart, in the car, at home, or with a Comtek strapped to it to put anywhere needed. it is a little bassy but perfect for casual listening. Also +1 on the KRK Rokit 5. I have two sets that I picked up refurbished. They are a lot of bang for the buck and pretty flat considering the price. I use a set with a small sub in the living room for movie watching and it is usually too much! They are tough enough that I have used them for light duty music playback jobs and they were great! My $0.02

Edited by Alistair Duff
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