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	5 PACK of Black Speaker Wall Mount Brackets for Bose,Sony,Samsung & more Sale Price: £32.98
	Description The BT33 / BT332* are a Universal Wall Mounts for small Home Cinema and Surround Satellite Speakers. The BT33 / BT332 come complete with full hardware and fixings kit and are easy to mount. They are designed for speakers with a weight up to 3...

	Companion® 5 multimedia speaker system Sale Price: £299.00

	Edifier Life Style E3350 2.1 3pce Speaker System 2 x 9W + 32W RMS Sub Sale Price: £49.00

	Edifier M1250 2.0 USB PC Speaker Sale Price: £12.25

	Companion® 2 multimedia speaker system List Price: £99.00 Sale Price: £89.95 You save: £9.05 (9%)
	Description The Companion 2 multimedia system represents quality in sound and style over most computer speaker set-ups. Delivering sharp, expansive sound for music, films and games, these sleek and compact speakers fit easily on your desk to unleash your computers true audio potential...

Edifier Life Style E1100 Plus 2.1 3pce Speaker System 2 X 5W Satellites + 12W Rms Sub Sale Price: £39.99

Description Connector Type:1 x audio line-in ( mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ), Power Device:Power adapter - external, Input Impedance:10 kOhm, Signal-To-Noise Ratio:85 dB, Audio Amplifier:Integrated, Response Bandwidth:20 - 20000 Hz, Speaker Type:Active, Magnetic Shield:Yes, Connectivity Technology:Wired, System Components:2 speakers, subwoofer, Nominal Output Power (Total):21 Watt, Driver Details (2nd speaker):Subwoofer : 1 x subwoofer driver - 4...

Recommendations for my new PC Speakers?

I'm thinking of improving the sound quality by buying a new 2+1 set for my PC. I'm actually between Altec Lansing FX4021 and JBL Creature II series. I'm also open for any other options such as brands like Bose (more expensive options)
Thanks in advance for any help!

If you already have a 2.1 set for your computer, there's not much to gain by getting a new 2.1 set. Allow me to explain...

There are multiple aspects of speakers to consider when choosing a system.

First of all, most computer speaker systems are of the "subwoofer-satellite" design, meaning they have 2 small speakers (satellites) and then a subwoofer. This design has both pros and cons. Pros: it's easier to place than other designs (the satellites fit nicely on your desk, and the subwoofer can be shoved in a corner or under a desk). Cons: sound quality can suffer. Think of it this way: from highest pitch to lowest pitch, the range of audio that humans can hear can be divided into 3 parts: treble, midrange, and bass. Satellites are supposed to cover both treble and midrange, whereas the subwoofer covers the bass region. However, many computer speaker manufacturers today are trying to make their computer speakers smaller--which does make them easier to fit on desks, but it also makes it hard for the satellites to accurately produce the midrange part of audio. So, computer manufacturers have 2 choices: a) create a system that does not produce the midrange well, which means you will have tinny-sounding satellites and a subwoofer, with nothing in between to make it sound right; or b) make the subwoofer cover part of the midrange. This will help prevent the satellites from sounding tinny; HOWEVER, it is easier to hear where midrange is coming from than where bass is coming from. So if you play a music on one of these systems, you will then hear the singers/instruments come out of both the satellite speakers AND the subwoofer, which won't sound right.

Both of the speakers you mentioned actually fit into both categories. Let's start with the JBL Creature II speakers.

The JBL creature speakers are definitely a speaker system whose "subwoofer" covers the midrange. A good subwoofer, one that covers only the bass, should cover frequencies (pitch) no higher than 80hz (80 hertz--higher hertz equals higher pitch). The JBL creature II subwoofer, however, covers sounds up to 180 hz, which means it's covering more than an octave above the bass region (One octave above 80hz would be 160hz). And yet I'd guess that at least part of the midrange will still be missing. Why? Because I used to have a 2.1 sub-satellite system with 3" drivers and a slightly lower (but similar) crossover frequency, and the midrange wasn't very good. Lastly, the speaker inside the subwoofer is only 4 inches in diameter. Trust me, the only way you can make a 4" speaker produce any deep bass is with large amounts of equalization--and even then, the speaker will produce large amounts of distortion because of how hard it has to work just to produce bass at low volumes.

Now, onto the Altec Lansing. Similar story. I don't know exactly how much of the audio range the subwoofer covers (the system seems to be discontinued, so I can't find a manual to download), but I'm guessing it's a similar story. As for the "isobaric" configuration in the subwoofer, each speaker in there is only 5.25 inches in diameter. Same story; don't expect any deep, high-quality bass from the thing. Again, I'm also guessing the satellites will be lacking in the midrange.

Besides that, you also should consider distortion. At its rated power, the JBL Creatures distort the sound by 10% (10% thd + noise for the satellites, same for the subwoofer). If nothing else, AT LEAST try to get the amount of distortion to less than 5%, if not less than 2 or 3 percent. If the manufacturer doesn't list the distortion on the spec sheet, that's most likely a red flag.

Also consider how sturdy the speaker's enclosure is. If it's made of lightweight, flimsy plastic, that's not a good sign. If it's made of wood-like substances (MDF, HDF, plywood) that is very thick and heavy, that IS a good sign. Most computer speakers have thin flimsy plastic for the satellites and thin particleboard for the subwoofer (not good).

Personally, since you said you were open to more expensive options, I would consider buying a separate receiver/amplifier and some non-computer speakers. You can get a decent receiver for $100 or less, or a good one for $200 or less; you can also find good deals at yard sales sometimes (for example, I just found a Kenwood VR409 surround sound receiver at a yard sale for $25). Same thing for speakers, and remember to check how sturdy the cabinets are; if you know absolutely nothing about brands, this can help you distinguish good from bad.

Okay, a few more things to consider (and if you remember nothing else from my absurdly long answer, please remember this). Surround sound systems do not necessarily sound better than 2.1 systems (email2suryaz's answer is wrong). A good surround sound system can sound better than a good stereo system, but a bad surround sound system can sound much worse than a good stereo system. Additionally, new speakers do not necessarily sound better than old speakers. However, if you choose a separate receiver/amplifier and non-computer speakers, I would recommend equipment no more than 15 years old; many speakers and amplifiers older than 15 years require maintenance to sound their best. And lastly, do NOT get Bose. Bose = less quality for more money. Here are a few links:

http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheat…

http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheat…

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7596_102-0.h…

As another example, here is a look at the extremely cheap components they use in their multi-thousand-dollar Lifestyle systems:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=111999