Subwoofer

I am currently looking for a subwoofer speaker system for my laptop strong enough to shake my body. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no experience with subwoofers. Any ideas?

I've been doing a bit of googling and found that the Klipsch Promedias 2.1 have huge bass and are great for the price. I am thinking about buying this. If any of you guys own this system, does it make your kidneys jiggle or what? If not, I might expand my budget.

 

The ProMedia 2.1 is a very bass-capable system. I also recommend the Z-2300; I have one and I can feel the bass at the other end of my house down the stairs. If you're looking for bass to knock you on your butt, the Z-2300 will not disappoint.

 

If you can find the Logitech Z-2300 and afford it I would strongly recommend it. I have this system and the sound quality, range and bass are all amazing. It will knock your pictures off the walls and pierce your eardrums without distorting at all. For the price I doubt you can do better.

 

Forget both of those companies. Both are horrible! They both blow out easily and i have tested the Z2300 great for their time yes they are but you want tight deep sub that will shake the house then go for these!! Swan M50W
Man it's only 75 watts but when playing very low decibel music or a film like a space show, SGU, BSG etc.. Most of the house shakes and man what a price for them too, the clarity is amazing after their fully broken in. Also check these out. I am going to get these.

Amazon.com: Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2500 High-Power 2.1 PC Speaker System (CA-SP211NA): Electronics
And finally these has the most power from a sub.
S730 Multimedia Speaker
It is the most expensive out of all but it has the most shaking, and tightness.
Check these out also but also you didn't post what was your budget?
http://estore.nuforce.com/categories/Speaker-and-Subwoofer/
And the Pro Media is good too but those subs always burn out, i had mine for 8 months before it went and mind you i don't push my subs like that hard. I have a coupon for the Edifier's also.

 

I know there are better sounding sets available in higher price ranges and since sound is subjective I'm sure some people prefer other speakers in the same price range as the z2300, but where are you getting this idea that Logitech is a horrible company who's speakers blow out easily?

There are 4 sets of logitech computer speakers in my family and a couple more belong to friends. In my family there's two Z2300s, a higher end 5.1 system and another lower end 2.1 and weather or not you like the sound from them I would have to strongly disagree with you on quality because they have all held up amazingly. I own one of the z2300 and my sister owns the higher end 5.1 system and we both pound on our computer systems on a regular basis with no issues over the years.

Also I don't know why they are so expensive on Amazon but if you look around Z2300s can be found for under $200. I got mine in Canada 3-4 years ago for less than $200 retail (same place currently has them on clearance for $155).

 

I've never had trouble with my Z-2300, and I crank them pretty damn loud fairly often.

 

Yeah that was always better than the Pro Media 2.1, my Swan M50W can be cranked up to the highest level and still sound clear and doesn't distort and the same is with the Z2300 somewhat. The Z623 just sucks horribly.

 

I have never had an audio system that could be cranked to max without distorting except for my Blackberry's internal speaker. This is including everything from a $50 boombox and my ipod to a $1000++ car audio and $1000+ home theater setup. You have to use a little common sense and self regulation when turning up the volume knob.

 

Actually, I think I'm going to just forget the little satellite speakers and opt to use all my money on only a subwoofer instead. I figure for the same money as it takes to buy a Klipsch with only a 6.5'' subwoofer I could get spend it on a subwoofer twice as large. Any thoughts?

 

If you're thinking subwoofer forget about computer manufactured products. They're all just gimmicks. In fact, the term subwoofer in that subject is an oxymoron. For example, my laptop has a built-in subwoofer. However, the idea that you could put a true functional subwoofer in a laptop is ludicrous.

Not to say that there aren't good computer based speakers, rather, that in the actual audio world as a whole, even the best of them are only at entry level at best. As long as you keep that in mind, the accolades you hear here about computer based speakers and manufacturers, won't be misleading.

 

Actually they do exist (some systems can approach $100,000), but at that volume you would suffer irreparable hearing loss within moments.

The consumer ones that you can do that with, are simply pre limited by the factory.

 

Well, I'm looking for a subwoofer to hook up to my computer, so it's not powered by my computer or attached to it or anything. I just want some earth-shattering bass and I want the input of choice to be my laptop instead of some Blu-ray player or other home theater system.

I've been browsing on Amazon, and this particular subwoofer caught me.

Amazon.com: Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black): Electronics

The comments say that it's very bassy, but is it possible to hook up to my computer?

 

Do you want to get just a sub, hook it up to your laptop and use your laptop speakers for the rest of the audio range or do you have other speakers for the rest of the sound?

Most of the consumer grade home sub woofers you find that come in a box will have built in amplifiers. That Polk audio one could be hooked up to your laptop but if you don't have other decent speakers you will not be happy with the results. Even though the subwoofer has a built in amplifier to power it, you will need to hook up an audio cable from your laptop to the subwoofer to transfer the audio signal so it wont be wireless.

 

This route could get quite expensive unless he already has some sort of home receiver. While "computer speakers" are not the best sound you can get, they are generally self amplified, simple and good enough at a price people want to pay.

 

What do you mean by regular home speakers and how much would they be?

Yea I was actually planning on just using my computer speakers with that subwoofer because my laptop actually has some good audio but no bass at all. I am not planning on moving it, so it's just gonna stay under my table.

 

Yes, I understand all that. That's why I mentioned portability. I just wanted to clarify the distinction since it wasn't made clear.

The relationship between a laptop sub woofer and one in a home stereo system is pretty much unrecognizable. The two have as much in common as a Ferrari does to a golf cart.

 

I'm not sure what laptop you have.... But a self-powered polk sub is going to annihilate any ability for you to hear your laptop (at a decent volume). I think you'll be shocked by what a simple 2.1 setup will get you in the bass department.

 

Those found in most AV stores and in home AV systems.

From about $50 to the sky's the limit.

The number of configurations are limitless. However, if you specify a price or category, you can decide among all-in-one box units specifically designed for computer connection, or those traditional smaller bookshelf units that connect to your home audio receiver. Either way, your computer can easily operate either once properly connected.

If you're satisfied with your current satellites all you need do is add a sub woofer. However, I must caution, that if you don't choose wisely, it could easily overwhelm your present satellite speakers. Make sure you configure apples to apples.

 

Pretty much any sub would overpower pretty much any laptop speakers and it would just sound horrible. Have you ever had someone with large subs in their car drive by and all you can hear is bmmmmbum bmmmmm bhummm? It would pretty much sound like that. If you just want a cheap vibrating massage chair go for it, otherwise you need some speakers that can match the sound output of the sub.

Regular home speakers for audio are usually like bookshelf, tower or loud speakers. Some sort of a case, usually containing at least a couple speakers of different size's that put out a mix of frequencies to give you a nice balanced sound. They have no internal amplification and need to be hooked up to some kind of amplifier or audio receiver. If you want great sound this is the best way to go, but it gets expensive quickly. For a cheap amplified 2-4 channel audio receiver your probably looking at $100-$200 and a decent set of speakers would be maybe another couple hundred.

In contrast you could get an entire self contained 2.1 computer set for $200 or less that would have adequate sound and bass for most. The mids wont be as rich, but overall it will be 1000x better than what your used to and you will have thumping bass.

 

For this application I think an appropriate sub would be an old car door speaker hooked up to a toaster

 

Yeah I don't think I will spend more than a couple hundred dollars for a speaker system. have only a small bedroom to myself not a large living room. I will be hooking this up to a laptop not my HDTV lol. Not too special laptop either; it's a gateway p7801u.

I think I'll give those Klpsch or maybe that z2300 another shot. I'll be going to Best Buy this week to test them out and see if they have sufficient bass to my liking.

 

Sound preference is subjective so going to test out a few for yourself is a great idea. If this is just to fill a small bedroom I'm positive that for $200 you will be able to find a 2.1 setup that sounds amazing. Keep in mind when you listen to them in the store that in the confines of a small room they will sound a lot louder.