Many college kids come up on these forums and ask: "What should I get for my dorm room for under $1,000 and sometimes under $500". Up until now, I reserved making any recommendations as I felt that this is not a reasonable amount for a decent sounding system.
I have stumbled upon gold, or at least entry level gold.
As I mentioned in my other posts, I picked up the M-Audio Fast Track Pro It's a great piece of gear, a regular DAC, an USB DAC and a headphone amp all in one. It sounds fantastic and I've been using it for my computer headphone set up.
The other day, as I was looking for a pair of speakers for my bedroom I stumbled upon the JBL 2.4g wireless speaker system I heard them play at a dealer and my jaw dropped! I could not believe how good these things are. They are self powered speakers that can be hooked up directly to the source or can be controlled via the wireless transmitter which attaches to your preamp outputs. They sound really good. Natural mids, good highs, pretty deep bass for the size, although not the last or even the middle word in bass articulation. With this type of set up, the speakers don't have to be next to the computer, which makes it pretty convenient. I have the speakers across my room while I have the computer with the attached electronics by my bed. Works great, the sound is better than decent.
Here's the clincher:
M-Audio Fast Track Pro = approx $150
JBL 2.4g system = approx $175
There you have it: An entry level system for $320. Way under the $500 range and absolutely perfect for the dorm room and for those on a VERY tight budget.
And don't forget that for this money, you also have a headphone solution. All that's needed is a set of headphones. Spend the $175 on a decent set of headphones and you got a speaker and a headphone system for $500.
Many college kids come up on these forums and ask: "What should I get for my dorm room for under $1,000 and sometimes under $500". Up until now, I reserved making any recommendations as I felt that this is not a reasonable amount for a decent sounding system.
I have stumbled upon gold, or at least entry level gold.
As I mentioned in my other posts, I picked up the M-Audio Fast Track Pro It's a great piece of gear, a regular DAC, an USB DAC and a headphone amp all in one. It sounds fantastic and I've been using it for my computer headphone set up.
The other day, as I was looking for a pair of speakers for my bedroom I stumbled upon the JBL 2.4g wireless speaker system I heard them play at a dealer and my jaw dropped! I could not believe how good these things are. They are self powered speakers that can be hooked up directly to the source or can be controlled via the wireless transmitter which attaches to your preamp outputs. They sound really good. Natural mids, good highs, pretty deep bass for the size, although not the last or even the middle word in bass articulation. With this type of set up, the speakers don't have to be next to the computer, which makes it pretty convenient. I have the speakers across my room while I have the computer with the attached electronics by my bed. Works great, the sound is better than decent.
Here's the clincher:
M-Audio Fast Track Pro = approx $150
JBL 2.4g system = approx $175
There you have it: An entry level system for $320. Way under the $500 range and absolutely perfect for the dorm room and for those on a VERY tight budget.
And don't forget that for this money, you also have a headphone solution. All that's needed is a set of headphones. Spend the $175 on a decent set of headphones and you got a speaker and a headphone system for $500.