Bought new speakers for the desktop PC

I had to buy new speakers for my PC because I sold the Logitech Z623 speakers before leaving Japan.

I checked the prices of the speakers in Australia and I was disappointed with the prices. The Z623 which I paid around $100 in Japan, was going for $150 or more. If it was around $100 mark, I would have happily bought another set of Z623.

Perhaps it was for the best.

Because, if I bought the Z623, then I would have had to keep the subwoofer on the floor which gives my kid easy access to wires. It would look messy too.

So I decided to get a set of stereo speakers instead. I number one requirement was them not to sound rattling at high volume (i.e. when watching movies). I could get such speakers if I spent few hundred dollars, but they would be large. The desk I bought to keep the PC was only 108cm wide. The SG13 is about 22cm wide, the QNIX display is about 64cmw wide. This gives me about 22cm for speakers, unless I move the PC onto the ground, which was only the last resort.

Initially I did not pay much attention to the dimension of the speakers. I wanted to a decent pair of stereo speakers. These will be like studio monitors, with a flat response.

The first one I came across was Edifier R1280T. They had very high reviews and people were claiming they were delivering far better sound that what their price tag suggested. They are not cheap by any means in my book, at $129, but that is very little money compared to what audiophiles spend on gear. The only issue was them being 14.6cm wide.

But I found a set of speakers which fit my profile. The Edifier Exclaim E10. They are lean and tall, with a fat base. Their base extends from front to rear, instead of from left to right, so the base is only about 10cm wide. I read few reviews on it and found them to perform admirably well. I was sceptical though. With just two tweeters and a small woofer on the base, how would they compare to the power of Z623 speakers that I am used to listening to? They weren't cheap either. They had a price tag of $110.

I was unsuccessful at finding a better alternative, so finally decided to go ahead with the E10s. The store that I found them for $110 was an eBay store of a local shop. The price on the website of the shop was higher than their eBay store. Weird, but I went with the cheaper option.

I received the speakers in a couple of days. Actually, I had to collect them from the nearby post office as I was not home when the delivery man arrived.

They were very nicely packed inside the box. The only issue with the speakers was the proprietary cable that connected the main speaker (the one on the right) to the other one. I hope it won't go kaput soon after the warranty runs out.

The quality of the speakers is great. They do not have the power of the Z623, but they are very clear. Still, they deliver ample power for their size. The bass is strong, for speakers without a subwoofer.

The only thing I find irritating is the the volume control buttons. They are up down digital switches, and the speaker does not appear to remember the last set value. I prefer to set them at max in the speakers and control the volume level from the PC, but that cannot be done with these. I wish they had an analog volume control knob instead.