Computer Speakers on a Budget?

Angela asks: "In the spirit (and utter terror) of the upcoming holiday season, I would like to ask the opinion of the Slashdot community on speaker technology. The dilemma is this: I would like to purchase computer speakers for my audiophile husband for Christmas, but I am clueless when it comes to this particular field. I am also on a budget ($200USD or less?). What computers speakers would you suggest and why?"

Comments

speakers aren't the only important thing

[vsync64]

You might first consider getting him something better than his current sound card. Internal ISA and PCI sound cards are subject to RF interference from other components inside the case. Therefore, without good shielding around the DAC and all the connections leading to the analog cable, and on the end of said cable, there will be a lot of static and noise. On many computers you will find that with no sound playing, if you turn the speaker volume up, you will hear clicking, chirping, and hissing when you do things like move the mouse.

USB audio connectors such as the Extigy and the Stereo Link, on the other hand, have an all-digital connection to the computer and shielding around all the electronic components. This will produce much cleaner sound.

There's no point getting good speakers if the audio being played on them is of poor quality.