What would you get for $100-150?

Dayton Audio DTA-1 Class T Digital Mini Amplifier $34

...and ....

Pioneer SP-BS22-LR $129

...is about the best combo for that kind of money.

I would say the BS21's are a better deal, for only $50pr right now

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117405

Not sure how necessary the amazon need is, but that's a crazy deal for a pair of real speakers.

I actually like the Lepai 2020A+ better than the DTA-1 because it has one set of RCA inputs and one 3.5mm stereo input, plus bass and treble controls.

I've purchased both and prefer the Lepai.
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=310-300

The Pioneer BS22s are much better than the BS21s. The BS41s are another choice within your budget. If you could squeeze $19 plus the aforementioned gift cards you could get the Cambridge S30s.

Yes the BS22 is a real nice option - and will go down lower than the BS21
The BS22 measured -3db at 63 hz > and measured lower than the BS41.

For a little more money - the Cambridge S30 is my preference.

The Audioengine has limited bass response, and the midrange can be weak.

for my computer desktop setup i have that lepai amp and a pair of bs21s. pllenty of power more than i need. the speakers sound great, very clear natural sound. i have not heard the new bs22s though.

if you end up with the lepai though, you should upgrade the power supply to a 5 amp. the one it comes with is weak and will cut off power too early.

it happens when you turn it up too loud, the sound is shut off, then you have to turn volume down to get sound again. i had a 5 amp computer monitor power supply that i wasnt using and replaced the stock one. now that doesnt happen. believe me that little amp puts out plenty of power. i even tried it on some towers from my home theater setup, the pioneer fs51s and worked great.

I use the Audioengine 2 speakers with my PC. They have no bass to speak of, but I don't understand the comment that the midrange can be weak. That is not true in my experience, and is certainly the opposite of what the Stereophile reviewer had to say about them. The midrange is excellent.

I use a cheap Sony 12" subwoofer with them; it is adequate for the limited space and low volume I need.

I think this would be a nice budget setup since you can't go with the Cambridge speakers (the S30s are a definite step up in quality).

The Polk Monitor 40's are on sale for $109 a pair on newegg right now

Moved
Edited by rswanker - 1/25/13 at 11:06am

I own a few pairs of the Pioneer BS-21s and several of the little Dayton and Lepai class D amps. I also own a pair of Audioengine A2s with the little wedge stands that I use on my desktop. I seriously considered another Pioneer/Lepai setup for the desk, but I decided against them for the reasons below.

So... Would the Pioneers + a D-amp sound better in most applications than the A2s? Yeah probably. But on a desktop? For that I'm less sure. They're really big. And the waveguide around the tweeter pushes the CTC distance pretty wide. Extreme nearfield listening is going to put you pretty far off axis for one driver or the other. How far are the speakers going to be from your ears? As for the bass, I've found the A2s completely adequate. I think the reinforcement from my desk and monitor help.

Then there are the practical considerations. The Pioneers are seriously big for a typical desktop setup. Do you have room to put them on your desk? Far enough from your head to avoid being far off axis for one driver? Without putting their rear ports all the way against the wall? I don't, but maybe you do. The A2s are signal sensing and go into a low power usage mode when they aren't being used. Will you leave the Lepai amplifier on all the time (with its overly bright blue light ring), or will you turn it off when you aren't using it? For me, I was pretty sure I'd end up leaving it off much of the time and have no sound at all. Then when I did turn it on, I'd forget to turn it back off when I walked away from the computer.

And last is looks. I like the look of the Pioneers, but them plus an amplifier on my already crowded desk would have just looked silly. And the A2s are the cutest little speaker I've ever seen. In person they just look fantastic. Their finish and level of visual refinement is a definite step above the Pioneers.

Anyway, that's how I made my decision for desktop sound. I hope it helps. Good luck making yours.
Edited by pitviper33 - 1/25/13 at 12:20pm