new here, need help putting together a system

[Mr Peabody]

I'd suggest looking at the Audio Engine amplified speakers. They have a set at $199.00. These do decent bass, the sound quality is excellent. However, it's a small 2-way speaker with a hefty 10 watt amp and probably not going to do well playing Rap at a high level. The step up version that last check was about $349.00 offers a 6 1/2 woofer, a 45 watt amp and a USB input for charging mp3 or power while play. This may be over your budget but they will take you from computer speakers that may sound as good as a boom box to real high fidelity sound. The power rating is true watts to conservative. They also will need several hours of break in before sounding right. I bought the little ones for my daughter and out of the box they didn't impress. After about 20 hours or so of constant play I walked in and my jaw dropped. And, as far as space, all you have is two speakers, the controls are on the back and the amp is built in, you never see it.

[cgibsong002]

blackraven, i mentioned my budget was about $200 or so.

mr peabody, i checked out the audio engine site. if they had a full system (speakers and sub) for $350, i'd consider that. but unless i missed something, all i saw was a set of speakers for $200, and then the bass was sold separate at $350, which is much too far over my budget. i'm not looking for something incredible, i'd just like an upgrade. to be honest, i'm fairly happy with how my $50 speakers perform. I'd imagine i could get something good enough for $200.

oh, and if it makes a difference, i don't need insane bass as i don't listen to rap music. i listen to metal/rock. i don't need huge booming bass but i would like quality bass.