Computer Speakers Not made in China


Hi- I am looking for computer speakers to run without a separate sound card in the 550-$150 range. I prefer not to buy things made in China. Any ideas?
luc
thats a tall order in todays market.Though they say might say made in the USA or wherever. The parts used most likely come from china and assembled elsewhere.Face it, you can't get away from the sleeping GIANT.
you would have to buy some older 1990's minimonitors and use those but then you'll need an amp.. like PSB, JBL control series, Paradigm, or JPW made some very small very good speakers with 4" cone.. used around $100 pair.
OR get the Bose powered single 4.5" drivered thing, AR, JBL and I think Advent (?) made a small powered speaker to use in a portable fashion also. ebay.
What's your budget?

If $200 to $500 then IMO you're best off with a People's speaker such as Audioengine (watch the annoying 6 dB bass bump) or M-Audio. If $2000 then check out Dynaudio 110A (would be my choice) and there's a few other higher end ones. There's a lot of others but you run into size issues. I'd be interested in hearing what you go with. B&H has a lot of mid-priced speakers but I haven't heard that many recommended such as the genelec for example. You eventually have to ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish. I have two nice systems and I ask myself how much do I want to work on an audiophile computer setup and possibly drop two or three grand on it. Well, actually the answer is yes, I would but...
I believe some of the Mackie powered speakers are made in the USA, while others are made in Italy. No direct experience with them though. As Shipo indicated, that doesn't mean parts are not outsourced from elsewhere.
yes.. forgot about the Mackie.. THOSE would be perfect I think.. Mackie makes good stuff, have used their mixers for years.. (currently using a digital Yamaha board I love)
If you can ever locate them . . . A discontinued product that was marketed to University music dept's. The KOI Tiger ... amazing product and sound. When our main system is down and in transition we set them up in the audio room via RCA i/c's. Fantastic imaging and tonal balance. Each satellite has proprietary front and side firing drivers and a separate powered subwoofer for the connections. It's my sleeper find and the build quality is like a tank. Too bad someone didn't pick up on them for an extended product run.
Using the existing built in sound card on the mother board is a big drop in perfrmance.

You will need an amp of some sort.

I picked up a pair of Infinity kappa 200s (boookshelf size) make in Denmark for 220 a pair used. Am using an M-audio Audiophile 192 card. You can stay with in your buget and buy the speakers and the card.
I agree with Wireless200 that Audioengine 2 is an excellent value. You can adjust the EQ ( to eliminate the bass bump ) and fine tune the rest to your preference. They sound great (and plenty loud for a small room) IMHO and have a small footprint on the desk. Also, they have a sleep function and come in cloth bags to go back in the box (which has a handle), if you want to take them along. I've had mine for about 4 hours, and they are keepers for sure. No, they don't pretend to be high end audio, but I'm very pleased with what I'm hearing. It's hard to go wrong at $200 delivered. I have no connection with AE other than as a customer.
Kanto ipair5 - active speaker made in Canada ($370). I use these in my office, they have an ipod dock on top and you can hook a CD player up to them. I have an Arcam Cd17 with them. Can be a bit bass heavy till broken in, but they sound very good and look good too.
I'd also like to give the AudioEngine's a nod. I've used A2's and A5's in various applications and they are overall a great value. At very close range (in front of a PC/mac), A2's are clear and defined. Could use a little more bass, but for the price... A5's have tagged along with me to many get-togethers, parties, and even a few critical listening sessions. The conclusion is always the same..there are better (not by much), but as far value...tough to beat
Harmon-Kardon has a pair of $1000 desktop speakers that look like crystal formations. No idea where they are made.
I do love the sound of the Audioengine's.
The A2 particularly...great sound and built quality, you dont need a sub...unless you are a basshead. ;)
What about Axiom? They make some cool looking computer speakers. Their speakers are made in Canada. Not sure if this applies to the little computer speaks though.