Why are the built-in speakers on desktop monitors so terrible?

briany

I remember back when I got a HP Pavilion PC in 2004. The monitor was only a little 15" thing, but it had two small speakers on the front of it that could fill out a room with sound, surprisingly enough.

However, the two monitors I've had since then, while larger, have had such poor built-in sound as to make you wonder why the manufacturers even bother including it. Quiet and tinny.

It's not a problem limited to computer monitors, either. It affects many models of flat panels, too. If you want any oomph, you're looking at outboard speakers of one kind or another.

Do monitors with decent in-built speakers still exist (good volume and bass)? Or are they regarded as increasingly vestigial?

K.O.Kiki

Probably because they figured that most people would just have cheap speakers lying about.

PC speakers seem to have regressed in recent years though.

dr.fuzzenstein

Everything is sh*tty speakers these days.
Beefy, heavyweight HiFi from the 70's has been replaced by sh*tty, built in laptop, pad or mobile phone speakers or crappy earphones.
No one has any good speakers anymore.
Even if people buy external speakers or docking stations, they buy cheap crap.
Really, 99% of music is consumed via speakers that sound like an old style telephone. Nobody cares about sound quality or would know it if it blew their toupee off.
So anyone developing speakers doesn't care, because anyone listening doesn't care.
There might be 1% of audiophiles and 99% don't care if it sounds like a cat farting into a tin can.

edit:
Something useful as well!
If you want something decent, get an old stereo secondhand and hook that up.

magentis

It's all about fitting them into a sleek small frame design with no regard for audio quality these days.Pay two grand for a tv and be expected to hang a sound bar to get decent audio ffs!

magentis

And most sound bars are shíte too!

magentis

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Everything is sh*tty speakers these days.
Beefy, heavyweight HiFi from the 70's has been replaced by sh*tty, built in laptop, pad or mobile phone speakers or crappy earphones.
No one has any good speakers anymore.
Even if people buy external speakers or docking stations, they buy cheap crap.
Really, 99% of music is consumed via speakers that sound like an old style telephone. Nobody cares about sound quality or would know it if it blew their toupee off.
So anyone developing speakers doesn't care, because anyone listening doesn't care.
There might be 1% of audiophiles and 99% don't care if it sounds like a cat farting into a tin can.

edit:
Something useful as well!
If you want something decent, get an old stereo secondhand and hook that up.

It's mad isn't it.You could buy an oul stereo on adverts for
100 euro that would give far better audio than the latest and greatest tv.A nice old amp and a pair of late 80's early 90's speakers.Sorted.

Most people just don't bother making the effort though.

ED E

This



does not fit in this



So you get this

K.O.Kiki

Having said all that:
I'm eyeing up the Razer Nommo.
https://www.razerzone.com/eu-en/gaming-audio/razer-nommo

€110 with free shipping

TerrorFirmer

It's not that people don't care. There just isn't really space at all in modern ultra slim panels to deliver the same sound quality and people don't mind compromise in most cases as ED E pointed out above.

It's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. I've a reasonably high-end Samsung set and the sound from the built-in speakers is pretty solid. I used to have a proper amp + speakers and while it was obviously superior I can live with the drop in quality for convenience.

I do have a good set of speakers and headphones for my actual PC though.

Serephucus

This amplifier, with these speakers (or these, if you have more money to spend) will completely blow the doors of any "PC Speakers".

Started using bookshelf speakers a couple of years ago. Doubt I'll ever be going back to gaming/PC sets.

Dyr

I run a laptop and desktop through the telly into an old sony amp and 15 watt speakers through the telly digital out, blows the arse out of most desktop 2.1 sets