I was very happy with my Cambridge SoundWorks 2.1 speakers but decided the upgrade them as they are quite a few years old now and all my new gear is black and silver.

I only use the speakers to listen to audio, not for gaming or movies, but I prefer the sub/sat combination as it gives that little extra kick to the low end frequencies that small PC stereo speakers can't possibly manage. I bought some Creative Inspire T3100 2.1 speakers (RRP £35) and gave them a try but they just didn't sound right. The sats were soft and the sub was warm and woolly. I then tried the Creative GigaWorks T30 speakers (RRP £70). These sounded amazingly clear and detailed but as expected, due to the lack of sub, there was no weight or warmth to the sound. There was also a technical fault which produced a high pitched whining/whistling sound from both tweeters when the speakers warmed up so they were returned. ( Apparently, there are plenty of others who are suffering from this same problem - Gigaworks T20 - ringing sound problem. )

I would like to update my current speakers but failing that it's off to Halfords for a tin of matt black spray paint for my existing Cambridge SoundWorks.

So, what speakers are you using, are happy with them, what others do you like and what would you recommend?

Problem solved!

OK, so I wanted Hi-Fi quality audio from my PC and didn't have any faith in those plastic boxes that the computer outlets stocked so I did some digging around. The current config uses an active sub and 2 satellite speakers. I realized that if I wanted decent sound I'd have to spend a little bit of decent cash and not cut any corners.

The result - 2 x Bose Acoustimass 5, series III cubes, powered and controlled through the existing active sub and connected to a Creative Technology Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic sound card.

One very happy listener.

That Bose stuff is amazing, pricey, but amazing.

I'm the opposite to you, I'm quite happy with the tinny (tinny and tiny) little speakers enclosed in my TFT monitor.

I just want sound

Been running an Audiophile 24/96 since they were around £200. But of course there're no Vista drivers for it. Bunged in a £10 Trust from theBay as on-board sound was dire. Now blown up that mobo and my latest has Realtech 8 channel soun of which being a hifi purest I only use 2. The sound is great and it also seems to provide 24/96 but also 24/192 which I've been after for ages. Some options for me to explore. Also sold the £1600 Shanling and am running a dodgy old Panasonic DVD/VHS combi which also sounds great.
I've had similar discrepancies with expensive othe CDPs and I guess can but trust my ears - maybe I've got cheap ears.
The biggest problem though with all hifi is the sound quality of the software - GIGO - garbage in = garbage out.