Can anybody recommend a cheap 2:1 speaker setup that has a decent frequency response, especially in the mids? My current setup is great for bass and treble and works fine for watching DVDs and playing games, but is not much good for mixing with the great big notch in the frequency. I will probably get myself some monitoring headphones later but does anyone have any suggestions for decent PC speakers that are more suitable for music, as well as the other usual computer tasks?

Mostly you get what you pay for to be honest... so how much are you looking to spend? At our studio 2 people are using genelecs which are quite nice but i prefer my blue sky's, the bass feels a bit tighter and i 'feel' they go down further. A 2.1 system from either of them is about $2k (approx, i'm in the UK). But Mackie's are also nice... i donno, i could list a load of monitors but like i said, you really get what you pay for (mostly).

I couldn't mix without a sub though, i think they're worth their weight in gold... and they're pretty heavy :)

Ah, i just noticed you said 'cheap', i guess you mean consumer cheap rather than studio cheap which makes the above a little too overkill, sorry.

anyway, we have 2 creative 5.1 systems for consumer testing, one is the top of the range model (i forget the name) and the other is more mid/low range. The difference is pretty remarkable given the cost difference isn't great. It's mostly that the sub ends up doing more of the work in the lower model so they can make the satelites cheaper, problem is you lose the directionality and hence 'stereoness' when too much is redirected to the sub. Also the difference in bass is pretty big too, you really need a big volume to push large amounts of bass frequency so the cheaper subs just sound too 'wwwooooo' for my liking.... On the whole we were VERY unimpressed with the cheaper model in comparision... so it's worth shelling out for more in my opinion...

So i guess what i'm trying to say is... um... you get what you pay for.... again :)

i was looking for the same a short while ago, and settled for the klipsch promedia 2.1 set (*not* gmx). vector warrior has it right in that you get what you pay for, and the mid tones seem to be a hard thing to get right for consumer level hardware, but from what i've read and now heard, these seem to be the best in the price range (and with a minimal amount of eq tweaking, you can basically perfect it with very little distortion). basically they sound great, can go very very loud, and still have good range even at a low volume and subwoofer basically off (important for me cause i have neighbors next to and below me with only hardwood floors to shield them). one nice thing is that they have little mid-bass drivers in the sattelites to keep the low end relatively strong even with subwoofer off.

they're pretty cheap, i think i got mine from dell for $150 including shipping...there are a few cheaper places (amazon of all sites seems to have it for a good price), and sometimes the klipsch site offers refurbished units for a lot less, but they get snapped up pretty quickly.

a few reviews:
ign
anandtech
audaud

as a slightly cheaper alternate, i would suggest the Logitech Z-2300 speakers, but they are definitely tinny in the mid range without some serious eq adjustments (a friend has them and they are just fine, though, and phenomenal for the price).

Yeah, this is not a home studio really, just a standard home PC that I'm using for a bit of composition and mixing on the side. I don't expect much, but then you have to bear in mind I am certainly no audiophile and I doubt I would notice the difference in many cases. Really I'm just hoping that I can find something that is considered decent for computer speakers and which isn't solely for games/films. I'm guessing something like the Altec Lansing MX5021 set might be ok, because they at least have separate mid-range drivers and tweeters.

Edit: I will also take a look at the Klipsch promedia 2.1 set.

I use Sony MDR-7506 Professionals for music. I've never been a fan of using speakers when writing music I like having headphones on.

As for my gaming speakers I use a Altec Lansing setup. I paid something like $129.99 2-3 years ago for them. it's a 5 speaker setup. for the money I'm very happy with them.

Imo Promedia GMX series is worth the extra money for the bass if you're going to watch dvd with them.

I spent a lot of time at Best Buy, listening to personal speakers with a critical ear.

I prefer Logitech's over creatives, klipsch, altec lansing...Theres just something about them, they have a rich midrange, sounds nice and full. Not pro in any way, but for consumer speakers, I turn to Logitech setups.

As a prejudiced rule of thumb, I run from anything trying to tell me that speakers that are thinner than my thumb are rich, or full sounding.