Funny that this is the open forum topic, as I've actually had a heck of a week trying to figure out my new speaker situation.
I've had an Altec Lansing 4 speaker + subwoofer setup (AVS500) for nearly 15 years. I bought them for less than $100 along with my first 'real' computer, and they're the one component that I kept re-using through all of the upgrades and replacements, from high school through college and now through finishing my PhD (they died just after I defended!). Even though the 'rear' 2 speakers usually ended up underneath the desk on the sides--it's just too unsightly to have the cords stretching out across the floor to put them behind me--the sound quality was excellent. Unfortunately, just last week I noticed that one of my monitors seemed to be experiencing feedback. At first it was barely audible, but it gradually got louder and became noticeable enough to be annoying, like a constant rhythm as if a neighbor had their stereo cranked up. It seems that the subwoofer was the culprit; maybe the magnetic shielding wore off? At any rate, I unplugged it and the interference ceased. I figured it was the perfect excuse to treat myself to some new gear, and I already had another Altec Lansing kit in my Amazon wishlist.
Then I discovered that the speakers I had picked out were unavailable and unlikely to be restocked. I headed over to Altec Lansing's website to see what was up, and discovered that they only make tiny bluetooth speakers for smartphones now. Apparently they got bought out by one of those companies that tries to turn failing brands around. I was bummed--maybe they put themselves out of business by building products that lasted too long! I ended up buying a cheaply priced, over-powered 2.1 setup from Microcenter: Arion 100W AR506-BK, produced by Eagle. They were sixty bucks, big and shiny and loud. The demo unit in the store sounded awesome, plenty of loud sound with no tearing or 'tinny' sound. I brought them home and discovered that the audio output jack for the left speaker was not functional. WTF! Now I'll have to make another 45 minute trip to Microcenter to return them.
In the meantime, because I couldn't stand the tinny sound from my monitor's speakers, I ordered a lower-powered 2.1 speaker version of the Altec Lansing set still available from an Amazon 3rd party seller. They arrived today, and even though they were all nicely wrapped in plastic, the speakers and subwoofer were fairly *covered* in dust, and somewhat scuffed up. The subwoofer was actually missing one of its legs-- I found the shattered pieces of it in the bottom of the box. The production quality is noticeably lower than my old set--the wires connecting the speakers to each other and to the subwoofer are frail, thin things that probably won't last, and I don't have nearly as much clearance to space things out like the old units. I actually had to move my monitors closer together to be able to place the speakers at the sides of my dual setup. Nonetheless, the sound is good, and they were only $40. I think I'll keep them until I have time to figure out how to repair or replace the subwoofer from my old kit. And hope for Altec Lansing to return from the nearly-dead. I really wasn't impressed by the Creative or Logitech speakers I saw on display. They just looked cheaply made, all plastic and paper. I look forward to hearing what you all use for your desktops.