New Computer Speakers

Today, I bought a new set of computer speakers in my quest to find some that would both sound good and be RFI resistant. I've found some that sound good, but RFI from transmissions on the ham gear (particularly 2 Meters and 6 Meters) gets into them. I've also had a pair of speakers that didn't suffer from RFI as much but the audio quality was left a lot to be desired. My health insurance company sent me a Best Buy gift card for taking part in a survey, so I used it toward a pair of Bose Companion 2 speakers.

These speakers sound amazing! It's hard to believe the quality of audio that comes out of these small speakers. I played the Allman Brothers' "Soulshine" and Eric Clapton's "Superman Inside" and was really impressed with how clear and full they sounded. Another positive to the Bose speakers is their lack of those silly LED indicator lights (I don't need a LED to tell me my speakers are on...) that most computer speakers have now.

These speakers are also hefty, which would seem to indicate that they are well shielded. The audio and power cables also appear to be well shielded. So far I have made test transmissions on both 2 meters and 6 meters and have noticed no RFI problems. The next time I'm on HF, I'll find out if I have any problems there. I hope not, because as I describe next, they are now the speakers for the FT-897D as well.

The Companion 2's have two sets of RCA audio input jacks, so you can use them with your computer and with another audio device simultaneously. I had a spare 1/8'' to RCA cable in the shack, so I used it to connect the FT-897D's audio output to the speakers. I hope that the speakers don't have RFI problems when I transmit on HF because I really like the way this setup sounds.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net