I recently picked up a pair of Adam F7 active monitors ($898) for my desk. Laptop directly connected to speakers out the 3.5mm headphone jack via $12 cables (3.5mm connector on one end, split to balanced connectors on other). Speakers plugged into Home Depot extension cords into builder grade outlet.
This no brainer setup is so good it has me rethinking my main system (which you can see here on A'gon).
This no brainer setup is so good it has me rethinking my main system (which you can see here on A'gon).