First get this fact straight that Altec Lansing and Creative speakers are the only best in market. They do have a brand value but its indicator of their performance.
Anyways under 1500/- you wont find any good Altec or Creative model.
sorry. Creative is no more a leader in pc audio. AL and Logitech are far ahead of creative labs now. coming to 2.1, I have Philips MMS430 (10W+10W+30W) and it's lot lot lot better than creative inspire 2.1 (forget about sbs series, they suck).
I suggest go for Umax Powerbeats UPB 3200. Its a 2.1 Speaker system with 30 Watts of output and Frequency response of 30Hz - 18 KHz. The Subwoofer is an 8.5 inch wooden cube with 5-inch driver enclosed within. Result: A warmer bass and clearer highs and mids.
are you serious???