5.1 or 2.1?

S

shivang222

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
302
I have about $100 - $130 for new computer speakers. With that much money, would a 2.1 system give me better sound than a 5.1?
What speakers do you guys recommend? How do this look: Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1?
 
Well, It really depends on the amount of space you have. I personally went from 2.1 to 5.1 and now I can't go back. If I were you, I would go for 5.1, since that's also good for movies and stuff If you manage to get a nice setup. But don't get me wrong, there are some nice 2.1 setups as well. It really depends on how much space you have, and If you have a place to place them.
 
What I did to save money was buy 2 good speakers and a receiver so I could just add more quality components when I had the money .

For a package deal you might as well go 5.1. I don't think either will sound very great but you will at least have the 5.1 sound which might be more fun to have than the 2.1 for speakers around that price. The quality probably won't be that different between the two.
 
I got only about three meters behind my self to put the surround sound. Is that big enough for 5.1?
Sound quality and experience is the most important for me.
 
What is more important to you, Music or Games?

For music, 2.1 will be better than 5.1. In the same price range, you'll tend to get 2 "good" speakers rather than 5 "bad" speakers. You also don't have to deal with any crap sounding algorithms regarding splitting 2 channel stereo music out over 5 channels. You could have it just output music out of the front 2 channels but then it's like the other three are wasted.

If you mainly watch Movies or play games, you could benefit from a 5.1 system. Just don't expect miracles in terms of positioning just because you have rear speakers, and keep in mind that even some stereo systems do positioning extremely well.

Consider something like this:

Receiver: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7016481&type=product&id=1099394773324

Speakers: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7705307&type=product&id=1138085354138

That receiver + speakers combo should still be mostly within your budget, but will give you sound that is IMO unsurpassed by computer speakers in this price range.
 
Thanks GotNoRice (answer I was looking for)
Mainly, I want the speakers for music. I will play some games and watch a couple of movies but my priority is music.

What do you think I should get...
Speakers with a receiver or the normal 2.1 computer speakers?
 
I'd get 2.1 for that price range. I'm actually more of a fan of 2.1 nowadays since there's less wiring and clutter involved.
 
shivang222 said:
Thanks GotNoRice (answer I was looking for)
Mainly, I want the speakers for music. I will play some games and watch a couple of movies but my priority is music.

What do you think I should get...
Speakers with a receiver or the normal 2.1 computer speakers?
Click to expand...

What was your budget again? Sorry if I missed it.

The thing about the Insignia bookshelves is that they went up in price so they're no longer the super values that they were before. A few months ago, people were picking them up for like $39.

Just want to see how far you can push the budget and lets see if we can get you some next level shiznit that's good for the money. Options options...
 
shivang222 said:
I have about $100 - $130 for new computer speakers. With that much money, would a 2.1 system give me better sound than a 5.1?
What speakers do you guys recommend? How do this look: Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1?
Click to expand...

Do you have Pawn Shops in your area?
 
Pinipig523 said:
A few months ago, people were picking them up for like $39.
Click to expand...
I still have no idea how Best Buy/Insignia could have even broken even on them, quite frankly. It boggled my mind when I bought them, and my mind is still boggled.

Still, this sounds like the right scenario for a pair of NS-B2111s and a T-Amp. $68+$29+~$15 (power supply for the T-Amp) comes to around $112 sans-shipping. Talk about making out like a bandit.
 
I got like $130...
I think I will go for 2.1... but what is the difference of the ones with receivers and the ones without?
 
Which 2.1's should I get?
Reciever or without? What is the difference?
(Using laptop in sig as source btw..)
 
I would personally go with the receiver and speakers. Computer speakers are basically an all or nothing proposition. With the receiver and speakers you can upgrade the speakers or the receiver later at some point if you wanted, or since they are both already quite good you could simply expand on the setup. A year from now you could get a subwoofer as an upgrade. They have some good models at parts express from $90-$150

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&SO=2&DID=7&CATID=25&ObjectGroup_ID=620

2.1 is 2 speakers and a sub, 2.0 is 2 speakers with no sub, but the insignia speakers put out considerably more bass by themselves than most computer speaker satellites, so running without a sub should be fine, or you can decide to get one later

You could also get a lot out of upgrading your source. Check out this cheap USB solution that sounds great:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829118107
 
phide said:
I still have no idea how Best Buy/Insignia could have even broken even on them, quite frankly. It boggled my mind when I bought them, and my mind is still boggled.

Still, this sounds like the right scenario for a pair of NS-B2111s and a T-Amp. $68+$29+~$15 (power supply for the T-Amp) comes to around $112 sans-shipping. Talk about making out like a bandit.
Click to expand...

Is there a way to connect a sub to the t-amp? I have a similar setup, pair of the Insignia's and a TEAC A-L700P which is like a T-amp but has more power output.
 
You'd need a sub with speaker-level inputs. Essentially, you run your amp to the sub, then the sub outputs to the other speakers.

The Onix x-sub is a good choice here, though there are probably cheaper options.

GotNoRice said:
the insignia speakers put out considerably more bass by themselves than most computer speaker satellites, so running without a sub should be fine, or you can decide to get one later
Click to expand...
I missed the bass when I started first using my Insiginias, but quite frankly, the loss doesn't bother me. When not driven to monitoring levels they tend to be quite shy, but the absence of bass isn't really that impactful at 70dB+. They're totally usable without a sub depending upon the environment and the amp.
 
phide said:
You'd need a sub with speaker-level inputs. Essentially, you run your amp to the sub, then the sub outputs to the other speakers.

The Onix x-sub is a good choice here, though there are probably cheaper options.


I missed the bass when I started first using my Insiginias, but quite frankly, the loss doesn't bother me. When not driven to monitoring levels they tend to be quite shy, but the absence of bass isn't really that impactful at 70dB+. They're totally usable without a sub depending upon the environment and the amp.
Click to expand...

The Onix X-sub looks nice, would that be the best to get for about $200? I don't mind the $200, is there better? Just wondering. I like the black look to it. Does it have good bass? I like a really tight and accurate bass representation, not just noise. :p Any other choices? The Onix X-sub looks great. :)


Good reviews, got the X-sub. Looking into the X-ls in the future... :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top