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Computer Speakers Recommendation

C

chronox12

Weaksauce
Joined
Dec 18, 2008
Messages
127
Please recommend me the best speakers I can get for my computer setup on a $500 budget. It doesn't matter whether they're computer speakers, studio speakers or whatever else there is on the market. I am currently looking at the Logitech z5500s but if there's anything else in your opinion that trumps those speakers for gaming and music please don't hesitate to state the reasons why. I have a Creative X-Fi 5.1 sound card and I am looking for a 5.1 or greater speaker setup that can utilize it. Thanks in advance for the feedback.
 
For $500 (heck even for $400) there's quite a lot of 5.1 choices that will perform much better than the Logitech Z5500s... You need to do some serious research and/or be a bit more specific about your needs (space-wise, budget-wise, type of music, etc.).
 
There is a big difference in quality between 2 speakers for music and 5 speakers + sub for games.

Also if you intend to do surround you would have to factor in the cost of speaker stands for the rears (which aren't cheap) unless you plan to use brackets and hang them from the walls.

2 speakers for music and headphones for games is another alternative you could consider, since I feel headphones do a good job of spacial imaging even with just 2 drivers.
 
What would you recommend? Space isn't an issue. I stated my budget and well in terms of type of music it's mainly psytrance and heavy metal rock but generally I'd like the speakers to sound good with almost any genre as I listen to a VERY wide range. As for the speaker stands in the 2nd post. Yes I'll be purchasing a couple for the rear speaker sound.
 
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Well, I'm no expert on 5.1 HT setups, mine is pretty humble (and kind of limited by what I could ship to PR at a decent cost and what I could get locally)... But a lot of people on these boards could probably help ya out with that. I'm positive that you can put together your own 5.1 setup that will easily blow away a Z5500 for that kinda budget tho.

Onkyo receiver, TSC/Insignia speakers or something better perhaps, a nice subwoofer... Etc. Z5500 are generally considered overpriced at $300, and even at $200 they're only a decent deal if you absolutely need 5.1 and you need it in a confined space where you can't fit a typical receiver... Even then you're doing so at the cost of sound quality (for music at 'least, vs say, a nice set of 2.0 bookshelves + amp or monitors).
 
I am not sure if TSC is selling speakers anymore. I do not see a shopping cart option on their website now. Too bad too since those speakers were dirt cheap. :(

To the OP. Do you have a receiver to drive your speakers? If so and you can put the entire $500 on a 5.1 passive + active bookshelf, then I would suggest the

Energy Take 5 on sale for $200

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882269004&Tpk=energy take 5

and the Hsu Research STF-1 on sale for $270.

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html

Since the Hsu ships for $30 and the Energy is free shipping, that will get you to $500 so long as you don't have to pay tax.

If you have to put the receiver into the equation, maybe get a cheap receiver from Craigslist and buy a Dayton or BIC sub instead of the Hsu.
 
Size and/or type of the room is another thing you might wanna share... The sub mentioned above is pretty good, but it might be total overkill if you're in a small dorm or something like that, in which case you could go w/a much cheaper sub.
 
Impulse said:
Size and/or type of the room is another thing you might wanna share... The sub mentioned above is pretty good, but it might be total overkill if you're in a small dorm or something like that, in which case you could go w/a much cheaper sub.
Click to expand...

The room size is 12ft x 12ft. I should have also mentioned that I have never researched or dealt with receivers + manually wiring speaker setups. All my life I have just read reviews on computer speakers and bought them as they came. I am a noob when it comes to electronics but I am willing to learn so thanks for the feedback so far. If for my money I can piece together different parts that would blow the Logitech z5500 speakers out the door then by all means I would. I also noticed that the Logitech z5500s are THX certified so that seems to be a plus on that end.
 
THX certification doesn't necessarily mean a whole lot, particularly for PC speakers as it's a different set of certifications than what they use for true HT gear. FWIW Free thread bump in the hopes that someone far more familiar w/budget speaker & sub choices can help ya out. :p
 
Zenshi said:
I am not sure if TSC is selling speakers anymore. I do not see a shopping cart option on their website now. Too bad too since those speakers were dirt cheap. :(

To the OP. Do you have a receiver to drive your speakers? If so and you can put the entire $500 on a 5.1 passive + active bookshelf, then I would suggest the

Energy Take 5 on sale for $200

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882269004&Tpk=energy take 5

and the Hsu Research STF-1 on sale for $270.

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html

Since the Hsu ships for $30 and the Energy is free shipping, that will get you to $500 so long as you don't have to pay tax.

If you have to put the receiver into the equation, maybe get a cheap receiver from Craigslist and buy a Dayton or BIC sub instead of the Hsu.
Click to expand...

Is an amplifier only for home theatre use or is definitely a requirement for me to be able to get the most out of those recommended speakers for my computer use?
 
chronox12 said:
Is an amplifier only for home theatre use or is definitely a requirement for me to be able to get the most out of those recommended speakers for my computer use?
Click to expand...

The amp is not about the type of application (home theater vs PC) but about the driving requirements of the speakers. In this case, the speakers are passive so it will not drive on its own and will need an external amplifier.
 
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astrallite said:
Amazon is selling the Onkyo S-5200 for $399+free ship, would definitely give the Energy Take 5 setup a run for its money. Not to mention it includes a receiver.

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S5200-7-1-Channel-Entertainment-Receiver/dp/B001VEI2OA

If you want to you could upgrade to the S-6200 which has full sized bookshelf speakers.

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S6200-7-1-Channel-Entertainment-Receiver/dp/B002C73WS6
Click to expand...

Also worth mentioning is that the 6200 handles the sound via hdmi whereas the 5200 is video only which IMO makes the 6200 worth the price just for that feature. Not that he'll be able to untilize it if he's running analog from his xfi anyway, but if he ever hooks up a blu ray or some other HD source, he won't have to buy an hdmi and an audio cable.
 
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