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Generic Thread #900

A

Alexdude777

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 17, 2004
Messages
148
Ok I know you get a lot of threads like these and I searched quite a few pages and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, so please help me out.

I currently have an integrated 5.1 sound card on a 3 year old motherboard, and speakers that are about 6-7 years old. Pretty shitty.

I wanna know how much better music will sound if I get better speakers and a better soundcard? Obviously better speakers = a subwoofer, so I gotta go that route. I don't wanna put too much in though, so I was thinking the Logitech Z-640's since its cheap entry level surround sound. I found them for $40. How much would a decent sound card cost me to go along with these speakers? Just something that will help my music sound better. Just give a few suggestions, I'm not too sure about how much I can spend, but I know I won't spend like $70 for instance on a soundcard, I'm 15 and poor :p
 
I'd second the 2.1 setup, especially if you are indeed mostly interested in music as opposed to gaming. Music is mastered for a two channel setup (ignoring special formats like SACD and DVDA) so the extra speakers would not really help much unless you run the music through some form of processing. Plus you'd be able to put in more money per speaker which can only be a good thing.

If your main goal is to listen to music while you are actually using the computer (as opposed to having background music while you are doing other things in the room), I'd go one step further and suggest investing in a pair of headphones over a 2.1 setup. You will be able to get much better sound quality at a given price with headphones than you will with speakers. In fact, great sounding headphones start out pretty cheap. They've also got the added advantage of not disturbing the people around you, which means no 1am pounding on the door by irate parents telling you to "turn that noise down". Personally, I prefer open air headphones as they allow me to hear what is going on around me, but depending on what you want closed might be a better choice. If you consider going the headphone route, figure out your budget after you've picked out a sound card and then search around here and on a few audio-centric forums and you should have no problem getting some great suggestions for your decided price range. But honestly, at any pricepoint you are going to get much better sound quality from a good set of headphones than you are from speakers, especially when you are on a budget.
 
to put it simply....far better.

soundcards used to have pretty bad frequency range coverage. My old ESS card (heh remeber those), had very high distortion figures, and my pro audio spectrum (yes, obscenely oldskool) had crap for frequency response. Speakers were even worse so.

A modern card, even an nvidia sountstorm, is a great upgrade...of course you wont hear any of that if your speakers are the weakest link.

You have a few choices:

nice computer speakers: I usually dont walk this route..but if I must, I like cambridge myself...but nothing that falls in the cheap price range...my range is about $270+ on their system charts for 2.1. They have some pretty nice stuff for under $100 though.

headphones: best bang for the buck period....just you dont get the rumble with your bass.

reciever + bookshelf speakers : best non-headphone option....can be very pricey to get into, but also very rewarding.

You can get a pretty nice setup for about $100-150 if you go headphones or computer speakers + soundcard. Throw in another 100-150 if you go reciever and speakers...that is if your buying new. Used recievers can sometimes be a nice discount on your way to better PC sound.
 
Ok, 2.1 sounds good. What are some good reccomendations on some 2.1 speakers between $50-$100? And if you could, please tell me some differences. I know it isn't much to spend on speakers, but I'm coming up from terrible speakers and without a soundcard so this will be a pretty big improvement. I'll be satisfied. If you could though, list some 2.1 speakers that differ in price so I have something to choose from, I'm upgrading from such

Headphones sound good. However, I'm wondering if I could spend a maybe a little bit more on earbuds. First off I'm assuming ear buds don't sound near as good as headphones do but I need better ones for my mp3 player. They are stock and sound like shit. I've heard that Sony Nude Ex earbuds(~$60) are a pretty good deal and sound pretty nice. I'm wondering if I have a decent sound card if they will sound ok through my computer? Keep note I'm not gonna be using them too much, I'll wanna hear my fancy new speakers.

And finally, a soundcard. If there is anything below $30 or $40 then that already sounds good because it'll save me money, but if I can expect a huge performance increase from something higher then I may go that way. I'm not too sure of this, but that other soundcard that you guys suggested was 7.1. Would getting a 2.1/5.1 soundcard save me money and allow me to get better overall quality?

Thanks.
 
The Chaintech AV-710 (see MisterX's newegg link for the value soundcard) offers damn good 2-channel output for a very low price (now $25+$2 s/h). For two-channel audio, it is the best bang/buck card. You can route the sound through channels 7&8, which are driven by a (comparatively) excellent Wolfsen DAC.

Regarding speakers, just get the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 set.

Go to Dell.com, search on "Promedia 2.1", use a coupon for %20 off accessories (found in this thread).

Shipped for $124.76.
 
Nice pair.... and for less then $150 you will have a very hard time beating it. ;)
 
Or, if you want to get adventurous, and do some legwork you could check your local Craigslist, pawnshops, and yardsales for used HiFi equipment.

A decent stereo reciever and Hi-Fi speakers will give you much more flexability in connections and upgrades. You can listen to the radio, use the A/B speaker for a second room, hook up a TV or other devices, and many other advantages.
 
GodsMadClown said:
Regarding speakers, just get the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 set.

Go to Dell.com, search on "Promedia 2.1", use a coupon for %20 off accessories (found in this thread).

Shipped for $124.76.
Click to expand...

Nice! I'd have to second this route. Combine your headphone+speaker budget if you need to and definately consider the Promedia 2.1. I'm running some of the first gen Klipsch Promedia 4.1 (with the upgraded pod controller) and couldn't be happier. If you still want to check out headphones, just do that later when budget allows.
 
They have a "refurbished ProMedia GMX A-2.1" at the klipsch website for $100. Assuming those are the right speakers, that sounds like a pretty good deal.

Still though, are there any decent 2.1 speakers around the $50 range?

I just dunno if I can justify $125 on speakers and a soundcard. That is a lot of money just to listen to some friggin music :/

[Edit] Also "ProMedia GMX D-5.1" speakers are at the website for $100 refurbished. Would those be better than the 2.1 pair? It says the 2.1 pair starts at $149.99, and that the 5.1 pair starts at $299.99, but both pairs are only $100. Which one would be better? Would the 2.1 still sound better due to less speakers even though the 5.1 pair retails for twice as much?
 
I've not personally had a chance to listen to the GMX lines for any real period of time, so I can't comment on how the compare to the Promedia line. That said, since you are on such a tight budget I would definately keep the two deals you found high on your list of options. Not sure what the real difference is between the "D" and "A" series, so you should probably dig around a bit and try to figure out what those letters signify. $100 for the 5.1 setup sounds like quite an incredible deal though. Even if you only really need 2.1, you can either use the extra speakers for gaming or keep them on hand as backups. The one thing I did like about the GMX line that the Promedia line is lacking is tha they are much easier to position. The GMX uses a ball/socket setup that gives quite a bit of freedom for setting them up exactly as you want them. The Promedia line on the otherhand have fixed bases which really limits where you can locate them and still get good sound (this is the one bad thing I can come up with regarding the Promedia line).

[EDIT] Ok, so I hopped over to the Klipsch website and had a look at the specs. For the most part the 2 systems seem to only differ in the number of speakers and the type of inputs they can take. Kinda makes sense as I can't see Klipsch taking the time/effort to develope two identical products. The A-2.1 setup accepts analog either through mini or RCA input. The D-5.1 setup takes Analog RCA or Digital Coax/Optical.

Sounds to me like you should check into the 5.1 setup if you end up going this route as you are just getting more. I'd question why they are pricing the two packages the same, but it may just be an issue of them trying to clear out their inventory. Dig around and find out what sort of warranty they supply with the refurb'ed systems. If it's any good, this might be one heck of a deal.
 
For those on a buget, these will sound clear, and still have a bit of bass. the ALTEC LANSING ATP3 BLACK 3-Piece Speaker System -RETAIL 68$ from newegg, these are great buget speakers with a nice quailty sound to them,. Match this up with the AV-710, and you will have a nice sound system for cheap.
 
I think I'm gonna get the Klipsch ProMedia GMX D-5.1 that I was talking about for a few reasons:

First off and what is very appealing is that they look extremely cool. It will make my computer look pretty friggin sweet, since that will go with my black LCD and case and whatnot.

Second off, All I hear is good and better things about the sound. Apparently the speakers are awesome and the subwoofer is also very good, but not as great as it should be(not too concerned about that, I don't even have a subwoofer right now...so it will be an improvement).

Third off, I hear that I can connect these things to my game consoles. That just seems freakin awesome, cause right now I'm just playin on regular TV speakers that are really shitty. I've experienced 5.1 on my friends Logitech Z-640s and those aren't even that good. I bet it sounds prettty friggin sweet on these things.

Lastly, the price. After thinking about it, $100 is a good buy for them since I can use them for my comp and my consoles.

So I'll prolley get them.

I'll also probably get that $25 soundcard, sounds like a good deal.

The real bad thing about these speakers is that apparently you can't plug a headphone into them. Granged I'll mostly be using 'em during the day, but it would be helpful at night, so I guess I'll just have to buy some seperate headphones.

How much will a decent set of headphones run me? Anything in the $30-$40 price range? If it is above that I'll prolley just use the crappy ones that I have...
 
Don't get the GMX. They are asstastic. Go 2.1 first.

Additionally, the $25 soundcard is realy only recommended for two-channel playback.

Why do I bother?
 
GodsMadClown said:
Don't get the GMX. They are asstastic. Go 2.1 first.

Additionally, the $25 soundcard is realy only recommended for two-channel playback.

Why do I bother?
Click to expand...

Are they really THAT bad compared to the Promedia line? Like I said above, I've never really spent any quality time with the GMX speakers so I'm honestly curious. Only reason I suggested going the 5.1 route was that they were priced the same as the 2.1 and you could just use the 5.1 as a 2.1 setup and have extra speakers sitting around should something bad happen.
 
Why are the GMX asstastic, and why do they suck compared to the other klipsch 2.1/5.1 ?

Also, then what is a good 5.1 sound card ?
 
Mister X said:
Do the GMX D-5.1 even have 5.1 analog inputs?
Click to expand...

No they do not. They have stereo RCA analog inputs as well as coax/optical for digital inputs. That said, the deal that the poster was looking at with the GMX line was either a 2.1 analog setup or a 5.1 digital setup, but being offered for the same price (refurb). With that setup, you could always run 2.1 for listening to music and keep the extra 3 speakers to swap in should something happen to the 2 you are using in the 2.1 setup. If the poster was strictly looking for a 5.1 setup, then I'd say this is not probably the right choice due to the lacking 5-channel analog inputs.
 
Alexdude777 said:
How much will a decent set of headphones run me? Anything in the $30-$40 price range? If it is above that I'll prolley just use the crappy ones that I have...
Click to expand...

You might want to look for deals on the Koss PortaPro. Not sure if they are the style you are looking for, but they are pretty close to your price range and offer outstanding sound quality for the price. Slightly more expensive but also a great buy would be the Grado SR60. These are open-air headphones, so they won't mask out the sound around you. Depends a lot on the environment that you want them for really. I use a pair of the SR80's for music, and love them. Those are the only models I've had personal experience with in that general price range. (though I guess you'd have to find a really good deal on the Grado's for them to really be in the listed price range...)
 
I don't understand a thing you just said.

Could you clarify what those outputs and whatever you said would mean to me? I seriously just dunno.

The reason I am considering them is because they seem to be decent and are only $100. Truth be told $100 is more then I would want to ever spend on speakers cause like I said I'm 15 and poor.
 
Not sure what specifically you want clarification on, so I'm just going to ramble and you can always ask for info on the specifics that are still cloudy:)

The 5.1 version of the GMX line has 3 methods you can use to connect the speaker system up to computer/console/whatever.

The first is Stereo RCA jacks (analog). This is the the most common analog connection type there is. The soundcard you end up with will either have RCA outputs or it will have a mini-jack output (like you see with headphones). You can get a cable that provides the mini-jack for the soundcard and the RCA connection for the GMX control.

The other two ways of hooking the GMX up to a sound source is through the digital jacks. In this case, you have a choice between optical or coax (this looks just like the RCA connectors used for analog, but there is only one of them).

The key item that is missing if you want to really use the 5.1 setup is the lack of 5-channel analog inputs. For various reasons, the digital output of most soundcards isn't capable of providing true 5.1 digital output in all situations (one notable exception being the SoundStorm on some nvidia chipsets). As a result, the only way to really get 5.1 sound all the time is to connect to the computer through analog.

Now personally, I'd say get the 5.1 system, and hook up your computer using the RCA analog 2-channel inputs and the soundcard of your choice. This will let you listen to music on the computer but won't get you 5.1 surround. Now you could either just use the system as a 2.1 setup and save the additional 3 speakers as backups in case you break one, or you could hook everything up and use one of the digital connections to connect up your console.
 
MonkeyBoy said:
You might want to look for deals on the Koss PortaPro. Not sure if they are the style you are looking for, but they are pretty close to your price range and offer outstanding sound quality for the price. Slightly more expensive but also a great buy would be the Grado SR60. These are open-air headphones, so they won't mask out the sound around you. Depends a lot on the environment that you want them for really. I use a pair of the SR80's for music, and love them. Those are the only models I've had personal experience with in that general price range. (though I guess you'd have to find a really good deal on the Grado's for them to really be in the listed price range...)
Click to expand...

decoding for the non-audiophile:

PortaPro: A headphone made by Koss, about the 40-50 USD price range...known as one of the best headphones of it's price range, period...many headphone audiophiles got started on these.

Grado: A very well known headphone maker, also noted for never having a single "dud" product. Their headphones were designed exclusively for music, and they excel at that...however some gamers don't like how they sound in some games.

Open-air headphones: To understand this think of a headphone as a speaker box shoved up to your ear. Now, imagine this speaker has no ports. That is a "closed-air" headphone. Now imagine that speaker has all kinds of ventilation on the back...that is "open-air". Open-air is generally far more accurate than "closed-air", due to allowing the driver (the part that makes the sound) to move more freely. Open air designs also have less sound contamination resulting from the sealed enclosure adding it's own sound. There are acoustically pure closed air phones, but they are extremely bulky and expensive...and only perform on par with open-air phones half the price.

to make it easier...most folks used closed phones when they have roomates that get upset by noise (colelge dormroom, etc)....otherwise open phones are a better bang for the buck.
 
This is making sense. So basically, I get that soundcard and only use two of the speakers. Then if I hook it up to a game console I can use all 5, correct? Will music sound BETTER with only two speakers compared to 5?
 
Alexdude777 said:
This is making sense. So basically, I get that soundcard and only use two of the speakers. Then if I hook it up to a game console I can use all 5, correct? Will music sound BETTER with only two speakers compared to 5?
Click to expand...

Most music is recorded assuming that you'll be listening to it on a 2 speaker system. Trying to play something that was recorded for a 2-channel system on a 5-channel system means that you need to send it through some form of processing to come up with the sound to feed to those extra 3 speakers. Rarely does this improve the overall sound. The exceptions to this are of course things like DVDs, which are recorded with the intent that they are going to be played back in a 5.1 system (or more).

And yes, you can use the system as 2.1 for music and 5.1 for your game consoles to the best of my knowledge.
 
Then I think I am sold. Regardless if the GMX's are "asstastic", they are still good speakers or so I hear. True, the one pair is only $125 but with these I can use with gaming, and that will be cool.
 
Just don't forget to come back and give a followup once you've got them and tried them out for a while. Most of us were providing opinions without having much first hand experience with the GMX line. If they are great, I'm sure we would like to know. And if they are asstastic you can at least save somebody else from making the same mistake:D
 
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