Logitech Z Cineam vs Edifier S530

T

Tommmy

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Hello all,

I recently decided to upgrade my computer speakers from the inbuilt ones in my laptop to a decent set. I've read all over the internet and countless reviews and basically came to the conclusion that the logitech z 2300 speakers are the best in the world!!..... then i stumbled upon these forums haha

I'm now trying to decided between the z cinema's and the edifier s530. I can get either one for around AU$300. I image the s530 would be far better than logitech, however the speakers will be used on a laptop and i notice the logitech goes through usb and bypasses the soundcard -- which is good because i only have the built in sound card. Now I'm wondering if the logitech going through usb will sound better than the edifiers going through the inbuilt sound card?

Typically I will be watching digital TV on the laptop (via a tv tuner), listening to music and occassionally watching movies. I play no games. The music I have is mostly mp3 so will i even notice the edifiers better sound if im only playing mp3s and watching TV??

I also notice I can only find the S530 not the S530D. What sort of a difference is between the two, is it just the coaxial and optical inputs??

If I do go for the edifiers at some point I will probably get an external sound card, but I'm not sure if thats worth it if I just get the logitechs and save the extra money. Out of interest, what would be a suitable external usb sound card for my set up?

Please also suggest any other speakers I could get in the AU$300 price range. I would like a 2.1 setup mostly for my normal usage but also so I can occassionally use it for parties where people care more about volume and feeling the bass than clear crisp sound -- thats why I'd like a sub.

In summary if you had to choose between the logitech z cinema or the edifier S530 for just normal television watching and music which would you get?? Keeping in mind the edifiers will cost another ~$100 more for a decent sound card (I'm guessing $100??).

P.S. this is my laptop http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/au/en/ho/WF06b/321957-321957-3329744-64354-64354-3744201-3832031.html

Thanks
 
Ok, I don't have speaker recommendations for you, but I do have some advice.
At that price point, I feel confident the DACs in any of them is not going to make that much of an impact, and the biggest difference will actually come from the speakers themselves. So don't worry about how to connect them, but think more about convenience. This also means don't waste your money on a soundcard, but use that extra money instead toward the speakers. For cheap 2.1 setups you normally don't need a special soundcard, unless you were to play games and needed EAX, but you already said you don't do that, so I honestly can't recommend you to buy one.

Between those two, the Logitech's are 180watts while the Edifier are 140watts. I honestly can't tell you which one will distort sound first, but more watts normally indicates louder volume and don't distort as soon. I'm just saying this, because you mentioned you wanted to use them in parties.

Ok good luck.
 
Well thats good so I wont worry about a sound card or usb vs normal 3.5mm jack. Now I might actually raise my budget $50-$100 extra and save for a little longer. I'll do a bit more research now and look at other speakers. Anyone have suggestions for a nice 2.1 setup for around ~$400?

And my laptop has two 3.5mm jacks on it and I've seen these adapters which connect to the two jacks and make it one. Bad description... its this: http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4a4ff3ba15de641c273fc0a87e0106e1/Product/View/P6645

Are those even worth the $5 or are they more of a gimmick?

And thanks for the reply Odin75 it answered a few questions I couldnt find answers to anywhere online. I just kept finding ridiculously biased reviews of logitech systems.
 
Whoa, ~$400! Now that changes everything. I tho' you were trying to remain below $300.

Before we start, let me tell you that you don't need the adapter you just linked. I read the specs and your laptop indeed has 2 stereo jacks, but the reason why a laptop would have such a thing is beyond me. Anyways, the adapter is a dual Mono to Stereo converter. See how the sticks has 1 line each? Each line is a Mono channel, mixes it in the adapter, and becomes a Stereo jack. But you don't need that because you already have Stereo jacks, according to the website specs, meaning that your audio jacks already have the 2 matching lines inside the audio jack.

Now, lets talk speakers. I'm going to confess I'm a n00b as far as 2.1 goes, but here's an idea so you can start thinking, and others in the forum criticize. However, I promise this will be way better than any of what you posted before.

Subwoofer: Acoustic Audio HD-SUB10 10" 300watts RMS (Black) - $168.88
Speakers: tSc TSBL 6.5" 2-way Pair (Black) - $179.97
Cable: 3.5mm to 2 RCA 22AWG 6feet (Gold Plated) - $2.55
Speaker Wire: Oxygen-Free Copper Speaker Wire 16AWG 50feet - $6.46
--------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $357.86
Shipping: $6.26 (MonoPrice only, others are Free)
Tax: $0 (unless you live in Texas or something)
--------------------------------------------------
TOTAL: $364.12


Ok, so the idea behind this setup is that you will connect the 3.5mm to 2 RCA cable from your computer to the subwoofer. You need that cable because the subwoofer only has RCA connectors. Then, connect the subwoofer to the remaining 2 other speakers with that speaker wire. Remember to match polarity.
So in this configuration, your computer sends the Stereo signal to the subwoofer, and then you manually adjust the Crossover. What that means, is that you tell the subwoofer from which frequency to kick in, so the music sounds clear and punchy, and not like a parade of boomy sound that is going to make your head explode.

I personally have that very same subwoofer, in Light Maple color, and I like it. I find it sounds best between 30hz and 80hz, so 80hz is a decent number to set the Crossover to. I find 300watts is more than enough for almost any room size, and performs well for the price. As for the speakers, I don't have those, but I do have the lower-end version of it. They sound good down to around 80hz, but it does lack in the highs. However, you can expect that high-end version (STBL) to sound better than mine. And yes, tSc also has excellent prices. Lastly, the subwoofer as well as the speakers are black, so they match, in case aesthetics is relevant to you.

Note, you can get the cheaper cable, but the Premium version is much more sturdy. I use Premium cables from MonoPrice myself, on my 7.1 setup, and I love them. As for the speaker wire, that's the cheapest and shortest they had, feel free to look around. But remember, I added all this because they don't include cables. If you have them already, then ignore it.

So yeah, this gets you a nice 2.1 setup that should be better than what you posted, and still leaves you with over $35 below your $400 budget. At this point, you can start considering some type of soundcard, or external DAC down the road. However, I encourage you to try with the regular one in your laptop, and see how you like it first.

Good luck.
 
Hi Tommmy

Just a quick question. Is that Australian $400 (as per your original post)? I am not sure how easy it is to get TSC stuff down under. Also do you already have an receiver or an amplifier?
 
That does look like an amazing setup :)

...........sadly I'm in Australia, and none of those sites ship items here -- even if they did the shipping costs would be horrendous. I've been looking all over the net for someone that sells those items in Australia and I cant find a thing.

If I go to google and select to show only pages from Australian sites, then type in "TSBL 6.5" 2-way Bookshelf Speaker" I get zero results. Same with the sub you recommend. I went to all the online stores in Australia and none have the speakers/sub you said. Plus items like this usually cost more in here and our dollar isnt doing well, so even if they were available I imagine that setup would be way over AU$400. I didnt look for the cables you suggested, but I figure I could at least get them here at a reasonable cost.

I'm definitely not stopping at this though, I'm looking around for quality audio specialty stores in my area. I'll find some shops and ask around to see whats avaliable. But if the Australian online stores are anthing to go by then neither acoustic audio sub nor the TSBL bookshelf speakers exist in Australia.

I probably should have pointed out where I live from the start though, sorry.

You've definitly got me very interested in buying the sub and speakers seperate though, there seems nothing too complicated about hooking it up plus I could get exactly what I want and can upgrade speakers or add more speakers anytime later on. So basically I cant get any of your suggestions online but hopefully some store will sell them at a reasonable price, or at least some good alternatives. I'll look around, see whats available and probably end up back at these forums asking if what I found is any good.

P.S. sorry to have wasted your time Odin75

EDIT: sorry Zenshi I didnt see your post, I must have not refreshed the page before I posted my reply. And yes its $400 Australian, and yeh I'm just finding out how hard it is to get TSC (or anything really) down here. No I dont own a reciever or amplifier.
 
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Ah ok. Just doing a quick look around, I am not sure if this helps but a few things.

You can see if anyone is selling the Behringer 2030p. This is supposed to be one of the better speakers for the price. Behringer is not particularly a great brand (in fact many do not like the brand) but their 2030p I hear is a diamond in the rough. You can check out some comments of this speaker at the Audioholics forum. I am not sure if this is even a good store in your country but Bavas Music City seems to be selling it. Maybe other shops have it as well.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48705

http://bavasmusic.com.au/store/behringer-truth-2030p-p-1109.html

Another brand you may try to look for is Swan. They seem to sell decent speakers for low budget (at least their lower end series and not the Diva series) at least in the USA. They do seem to sell in Australia so you may want to email them.

http://www.swanspeakers.com.au/

Finally, if you are interested in Internet Direct stores, you may want to check out Axiom. They have the peculiar promotion of free shipping worldwide. I have always found this curious so you may want to check this out. I apologize in advance if this turns out to be false.

http://www.axiomaudio.com/

As for subs and amps, I apologize but I don't know what to suggest.
 
Oh damn it, my bad. And here I was all exited for you man.:(

But I agree, you don't have to get those specific models, there are tons and tons of good configurations out there. See if you find low-end bookshelf models from PolkAudio, that brand is internationally know, and they are affordable. Just stay away from their subwoofers, because they have bad reputation. Low-end from Energy or Sony also works.

But just know that this kind of setups only work up to 2.1, like you requested. Anything higher, and you need to get a receiver, soundcard, matching speakers, etc. Basically, it gets more complicated and expensive. But yes, you have the freedom of upgrading speakers at will.

Oh man, I'm really sorry. Just keep us updated on your finds. I'm sure we can help you pick the best one out of what you find. And don't be discourage to buy used, as long as they work perfectly. Speakers normally last for ages and ages, no lie.
But hey, we still need opinions on your Logitech vs Edifier options.
 
Just an update; I went to a home theater store around the corner from me but I didnt have any luck finding what I wanted there. There was nothing under $600 in the store and the man I was talking to me actually recommended I get "$50 logitech ones for a computer, logitech makes some good ones".

After he said that I kind of began to think he wasnt going to be much help if he thinks not only logitech is a good audio brand but $50 ones (about $40 US) are a good buy. At least if I'm going to get logitech I'll get $300 ones.

Anyway this has all kind of discouraged me. I was really excited by Odin75's second post with that 2.1 setup for under $400, but now I'm thinking I cant make that happen in Australia. It seems here everything is priced above what it is in the US and stores here only stock the worst and the best speakers -- I'm looking for something in between.

So now I'm going back to either the z cinema or the S530. I'd still like suggestions on which one of the two would sound better (as their about the same price here).

If you had to choose which would you go for? Or if there is anything similarly priced 2.1 from klipsch or any other brand that would sound better?

Thanks
 
The behringers do look good but I'm more after 2.1 so I'd need a sub -- just for that extra bass you can really feel, even if its not that clear, at parties and things. Plus if I spend my entire $400 budget I'm definitely wanting a sub with it.

Thanks
 
for under 400 aud ur not realy gonna get a good sub to go with most speakers ur best bet would be to get a good 2.0 setup and then add a sub later on if u need 1 still best thing u can do is head down to the shop and have a listen and see if u like it or not
 
fox_au said:
for under 400 aud ur not realy gonna get a good sub to go with most speakers ur best bet would be to get a good 2.0 setup and then add a sub later on if u need 1 still best thing u can do is head down to the shop and have a listen and see if u like it or not
Click to expand...

Yea I agree. If you were in the US or Canada, we could easily recommend something like what you want for your money. However, that's not the case. :\
 
leetpyro said:
You can get the Behringer 2030P from that same site for $220 AUD. That leaves you money for a sub, but I don't know what sub you should get since the ones on there are all way past your budget, and I don't really know any Australian retailers.
Click to expand...

There much more in the budget, but yes I dont see myself finding a good sub to power them for $180 in Australia. Plus the shipping cost of both sub and monitors and the price of cables I think would realistically leave me with more like ~$130 for a powered sub...... not going to happen I dont think.


fox_au said:
for under 400 aud ur not realy gonna get a good sub to go with most speakers ur best bet would be to get a good 2.0 setup and then add a sub later on if u need 1 still best thing u can do is head down to the shop and have a listen and see if u like it or not
Click to expand...

Well I'm in Brisbane, so that shop is not here. But I am looking around for similar shops that stock what I want (low end bookshelf speakers and hopefully a cheap sub to power them if I get passive monitors) so I can have a listen to them -- maybe if I'm impressed enough by some more expensive monitors+sub I'll hold off on buying anything and save for longer to get them. I'm also looking on ebay and other sites for cheap or used ones.

I'll keep you all posted.

Yea I agree. If you were in the US or Canada, we could easily recommend something like what you want for your money. However, that's not the case. :\
Click to expand...

What is the deal with Australia then. Is it just shipping costs and taxes increasing the prices or is there just no market for this kind of stuff here so it all becomes rare and over priced :confused:
 
Tommmy said:
What is the deal with Australia then. Is it just shipping costs and taxes increasing the prices or is there just no market for this kind of stuff here so it all becomes rare and over priced :confused:
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BOTH.

I went 2 years ago to Venezuela, and anything higher than a Pentium 4 didn't exist. I was so high-end that nobody had one, people only knew they were available. And it was not a matter of money, you couldn't buy it even if you had tons, no mall or computer store had anything better.

I'm not saying Australia is a 3rd world country or anything, not at all, because Australia is way more advanced than Venezuela. Is just that some countries take a little longer to get the technology locally. Those who can't wait, like you said, are bound to pay higher prices, which mainly comes from importing internationally.

PS: OMG Australian woman, don't get me started. Best in the world, period. That's something you guys have, and we can't buy. lol.
 
there a shop store dj opening in brisbane this weekend if u wanted to go check them out or even have a look at allans music store in brisbane was just up there a hour ago and they had a good range of speakers to have a look and listen at and they might also be able to recommend u some other options which would fit your budget

http://storedj.com.au/

http://www.allansmusic.com.au/
 
Zenshi: I've just been looking at a few Australian forums to see where others buy their stuff, but it mostly appears the same -- you just have to find a good hi-fi store in your area. On a side note; I cant stand forums you cant search unless your a member, quite annoying.

Fox_au: I'm going away for about 10 days tomorrow but when I get back I'll definitely give those two stores a look and have a listen to what they've got.

I also found a store in my area that sells audioengine A2's. When I get back I'll head there as well and listen to them. Although I think there around $362. I've heard nothing but good things about the A2's all over the net, if I got them is there anything stopping me adding a sub later on? Would I only be able to add an audioengine sub, or any sub? Is it even a good idea to hook a sub up to the A2's -- they seem pretty small, maybe the sub would drown them out even with the bass turned down low??

Thanks
 
Tommmy said:
I also found a store in my area that sells audioengine A2's. When I get back I'll head there as well and listen to them. Although I think there around $362. I've heard nothing but good things about the A2's all over the net, if I got them is there anything stopping me adding a sub later on? Would I only be able to add an audioengine sub, or any sub? Is it even a good idea to hook a sub up to the A2's -- they seem pretty small, maybe the sub would drown them out even with the bass turned down low??

Thanks
Click to expand...

Audioengine A2's should be good. But for $362? Ouch. Don't know if they're worth it at that price.

As for the sub questions, it basically depends on the sub. :p You can check out this thread on Head-Fi for more info on pairing the Audioengines with a sub.

It's your call on the Audioengines though. I don't really know what's available in Australia and how speakers compare in price to performance, so I can't really say much, sorry.
 
just to clarify from an earlier post, I don't think that sub actually has a speaker amp, so you'd need a separate amplifier in addition to all of that equipment

upon learning there is no Amazon in Australia, I am displeased, greatly.

honestly I'd say find a studio/pro shop and look for active monitors that sound good to you, but without knowing where you can look, or whats available within your budget, can't really suggest you anything
 
wow, sorry all i forgot about this thread for a while :(

basically i went on my little holiday and spent more money than i really had. plus i realised i need to get a new phone and plan. then a few weeks ago i started university, so i also needed to get around $500 worth of text books.....

so, in short, i spent the money i had saved for the speakers and any money i get now is going towards paying off the text books and other stuff i need for university.

that means ill have to pass on the speakers for a while yet.

thanks a lot for all the advice and suggestions. ill try to pay off the money i owe, then start saving and come back here -- because by that time there will probably be new sets of speakers available to look into haha

Thanks everyone :D
 
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