Looking for Good Speakers

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maverick786us

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Can someone advise me some good speakers with reasonable rates for my current rig (my signatures). I am not sure whether I should go for 5.1 or 2.1. But the primary purpose I use my speakers is for

1) Music
2) Movies
3) Games

I was just wondering that Logitech Z5500 are good speakers. But over here they are costing more than twice the rates of NewEgg (around 500US$) because of huge tax involved for imported items. With lesser price I can purchase a decent Sony Music System and attach it with my PC. So what makes these speakers so great??

Even Z2300 are costing around 200US$. So what is the best advice you can give??
 
There's no such thing as decent pc speakers, but then again i don't know what this Sony Music System is like so it is hard to compare. For surround, 5.1 would be better if you have the room but i personally just use headphones most of the time as i don't have the room for any decent speakers, quality/price is usually better anyway.
 
Logitech X-540's are decent, entry level 5.1 PC speakers. They sound good, decent bass and are relatively cheap. I have two sets of these and the Z5500's. Aside from the bass and volume difference the X-540's hold their own. Great for gaming, decent for movies in a smaller room. Don't expect to fill your living room with sound off these. Music is decent too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121006
 
HydroBudz said:
Logitech X-540's are decent, entry level 5.1 PC speakers. They sound good, decent bass and are relatively cheap. I have two sets of these and the Z5500's. Aside from the bass and volume difference the X-540's hold their own. Great for gaming, decent for movies in a smaller room. Don't expect to fill your living room with sound off these. Music is decent too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121006
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No. BAD.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1347454

There are more speakers to mention, but you haven't mentioned your budget.
 
Alai said:
No. BAD.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1347454

There are more speakers to mention, but you haven't mentioned your budget.
Click to expand...

For an $80 price point can you point out a better 5.1 PC speaker system? In that thread you listed all bookshelf speakers, receivers and such. Yeah, the Logitech is BAD when compared to what you have listed, but for the same price they can't be touched.

Find me a separate receiver, 4x bookshelfs, 1x center channel and a powered sub for $80 or less and I'll agree with you.
 
HydroBudz said:
For an $80 price point can you point out a better 5.1 PC speaker system? In that thread you listed all bookshelf speakers, receivers and such. Yeah, the Logitech is BAD when compared to what you have listed, but for the same price they can't be touched.

Find me a separate receiver, 4x bookshelfs, 1x center channel and a powered sub for $80 or less and I'll agree with you.
Click to expand...

You can't, but then I think you shouldn't even bother with an $80 5.1 set to begin with. The sacrifices you'll have to make to meet that price point are too much to be worth the money. For $80 you can get a pair of very good headphones though, which are arguably better for gaming anyway. For about $100 you could get a very good 2.1 set.

This is the op's choice:

1). Cheap, low-quality 5.1

2). Cheap, high-quality headphones or 2.1
 
King of Heroes said:
You can't, but then I think you shouldn't even bother with an $80 5.1 set to begin with. The sacrifices you'll have to make to meet that price point are too much to be worth the money. For $80 you can get a pair of very good headphones though, which are arguably better for gaming anyway. For about $100 you could get a very good 2.1 set.

This is the op's choice:

1). Cheap, low-quality 5.1

2). Cheap, high-quality headphones or 2.1
Click to expand...


not exactly cheap. I am looking for good quality speakers which can lie in budget of 150bucks. Although I am not sure if I should go for 2.1 or 5.1. Like i stated that I need speakers for music, movies and gaming with some digital dolby effect.
 
maverick786us said:
not exactly cheap. I am looking for good quality speakers which can lie in budget of 150bucks. Although I am not sure if I should go for 2.1 or 5.1. Like i stated that I need speakers for music, movies and gaming with some digital dolby effect.
Click to expand...

I have a receiver and decent bookshelf speakers running in my home theater set up. 5.1 is something I'd like to achieve eventually, but for now it's not a problem at all. A lot of my friends who are used to the 5.1 setups in the price range you are talking about are always amazed by how well my setup sounds. It may not be as "immersive" since it's only stereo, but I personally will always take quality stereo over crappy 5.1.

Just my two cents!
 
Headphones + gaming = Teh Suck. I don't care how well they "try" to do surround. I have both Sony MDR-V6's and Sennheiser HD25's, neither of which I care for with gaming. But, that's my personal opinion. I prefer to actually hear the sound behind me, rather than have that sound simulated.

For a $150 price range the Logitech G51's or the Altec Lansing FX5051's fall into that category. Both 5.1. For 2.1 the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 is a nice setup, and THX certified.

Take it for what it is. For $150 you are not going to get a receiver, bookshelfs and a sub. Not gonna happen. Unless you want garbage equipment.
 
Oops, sorry those are mostly $150+

Try these:

AV40
MS40
Audioengine A2
Swan M10

Also, headphones DO rock for gaming. Get a solid soundcard (~$100) and a solid headphone ($15-$100) and you're set.
 
HydroBudz said:
Headphones + gaming = Teh Suck. I don't care how well they "try" to do surround. I have both Sony MDR-V6's and Sennheiser HD25's, neither of which I care for with gaming. But, that's my personal opinion. I prefer to actually hear the sound behind me, rather than have that sound simulated.

For a $150 price range the Logitech G51's or the Altec Lansing FX5051's fall into that category. Both 5.1. For 2.1 the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 is a nice setup, and THX certified.

Take it for what it is. For $150 you are not going to get a receiver, bookshelfs and a sub. Not gonna happen. Unless you want garbage equipment.
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I use JVC HARX900s, and they are better than my speakers for gaming (I play F.E.A.R. alot, which makes excellent use of space). I can percieve audio cues that usually slip by me when using my speakers.

For $150, get the Swan M10 2.1 set.

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php/p/swan-m10/products_id/89

The general consensus on these speakers is overwhelmingly positive (for gaming, music, and movies). I've heard good things about the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1s as well, but those aren't being made anymore. So you're only going to get them 2nd hand off of Ebay or Amazon. I prefer to stay away from 2nd hand speakers.

If all you care about is getting 5.1, then any cheap PC set will do. However, the OP said he would also be using them for music and movies, and for that you'll need something higher quality than standard PC speakers. If his budget is limited, thats not too big a deal. He can still get a good 2.1 set like the Swans and rock all three areas. Another good plan would be a 2.0 set like the M-Audio AV40s or the Audioengine A2s, then save up for a good subwoofer later.
 
Those Swan's are nice. The only drawback to those is the volume control on the sub. So you'd either have to keep the sub on the desk for easy access, or place it somewhere at your feet where you can easily access it. Either way isn't very convenient IMO considering the desktop real estate it'd take up if you kept the sub on your desk. Volume on one of the speakers would have made better sense. Again, my opinion only.

As far as solid soundcard, I have one. HT Omega Claro. And very nice headphones, Sony MDR-V6's and Sennheiser HD25's. I still don't like gaming with headphones.
 
maverick786us said:
not exactly cheap. I am looking for good quality speakers which can lie in budget of 150bucks. Although I am not sure if I should go for 2.1 or 5.1. Like i stated that I need speakers for music, movies and gaming with some digital dolby effect.
Click to expand...

Here's an idea you might want to consider, since you seem unsure as to how many channels you want. You can get a nice, refurbished receiver, like this one here (Onkyo is good at selling them for good prices):

http://www.shoponkyo.com/detail.cfm?productid=TX-SR505&modelid=63&group_id=1&detail=1&ext_war=1

Refurbished receivers are a hot item among audiophiles as they give the best value. It gives you the option of expanding all the way to 7.1 if you wish. So its a good, long-term investment. You can start things off at 2.0 with these:

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

These are good bookshelves for the money (and I shoud emphasize 'for the money', you can do better, but these are a good value for the budget minded). All in all, that brings the total to $246.98. Yes, that IS above you budget you posted, but gives a good foundation for building your audio system over time. This way, you don't HAVE to get the entire 5.1 set right now. If you think 2.0 doesn't have enough bass, you can save up and thrown in a subwoofer. If it doesn't give you enough positional sound, save up and thrown on more channels. You can build it piecemeal instead of all at once.

Just to mention, Onkyo also sells a slightly better one here:

http://www.shoponkyo.com/detail.cfm?productid=TX-SR506&modelid=68&group_id=1&detail=1&ext_war=1

Its more expensive and takes you closer to $300, but I thought I should mention it anyway.
 
HydroBudz said:
Headphones + gaming = Teh Suck. I don't care how well they "try" to do surround. I have both Sony MDR-V6's and Sennheiser HD25's, neither of which I care for with gaming. But, that's my personal opinion. I prefer to actually hear the sound behind me, rather than have that sound simulated.
Click to expand...

For me, I only use my headphone rig for games with nice music, which are usually RPG like Final Fantasy, some Japanese turn based strategy games and action games like Resident Evil. I would much rather use my speakers for everything else, especially racing games like GT5 and GTR2 and also RTS games. Personally, there are games that work better on $80 PC speakers than some of the most expensive headphones in the world.
 
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