Need Speaker Suggestions for College

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Gawd
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Mar 15, 2002
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I'm going to college next year and will almost definitely be in a dorm room somewhere. I'm just wondering what others who in college are using for speakers in dorms. I could possibly go with a 5.1 setup, but then again, that might be too much for a dorm room. I would greatly appreciate it if those of you in college could provide me with some insight as to what speakers you are using, in what setting, and if you have any particular suggestions. I'm tempted with 5.1 for DVDs, but then again, I'm not sure how many movies I'll be watching. I have a huge MP3 collection for music as well.

Suggestions?
 
I'm a college student as well...and I would strongly suggest investing in headphones instead.
 
Depending on the setup of the room, it may or may not be feasable to try 5.1s. If you get speakers, you'd probably be better off just getting a 2.1 set.

I'd say you should consider a good set of headphones. There are times when both you and your roommate(s) will want to be listening/doing different things. Headphones can also often give better quality for the price, particularly for music. Good entry headphones include the HD497 and SR60 around $60. Beyond that there are a lot of options, but you may want to consider the new Sennheiser HD515 or HD555 as not-too-pricey options that don't necessarily need an amp. Also, even open headphones will generally attenuate (quiet) outside noise a bit, so you can have a little more isolation from time to time.
 
If I've said it once, I've said it a houndred times. For attenuation and good quality listening, go with a pair of Sen 280 pros. I saw a few up on the Head-fi.org "for sale" board. Or you could just get a pair from Amazon. They are currently $79.80 w/ free ground shipping.
 
I am going to have to say a good pair of headphones also. Half the time you won't get along with your roomate so one less thing for them to bitch about is always a plus, at least in my experience and all my friends who reside in a dorm.
 
Depending on your budget, you might want to look at some 2.1 offerings from Klipsch and Logitech.
 
I live in the dorms and have Logitech's Z560s and they are great. Infact I'm going to up grade to Klipsch 5.1s. IMO Dorms are loud and everyone has a speaker systems of some sort. If you expect things to be quite get an appartment. Besides all your neighbors will love to watch movies with surround sound...
 
When I went to college I took along a set of Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 speakers and some Sennheiser HD590 cans. Trust me, set a budget for audio equipment, buy nice cans, get speakers with whatever is left. You'll probably use the cans (for gaming, listening to music, watching movies, etc.) a lot more than the speakers.
 
Thanks for all of the feedback so far.

I currently own HD497 headphones (which are quite nice for the price), and some old Labtec Pulse 2.1 speakers from like 4 years ago that cost $50 when I bought them. I plan on upgrading my speakers to either the Klipsch 2.1 or 5.1, however I cannot decide which. I am also going to be upgrading my monitor for college as well, the question is whether I should get a nice 22" CRT or a Samsung 213T or Dell 2001FP. Also, any opinions on the necessity of a laptop? I have a killer desktop which I will def. be taking, so I may just get a cheap ultra-lite laptop if anything.

Thanks.
 
Re audo/visual. What will your expected budget be? If you want room-filling sound, perhaps you would want some serious hi-fi gear. A pair of bookshelf-style monitors properly tuned to a quality subwoofer will be just as good as a pair of floorstanders. I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be putting quality equipment in a dorm-environment, however.
 
Consider what its gonna be like to trip over wires from your surround system when you stumble in drunk at 4 in the morning. I say go 2.1 for simplicity's sake (you'll still have the best sounding computer speakers on your floor most likely), and go with an LCD over CRT if possible. Dorm rooms can get tight, and most schools don't really provide enough desk to accomodate a nice, big CRT.
 
Originally posted by Holy Roman Empire
Consider what its gonna be like to trip over wires from your surround system when you stumble in drunk at 4 in the morning. I say go 2.1 for simplicity's sake (you'll still have the best sounding computer speakers on your floor most likely), and go with an LCD over CRT if possible. Dorm rooms can get tight, and most schools don't really provide enough desk to accomodate a nice, big CRT.
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Yeah stick with 2.1s, 5.1 would be nice however it really eats up space in the room. If your dorm room is anything like mine was in college space is tight (and I had less gear back then).

On the space saving end of things, go with a really nice LCD. You will be happier with the extra space that will save you over a big CRT. Sure for gaming it may not be the best, however you get a nice LCD it is still pretty damn good. Also if you are going to school in a warm climate, alot of dorms do not have A/C, an LCD would be much nicer than a room heater a 20+ inch monitor makes.

edit: another thought, for the speaker thing. Maybe hold off until after you get to school. So you can see how much room you have for speakers, have more money and know what your roomate has.
 
Yes, I think I am going to hold out on the speakers for now until I get to my new room in six months. However, my birthday is coming up so instead I will be buying a new monitor. The question is whether I should buy one huge nice one like the 213T or two smaller quality ones at 18-19". Since it is going to be a dorm, I think the one huge monitor will probably be the better idea since space will be tight either way.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions.
 
Originally posted by Matrix-Style
Thanks for all of the feedback so far.

I currently own HD497 headphones (which are quite nice for the price), and some old Labtec Pulse 2.1 speakers from like 4 years ago that cost $50 when I bought them. I plan on upgrading my speakers to either the Klipsch 2.1 or 5.1, however I cannot decide which. I am also going to be upgrading my monitor for college as well, the question is whether I should get a nice 22" CRT or a Samsung 213T or Dell 2001FP. Also, any opinions on the necessity of a laptop? I have a killer desktop which I will def. be taking, so I may just get a cheap ultra-lite laptop if anything.

Thanks.
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Unless you're living in a single, get an LCD, not a CRT (especially not a 22" CRT). Dorm rooms tend not to be very large. Also, unless you're going to put your bed in a loft, have your desk under it, and put your dresser (assuming that they give you one) behind you, you're probably not going to have room for a 5.1 system.

When I went to college I picked up a cheap notebook to lug around to various spots on campus. I ended up not using it very much so I bought a PocketPC so I could play games duing class more discretely.
 
if you really wanna pump it for 50 bucks u can get the ev sonics hardcore speakers for compusa originally 200, sick sound. 2 60watts powered speakers and a 120 watt sub. its from the company that makes all the speakers in clubs and concert halls.
 
As far as the speaker suggestion I have the Logitech Z-560's and yes they are the loudest things in my dorm, but I dont get to listen to them terribly often because my I dont want to bother my roomate. So now I am very interested in buying some good quality headphones because the ones I have SUCK! So if I were you I would go headphones first.

As far as the monitor question get yourself and LCD, you'll save tons of space. I have a 19" Samsung 191T and I love it. It is super bright and crisp, but there is a little ghosting. Samsungs newest 17 inch model has a really low response time with no ghosting, and so does viewsonics newest model with 16ms response time (its a 20" monitor).
 
Originally posted by Matrix-Style
Also, any opinions on the necessity of a laptop? I have a killer desktop which I will def. be taking, so I may just get a cheap ultra-lite laptop if anything.
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Laptops are good if you like to do studying or work outside of your room (sometimes a necessity) like at the library, or if you like taking notes on them instead of the 'ole pen and paper. Playing games or surfing the net during class, while fun....is also quite distracting and not recommended. If you're the type of person who can get away with this AND pass the class, then by all means, proceed.

I was considering getting one, but I would only use it for one year, and then it would become a big paperweight. (What are you gonna do with a laptop at home when you've got two desktops?) You didn't mention what year you are, but if you're gonna get several good years out of it, I'd say go ahead.

As for my two years of dorm experience, I saw it all. Headphones to Hi-Fi hometheater (some people stay in college forever). I personally went through my 2.1, 4.1 (FPS2000), 5.1 (DTT2500) stages. It all depends on what kind of "room" you wanted to have and if you had the cooperation of your roommate or not. If you want to be an "entertainment" room or the guy who shakes the hall, then 5.1 will impress the guys and girls next door. My speakers were on stands, and I just expanded them for movies. The 4 and 5.1's did take up massive space though, and most of the time the sound stage was basically just my chair. If you don't wanna deal with that, then 2.1 will work well. You might even have a really anal roommate who will only allow headphones. Hehe.

Whatever you pick, have fun.......but be serious enough so you don't stay there for your entire young adult life.....
 
Originally posted by Blue Knight

Whatever you pick, have fun.......but be serious enough so you don't stay there for your entire young adult life.....
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That is awful advice, college is so much better than real life. I have been trying to figure out how to go back for 6 years now. Then I remember how poor I was in college, and that I do not like ramen noodles nearly as much now.

I personally would not go with a laptop. Too expensive, kinda heavy to carry around everywhere, easy to break and you do NOT want it stolen. I have a laptop that I get for free from work, and while I like it and it is handy. If I had to buy one with my own cash I would not.

A PDA on the other hand might be a good idea, however are you the type to use a PDA? It is all very personal decisions how how you use things and organize. We can only give you what we do, may not work for you.

I do like my PDA with wifi and builtin keyboard, very handy and I can see myself using it daily. But not for notes, that is just tedious a paper notebook is great for that. I use it for managing tasks, dates, people info. The wifi is handy for checking mail, and RSS feeds.
 
I am a senior in high school atm, graduate in May and off to college in august or september (not sure where I am going yet, I hear back April 1). Anyhow, thanks for all of the feedback, I appreciate the suggestions, I'll let ya know what I decide on and how it works out. :D
 
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