Thoughts on going from 5.1 to 2.1

jhatfie

jhatfie

[H]ard|Gawd
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Mar 19, 2003
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I have been rocking my Logitech Z-5300e 5.1 setup for what feels like forever . But I have the rears on the side and in doing so I have speakers and wires dominating my desk and with the configuration, I really do not get to appreciate the surround sound. So I am looking to simplify while still hopefully getting good sound.

I am thinking of moving to a quality 2.1 setup and just get a good 5.1 wireless headset for when I want to game in surround. I do about 80% games and 10% movies and 10% music and am not looking to spend a ton and do not want the speakers to dominate my desk so the size needs to be kept in check. Maybe $250-ish or so for the speakers and sub (Headset decision to come later).

I was looking at the new M-Audio AV32.1 setup that looks like it might fit the bill, it is $200
Also thinking of maybe getting some decent 4-5" monitors like the Mackie CR4's or Personus Eris E4.5's and pair with a compact powered 8" sub to full in the missing low end. I want to keep the sub size fairly small so it does not dominate my office which is already full. I was looking at something like the Dayton SUB-800.

Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
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Ended up ordering a pair of open box Presonus Eris E5 monitors and Presonus Temblor T8 Sub with full warranty for just over $320 shipped for everything. Exceeded my budget, but I think in the end it will be worth it.
 
I went from 5.1 > 2.1 for a similar reason - wiring clutter. Worse, the family dog ate through the (wired) remote of my Inspire 5500s. So I shelved the 5500s and got my Cambridge PC Works 2.1s (which the Inspires replaced) out of the closet, and put the satellites to each side of my display, and put the sub under the desk (facedown - floor-loading position). The speaker setup has held strong for several years now - from Audigy 2 ZS to X-fi to Recon3D to a Realtek (onboard audio) brief sojourn and now back to my Recon3D. I went Realtek because I was also looking at putting OS X back on (and OS X doesn't support the SoundCore3D audio DSP in an internal-audio configuration - only USB); however, OS X has issues with the UEFI of my H81-E33 - so OS X is a non-starter for now, and the Recon3D went back in. Further, there IS actually a difference in sound depending on the game, and ANNO 2205 (my city-sim of choice for now) drives the point home with a grav-jack (which is used in non-Earth construction; one of your tasks in ANNO 2205 is to build a city on the Moon)
 
I went from 5.1 to 2.1 and don't miss it one damn bit. Same reason as everyone else. Got tired of the connections and wiring clutter. Not to mention for music, it just don't sound right.

Now, I did go higher end than normal. Started off with a set of ProMedia 2.1's, which were fine, but went a little overboard and upgraded to M-Audio M3-6's and a M-Audio BX-12. It literally rocks the house now :)
 
I've got BX5 D2's from a couple years back, really considering adding a sub at this point. How's that BX-12? My BX5's are really punchy but really lack a good low end range, I really do need a sub.
 
The BX-12 will give you all the low end and connections you'll ever need :)

I run RCA from the DAC to the sub, then balanced XLR to the M3-6's. Sound comes from an external USB DAC (a Line-6 Amplifi TT Box) but any old DAC will work better than an internal sound card I think.
 
Had a couple months to let my Presonus Eris E5's + Temblor T8 sub break in. After some teething issues with my PC and fixing my issues with a FiiO D3 DAC, the setup has exceeding my expectations. The sound quality in music is so vastly superior to my old 5.1 setup and even in games, the way the near field monitors and sub fill my listening area with clear details and gut punching bass really has validated I made the right decision going with a decent quality 2.1 setup.
 
Rav3n said:
Studio monitors have a very flat response curve. To most people (not editing music) they sound like they are missing something.

Think of it as... sterile sound.
Click to expand...
Heh, speakers are supposed to have a very flat response curve. The best speakers in the world are about as flat as they get. Think of it as... accurate sound. That's what hifi is. High fidelity. Studio monitors are excellent for computer use because they have been designed for near field use.

If you want a loudness type exaggerated sound you can always use tone controls.
 
I'm running a Marantz NR1501 receiver with an HDMI input, 6 Orb Audio speakers and an Infinity 10" sub. It's 7.1 minus the center channel.

The wiring isn't really an issue for me, but HDMI audio is a hassle (I have to run a 4th monitor and I have 3 screens).

I really love surround sound in games that support it, but I can almost never use it - maybe 2-3 hours on Saturday mornings if I'm lucky.

It's a decent amount of money that I could recoup if I sold it off and went with a simple stereo system.

Enough to convert my 2600k into a 5820k I bet.
 
Rav3n said:
Studio monitors have a very flat response curve. To most people (not editing music) they sound like they are missing something.

Think of it as... sterile sound.
Click to expand...

Thats why you add a sub.
 
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