Are good speakers really worth it?

Ender

Ender

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Im posting this in the general forum because the hardware forum=dead..

im getting a new computer soon(with audigy 2 platinum sound card) i was wondering.. is it really worth it to buy 5.1 Speakers.. their a bit pricey.. please post your thoughts :)
 
I got 4.1 speakers and they pretty much sound just as good as 5.1 speakers. I dont know how much of a price difference there is.
 
Whats the real differnce between say a 2.1 and a 5.1?..
 
2.1 is right in front of. Having surround speakers adds depth and is alot better than headphones. Once you use surround you never want to go back to 2.1.
 
it's pretty simple

5.1 = 5 different speakers and 1 subwoofer
4.1 = 4 different speakers and 1 subwoofer


However, if you are a serious gamer then speakers aren't the correct choice, at least you need a decent pair of headphones for gaming, and just use the speakers for multimedia etc.
 
5.1 speakers have this sort of set up
Code: 
+--+--+
| [u]you[/u] |         __________
+-----+--------|[u]subwoofer [/u]|                      where [b]+[/b] is a speaker.

I believe you can get 7.1 surround now too.

But the favourite atm is 5.1 surround sound I think.
I have it myself, very cheap set up and it does improve the DVD experience if you have the compatible software. It's good for lsitening to music with, but for games there isn't much improvement, and as impaqt said, games are better with headphones..... at least until they start officially implementing Dolby Digital into games in which case it'll be mind blowing.
 
I said it was a cheap set up and this is exactly what it is...

Medion brand 5.1 multimedia speakers
Avance AC97 Audio sound card

The speakers were £50 and the card came with the machine, but sounds quite cheap too.
 
Well, seeing as AC3 is pretty much Dolby Digital, I wonder how much of an improvement, if any, having games in Dolby Digital will be. Personally, I prefer EAX or EAX 2 to AC3 audio.
 
I don't believe headphones are better than 5.1 speakers. I have 4.1 surround, and playing Digital Paintball mod for Half-Life is much more intense when I hear balls of paint hitting walls all around me in my room. Headphones can only provide me with left and right channels, which sucks for determining where a ball hit in DPB when theres one guy left and you need that extra sense of ball flight direction for knowing where they are.
 
[OT]
Is the DPB mod any good? Link?
[/OT]
 
Well many games support EAX and A3D (including half-life mods). Both these sound engines use virtual surround modes.

Virtual surround simulates how the ear works. Human ears aren't a funny shape for no reason, they change the speed/pitch of the sound before it gets to your inner ear depending in which way you are facing relative to the sound source. So instead of your ear changing the sound, virtual surround does it for you. Even though I have 5.1 speakers also, I play games using headphones because it's easier to determine the direction of the sound.

Unfortunately Virtual surround doesn't work for everyone, it's based on the average ear, if you have unusual shaped ears it won't work so well, also if you are tone deaf (People say tone deaf, but the correct expression should be pitch deaf) it wont work either, then again if you are tone deaf you would have to keep moving your head about to appreciate 5.1 speakers also.

Also another thing to note, if you use headphones make sure you select headphones in the SoundBlaster sound options otherwise you won't get the correct effect.
 
Either get the Klipsch Promedia's or the Logitech Z-680's(5.1) or Z-560's(4.1).


I bought my Z-560's for $150 and I think the Z-680's are around $275 or so.
 
5.1, in my opinion, is a lot better than 4.1. With 5.1 the center channel gets most of the attention (which it should, because it represents the sound feild directly in front of the player). In 4.1, to my understanding, the center channel is split between the two left and right speakers.
Another thing is play around with the subwoofer. What I mean by that is that the sub isn't directional. It simply represents a frequency. A sub doesn't really have to have a fixed position. Moving it around can help warm up the frequencies it carries due to your specific acoustics in your room. In my home theater I have my sub directly behind my couch to catch the "sweet spot". If I were in a different house, the sweet spot would more than likely be in a completely different place.
:cheers:
 
I put the sound from my computer through my mini hifi thing that I've had for like nearly 8 years now, great sound :) , if you have one lying around or something I'd suggest giving that a go (can get some meaty bass too and spread the speakers about), just need the line cable.
 
To take full advantage of your Soundblaster Audigy 2 (I have the same card) you'll need digital 5.1 surround or better. Get digital speakers, if you don't have room for more than 2.1 then just get 2.1 digital, it sounds SO MUCH CLEARER! The difference between normal analog speakers and digital are amazing, I'm using digital 2.1 now and plan on getting a set of 5.1 digital soon.
 
Logitech z 640's.

5.1 surround sound for a mere $65

These are the speakers I have and they can't be beat for such a low price. I'm considering buying a second pair for my old computer. They're plenty loud to make your neighbors angry and if you're going from a cheaper system you'll be shocked at the difference.

Newegg is "teh pwn!!!!11" and has incredibly fast shipping and it's very well priced.

Now granted, these won't be as good as $300 speakers, but honestly most people won't notice. Just be sure your soundcard (built in or otherwise) can support 5.1 audio and you'll be set.

EDIT: These speakers are especially good for gaming. You won't believe the amount of subwoofer you get for this price. Honestly, I have to keep the thing at it's lowest setting or Bad Things will happen.
 
Also, you can spend 200 bucks on a set of high quality headphones and not notice the difference between a "good" speaker rig most of the time.
 
but headphones get annoying...

i have a set of Altec Lansing 621s.

They're only 2.1 but they're good, as I have no space for extra speakers.
 
The thing that's always kept me from going surround is I never have a place for the rear speakers. Or the cables won't reach properly etc. Always something. I'm still 2.1 and have no plans to change in the near future. Mine are ALtec Lansing as well and they're quite good for music and whatnot.
 
i've got 2.1 and it sounds great for games and what not.

I sugest buying a good 2.1 oposed to getting a crummy 4.1/5.1.
 
5.1 rules i play MOH and AA with surround and i can tell you when i play it s like i was there.
 
Thank you all... I would buy some 6.1 speakers.. but someone said to stay away from megaworks models.. and im not sure which other company sells them..
 
The top speakers out there are the Klipsh Promedia 5.1 and Logitech Z-680's for a 5.1 set-up and the Promedia 4.1 and Z-560's for the 4.1 round up.


Make sure you don't confuse the model numbers with ones of lower quality.



And if you have an Audigy you DO NOT want to get digital speakers.

The speakers I mentioned above are analog speakers.

The Audigy does not do positional sounds in digital. You would just be getting the same sound out of 5 or 6 speakers.
 
Ender, I have the megaworks speakers, there made by Creative, and they sound VERY nice. They are a little spendy right now but they are worth every penny, at least thats what I think.

When I build a second system though I will get the Logitech Z-680's and all the reviews I have read have been very good so if you wanted to change your mind and go with 5.1 then I would go with these, the only real problem with them that people really noticed was a lot of wight(spelling?) noise.
 
Re: Re: Are good speakers really worth it?

Originally posted by nietzsche
An audio-card such as the Audigy 2 coupled with a top-quality surround-speaker set makes a big difference. I suggest you buy a 6.1 speaker-set, in order to take full advantage of the capabilities of the Audigy 2. Widespread support for 6.1 is still limited in movies, but with games the situation is different. Positional (located in three dimensions) sounds will be spread among the whole speaker-set by an Audigy 2 card.
Click to expand...

How much does the Audigy 2 cost?
 
I have 4.1 Speakers...

Logitech Z-560's....

But If I had the money, I'd get the Z-680's it sucks they weren't out when I bought the 560's. Oh well.
 
Nvidia>turtle>Audigy
Audigy has flaked harder than my senior prom date. There drivers for these cards come out once in a blue moon and have major compatility issues. So pick wisely... I like freeing up my pci slots for more flow in my case.
esp; in these hOt summer nights
Is a new m/b with a great onboard sound an option?
 
IMO just get good headphones... better surround sound and that helps alot in multiplayer.

-Straylight
 
Originally posted by bx|ch3f_0z
Nvidia>turtle>Audigy
Audigy has flaked harder than my senior prom date. There drivers for these cards come out once in a blue moon and have major compatility issues. So pick wisely... I like freeing up my pci slots for more flow in my case.
esp; in these hOt summer nights
Is a new m/b with a great onboard sound an option?
Click to expand...
oh yes, get an nForce 2, they have Soundstorm onboard and imo is better than an Audigy

btw, I hear a lot of crap about "use headphones if you only have a 2.1 setup"

well, I dunno what kinda ears you ppl have, but I've been using 2.1 for five years up until 7 months ago and I'm godlike in any multiplayer FPS with hearing where ppl are; you can stand on a roof, and hear whether they are on the second or first level, literally, or from the right/left, etc.; I've also been told I'm not a true gamer without headphones; well, they're damn annoying and I get sick seeing $200 versions of coupled mini-speakers; what a waste (okay, unless you're a true audiophile), otherwise, you're getting a shit experience without real speakers, much closer to real life sound, IMO
 
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