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Help me make a speaker/sound card decision!

M

mikecel79

Platinum Member
I'm looking into getting a new set of speakers for my PC. I currently have a 2.1 Advent system hooked up to my SB Live and frankly they suck. I've got two choices: Logitech Z-560 or Logitech Z-640 + an Audigy card. I'll be using the speakers for listening to MP3s, CDs, and when I'm watching DVDs. I already have a home theater system in my living room but I live with 2 other guys and if they are in the living room already my g/f and I like to watch a movie in my bedroom and I hate using the sound on the TV. I also do a little gaming but not much.

I was looking at the Z-640s but they are a 5.1 speaker system and my SB Live only has 4 channel output. Anyone have them setup to an SB Live without 5.1? I know the Z-640s can matrix the center channel but how does it sound? Does it deal well with sounds that pan from one side of the screen to the other? What's the big difference between the Audigy LS and the Audigy 2 cards? Is the Audigy 2 that much better?

The other option is the Z-560 which are a little more (than the card + Z-640s) but much more powerful and THX certified. But it has no center channel. Anyone that has a home theater system knows how critical the center channel is for dialogue. I'm wondering if I will miss the center channel that much since the two front speakers will be about 8-10 feet apart? It seems they will be so far apart I need the center channel. But I would get to keep my SB Live though.

So basically which would sound better for movies/music the Audigy/Z-640 combo or the Z-560/SB Live?
 
THX is is fancy word that adds on $$ to the cost of speakers and sound cards.

Get the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz + 5.1 combo. Much better than Live + 4 channel. I just traded my Audigy 1 for a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz. Very similar cards, you won't go wrong either way.
 
I'd go with the SB Audigy2 (6.1) or SB Audigy 2 ZS (7.1) the older Audigy and Extigy don't support TRUE 24-bit sound. Also, these new Audigy2's have a dedicated on-board hardware sound processing (unlike the other garbage like the Turtle Sh*t Satan Booze) so you'll get faster framerates in all your games.:beer:
 
Originally posted by: ScrewFace
I'd go with the SB Audigy2 (6.1) or SB Audigy 2 ZS (7.1) the older Audigy and Extigy don't support TRUE 24-bit sound. Also, these new Audigy2's have a dedicated on-board hardware sound processing (unlike the other garbage like the Turtle Sh*t Satan Booze) so you'll get faster framerates in all your games.:beer:
Click to expand...

See the thing is I don't need 6.1 or 7.1 sound nor will I in the future. And I game very little so faster framerates mean little to me. Most of my gaming it Warcraft III and Wolfenstein:ET.

 
I like Creative cards so I'd rather stick with them. Thanks for the input though. So anyone have any other opinions?
 
Well I have the z640s and a SBLive non 5.1 and its okay but I decided I wanted my center channel to work the way its suppost to. I don't need all that fancy crap and since these are cheap ass $60 speakers I really don't think the extra sound clearity of the Audigy2ZS will make that much of a difference so I went with the Audigy ES. I am not a big music listener though. This Chainteck card is suppost to be really nice aswell and is cheap. I do a little gaming though so I wanted a creative labs card.
 
How did the center channel sound with the non 5.1 Live card? I'll have to look into the Audigy ES. Is it the same as the LS model now? I do some light gaming but probably more when Doom 3 and HL2 comes out so I want to stick with a Creative card. Thanks!
 
having a creative card for gaming doesnt matter unless you get an Audigy 2. The rest as far as I know dont have onboard processing! Anyhoo, I hate my audigy card...it causes so many problems.
 
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