looking for good speakers

[Nab]

i'm trying to find good speakers for my friend. He's going off to college, and he's buying a laptop (i'm not sure of the specs) but it's going to be top of the line. He wants to get some really good speakers. His budget is up to $300. That's too rich for my blood so I don't know what good speakers are out there for that price range, so i'm asking the gurus. Thanks for the help.

 

[Shooters]

What kind of audio connections does the laptop have? Klipsch Promedia 2.1 is probably the best 2.1 setup you're going to find, and either the Klipsch Promedia 4.1 or Logitech Z-560 are the best 4.1 setups. Any of those can be had for under $300.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Multimedia speakers or like bookshelf speakers?

For a 4.1 setup, I have to recommend the Boston BA7800s; get them on eBay for $75.

 

[Nab]

I just found out that he's getting the Dell Inspiron 5000.

 

[Nab]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Multimedia speakers or like bookshelf speakers?

For a 4.1 setup, I have to recommend the Boston BA7800s; get them on eBay for $75.

What's the difference between bookshelf and multimedia? He's going to be using the speakers for music and a little gaming, mostly music though. What's a "4.1 setup" mean?

 

[GTaudiophile]

4.1 = four satellite speakers and one subwoofer. (Also 2.1, 5.1, 6.1)

Multimedia = specifically designed for use with computers

Bookshelf = speakers not designed specifically for use with computers but can be used with them

 

[Schadenfroh]

i like my $30 altec lansing 4.1 speakers

 

[GTaudiophile]

If he's looking for multimedia speakers for music, gaming, movies, etc, then the popular brands to look at are Klipsch, Logitech, Altec Lansing, and of course the best of them all, Boston Acoustics. Klipsch and Boston make high-end home equipment as well.

 

[clicknext]

If he wants to save some money and still have really really powerful sound, especially bass, then the Logitech Z-560s are good.

 

[randumb]

Klipsch and those Creative Megaworks are both nice. The JBL Creature looks pretty friggin cool.

 

[Nab]

money is not really a big deal since he's willing to spend 300$...right now the ones i'm looking at are Klipsch, Logitech, Altec Lansing, and Boston Acoustics.

 

[Nab]

Here are the ones that i'm looking at right now:

Logitech Z680 5.1 Computer Speakers (5-Speaker, Silver)

Boston Acoustics BA4800 5-Piece Multimedia Computer Speakers

Klipsch ProMedia GMX D-5.1 Digital Computer Speakers (6-Speaker, Black & Silver)

Altech Lansing - didn't find any high priced ones that i liked

Creative Labs MegaWorks 550 5.1 THX Computer Speakers (6-Speaker, Black)

Can anyone tell me if I'm atleast going in the right direction? How will a 5.1 be different than a 6.1? And will he have to get any special type of sound card?

 

[Nab]

my friend said that he wants good sound quality, bass doesn't have to be excellent.

 

[TheInvincibleMustard]

Originally posted by: Nab
Can anyone tell me if I'm atleast going in the right direction? How will a 5.1 be different than a 6.1? And will he have to get any special type of sound card?

A 5.1 setup is:
Front Left, Center, Front right
Rear Left, Rear Right
Subwoofer

A 6.1 setup is:
Front Left, Center, Front Right
Rear Left, Rear Center, Rear Right
Subwoofer

I'm not sure exactly what the speaker output on that Dell machine is, so I can't tell you if he needs a special card or not. Most (if not all) 5.1 and 6.1 setups need a special output in order to use all 5/6 channels to their fullest, probably some sort of Dolby output. Check with the product specs for the laptop and see what audio connections they have. More than likely, he won't be able to effectively use more than a 2.1 setup, as most laptops (AFAIK) don't come with surround setups.

Hope this helps.

 

[Nab]

i guess i'll have to tell him to check with his laptop to see if he can support surround sound. Thanks for your help.

 

[Nab]

since his dell most probably wont' support anything greater than 2.1 ...what is the best 2.1 speaker system out there? money isn't an issue, anything up to 300$ is cool with him.