PC Sound System

[Alash]

Being probably the most subjective topic of all the hardware topics, I realize that answering my question will be somewhat difficult. Never the less, I'm strongly considering to buy a sound system for my new PC. The budget as mentioned is somewhere between $300 and $600, and the use of the sound system is a half-and-half mixture of 7.1 certified gaming and music (mostly just .mp3's but .dts, .ts and other HD formats might become interesting if the sound improvements are noticeable). Now I'm prone to go with the Z-5500 because of the overwhelming feedback and a considerably lower price than what solid alternatives I could find on the market available to me, and I hoped that you could help me determine which one to go for.

Should I have forgotten to add a must-have product to the poll please alert me and I'll get right to it, but be aware that not much is available here in Denmark through Internet-retail (not nearly as much as in USA), and duty and delivery expenses makes me not want to order from a place too remote from where I live. Never the less, if you know of something mindbogglingly awesome I will go to a great extent to get it. Also note that prices may be considerably higher than those available to you cause of the current currency of USD. These are the prices I can work with though.

Which one should I go for?
1) Logitech Z-5500 - $412
2) Creative GigaWorks G550W - $506
3) Bose Companion 3 - ?508

EDIT: Do you see the poll? Maybe I can make it but am not allowed to display it?

 

[Chapbass]

I dont see your poll. Not sure If you could find a set of Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1's around where you live, but theyre awesome


Oh, most around here will probably shun the bose companion 3's...I happen to be one of them. Decent speakers, but not THAT decent.

 

[Alash]

Yeah I drolled quite substantially over those too, but the closest I can get in Denmark is the Promedia 2.1 version which is pitiful compared. How about the Logitech G51? Read some reviews that quite liked them, and though the Z-5500 offer more depth and height when listening to music (that's what they say at least), G51 is superb for gaming and movies. Only not so sure about the design - it seems a littlle...wobbly and futuristic?

 

[Chapbass]

not sure, havent used the g51's.


Any chance of grabbing the promedia ultras on ebay? They usually do shipping and such.

 

[videogames101]

z-5300s own, so i have no doubt the 5500s would pwn.

 

[Wuzup101]

The z5500s are a very solid system (as far as computer speakers go). However, the price you listed is pretty damn high. I bought a set of them when they came out (probably like 3 years ago or more) and paid less than that. I've seen them on sale (in the US) for as low as $199 (with $230-250 sales being more typical) in recent months. They definitely aren't going to keep up with a pair of good quality bookshelves and a standard HT receiver; however, for a complete package for the price you can pay in the US they definitely are nice.

I've never personally listened to the Creative set (but have heard some decent reviews of them). The bose speakers are reasonably nice; however, for what you get they are VERY overpriced (as is the story with most bose products).

 

[Alash]

As said prices are off due to the current low USD currency - a year back the same product would of cost $280. The Promedia Ultra 5.1 I'm afraid is not available anywhere near Denmark, and outside of EU there's the duty (and delivery) issues. I'll do some research on Danish AV stores later today. At any rate, how much does it cost? Even Newegg don't have a price tag on it..

 

[Chapbass]

Originally posted by: Alash
As said prices are off due to the current low USD currency - a year back the same product would of cost $280. The Promedia Ultra 5.1 I'm afraid is not available anywhere near Denmark, and outside of EU there's the duty (and delivery) issues. I'll do some research on Danish AV stores later today. At any rate, how much does it cost? Even Newegg don't have a price tag on it..

Which set are you referring to? if the ultras, then I believe they used to be...250? geez i dont remember. Klipsch discontinued them, which would make it hard to find in new stores. hence why i suggested ebay. but if it isnt to be then...well yeah .

 

[Wuzup101]

IIRC the Ultra's were introduced right around the same time and price point (MSRP) as the Z5500s. I wasn't aware that they were discontinued... they are certainly nice speakers and if you can find a good set on e-bay for a reasonable price, don't hesitate to purchase them.

 

[Alash]

Promedia Ultra 5.1 is indeed discontinued and completely unavailable in my country. As far as eBay, Amazon and all that I'm a bit reluctant to buying used sound systems because experience tells me it's one aspect of hardware that you want new and unspoiled. I guess it varies a lot from situation to situation though...

 

[Excelsior]

Man, just get a decent pair of two-way bookshelf speakers and call it a day. You could find an amp to power them for not too much.

 

[Alash]

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Man, just get a decent pair of two-way bookshelf speakers and call it a day. You could find an amp to power them for not too much.

I'm more interested in quality of sound than the direction of the volume knob. If you know a pair of two-way bookshelf speakers that offer the sound that Z-5500 does I'm all ears..

 

[Excelsior]

I'm more interested in quality of sound than the direction of the volume knob.

All the more reason to pick up a pair of decent speakers instead of a "PC" set like the Z-5500s. I've heard them plenty. At University, my lowly Infinity 150s with 5.5" midwoofer and 3/4" tweeter kicked the shit out of the Z-5500s in quality. And I got them for $100/pair. The guy who owned the Z-5500s agreed that they were far superior.

So just figure up your budget for the pair and start reading reviews of speakers in your price range and for an amp you could pick up a used 5.1 receiver so you'd have upgrade ability for 5.1. I don't know much about the market in Denmark (or the rest of Europe) but good luck.

 

[Alash]

Have you know my technical abilities are sub-zero - I don't know how to wire the different components together, or how to optimize sound card settings to a specific environment. I'm no audiophile and as such I don't expect audiophile performance; what I don't want though, is ending up beneath the table in a maze of cables and a home-made setup with no manual. I seek performance within the boundaries of what's easily accessible, and to me - I don't even know what at tweeter is - a home made system doesn't qualify.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Alash
Have you know my technical abilities are sub-zero - I don't know how to wire the different components together, or how to optimize sound card settings to a specific environment. I'm no audiophile and as such I don't expect audiophile performance; what I don't want though, is ending up beneath the table in a maze of cables and a home-made setup with no manual. I seek performance within the boundaries of what's easily accessible, and to me - I don't even know what at tweeter is - a home made system doesn't qualify.

You sound like you need to build the speakers or something

Hooking up a receiver to a pair of speakers is about as complicated as hooking up a satellite speaker to the z-5500 subwoofer.

You'd just need to plug a few things in.

Your receiver isn't going to look this like either
http://www.audioholics.com/aud...on5805receiverrear.jpg

If you're really looking to get your system to the next level, getting some real speakers and a receiver will take you down that path. It can be intimidating at first, but once you figure out what components do what... it's no problem.

I don't know if you've put a computer together from parts (a good chunk of AT has done that), but this is easier.

I have a ton of info in the sticky thread in this subforum that I tried to write at a level that would help people with a little computer background start to make sense of home audio.

The things you mentioned
- optimizing sound card settings
- wiring up different components

You're going to have to deal with that to some extent with the z-5500s anyway.

When I hear an audio budget of $300 - $600 that means to me that somebody could be getting a decent home theater in a box (everything you need including a manual for everything)

OR

A nice 2.0 or 2.1 setup with the upgrade path to a nice 5.1 system


Hooking up a system like this will take a little longer and require a bit more setting up but the settings you'll have are all things that you'll really want to have control over.

I will be here (as will several other guys who really know how to set this stuff up well) to help you answer any questions you have about this stuff. Even if you do piece together a system with your own receiver and speakers, both will come with manuals to help you get things set up.

 

[Alash]

The last three computers I've assembled myself, and while I have to admit that the technicalities involved in that process surely can only exceed that of plugging two speakers into a receiver, I'm afraid to do it. Put frankly I find there are way too many variables that I can't account for in the area of audio, and that learning these would take time off things I'd rather do. Plugging a module into a mainboard, sure - determining which cables to go for under which circumstances, and how to calibrate sound to the acoustics of my room, not so sure. Hell it's probably not all that difficult, but that sort of explains my thinking.

Fair enough though. Perhaps it's time I leave the domain of ignorance and try this 2.1 setup you're talking about. Before I delve into the details of your sticky though, how will this work with the fact that the sound is supposed to peak when sitting in front of my computer? I can imagine that a pair of book-shelf speakers will seem quite out of proportions next to the monitor, and this is meant purely for computer use.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Speaker size and aesthetics are probably the biggest reasons not to do this after budget is out of the way.

It's certainly true that most decent speakers are going to take up a significant portion of your desk space. Most computer speakers try to get away with using really small satellite speakers. This makes some compromises to the quality of the sound, but a lot of people either don't care, don't know what they're missing, or are willing to make that sacrifice in sound quality.

I'm using a couple bookshelf speakers for my system at the office.
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/sp...k%20System/Stands2.JPG

Those are pretty large bookshelf speakers and do look pretty large next to the 19" monitor. If you don't have the desire or space to dedicate to these larger speakers, that's going to limit your options if you want to go with "real" speakers. There are small-ish speakers that will be better than the z-5500 set, but the smaller you go, the harder it will be to really get affordable speakers that sound good.

 

[Alash]

Within the area of dimensions of the Z-5500 satellites, what are my options? Subwoofer is not a problem as it'll be tucked away somewhere beneath the desktop, but I haven't room for big speakers, nor do I find it very aesthetic. I'm one of those willing to make the sacrifice in sound quality, and for that I thought Z-5500 would be a good solution. I looked on a couple of B&W LM1's, but they add up to $467 before considering amplifier and whatnot. They'd qualify as far as dimensions are concerned though (plus I have a weakness for B&W because of my dad's full 5.1 surround system with DM684's).

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I don't really know what options you have there.

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2099593&enterthread=y

If you look under section 2.5, I have listed some "Bose Alternatives" which would be small sized speakers available in the US.

 

[Alash]

Is Z-5500 really that bad? Within the budget and under the circumstances it seems to have gotten great reviews, much contrary to BOSE in general.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

A lot of people really like it.

I think a problem with a lot of these great reviews is that they're done from the perspective that computer speakers are as good as it gets when it comes to computer audio... or they're reviewed by people that have never really experienced something better.

I was really happy with my Logitech z-560s for a while but now I know what I was missing.

In a lot of cases these kind of systems are a good match for people.

I don't really have a concept about how much the z-5500s are costing you compared to other products though. When I see z-5500s for $412, that seems like paying twice as much as you should to get them. But if that's normal for prices over there compared to other products, then it would make sense to get them.

 

[Wuzup101]

As yoyo said, the Z5500s are nice for computer speakers. They aren't great compared to the sound quality you would get with a nice receiver and a real HT setup. However, as far as US based prices are concerned, $250 for a relatively good set of computer speakers (like the z5500s) is a bit lower than you would pay for a decent receiver and a 2.1 setup. The x-ls speakers that Yoyo is using from av123 are definitely great speakers (and the new versions are supposed to be even better). However, they do retail for about the same amount as the whole 5.1 setup from logitech (and they do blow them out of the water SQ wise). If you were in the US, I'd definitely say that a pair of those ($300) and a reasonably priced amp (like a refurbished HK 247 from their e-bay store) would be a great use of $600. However, we really don't know what options you have available to you (because of the price differences in our respective countries).

Do you have any onkyo HTiB's avaliable to you at your price point? Do you perhaps have a link to some retailers that you would be purchasing from?

 

[Alash]

As a rough estimate the price difference is that products in Denmark cost about 65% more. If you apply that to the budget I have what in US is the equivalent of $360, rather than the $600. For those money I'd love to get the best SQ within what I wound consider reasonable design: something that can stand on a desktop without taking too much space and while blending nicely into the environment. I realize I'm basically asking for Ferrari performance in SMART car size, and that's why I'm ok with some sort of a compromise. I'm asking for the best available within the budget and while looking like 'normal' PC speakers.

Onkyo aren't available in Denmark.

 

[driftwood07]

i know its been said a few times here but ill throw in . i have logitech z-5500s for about a year now and they are great for music/movies . about a month ago i went from onboard to a x-fi soundcard and they only sound better . of course you can do better buying seperate speakers and a receiver , but many of those speakers cost as much as the entire z-5500 system