Please give me speaker recommendations and debunk speaker myths

[Kilgore23]

I have some really poor quality 5.1 speakers from logitech, the sub is really small and would like to upgrade my speakers.

Is it better to go with a 2.1 setup or can 5.1 surround sound really make a difference?

This is the sound card I have that I would like to pair with a new set of speakers:

http://www.asus.com/Sound_Cards_and_DigitaltoAnalog_Converters/Xonar_Xense/

I pretty much don't know anything about speakers so any advice would really help

 

[Kilgore23]

Bump

 

[bononos]

2.1 is better if you're not spending alot of money and/or want good sounds for semi-serious listening. You generally want to spend alot more money on the speakers instead of the sound card because its the speakers which are going to be make more of a difference relatively speaking since even integrated realtek is quite good already.

So for something like the Xense, something like the m-audio bookshelves recommended in the another thread would be reasonable.

 

[John Connor]

I have these and are pretty decent, the only problem is the bass has to be turned down unless you like a lot of bass. Bombs in games are pretty impressive. http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Z-530.../dp/B0000C20R9

 

[crashtestdummy]

For 5.1 vs. 2.1, the critical factors are whether you use the speakers for movies and games or for music, and whether you have a room where you can really place the speakers around you. Stacking up 6 speakers in front of you won't get you anything special.

Honestly, I'd recommend going with a T-Amp with bookshelves to start, then upgrading components as you go.