Somebody explain speakers to me .. :o

[smp]

Okay, I've never really taken an interest in computer speaker systems because I had my system hooked up to a yamaha reciever and paradigm speakers .. I was fine
Now however, i've moved out of the basement and into some light. There is no room for the yamaha/paradigm system up here and not only that but I'm leaving it in the basement for the tv etc.
Now, I need new speakers, but I can't make heads or tails out of what 2.1, 4.1, 5.1 and home theatre all really mean.
I wanna listen to music, I play some games and I watch some movies.
I like the idea of environmental audio .. I'm thinking 5.1 or home theatre with DTS (what's that?) .. so what does all this stuff mean? What kind of soundcard do I need (a 5.1 card like soundblaster?) to push these things?
Any recommendations are also welcomed .. I'm liking the looks of the z560's, I've seen them mentioned here a million times and I read a review last night, for the price they seems reasonable.

 

[Pink0]

You can get answers to the vast majority of your questions in the FAQs

 

[PizzaDude]

Well, I know about some of that so I'll share what I know. The 2.1, 4.1, etc stands for how many satellite speakers and how many subwoofers. For example, 4.1 means that there are 4 satellite speakers and 1 subwoofer. 4.2 would mean 4 satellites and 2 subs. If you want the "surround sound" feeling, you need to get a system with 4 or 5(or more) satellites. If you are looking for top knotch sound quality you pretty much have 2 choices that I would recommend. If you want a 4.1 setup, get the Klipsch Promedia 4.1's. If you wanna go with 5.1's, get either the z560's or Klipsch Promedia 5.1's. I can guarantee you won't be disappointed with any of these. As for sound cards, there are a few of those that I know a little bit about too. The best multipurpose soundcard right now is the SB Audigy Platinum. If you ask me, you really don't need to get something that expensive. I would hands down go for a regular audigy or a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz and the original Audigy are the most popular high end cards. Something else you should know, too. The Audigy is supposedly better for gaming and the Santa Cruz is supposedly better for music. If you want to use your pc for more than games then get the Santa Cruz. I really don't think you'd be able to tell the difference in these 2 cards anyways, but definately get one of the 2. I was in your same dilemma a while back and I ended up going with the Santa Cruz and it's brilliant to say the least. I play games and listen to music and it really does excel in both.

 

[187]

Originally posted by: PizzaDude If you wanna go with 5.1's, get either the z560's or Klipsch Promedia 5.1's.

z560s are not 5.1s they are 4.1

4 satellites
1 sub

pushing 400watts RMS..

now there are alot of people that are gonna start bashing the 560s now.. (it seems to be some trendy bandwagon thing to do now)

but i paid 110$ shipped for my z560s and they are great. bass is powerful and rich.. mids and highs a bit lacking but sufficient. if you are not a big fan of bass, there is something called a bass knob on the control tower that allows you to turn DOWN the bass.

that seems to be what all these people bitch and moan about.. oh gee golly the bass is too strong. there are ways to get it to your liking. if you are an extreme audiophile and have the $$ to shell out go with klipsh promedia 5.1s but i say the best bang for your buck would be the logitech z560s.

another 5.1 system with doby pro logic II DTS THX certified and all that jazz is the new logitech z680s just hitting the street about now.

it should be quite the system but at a hefty msrp of 399$ (can be found for about 340 shipped)

 

[smp]

Thanks a lot, that really helped me out.
Heh, the faq's eh? It's funny I should be one to get FAQ'd, i used to have a link to them in my own damn sig!!!
oops

edit:
oh yeah .. what about these <FONT face=Arial size=2>Yamaha TSS1B 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=1> ??</FONT>