Sound Card?

[NatePo717]

So I have the Logitech THX Z-5300's and I tried playing a little Prodigy
(Smack my bitch up) and when I went to crank it up all the way (full base and volume) I had like poping sounds about 3 lights from max volume. There are 7 lights and about 4 clicks turns on another light. Now would this be because I'm using onboard audio? I know it's not blown speakers or anything because I would be able to see it. Would getting a sound card help with this issue? 4 lights is still really loud and I almost knocked some pictures off my walls but I want it loud enough to piss off the neighbors from my basement.

These are the speakers I'm talking about. I have the silver version.
Logitech THX Z-5300

 

[PurdueRy]

my guess is the audio output from your comp is clipping. Or the amplifier in your speaker system doesn't have enough power to drive the speakers at that level

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Pissing the neighbors from your basement takes some serious volume levels.

My old z-560s were able to be heard 3 floors above me when I had them turned up really high (but not all the way) but the volume in the room at this point was unbearable. This was when I turned it up on game days in the dorm upon request to play UW-Madison band's music. Afterwards the room would smell of ozone from the sub arcing (at least I think that's what it was). No popping from them though.
At this volume level I don't even think they would have been able to be heard outside my house very far when played in the basement.

I'm wondering how loud yours are when they're popping. I haven't used z-5300s to have a sense of how loud they would be at these levels. I probably had my volume up about 3/4 the way on the speakers and sub level up 3/4 with windows volume etc. maxxed before I had ozone smell coming from the sub. I don't think I ever turned them up all the way on a music source. I'd done it before on some movies where the overall sound level was much lower than a music source.

It could be that the output level on your integrated sound isn't very high and you're reaching its limits. I haven't used a lot of integrated sound sources, but I know volume level changed a great deal on my gf's computer when she changed from the integrated sound on her SFF pc to an old Turtle Beach Santa Cruz. Overall volume level on my receiver was increased enough that I could turn it down about 10dB and the output was about the same level as it was with the integrated source.

Be careful though. I know my z-560s could damage my hearing if I wasn't careful. Sound levels increase drastically the close you are to your speakers, so if you're within a couple feet of your speakers and have them turned up really high, you could do some damage to your hearing (ok, I'm sure you don't want to hear this from me, but just warning you if you do end up fixing your problem and get your speakers even louder you should be careful).

 

[alcoholbob]

Lol I remember the good old Logitechs...they can put out some serious SPL levels...the only problem was it sounded like crap at those volume levels

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Astrallite
Lol I remember the good old Logitechs...they can put out some serious SPL levels...the only problem was it sounded like crap at those volume levels

Well, I thought they sounded pretty good until I heard something better
I was really never exposed to anything that sounded very good growing up except for in Movie theaters.

 

[NatePo717]

Well if I turn the trebel down all the way and the mid range down all the way it sounds normal at those levels. At 4 lights it's loud enough so that you have to shout for people to hear you 4 to 5 feet away! But I still would like to be able to put these speakers through their full range. I don't like being able to only use them up to 2/3 of their full range.