speakers for games

[pontifex]

do you guys use 2.0, 2.1, 5.1 or 7.1 speakers for your pc and gaming.

I have an old logitech 5.1 set but the front left speaker is dead. Was thinking about getting another 5.1 set but not sure I really need it. I loved these speakers, great sound quality imo.

Don't want to spend too much money. But I could just make this 5.1 set a 2.1 set instead, just take one of the rear speakers and use it for the front speaker?
or do they have different specs and that won't work?

 

[KaOTiK]

I use to use 5.1 but now I just use a good pair of headphones instead and like it a lot better.

 

[Dankk]

Good pair of stereo headphones. Don't need anything else.

 

[pontifex]

I use to use 5.1 but now I just use a good pair of headphones instead and like it a lot better.

i have a good pair of stereo headphones but i don't like wearing headphones for extended periods of time.

I also like to be able to hear other things going on around me, like the phone or doorbell, etc.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I use a cheap 5.1 ($80), Logitech X-51(?). Having surround does improve many games for me.

It works well for game sounds and music, but the tiny sats are lacking in midrange. For real music listening I have an Onkyo receiver and a pair of Polk speakers.

 

[Dankk]

i have a good pair of stereo headphones but i don't like wearing headphones for extended periods of time.

I also like to be able to hear other things going on around me, like the phone or doorbell, etc.

What kind of setup are you looking for? I'm not a speaker enthusiast whatsoever, but if you want a really cheap surround-sound solution, this looks like a solid choice:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Surro...dp/B003VAK1FA/

Probably not what you'd want to use in a home movie theater... but for desktop PC gaming, it looks great.

 

[SMOGZINN]

I have been using 2.1 and a good pair of headphones, but my 2.1 speakers just died. I don't have the room in my office for 5.1 and 7.1 setups, but I find that headphones do a good enough job for surround sound.

 

[pontifex]

What kind of setup are you looking for? I'm not a speaker enthusiast whatsoever, but if you want a really cheap surround-sound solution, this looks like a solid choice:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Surro...dp/B003VAK1FA/

Probably not what you'd want to use in a home movie theater... but for desktop PC gaming, it looks great.

i'm not an audiophile either and i don't need or want anything elaborate (need to keep costs down).

i tried plugging the rear speakers into the front left port on the sub and got nothing. i plug my the front left speaker into the front center port and it works. i plug the front center speaker into the front left port and it doesn't work either. looks like it's not the speaker, but the port on the sub...

 

[KaOTiK]

i have a good pair of stereo headphones but i don't like wearing headphones for extended periods of time.

I also like to be able to hear other things going on around me, like the phone or doorbell, etc.

Besides your issue with wearing headphones for extended periods of time, you can get open eat ones (like the Sennheiser PC360 have) so you can hear all around you still.

 

[DaveSimmons]

What kind of setup are you looking for? I'm not a speaker enthusiast whatsoever, but if you want a really cheap surround-sound solution, this looks like a solid choice:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Surro...dp/B003VAK1FA/

Probably not what you'd want to use in a home movie theater... but for desktop PC gaming, it looks great.

That looks like a newer version of what I have. The subwoofer does a very good job on bass, and in-game music sounds fine. It works well for games in my home office and the tiny satellites are easy to place.

 

[Dankk]

Besides your issue with wearing headphones for extended periods of time, you can get open eat ones (like the Sennheiser PC360 have) so you can hear all around you still.

Hmm... interesting.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-.../dp/B003DA4D2U

From the reviews:

Open Acoustic design allows sound to enter and exit through the headset. Let me go a bit more into depth about this.

eg1.) You are listening to your task's audio at an average volume and someone is talking next to you. You will be able to hear them fairly clearly.
- This is a preference thing. For some this won't be a problem; people who tend to use the headset in a secluded area or who would prefer if they could hear their surroundings and others would definitely benefit from this. For others this may be a deal breaker; people who go to LANs will hear people yelling and this may take away from the game audio, and people who would prefer not to be able to hear their surrounding while gaming should consider opting for a closed design headset. Sennheiser PC 350 Collapsible Gaming Headset with Vol Control & Microphone Mute is a great alternative to the PC360 for someone looking for a closed design.

eg2.) You have the volume on your headphones fairly loud. People near you will be able to hear audio coming from your headset.
- Again, this is a preference thing. Some people would rather have their game audio kept confined to their headset. Others may not care if audio leaks from the headset because they may play in a dedicated area where they will be using the headphones alone.

You may be wondering, "Why should I buy this headset if I can just get a Closed design set?" Well, the reasoning behind the Open Acoustic design is that it allows sound to enter and leave the ear naturally as opposed to allowing it to rebound as it does in a Closed setup. This is a huge factor in the headset's amazing audio positioning when playing games with Surround Sound.

Ninja edit: That's a very expensive headset though. Might be more worth your while just to get the $80 Logitech system I linked above.

 

[KaOTiK]

There are other headsets with the open design, those were just the ones I knew off my head because I went with the PC350's instead because they were closed (I prefer not hearing anything from the outside)

 

[Martimus]

I hook it up to a Pioneer receiver that I bought for college 14 years ago. That is connected to two 8" speakers on my desk. It sounds pretty good that way.

 

[Anubis]

2.1
pair of Energy RC-10s with an Epik Legend
running a Asus Xonar STX through a Denon AVR

 

[thespyder]

Gonna go with the headphones like a lot of other folks. That way I can get the full surround sound and not be blasting out the rest of the house. Plus, noise canceling head phones means that I can't hear the wife Nag... Ahem, speaking to me.

 

[QuantumPion]

5.1. Still rocking the klipsch promedia ultras. The original sub/amp died so I'm just using them with a dannon receiver via HDMI and athena subwoofer. Doesn't get much better than that!

 

[Tweak155]

2.1 Klipsch. Plenty for me. I have headphones otherwise.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

5.1 speakers for a PC are a pain in the ass, too many parts to break and lets be honest it doesn't add anything.

 

[wirednuts]

another vote for good set of 2.1 speakers. if you really want to go pro, then get powered studio monitors and adjust the equalizer in windows to give it a more dynamic sound (monitors usually sound too flat for home use, but if you tweak the sound to have more bass they are amazing).


5.1 isnt necessary when the two front speakers are directly placed in front and close to you. you will still hear surround sound through 2 channel speakers if youre in the right spot.

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

been wondering this myself since theres been a ton of sales on PC headsets lately on slickdeals.

Right now i just use a cheap 2 speaker system with a sub. I dont really turn the volume up too much either since i do most of my gaming late and i have a roommate.

Any recommendations on a sub 100 dollar headset?

 

[Kalmah]

I've always been disappointed with surround computer speakers. I currently have some fairly beefy 5.1 logitechs at the moment plugged into a soundblaster xifi extreme something or other. The soundcard provides a gaming mode, entertainment(movie and music) mode, and an audio creation mode(for audio recording and such). It has features such as expanding stereo sound into surround to get audio from all speakers. But it's flaky. I'll set it one day, then find that it has reverted back to defaults the next day. It's a constant battle of going back through all the menus to reset everything. That's really Creative's problem than the actual speakers though. Their shit has always been buggy.

I've owned 2 sets of 5.1 and 1 set of 7.1 speakers before. One thing I noticed(depending on speakers), in windows 7 it defaults to low frequency range satellite speakers... you can uncheck a box in your audio settings to allow 'full range' from your speakers if they support it. It sounds much better. Like I said, I got a set with some pretty beefy satellites that are full range.

I still feel like every set of surround speakers I've owned has been lacking in the mid range though.

If you really want something good grab some studio monitor speakers. Those will blow your mind. (considering they are about $500 per speaker on average. They get 3-4 times more expensive than that though.

 

[QuantumPion]

5.1 speakers for a PC are a pain in the ass, too many parts to break and lets be honest it doesn't add anything.

You don't know what you're missing. If I have to use headphones when playing an FPS I play much worse as I can't tell where sounds are coming from. My 5.1 setup is very transparent with regard to positional audio - I don't even notice directional sounds, I just naturally can tell where they are. There's no substitute to having real speakers behind you.

 

[coldmeat]

I use headphones as well. I used to use 2 speakers + sub, but I recently got rid of them because I found I used my headphones 100% of the time. The only drawback is that I get headphone hair.

As far as directional sound goes, I have no issues being able to tell with my A700s where a sound is coming from.

 

[Zenoth]

I use headphones almost exclusively even during day time.

I always preferred all sounds going directly to my ears that way, rather than listening to anything from a distance, from speakers or a radio, or whatever. But with that said I do own a very modest - yet good enough quality - 2.1 stereo speakers + sub woofer set, namely the Edifier M3400 set. I paid cheap for it at NCIX.com during a special about two years ago or so, and to this day I have never owned nor do I plan to own any "high tech" or fancy 7.1 system or stuff along the lines.

I do like good quality headphones however, those I always look for them, but finding good-sounding and comfortable headphones is about as difficult as trying to find a good pizzeria. Well, alright not necessarily a good analogy but anyway, point being that out of around two dozen pairs of different headphones since the past ten years or so only three very specific models have been good and comfortable.

So, yeah to answer the question directly, I only use 2.1 stereo when I do use my speakers, but it's rare.

 

[coldmeat]

I do like good quality headphones however, those I always look for them, but finding good-sounding and comfortable headphones is about as difficult as trying to find a good pizzeria. Well, alright not necessarily a good analogy but anyway, point being that out of around two dozen pairs of different headphones since the past ten years or so only three very specific models have been good and comfortable.

So, yeah to answer the question directly, I only use 2.1 stereo when I do use my speakers, but it's rare.

I can wear my A700s all day, and do, even at times wearing them all day every day for months, with absolutely no discomfort. At this point, they kind of feel like they belong on my head.