Which speakers to get?

[t3h l337 n3wb]

My friend is looking into a new set of speakers, and he doesn't know which one to get. He likes the looks of the X-530's the best, but they're pretty pricey, at $55 on Newegg. He can get the Altec Lansings for $20, and the Z-640's for $40. I'm thinking that Altec Lansing has better overall speaker quality. Which one should he pick and why?

 

[07]

First and foremost, at that budget, do not buy 5.1 speakers. You'll be shooting yourself in the foot because you cant get decent sound quality out of 5 speakers for less than... well lets just say a lot more than 50 bucks.

The best deal going right now, and the only reason I'm going to recommend this over your budget is because its such a good deal.. Is the Klipsch GMX 2.1-A refurbished. Ignore the "refurb" part because I guarantee its like brand new. Klipsch's refurbish are basically returned units with zero defects.. including cosmetic. I ordered a set of 4.1's for 130 bucks and it was the best deal I have ever got on speakers, they were literally brand new.

There is no better deal for 80 bucks anywhere, trust me.. Im thinking about ordering 3 or 4 sets just to give away as presents for some lucky people

http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=802

The GMX 2.1's are very nice speakers and if your friend is into the looks of those logictchs he should like these a lot... plus they are far better speakers. You wont be sorry if you can stretch that budget out to 80 bucks.

 

[LiquidAnimosity]

Actually I happen to have the x-530 from logitech and I think the 5.1 is very good. The quality of the surround sound was decent at best with the integrated sound, but I got the audigy 2 zs and used there surround sound feature and it sounds excellent!!! If your going to get a sound card in the future I'd go with the x-530 they are good for the price. Obviously you get what you pay for, but if $xx is your price range, they are good speakers!

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Yeah, I also have the X-530's, and I'm quite pleased with them, even on integrated sound. Maybe it's just because my ears aren't very picky about sound quality...

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

What Altec Lansing speakers are you talking about?

I've heard the z-640s but not the x-530s. I've heard from a couple people that the x-530s were nicer though. I know Synthdude2001 had his z-640s replaced with x-530s. If you want an opinion of how they compare, he's had experience with both.

If he wants 5.1 on a budget, I think Logitech is a good bed.

 

[gfngfgf]

I have the AVS500 system, but my laptop only has a simple stereo output, so I can't speak for the surround quality. As for the overall sound, I'm fairly convinced that there are better systems. The sound quality is good (not great), considering I only paid 40 bucks for it two years ago, but the subwoofer is a little underpowered, in my opinion. I've got it on full and there's still not enough bass unless I use the equalizer in my music player. Also, there is always a very quiet static hum coming from the satellites, even when the speakers are turned off. The only way to get rid of the hum is to unplug the power to the system, which, needles to say, is inconvenient. You probably wouldn't even notice the hum in day to day use, but I mention it only because I found it very annoying at night for the first few months I owned the system.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

@YOyoYOhowsDAjello: AVS500 4.1's as mentioned in the topic summary

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: t3h l337 n3wb
@YOyoYOhowsDAjello: AVS500 4.1's as mentioned in the topic summary

I suck

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Rofl...

 

[Leros]

I have the Z-640s. The sound isnt very rich and the bass is weak, but the price:Quality ratio is still sky high.

 

[Cawchy87]

x-530

 

[Leros]

From what I understand, the X-530s are just prettier Z-640s.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: JToxic
From what I understand, the X-530s are just prettier Z-640s.

They're totally different components...