Worth putting Audigy 2 ZS into new system if the speakers I have are 2.1 and 50w?

[Sauro]

Is it worth it?

 

[Gurck]

With the new system, will you: game? use the pc as a HT? listen to music on it? You have the card or planning on buying it? If you have the card already, what else are you considering doing with it?

 

[dug777]

probably not- going on your 2.1 and 50w' description- but do u have onboard sound, and what are those speakers..etc

I assume that they are a simple PC setup- logitech, altec or creative...in which case if you have onboard sound a audigy will be somewhat overkill

But if you are running the sound out 2 a good standalone amp and a decent set of speakers (tho the 50w rating suggests otherwise), and you are a bit of a music buff, you will almost certainly appreciate the audigy...

 

[Sauro]

Gurck: PC will be used for game/music. Planning on it. dug777: They are Altec speakers.

 

[dug777]

then i'll back up what i said- i ran my 5.1 altecs off my onboard sound(till i fried the crossover- third set in three years )- awesome speakers from the price, but perfectly matched by the onboard- well overkill pairing them with an audigy-IMHO. You might get a 'tiny' fps boost from the audigy (i am sure i read something on the subject- an anandtech article on the surround sound in d3), but not enuff for it to even begin to matter (i think- flame disclaimer))

If you were running a nice little Bose 2.1 set-up through a $1200 AUD HK amp, with your onboard sound (as one of my mates is ), then i'd be screaming for you to grab the audigy

 

[Dug]

I switched from onboard to Audigy2 ZS just last week after much deliberation. I never thought it would make much difference from using the nforce2. It's definately worth it. I noticed a huge improvement , especially in games. I'm just using the Creative Labs Inspire T3000.

 

[Sauro]

Since it would seem that all of what you're saying makes sense, do they have a 2.1 set-up (I dont like having a lot of perhips) that would rival, or beat a 5.1 set up?

 

[BenSkywalker]

Since it would seem that all of what you're saying makes sense, do they have a 2.1 set-up (I dont like having a lot of perhips) that would rival, or beat a 5.1 set up?

How much do you want to spend?

 

[Sauro]

Is it worth spending the money on good 2.1s? Can they compare to 5.1s? I know it is probably apple to oranges, but since the 2.1s do not take full advantage of a 5.1 (or 7.1) sound card are they even worth considering?

 

[Kishan]

Originally posted by: BenSkywalker

Since it would seem that all of what you're saying makes sense, do they have a 2.1 set-up (I dont like having a lot of perhips) that would rival, or beat a 5.1 set up?

How much do you want to spend?

there was a hot deal for the promedia 5.1 ultra from dell going for $254

 

[Gurck]

If you're considering buying it, I'm not sure it's worth it... If you have onboard sound I'd stick with that for your speakers. If you want to upgrade the speakers, a card upgrade to go with it might be nice. Audigy 2 ZS is generally considered best for gaming (slight fps boost & more realistic sounds due to EAX), while other (less expensive) cards are generally considered better for music, some popular choices being the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz and M-Audio Revolution. If you decide on speakers, keep in mind that games benefit from 5.1 sound, but with any setup you should listen to music in 2.1... and you can get a higher quality 2.1 setup than 5.1 for any given budget. Depends how much priority you place each on games & music.

 

[Bucksnort]

Originally posted by: Sauro
Is it worth spending the money on good 2.1s? Can they compare to 5.1s? I know it is probably apple to oranges, but since the 2.1s do not take full advantage of a 5.1 (or 7.1) sound card are they even worth considering?

Sauro, I just got these speakers (Cybertech) after listening to klipsh promedia 2.1 and logitech Z2200. These are very high quality heavy speakers with pure undistorted sound, phenominal response and they rival the klipsh and definately sound better than the logitech. The sound is purely fantastic. Wiring is high quality too. I guarantee you will love these and the price is fantastic. Newegg has em for ~105 shipping included but Radio Shack has them for 79 bucks and free shipping! That's where I got mine ordering online. Read the reviews on newegg, all 5 star and not 1 negative review. I would recommend getting nice speakers then a sound card later on. I had altecs prior also. You will not be disappointed. A sound card is not going to benefit you at this time.

Radio Shack
Newegg

 

[Sauro]

Thanks a lot for that info buck. I'm going to seriously consider those speaker (can;t argue with 14 5 star ratings, and only 1 4 star). I think I'd be able to afford those speakers, and the audigy card (can't stand the hissing at high volume) Thanks!