Are 5.1 speakers really necessary?

Killerkebab

Killerkebab

Killerkebab

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I currently use onboard NForce 2 audio, which you probably know has 5.1 support. The medusa 5.1s sound great on it.

However my question is about speakers. I am rather low on money, and I am wondering what I could get for speakers when the time comes.

My speakers are used for gaming, music, and DVDs. Mostly gaming, however.
Is 5.1 really that much of an improvement, or am I better off getting a 2.1 set of speakers, and leaving 5.1 to the medusas if I really want some quality sound?

Last question:
For whichever option you advocate, what set of speakers would you recommend?
 
I think it depends what you call "necessity" ;)

I've not tried the Medusa, but then again, I am mildly skeptic (though curious) about gaming headphones.

So far, I have been impressed by the Creative "Cambridge" line of speakers. I've tried both the Megaworks and Gigaworks, as well their respective competition from Logitech at the time, and prefer the former (that said, I have not tried the latest from Logitech).

For music alone, I prefer my Grado headphones. But for movies and games, and long period music listenning, I prefer the speakers (the Grado aren't confy so I can't leave them on for hours while I do stuff on my PC). I know it is not much help since I can't contrast with gaming headphones, but at the very least, I would give the Mega/Gigaworks series a seal of approval :)

[And I actually think it makes more sense to game with surround speakers and listen to music with (non-gaming) headphones - although I understand the need for a headset if you are into team based multiplayer games]
 
id vote for a decent set of 2.1's tbh. I'll be honest i dont use multi channel for gaming. I have a monster 6.1 setup in my room, but its only used for watching dvd's. Music stays 2.1, and games are usually played with headphones.
 
If you take the money that 5.1 would cost, and spend that on stereo sound instead, you will be much happier with the result.
 
could I suggest some decent headphones?

You get more pound for pound when you buy headphones over speakers. They're especially good for games because you can take them with you for LANs.

fini
 
Interesting to hear the Medusas described as 'quality' because they are anything but. They have their uses of course - giving you (an approximation of) surround sound when using your speakers isn't an option cause it's too late or something like that, but the sound quality is poor.

I'm in the process of dumping my 5.1 PC speakers since I'm fed up with the amount of wires and the space they take up, plus the sound quality is pretty average (Logitech X-530). I've bought a little portable hi-fi amp (Sonic T 5066) and I'm getting some mini shielded bookshelf speakers (2nd hand) to go with it. For pure quality it should best pretty much all PC speakers, and it'll probably be well under £100.

As for 5.1/2.1 in general, the 5.1 is handy for games, but when it's gone you don't really miss it. Have a look at something like Acoustic Energy Aego M 2.1 Speakers.
 
I agree with the fini. But not with his current sound card. Unless you go Grado (and even then).
I am sure someone here will come and suggest some Sennheiser if "decent headphone" becomes an option. Nothing wrong with that, but if the Sennheisers are every bit as hard to drive as the Beyerdynamic as I've heard, then it'll sound pretty bad (I've tried the later on an NForce 2 Soundstorm system - even with a decent amp didn't do for me). Grado seem significantly more forgiving, but even then... And their soundstage aren't most suited for gaming... Though for music, they are very nice ;)

For singleplayer gaming at home, I still prefer 5.1 speakers.
 
i enjoy my 5.1 speakers. they give out good sound and have a nice chunky base. i dont really need it more than half volume most of the time and the quality, while not the best on this earth. is pretty good for a budget speaker system. Its a creative 5.1 set but i cant remember what model
 
I have a set of Logitech Z5500's (before any one starts I know they are expensive for PC speakers but thats all they are used for my PC, hi-fi will be bought once I get a grad job), and they are awesome, the 5.1 channel is good but I just like the noise of them. You can tell while watching DVD's but not enough to warrent the cost, I would suggest getting a good pair of 2.1's until you can afford a good set up.

KaHn
 
I already have "good" headphones. Medusas are the best I could buy on my budget, and at £30 I thought it certainly wasn't bad.

How much would I be looking at for a good 5.1 setup, and for a good 2.1 setup? Is the price difference so great that I should stick with 2.1, or would it be worth waiting a little while to afford some nice 5.1 speakers?
 
In all honesty you could spend the earth on either. However it's probably best to stick to a budget and then figure out your options rather than trying to accomodate for both system types.

It really depends on what you really want, your budget and your useage. Gaming and movie watching would, but not necessarily, dictate that a surround setup would be better.

For music in my books a stereo setup is the best choice (unless you have a lot of 5.1 DVD-A or SACDs, which would be silly anyway!)
 
There will be a difference. Enough of a difference to warrant the price difference, I'm not so sure. PC speakers do come in different guises and do perform differently, but at the end of they day they are only ever going to be PC speakers, and will be limited by design and price constraints.
 
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