good speaker set

drak3 · 3 Mar 2007 at 14:45

Hello,

I need a speaker set for my system. I d like to have clear sound for my music, games and movies.

The problem is I don't know much about speakers and sound in general so some help will be great.

First I don't know if I need Digital? or analog? I have an SB X-Fi Fatal1ty (the one with the panel for optical connections and stuff)

Second, I d like something good that will last and I can spend for it..

Finally, I ve seen wireless solutions now available. Is it crap or it works like the wire?

Thanks a lot!

ps: If you belive the whole idea of PC speakers (logitech, creative etc...) is total crap and there is something better within limits regarding to price .. please mention it.

geff_r · 3 Mar 2007 at 16:41

Buy seperates if you want it to last pc speakers rarely last more than a few years i'd get a yamaha reciever and mordaunt short speakers.

Alexrose1uk · 3 Mar 2007 at 20:39

I'd recommend some hi-fi seperates too.

CA A5+ Mission751s/Mordaunt Short Avant 902is + cable is available for less than £200 on ebay, and either combination kicks the bahzeezus out of any PC speaker set I've heard. Being a fully qualified hi-fi amp, the CA A5 will last you until you get a better one, as it can be used in some very nice early setups, and has 5 inputs, so you could plug whatever you wanted into it!

tom_nieto · 4 Mar 2007 at 11:33

What is your actual budget? The sky is the limit for hi-fi. Also, you must decide whether you want surround or stereo. The latter will be much better for music, although AV amps aren't all that bad really. If gaming in surround is a huge priority then go with an AV amp.

I wouldn't bother with PC based speakers if you're wanting something a bit more quality and that will last.

drak3 · 4 Mar 2007 at 12:03

Thanks for the info so far! Ok. The budget is around 200, but I can spend more if is value for money.

Yes, I do play games, and watch movies so I d like some clear suround sound. The reason I am so worried with this is that with all the PC speakers I ve seen in my life, none sounded to me "clear enough". I dont know if you guys notice this but I feel something was missing but I cant describe what. The only time I had this was at a friend with KEF speakers (old but very clear).

thanks for your input.

squiffy · 4 Mar 2007 at 12:12

If you want excellent sound quality you'll have to get seperates.
For your bugdet you're looking at stereo gear. Buy surround speakers later on. A good budget (as in not RS gear) stereo system is around £400.

Wireless are a waste of time.

drak3 · 4 Mar 2007 at 13:46

ok then, wireless is out of the equation (thats what I thought aswell, since people spend like 100quid for a cable just to eliminate latency and distortion as much possible).

So what equipement you suggest I should look for (Brand - type)?

geff_r · 6 Mar 2007 at 06:08

I'd go for a yamaha entry level av receiver around £120
and a set of half decent bookshelf speakers then go from there.
I'm sure audio enthusiasts will jump on my head but
i dont think you'll get better than the yamaha at that price new.
Or just get a pc setup on the cheap trouble with those is it's nigh on impossible
to find out whether they have optical coaxial inputs etc without optical and coax it's a bugger to hook up to you're dvd player etc.Take the inspire
t9700 for example says it's dts but i dont think thats inbuilt dts decoder only if you hook it to a dts sound card.The yamaha tss-15 cinema station is a nifty bit of kit with inbuilt dts dolby II etc but try finding a place with stocks
its only about £100 too after one myself but cant find them.