Got £200 to spend on speakers

Thanks for the input :)


I feel the z5500 would sit a lot better in my hands. It’s a complete unit and does everything I want, and from what ive heard, they sound like good value for money.

My dad built his own hifi up of high end mission speakers and a Sony separates hifi. Sounds incredible and looks the business.

I was thinking about getting a fairly decent multi channel amp and some bookshelf speakers on stands for now, then eventually building up, making them rears and getting floor standing fronts, with a centre and sub etc, but its too costly, I wish I had more money to play with and I would love to go the hifi route as the set ups can look very attractive and professional and are much better compared to any computer speakers.

This decision has opened my eyes and I will defiantly take the hifi route later on but for the moment ill get the Logitech’s.
 
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Carl said:
Thanks for the input :)


I feel the z5500 would sit a lot better in my hands. It’s a complete unit and does everything I want, and from what ive heard, they sound like good value for money.

My dad built his own hifi up of high end mission speakers and a Sony separates hifi. Sounds incredible and looks the business.

I was thinking about getting a fairly decent multi channel amp and some bookshelf speakers on stands for now, then eventually building up, making them rears and getting floor standing fronts, with a centre and sub etc, but its too costly, I wish I had more money to play with and I would love to go the hifi route as the set ups can look very attractive and professional and are much better compared to any computer speakers.

This decision has opened my eyes and I will defiantly take the hifi route later on but for the moment ill get the Logitech’s.
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It's your decision - but I prefer to get quality stuff that lasts and can be used fifteen years down the line...

The Logitech's won't retain their value like hi-fi, seem to be prone to RF and other interference problems (judging from forum posts), suffer from the sub trying to cover more of the frequency spectrum than it should have to, tiny weak drivers on the satellites etc etc.

It just seems a very large amount of money to spend on PC speakers, when you could be building a set of things that will always sound decent.

I'm still using the JPW mini-monitors I bought for £30 about sixteen years ago, I'm still using a pair of Wharfedale Diamond Pro's I bought fourteen years ago, I'm still using the NAD 3020i I bought fourteen years ago, I could go on...
I very much doubt anybody will be using a set of PC speakers sixteen years down the line.

When you can get a T-Amp for £30 - £50 and a Super T for twice that, with a pair of half-decent bookshelves coming in at around £50 - £100, I just don't see the logic of spending £200+ on PC speakers that will last, maybe five years tops.


I'm certain that the Wharfedale active Diamond 8.2's I bought for £250 a few months ago will still be going strong in twenty years, as will my Quad77 amp and the Quad ESLs I have that were made in the 1970s...

You can spend £200 on some new horrible sounding PC speakers every five years if you like though :confused:
 
They dont sound horrible though? Sheesh, a set of 2quid pc speakers sounds horrible yes... Not everyone "needs" above studio quality music if they are a general pc users :/
 
If you are willing to look around, try getting a Cambridge A5 second hand off ebay, and pair it with some nice speakers. You'd quite like Mordaunt-Short 902i I think. Theres also some Mission 700s going in the MM right now, which judging by the Mission stuff I have around must sound rather nice. If you get the amp and speakers second hand, you can get a lot for your money, and it does sound good :)
My mate went to the above setup from a Logitech 5.1 z5500 sound system, and now hes got the hi-fi setup he says hed never go back.

Just for feedback, my sound system is lovely and clear, nice wide soundstage for the speaker positioning, goes very loud, and If you dont mind controlled, tight, not overtly boomy bass (which of course you could EQ with your PC or the amp) they sound abso-bloody-lutely fantastic. The speakers cost the original seller £400 10 years ago, and they still sound great today. My cambridge audio A5 is new, not second hand, but they still sound great, and are rated as one of the best amps available in the more budget end of the market. My speakers are bi-wired to the amp.
 
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Alexrose1uk said:
If you are willing to look around, try getting a Cambridge A5 second hand off ebay, and pair it with some nice speakers. You'd quite like Mordaunt-Short 902i I think. Theres also some Mission 700s going in the MM right now, which judging by the Mission stuff I have around must sound rather nice. If you get the amp and speakers second hand, you can get a lot for your money, and it does sound good :)
My mate went to the above setup from a Logitech 5.1 z5500 sound system, and now hes got the hi-fi setup he says hed never go back.

Just for feedback, my sound system is lovely and clear, nice wide soundstage for the speaker positioning, goes very loud, and If you dont mind controlled, tight, not overtly boomy bass (which of course you could EQ with your PC or the amp) they sound abso-bloody-lutely fantastic. The speakers cost the original seller £400 10 years ago, and they still sound great today. My cambridge audio A5 is new, not second hand, but they still sound great, and are rated as one of the best amps available in the more budget end of the market. My speakers are bi-wired to the amp.
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Thanks, just saw that you added your feedback.

Just looked at the Cambridge A5, looks very nice :) And well priced.

The speakers that catch my eye are the B+W DM602 S3 but are rather pricey.

Although looking at the Mordaunt Short 902, they can be picked up for around £120. Look nice too..

KIF_0793.jpg


Ill keep looking, im slowly picking it all up. I may extend my budget and go for the 602s!

Well see
 
If you can, I'd suggest listening to some B&Ws, all different brands have a 'sound' of thier own. B&W are meant to be quite sharp on the treble etc and can become grating if you listen to them for a long time, or so I've heard. Might be worth going into a Richer Sounds and listening to some speakers, then grabbing ones you like off the bay :D
 
Just for Additional referance, my screen is a 19" Samsung 959NF CRT (I custom sprayed black) which gives you an idea of size, and is about 20" side to side (left to right, not screen size).

P1010007.jpg


The speakers came with some speaker mesh covers, in which case they look very nice, however i prefer the covers off, as can be seen below.

P1010005.jpg


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As you can see the low frequency dome is nice and large, and is capable of pushing a large amount of air, combined with the air intake at the bottom. They're attached to my shelves using some adjustable Gale speaker wall stands.
The Cambridge A5 amp is in the centre on the shelf above the screen, so i have easy access, and has 5 inputs. It also has a direct button so you can cut out the EQ circuit. I use it with the bass adjuster slid right up, then use this during movies, and no EQ at all during most music listening. The sound is VERY clear, no muffle.

PS. Dont mind the mess :D

This amp and speakers can be bought off ebay for £180 total if you get a decent deal. Well worth it!

ONLY problem is that because I have a decent x-fi sound card, a powerful pc, nice speakers and large screen (2048x1536 capable), games like FEAR become a LOT more atmospheric :eek:
 
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Cheers mate, nice setup.

I noticed it had 5 inputs on the Richer sounds website. This would be great as I need around 3 or 4!

Is 2 channels really sufficient for all my needs?

How loud are the Mordaunt Short 902?
When do they bottom out?
Is the bass effective?

:cool:
 
Instead of using bass controls, buy a subwoofer. Although at that distance you shouldn't really need to increase bass either, it should be plenty at tone defeat mode.

I use a Rotel 980 and B&W 601's.

I agree with the poster above, PC speakers are just a waste- integrated amps allow far more input/output control, and sound quality. Dunno why I didn't do this earlier...got Hi-Fi but never bothered with PC audio side.
 
I dont game in 5.1 anymore, its just not too amazing most of the time. I gave my old Creative Itrigue 5.1 set to my brother, and they were one of the better 5.1 sets available! Music is MEANT to be 2 speakers anyway, so you're taking it right back to its natural environment :) If you use a decent set of headphones, well done stereo headphone sound programming can create a fairly decent impression of positioning anyway.

Mordaunt Shorts are quite punchy for the size actually, my mates very happy with them, I pushed him towards the upgrade, and since then hes been so happy he did. The bass was very nice on the mordaunt, unless you're a bass freak, you'd likely be happy with them without a sub, and thats with the EQs off! My missions have slightly quieter bass, but its very tight, and they have an amazing airy soundstage I love, and they produce a nice bit of bass anyway, with the A5's EQ on its more than enough, and the mordaunts are a bit similar, although more pushy bass, whereas the missions is almost slightly more refined. I like them both :)
My mate listens to a lot of music, including dance etc, which has a lot of bass and low frequencies, and hes more than happy with them.

-The Mordaunts are loud, and the bass IS effective and goes pretty low. They're great speakers for the price.
 
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Alexrose1uk said:
I dont game in 5.1 anymore, its just not too amazing most of the time. I gave my old Creative Itrigue 5.1 set to my brother, and they were one of the better 5.1 sets available! Music is MEANT to be 2 speakers anyway, so you're taking it right back to its natural environment :)
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who says its meant to be 2 speakers, seems a preconcieved notion to me as thats how it was for so long, only prob is that the way 5.1 speakers are set up is'nt ideal for music, if you spaced out the 5 speakers in a line you could have one for each member of most bands creating the soundstage that way.

shame you live so far away carl as mines within your budget
 
Carl said:
Hey there,

I've been looking at the Logitech Z5500, i was about to buy a set but im just looking to see if theres anything else i should take a look at in the same range.

They will be used for gaming, music, movies, TV and pretty much everything, can i plug my computer, dvd player, ps2, and freeview/tv in them or?

Would you recommend the z5500 or any other sets?

Thanks, Carl

Edit: I have a hercules digifire 7.1 soundcard.
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Damn good speakers :D just buy them
 
Alexrose1uk said:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Modaunt-Short...ryZ14991QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Check this link. Its an auction finishing in an hour for some Mordaunt 902 (not the 902i) but all my reseach when I was looking for my mate suggests they're just as good as the 902i, which is basically a refresh. You might be able to get the speakers for £80 inc delivery!
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Im going to keep an very close eye them! Anymore information on the 902/902i? By the sounds of it like you said, just sounds like a refresh like you said. Just messaged him for the reserve.

darreny said:
who says its meant to be 2 speakers, seems a preconcieved notion to me as thats how it was for so long, only prob is that the way 5.1 speakers are set up is'nt ideal for music, if you spaced out the 5 speakers in a line you could have one for each member of most bands creating the soundstage that way.

shame you live so far away carl as mines within your budget
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Just taken a look, how come your selling up?
 
Alexrose1uk said:
I dont game in 5.1 anymore, its just not too amazing most of the time. I gave my old Creative Itrigue 5.1 set to my brother, and they were one of the better 5.1 sets available! Music is MEANT to be 2 speakers anyway, so you're taking it right back to its natural environment :) If you use a decent set of headphones, well done stereo headphone sound programming can create a fairly decent impression of positioning anyway.

Mordaunt Shorts are quite punchy for the size actually, my mates very happy with them, I pushed him towards the upgrade, and since then hes been so happy he did. The bass was very nice on the mordaunt, unless you're a bass freak, you'd likely be happy with them without a sub, and thats with the EQs off! My missions have slightly quieter bass, but its very tight, and they have an amazing airy soundstage I love, and they produce a nice bit of bass anyway, with the A5's EQ on its more than enough, and the mordaunts are a bit similar, although more pushy bass, whereas the missions is almost slightly more refined. I like them both :)
My mate listens to a lot of music, including dance etc, which has a lot of bass and low frequencies, and hes more than happy with them.

-The Mordaunts are loud, and the bass IS effective and goes pretty low. They're great speakers for the price.
Click to expand...

Very good information, thank you! You've been soo helpful.

Thank you
 
darreny said:
who says its meant to be 2 speakers, seems a preconcieved notion to me as thats how it was for so long, only prob is that the way 5.1 speakers are set up is'nt ideal for music, if you spaced out the 5 speakers in a line you could have one for each member of most bands creating the soundstage that way.
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Nope, because thats how its recorded - Stereo. Unless specifically recorded for stereo, music is just upmixed, and the audio effects used to create the surround effect dont produce the best sound, nor the most realistic one either, not to mention that the left and right convention conforms with your physical sensory input, an ear on your left and right hand side.
Its not particularly a preconcieved idea, just one I agree with, I like music a lot, and took a course in Music Technology, and the only music that suits a 5.1 set is one that was recorded for it, otherwise its just a cheap imitation, and in the worse case, the surround effect can ruin the recording.
 
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