eatmuchpie said:
times 100 !!
I had to really convince myself to consider the Z-5500 @ £210, but £300! I like listening to music, but not THAT much! My concern was with the sound card being bad for the speakers, but you're saying the speakers are too bad for the sound card, interesting...
Seeing how you seem to know about all this (stroke inducing) high-end speaker stuff, do you reckon there is anything better than the Z-5500 for about that price range (ie. £200)?
Cheers for the quick response!
EDIT: I suppose I could go for 2.1 speakers (I know my wallet would appreciate it), but when playing FPS games I think having 5.1 helps in giving the feeling of immersion
I guess my main point is that 6 speakers and an amplifier + cables + remote + software bundle + drivers etc etc etc is a lot for around £200.
You can imagine how little actually gets spent on the speakers by the time profit has been made and the product has been boxed up, shipped, marketed et al.
This is why they have awful plastic housing and tiny drivers (the actual speakers - usually cones).
OK - they sound surprisingly good at first to a layman - but A/B them with something half-decent from the world of hi-fi and they will audibly crumble.
The hi-fi 5.1 set-up would cost far more (or be second hand) naturally.
Compare this to buying two bookshelf stereo speakers, amplification and cables.
The fact you're buying two speakers and not six is going to mean you're spending a far more money per speaker and can thus afford *far* higher quality components. You will get a decent, weighty cabinet and large, higher quality drivers for each speaker.
You can do this for around £200 with budget hi-fi, and if you go second hand you can get some really nice gear.
I guess it's as simple as 'you get what you pay for'. With the Logitech's you're paying around £20 per speaker (if that) - meaning they probably spend a fiver on the components for the satellites (at most).
Get some Wharfedale bookshelfs for around £170 and they will have spent closer to £50 on each speaker...
Basically, surround is a very expensive business if you want to do it well.
If I were in your shoes I'd get the M-Audio 2.1 LX4 setup, which is expandable to 5.1 later on.
The LX4s are a balance between PC speakers and 'real' speakers, and do sound good. The initial 2.1 setup is expandable to 5.1 later on.
There are one or two usability isuues (the volume control is on the back of the sub) - but if you care about the sound you won't mind controling volume primarily from the taskbar.
