Stereo vs 2.1 system.

peter212693

peter212693

peter212693

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Hi all,

Im currently running my computers sound through my stereo speakers. Now im thinking would it be better having it set up through a nice 2.1 system?

I use my pc for gaming and watching movies on my tele too.

The stereo is a decent philips one with the W00x bass built into the speakers.

What would you all recommend?

Thanks

EDIT: Im running a sound blaster audigy 2 sound card
 
for music, you always want stereo with the bass drivers built into the speakers. Worth investing in good speakers in this regard though.

For movies you may want a 2.1 for the sub woofer I guess.
 
Probably best to stick with the stereo, i have a d2x card going to my pretty average hi-fi (propper speakers though) and it sounds a lot better than my mates 2.1 pc speakers (even when i had onboard sound from a very old motherboard it was better for being real speakers)

I had another mate who had a really nice amp with massive speakers and music and dvds sounded amazing off it (though he never botehred to get a tft...)
 
a good 2.1 system is always better than a equally good 2.0 system, it adds another dimension, and you can always turn the sub down/off.

Also a subwoofer is great for movies especially action movies with lots of explosions :)
 
I have bass control on the stereo too. Set it to level 1,2 or 3 so they are pritty bass'y. Might stick with them untill I move out of the parents house and get a good set of 7.1 :)

Thanks for the advice guys!

EDIT: Does anyone know if its possible to get like a volume control unit that can sit on my desk for controling them. Like in the logiteck 2.1 system. My stereo sits on the floor and I need to bend down to adjust the volume :(

Im also going to be getting a PC151 headset soon so I was thinking about a konig switch so i dont have to plug and unplug from the back. I found on the bay its 10 quid what do you think.... will it ruin he quality?
Thanks
 
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A properly setup Hi-Fi stereo system (for music) is usually better than a smaller speaker system with sub, it can be hard to integrated a subwoofer with the speakers and room.
 
Cheap subwoofers in a 2.1 system are nearly always much worse, unless all you want is wooly BOOOOOM 'rattle' BOOOOOOOOOM 'rattle'.

Accurate bass in not supposed to be overpowering and boomy, it should go low, and well controlled.

As ever try and get 2nd hand products of 'the bay'. A 2nd hand amp like a NAD, CA, old arcam 7, and some cheapy bookshelf speakers like Monitor Audio B2, mission, or even mordaunt short. Then spend £5 on a cable to connect the soundcard to the amp (3.5mm -> x2 RCA) and some cheap speaker cable.

Will introduce you to the world of hi-fi and an expensive but very rewarding hobby :D
 
Pro Audio and all music is written and produced to be re-played on a 2-speaker setup.

Each speaker having a MID-BASS speaker and a tweeter

If you check out Pro audio Monitors etc, these have just the all rounder and a tweeter.

So, I would say that a 2.1 setup might be more fun for oyu and as people say, Movies or games withj big bangs etc, for decent music, its a no-no.
 
as other people have said for music you need 2 speakers only - subwoofers ruin music.

games and movies are different though.
 
aardvark said:
as other people have said for music you need 2 speakers only - subwoofers ruin music.

games and movies are different though.
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What on earth are you talking about...

How can you come out with such a general statement that "subwoofers ruin music"? A correctly calibrated subwoofer with an appropriate crossover frequency is often a very nice addition to most stereo setups.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
What on earth are you talking about...

How can you come out with such a general statement that "subwoofers ruin music"? A correctly calibrated subwoofer with an appropriate crossover frequency is often a very nice addition to most stereo setups.
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nonsense - no professional musician or studio uses a subwoofer to listen to music - zero - with a good amp/speakers combination a subwoofer is not needed. My hifi has plenty of quality bass with 2 speakers. There is a very good reason why very high end audio still uses 2 speakers - having a separate subwoofer for the bass introduces all sorts of technical problems which degrade the fidelity of the music.
Of course, this doesn't matter for movies or PC sound.
 
yantorsen said:
a good 2.1 system is always better than a equally good 2.0 system, it adds another dimension, and you can always turn the sub down/off.

Also a subwoofer is great for movies especially action movies with lots of explosions :)
Click to expand...

I have a NAD c320BEE, can I add a sub even if it's a cheapo one just to add a little kick when watching movies? always wondered this!
 
If you want to "add a cheap one" don't bother as it makes your system sound worse. Buy a good one, or none at all. You can use the left & right pre-outs from your NAD.

auction number 190243982011 :-)
 
£500 is affordable, it's a £1000+ sub. :-/ If you can afford a BMW, you can afford a £500 subwoofer.
Go ahead any buy a Rel Quake or some other pish it'll be rubbish. Why have you bought a BMW? Why not a 1.4 Ford? It does the same thing, both got 4 wheels, a engine and 4 seats.

I've owned a few subs and would not bother with pish like a Gale or Yamaha subwoofer.
 
I accept your post as a valid debating point but the requirement for a sub for me are not the same as a car though!

Remember I said only for movie watching not music or anything else so £500 just to give a bit more bass to movies does not sound like a good investment!

My speakers and amp + soundcard cater to music and gaming perfectly, all I enquired about was using a small sub just to aid in the deepness of explosions and and so on and only for movies so it would be turned off the rest of the time as I don't like colouring music sound with extra processing or anything.
Once the speakers have burned in though it probably won't matter I suppose thinking about it, on top of that the new soundcard coming today/tomorrow may well solve the issue entirely so perhaps I won't need a sub afterall!
 
For Movies you really need a powerhouse of a sub, if you've owned two side by side you'll soon pick out the better one. Nothing worse than hearing a sub attempt to output bass that's incapable of doing. It'll just be a mess of sound.

Do you own full range loudspeakers with there own 10"/12" subwoofer in each cabinet? If not you will need a sub.

all I enquired about was using a small sub just to aid in the deepness of explosions
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Not possible, captain. If you want a small sub with "deepness" then you need to look at Sunfire.

I'd buy a BK XLS 200 or SVS SB12+ at the very minimum. Nothing less than that.
 
yantorsen said:
a good 2.1 system is always better than a equally good 2.0 system, it adds another dimension, and you can always turn the sub down/off.

Also a subwoofer is great for movies especially action movies with lots of explosions :)
Click to expand...

Wow hey hey, still giving bad advice here are we?

Stereo all the way, it's the way it was recorded, it's the way it should be played.
 
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