Thinking of a new speaker and sound card setup

[Senor-Cojones]

Hi guys

Got a bit of xmas money to spend and looking at upgrading my sound setup in January sometime. Currently Im running the onboard sound from an IP35-Pro and using a Medusa 5.1 headset.

Wanting to get a proper soundcard and some good quality 5.1 or 7.1 speakers. Have had a look around and these soundcards caught my eye:

-Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Sound Card - Retail £105.99
(£124.54)

-Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro 7.1 Sound Card - Retail £183.99
(£216.19)

-Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum Fatal1ty 7.1 Champion Series Sound Card - Retail £94.99
(£111.61)

Just wondering peoples experiences and opinions of the above cards are. Speaker wise- Ive had a look;

-Creative GigaWorks 5.1 G550W THX Wireless Speakers £169.99
(£199.74)

-Logitech Z-5500 THX Certified 5.1 Speaker System £164.99
(£193.86)

I like the idea of a couple of wireless speakers as my room is quite small and would be nice to have the rear speakers behind my bed- but Im really after quality rather than a gimmick like that.

Main use is for gaming (Css, Cod 4, etc), but also general music and film use.

Any opinions on what I should spend my money on?!

Cheers guys

 

[InkZ]

From what I've been reading lately any of those cards with the logitecs should be awesome =]

 

[badbob]

I'd just buy the £55 X-Fi, exactly the same as more expensive versions. If you really want to upgrade sound, you wouldn't bother with PC audio systems. Although it'll cost more than £200 for seperates.

 

[Leporello]

I run a Denon 5.1 AV system in conjunction with my PC and I chose the Auzentech Prelude. I use this for Freeview TV, DAB radio, DVDs and CDs and high end games. I'm happy with my choice.

 

[badbob]

I run a Denon 5.1 AV system in conjunction with my PC and I chose the Auzentech Prelude. I use this for Freeview TV, DAB radio, DVDs and CDs and high end games. I'm happy with my choice.

Apart from games, there is no need for a more expensive soundcard (if using digital out) You only need live encoding for games. In fact using Live on other streams means extra processing.