Computer Speakers

[Shade]

A long time ago, in a computer store far far away, I purchased a set of Logitech Z-680s.

http://spiffy-keen.com/a/z-680s.gif

They had high quality 5.1 THX certified sound, and I got them at cost+10%. Good deal. I've been happy with them. But the sub died.... and so it is time to move on.

Their direct successor, the Z5500s are no longer being made. The latest model, the Z906, a) I can't find for sale anywhere locally, and most online places dont seem to want to ship to Canada, and b) reviews are mixed as to whether there is a drop in sound quality or not.

Can anyone suggest something comparable to my beloved Z-680s in a similar or possibly lower price range? Failing that, know any online retailers that would actually stock/ship the 906s to Canada?

Thanks.

[Omnipotent]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Klipsch+...&skuId=9382232

[Cephius]

506 series good enough for you? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16836121044

[Botosi]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Klipsch+...&skuId=9382232

Seconding this. Have these and love them.

[Omnipotent]

Fuck, you're still ALIVE??

[Tymon]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-006-_-Product

I have these but they were discontinued.

Easy to find on the internet though.

[Boyiee]

You have 2 choices as far as 2.1 goes (if you aren't running a bookshelf speaker setup that is):

As linked above: Klipsch promedia 2.1's - Amazon has a better price than bestbuy (my link)
or
Corsair SP2500 --- These are cheaper at amazon as well

[Shade]

Hmmm! Thanks guys but.. I dunno. Klipsch is nice, but the reviews I'm digging up aren't super great. Ditto for the 506s.
My computer is my primary source for all music...and I listen to a lot of music. I've tried listening to $100 speakers in the store, and I never intended to become an audiophile, but I don't think I can go back to that.

Edit: Posts while I post!

Boyiee, my old ones were 5.1 so ideally I would like to stick with that. They also retailed for $600 Cdn back in the day though, but I'm ok with not sticking with that part. The current gen is $399 US.

[Boyiee]

You must be reading the wrong reviews. There is nothing better in that price range than the Klipsch promedia 2.1's and they rival set ups 100-200$ higher in price.

Logitech makes I think one good audio device. Not sure which it is, but it is not the 506.

[Omnipotent]

The Klipsch are top notch speakers, you won't find better computer speakers less than 150.

[Boyiee]

I would say:

swan M50w/corsair sp2500 > klipsch promedia/Swan m10

Hey look thats price order too. Honestly its a tough choise between the m50 and sp2500 lol.

[Shade]

The Corsair sp2500 I can get locally, for $200, which is kinda a plus. The Swan M50w looks possibly like another one that I'm not gonna find in Canada....

You guys who are pushing the 2.1s don't miss the surround sound at all?

[Boyiee]

Unless I'm in a large room with a 50"+ tv with proper surround set up at some ridiculous near deafening omg-its-like-im-there volume, I feel surround is overrated.

For my computer, which has larger monitor, in my bedroom (16-20ft length), even if set up right I just prefer the higher quality 2.1's.

Can always give them a try if you can get them in a store, and return if you don't like.

Honestly, if you are looking to spend the money -- just get a receiver, some bookshelves, and a sub. Much better than computer 5.1's.

[Isiolia]

Honestly, if you are looking to spend the money -- just get a receiver, some bookshelves, and a sub. Much better than computer 5.1's.

This >_>

You can also use a basic amp, depending on setup. I haven't personally used a T-amp, but they're relatively popular for the purpose, and cheap. I use one of these for my PC.

[Shade]

I ended up giving the Corsair SP2500 a try. They came with a Corsair headset that retails for like $90.
I am not particularly impressed. They sound okay but yeah... Are there settings I need to change? I'm running WinXP and in my Sounds/Audio Devices settings (and in my soundcard's settings program actually) there isn't an option to actually pick 2.1 speakers. You can either pick stereo desktop (2) or surround (4 sat + center) or actual 5.1 or 7.1. Both speakers and the sub are working though.

[Salodin]

While you guys are on this subject, how important is a sound card with speaker sets like those? I've always used on board audio, and never saw the appeal to dropping 70-80 on a sound card.

Do you guys notice a huge difference? Is it worth getting a good sound card before a new set of speakers? I have an old cheapo set from wally world, 5.1, but I've been happy with them for now, however they're 7 or 8 years old and I'm wondering if it's time for an upgrade.

[Amastacia]

If you listen to a ton of music and care about sound quality, it's seriously worth considering a good pair of cans and headphone amp (or Xonar Essence with integrated headphone amp).

Whole bunch of options there depending on what you're looking for and what you want to spend.

Edit: To address sound card question, you should not bother with an expensive sound card if you have cheapass speakers. But the broader question of whether a sound card is worth it is a much broader "it depends".

Newer onboard codecs have gotten a lot better, and with powerful multicore CPUs, the load the onboard puts on the system is negligible. The amount of noise, artifacting, and other crap has gone down considerably, but the signal is rarely as clean as from a dedicated sound card.

In your case, the weak link is the speakers themselves, so the onboard codec is almost definitely good enough.

If you have good monitors (whether 4 figure IEMs, a good pair of headphones, or good speakers), you will likely notice a difference. Especially headphones paired with something like a Xonar Essence ST/STX, since it has an integrated headphone amp that's pretty decent.

I'm using my onboard codec at the moment (Realtek ALC-892), and it's good enough that with an old Kenwood receiver and a pair of Paradigm bookshelf speakers, I don't notice any real deficiencies. However, with headphones, it's obvious the codec can't drive them properly, and there is some detectable background noise (though not much). Deciding between picking up a Xonar Essence ST(X) or a portable headphone amp (don't really use headphones on the go very often, except on planes, so it's not a slam-dunk for a portable amp).