Help: Replace dead Gigaworks S750 5.1 setup.

[Rich Heimlich]

My venerable (and very much beloved) Creative Gigaworks setup has bit the dust after more than a decade. Repair is not a feasible option. The speakers are all fine (and the sub can be gutted and turned back into a plane sub if needed).

Anyway, I've been looking for solutions to replace them and I'm shocked at what I'm finding. Any Creative solution today gets horrible marks. The Logitech's seem obvious but the z506's seem to get horrible reviews from sources I trust while the z906's look okay but at $400 seem a bit of an overkill.

The s750 I have is actually a very special one that came directly from Cambridge Soundworks as a one-of-a-kind thank you (long story as I have a unique history with Creative) so the satellites in them are exceptional so I at least want to match them or find another source for them.

The current soundcard is a Z-series from Creative but I may go in another direction shortly. It has the typical 3-connector output and SPDIF (optical).

The optical out got me thinking I could just get a receiver that has an optical input and use that to drive these and I'd still be under the z906 price even if I have to buy a new sub. However, there doesn't seem to be a rational 5.1 setup for COMPUTER use. In other words, something that isn't HUGE and would overheat. I just need a damned single optical input and an accessible volume control. <grin> Is no one really making such a thing?

Ideas? Is the z906 worth it? (I've heard Logitech's precursor to the 506 and thought it was junk and buggy). Is a receiver the way to go? Any other ideas? I would love to get one of the Energy speaker setups but there's no easy way to feed it from a soundcard.

HELP! (thanks)

 

[Kursah]

If you're gonna spend $400...get a reciever, a couple of bookshelf or tower speakers and a powered sub. No PC speaker system will be able to compare or has in my experience. I love my setup and it was more budget oriented.

Optical to Denon AVR-1613 to Pioneer sb21 bookshelf's and a Dayton Sub100 powered sub.

The combinations are massive...spend some time researching and you'll be very happy with your audio investment.

 

[Lopez0101]

My old S700 system is still floating around somewhere. Two of the satellite channels died years ago. I've always thought about repairing it. But I don't know which of my friends has it anymore, lol.

Anyway, I agree with Kursah. I've moved on to an external Amp/DAC and a pair of Audioengine A5+s, but that's your entire budget in two speakers.

 

[Rich Heimlich]

Thanks guys. The main issue I have with a receiver is that it's likely oversized and not very convenient in a smaller space (I live in a smallish apartment in Center City Philly where space is at a premium. Thus, this would likely have to sit UNDER my desk (given the size) and then the volume isn't handy and the remote isn't RF so it won't help much. I COULD put it on the bookshelf over the monitor but that's not optimal either. But that receiver certainly looks great for the use.