Speaker System 5.1 question

[i3uu]

Oh choices choices..

So I have a question for you all. Do you think the onboard audio for this Mobo will work with a 5.1 speaker system? (I'm pretty sure it is a yes, but this is my first 5.1 system purchase so Idk 100%)

Mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131335

speakers - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121006

Also.. if anyone has any recomendations for speakers, I'm all for it. I would prefer a 2.1+ system and a 5.1 would be nice I'm not looking to BLAST music, but to play it at a decent listening volume and hear all the wonderful sounds of lows and highs mixed. I'm also basically on a budget, so cheap/deals/free shipping are a must!

Thanks for help in advance!

 

[A Cheese Danish]

I don't see why not. It seems to support it.
Those speakers are pretty good actually. Don't think you'll have any issues.

 

[digibucc]

Yes - it says 8 channels , that means 7.1 discrete. It will have the plugs for your 5.1 plus an extra plug for side speakers.

I'm on my second set of Logitech speakers. Got a higher model but my last was equivalent to yours here - lasted for over 5 years. Good computer speakers. Good for music, movies and games - just don't expect 70 watts to be a booming home theater. It should fill your room and easily and with quality sound - but there's a reason why 300-500+ watt systems are so much more expensive.

 

[farlex85]

Oh choices choices..

So I have a question for you all. Do you think the onboard audio for this Mobo will work with a 5.1 speaker system? (I'm pretty sure it is a yes, but this is my first 5.1 system purchase so Idk 100%)

Mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131335

speakers - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121006

Also.. if anyone has any recomendations for speakers, I'm all for it. I would prefer a 2.1+ system and a 5.1 would be nice I'm not looking to BLAST music, but to play it at a decent listening volume and hear all the wonderful sounds of lows and highs mixed. I'm also basically on a budget, so cheap/deals/free shipping are a must!

Thanks for help in advance!

If music is your aim a 2.1 system would be a better choice, as the sound quality will generally be better for the money. 5.1 is great for movies and games provided you have the right environment for it (enough room to equally space all speakers), and a sound card that will do the decoding. Remember that unless you're talking SACD or some other rare form of music recording, it will always be in stereo (2 channels) or mono (1 channel) thus spreading that out to the rear speakers is not necessary and sometimes not possible. If you do want the surround effect for movies and games though than a 5.1 may be in order, otherwise I'd go for a good 2.1, like these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121122

Those are tops, if you're looking for something cheaper in the 2.1 check out cyber acoustics: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=cyber+acoustics+2.1&x=0&y=0 Some of their $40-60 sets are some of the best in that price range imo.

 

[Polarman]

I considered buying the X-540 but in the end, i got the G51. No regrets there.

 

[digibucc]

I'm guessing, like me - you don't necessarily care whether the music was encoded stereo or surround (it's always stereo).

some people will say it is meant to be played in stereo - but i don't believe that makes alot of sense. You can enjoy music and not be an audiophile to the point that you need flac and stereo only.

you just want the music to come out all 5 speakers, right? that can be done but sometimes it requires fiddling. first the software itself makes a big difference. use winamp or an os alt for it - don't use windows media or itunes. neither of them give you the control needed to select the right sound setup. sometimes they work by default - but don't count on it.

there is probably a matrix mode on the speakers (that I don't like much) it messes with the audio, though it does spread it past the front two.

yes, stereo can sound very good. quality stereo speakers are better than crahp surround speakers, of course. but logitech are decent enough - and sometimes you just want the sound to surround you :-D

 

[farlex85]

I'm guessing, like me - you don't necessarily care whether the music was encoded stereo or surround (it's always stereo).

some people will say it is meant to be played in stereo - but i don't believe that makes alot of sense. You can enjoy music and not be an audiophile to the point that you need flac and stereo only.

you just want the music to come out all 5 speakers, right? that can be done but sometimes it requires fiddling. first the software itself makes a big difference. use winamp or an os alt for it - don't use windows media or itunes. neither of them give you the control needed to select the right sound setup. sometimes they work by default - but don't count on it.

there is probably a matrix mode on the speakers (that I don't like much) it messes with the audio, though it does spread it past the front two.

yes, stereo can sound very good. quality stereo speakers are better than crahp surround speakers, of course. but logitech are decent enough - and sometimes you just want the sound to surround you :-D

I agree that having music played out of all speakers is nice. I wouldn't call it a major selling feature though, nor the main reason to buy speakers. His particular requirements seem to be for quality music experience on the cheap, which is easier to accomplish w/ a 2.1. But hey, whatever floats your boat.

 

[BumbleBee]

it will work but it won't sound that great onboard audio can be buggy and should be used as a last resort if your sound card kicks it is not meant as a substitute for a sound card in fact those X-540 will probably never reach their potential. the difference between the Z-5500 and the X-540 in terms of quality is significant you might want to revaluate and consider a decent set of headphones like Audio Technia or Sennheiser now why am I recommending headphones instead of speakers for onboard audio? because you will get better highs and lows with headphones.

What About Surround Sound Speakers?
Surround sound speakers certainly have their place in the gaming world. But they’re more skewed towards social interacting for when you’re gaming with mates, or enjoying a single-player title. The problem with surround sound speakers is, short of expensive equipment and perfect placement, it can be difficult to pinpoint sounds as accurately as with headphones. Sure, you’ll be able to differentiate your front left from your rear right, but you’ll usually have trouble distinguishing the various levels (game world heights or lows) of sound. When it comes to the online arena, you may be surprised by how much a pair of 5.1 (at least) surround sound headphones can make a difference.

 

[farlex85]

it will work but it won't sound that great onboard audio can be buggy and should be used as a last resort if your sound card kicks it is not meant as a substitute for a sound card in fact those X-540 will probably never reach their potential. the difference between the Z-5500 and the X-540 in terms of quality is significant you might want to revaluate and consider a decent set of headphones like Audio Technia or Sennheiser now why am I recommending headphones instead of speakers for onboard audio? because you will get better highs and lows with headphones.

Definitely disagree with that last statement. Perhaps your particular case has led this to be true for you, but it depends on the headphones and speakers. A good set of speakers will do highs and lows very well, and at their best speakers win out on overall sound. But it depends on which models your talking about. Again, for the price a good 2.1 set will be better than headphones.

 

[BumbleBee]

my speakers are Z-5500 and Z-680 (did own a G51), soundcards are Auzentech X-Fi Prelude (modded) and Asus Xonar DX, headset is Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1 and headphones are Sennheiser HD515. I added that quote to the end of my last post because I couldn't of worded it any better. quality 2.1 speakers cost money. i'm talking more about the physical effect a headset or headphones has on your ears that allows you to pick up highs and lows with a driver sitting a inch away from your ear drum versus a tweeter sitting 10 feet away plus the noise isolating effect on a closed cup which works both ways so you don't have to hear your significant other and have no audio leakage.

 

[i3uu]

Wow, Love all the feedback guys

I guess I should be more specific now. This is what I WANT to use it for:

Surround Sound gaming
Surround sound Movies
Music coming from all speakers
Regular usage(youtube videos) that come out the front speaker(s)

I definitely want to keep the price down to under $80 so these fit in perfect with their discount and free shipping. I don't plan on BLARING the music whatsoever and I am not an audiophile. I plan on putting these in a small/medium sized bedroom so again, loud sound isn't necessary. I like to listen to alternative music so I'm sure these would fit well with my needs.

Again, thanks for the feedback!

 

[HossHuge]

I use the X-540's and I love them. They are loud enough but not enough to have your neighbours complain. I mounted mine in the ceiling and they fill the room nicely. My living room is about 4.5 metre's by 5 metre's. For the price you can't go wrong.

 

[farlex85]

Wow, Love all the feedback guys

I guess I should be more specific now. This is what I WANT to use it for:

Surround Sound gaming
Surround sound Movies
Music coming from all speakers
Regular usage(youtube videos) that come out the front speaker(s)

I definitely want to keep the price down to under $80 so these fit in perfect with their discount and free shipping. I don't plan on BLARING the music whatsoever and I am not an audiophile. I plan on putting these in a small/medium sized bedroom so again, loud sound isn't necessary. I like to listen to alternative music so I'm sure these would fit well with my needs.

Again, thanks for the feedback!

Based off all of that I'd say the X-540s are an excellent choice.

 

[AsRock]

If music is your aim a 2.1 system would be a better choice, as the sound quality will generally be better for the money. 5.1 is great for movies and games provided you have the right environment for it (enough room to equally space all speakers), and a sound card that will do the decoding. Remember that unless you're talking SACD or some other rare form of music recording, it will always be in stereo (2 channels) or mono (1 channel) thus spreading that out to the rear speakers is not necessary and sometimes not possible. If you do want the surround effect for movies and games though than a 5.1 may be in order, otherwise I'd go for a good 2.1, like these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121122

Those are tops, if you're looking for something cheaper in the 2.1 check out cyber acoustics: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=cyber+acoustics+2.1&x=0&y=0 Some of their $40-60 sets are some of the best in that price range imo.

2.1 is also better if you use a mic too. I use a amp ( ONKYO ) which came with the speakers for just $200. Hate computer speakers in fact hate a lot of hifi ones these days with this 5.1 \ 7.1 and so on as they USED to make speakers correctly which you did not need more than 2 speakers in the 1st place.

 

[hat]

If music is your aim a 2.1 system would be a better choice, as the sound quality will generally be better for the money

No way. I love having sound coming from the back. It sounds so much better that way. It's much clearer and much better in other ways I lack the words to explain. I would rather have a $50 set of 5.1 speakers instead of a $500 set of 2.1 speakers.

 

[farlex85]

No way. I love having sound coming from the back. It sounds so much better that way. It's much clearer and much better in other ways I lack the words to explain. I would rather have a $50 set of 5.1 speakers instead of a $500 set of 2.1 speakers.

If you actually heard a $50 5.1 set compared to a $500 2.1 set your foot wouldn't be able to fit in your mouth.

 

[Studabaker]

X-540 Mini Video Review

 

[hat]

If you actually heard a $50 5.1 set compared to a $500 2.1 set your foot wouldn't be able to fit in your mouth.

Not for me. I'd much rather be able to hear sounds coming from behind with mediocre sound than hear only great sounding frontal sounds. When I made the switch from 5.1 to 2.1 I looked back once because the 5.1 speaker sets are messy and take up a lot of room but the sound was so dull and felt incomplete without the other speakers from behind. I do have another set of 2.1 speakers in use but they're for my 19" tv with crappy laptop speakers built in.

 

[BumbleBee]

I prefer 5.1 over 2.1 as well but not a $50 set.

 

[Hayder_Master]

i run 7.1 creative t7900 on my gigabyte p45 ud3p and it is work well

 

[BumbleBee]

onboard audio works but it's no where near the quality of a soundcard thats never been disputed. if you haven't plugged your Creative Inspire 7.1 in a sound card you don't know what your missing even a old Audigy card would be a improvement.

 

[Hayder_Master]

in fact im think about pick up an sound card and im think about Audigy 2

 

[cdawall]

i run a harman/kardon AVR347 off of my supremeFX II sounds pretty darn good

got to say surround VS stereo that good stereo will smoke cheap surround. and logitec speakers sound muddy.

for a good cheap 5.1 these are actually really good

http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Cyber Acoustics CA 5001:1991625828;_ylt=AqrJc70PUJ3TApcPuIPbouK7Xo8D

http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Cyber A...:1996021726;_ylt=ArLo5xSJiE284isqxyBTHzi7Xo8D

and for 2.1 these
http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Cyber Acoustics CA 3550:1991305470;_ylt=AhDFhZXLzega5S1M45w9JL27Xo8D

http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Cyber A...:1996021725;_ylt=AgCixfaCtbPGNWQmx08TnpW7Xo8D

 

[BumbleBee]

just over a year ago my Audigy died and before I replaced it with a Asus Xonar DX I used my SoundMAX onboard audio when I plugged my Z-5500 in the first thing I noticed was the lack of highs it sounded like the volume was really low yet my bass was at 100% even on the lowest setting I still had to turn the bass down on the control pod then I had the distortion issues when you are listening to a song in a media player, hit pause, come back to it, hit play you get nothing but distortion kinda like white noise on a television you have to stop the song and re-play it. it's not a experience I care to repeat. Logitech is the only quality commercial desktop speaker supplier Cyber Acoustics and Creative pretty much discontinued all their older products if this was 4-5 years ago I probably would of recommended one of them.

 

[cdawall]

just over a year ago my Audigy died and before I replaced it with a Asus Xonar DX I used my SoundMAX onboard audio when I plugged my Z-5500 in the first thing I noticed was the lack of highs it sounded like the volume was really low yet my bass was at 100% even on the lowest setting I still had to turn the bass down on the control pod then I had the distortion issues when you are listening to a song in a media player, hit pause, come back to it, hit play you get nothing but distortion kinda like white noise on a television you have to stop the song and re-play it. it's not a experience I care to repeat. Logitech is the only quality commercial desktop speaker supplier Cyber Accoustics and Creative pretty much discontinued all their older products.

CA still sells there stuff under the insignia name at BBY