5 Good speakers or 2 Great speakers?

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Jacez44

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 9, 2007
Messages
417
So, I need a new speaker setup to compliment my new X-Fi sound card, and I'm not sure what to buy.

It's obvious that the Gigaworks and Z-5500-type speakers are the best speakers that you can get, but I can't afford those.

What I can afford is something like the T20 or the Z-2300, which I assume are the same speakers as the Gigaworks and Z-5500, but with only 2 units.

Or, I could just buy a full 7.1 T7900 speaker set for the same price.

The question is, is the quality of the 2 high-end speakers worth giving up the slightly less high-end 7.1 speakers? How big is the difference in quality anyway?

Thank You!
 
Jacez44 :eek: - you really have no idea how much you can spend on audio. Some home setups would easily cost over $10000 and that's not a typo.

IMO go for 2.1 over 5.1. The only use I would have for 5.1 is movies. I use headphones for all games (better directional sound). Music is only 2 channel anyway, And mirroring the front channels to the back give me a headache - it just doesn't sounds right when the music is coming from behind you too.

Go for the Logitech Z2300. Creative's cheap speakers aren't very good.
 
I went from Logitech's Z-5300 speakers (a fantastic bang/buck system around $100) to a 2.1 system with an Onkyo receiver and Paradigm bookshelf monitors.

The difference was phenomenal.

IMHO, unless you're a huge FPS/movie buff, 2.1 should suffice.
 
Buy some decent speakers off ebay, there are some stunning bargains.
If you can only afford the front 2 to start with, do that and add more later.
 
Alright, when I said that the Z-2300 were the best speakers you can get, I meant for the PC.
Obviously more expensive speakers exist, but they aren't ceated exspecially for the PC.

The problem with buying the Z-2300 is that I plan to do a lot more gaming than listening to music.. or at least game performance is a lot more important to me. Thats also why I'm buying the X-Fi XtremeGamer and not the Auzentech X-plosion.

So what I'm trying to ask is - What is the difference between the Z-2300/T20 to the T7900/X-530 and is it worth losing 3 speakers for the former?
 
Uhh, I would recommend you to upp your budged a little and focus on getting seperate amp + stereo speakers. If you look wisely, you will get way better bang for your buck. Bang, i mean quality, not some teenypopper muddy bass :cool:

And what you said about "not designed for computers", wtf? Just hook your soundcards line-out just like you would do on creative/logitech crap...to the amplifier :p

It can seem easier to get those plastic crap stuff, but very often after the initial exitement wears off, you start to look for "real" audio equipment. Why not skip the "toy crap" stuff straight away and save some money? :) Also, one way to have good audio quality with relative low investment is to go with the headphone route (btw i looove my hd650) :D

Jacez44 said:
So what I'm trying to ask is - What is the difference between the Z-2300/T20 to the T7900/X-530 and is it worth losing 3 speakers for the former?
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Quality versus quantity. Think about it. Lets take for example headphones, sennheiser hd650 which costs about 300 dollars and compare those to the MegaGigaSuperDuper computer surround speakers which costs same, the 300 dollars. How much of the overall money you believe are distributed per element + speaker frame + amplifier. Not much !
 
johto said:
Uhh, I would recommend you to upp your budged a little and focus on getting seperate amp + stereo speakers. If you look wisely, you will get way better bang for your buck. Bang, i mean quality, not some teenypopper muddy bass :cool:

And what you said about "not designed for computers", wtf? Just hook your soundcards line-out just like you would do on creative/logitech crap...to the amplifier :p

It can seem easier to get those plastic crap stuff, but very often after the initial exitement wears off, you start to look for "real" audio equipment. Why not skip the "toy crap" stuff straight away and save some money? :) Also, one way to have good audio quality with relative low investment is to go with the headphone route (btw i looove my hd650) :D
Click to expand...

Woh, OK wait just a second here.
First of all, I only have about 100$ to spend on speakers, so I really can't afford to build my own set.
Secondly, I can't notice the difference between my 3 year-old Onboard sound chip and my Creative Inspire 2.1 set, and my Bose Accoustimass 10 speakers with my high-end DVD player.

And about the Headphones.. It seems like a good idea of paper because I can play it as loud as I want, but I really don't want to have to put them on every time I sit next to the computer and be tied to the computer so I can't move. The hassle wasn't worth the G7 and I don't think it's worth it here.
Plus, I can't afford the HD650s. They are more than twice my budget.

johto said:
Quality versus quantity. Think about it. Lets take for example headphones, sennheiser hd650 which costs about 300 dollars and compare those to the MegaGigaSuperDuper computer surround speakers which costs same, the 300 dollars. How much of the overall money you believe are distributed per element + speaker frame + amplifier. Not much !
Click to expand...

But the question is, how much better quality? Is it worth it to give up the extra channels which I Will need for games and movies?
 
Since you said you have 100 dolalrs for a budget, if you cant. you can get some Z-5300 for 130. it jsut be 30 dollars over your budget instead of 200+. If you game/movie even if you play other games other then FPS. I would still go for 5.1 speakers.

If you need 5.1 speakers for your games, go for it . if not get a pair of headsets like the Audio-Technica ATH-A500 Art Headphones for 79 from audiocubes and if you have a XFI . use CMS3d headphone. and if your watching movies with like powerdvd. use Dobly headphone.

but its up to you. personaly I would go for the speakers. since i perfer to game with 5.1 then headphones but thats me.
 
Jacez44 said:
But the question is, how much better quality? Is it worth it to give up the extra channels which I Will need for games and movies?
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Like i said, difference can be like night and day IF you have the whole audio chain quality at same level. Source is very important, because crap in -> crap out, even with expensive speakers. You have ok soundcard, so no worry there.

Either way, 100$ dollars is imho too little for "real" audio stuff. I understand your budged, hell i was a student year ago, but from experience good "entry leve" 2-channel system sounds much better than "plastic sounding" surround. Maybe i'm just being bitten with the hifi-bug but i remember when i used my audio with integrated soundcard to an old amp and crappy hifi-speakers. I remember noticing HUGE sound improvement when changed only the source to a better pro level card...after that i have upgraded speakers, next the amp.

I believe the best and cheapest way to realy learn to listen quality audio cheap is to get "mid hifi" headphones like sennheiser hd555 ..they are roughly under 100$ and you should hear MILES BETTER sound quality straight from the X-FI!

PS.. Did you know that you dont actually need more than TWO speakers to hear SURROUND(humans have only two ears)? Have a look and search google about "binaural" or "holographic" sound..use any headphones and be AMAZED ! :cool:
 
Alright then, I'll go with the speakers.

But the Z-5300 is too expensive where I live. Are they better than the T7900?
 
johto said:
Like i said, difference can be like night and day IF you have the whole audio chain quality at same level. Source is very important, because crap in -> crap out, even with expensive speakers. You have ok soundcard, so no worry there.

Either way, 100$ dollars is imho too little for "real" audio stuff. I understand your budged, hell i was a student year ago, but from experience good "entry leve" 2-channel system sounds much better than "plastic sounding" surround. Maybe i'm just being bitten with the hifi-bug but i remember when i used my audio with integrated soundcard to an old amp and crappy hifi-speakers. I remember noticing HUGE sound improvement when changed only the source to a better pro level card...after that i have upgraded speakers, next the amp.

I believe the best and cheapest way to realy learn to listen quality audio cheap is to get "mid hifi" headphones like sennheiser hd555 ..they are roughly under 100$ and you should hear MILES BETTER sound quality straight from the X-FI!

PS.. Did you know that you dont actually need more than TWO speakers to hear SURROUND(humans have only two ears)? Have a look and search google about "binaural" or "holographic" sound..use any headphones and be AMAZED ! :cool:
Click to expand...

So you're saying the Quality of the 2 speakers in the Z-2300 set is worth it not having 7.1 speakers? What if I'm used to horrible quality and I don't need the highest-end speakers?

The HD555 seems nice. I can even afford the HD590. What speakers would you compare them to in terms of quality? And are you sure that I can have the same 7.1 surround with these headphones?

EDIT: The HD590 costs just a little big less than the Z-5300s. Whats the better choice?
 
Jacez44 said:
So you're saying the Quality of the 2 speakers in the Z-2300 set is worth it not having 7.1 speakers? What if I'm used to horrible quality and I don't need the highest-end speakers?

The HD555 seems nice. I can even afford the HD590. What speakers would you compare them to in terms of quality? And are you sure that I can have the same 7.1 surround with these headphones?

EDIT: The HD590 costs just a little big less than the Z-5300s. Whats the better choice?
Click to expand...

When i was talking about stereo speakers, i was talking about REAL speakers, not those plastic computer speakers, It doesnt help if there are more in quantity, even if it was 10.1 surround. Less is more if you focus on QUALITY.

Real hifi 2ch speakers + decent amp is better than any of those 2ch/7.1ch computer boomboxes. Even the entry level is enough(talking about 300dollars speakers + amp)..that is too much for you i can see, so i recommend you to test decent headphones(forget computer stuff). At least then you can enjoy "real hifi" :)

i would recommend hd555 over hd590..hd5xx lineup is the newest sennheiser "mid-fi" range, and the hd555 has the best quality/price ratio for you. Forget the hd590, they are old model.

the order of quality goes hd515->hd555->hd595
Old models were hd570->hd590...forget those...
Then there is the "audiophile" lineup which goes like:
hd580->hd600->hd650

hd555 is good phone for using straight up from soundcard not needing dedicated headphone amp.

Obviously your perception of "high-end" is differend from mine :)
Get the phones, use them a week and adjust your brain listening well recorded music and movies.
You can always return them and go back to computer-toy audio, which i doubt :)
 
I vote for headphones as well. You can get a pretty decent pair for less than $200. Just make sure the impedance is >64 ohms, or you'll probably need an amp to go with them.
 
johto said:
When i was talking about stereo speakers, i was talking about REAL speakers, not those plastic computer speakers, It doesnt help if there are more in quantity, even if it was 10.1 surround. Less is more if you focus on QUALITY.

Real hifi 2ch speakers + decent amp is better than any of those 2ch/7.1ch computer boomboxes. Even the entry level is enough(talking about 300dollars speakers + amp)..that is too much for you i can see, so i recommend you to test decent headphones(forget computer stuff). At least then you can enjoy "real hifi" :)
Click to expand...

Listen, I know you are only trying to get me to buy what it the absolute best, but I really don't think it's worth it for me to spend that much on a speaker set.
If you think the Bose Accoustimass 10 Series III is any good, I can just use those.
Otherwise, the "cheap plastic" speakers are more than enough for me.
I don't think I would be able to notice the difference between plastic and wooden speakers anyway.. so why waste my money?

johto said:
i would recommend hd555 over hd590..hd5xx lineup is the newest sennheiser "mid-fi" range, and the hd555 has the best quality/price ratio for you. Forget the hd590, they are old model.

the order of quality goes hd515->hd555->hd595
Old models were hd570->hd590...forget those...
Then there is the "audiophile" lineup which goes like:
hd580->hd600->hd650

hd555 is good phone for using straight up from soundcard not needing dedicated headphone amp.
Click to expand...

Well, the H595 is twice as expensive as the HD555. Is the HD595 worth the price?
The HD555 costs just a little more than the X-530.. are they any better?
The HD650 costs twice as much as the HD595, and there is no way I can afford those.

johto said:
Obviously your perception of "high-end" is differend from mine :)
Get the phones, use them a week and adjust your brain listening well recorded music and movies.
You can always return them and go back to computer-toy audio, which i doubt :)
Click to expand...

Are you saying that Headphones which cost half the price of what you call "computer toy audio" are that much better?
Shouldn't there be some awful catch if so?
 
For gaming your best bet <$100 are the ATH A500 headphones from audiocubes.com

nuff said
 
Jacez44 said:
Listen, I know you are only trying to get me to buy what it the absolute best, but I really don't think it's worth it for me to spend that much on a speaker set.
If you think the Bose Accoustimass 10 Series III is any good, I can just use those.
Otherwise, the "cheap plastic" speakers are more than enough for me.
I don't think I would be able to notice the difference between plastic and wooden speakers anyway.. so why waste my money?



Well, the H595 is twice as expensive as the HD555. Is the HD595 worth the price?
The HD555 costs just a little more than the X-530.. are they any better?
The HD650 costs twice as much as the HD595, and there is no way I can afford those.



Are you saying that Headphones which cost half the price of what you call "computer toy audio" are that much better?
Shouldn't there be some awful catch if so?
Click to expand...

Huh, i dont like to repeat my self... Yes you can get roughly 4x times better sound quality with the same xxx ammount of money using headphones compared to speaker equipment. www.head-fi.net forum is good place to start ...they have saying there "welcome, and sorry about your wallet !" :p
 
You don't have to repeat yourself, I asked different questions. Most of which you didn't care to answer.

Is the HD555 better than the T7900?
And how does my Accoustimass 10 fare?
 
all of the Accoustimass systems are worth about what most computer systems go for, ~$200-300.

i cannot compare those phones (never heard them) but i know first hand that the system i put together for about $2000 is worth at least what i put into it.

the step i took from low end (z-680) to entry level was like the morning you wakeup after having a Cold for a week and you can hear the birds singing in the morning sun again.
 
I just got some Sennheiser HD650's with a Micro Stack from Headroom for about $1000, and it sounds like music! But my AD700's for about $100 weren't bad, either.
 
johto said:
Huh, i dont like to repeat my self... Yes you can get roughly 4x times better sound quality with the same xxx ammount of money using headphones compared to speaker equipment. www.head-fi.net forum is good place to start ...they have saying there "welcome, and sorry about your wallet !" :p
Click to expand...

Problem is that headphones are not always practical. Sometimes when I play music I like to be able to get up and do stuff around my room. Headphones might sound nice but they have their place. I have some sennheisers and a pair of insignia bookshelf speakers and the insignias get about 10x the use that my headphones/millett amp get.
 
killernoodle said:
Problem is that headphones are not always practical. Sometimes when I play music I like to be able to get up and do stuff around my room. Headphones might sound nice but they have their place. I have some sennheisers and a pair of insignia bookshelf speakers and the insignias get about 10x the use that my headphones/millett amp get.
Click to expand...

Solution?

Specs seem to indicate quality more in line with the 'budget' Sennheiser parts, and I've not heard them firsthand, but...? Seems like it might work alright?
 
biohazard_nz said:
Jacez44 :eek: - you really have no idea how much you can spend on audio. Some home setups would easily cost over $10000 and that's not a typo.
Click to expand...

And yet, some bedroom PC speaker setups cost well over $25,000! And that's not a typo either... :).

But regarding the OP's question, it depends on what you want out of it. If you want surround, could care less about the sound, and watch a TON of movies and play a TON of games, then perhaps a surround sound system is right for you. If you like music, like to dissect it and enjoy it on a more emotional level, then perhaps spending the same amount and getting 2 speakers is the best way to go.

It's all in what you want to use it for.
 
johto said:
Huh, i dont like to repeat my self... Yes you can get roughly 4x times better sound quality with the same xxx ammount of money using headphones compared to speaker equipment. www.head-fi.net forum is good place to start ...they have saying there "welcome, and sorry about your wallet !" :p
Click to expand...

This is debateable. I dont think you get about 4x the quality jump in sound from my experience. Again, a totally different method of enjoying music and audio.

Neither is perfectly correct as an absolute, but for some, speakers are it and for others headphones are.

A $400 set of speakers paired with a decent receiver can outdo a set of $400 headphones powered by an entry level headphone amp. And the opposite is also possible.

Like I said, it's all in what you want out of it.

:)
 
Jacez44 said:
You don't have to repeat yourself, I asked different questions. Most of which you didn't care to answer.

Is the HD555 better than the T7900?
And how does my Accoustimass 10 fare?
Click to expand...

The HD555 is better overall in terms of musical presentation than the T7900 by Creative. However, the T7900 will definitely give you a better sense of space though highly dependent on positioning, when it comes to movies and games IMO. The 555 are good phones, but by no means are spectacular in any one field. It is very midrange heavy and tends to 'highlight' vocal regions moreso than other phones like the HD650, which I found to be much more balanced in terms of audio presentation.

The Acoustimass is just as good as your run of the mill home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems, probably around $500 or less. There's not much you can expect our of 2.5" woofers that cover the treble and midrange, and that 5.25" subwoofer module isn't much of an infrasonic generator either.

With the Acoustimass, you get a lot of midbass and a heavy emphasis on parts of the midrange and a slightly sibilant/strident feel that newbies might mistake for 'enhanced detail'.

I hope I made myself understandable here.

:)
 
I think I've moved up the ramp here.

Now, I'm looking at the HD595, Z-2300 and Z-5300.
I keep being told that these Headphones are much better than pretty much ANY plastic speakers.

And when u say that my Accoustimass system costs 500$, doesn't that mean that it's far better than anything that I have already suggested which cost a lot less?
 
Minimal difference between the 555 and 595. They will give you better sound, moreso than any plastic speaker. But be sure you're about headphones and not speakers otherwise it will be a short-lived enjoyment.

The 2300 is ok... but more of the same as the 5500... and the 5300 is good, but not quite up to the 5500.

And yes, the Acoustimass can be better than what you got.
 
if you already have the acoustimass speakers, then use them until you can afford something better.. read up on bose, lots and lots of people don't like them.. i personally don't.. but they also are extremely well selling because the general masses of people do like them.. i had some bose acoustimass speakers and got some $125 BIC bookshelf speakers to replace them.. the bose sounded like there were pillows in front of them when i compared them side to side..

i have found great deals on speakers at thrift stores, amps and receivers at garage sales, in the trash, given to me by people...
where do you live anyways? you keep mentioning that they don't sell certain things where you are.

i suggest that you use what you have.. even though bose is arguably not that good, you said you like they way they sound, and that's all that matters.. if everything is in the same room, there is no reason to have separate speakers for your computer and your dvd player..

or see what you can sell your bose for, and then tack your $100 on top of it.. and get something totally different. bose speakers fetch a pretty high price used.. because most people seem to think they are better..
 
Well, I said that the Accoustimass sounded great, but that is no compliment because I also think my Creative Inspire 2.1 set sounds just as good and it only cost me 25$.

I think I want something better.

And I don't understand how the HD555 and HD595 are only minimally different in quality, while the price of the HD595 is double that of the HD555.
 
Jacez44 said:
Well, I said that the Accoustimass sounded great, but that is no compliment because I also think my Creative Inspire 2.1 set sounds just as good and it only cost me 25$.

I think I want something better.

And I don't understand how the HD555 and HD595 are only minimally different in quality, while the price of the HD595 is double that of the HD555.
Click to expand...

From scouring the forums @ Head-Fi it would seem to me that the jump from a classic line-up Sennheiser model like the HD497 to the HD555 was much more significant than the jump from 555 to 595. If you were to go above the 555, HD650 would be the target as far as Sennheiser goes. I use the Logitech X-540 5.1's for my PC speakers (good for gaming and movies) and the Sennheiser HD485's for my music. I could've chosen the HD555, but the 485's seemed (from reviews) seem to be "close" in sound by way EQing BUT with more bass (I listen to Industrial/Electronic stuff). This is merely subjective opinion though.
 
GPUCommando said:
From scouring the forums @ Head-Fi it would seem to me that the jump from a classic line-up Sennheiser model like the HD497 to the HD555 was much more significant than the jump from 555 to 595. If you were to go above the 555, HD650 would be the target as far as Sennheiser goes. I use the Logitech X-540 5.1's for my PC speakers (good for gaming and movies) and the Sennheiser HD485's for my music. I could've chosen the HD555, but the 485's seemed (from reviews) seem to be "close" in sound by way EQing BUT with more bass (I listen to Industrial/Electronic stuff). This is merely subjective opinion though.
Click to expand...

So which one is better in terms of quality, the HD485's or the X-540's?
 
Jacez44 said:
So which one is better in terms of quality, the HD485's or the X-540's?
Click to expand...

The HD485's definitely. The headphones can actually create a "soundstage" allowing all sounds to come through clearly and seperately. Music is definitely what I'm most picky about in terms of sound quality, and I'm pretty satisfied. You can also expect positional audio and surround on games and movies to be nice too.

The x-540's make music (gaming and movies are good though) sound muddy. The bass is really good considering the price and the size of the sub - but the lower bass frequency of the sub and sound quality of the satellites are lacking (even with EQing). I almost wish I had never purchased speakers at all, but its nice to have them sometimes too.

The problem with recommending audio equipment is that each listener is giving subjective views which may not represent what someone else may like.
 
Jace

AIM me... lets see if we can sort this thing out. Lots of good choices out there.
 
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