5.1 souround sound

[Niggy G]

Ive been intrested in getting 5.1 sound for a while. Having looked around I thought that the Creative 5300 Inspire set was good value (£60). After reading reviews i wasn't so sure, the sub is critisised in a lot of reviews for being week. I got the impression that the overall power of the set was nothing special.

If anyone has this set or knows about them could you post your views on it.

Im thinking about getting a Soundblaster Live for about £35, then maybe getting the Creative 5700 Inspire (£200) set in a few months.

Is the 5700 worth the extra money? - if im paying that much for the speakers do i want to be getting a better quality sound card?

I'd apriciate help on the subject because i can't make my mind up.

Thanks

 

[Allnatural]

It's just my opinion, but I detest the sound of Cambridge speakers. I never liked them before, and I like them less now that Creative owns them. If I had the money, I'd buy a set of Klipsch or Logitech speakers. If I wanted cheap speakers that still sound good, I'd go for Altec Lansing.

Just my opinion.

 

[flow``]

i have the creative inspire 5.1 5300 speakers and a sb live x-gamer 5.1.. works quite well

i really couldnt tell you any flaws or weak sound? not sure what they're talking about

couple the sb live card the www.kxproject.com drivers.. magic

 

[AlphaWolf]

Avoid speakers that use analog inputs, they will always be susceptable to interference from your computers other components. If you want surround sound that is actualy worth a damn (e.g. theres actualy a difference between it and stereo), then you are probably going to spend more than $200 anyways, so get digital speakers. Trust me, the sound is a lot crisper as well.

 

[vampireuk]

Logitech

They will be mine, oh yes they will be mine

 

[Vchat20]

anyone know if a 5.1 Speaker System with USB interface exists? like USB Speakers just surround sound?

 

[AlphaWolf]

If theres one thing for certain, you DON'T want USB based sound systems. Yes, they do exist. Not only is the sound quality always crap, but driver support is terrible, and its more than likely to slow down any games you play it on.

 

[Niggy G]

vampire, i think im getting the Logitech® Z-680 5.1 THX®-Certified Audio Monitors!!! (not right now as i cant afford)


But my second question is...

Would getting a buget 5.1 SB live be silly with tese speakers?


Would i need to get a better sound card to have the true quality of the speakers?

Thanks

*Im off to an exam now, im scared*

 

[AlphaWolf]

Would getting a buget 5.1 SB live be silly with tese speakers?

Better yet, don't even get that card. I think those speakes are supposed to have a digital input. Find a cheap card with a digital output, it will have no sound quality difference from that of even the most expensive sblive when using digital audio. I think turtle beach makes a card for $50 that has digital out, and supports both EAX and A3D. I haven't looked in a long time though.

 

[thine_impalor]

They will be mine, oh yes they will be mine

I read on tomshardware that this particular speaker has a slight defect, anyway theres the link...
actually don't let that deter u from buying im just jealous


http://www.tomshardware.com/video/20030108/speaker-12.html
As regards quality, the Z-680 has a slight defect, which nevertheless ought to be mentioned. You will notice it immediately once you attach the speakers to the sector. The central channel has a fairly noticeable continuous hiss that does not change in relation to the volume, not even when the Mute function is activated. The hiss is irritating, since it means you can't leave the Z-680 on permanently when using the PC, or you will have to put up with a permanent accompaniment of "white noise." The hiss is heard faintly when listening to music or a DVD, and in some cases, it can reduce the general quality of the reproduction. This is a real pity because although this detail is not really a deterrent, it tarnishes the image, which would otherwise have been absolutely brilliant. In fact, apart from the hiss, the overall quality is very good, even excellent, in relation to the price and functionality of the Z-680 speakers.

 

[Niggy G]

I read that and pointed it out to vampire while the temp emutalk board was up.

Surly though something must have been causing it, that’s not common because they wouldn’t release £250+ speakers with a constant humming?? – would they??

This is the only review I have read that mentions it.

AlfaWolf what is EAX and A3D, and I thought SBlive’s do support digital output?

 

[Vchat20]

Anyone know of a cheap surround sond speaker system that supports digital audio? cuz I would like to get one to hook up to my Digital Cable box (it has SPDIF out).

 

[AlphaWolf]

AlfaWolf what is EAX and A3D, and I thought SBlive’s do support digital output?

EAX and A3D are sound APIs for games. They are competing standards, I am not sure which one is better than the other. Theres kind of a microsoft thing going on with EAX and creative, as EAX is made by Creative. That said, Creative SBLive cards only do EAX, where most other brands do both.

As for dolby digital, not all of the creative sblive cards do it. Value definitely does not. I think its only the $200+ audigy and platinum ones that do.

 

[Reznor007]

Any SB Live 5.1, Audigy, or Audigy 2 support Dolby Digital 5.1 decoding. Note, that the decoding is done in software, not hardware as some think. Also, that is DEcoding only, not encoding. The only product to support Dolby 5.1 ENcoding are nForce1-2 motherboards.

The SB cards can output Dolby 5.1 via analog 5.1, or a single digital cable. When using digital, you can transmit your PC's sound as stereo PCM, or DVD's played on your PC as PCM, Dolby 5.1, or DTS.

To get 5.1 sound from your PC games you need to use one of the SB cards with an analog 5.1 connection to a receiver, or an nForce1-2 board via a digital connection to a receiver.