# 5.1 Speakers



## anubisX (Jan 8, 2009)

Hello everyone, I'm going to buy 5.1 PC speakers. Finally, I'm going to get rid of my good old 2.1 Harman/Kardon. I want them for HD movies / trance / games. My budget is 8-10K, what do you guys suggest ??? I'm from Kolkata so availability is a big question.

Anyone ???


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## zbuu (Jan 9, 2009)

go 4 logitecg z series . itz da best.


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## realdan (Jan 9, 2009)

as far as i know the logitech z series 5.1 speakers may not fit into the budget of 10000..

well you can go in for the logitech x-540..costing between 5500approx


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## anubisX (Jan 9, 2009)

The Z Series, too costly man. 20K for the Z5500 is too much for me. What about Altec Lansing ???


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## realdan (Jan 10, 2009)

altec lansing on checking past reviews of digit mag..found out that altec lansing models VS3251 sound reproduction quality and clarity is good but not powerful. i am not sure of the current price of this model but might be at most 4000 approximately

another model is there which is the altec lansing FX5051 - very loud on higher frequencies..not so in mid and lower range. It gave good details in stars wars movie scene. but woofer lack punch and there are distortion at higher volume.  this one cost more that the above model..>9500 approx

i havent listen to both of the above speakers..so it is based purely conclusions that the review came up with..but it looks like the woofer may be lacking in the speakers...

look like the logitech x540 is better than the above two.and the comparison that i got the above review from doesnt include the logitech x540 in the comparison 

in order of my preference from the info available it would be logitech x540, VS3251.


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## moshel (Jan 10, 2009)

VS3251 does not have enough juice to really enjoy movies and music. its just not loud enough. i think i can say the same for X540.....

havent heard FX5051, but i guess they should be louder than the ones that are suggested.

arent any of the creative gigaworks series available for about 10k??? there is a dearth of really good 5.1 multimedia speakers in the market.


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## realdan (Jan 11, 2009)

well in india at that price..you cant get the higher series of 5.1 speakers as far as i know..


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## anubisX (Jan 12, 2009)

Yes, I agree with *realdan*


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## hellgate (Jan 13, 2009)

i'm using the VS3251 and they dont sound that bad.though wud hav like the bass to be deeper.


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## anubisX (Jan 13, 2009)

Well, I like the Logitech X540 but do I need to buy a sound card too for it ??? My mobo has 5.1 support. Do you think the X540 is gonna sound better with sound card ??? If then which sound card is a better buy ??? What do you think of Logitech G51 ?? It's like 9550/- available in Kolkata. Is it a better buy ???


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## hellgate (Jan 13, 2009)

^^^  surely any 5.1 spkr system or for that matter any gud spkr system wud sound better with a dedicated sound card.


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## anubisX (Jan 13, 2009)

I'm a little confused between X540 and G51. Plz help me decide which one to pick.....


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## hellgate (Jan 14, 2009)

i think the G51 sud be better.


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## realdan (Jan 14, 2009)

i think you can choose this way..

get a 5.1 speakers and a soundcard..
and to fit in your budget of 10K

you have to forget about G51,

choose the logitech x540
and then the rest go for a soundcard


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## anubisX (Jan 14, 2009)

Thanx *realdan*, I'm going to get the X540 and a sound card. If I get some funds this month then I might get the Z5500


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## comp@ddict (Jan 14, 2009)

U can get an altec lansing 7.1 for 10k or a Creative Inspire 7.1 for 7.5k


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## haider_up32 (Jan 14, 2009)

its pretty useless to spend money on 7.1,6.1.....there is difference of 1k btw 4.1 and 5.1 inspire!! ... i regret my decision of buying 5.1...i shud have settled with 4.1 inspire and most of movies are torrent dled....if u have a budget of 10k then consider z-5300 from logitech (THX)


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## anubisX (Jan 14, 2009)

Don't think Z5300 is available in Kolkata. Anyways, can you suggest me a good sound card. My budget is 5000/-


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## surinder (Jan 16, 2009)

anubisX said:


> Thanx *realdan*, I'm going to get the X540 and a sound card. If I get some funds this month then I might get the Z5500


If you can save or stretch your budget upto 19K go for Z5500 alone eyes closed and buy a good sound card later And don't settle with X540, G51, V3251 etc...... they are no where near it even with dedicated sound card.
I personally had Z5300 (Far better then above mentioned) even then I upgraded to Z5500 performance difference was huge now I got creative X-FI XTREME GAMER sound card few days back now its sounds even better.


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## anubisX (Jan 19, 2009)

Finally, I'm going to buy the Logitech Z-5500  But the problem is with the sound card. Which soundcard has S/PDIF and supports Dolby Live!


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## ranjan2001 (Mar 19, 2009)

Just wondering why do we buy multimedia 5.1 speakers when there are so many home theater 5.1speakers wont they be cheaper that Z-5500 & do a better job.
You can always hook your computer audio output to them?

LG/philips/sony all make them.


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## desiibond (Mar 19, 2009)

My suggestion would be to wait for few more days and try Onkyo HT-S3200!
-----------------------------------------
Posted again:
-----------------------------------------
*www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=HT-S3200&class=Systems&p=i


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## haider_up32 (Mar 19, 2009)

ranjan2001 said:


> Just wondering why do we buy multimedia 5.1 speakers when there are so many home theater 5.1speakers wont they be cheaper that Z-5500 & do a better job.
> You can always hook your computer audio output to them?
> 
> LG/philips/sony all make them.



most of the hi-fi stereo system come with an external amplifier.....i u have a hi-fi stereo system then u connect with pc,most of them have audio-in


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## ranjan2001 (Apr 10, 2009)

anubisX said:


> Thanx *realdan*, I'm going to get the X540 and a sound card. If I get some funds this month then I might get the Z5500



Did you finally buy the x540, does it have a wireless remote, how good are these speakers &which sound card did you buy?
I am looking for purchasing the same too so waiting for the feedback.


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## dissel (Apr 11, 2009)

ranjan2001 said:


> Did you finally buy the x540, does it have a wireless remote, how good are these speakers &which sound card did you buy?
> I am looking for purchasing the same too so waiting for the feedback.



It comes with a wired controlled pod....no wireless remote...

*techgage.com/reviews/logitech/x-540/logitech_x540_09_thumb.jpg

sounds are pretty good in this price point...it cost in my place Rs.5000/- incl all, though logitech showroom quoted 5500/- (incl all) for X-540 and 18500/- (incl all) for Z5500.


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## ranjan2001 (Apr 11, 2009)

What about the sound card, did you buy it or running on board sound?

I actually have to connect 5.1 speakers to a home theater system as follows.
*img166.imageshack.us/img166/7643/ranjanhtsetting.th.jpg
In my living room I have tatasky which will be connected to these 5.1 speakers, i will also buy a dvd player which will also connect to the same speakers. Not sure if I can connect directly since DVD audio pins are different I may need a converter cable.

From my study room where the computer is kept, i will extend 5 mts of 3 audio cables & input to the 5.1 speakers.

For such a multiple  requirement, is it better to buy X540 5.1 speakers or Logitech G51 
or 
should I look for dedicated home theater speakers along with DVD player.

Sony & Philips make home theater sets which i can buy for 10-12K


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## Rockstar11 (Apr 11, 2009)

anubisX said:


> Finally, I'm going to buy the Logitech Z-5500  But the problem is with the sound card. Which soundcard has S/PDIF and supports Dolby Live!



Logitech Z-5500 Rocks *gigasmilies.googlepages.com/113.gif


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## desiibond (Apr 11, 2009)

anubisX said:


> Finally, I'm going to buy the Logitech Z-5500  But the problem is with the sound card. Which soundcard has S/PDIF and supports Dolby Live!



every soundcard available in the market now support S/PDIF. you need not buy dolby soundcard if you are buying Z5500D. Just do S/PDIF passthrough to  z5500's receiver and it does the rest.


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## anubisX (Apr 12, 2009)

I haven't got the sound card yet. Just hooked up my Z5500 with the Optical cable to the Asus P5Q-E. The sound is great. I know that Z5500 can't stand a chance in front of HTiBs but what else can you expect from a multimedia speaker system ? I've heard Onkyo 3100 / 3105 / 5105. Also heard JBL Cinesystem 133 but still none of them can give you the theatre effect like Logitech does. Not bcoz I've Z5500, but I fell that way. I know it's subjective but still I'm not gonna misguide anyone. Don't just read reviews, go for auditions. Different people, different needs, different quality, different perspectives. I've seen people who knows nothing about sound but they spend 40K just bcoz the speakers, amp. look good. They just don't care about room size and other factors that really depends for the sound quality. They don't even know what are High / Mid / Low. I'm noob but many forum members have sound knowledge about the sound technology. If I had a budget of 40K, I would wait for few more months, collect some more funds and get Wharfedale or Tannoy or Jamo(as they're available in Kolkata).


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## surinder (Apr 12, 2009)

Get ASUS XONAR DX for 4.5K its the best in this price bracket but just missing the EAX 5.0 a feature very much required in gaming on the other hand Creative X-FI XTREME GAMER have that feature falls in same price bracket but not as versatile as ASUS XONAR DX. If your budget allows you can go for Creative SB X- Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatality Pro for 9K or so. 

Don't skip a dedicated soundcard although your approach is much better then using onboard soundcard but even Z5500's own decoder which you are using can't squeeze its full potential. I also have done S/Pdif trick by using XTREME GAMER's S/Pdif connector to check Z5500's decoder potential it is no where near my soundcard's performance so any of above mention card can give you much more detail in whole spectrum. 

And yes I feel the same way in 5.1 channel full HD movies and in games(invoermentel audio) Z5500 gives us great performance and you will be lot more happier by adding a dedicated soundcard.


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## sr_garg (Apr 13, 2009)

don't know the price for this  but i think its a good one *Creative GigaWorks G550W*


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## zenis (Apr 29, 2009)

I am buyng a pc with intel core i7 punch in asus p6t deluxe oc plam edition and a nvidia quadro fx 3800 card to run two samsung 2233swx i will dnt wanna buy any sound card do u think i go for logitec z5500 do u think it will match with my config what its present price in kolkata and where will i get it the shop suggested antec lynsing v3251 do u think i go with it please help me?


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## desiibond (Apr 29, 2009)

If you are going to do lot of gaming and watch lot of DVD movies, you SHOULD go for premium 5.1 setup. Z5500 is a good set but it has too much bass. Check Onkyo and Sondyne's setups. They are much better.


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## surinder (Apr 29, 2009)

zenis said:


> I am buyng a pc with intel core i7 punch in asus p6t deluxe oc plam edition and a nvidia quadro fx 3800 card to run two samsung 2233swx i will dnt wanna buy any sound card do u think i go for logitec z5500 do u think it will match with my config what its present price in kolkata and where will i get it the shop suggested antec lynsing v3251 do u think i go with it please help me?


Z5500 simply rocks in games, DVD movies good enough in 2 channel audio as well altec lensing v3251 nowhere near it.


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## zenis (Apr 29, 2009)

desiibond said:


> If you are going to do lot of gaming and watch lot of DVD movies, you SHOULD go for premium 5.1 setup. Z5500 is a good set but it has too much bass. Check Onkyo and Sondyne's setups. They are much better.



Hi,
Actually i will use it for FULL HD MULTIMEDIA CREATION though i will also play some games and watch few movies too but ONKYO system will it be available in kolkata and would it price be reasonable... do reply what about creative i need equal good at lows and highs as m gonna listen at moderate volume not too high....


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## zenis (Apr 29, 2009)

surinder said:


> Z5500 simply rocks in games, DVD movies good enough in 2 channel audio as well altec lensing v3251 nowhere near it.



Hi Buddy,
SINCE you are using the same speaker do you think bass is too high as i need equal juice in both high and low and m gonna use it in moderate volume tell me 1 more thing do asus p6T DELUXE OC PLAM ED. provide optical connection for sound and can it be attached with z5500


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## desiibond (Apr 29, 2009)

Onkyo HT-S3100 when I checked was priced at 18k retail price. Z5500 is good for boomy sound but they are not that good for audio clarity.

Also check Creative Gigaworks series (no idea how good they are)


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## surinder (Apr 30, 2009)

zenis said:


> Hi Buddy,
> SINCE you are using the same speaker do you think bass is too high as i need equal juice in both high and low and m gonna use it in moderate volume tell me 1 more thing do asus p6T DELUXE OC PLAM ED. provide optical connection for sound and can it be attached with z5500


Yes bass is little bit on higher side but you can always adjust bass treble etc according to your taste anyway.
yes sure you can easily connect  it using optical connection and its own decoder is better then most onboard sound solutions but still better if you add a sound card like ASUS xonar DX or Creative X-FI xtreme gamer for it.


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## sr_garg (May 4, 2009)

*Creative GigaWorks G550W* comes around 18k and it is *THX* approved too...


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## emmarbee (Feb 21, 2010)

about z5500 and onkyo HTS, see
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1208949#post1208949


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## mayanksharma (Feb 21, 2010)

@sr_garg,
Creative GigaWorks G550W is one awesome sound system. Heard them, and actually found them better than Logitech Z-5500! Opinions may vary for others though. 
@topic,
I dont know, if you've bought the speakers yet or not.
But,with a budget of 5K, you should narrow your options to Logitech X540 and Philips MMS-460. Provided they both are available. See, for gaming & music listening, i would really recommend Philips MMS-460. Coupled with Asus Xonar DX soundcard, any one of these speakers would be sufficient for watching movies and playing games.

PS: Make sure, you go for decent soundcard for your sound setup. I would recommend Asus for their better support and drivers availability for the latest OS'es.


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## jit_devil2 (Feb 22, 2010)

own a x540 + xonar dx can vouch for dem


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## PraKs (Feb 22, 2010)

Any speakers with SPDIF/optical In ?


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