Speakers queries

[agros]

Lately I m looking to buy a new speakers system for my pc(2.1 or 5.1)... There are some questions

1. I heard that its better to connect earphones directly into soundcard's port, is it true?

2. Is it necessary for the subwoofer to be on the floor? What if I put it on the table?

3. What do I earn if I connect speakers digital way instead of analogue?

4. What speakers do u suggest me to buy? My soundcard is a SB X-Fi Extreme Audio pci_xpress_x1.
Must be a model silent when pc is off, no any fffsssss...

[Dark Mantis]

Hi


Obviously the most important aspect is your spending power. Speaker sets can vary a great deal and run from literaly a few pounds to many hundreds. I like the Logitech Z906, they are what I use. They don't come cheap but do a good job for most things as long as you don't need real high quality monitors. You can pick them up for around £250 although the full price is £350.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=logitech+z906&tag=mh0a9-21&index=aps&hvadid=38691622&ref=pd_sl_22hfcb6oyn_e

Subwoofer should be on the deck as the low frequency sound it produces travels better there than on a desk or higher up.

Analogue is better than digital if you listen to an audio buff because it doesn't get changed from analogue top digital and then back to analogue etc but to be honest either will work fine for normal use.

[agros]

Well, point is not the money but the right device
Usually, much money means more W, I dont want volume but quality.

So, u say that subwoofer must be on the floor(deck). Even in a 2.1 system?
I  prefer not to put it on the floor, so that the downstairs neighbor wont hear.
And no any "fffsssss" when pc closed.

Analogue connection is better than digital? Then why digital exist?

[Dark Mantis]

You dont have to put the sub woofer down on the floor as you are correct about it using the floor as a medium for transmitting the sound Under normal circumstances that is one of the main reasons why it is recommended to put them there. Obviously in your sort of environment the desk would probably be a better option but you will lose some of the very low frequencies and need to turn it up a bit more to get the most out of it. There should be no sound at all when nothing is being played through the speakers.

[agros]

There are some speakers that play a "fffssss..." even when pc is closed, thats what I want to avoid.
I m thinking of buying a 2.1 set and put subwoofer on the desk, I know that I ll lose the surround dimention (till now I had creative T7900) but anyway I dont have the space to spread them. Do u know any  2.1 speakers, not 500w, with good sound? The music I use to hear is classic. Not many games and not movies on pc.
Is it true that Logiteck<Creative?

Someone told me that subwoofer must be on the floor because its vibration can damage pc.

[Dark Mantis]

No I have my sub on the desktop at the far end from me but it won't do any damage even when turned up. You might at worst find a bit of vibration going through the desktop at volume but not enough to do any damage.

To be honest in general you get what you pay for with speakers so I would set yourself a realistic budget and thenm see what is available for that.

Logitech and Creative are seperate entities if that is what you were asking.

[absic]

Just to add my bit into the mix: The "hissing" noise from PC speakers when they are not running is usually due to the volume being set to high or from using cheap low end speakers whose internal amplifier components are not that good.

[geekyadz]

Just to add my bit into the mix: The "hissing" noise from PC speakers when they are not running is usually due to the volume being set to high or from using cheap low end speakers whose internal amplifier components are not that good.

Or a "bad earth"

[agros]

To be honest in general you get what you pay for with speakers so I would set yourself a realistic budget and thenm see what is available for that.

Its not so simple, as I said usually big prize is for many watts, for example that system u suggested me(350€ in my country) is 500watts, I dont want to disturb the whole neighborhood  

Logitech and Creative are seperate entities if that is what you were asking.

  the "<" is a mathematician symbol. Is Logitech worse than Creative?

Just to add my bit into the mix: The "hissing" noise from PC speakers when they are not running is usually due to the volume being set to high or from using cheap low end speakers whose internal amplifier components are not that good.

They told me that fffssss exist even in not cheap speakers. Some Logitech models I dont remember right now.
Low or high volume, point is not to hear anything. Otherwise u have to shut off speakers. In my previous speakers that was not easy, because the button was down of the desk.


Is it better to connect earphones directly to the soundcard hole?

[Dark Mantis]

To be honest in general you get what you pay for with speakers so I would set yourself a realistic budget and thenm see what is available for that.

Its not so simple, as I said usually big prize is for many watts, for example that system u suggested me(350€ in my country) is 500watts, I dont want to disturb the whole neighborhood 

You are missing the point a bit there. Just because the speaker system is capable of outputting a lot of watts doesn't mean that you have to run it at full volume al the time. In fact you will find that there is normally less distortion at lower levels on most audio equiptment so something powerful does have it's benefits.

Logitech and Creative are seperate entities if that is what you were asking.

  the "<" is a mathematician symbol. Is Logitech worse than Creative?

I am quite well aware of what the symbol means but you wouldn't normally use it in standard speech. It would be better to use normal words so that the meaning is clear.  I wouldn't say that either one is much better or worse than the other as they tend to concentrate on differing areas albeit audio.

[agros]

You are missing the point a bit there. Just because the speaker system is capable of outputting a lot of watts doesn't mean that you have to run it at full volume al the time.

And why pay for something that I wont use? Its better for the money to go to the quality and the better sound.

[Dark Mantis]

I am afraid that you are quoting me out of context and it loses it's point. If you are such a expert on audio components why are you asking for advice on the forum ? If you don't want to hear the suggestions there is not much point asking in the first place.

[agros]

I made specific questions (that still are unanswered).
I also explained u that I dont want an expensive set with many watts. What I need is quality, and silence when pc is off.
I m not audio expert, as I guess u r not too

[Dark Mantis]

I m not audio expert, as I guess u r not too

I would have to agree with you on both counts   I was just trying to pass on the bit of knowledge that I have on this subject albeit not a lot. I am surprised that nobody else has posted any useful information or answers to your question either.

Anyhow good luck with finding the right setup for you as it is one of those areas where there is so much to choose from and what one person thinks is the dogs danglies another will think is rubbish.

[Ben]

Thought I would put my $2 worth in.

Are you into Creative/ Logitech or will any brand do?

Sony make pretty good speakers (SRS-A3/BLK) being one type, should be ideal for classical music. It has no sub woofer but from what I hear the bass is pretty good, it is a 2 speaker set-up.

Another possibility is the "Cyber Acoustic" CA-896.

These are pretty good speakers & not very expensive.

I use to have some Bose & Harmon Kardon speakers years ago & found they where pretty good.

PS,

I read a lot of magazines & this where I get some of my info from.

Ben.