I'm currently on a Acer Aspire 6930g that I have sat on my desk 80% of the time I am into my music a lot and these shitty 2.0 speakers that I got with my first pc are far from cutting it. I have a budget of very max of £80 to spend on a set of speakers I really want to get a 5.1 set to fully immerse into music and films I have picked out the Logitech x-540 for around £65 as a possible candidate http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/234&cl=gb,en (They're well expensive on the official logitech store!) Anyway, my laptop says that it supports full 5.1 Output but i'm not sure and want to clarify with you.. I have taken a photo of the ports with my digital camera I just want to check whether the speakers will be compatible with my sound ports Hope you can help!
Sounds like your laptop has an S/PDIF optical connector rather than the standard 5 jacks. Which is a problem as that set of Logitechs. No S/PDIF connector. If you've got £80 as your max budget, these look great: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Altec-Lansing-FX5051-51-Speakers They've got a USB sound card built in plus the build quality of Altec Lansing gear is far better than Logitechs. If I had money and needed a 5.1 speaker set, this is what I would buy. USB = Lub, tbh. Also, the isobaric reflex sub-woofer will be punchy as ANYTHING. That's how a real subwoofer is built.
For music you really dont want to be looking at a surround set up. Try and find a set of Audioengine A2's cheapish, they just around the 120 mark.
He said films too! Although surround sound music is something I've always wanted to try properly. I once played a gig with two PA systems, one at the back and one at the front. I played the music through all speakers, but setup a sub feed that panned back / forward / left / right across the system. So all these little trippers were freaking out at the 3d moving sounds. Really funny to watch them as you play a buzzing noise then pan it around the room.
Yeah surround when its done well with decent kit is awesome, i just think when you have a smaller budget you get more quality spending it on a 2 speaker solution rather than 6, cheap surround systems tend to sound pants with music.
Actually isobaric reflex is a very seldom-used design. It only really finds (occasional) use in car audio and cheap home audio where small size takes prevalence over even response and efficiency. I'm not saying to avoid by default, and the speakers may or may not sound terrific. Dont be fooled by the 'dual woofers' bit though, you might as well have one in an enclosure twice the size. Youcould make do with less power that way, too. On topic, I'd stay with a good 2.0 or 2.1 system too. Unless you really NEED surround sound for the films you'll get a much better set with 2.1. Think about it this way, for your £80 a manufacturer can either spend £27/speaker on 2.1 or £13/speaker with 5.1. Jack.
They've got the ability to be small (portable) whilst still producing massif bass. My partner (musically) was running a 4x18" reflex bass system (4 individual boxes). We stripped the speakers and using a Clamshell 2x18" design we built a pair of isobaric subwoofers that produced almost twice the bass of 4x18" we were using before. It's the perfect solution for home audio, tbh. Compact but still just as bassy. Edit: I also agree that you should consider a good 2.1 setup over a 5.1. If surround sound isn't that important.
hmm. I just want rich tones that have some deep base. And i watch a lot of films through my laptop in bed so that's where i want the 5.1 surround sound for. Any recommendations of a 2.1 speaker set that is well performing?
Ive been really impressed with my Acoustic Energy Aego M set. Theyre a bit more than youre willing to spend though. Before those I really loved my Edifier C3 set too. Be wary that a lot of these computer speaker sets (logitech Zs come to mind) are geared towards games and films with copious bass and massive treble but little else. A lot of the good stuff like growly bass guitars and punchy, clicky kick drum articulation happens in the midbass region which tends to be lacking in these sets IME. I would guess this is because the satellites dont go low enough to properly crossover with the subs. IMO, you should read some reviews really and then go listen. Maybe check out studio monitors or home hifi too.
Well yeah, but what you gain in portability and apparant LF extension you lose in efficiency and even response. I never said it was a bad design, just that (like any other design really) it has pros and cons. The increased LF extension you reported is not a result of isobaric loading, and will be due to something else in your design. It does make some sense in home and car audio because power is cheap and volume requirements are generally low. And then there's the desire to keep unsightly boxes as small as possible. I would never buy a home audio box based on design, but my area of interest (and the business that pays my wages) is live sound, where I would avoid an isobaric design like the plague. Different strokes though, those speakers may yet sound awesome, I havent heard them.
