PC Peripherals Which 5.1 Speakers for 3.5K ?

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greenhorn said:
You will get surround for movies (ie Ac3 ones) but not for games.

For surround gaming , you need a proper audigy- one with the EAX DSP chip- it should support EAX 3.0 or above. They might not be easily available. Dealers stock the audigy value which is just a rebadged soundblaster live 24 bit
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which is the cheapest sound card to get surround for games??
 
Audigy 2 value is the cheapest audigy ( upto EAX 4)

Note that it is the audigy 2 value, and not the audigy value

X Fi XtremeGamer is the cheapest in the X Fi series( Upto EAX 5)
 
greenhorn said:
Your line in can also work as a surround output. similarly mic in works as center/sub in 5.1 mode.

with an onboard , the difference will be there for movies with 5.1 sound(DVD's etc) and other surround sources.

Gaming , I'm not sure. both realtek and AD seem to have implemented some sort of EAX, but its not perfect yet, with Analog Devices one ( soundmax ) being the better one.

Try it out ;)

The sound that goes to the surround speakers doesn't need very good speakers. Just connect your ATP3 to the line in jack and set the output to 4.1 when you're watching a 5.1 movie. all you'll hear are some echoes etc. Nothing which needs an atp3. any old speaker, even ordinary stereo speakers will do :P
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I tried out the 4.2 setup with Logitech X-230 as my front speakers and the SBS 370 for my rear speakers. Since my onboard card does not support EAX 3/4, I could not hear any surround sound in movies (maybe, not sure if that's the reason.. I was watching an HD print.. it had 5.1 audio )

But, just for the heck of it.. I tried Team Fortress 2.. It automatically detected that I'd got 4 speakers and it was simply awesome! I could hear doors closing behind me in my rear speakers. And if anyone was following me and overtook while running, the sound came in a slow progression... i.e from the rear to the front. Simply awesome!! :hap2: :hap2:
 
all 5.1 motherboards should play 5.1 movies.

I'm surprised your onboard could do surround gaming. maybe basic A3D/EAX 1 is enough for that .

to enable surround in movies , you might want to check your players playback settings
 
@greenhorn: Dude, EAX1 is sufficient for surround gaming since a long while as far as I remember. HL1, MaxPayne were all played in surround glory wayyy back. :)

Basic 4-speaker surround is always easy to achieve I thought. It works flawlessly on my Realtek AC888 chipset too on my current rig - plays Crysis, HL2:EP2 and what not in complete surround madness. :)

Payne
 
then nice :)

Folks interested in surround should check their onboards with surround speakers before venturing out to get soundcards.

PS: that is , if SOME surround sound should be enough. I tried EAX 1/2/3 in call of duty - the dam scene, and the differences in panning were very obvious. But still something is better than nothing :)
 
Does ASUS A8N-VM-CSM needs any extra sound card for better effect ?

I guess it already has 5.1 Or 7.1

Any comments ?
 
yup. EAX, A3D and Open AL are among the different ways to get surround sound. but i think at least one of them should work , sorta like D3D/OpenGL
 
Slightly OT:

Iam interested in buying Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1 speakers.I have few questions regarding these:

1.When Logitech X540 5.1 is avilable for ~5.5k then when are Z5500 ~20k???Is it just bcoz they have intrernal DTS and Dolby decoders and high RMS(not sure of the value)?

2.If that is the case,then is Auzentech Xplosion Sound Card + X540 = Z5500??

So any other 5.1 speaker set which provide "near" Theater experience OR comparable to Z5500 @ ~15k?
 
if the speakers are crappy, nomatter what the soundcard might do, the weak link in the chain are the speakers.

Sound quality wise, this is the order

[good speakers+ good soundcard]>>[good speakers+average sound card]>[bad speakers+average soundcard]>[bad sound card+bad speakers]
 
Kumar said:
if the speakers are crappy, nomatter what the soundcard might do, the weak link in the chain are the speakers.

Sound quality wise, this is the order

[good speakers+ good soundcard]>>[good speakers+average sound card]>[bad speakers+average soundcard]>[bad sound card+bad speakers]
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+1 good explanation.. :D
 
ok msi has a dimond range of boards which has on board crative sound card .. i am looking out for such a board but could never find it at decent prices..:P this would be good for htpc platform
 
greenhorn said:
Your line in can also work as a surround output. similarly mic in works as center/sub in 5.1 mode.

with an onboard , the difference will be there for movies with 5.1 sound(DVD's etc) and other surround sources.

Gaming , I'm not sure. both realtek and AD seem to have implemented some sort of EAX, but its not perfect yet, with Analog Devices one ( soundmax ) being the better one.

Try it out ;)

The sound that goes to the surround speakers doesn't need very good speakers. Just connect your ATP3 to the line in jack and set the output to 4.1 when you're watching a 5.1 movie. all you'll hear are some echoes etc. Nothing which needs an atp3. any old speaker, even ordinary stereo speakers will do :P
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errr.the soundmax audio wizard says blue for surround and green for front..and so i have connected it as said...and it actually works..wonders..

so connected ATP3 as front and old 2.1 speakers as surround.



just watched Gone in 60 seconds ..in surround mode..and ..it really makes a difference...even though i still havent placed the speakers properly...

thanx a lot for this....:hap2:

a few doubts...

is it necessary to place the speakers at ear level ??..i was thinking of placing them at a very higher level..near the curtains ..with the speakers facing down...i hope its a not bad postion..:huh:

by the way because i have selected 4 channel speakers..i had a doubt weather both the subwoofers will work ..to the same extent ???

thanx again.
 
if you dont place the speakers at ear level, you lose the clarity. at least try to aim the speakers towards your head

yup, both subs will work. the atp 3 sub will play the bass from the front, and the other one will handle the rear. for 2.1 and 4.1, the bass is derived from the other channels and no dedicated bass channel exists :)
 
Praks said:
Does ASUS A8N-VM-CSM needs any extra sound card for better effect ?

I guess it already has 5.1 Or 7.1

Any comments ?
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For some reason i dint notice this :ashamed:

your mobo has a soundmax onboard , which is quite good - it should do :)
 
if ur on a budget and cant afford the z550. go for the z5300 speakers also thx certified available for 11k something... pair it up with the x-fi and uve got ur self ur very own home theatre
 
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