Speaker recommendations - Z5500?

[admin_exported]

Hello,

I've currently got some Logitech Z2300s and a Asus Xonar D2X soundcard, I've got a few amazon vouchers - so I thought I would invest in new speakers!

Any recommendations? I use my PC for everything from films / coding / games / music. My budget is around the Z5500 mark (£200 - £250?)

Regards,

Alex.

 

[Anonymous]

I sold my logitech z-5500 not long ago good speakers sub was a bit boomy though

 

[steve_1979]

I also sold my Logitech Z5500 speakers because they sounded loud and boomy rather than tight and punchy. I replaced them with Q Acoustics 1010i 5.1 speakers and a budget Yamama receiver which sounds much better in every way. Also by using the receivers built in DAC for stereo sound processing (using a S/PDIF cable) the sound quality is 100% better than when using a PC soundcard for sound processing. I now use the motherboards onboard sound when gaming with 5.1 surround sound as it's just as good quality as the Creative X-Fi soundcard I used to use.

£120 Yamaha receiver: www.amazon.co.uk/Yamaha-RXV365BL-5-1-AV-Receiver/dp/B002BFEOCM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1292782430&sr=8-1

£200 Q Acoustics speakers: www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-packages/q-acoustics/1010i-5.1/qaco-1010i-5.1-pack

Pictures of my PC setup: http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/544649.aspx

 

[steve_1979]

Also bare in mind you'll need to spend around £40-50 on connectors and speaker cable if you go down this route for your PC's sound. I know that this brings the total cost upto around £360 but this setup sounds so much better than the Z5500's you wouldn't believe it. Also if your motherboards onboard sound is half decent you won't need that sound card so you could get some money back by selling that.

These are the cables that I used:

£2.45 Digital S/PDIF TOSLink cable www.amazon.co.uk/TOSLink-digital-optical-cable-connectors/dp/B001VMYKUW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292782913&sr=8-1

£3 3.5mm jack to phono cable (you need 3 of these to get 5.1 sound): http://www.amazon.co.uk/3m-3-5mm-Jack-RCA-Cable/dp/B001L0Z7C4/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1292779041&sr=1-3

£1.50/metre speaker cable: http://www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-cables/cambridge-audio/symphony-200/gale-symphony-200

£3 Shielded sub woofer cable: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-AV-Subwoofer-double-shielded/dp/B0007YBFB2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=computers&qid=1292778961&sr=8-1