Logitech Z-5500 Speakers, X-Fi and case

[Scooby_Doo16]

I'm out on a mission to buy some sound so when i ask perents for a new comp it doesn't sound too bad cost wise... i'm prob only gonna get a new PC end this year with windows vista. But my current speakers are dieing (Creative 5.1 5200 i think). And i have an audigy 1. So looking at the Logitech Z-5500 + X-Fi Fatality.

Plus i want a new case to cut noise when i'm sleeping so i'm looking at a gigabyte 3D aurora.

Any coments/suggestions?

This is prob gonna cost like between R4-6K

*sigh* but this will prob last for many years. Right?

[TG]

My aurora is very quiet - I can't hear it over the "noise" of the other 3 machines I have in here, including 1 server (which is generally noisier than a desktop).

The only time it makes any noise is during a reboot when the fans kick in full force for a couple of moments.

[Scooby_Doo16]

Nice. So one thumb up for the case. and people at myadsl swear by these speakers... now do i want the sound card?... my bank account is gonna go... "What?!?"

[TG]

Dunno about the card - I've got an audigy 2 zs which I'm very happy with. It's got lots of fiddly software bits if you're in to that (Takes an AGE to calibrate speakers! - then you have that nagging feeling afterwards, "Did I do that properly?" - so you do it again. And again. Ad infinitum ;)) Sounds very good. It was given to me as a gift, but I definitely would have bought one.

As for the X-Fi - the only comment I've heard about it, in passing, was that it was 'kick ass'. Other than that, I have no idea - the commentor might have had an onboard sound card that hissed and popped before he heard the X-Fi, so who knows. I personally know nothing about the thing, other than the marketing hype that I've seen.

As for the speakers - I'm using POS altec lansing 5.1's which I'm very happy with. Gives me good solid bass for music (which is important) without overdoing it (also important), and generally sounds good.

XEye has a set of logitech something or others, and even he reckons that mine sound quite good, so I'm not hassling with that aspect. :p

[SlappY]

Well just to let you all know. I have ordered my X-Fi Fatality, hopefully it will be here tomorrow. Holding thumbs (Rectron arent the most reliable when it comes to stock)

[Scooby_Doo16]

c00, tell me what its like... What u have now?

[SlappY]

I got an onboard nForce4 thing. It does everything, but the X-Fi gives you a system performance boost cause it loads sound into its onboard mem. (They claim 15% performance boost), so you dont clog up your busses with sounds samples. Also it does realtime 24 bit conversion for anything going through it. But what I really want it for is cause they reckon they can emulate surround sound with earphones, with being 128 parrelall voices n all.

[Bass]

Ooooohhh - surround sound with headphones ... :eek:

<drool> .. have just found the next compulsory upgrade :D

Edit: What sort of price is the X-Fi ?????
Thanks

[Scooby_Doo16]

i got a price for R1899 for the fatality one

[SlappY]

I got 1899 ex vat. Add the vat and you get 2165. PS: Just installed mine...it is like music to my ears. Well Quite literally. Seriously though, this thing is brilliant. There is SO much sound detail in games that you pick up with this thing. And the remote control is a nice touch too. Interface the PC with your sound system and TV, and you got an AWSOME home media center.

[rainy]

Can everyone just shurrup??? ;)

Narf... /me goes and buys lottery tickets

[Chris]

I can get the Z5500's for R3100 incl. VAT although I will go down to R3000 if you find a better price.

[Scooby_Doo16]

My dads company sales rep is getting mine for R2400 exl vat... donno where from though.

[SlappY]

For that price tell them to put me down for a set.

[Scooby_Doo16]

i'll find out where they ordered it from...

[SlappY]

That would be awsome!!!

[Brawler]

Dammit, i ment get a decent sound card. Whats a good one at a reasonable price. Just bought a whole new PC so pockets are fairly empty

[TG]

If you can, the Audigy 2 ZS is very nice.

[spAc3dd]

Hey Scoob,

That X-Fi Fatality definitely kick ass. I have one and I am sure there will be no significant advances in PC sound technology for a while. The latest Audigy chips are all just incremental upgrades of the original emu10k1 SBLive chip that came out many moons ago while the X-Fi chip is a total new design.

I can tell you that I have had at least a 10% increase in performance in ALL my games with ALL the bells and wistles enabled soundwise in my games as compared to the onboard soundcard that my motherboard has. And I have not even started talking about the sound yet...

I think it is well worth it if you have the bucks.

If you pockets are fairly empty, and you're looking for decent sound for a good price, then I would look at nothing other than the Creative Audigy 2ZS PCI (Roughly 1700 Bucks), Creative Audigy 4 PCI (Roughly 800 bucks) or Creative Audigy2 Value PCI (Roughly 500 bucks).

[Scooby_Doo16]

Yeah got my x-fi fatality... Pretty sweet but just have to play around with the settings.... Don't really know what i'm doing (not too bright when it comes to sound).

I posted this on myadsl but will ask here too...

Ok i got my card and my speakers, just want to know if u were to use the digital out on the sound card to the digital in on the speakers will it make much of a difference than having the 3 other jacks (donno what they called but the colours are orange, black and green) that it comes with?

And will the out put by the sound card still be 5.1 cuz on one of the manuals that come with the card on how to plug everything in the only digital speakers that it showed/had there were 2.1 speakers.

[stoke]

From: http://www.soundblaster.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=14000&nav=1


Supports SPDIF Out compressed ac3 signal or PCM for Stereo Digital Speaker.
Bleugh ... so it is an only sterio output digital connection.

In my experience, use digital when you have to cover large distances with cable, otherwise, it does not really make a difference.

Check this out :
http://www.hometheatermag.com/glossary/

AC3: Audio Codec 3. This was the original and more technical name for Dolby Digital. Replaced by marketing mavens when they realized that Dolby's name was not in the title. Some RF modulated, 5.1-encoded laser discs were labeled as AC3. Later versions were labeled as Dolby Digital.So ... that digital out could be used to send a digital stream to a digital capable amplifier in 5.1 surround that can then drive the speakers.