5.1 speakers

[Dickie]

im looking for some decent 5.1 speakers, and cant choose between:

creative p580
Altec Lansing 251
Logitec Z-560

which of these is best, considering price and performance?

[khaine]

Lo Dickie,
I cant say about the other speakers you have listed but the Logitech Z-560 speakers are 4.1 not 5.1 (they have no centre sat), if u want a logitech 5.1 system you will need the Z-680. Although i can say that the Z-560s (i own a set) are a supurb set of speakers, having crystal clear quality and with a 188W sub they produce a nice 'meaty' sound with some bite to it, as apposed to most speakers that sound hollow and far away. Reference to total volume - they can fill a whole house nicely. Put them in the same room as yourself and they can make your ears hurt if u turn them up enough.....

Overall a wicked set of speakers for £150

khaine

[Rythmic]

150 seems a bargain for the Z680s - I've only seen them at the 250 mark - either way - seeming as the P580s and the AL251s are at the 40 and 50 quid level - perhaps the 640 would be a better comparison (5.1 @ 47 quid ish).

[Dickie]

oops! i was thinking of the z-640, not the z-560.

[khaine]

Rythmic, its the Z560s that are about £150, the Z680s are as u said about £250
Tho the only real difference between the two is that the Z680s have a centre satilite - they both ahve almost exacly the same power rating
So unless u specifically want 5 satilites - i would reccomend the Z560s cause they are a lot cheaper and almost as powerfull (53W RMS per satilite and 188W RMS for the Sub)

Also if u want a truely cinimatic experiance then i would suggest u ignore the 640s - they have a total output of a mere 51W, the Z560s have a monsterous 400W total output (more than enough... trust me - im listening to Prodigy on a set of Z560s very very loudly as im typing this reply)

hope this helps

khaine

[Dickie]

the z-560s also cost a lot more than the 640s though.

[khaine]

True, but u simply cannot beat being able to move random objects across your desk just by turning ur music up.....
With a set of speakers like the Z560s backing you up - u pretty much can have a cinema in ur own room!

What is ur budget for a set of speakers, i might be able to suggest a few speakers sets for you (im not a sound engineer but i like to think i know a bit about music and sound quality)

khaine

[Dickie]

about £40-£60. bear in mind that i dont watch films on my pc, so i just want them for music and games.

[Rythmic]

Sorry Khaine - my fault - misread your post. Pity, z680 at 150 quid, they'd be a bargain

Unfortunately, as Dickie clarified, all the speakers he's looking at are about 50 quid mark - which is where having 6 speakers is considered the selling point, not quality. If it were really z560 v P580 v AL251 for the same price - we all know which one to go for (even though they're 4.1)

[khaine]

Soz forgot to ask, what sound card do you have, and how many speakers do u need as a minimum/preference (these days u can go up to 7.1 with 7 satilites and a sub)?

khaine

[Dickie]

onboard nf7 sound, and as for speakers, i'd prefer 5.1, but wouldnt say no to a good quality 4.1 set either.

[khaine]

bearing in mind ur budget i would suggest either the Altec Lansing 251 5.1 system, or the Logitech Z640s

The Altec Lansing system is 7W per satilite (5 satilites) and a 25W sub

The Z640s are 7.3W per front/rear satilite, 16.3 for the centre satilite and 25.7W for the sub.

Considering they are a similar price and that the Z640s are THX certified whereas the Altec lansing speakers are not, then i would reccomend the Z640s

hope this helps

khaine

[Dickie]

ok, thanks a lot for your help

[khaine]

No problem m8, it gave me an excuse to stop doing revision for my blasted Uni exams! (for some foolish reason i decided to do a degree in physics - what a dumb idea....)

khaine

[Dickie]

lol. funnily enough, asking you gave me a reason to stop doing revision for my gcses!

[sybrows]

Looking at Ebuyer there are seven sets of the Z640's left and I don't get paid till next mnth...... darn