Speakers Logitech Z640

[shamus21]

hi lads

just been looking at the Logitech Z640 for a 5.1surround for my system. i don`t have a sound card and i am using the onboard sound from my NF7 v2 nforce 2 ultra.

1) can i use the opitical out on my board for this with out extra software other then DVD player s/w.

2) Do the Z640 have a opitical input can`t find any spec`s on this on the web site.

3) and will the onboard 5.1 Decoder have any problem with this type of set up.

Or would it be just as easy to buy a sound card like the Audigy 2 now they are selling the Oem for around £50.00.

Any help thanks.

[St3v3]

Nope, no optical out. I got the Z-680's and they come with both coax and optical. I got the Z-640s in my livingroom pc and they only got the 5.1 analogue output.

When using the nforce 2 audio from my shuttle SN45G through the analogue out, the quality is pretty good. Not as good as the optical out, but better quality than other sound soloutions of the same price.

If you want the best sound quality ever, the Z-680s are the best money can buy if you got the cash for them.

[Tom]

if u get a set of digital speakers be sure to use nforce 2 soundstorm optical out, as this is the only solution that encodes dolby digital on the fly, meaning u can use all the speakers all the time

[Areku]

I purchased the 640's and they have kept me happy. I would recommend them, but then again I would have got the 680's if I had the dosh.

[Zathras]

Originally posted by Tom
if u get a set of digital speakers be sure to use nforce 2 soundstorm optical out, as this is the only solution that encodes dolby digital on the fly, meaning u can use all the speakers all the time

Err, not quite true. This is only the case if your digital speakers have a dolby digital decoder onboard. A lot of the lower end Creative speakers claim to be digital but don't have the decoder, rather a special cable that carries 3x digital stereo PCM channels from certain Creative soundcard to the speakers. Even if you have an Nforce2 and a dolby digital decoder in your speaker set you're better off using the 5.1 analogue channels as dolby digital compresses the sound, a bit like MP3, to fit the information in.

[Ekim]

Has any body seen those packard bell 5.1 speakers that dixons are doing for £99.99 atm? Are they any good.

[directhex]

yes and no, tbh

--jo