5.1 headset or speakers?

[FLuff_eei]

Hi, I'm new to the forums, and it seems quite busy so I thought I'd ask a question with a bit of a time limit on it. For the purposes of making an informed decision, I have onboard sound, though I could be persuaded to shell out for an Audigy 2 zs if it's really necessary / worth it.

I'm currently running a set of 2.1 speakers, and am looking to upgrade to a 5.1 set. However, my dilemma is whether to buy some Logitech X-530s or the Speedlink Medusa 5.1 headset. I'm looking for immersive 5.1 surround over anything else. My sister sleeps across the corridor from me, and she's only 7, so loud speakers are a no-no / unnecessary. Also, the positioning of walls in my room is not ideal, and if I did get speakers the rear left one would be around 50cm from my head and the rear right would be about 1.5m from my head. Finally, I'm not too sure about wires trailing straight across my floor (the only way to do it without ripping out my wardrobe!). So my question is do the benefits of a 5.1 speaker system compared to a headset out weigh the cons outlined above?

The element of time pressure comes from the fact that the Medusas are on special offer on OcUK today, but the offers end later today, so if I was going to get them I'd save about £7 getting them today.

Sorry for the wall of text, glad to become part of the community.

Fluff_eei

[Trippledence]

Firstly, if you can shell out, go for the Audigy 2, you can get an ZS or just a 2 (all you need for 5.1) off ebay for £20-30.

If speakers are impractical, then theres no point in spending money on them. I think in your situation, if your sisteers going to bed eairly a good pare of headphones would be prefrable. You cant get the best out of any speakers without a bit of volume. As far as positioning is conserned, the audigy software will let you fiddle to get the best out of speaker positioning, but you might need to rethink you room desighn to get the best out of them.

If the wires arnt really a problem, i have a few trailing, but if I was really botherd i could get a bit of speaker wire and extend the cables without much hassle so dont be worried about that. If your not the type to cut calbes you can pick up pre made RCA extension leads (most 5.1 sets use RCA's to conect the speakser to the sub)

SO there you go, the choise is yours...

[FLuff_eei]

Well I've been testing my dad's headphones out for a bit, just stereo things, and they seem very tinny, I assume this wouldn't be the case with better quality 5.1 headsets?

I'll be leaving for university next year, and I doubt I'll be allowed to drill into the walls for wall mounting speakers, or have speakers up very loud at 1:00 am. My onboard does 5.1 allready, so I think I'm leaning towards getting the Medusas on their own, and keep my current (mid range) 2.1 set for music / quick internet sessions etc. Anyone else have an opinion?

Fluff_eei

[kempez]

I have an Audigy 2 ZS (OEM from SCAN ) and some Zalmon 5.1 headphones. They're really good for gaming (obviously not going to be as good as speakers) and they mean I can game with decent surround sound and not disturb anyone.

If speakers are impracticle then I would deffo recomend them mate.

And as for the Audigy: REALLY worth the money (not much really ): noticed the difference a lot

[RavenNight]

I have the Speedlink Medusas and can vouvh for their qualoty, they give great surround sound, it s better than my mates 5.1 speaker system. Also, unlike the Zalmans, they come with an Amp so you can really hear stuff. Its was great with my onboard Realtek but when I got my X-Fi it was a totally different expereince the sound was much crisper and cleaner. The mic on the headset is an added bonus, its great for Voip and TS etc.

[FLuff_eei]

The X-Fi is just far too much money for me. I have very little concept of music clarity, don't really listen to it that much. Some people have said that the headset doesn't have particularly good positional seperation (rear and front all just become centre) in which case I'd probably just get the speakers and live with it. Can anyone vouch for the quality, or lack thereof, of positional seperation on the medusas in games or DVD?

Fluff_eei

[RavenNight]

Well I ran my Medusas for ages with onboard sound and the position is excellent with it, you can individually adjust the levels for all the channels on the in-line volume control. the stuff thats behind you really feels behind you and actually worked better than most of the 5.1 speaker systems I've seen. In DVD its great, if there are bullets flying around you you can clearly track them around you, all the enviromental sounds feel perfect and immersive, they're great and much cheaper than a full set of speakers as well as being much easier to use late at night etc when you don't want to disturb others.

[Mutley]

Reach for an Audigy 2 ZS, the prices are coming down, and they REALLY worth it, honestly. Good way to spend your money.

As for speakers, if I were you I'd go for headphones. I have the Medusa's, got them from play.com, for £35. Like RavenNight I can vouch for their quality - SpeedLink are a big name in console gear (German company). The headphone amp makes a good deal of difference. The only thing though is that they are open backed, so although they are full headphone cans, alot of sound leaks out. They can seem suprisingly loud to people around you, but in a tinny way. If you are in a room with the door closed, no one else will hear you, but if they are next to you,it could get annoying.

Some would argue that you would do better to get a good quality pair of stereo headphones (Sennheisers or something), which will give you much better and richer sound reproduction, and be good for listening to music. Certainly the Medusas are not up to audiophile standard by a long way.

However, I have pretty good 5.1 speakers, and a decent hi fi downstairs, so I was after headphones that would give me 5.1 (or something like it) in games, so I wouldn't keep my daughter or wife up...;-)

If headphones are going to be your only source of sound, you might want to consider getting some decent stereo headphones instead.

Mut.

[FLuff_eei]

Wow, really helpful. I think I'll just get the Medusas on their own. The audigy 2 zs sounds tempting, but I can always add it on later or get an X-Fi when they come down in price. I have my 2.1 speakers for overall listening, and as I have said, I'm not very into music so I have no interest in shelling out for the Sennheisers. Positive comments on the surround sound though, and should be very useful at university.

Mutley, what difference, qualitively, between when you had onboard sound and the Audigy 2 zs?

Fluff_eei

[Mutley]

Lots. And a friend of mine has just got an Audigy 2 ZS - he's been using on board sound for a while. He couldn't believe the difference.

For a start, the signal to noise ratio is something like 103db, which gives you a much cleaner sound. Very little hiss. YOu have on-board sound processing, which takes the load off of your CPU, which does all the clever sound processing for on-board sound solutions. This means you can more CPU cycles for processing games!!!

To be honest, on board solutions aren't bad these days, and if you are happy with the sound, stick with it. When you do get a chance to get a dedicated sound card, get one, if you can , an X-Fi. You will be amazing by the difference.