Blog FeedSpeakers, and why they kick ass
So I bought new speakers a while back, and meant to write an article on them. But I got busy. Damn you assignments.
Plus I felt they needed strenuous testing. Why you may ask? Because they only cost me $150. For 5.1 surround sound speakers. So I tested them, connected to various devices, and here are the results.
So I’ve tested them on a number of things:
1) My computer
2) Playstation 2
3) DVD player
I got the Logitech X-530 speakers for those wondering. Now I didn’t expect much from them. I mean, $150? I got them mainly for the sub (25 watts, for those keeping score, and the whole system in 70 watts RMS, 140 watts max output). But I must say, I was pleasantly surprised.
The sub I don’t even turn all the way up, as it gets… disturbing… in my room (which is tiny), and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked to turn the music down since I bought it (which definately means its working)
The surround sound aspect I’m not so sold on. I’ve never really, on all the things I’ve tested it on, had surround sound in a proper sense, it just seems the same sound is coming out of all the speakers. I’ve never really had any sense of different noises from the back than the front, but what can you expect for such a low price?
All in all, I give these speakers a 4 out of 5 Nagash rating. If you’re a cash strapped student (as most of us here are) I would recommend the purchase, but only if you don’t expect too much of them.
15th November | Reply
I bought some new speakers not so long ago. Little 10W Altec Lansing things, they were the most expensive set that was available that didn’t come with a subwoofer. There’s no room on or under my desk for a sub, so I didn’t have much choice.
I’m happy with them, but despite claiming to be magnetically shielded (which is the reason I decided to replace my old speakers in the first place, after my old CRT died), the left one actually makes the screen flicker when it gets too close. Anyone who knows anything about cathode ray tubes knows that it’s magnetism at work there.
I’d send them back, but it’s too much trouble and expense on my part, considering they only cost $50 in the first place. They also play substantially better than the old generic ones I had. Plus, once I move to LCD, it won’t matter.
16th November | Reply
I am a sound freak ever since I got my Audigy 2 some years ago. I have 5.1 speakers I bought with the card and ever since then I’ve rated sound nearly as high as visuals to determine a game/movie experience. It is just amazing some of the stuff this card/speakers pull off.
Most notable is recently in Counter-Strike: Source. You can pin point the direction of footsteps or shots fired. Its incredible.
I also have a good amount of DVD-Audio discs which can really take full advantage of a 5.1 speaker set. If you are just listening to Mp3s or CDs then regardless of your sound set up there is only 2 channels of audio. With DVD-Audio it uses the full 5 channels and on properly done discs it is very noticable. The music has a “feel” to it. Its rich and thick, hard to describe.
16th November | Reply
What I want to know about Audigies is what happened to version 3. Recently, they launched their Audigy 4 card, to add to the lineup. So currently it goes Audigy 1, 2, and 4.
Sure, Winamp skipped version 4 and went straight from 3 to 5, but they gave an excuse for that. (5 = 2 + 3, as Winamp 5 was a combination of both). Makes no sense. No sense at all.
17th November | Reply
Perhaps the 2nd line of Audigy 2’s counted as “3″. ZTS or something. There was the original launch of 3 or 4 audigy 2’s, the basic, the premium and then the platinum or something. Then they launch a whole slew of other ones with some fancy name attachments. Or maybe they just like even numbers.
Suffice to say, now that I am playing Half-Life 2, I could hump my card and speakers. The game truly uses 5.1 surround in orgasmic ways.
24th November | Reply
Tell me about it, i got some 5.1 Creative speakers for free the other day. They kick major ass espically with HL2 and Doom 3.
10th December | Reply
I dont know how logitech do it, but their products just pwn.
I recently upgraded my missmatched PC speakers (A 6.1 system which included my JVC 2 tower stack sterio and a 6 year old Creative 4.1 surround set), to Logitech’s new Z-5500 Digital.
And I would like to say HOLLY FUCK ME DEAD. Plugged into my external Audigy on my laptop at home the 12″ Sub drives the house supports further into the ground each time I use them.
Now you go and try to get a decent home cinema sterio system for the $500 I payed for these. Its not possible. As soon as something has the ‘Home Cinema’ label tagged onto the product its automatically 1k for the base model shitty sony satelites.
Basically, GG @ Logitech.
18th December | Reply
Personally I’m packing a pair of biamplified Fostex studio monitors, transparent sex in a black case. Can’t say I have much to add beyond that.