Mediocre 5.1s or excellent 2.1s?

[dajo]

I'm thinking of replacing my aging altec 251 system with the Logitech Z-2300 2.1s. The Z-2300s have excellent reviews and I don't enough money to spend $200 or more on a high-end 5.1 system.

Am I going to lose a lot going from a 5.1 to a 2.1 system? Will the 2.1 support surround sound? I mostly use the system for gaming, and I usually use my Grado 80 (awesome!) headphones.

My sound card is an Audigy 2z.

Thanks!

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

To test out what you think about 2.1, set your output to stereo in your games or unplug all but the FR/FL connection to the speakers.

You'll see what kind of difference it makes.

Something you might not have thought of:
If you're listening to music, the higher quality 2.1 system would be a better bet, but in your case where you already have a 5.1 system you could kind of do a hybrid system if you wanted to.

You could have a 2.1 system plugged into the FR/FL output of the soundcard and keep your center/sub, SR/SL connections in for your current set.

For music you'd get better stereo and for games you'd still get surround sound.



If you can properly place speakers for a 5.1 set it does add a lot, so it will make a difference going from 5.1 to 2.1, but how much it matters is a personal preference thing.

If you decide you want to go 5.1 but don't like the hybrid system idea, check out Logitech z-5300s at about the same price as the 2300s.

 

[dajo]

Thanks - now I'm looking at the X-FI PLATINUM due to post I saw here. Didn't know about them. I love my Audigy 2z - when I first played doom with it (replacing my Santa Cruz card) I couldn't believe the crispness and clarity. Based on reviews, the X-FI figures to bump that quality up quite a bit.

Will check out the z-5300s.

Update
How about the z-5500s? I can get them for $193.45 shipped.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: dajo
Thanks - now I'm looking at the X-FI PLATINUM due to post I saw here. Didn't know about them. I love my Audigy 2z - when I first played doom with it (replacing my Santa Cruz card) I couldn't believe the crispness and clarity. Based on reviews, the X-FI figures to bump that quality up quite a bit.

Will check out the z-5300s.

I'd spend more on speakers before replacing that A2 of yours.

A lot of the "features" of the X-Fi seem really gimmicky to me.

EDIT:

Creative does a great job making people think they need a new soundcard.

Both the sets we're talking about (z-2300s and z-5300s) are mediocre at best. I'd rather have:
Swan m200s + dayton 12" and you existing card than z-2300s and an X-Fi. (Although the Platinum you mention is on sale at CC right now I think so the X-Fi solution would be cheaper than usual)

or

Klipsch promedia + existing A2 vs z-5300 + X-Fi

 

[dajo]

I think you're right. I was looking at Dell for the z-5300s and found the z-5500s which I ordered for $193 shipped. A bit more than I was looking to spend, but the closest price is about $270 and the reviews were excellent, so it was too good to pass up. It's only about $70, or so, more than I was planning and the quality will be worth it.

I'll check out the X-FI later when the prices have dropped. Someone at Newegg wrote that these cards have a problem with NForce4 boards. Have you heard anything about that?

Thanks again.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: dajo
I think you're right. I was looking at Dell for the z-5300s and found the z-5500s which I ordered for $193 shipped. A bit more than I was looking to spend, but the closest price is about $270 and the reviews were excellent, so it was too good to pass up. It's only about $70, or so, more than I was planning and the quality will be worth it.

I'll check out the X-FI later when the prices have dropped. Someone at Newegg wrote that these cards have a problem with NForce4 boards. Have you heard anything about that?

Thanks again.

I haven't looked into compatability issues at all.

 

[alcoholbob]

It's more like nForce4 boards have problems...period.

If you install ANY manufacturer drivers, your comp will likely require a hard format. Apparently if you call nvidia customer support, they tell you what exactly will fail if you install nvidia manufacturer drivers. And the only recourse is the reformat. CD drives will fail, sound will no longer work, etc. Just don't install any motherboard drivers...and you should be alright.