Need Opinion from Audiophiles(or anyone)

I'm going to be buying speakers and have come down with these two options

http//reviews.cnet.com/pc-speakers/logitech-z-5300e/4505-3179_7-30993229.html[]http//reviews.cnet.com/pc-speakers/logitech-z-5300e/4505-3179_7-30993229.html

the Z-5300e is a 5.1 speakers and supposedly have a ridiculous bass.

and it's against the...

http//reviews.cnet.com/pc-speakers/logitech-z-2300/4505-3179_7-30993080.html?tag=prod.txt.1[]http//reviews.cnet.com/pc-speakers/logitech-z-2300/4505-3179_7-30993080.html?tag=prod.txt.1

which are 2.1

On the logitech forum, people say both are amazing and depends on what you do mainly( music(2.1) vs movies and gaming(5.1) )

I do both and still don't know which to choose since the 5.1 has tons of speakers and the 2.1 supposedly has a better bass and highs.

Also, because the 5.1 has free shipping and the 2300 has shipping costs they both come down to the same price.

I bought a 5.1 set (altec lansing), and, although they sound great, I wish I would have gone for higher quality 2.1 speakers. It's kind of annoying having that many speakers. Also, the rear ones are kind of at each side of me instead of behind. It's hard to get them behind because there is nowhere to put them, and the wires would be annoying/ugly.

I'd go for 2.1, and consider some headphones for gaming.



edit here's a head-fi thread about gaming headphones http//www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=223964

I prefer to use a pair of comfortable headphones. My Sennheiser HD-555's have lasted a good two years and still work fine. Whatever you do, don't buy anything from Bose.

I would suggest staying away from Logitec, and, rather, buying something from a company more dedicated to sound. A 5.1 option is an excellent idea, offering surround sound, but that's only a viable option if you're looking into buying a stereo system or some kind of sound-output that is built for 5.1. For instance, my PC has an audio output on the back with three separate jacks, each for different channels in a 5.1 system, my amplifier has jacks for a 5.1 input, that way, I don't get any combining of channels, then resplitting, resulting in a...waste of money.

If you're not interested in surround sound, which is a viable option, but can have it's specifications, then a stereo system would be best. Another issue with 5.1 (or even 6.1 and 7.1) is usually the rear speakers are of lower quality, which is why it's best to create a custom surround speaker set, mux and match, as it were.

I would suggest blowing your money on a non-logitec brand of stereo speakers. JVC, ESS, and Bose are all good manufacturers, as long as you don't buy one of Bose's advertised models. Their speakers are astounding, and my set from ebay, mind you, can kick out the most amazing sounds you've ever heard.

My advice Stay away from logitec. Buy stereo from a dedicated, or more audio-centric company. That way you're guaranteed the quality.

[quote7f851aae67="ZachBeale"]I would suggest staying away from Logitec, and, rather, buying something from a company more dedicated to sound. A 5.1 option is an excellent idea, offering surround sound, but that's only a viable option if you're looking into buying a stereo system or some kind of sound-output that is built for 5.1. For instance, my PC has an audio output on the back with three separate jacks, each for different channels in a 5.1 system, my amplifier has jacks for a 5.1 input, that way, I don't get any combining of channels, then resplitting, resulting in a...waste of money.

If you're not interested in surround sound, which is a viable option, but can have it's specifications, then a stereo system would be best. Another issue with 5.1 (or even 6.1 and 7.1) is usually the rear speakers are of lower quality, which is why it's best to create a custom surround speaker set, mux and match, as it were.

I would suggest blowing your money on a non-logitec brand of stereo speakers. JVC, ESS, and Bose are all good manufacturers, as long as you don't buy one of Bose's advertised models. Their speakers are astounding, and my set from ebay, mind you, can kick out the most amazing sounds you've ever heard.

My advice Stay away from logitec. Buy stereo from a dedicated, or more audio-centric company. That way you're guaranteed the quality.[/quote7f851aae67]
Wow, I couldn't disagree more with these statements, especially regarding Logitech and Bose. And I [b7f851aae67]strongly disagree[/b7f851aae67] about Logitech audio! Have you ever heard good Logitech speakers???

Logitech's are routinely ranked among the best in PC speaker comparisons, and unseated the long-standing Klipsch speakers in Maximum PC's high-end gear awards (and have been tops ever since). Even their inexpensive PC speakers are impressive. I have a Z640 set I bought years ago, very inexpensive analog 5.1's and they sound excellent. Best small set of speakers I've ever owned, the only thing in the house that sounds better is my HK home theater setup with a 200W downfiring sub. They don't make these anymore but there are some comparable in price.

As far as Bose, I almost choked on that one. lol Bose are the most over-hyped, over-priced, and under-performant speakers and sound systems on the market. Much like Monster A/V products, they hype themselves as a boutique brand which only attracts boutique shoppers who fall for the branding. Go to any audiophile resource like AVS Forums and you'll find that only wannabe-audiophile consumers buy Bose stuff, the pros and people "in the know" avoid it like the plague. You can buy 5x better quality for half the price if you know what you're looking for.

yeah, it's true. the only thing about bose is their bass is unbeatable. their cheapest speakers own any other speakers for the same price but they're overhyped and way overpriced after $100.

Logitech is king right now in terms of awards and quality. I've checked every audio forum (logitech, audiophile, cnet reviews, audiophile reviews, amazon reviews, newegg reviews) and that's how I came down with the top two at the above survey.

I've checked out JVC and ESS. ESS doesn't cater to what I'm looking for and JVC is $500+and it's for home theater stuff. I'm looking for computer speakers.

[quote1c1b94c0f8="Iloveipods2"]yeah, it's true. the only thing about bose is their bass is unbeatable. their cheapest speakers own any other speakers for the same price but they're overhyped and way overpriced after $100. [/quote1c1b94c0f8]
In my experience I'd even have to disagree with that one. I think Bose bass is fairly weak, comparatively speaking for the price. My 12" 200W H/K sub puts out far more bass than anything Bose has ever produced (that I've heard), at a fraction of the price.

Dr. Bose did some impressive stuff in his day, and I'll admit I did think that they had some of the best sounding micro speakers back many years ago when the AM5's first came out. I was amazed at how much sound could come from such a small cube. But at the time I was easily impressed, didn't know a whole lot about speakers, and was sucked into that Bose hype. After I got more into such things, it quickly became apparent that others made stuff that sounded just as good or better, for a better price. Most mainstream consumers have never heard of the more audiophile-popular brands, like M-Audio, Acoustic Research, Bang & Olafson, and more that I can't remember offhand, all of which can eat Bose's lunch and for usually a better price. Bose is the Microsoft of the consumer audio industry, having done a far better job of marketing than engineering, and for that I'll give 'em kudos. They've snowed over millions of people. ;)

And as far as audio hardware, personally I'd buy anything from Yamaha, Denon, & H/K before I'd buy from Bose. Heck, even Sony's ES line and much of Onkyo's stuff are better buys IMO.

Speaking of Bose & Onkyo, about a year or so ago I was shopping for an inexpensive HT rig for the bedroom (to go with the 42" plasma from I-Deal) and settled on an Onkyo 7.1 HTIB that is quite nice for the money. In researching the review & such, a guy wrote about how he was in Sam's Club when a couple was complaining to a store rep about how unimpressed they were with the $2000 Bose HT rig they had just bought there. And these weren't audiophiles. This guy spoke up and clued them in about the Bose hype, and pointed them to this same $350 Onkyo HTIB that I wound up buying. They returned the Bose system and bought the Onkyo for 1/6 the price, and called the guy back later to thank him. They told him the Onkyo system sounded far superior to the Bose.

i have the 2nd one (5.1) system and its pretty nice it has a nice bass...like you said and id recommend it...