5.1 speaker replacement

[garryash]

My present 5.1 speaker set up is a 15 year old Cambridge Soundworks DTT 3500 Digital system that I have run using the SPDIF O/P from my Creative Z card. I replaced the power supply a few years back but now the centre speaker and the 2 rears keep cutting out. I have tried connecting them directly to the sound card with phonos and now they all work except the centre one keeps breaking down. I like some of my music LOUD (the utensils hanging up in the kitchen below me shake with the good base!)
Can anyone reccomend a decent replacement for up to £100 to20 ish? (I paid £100 15 years ago when I was single and have just splashed out on upgrading my desktop so "her indoors" doesnt want me to spend too much!
Thanks in anticipation

 

[awesomedude911]

love my z506, but its good to have headphones if your going to use a microphone

 

[dudmont]

you can use the z506 and plug your headphones in. it's what I have going on. I go into the z control panel and switch the output to speakers or headphones. seemless switch. you'll probably want to set up custom sound profiles for the 2 outputs.

 

[garryash]

Many thanks for the replies. I had looked at the Z506 and the CREATIVE LABS Inspire T6300. Not sure which to go for as both about same price. Seems the next price upis in the £200's. My "omputer room is only 10ft x 8 ft so dont need to fill concert hall proportions. Music varies from pop to classical (Like to hear thecannons in the "1812 overture" and the fingers moving on guitars!

 

[dudmont]

I can't speak for the Inspire T6300, but I can for the Z506. It handles my apartment nicely. I can keep it from being loud enough to piss off the neighbors while hearing it any of my rooms(so long as doors are open). They're not difficult to hook up either.
I had a set of cambridge 5.1 speakers too. I was down to a 3.1 system due to the rears dieing, the sub was having issues too. Will you think the new ones are dramatically better? Probably not, if you can remember how the 5.1 sounded when new. But they are nice.
If I had no neighbors, I'd buy the z906s.

 

[Ezoz]

I have the Logitech Z5450 from 2005 with wireless back speakers. Recently the back ones died. But i am so frekingly satisfyed by this system so i resolider some condensators and now they going strong again.

After this come the Z-5500. Their strong point being the sick subwoofer, a little dimmer midrange than my system, i didn't needed everything on the walls to fall down at the time of purces.

After that came the Z 906 witch i would go for if i where to buy a new system today. Softer base than Z-5500 but better midrange.

I would recommend any of the two latter. All of them have a THX sound certification which IMHO is not a gimmic.

I have had my hands on some creative system just totally dead because of por controll chips. Not all but enough random to scare me away from their speaker range, i use ther soundcards daily.

 

[garryash]

Thanks for help. Bought Z506 nad only complaint is that it shwirched off after running for 2 hours and had to press on/off swirch to continue!