5.1 Surround for a PC

[aviconus]

So I am in the market to buy a 5.1 Surround system for my Computer. I have Klepsh Pro Media 2.1 Speakers now that sound bad ass. The only problem is, a few months after using them, one of the channels died. So now I have bouth speakers running off the same channel. Doesnt seem to be that noticeable other than the fact that on some songs, I will only hear the "left half" of the stage/song.

What I know so far:
Logitech Z906 has extremely mixed reviews of a crappy remote, crappy controller, and a smaller sub than the z5500.
Logitech z5500 Amazon has them listed @ $999, I have seen them on CL.com for ~$300 but not getting responces. Older equipment, less hookups.
^ Neither as good as a dedicated Home Theatre. $400 is about as much as I want to spend but I want to ensure that I am getting my $$$'s worth. Do I go with the Z906 and roll the dice, buy used z5500's, or is there a home theatre setup in that range that will beat both of these?

Thanks.

 

[rexter]

Logitech makes loud bass but satellites on creative's sounds better. So when you said " is there a home theatre setup in that range that will beat both of these? " what do you mean by that?

 

[aviconus]

As far as sound quality/clearity/Deep Bass. I do everything on my PC. Music/Movies/Gaming. I want DEEP bass with Clear Satallite Clearity. I want my desk to rumble when an explosion goes off. When I get in the mood to listen to Rap (not often) I want a Subwoofer that can handle the low freqs in "N***as in Paris" I really do not know much about this sorta thing or if it is even logical to get a full blown surround sound for great quality since the PC speaker market is lacking. Z5500 is the only top tier speaker setup that I have seen that doenst have horrible reviews. $1000 new is outside of my range, and for that much I WOULD just get a Home Theater set up. Found a used one on Craigslist for $300, but dont know how reliable that would be. What do you think?

 

[rexter]

Z5500 can definitely deliver the bass but it's not as crisp as your pro media 2.1, if you canlive with that then that's you're set. If you can buy 3 more klipsch pro media satellites and hook up the 2 that you have then you'll have a better sound than the satellites from logitech.

The link below would have better clarity and better choice than z5500.

http/www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=HT-S3400&class=Systems&p=s

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882120182

http/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/755713-REG/Onkyo_HT_S3400_HT_S3400_5_1_Home_Theater.html

 

[ssddx]

you can NOT base your opinion soley off of what you read in online reviews of the products. quite a large portion of the people have absolutely no idea what they are talking about or expect something other than what the product provides.

in general logitech makes a very good system for the money paid. the mid tier 5.1 offerings they provide for $100-200 are very good value. the one i had could definitely rumble your table and cause hearing damage with the bass. the satelites were slightly muddled but more than adequate for the price paid. that said if you are going to be spending more than $400-500 look into a real home theater system. the z5500 is good but there are other options out there.

so in general... just because someone says that the sub is less than this or that... doesnt mean squat. if both can shake the walls and one is $400 less, who cares. remember to compare apples to apples. keep comparisions within $50-100 of eachother.

i had the klipsch 2.1 promedia for about 1 day before i returned it. great sub but VERY underpowered speakers. i moved up to a klipsch quintet IV, klipsch 450w sub and a receiver. a huge difference in price i know but definitely worth it.

do NOT buy more promedia satelites. while built well they dont mesh well with the sub provided.

on a budget i know klipsch makes a 5.1 home theater in a box set for around $500. better than the promedia but not as good as what i have. if it sounds as good (and is as matched) as the set i have then its definitely worth a looksie!

 

[aviconus]

Best answer selected by aviconus.

 

[aviconus]

Headed to Fry's Electronics now. Gonna have a nice long listening session for the z906 vs. the Home Theatre systems in my budget. Ty for the help and suggestions. I had been hovering around Onkyo all night on the interwebs. Thanks again.

 

[aviconus]

Ended up getting the Onkyo HT-R590 7.1 Surround. It sounds great! Thanks for the help again.

 

[noobycocksderphard]

I bought a nice logitech THX setup off craigslist for about 200, was no longer working at all in less then 4 months, really wish i had spent that 200 towards a nicer 5.1 setup... Not worth the risk in my opinion.

 

[aviconus]

A year and a half later, the Onkyo 7.1 is still crankin out rediculous sound, no issues at all. Prolly helps that it's usage is about 25% (Great for movies!!!) versus 75% Sennheiser headphones (I game a lot) Sorry to hear your system died