Really Stuck On Speakers!

[tomtomhoch]

Hi,

I am looking to buy some new speakers for my PC as my current 10 year old speakers are starting to die! Primarily they will be used for music but very occasionally games and movies. Basically I know nothing about audio really other than I would like it to sound as good as possible for the money! I don't really want to spend more than £200. I like decent bass and crisp clear audio. To save me writing out specs, the PC I have is here. I have windows 7 (if that helps!) 64 bit.

The main questions I have are:
- Do I need a sound card? If so, I would be happy to not include this in my budget as long as I would be able to use the speakers without one until I can buy on

- Do I need a receiver/amp (and what is one?), again, I would be happy to buy this later!

- Finally, which speakers! There are so many and I'm confused which to get!


The speakers I currently have in mind are the Corsair SP2500 but as it is a large important expense I wanted to get some advice!



Thanks in advance,
Thomas

 

[DarkSable]

You have two options, basically.

Go with normal computer speakers, which will be way cheaper than you're looking at, and will give you decent sound.

Or go with a sound card, receiver, and actual GOOD speakers, which will blow you away. (But it's a much more complicated setup, and you'd likely need all the parts from the start, so you'd need to save up for this.)

It depends on how much you listen to music and just how good quality you want that to be.

 

[tomtomhoch]

Thanks for the reply, do you have any suggestions on what a "good" set of speakers would be? Also any receiver suggestions? Would it be too complicated for a 15 year old with no previous audio experience to set up? The sound card (if I were to get one) I had in mind was the ASUS Xonar Essence ST, would this be suitable if I did the second option? Also Does using a receiver or sound card improve the sound quality if I am just using normal PC speakers?


Thanks!
Thomas

 

[random stalker]

Well, first thing first - if you want to have at least decent audio, you should consider a dedicated soundcard. (If I can be frank a onboard sound sounds more like your speakers are hidden under a pot)...
Asus xonar is a good series for anyone who prefers multimedia (such as yourself) and SB is a good series for anyone who likes to game a bit too.
click on the link> http/www.overclock.net/t/1014902/ocns-most-recommended-audio-products#

As for the speakers: Klipsch Pro Media or Swans M10 are great, SoundSticks look nice
Anyhow, any speaker need its time to break in and fully develop the sound

 

[DarkSable]

A sound card would help with computer speakers, yes, but a receiver would not - computer speakers come with built in mini-amps, and don't need the power a receiver pushes anyways. It can be a little complicated to setup a sound system (i.e. not just computer speakers), but no harder than building a computer and connecting all that to it.

 

[tomtomhoch]

Thanks for your advice, I will probably stick the the PC speakers mentioned in my first post and add a sound card at a later date! I decided that as I need them fairly soon plus not having much spare time at the moment (GCSE's) or money to stretch the budget, this was the best option!

I have a goal in life now: At some point I will attempt to build a proper sound system!

Thanks again for helping!
Thomas

 

[DarkSable]

Of course! I'm glad I could help.

Word of advice - if you let yourself get sucked into the world of pedophilia (Edit: erm... audiophilia.), it will suck almost as much money and time as custom watercooling. It's awful.