worth upgrading to z906?

[Nikos m]

i have the z506 with a sound blaster z sound card. i get true surround just not the thx certified sound. all decoding goes to the sound card. so is it worth upgrading my speakers from someone that has tested the z906 or both? sound card isnt thx certified so i dont think that i will have much of a difference

 

[ssddx]

i suppose that depends on how much of an improvement you expect to see and if you feel that level of improvement is worth spending quite a decent sum of money to achieve.

the z906 for sure is a better set of speakers and will sound a bit better, however it is not going to be a night and day difference. the z906 will be a bit clearer and may have somewhat better bass response but that is about it. in terms of speakers for that kind of money they really are only low to average in sound quality although in terms of pc speakers they are one of the better choices. pc speakers tend to be rather poor in comparision to normal speaker sets but are easier to hook up and require no special equipment to drive them. you'll likely use the soundcard you have already to process the sound which negates one major advantage the z906 has (optical input). over the z506.

basically this is what thx certified means: the sound has been tested by thx to be the same as the original creator intended. see spoiler for full definition.

Spoiler

While shopping for AV receivers, you’ve undoubtedly come to recognize the THX logo. As a consumer, you likely have a vague notion that THX certification is good—but what does it mean?
THX stands for Tomlinson Holman’s eXperiment. THX is an industry standard for sound reproduction that was developed at Lucasfilm studios during the making of Star Wars. THX certified theaters, for example, are theaters that THX approves for accurately reproducing sound as the audio engineer intended.
For home audio equipment, such as an AV receiver, THX certification means the same thing. Home theater systems with the THX logo meet certain standards laid out by THX and are deemed appropriate for playing back THX certified movies and video games as the producers intended.
In order to be THX certified, manufacturers begin sending their equipment to the THX labs during the early development phases of the product. The THX testing lab then analyzes the equipment and produces a comprehensive report that outlines its performance based on hundreds of data points. THX then gives the manufacturer feedback on how they can improve the performance of their product and receive THX certification. Ultimately, THX certification is pass or fail—there is no A, B or C rating for THX certification. Either it meets their standards or it doesn’t.
Price also does not play a factor in THX certification. For example, a THX certified AV receiver that costs $1,000 meets the same standrds—in THX’s book—as an AV receiver that costs $3,000.
Furthermore, the format does not matter for THX certification. A Dolby Digital surround sound system can be THX certified just as easily as a DTS system.
So what makes one THX certified AV receiver more expensive than the next? Usually, it’s in the features. THX certified AV receivers may have other high end features, such as extra listening modes, video processing and calibration technologies incorporated. AV receivers that are on the higher end can also be upgraded when a new firmware is released. In addition to THX certification, there are a number of THX playback features—such as THX Loudness Plus and THX Listening Modes—which improve the performance and functionality of an AV receiver.
THX Loudness Plus means that the receiver is designed to maintain the integrity of the sound, even if it’s played at levels lower than the reference level. For example, you may not want to watch a movie at the same volume as you would in a movie theater when you’re watching at home. THX Loudness Plus ensures that you don’t lose any of the nuance when listening below 0 db.
THX Listening Modes allows you to reconfigure your 5.1 surround sound based on the type of media you’re listening to. For example, THX Cinema Mode is ideal for movies, where there are ambient noises from all angles for an immersive experience. THX Games Mode accurately plots “action” noises based on where they come from within the game. Lastly, THX Music Mode places the mix further behind you, to make it feel as if you’re actually in the studio.
By understanding THX certifications and standards, it makes it easier to compare AV receivers. With a THX certified model, you know what to expect in terms of performance and features.

does this mean speakers, receivers, soundcards, etc need to be thx certified to sound good? of course not. we all have our own taste when it comes to sound. for instance some may like it more bassy, some may want accentuated vocals, or some may want to tweak eq to suit their fancy. all of this goes against what thx is out to achieve and yet at the same time are not wrong choices. thx is more of a guideline saying that a product is tested to perform at a certain level of tonal accuracy than it is to say they sound good.

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for the kind of money you would spend upgrading to the z906 a better move may be to think about going full hifi home theater instead. you can pick up an energy take classic 5.1 set for about $300 (or the cheaper knockoff variant monoprice 10565 which are pretty much the same thing) and pair it with an entry level receiver ($100-150) and have a really nice system which will completely blow the z506 and z906 completely out of the water. going hifi truly is a night and day difference.

now i use a much more expensive hifi set than what i suggested above, but i moved from the x530 set (basically an old logitech set comparable to the z506 in price) to a hifi setup and i really would not like to go back. i get room shaking bass, crisp highs and really subtle/smooth sound that you wont find in pc speaker sets.

although, keep in mind as with all audio... much is personal preference. some people stress over tiny flaws in audio while others can ignore even major flaws and still be happy. what level of speaker suits you depends on how picky you are and what you expect out of your setup.