Need new speakers...

[ricanflow]

I have the Z5500's and if you like lots of bass then they're for you. The sub on this thing is amazing. Pretty nice sound from the speakers too. I have an X-Fi XtremeMusic card. Didn't really notice a difference between that and the Fata1ity.

Distorted, inaccurate bass. The mackies can throw clean, clear bass. Studio monitors are hard to make distort, and can hold high pressure levels for an extended period of time.

 

[Baez]

Distorted, inaccurate bass. The mackies can throw clean, clear bass. Studio monitors are hard to make distort, and can hold high pressure levels for an extended period of time.

Honestly, I can barely tell the difference between a $400 set and a $4000 set. I know many people say there is a big difference but I just don't see it. I've had a set of Bang & Olufsen (BeoLab 5 - Selling for $22,000 a pair) for a trial period and gave them back because it really didn't do much for my music. And I listen to a lot of music.

I also don't think he's willing to pay much more for speakers than the top Logitech since that's what he's looking at. That's why I recommended them.

 

[TimBlanchard]

how do you connect active studio monitors to the pc?

does a 500w PSU power them?

 

[ricanflow]

Honestly, I can barely tell the difference between a $400 set and a $4000 set. I know many people say there is a big difference but I just don't see it. I've had a set of Bang & Olufsen (BeoLab 5 - Selling for $22,000 a pair) for a trial period and gave them back because it really didn't do much for my music. And I listen to a lot of music.

I also don't think he's willing to pay much more for speakers than the top Logitech since that's what he's looking at. That's why I recommended them.

I never said anything about $4000 speakers, and the monitors i linked actually cost less than the logitechs. Studio monitors do sound better than logitech pc speakers. Ask any professional audio engineer, and he will tell you the same thing. Studio monitors are made to accurately reproduce flat, natural sound. Pc speakers are not. A set of $300 or $400 monitors will sound better than any pc speaker.

They allow you to hear every instrument in the mix, and you can distinguish things youve never been able to hear before. It also depends on the acoustics of your room...crappy acoustics will make them sound "muddy" or not as well.

The music you enjoy so much is made using these speakers, and the way they sound is as accurate as possible to the actual studio recording.

Have you ever heard event sp8's? They sound amazing, you can feel the bass shaking in your chest, with no distortion. crips high's, clear mids.very loud..simply amazing.
Event Studio Precision 8 | Sweetwater.com

how do you connect active studio monitors to the pc?

does a 500w PSU power them?

No. They connect to the pc though a mixer or sound interface, and are powered by ac current from the wall, each speaker has its own ac cord.

 

[KSoD]

Ask any professional audio engineer, and he will tell you the same thing. Studio monitors are made to accurately reproduce flat, natural sound. Pc speakers are not.

But that is jsut it right there. We are NOT professional audio engineer's. We are casual PC users. So using a set of Logitech speakers is jsut fine for our purpose.

Now if we were setting up a recording studio. I would fully agree with you. But as stated in the opening post:

I will only use them for music mostly considering I game with my headset

So he does NOT need to spend that kind of money. He wont be using the speakers for gaming as he says he uses a headset. Defeats the purpose of a Studio style monitor or speaker system. It will be used for casual listening of music.

Please stop trying to force things onto users when they dont need it. Suggest what is best for the purpose that THEY want to use it for. Not what is best overall.

The logitech set will be more than sufficent, even if it does produce inaccurate bass. It is not gonna be used for a studio. Just a room for casual music listening.

 

[ricanflow]

But that is jsut it right there. We are NOT professional audio engineer's. We are casual PC users. So using a set of Logitech speakers is jsut fine for our purpose.

Now if we were setting up a recording studio. I would fully agree with you. But as stated in the opening post:



So he does NOT need to spend that kind of money. He wont be using the speakers for gaming as he says he uses a headset. Defeats the purpose of a Studio style monitor or speaker system. It will be used for casual listening of music.

Please stop trying to force things onto users when they dont need it. Suggest what is best for the purpose that THEY want to use it for. Not what is best overall.

The logitech set will be more than sufficent, even if it does produce inaccurate bass. It is not gonna be used for a studio. Just a room for casual music listening.

I am not forcing anyone to do anything since i dont have that power, he asked for a recommendation and ericb suggested and i backed it up. Even for casual listening, the monitors are good. I am recommending the best value for the money, when it comes to sound quality. And i do believe i linked to a set that was adequately priced for his budget, he himself posted a more expensive set.

I dont see why so many guys here keep on insisting logitech over and over. Ive had some of those before, and they were alright untill i picked up some real speakers.....im simply trying to show the light of way. Its hard to explain really, you just have to do the test for yourself. The "THX" certification and watts rating doesnt really matter as much as people think, but some people dont understand that.

Studio monitors do not have to be used in studios only, they make everything simply sound better. If you had heard a set of monitors side-by-side compared to any pc speaker, then you would see what i mean. Whenever someone asks what speakers to get, i will continue to recommend monitors, as theres a set for every budget and they reproduce sound better, which is the final product right?

I like to hear music the way it was intended to be heard. If anyone prefers to listen to something thats over emphasized with muddy bass and harsh highs, then thats just fine.

To the op, you should go to Guitar Center if theres one near you, and have one of the pro audio guys give you a test drive of the monitors, so you know what they sound like before you buy them. The smaller the driver, the lower amount of bass the speaker produces. A good size driver for decent bass would be 5" or higher. Also, m-audio does make subwoofer monitors, which can be added later on if you feel that you need more low end.

 

[KSoD]

You are right. I know i would hear the difference. But the fact still comes in that there is no need to have someone use studio speakers for a PC. I have a great surround sound system. Why do i need to spend that much on a set of PC speakers?

Plus the stuff you recommend you have to get all this extra stuff. What he wants simple plug and play? You have to get at least 2 or 3 extra things to run your studio setup rather than just a logitech set which is just plug and play and go. Right?

Just looking at your post you have said
1. you will need these cables to connect the monitors to the mixer
2. this to connect mixer to soundcard

So right there are 2 extra costs. Instead of a single purchase. Correct? What if it doesnt work for him? What if he cant get it setup the way he wants? What if it isnt what he wants?

Recommending stuff is great. But not everyone needs studio quality sound for casual listening. Some people jsut want stuff that plays the music simply. Just plug in the speakers and off you go. No extras.

 

[ricanflow]

He doesnt "need" to use them but can if he wants, so i recommended them. It seems like you keep ignoring various things ive said, im just making simple recommendations based on my experiences with audio.

I use my monitors to game, watch movies, record/edit music, listen to music....etc. They can last many, many years and are less likely to "pop" or blow even under continuous stress, due to the higher standards with which they are made.

Cables and a small mixer, i dont think thats much. The only reason a mixer is need is to control the gain externally, they can hook up directly to his soundcard, but then he would have to use the soundcards software to control the volume. Thats why i said he can go to guitar center, and see for himself if he likes them.

Its not hard to connect either:

soundcard line out - mixer line in - monitors to mixer main out

Especially a nice soundcard like his, would benefit from having better speakers.

 

[TimBlanchard]

so you can connect monitors directly to your soundcard?

 

[EricB]

I need some new speakers for my PC. I have a Creative X-FI Platinum sound card, and I really can't listen to anything unless it has very good quality. I don't need 5.1 (I'm actually moving soon, and they won't fit in my new room anyway.) I just want 2 speakers and a Sub. Remember though, they need to produce good sound quality. I will only use them for music mostly considering I game with my headset (better for footsteps in CS:S and all that junk.)

watch what you say. we take this to heart. you sounded clear in your statement on what you wanted, but no computer speaker will ever sound good. you can never get good sound from small speakers in plastic enclosures.

I can't recommend good computer speakers because there are none. I usually stay out of these posts just so I won't offend anyone. but if people are specific like you were, I will answer