best 5.1 channel speakers???

[thrash_metal]

dude ur not getting the point ...... the only thing im trying to say is that theres no such thing as best 5.1 system ... its unlimited .. so long as u have deep pockets u cn get anything . For PC based audio get a good soundcard + good speakers set ... its enough .

 

[sushrukh]

Thanks Goobimama for the information.I'm quite confused about the sound card.I'm also using the onboard HD (nothing "HD" about it) Soundmax PCI-E card.Couldn't buy a soundcard after buying the speakers(no money left).There are quite a few soundcards out there.Could you provide me some options that what should i buy when i'll have some money for a soundcard ?

My budget is, 7000-8000/-

I won't buy the Audizy just because it's old technology now.I'm mainly considering the Extreme Music & the Auzentech.As, i won't get any warranty with Auzentech if i buy them from an online retailer.The features i'll be looking at DD,DTS & THX.So, is the only choice left is Xtreme Music ?

 

[goobimama]

Yep. If I wasn't going to get the Auzentech, it was going to be the X-Fi music. That seems to be a pretty good card and will perform well with gaming and such (Auzentech has only EAX 2.0). It also has SPDIF so if you are going to use the Loggy decoder, then it won't matter what card you are using...

 

[sushrukh]

Thanks Goobimama.I've read several times (from your posts mainly) that the Loggy decoder is better than the sound card's own decoder.So, if i connect the Xtreme Music's Optical port to the Z5500D's optical port, using a Optical cable,how would i know that which decoder i'm using ? Is there any way that we can switch between the card's decoder & the Z5500D's decoder to compare the difference between them ? Thanks Goobimama for your previous replies.Actually, i'm a noob about all these decoder things.So, i'll need to know these things before connecting them.Thanks in advance.


EDIT :- Just thought i should ask you, what about the M-Audio - Revolution sound card ? That's isn't available in India too ? I'm noticing that many reviewers are using this 7.1 card to test the Z5500D.

 

[vivekbabbudelhi]

xtreme music is replaced by Xtreme Gamer Fatality . this card is xifi music + XRAM.

 

[sushrukh]

xtreme music is replaced by Xtreme Gamer Fatality . this card is xifi music + XRAM.

Xtreme Gamer Fatality doesn't provide multichannel SPDIF output.It provides only stereo output through the SPDIF jack but Xtreme Music does provide 5.1 AC3 signal.

Xtreme Gamer Fatality Digital Out supports stereo SPDIF out

 

[goobimama]

Seriously? No 5.1 output? I doubt it.

Thanks Goobimama.I've read several times (from your posts mainly) that the Loggy decoder is better than the sound card's own decoder.So, if i connect the Xtreme Music's Optical port to the Z5500D's optical port, using a Optical cable,how would i know that which decoder i'm using ? Is there any way that we can switch between the card's decoder & the Z5500D's decoder to compare the difference between them ? Thanks Goobimama for your previous replies.Actually, i'm a noob about all these decoder things.So, i'll need to know these things before connecting them.Thanks in advance.


EDIT :- Just thought i should ask you, what about the M-Audio - Revolution sound card ? That's isn't available in India too ? I'm noticing that many reviewers are using this 7.1 card to test the Z5500D.

Anyway, I'm not sure whether they have optical or coax connection, but yes, it is pretty much workable. If you are using the Loggy decoder, it will show Dolby Digital or DTS digital in the display, otherwise, it will show any of the other modes. You can easily switch between the Loggy decoder and the creative one. If you enable the creative decoder, then the signal will get decoded at soundcard level and you will have to use the 6 channel direct mode on your logitech. The SPDIF will only accept 2.0 Stereo PCM at that point. Disabling the Creative decoder will give the Control center the job again. You decide which is better.

All soundcards nowadays are 7.1 so it doesn't matter. And either ways, the Z5500 is 5.1 so where's the question?

Creative.com

Supports SPDIF Out compressed ac3 signal or PCM for Stereo Digital Speaker.

 

[sushrukh]

Thanks Goobimama for the information.I think, i'll also use the Loggy decoder instead of using the card's decoder.The Cirrus Logic chips ( CS494003 32-bit DSP,CS42526 & CS5351) should do a great job for me.The laaudiofile.com review is really inspiring.

 

[goobimama]

Do all this and then sit back and watch Transformers HD DVD in high definition (with DTS 1.5mbps soundtrack). Then tell me if you want to go the theatre again...

 

[vivekbabbudelhi]

Xtreme Gamer Fatality doesn't provide multichannel SPDIF output.It provides only stereo output through the SPDIF jack but Xtreme Music does provide 5.1 AC3 signal.

oops !!! what was difference between ac3 & PCM over spdif .err what is difference between SPDIF & HDMI audio..??

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Inside the SoundTouch™ Control Center lies a Cirrus CS494003 32-bit DSP to handle both Dolby® Digital and DTS® bitstreams including DTS® 96/24 data for unsupassed sound quality. A Cirrus CS42526 data conversion chip is used to move signals between the analog and digital domains. The CS42526 contains an amazing number of high-quality converters including six 24-bit DACs and two 24-bit ADCs. The same chip includes digital audio interfaces (S/PDIF) used for the coaxial and optical digital connections. Finally, a pair of Cirrus CS5351 stereo ADCs are also used to convert the remaining analog inputs to the digital domain[/SIZE][/FONT]

still search more for comparision between cirrus chips & professional AKM ADC as well as better OPAMPS...and u would know the difference

 

[temperworld]

Do all this and then sit back and watch Transformers HD DVD in high definition (with DTS 1.5mbps soundtrack). Then tell me if you want to go the theatre again...

i have also got logitech z5500D. which player do you use to watch hi def movies?

i don't have sound card. so plz... suggest me a sound card with multichannel optical out which i can get in india.

if i can't get such a card in india can i use analog connection and let the sound card do the processing. if so will the quality of the sound decrease? my budget is 15K

 

[goobimama]

Just get yourself a Creative X-Fi music or something. Will cost around 7k. Don't worry, you can decide for yourself which is better, the soundcard or the Z5500...

Actually even an Audigy 2/4 will work just fine.

 

[temperworld]

@goobimama

which player do you use to play hi def movies?
do you use vlc or something..........????

 

[goobimama]

Media Player Classic + CoreAVC decoder for video + AC3 filter for the audio

You can get better video quality using FFDshow (instead of CoreAVC) but it needs at least a C2D to play properly.

 

[The_Devil_Himself]

^^hey goobi how do I use this ffdshow?I have installed K-lite codec pack and I got a c2d so how do I set them up?(media player classic and ffdshow)

 

[goobimama]

Well open Media Player Classic. Then go into the Options. Then select "External Filters" option. Then click "Add Filter". Find FFDshow Video Decoder from among there. Accept it. Then click on "Prefer" in the external filters option. Okay.

This is only if Windows is not giving FFDshow first priority. I'm not sure how to control Windows so...

And the same thing goes for CoreAVC. it will generally come in an ".ax" file. And since you can't install that without some batch file or something, just when selecting your filter, select "Browse", navigate to it, and accept.

 

[The_Devil_Himself]

^^ok,thanks.

 

[Nikhilcgnr]

SPDIF is either through COAX or Optical. Both are digital formats. So if your decoder is showing "Dolby Digital" or "Dts Digital", then it is being decoded by the control center and not the computer. If not, then you will see either stereox2 or ProLogic II or some other effect.

Most midrange+ soundcards support SPDIF. The low end do not support SPDIF like the Creative SB Live! series. Audigy 2 onwards are SPDIF enabled (Coaxial though, not optical).

creative sb live support SPDIF through coaxial, i am using it with my logitech z 5500

 

[goobimama]

Whoopsie on my part then. Pretty sure the SB Live! that I had didn't support SPDIF. Maybe the newer ones have it onboard.

 

[shashank4u]

Now thats a brilliant thread

what i concluded after reading the whole thread and researching on net is

Logitech z5500d is the "BEST 5.1 speaker setup" for:

PC users not having deep pockets right? alright means not extra deep pockets

I myself is amazed by the z5500 reviews that i ve made my mind for purchasing one.

Some of my concerns are:

Its available at amazon at $227.54
*www.amazon.com/Logitech-THX-Certified-505-Watt-Digital-Surround/dp/B0002WPSBC
and its available in india for 20K(quoted in previous pages) double price? why?

Its been a long time since its release so no company has got anything nearby z5500 in two years or the new ones aren't tested with z5500

and Goobimama thanks for your posts i got to know a lot today

"you said Just get yourself a Creative X-Fi music or something. Will cost around 7k. Don't worry, you can decide for yourself which is better, the soundcard or the Z5500...

Actually even an Audigy 2/4 will work just fine."

so whats the point in buying a high end card and for a while i would want to listen to inbuilt audio on 965 chipset and would i need extra cables? is there a huge difference if i use soundcard btw which soundcard is best then for z5500 budget around 5K extendable.