Help neeeded! Please guide me. I have a Creative SB LIve DE 5.1 soundcard and am planning to upgrade my speakers from Creative Inspire 4400 4.1 to a high end 5.1 speaker system. I am mainly into Music and DVD movies. I have zeroed in on Creative Megaworks 550 and Logitech Z-680. Which one should I go in for? Which one is better capable of creating a home theatre surround that i am looking for (Something capable of substituting the nearby multiplex)? The Megaworks is available for Approx 19500/- here in delhi.Please can you also let me know the price of Z680s here in delhi. Thanks for your advise
Creative Megaworks 550 or Logitech Z-680
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creative ... no doubt...
its the closes to emulate good home theatre sound
if u want a multiplex ... dude ... go in for some real high end speakers not just computer speakers
here im talkin abt 50k+ speakers
maybe floorstandings
its gonna be a job to exactly emulate a multiplex u know
still wait for suave_guy to answer
its the closes to emulate good home theatre sound
if u want a multiplex ... dude ... go in for some real high end speakers not just computer speakers
here im talkin abt 50k+ speakers
maybe floorstandings
its gonna be a job to exactly emulate a multiplex u know
still wait for suave_guy to answer
blade_runner
Cyborg Agent
Go for the Logitech Z-680, awesome speaker set. 500 watts Total RMS, Thx certified (both spkrs are THX certified). But the subwoofer of logitech set is much more powerful. Logitech is expensive though than the Megaworks. Both are good sets basically.........
and as far as i know isnt the gigaworks/megaworks series 500w+ rms ?
well dunno ... for computer speakers i still think creative rocks
the problem with computer speakers is ... dunno how many shops let u listen to them before u buy
atleast when its a hometheatre or a non computer related system u can insist on a demo !!
well dunno ... for computer speakers i still think creative rocks
the problem with computer speakers is ... dunno how many shops let u listen to them before u buy
atleast when its a hometheatre or a non computer related system u can insist on a demo !!
blade_runner
Cyborg Agent
Raven the megaworks is 500 watts total RMS. And yeah i echo ur sentiments guys ......none of the shops allow for demo of computer speakers .......But u can chk online reviews !!
suave_guy
pedal to metal
Creative Megaworks 550 and Logitech Z-680, both no doubt are one of the best 5.1 speakers models, the computer audio market has to offer....
Infact to rival ur nearby multiplex theatre u definately got to have a budget of atleast 50K as stated by raven. If you can do that then i wont suggest u computer speakers at all, rather i'll suggest you to buy a good dvd player to attach to ur tv and get BOSE speakers and rest assured that u'll never regret ur decision, and ur friends will then prefer only one multiplex, i.e. ur home
But since the main objective to post here is to solve ur problem then here is what i can suggest....
To start of with i must say that u've made two hell of a choices to pick and both of the speakers have their own strengths and weakness.
Creative Megaworks 550 as you already know is priced around Rs. 19,500 and Logitech Z-680 is priced around Rs.30,000(approx.) So the price difference is around Rs.10,000 which can be one of the deciding factor.
If you compare them feature wise then i think logitech is a clear winner coz it has an external dolby digital/DTS decoder which will use S/PDIF or optical connection and will offer truly immersive and uncompressed digital soundstage, two factors which can really take you closer to multiplex experience. Creative speakers on the other hand lacks an external decoder so you'll have to connect them directly to the soundcard through analog connections.
If you compare them in terms of audio quality then i think creative megaworks 550 has an edge over logitech. Logitech is a relatively new company in the audio market and not long ago they made speakers which were nothing to talk about. But things changed after they came out with Logitech DSR-100 which offered powerfull bass. Since then they have carried out this tradition of making speakers with bone rattling bass which made them really popular. But thats where the fairy tales ends coz their satellites or in other words midrange speakers are still a weak point and feels underpowered when compared to the subwoofer. The bass is also not uniform although its very very powerful but sometimes there are scenes where there is no need of bass and thats where these speakers can irritate. They even suffer more while listening to music coz all you hear is bass and bass and some more bass whereas the midrange audio suffers badly. Let me tell you that for a very pleasent movie and music experience the speakers should offer brilliant, very clear and wide soundstage and bass is even more important, which can make or break that experience. A perfect subwoofer should produce deep bass when required and should be quite when there is no need for it. Thats where brands like Bose, creative,altec and klipsch scores and Creative Megaworks 550 is the perfect example for it, which offers very balanced sound spectrum. Brands like logitech, artis etc. use cheap quality crossover circuits and therefore suffer. The subwoofer of megaworks is very very efficient and produce deep bass, comparable to logitech with the only difference being that its more balanced then logitech. The satellites of megaworks, no doubt are far far better then logitech and offers very clear and wide soundstage. So audio quality wise creative megaworks 550 is the clear winner.
As i've stated above that u need Digital speakers or in other words speakers with S/PDIF connectivity to get the ture Dolby Digital/DTS sound output so my suggestion to you is as follows:
1. If you have a budget of around Rs.30,000 to Rs. 35,000 then:
a. If all you care about is bass and more bass or in other words if ur a bass freak then look no further then Logitech Z-680 and it already has external Dolby/DTS decoder.
b.If you are a real audiophile and desire to have a perfet sounding speaker system then i would suggest you to go for creative megaworks 550 AND buy a separate external decoder to provide digital decoding to these speakers. I would suggest you to go for Creative DDTS-100 decoder which is priced around Rs.13,500 and will offer perfect dolby digital/dts decoding for your megaworks speakers. So the whole setup will cost around Rs.34,000 approx.
2.If you cannot spend more then Rs.20,000 to 25,000 then i've a very interesting suggestion for you. Go for Altec Lansing 5100 5.1 speakers priced around Rs.10,000 and couple it with creative DDTS-100 decoder and you'll have a setup which will really satisfy you. The altec speakers produces very good and competitive sound quality and with creative decoder you will be really happy with ur setup.
If i were you i would definately pick option 1.b without having any second thoughts. This is the setup which can really rival ur multiplex and you'll always feel proud
But do make sure that whatever is the setup, it must have an external dolby/dts decoder.
Enjoy!
When someone really thinks that way then i have only one answer for that desire....go for a setup with optical connection or in other words S/PDIF connection as it is the best way to get that 'near theatrical' effets.geek said:
Infact to rival ur nearby multiplex theatre u definately got to have a budget of atleast 50K as stated by raven. If you can do that then i wont suggest u computer speakers at all, rather i'll suggest you to buy a good dvd player to attach to ur tv and get BOSE speakers and rest assured that u'll never regret ur decision, and ur friends will then prefer only one multiplex, i.e. ur home
But since the main objective to post here is to solve ur problem then here is what i can suggest....
To start of with i must say that u've made two hell of a choices to pick and both of the speakers have their own strengths and weakness.
Creative Megaworks 550 as you already know is priced around Rs. 19,500 and Logitech Z-680 is priced around Rs.30,000(approx.) So the price difference is around Rs.10,000 which can be one of the deciding factor.
If you compare them feature wise then i think logitech is a clear winner coz it has an external dolby digital/DTS decoder which will use S/PDIF or optical connection and will offer truly immersive and uncompressed digital soundstage, two factors which can really take you closer to multiplex experience. Creative speakers on the other hand lacks an external decoder so you'll have to connect them directly to the soundcard through analog connections.
If you compare them in terms of audio quality then i think creative megaworks 550 has an edge over logitech. Logitech is a relatively new company in the audio market and not long ago they made speakers which were nothing to talk about. But things changed after they came out with Logitech DSR-100 which offered powerfull bass. Since then they have carried out this tradition of making speakers with bone rattling
bass which made them really popular. But thats where the fairy tales ends coz their satellites or in other words midrange speakers are still a weak point and feels underpowered when compared to the subwoofer. The bass is also not uniform although its very very powerful but sometimes there are scenes where there is no need of bass and thats where these speakers can irritate. They even suffer more while listening to music coz all you hear is bass and bass and some more bass whereas the midrange audio suffers badly. Let me tell you that for a very pleasent movie and music experience the speakers should offer brilliant, very clear and wide soundstage and bass is even more important, which can make or break that experience. A perfect subwoofer should produce deep bass when required and should be quite when there is no need for it. Thats where brands like Bose, creative,altec and klipsch scores and Creative Megaworks 550 is the perfect example for it, which offers very balanced sound spectrum. Brands like logitech, artis etc. use cheap quality crossover circuits and therefore suffer. The subwoofer of megaworks is very very efficient and produce deep bass, comparable to logitech with the only difference being that its more balanced then logitech. The satellites of megaworks, no doubt are far far better then logitech and offers very clear and wide soundstage. So audio quality wise creative megaworks 550 is the clear winner.As i've stated above that u need Digital speakers or in other words speakers with S/PDIF connectivity to get the ture Dolby Digital/DTS sound output so my suggestion to you is as follows:
1. If you have a budget of around Rs.30,000 to Rs. 35,000 then:
a. If all you care about is bass and more bass or in other words if ur a bass freak then look no further then Logitech Z-680 and it already has external Dolby/DTS decoder.
b.If you are a real audiophile and desire to have a perfet sounding speaker system then i would suggest you to go for creative megaworks 550 AND buy a separate external decoder to provide digital decoding to these speakers. I would suggest you to go for Creative DDTS-100 decoder which is priced around Rs.13,500 and will offer perfect dolby digital/dts decoding for your megaworks speakers. So the whole setup will cost around Rs.34,000 approx.
2.If you cannot spend more then Rs.20,000 to 25,000 then i've a very interesting suggestion for you. Go for Altec Lansing 5100 5.1 speakers priced around Rs.10,000 and couple it with creative DDTS-100 decoder and you'll have a setup which will really satisfy you. The altec speakers produces very good and competitive sound quality and with creative decoder you will be really happy with ur setup.
If i were you i would definately pick option 1.b without having any second thoughts. This is the setup which can really rival ur multiplex and you'll always feel proud
But do make sure that whatever is the setup, it must have an external dolby/dts decoder.
Enjoy!
Thanks a tonne. All of you made my choice easier. I think I will go inm for the 1(b) option suggested by sauve_guy. Thanks for the advise sauve_guy . The ddts-100 is available for Rs. 9800 in delhi while the megaworks 550 for Rs. 19500. By the way, do i need an audigy card with this system or is my SB Live DE 5.1 will serve the purpose. I
. The ddts-100 is available for Rs. 9800 in delhi while the megaworks 550 for Rs. 19500. By the way, do i need an audigy card with this system or is my SB Live DE 5.1 will serve the purpose. I
suave_guy
pedal to metal
Well geek i already feel proud for you as ur going for option 1.b, now there will be one more reason for ur friends and specially girls to freak out your home quite often....
Its good to see that ur getting this setup within Rs.30,000(thx to the budget) and now as this setup is costing you same as logitech, then there's no doubt left that u MUST go with option 1.b
Well regarding your soundcard query....i think its upto you. If you want to stick around with ur current SB Live DE 5.1 card then also its fine as it has S/PDIF out for your external decoder, and thus it will work fine as far as dolby digital decoding is concerned.
But still if you can squeeze around Rs.4,500 then i would definately recommend Audigy soundcard, the advantages being....less CPU usage,DTS decoding(its better then dolby digital), support for EAX 2, support for DVD audio etc. Infact creative recommends to use megaworks with audigy series soundcard.
Before buying such expensive products, make sure that you buy it from the orignial retailers like for eg. compuage infocom, even if you have to pay bit more. It will save you from any fakes(specially soundcards, which most of the time results in driver conflicts) and it will also help you in the long run....
Enjoy!
to freak out your home quite often.... Its good to see that ur getting this setup within Rs.30,000(thx to the budget) and now as this setup is costing you same as logitech, then there's no doubt left that u MUST go with option 1.b
Well regarding your soundcard query....i think its upto you. If you want to stick around with ur current SB Live DE 5.1 card then also its fine as it has S/PDIF out for your external decoder, and thus it will work fine as far as dolby digital decoding is concerned.
But still if you can squeeze around Rs.4,500 then i would definately recommend Audigy soundcard, the advantages being....less CPU usage,DTS decoding(its better then dolby digital), support for EAX 2, support for DVD audio etc. Infact creative recommends to use megaworks with audigy series soundcard.
Before buying such expensive products, make sure that you buy it from the orignial retailers like for eg. compuage infocom, even if you have to pay bit more. It will save you from any fakes(specially soundcards, which most of the time results in driver conflicts) and it will also help you in the long run....
Enjoy!
Thanx for the advise again. In one of your posts you have stated that Altec Lansings are better than creative. however i have not come across any ALs in this category. Any advises on speakers better than megaworks 550 within my budget ( Cant go beyond 30000 including decoder)
suave_guy
pedal to metal
Altec Lansings are definately better in 2.1 and 4.1 category, but in the 5.1 category they are only good if someone has a lower budget like for say around Rs.10,000. They do have a very efficient 5.1 speaker model called Altec Lansing 5100. But if you want the best Altec Lansings like AL ADA 890(THX certified) in 5.1 category then the speakers alone will cost around Rs.45,000 excluding the decoder.
Enjoy!
You already have picked the BEST solution/setup for ur budgetgeek said:
Enjoy!
blade_runner
Cyborg Agent
Well that was a pretty comprehensive solution i must say !
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