Soundcard & Speakers discussion thread.

Lowfat · Nov 30, 2005, 04:03 AM

neither. Monster cable has no real benefit over any other wire. Speaker wire is sweaker wire. Only thing you need to worry about is if the wire diameter is large enough to transfer the current. I use 18 gauge wire on a set of 125 wrms speakers, without a single problem. You definately don't need 14 gauge wire. I use 14 gauge for a 600 wrms subwoofer in my car, and that is sufficient.

Buy the cheapest 18 gauge speaker wire you can find.

Necrosis · Nov 30, 2005, 04:04 AM

Johnny,

May I suggest you pay a visit to your local hardware store? I think you'll find a better deal on wire there.

Raptor · Nov 30, 2005, 04:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnnyNguy3n

hm..can you help me? I want to know which speaker wire I should go for.
http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...591&pfp=SEARCH
or
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1051384447132
or do you have anything else in mind? Thanks
-edit-
i need like 100feet and willing to spend around 70, give or take.

I'd go for the THX SP 16-100 at Chumpusa, err ah Compusa

Edit: Or you can take the advice of 61 or 62

and get some cheap stuff which is ok but I've found that, that stuff is used primarily for electric appliances and not speaker cables. Probably get into a heated discussion about it (I'm not gonna either

) but I would stick with real speaker wire instead of dual purpose wire.

BWX · Nov 30, 2005, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tulcakelume

neither. Monster cable has no real benefit over any other wire. Speaker wire is sweaker wire. Only thing you need to worry about is if the wire diameter is large enough to transfer the current. I use 18 gauge wire on a set of 125 wrms speakers, without a single problem. You definately don't need 14 gauge wire. I use 14 gauge for a 600 wrms subwoofer in my car, and that is sufficient.

Buy the cheapest 18 gauge speaker wire you can find.

I have been installing car stereos for about 20 years, and you are absolutely correct.

Zelig · Nov 30, 2005, 05:06 PM

Ditto on Montser not being worth the cash. Cheapest 18 guage wire won't get the best sound, but it will be pretty close, especially with computer speakers.

There's no such thing as "real" speaker wire. Paul Klipsch used lamp cord for his speakers originally, IIRC.

BWX · Nov 30, 2005, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zelig

Ditto on Montser not being worth the cash. Cheapest 18 guage wire won't get the best sound, but it will be pretty close, especially with computer speakers.

There's no such thing as "real" speaker wire. Paul Klipsch used lamp cord for his speakers originally, IIRC.

Lamp cord works well, if I ever throw away an electrical appliance I always cut te cord and put it in my speaker wire box.. It is heavy gauge and works well for speakers that only need 6 feet of cord or so..

The only place I have really heavy gauge wire (which I bought at home depot) is running from my amps to my subs in my car- and it is only a few feet long. They carry about 250 watts each. For the other amps running to the coaxials (about 150 watts of actual power each) I only use 18 gauge I think.. It works fine.

XXwabbit · Jan 6, 2006, 05:11 AM

Logitech z-680's and Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card. I'm currrently bulilding a new comp with Turtle Beach Montego DLL suond card. Will use 680's until I can find something to replace them. Debating computer speakers or home theater...hmmm.

I'm still impressed with my current setup tho.

**dj_stick** · Jan 6, 2006, 05:48 AM

a semi-decent home theatre system will own any computer sound system

XXwabbit · Jan 6, 2006, 07:29 AM

Aww man my head is spinning from all the choices!

Ok my eyes are lol. Yeah I kinda figured they are, but knowing me I can't settle for semi-decent. Which means spending closer to a grand. I see your point tho. What are your favorite/preferrable brands?

Zelig · Jan 6, 2006, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XXwabbit

Aww man my head is spinning from all the choices!

Ok my eyes are lol. Yeah I kinda figured they are, but knowing me I can't settle for semi-decent. Which means spending closer to a grand. I see your point tho. What are your favorite/preferrable brands?

$1000 is semi-decent, $20000 gives an awesome setup.

The top end Creative and Klipsch computer speakers are competitive with home-theatre setups of similar price.

I like Klipsch stuff myself, take a look at their Reference line for some quality sound, or the Synergy stuff if you don't want to spend so much. Boston Acoustics is good too, I got a fantastic deal on a couple of bookshelves for my computer system.

**dj_stick** · Jan 6, 2006, 11:54 AM

my home theatre system is as follows:
onkyo 603 amp
a pair of jenson floor standers
2x jenson bookshelf
1x jenson center speaker
1x jenson single cone sub

i can't remember the model numbers but they are all from the Q series, and sound quite nice, i think i paid about AU$3000 all up

Lowfat · Jan 6, 2006, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XXwabbit

Aww man my head is spinning from all the choices!

Ok my eyes are lol. Yeah I kinda figured they are, but knowing me I can't settle for semi-decent. Which means spending closer to a grand. I see your point tho. What are your favorite/preferrable brands?

I previously used Z680s but now use a 2.1 Home theatre setup. I recommend some Athena AS-B1's for the fronts and rears. They are quite cheap $170CAD/pair, and they sound gorgeous.

TheBlackCat · Sep 7, 2006, 03:28 AM

I have a question about speakers. I need a decent (not necessarily great) 2.0 speaker set. I do not want 2.1, so no subwoofer. I am looking to pay under about $50 ($52-$53 would still be okay). But I want the most bang for my buck, so cheaper speakers that are still decent will be fine. The best thing would probably be to give me the best speakers in $15, $20, $30, $40, and $50 range (sorry if I am asking too much, but I like having different options for reasons I will get to).

There is one major issue I have: I need the speakers to be able to be on opposite sides of the room. Most inexpensive speakers are permanently wired together. I need speakers that are connected by a cable I can disconnect and reconnect at will. It also cannot use proprietary connections. My plan is to get such a speaker set and then put an extension cord between them so I can stretch them across the room. If you are not sure whether the speakers you are thinking of can do that just assume they can. Just give me the name and I will check for myself. I do not think this is probably something most people really pay much attention to so don't feel bad if you don't know off the top of your head.

Don't worry about appearance, I can determine myself whether the speakers in question match my furniture or not.

Here is my basic situation. I have a very good 2.1 speaker set (Klipsich promedia). I also have a stereo speaker on my monitor in the center of my desk. My plan is to make a gerry-rigged 5.1 speaker set by getting a regular 2.0 speaker set and putting on on the end table next to my sofa and the other on some shelves. So a subwoofer would be a waste since I already have one of those. The speakers do not need to be especially good since the front speakers will be the most important, but I do not want junk to pull down the quality too much. And my room is about 10 feet wide and I need to maneuver the wire around things to get it across. So this seems like the best bet for me since i am on a fairly tight budget and cannot waste $100 on a 2.0 Klipsich or Bose pair and certainly not $200 on an entirely new 5.1 speaker set.

Sorry if I am being overly specific but my needs are rather specific.

BWX · Sep 7, 2006, 04:22 AM

Quote:

My plan is to make a gerry-rigged 5.1 speaker set by getting a regular 2.0 speaker set and putting on on the end table next to my sofa and the other on some shelves

Man using those monitor speakers are going to make the whole thing sound like poo poo...

Also what about a center channel? And how are you going to connect the subwoofer from the 2.1 system to the center/sub connection on the sound card?

Seems like a better idea would be to get a mid ranged 5.1 system designed specifically for a PC.. I have one I got a couple years ago from Creative that was about 80 bucks that I am amazed by the sound quality- and also the volume if needed. Also they can be strung out very wide.. I have m,y rear channels connected by regular speaker wire. I don't think they make the T5400 anymore though.. At the time they were the obvious choice in the price segment. I tried some Logitechs that were complete crap.. sent them back and got these and have been very happy ever since. Thee center and front satellites all have a separate tweeter.. and the rear have regular cable jacks so you can put as long a cable as you want.

I have a "real" 5.1 system in the living room they has a 500 watt receiver, JBL/ Cerwin Vega, a separate sub amp, etc.. these Creatives aren't as loud obviously, but they sound almost just as good when connected to my Fortissimo III 7.1 sound card.

You could still use your nice stereo speakers for the front satellites just by plugging them in to the appropriate jack on the sound card, and leave that one not plugged in form the 5.1 system..

edit-- It was these..
http://us.creative.com/products/prod...5&product=5077
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Inspi...&s=electronics

They've lasted for years, and sound better than they did when I got them, even after much abuse. The woofer isn't designed for complete accuracy down to 20hz, but it will shake the house without distorting first. Of course if pushed way beyond the limits, the sound will break down, but you can get a LOT of loud, crisp, clear sound way before they produce audible distortion.. I am damn impressed with these, especially considering the amazingly low price for what they are.

I think I may have gotten a really good set though, I see in reviews some people complaining, while most are very very happy.. I think the ones complaining must have gotten a bad or defective set.

Forgot to mention- I got this Creative wired remote seperately to replace the stock one.. It has Sub/ overall volume, headphone out, aux in on the remote with a LED blue light on the sub knob... Link is just an ebay auction to show what it is.. Creative actually gave one to me for free after the original black one starting eacting up- even though it still works.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Creative-Labs-Wi...QQcmdZViewItem

coffee_nut · Feb 28, 2007, 01:16 AM

i have an audigy es I have also bought a front panel 5.25"bay mounted multifunction panel I need to know what the pin setting are on the audigy is for connecting the pins it has 40 pins.
Creative labs can't help i have tried them ...?? help
the 40 pins are called AUD_ext

Necrosis · Feb 28, 2007, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coffee_nut

i have an audigy es I have also bought a front panel 5.25"bay mounted multifunction panel I need to know what the pin setting are on the audigy is for connecting the pins it has 40 pins.
Creative labs can't help i have tried them ...?? help
the 40 pins are called AUD_ext

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/audio-ge...i-pinouts.html

char5321 · Jun 22, 2007, 06:45 PM

I have dell xps 410 and sigmatel 92xx 7.1 intergrated sound card
my rear speaker is wireless and it fade in and out and the volume is lower that the rest. Is there a fix . I am using 6.0 driver be cause it is the only one from dell that kind of works
all newer driver don't address 5.1 and cause a spike of digtal
distortion. please help.

Necrosis · Jun 24, 2007, 04:28 AM

You might do better if you post about this issue in the main "Audio General and Technical Discussion" forum.

Electrovw · Jul 29, 2007, 07:02 PM

Hi all, great site, i`ve learned alot from what i have read on here. My problem is that i am trying to connect my xbox 360 to my pc speakers through my X FI fatality platinum card and front drive bay. I have purchased an optical lead and connected it to the optical in on the drive bay but get no audio. Any ideas to rectify this??

Cheers, Electro.

Nov 30, 2005, 04:03 AM	#61
Lowfat Xtreme Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,254 Rep Power: 101	neither. Monster cable has no real benefit over any other wire. Speaker wire is sweaker wire. Only thing you need to worry about is if the wire diameter is large enough to transfer the current. I use 18 gauge wire on a set of 125 wrms speakers, without a single problem. You definately don't need 14 gauge wire. I use 14 gauge for a 600 wrms subwoofer in my car, and that is sufficient. Buy the cheapest 18 gauge speaker wire you can find. __________________

Nov 30, 2005, 05:06 PM	#65
Zelig HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 3,187 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	Ditto on Montser not being worth the cash. Cheapest 18 guage wire won't get the best sound, but it will be pretty close, especially with computer speakers. There's no such thing as "real" speaker wire. Paul Klipsch used lamp cord for his speakers originally, IIRC. __________________ --

Sep 7, 2006, 03:28 AM	#73
TheBlackCat DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Searching for the Candle in the Dark Posts: 567 Rep Power: 0	I have a question about speakers. I need a decent (not necessarily great) 2.0 speaker set. I do not want 2.1, so no subwoofer. I am looking to pay under about $50 ($52-$53 would still be okay). But I want the most bang for my buck, so cheaper speakers that are still decent will be fine. The best thing would probably be to give me the best speakers in $15, $20, $30, $40, and $50 range (sorry if I am asking too much, but I like having different options for reasons I will get to). There is one major issue I have: I need the speakers to be able to be on opposite sides of the room. Most inexpensive speakers are permanently wired together. I need speakers that are connected by a cable I can disconnect and reconnect at will. It also cannot use proprietary connections. My plan is to get such a speaker set and then put an extension cord between them so I can stretch them across the room. If you are not sure whether the speakers you are thinking of can do that just assume they can. Just give me the name and I will check for myself. I do not think this is probably something most people really pay much attention to so don't feel bad if you don't know off the top of your head. Don't worry about appearance, I can determine myself whether the speakers in question match my furniture or not. Here is my basic situation. I have a very good 2.1 speaker set (Klipsich promedia). I also have a stereo speaker on my monitor in the center of my desk. My plan is to make a gerry-rigged 5.1 speaker set by getting a regular 2.0 speaker set and putting on on the end table next to my sofa and the other on some shelves. So a subwoofer would be a waste since I already have one of those. The speakers do not need to be especially good since the front speakers will be the most important, but I do not want junk to pull down the quality too much. And my room is about 10 feet wide and I need to maneuver the wire around things to get it across. So this seems like the best bet for me since i am on a fairly tight budget and cannot waste $100 on a 2.0 Klipsich or Bose pair and certainly not $200 on an entirely new 5.1 speaker set. Sorry if I am being overly specific but my needs are rather specific. __________________ [color=#000000]There is always an easy solution to every human problem—neat, plausible and wrong.[/color] -H. L. Mencken

Jun 22, 2007, 06:45 PM	#77
char5321 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	sigmatel and 5.1 drivers I have dell xps 410 and sigmatel 92xx 7.1 intergrated sound card my rear speaker is wireless and it fade in and out and the volume is lower that the rest. Is there a fix . I am using 6.0 driver be cause it is the only one from dell that kind of works all newer driver don't address 5.1 and cause a spike of digtal distortion. please help.

Jul 29, 2007, 07:02 PM	#79
Electrovw DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	Any help connecting Xbox to Drive bay via Optical? Hi all, great site, i`ve learned alot from what i have read on here. My problem is that i am trying to connect my xbox 360 to my pc speakers through my X FI fatality platinum card and front drive bay. I have purchased an optical lead and connected it to the optical in on the drive bay but get no audio. Any ideas to rectify this?? Cheers, Electro.

Nov 30, 2005, 04:04 AM	#62
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Johnny, May I suggest you pay a visit to your local hardware store? I think you'll find a better deal on wire there.

Jan 6, 2006, 05:11 AM	#67
XXwabbit DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 37 Rep Power: 0	Logitech z-680's and Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card. I'm currrently bulilding a new comp with Turtle Beach Montego DLL suond card. Will use 680's until I can find something to replace them. Debating computer speakers or home theater...hmmm. I'm still impressed with my current setup tho.

Jan 6, 2006, 07:29 AM	#69
XXwabbit DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 37 Rep Power: 0	Aww man my head is spinning from all the choices! Ok my eyes are lol. Yeah I kinda figured they are, but knowing me I can't settle for semi-decent. Which means spending closer to a grand. I see your point tho. What are your favorite/preferrable brands?

Feb 28, 2007, 01:16 AM	#75
coffee_nut DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Zealand Posts: 4 Rep Power: 0	i have an audigy es I have also bought a front panel 5.25"bay mounted multifunction panel I need to know what the pin setting are on the audigy is for connecting the pins it has 40 pins. Creative labs can't help i have tried them ...?? help the 40 pins are called AUD_ext

Jun 24, 2007, 04:28 AM	#78
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	You might do better if you post about this issue in the main "Audio General and Technical Discussion" forum.