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Thread ID: 28481	2002-12-21 02:20:00	buying surround sound speakers	fergie (424)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
107891	2002-12-21 11:50:00	Hi Fergie Hi i currently have Creative Inspire 2.1 speakers (2 speakers and a sub) it really good, along with the intergrated soundcard which does the trick very well. I recommend if you are only going to get the 2.1 speakers that you get the Creative Live! sound card which is about another $80. Along with the 2.1 speakers which are about $100. That'll cost all up about $200, not bad for a really decent setup. BTW, don't bother with 4.1 speakers (4 speakers and a sub) cos it isn't true sound and isn't worth the extra cost - David p.s. check www.pricespy.co.nz for best prices	DangerousDave (697)
107892	2002-12-21 21:34:00	I would suggest you go to somewhere like Harvey Norman (at least somewhere with a reasonable speaker selection) and try some out. Sound is a very personal thing; what one likes someone else will dislike. So take your ears, some time and sample some. Don't let the sales person lean you in a direction you don't want to go. Also if you buy a sound card from a place which allows you to return it e.g. Dick Smith allows you 7 days to return it if you are not happy; that is a good way of making sure you are happy with your purchase.	Dolby Digital (160)
107893	2002-12-21 23:11:00	hi again remember the equaliser settings can make a huge difference, i.e. in winamp, i find with the creative inspire speakers that the bass is too over powering of the sats and have to lower the bass levels. - David	DangerousDave (697)
107894	2002-12-22 02:56:00	OK, thanks for all advice so far, anyway, just a few more things i'd like to no... As I'm no tech/audio buff, wot does the wattage rating on speakers mean? is it how loud they go? becuase i was looking around, and some are like 2000 w, while others are only 400w.... also, wot does "PMPO" mean? another thing, the TDK tremor speakers, are they any good? i was looking at a tdk tremor set (www.trademe.co.nz) , i have always thought that they were quite good, but itsays its only 60watt.... (but as i don't no wot that means :p) also, would u be able to check these out and let me no wot u think of them: www.trademe.co.nz www.trademe.co.nz thansk a heap! Merry Xmas	fergie (424)
107895	2002-12-22 03:03:00	Your links are incorrect: Link 1 (www.trademe.co.nz) Link 2 (www.trademe.co.nz) Link 3 (www.trademe.co.nz)	flyer590 (2523)
107896	2002-12-22 03:57:00	There are two measures of output power: PMPO and RMS. I think RMS is the standard measure and it is certainly the one that I would go by. You will find that on any particular set of speakers, the PMPO measure will be much higher than the RMS so manufacturers often quote the PMPO instead of the RMS to mislead unwary punters. I'm not entirely sure what PMPO means or how it is measured. However, RMS is generally the peak output at a volume where total harmonic distortion is 10% (note that 10% is extremely poor sound quality; even 1% is probably intolerable). Someone with more technical knowledge may be able to elaborate.	Alasta (1420)
107897	2002-12-22 04:18:00	PMPO - Peak Music Power Output (power output down hill with a back wind - power attainable for about 10 milli seconds if you are lucky!!) RMS - Root Mean Square - more accurate indication of power output of an amplifier . Even though rms is the best quide of the performance of an amplifier, there are other factors such as the impedance of the speakers you are driving and the efficency of said speakers .	Dolby Digital (160)
107898	2002-12-22 04:43:00	Hmmmm, I come at it from a more audio point of few . . . first thought - if you have a two channel stereo system in the same room as the PC try hooking it up - bypassing any crappy on-board PC speakers - and plug into to yr pre-amp/amp - if your speakers /equipment are of even average quality they'll easily pass the quality of any PC 5 . 1 - though ofcourse it will not be 5 . 1 :) . . . but really the 5 . 1 pc systems I've experienced were all awwwwful . . . . !and even the Home Theatre sub $1000 set ups were barely passable . . . regards wattage - really this means little - as a 30 watt speaker will often go "louder" than a 100 watt - dependant on ohm rating (the lower the ohm the harder to drive), speaker type/build and sensitivity etc etc . . . so don't be misled (www . stereophile . com is a good audiophile site with lots of audio speaker info/reviews but note more the higher end of things) IME crappy surround is no upgrade at all & will not give you very convincing surround effect anyway . . . - better to just run yr DVD, game through yr stereo it's also much much much better if stereo is separate components ie, separate CD Player-pre-amp/power amp or integrated amp etc - sadly in audio you get what you pay for (although never buy new - wait a year when the product has been upgraded and then buy last years model which will 99% of the time be exactly the same:) ) depends really what yr expectations are & what exactly you want to accomplish with this speaker set-up good luck	artpepper (1321)
107899	2002-12-22 08:47:00	OK, thanks for all that! as i don't have a stereo in the room with my pc, and the speakers i currently have are shocking, i was planning an upgrade - mainly for games and mp3's, but i think now i will just go with the 3 set piece and get a decnt set of speakers and sound card. any brands/models i should stick away from etc would be appreciated cheers alex	fergie (424)
107900	2002-12-25 03:57:00	MERRY XMAS ALL! i have decided on a set of speakers and sound card (Sound Blaster Live! SC and Spkers Creative Inspire 2.1 2500) but i've just been thinking, wot David has said..... Is a pc hooked up to a stereo a better way to go? I am now thinking of getting a stereo instead ($300 -$350) would it be better to go thro this instead of those spkers?	fergie (424)
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