5.1 Speaker recommendations?

I've never had "surround sound" speakers before but I have been thinking about getting a 5.1 set this time for my new PC. Previously I had 2.1 Genius speaker set which served me well for years, until sound stopped coming out of one of the speakers (I think it may have been a faulty cord) but my wife is now using it to play brown / pink / white noise to help her sleep. Anyway, right now I'm just using a cheap 2.0 USB speaker…

So any recommendations for an affordable but decent 5.1 set? I am hoping to not spend much more than $100 although I could be persuaded to go a bit higher if it's really worth it. Also, I should probably mention I'm just using onboard audio and don't have any sound card (I know some audiophiles will say there's no point in getting good speakers if you don't get a sound card but I have no frame of reference).

My main purpose would of course be gaming, but I also stream a lot of TV shows and movies on my PC and listen to music occassionally.

Does your current soundcard have a digital output? I'm not sure if 5.1 travels through typical audio wire. You may need digital outs.

I use an older Philips 5.1 surround sound system. Digital output from my soundcard (Soundblaster Audigy 7.1) to the receiver, then set the various options I want there. It's older but it gets the job done well, and it was under $200. Bought it at Walmart. I'm sure you could find a really nice one on Amazon that's even better and also cheap.

Fluent said:

Does your current soundcard have a digital output? I'm not sure if 5.1 travels through typical audio wire. You may need digital outs.

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I believe so. My motherboard is an ASUS H110M-E There are green, pink, and blue audio ports on the rear panel.

Yeah I'd like to order them either on Amazon, Newegg, or a similar website. Amazon has a Logitech refurbished set for only $47. Otherwise the options in my price range seem to be CreativeInspire ($70), AcousticAudio ($72), BlueOctave ($75), Genius ($94) or Frisby ($95)…

All seem to have decent avg. ratings, but the only brands I have personal experience with are Genius and Logitech.

Green/pink/blue are not going to deliver 5.1 to my knowledge. You need a digital audio output, such as SPDIF or Coaxial. I think so, anyway.

You might want to spend $40 or so and upgrade your soundcard to something that has digital output and 5.1 or 7.1 capability. Then you can easily set up surround sound via one digital cable. Since the cable is digital it sends all 5.1 information to the receiver, whereas typical 3.5mm audio cables just send the audio data itself.

I could be wrong, but that's how I understand it to be.

Fluent said:

Green/pink/blue are not going to deliver 5.1 to my knowledge. You need a digital audio output, such as SPDIF or Coaxial. I think so, anyway.

You might want to spend $40 or so and upgrade your soundcard to something that has digital output and 5.1 or 7.1 capability. Then you can easily set up surround sound via one digital cable. Since the cable is digital it sends all 5.1 information to the receiver, whereas typical 3.5mm audio cables just send the audio data itself.

I could be wrong, but that's how I understand it to be.

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Well I checked the user guide for my motherboard and it sounds like 5.1 is supported "In 4.1, 5.1, and 7.1 configurations the function of the [lime] port becomes front speaker out."

There's also a table that shows the configuration and for 5.1 where light blue is used for "rear speaker out" and pink is used for "bass / center speakers"

It does note that 7.1 requires a chassis with HD audio module in the front panel…

Anyway, thanks for your help Fluent. I think I'll go ahead and order the refurbed Logitech speakers. Then if I can't get them working I'll go ahead and order a cheap sound card and I can still stay within my self-imposed budget.

Ah, ok, right. The front speaker/rear speaker/center speaker setup, I think? Sounds good. Just keep in mind for a future purchase that if the speakers have a digital input, a soundcard with a digital output would send all those channels through one digital cable. It's more convenient but also stops from poor quality wires picking up radio stations and what not (yes, that can be a problem. )

I doubt you'll need to worry about digital output at that price range. For a desktop PC setup, that set will probably serve you very well, and you just need to sort out all the wires from the motherboard.

OK thanks guys I'll let you know how it goes.