Speakers or Sound Card?

[edifice]

Hi,

I am hoping that someone can answer my question?

I am curios to know if whether or not buying some good quality 2.1 speakers to replace my Logitech 2.1, in this case the Corsair SP2500, or a much better sound card than my present Creative Audigy 2 by replacing it with the Xonar Essence STX would make the biggest difference? I realise that either would make SOME difference, but from changing which would give me the MOST benefit in the short term?

I cannot afford both at the moment and just wanted opinions please.

Thanks.

 

[thee_prisoner]

Hi,

I am hoping that someone can answer my question?

I am curios to know if whether or not buying some good quality 2.1 speakers to replace my Logitech 2.1, in this case the Corsair SP2500, or a much better sound card than my present Creative Audigy 2 by replacing it with the Xonar Essence STX would make the biggest difference? I realise that either would make SOME difference, but from changing which would give me the MOST benefit in the short term?

I cannot afford both at the moment and just wanted opinions please.

Thanks.

What are you using the computer for, for example, audio work, music, gaming or etc?

What motherboard are you using? The Audigy 2 has been out for a number of years. IF you have a modern motherboard, the on board chip is most likely better.

The Asus Xonar is a decent sound card but them again it depends on what you are using the computer for, if for audio work, you need something better.

If you have a fairly recent mother board, you won't need a sound card. Unless you really need it for mid to high end audio.

Bang for the buck, upgrading the speakers will be better. I would suggest listening to them before you buy. Personally I use good quality stereo speakers for my PC speakers.

Happy listening, the Prisoner

 

[edifice]

Hey,

Thanks for the info. I am using a Gigabyte X58 UD3R revision 1. And I am assuming my card is an Audigy 2? As when I go to settings and find the hardware it just tells me it's a Sound Blaster X-Fi card I have installed. And I mainly use my system for gaming and itunes.


I will on your advice buy the speakers first and upgrade to the newer card second.

Many thanks!!

 

[blackhawk1928]

If you are doing regular stereo music listening, you will need much better speakers before a sound-card will make a difference...especially if you have a recent motherboard as they have superior sound-cards to older ones.

 

[edifice]

Many thanks, I will not buy the newer sound card at the moment then. I was just not sure which of them should be bought first in order to achieve the best results short term.

Many thanks for your advice!!

 

[anwaypasible]

what if blackhawk is wrong?


you should be trying the soundcard yourself.. and then bring it back for a refund if it isnt any better.
the selfishness is all backwards here, meaning - try the soundcard and see what improvements are to be had (if any)
if the improvements are small, maybe you decide to keep the soundcard anyways and hunt down some new speakers that offer another bump up in performance.




what i am about to say is going to anger some people and make perfect sense to others..
when you are shopping around to get a bump up in performance and all you find is a very small bump up, it is YOU that chooses to stick with those speakers and give up on the search.


realize one thing,
people are here 'giving up' before they ever get started..!

simply because the internet provides some 'invisible' connections.. that doesnt mean you are going to benefit from adapting and adopting to find the best solution without ever buying or laying your hands on the items you are comparing.


what makes you think you are special enough to receive a consultation about a specific product when you can read the reviews?
most of us will read the reviews and say LOOK AT THE REVIEWS.. there are _____ positive comments and ____ negative comments.


by god.. you are asking us if things are hot or cold because you are too lazy to look with your eyeballs to see if the thing is glowing red hot or frozen with frost on the outside.


what about paying an extra $10 , $20 , $30 to give yourself some insurance about which product is the best..?
do you think people who do it for free are somehow smarter than the people that charge money for it?

HOW DO YOU CHARGE MONEY AND NOT GET ARRESTED FOR FRAUD?
probably because the information is true.

 

[ssddx]

@anywaypasible

can we please stay on topic here? i believe the op knows that we are only here to give some advice and that the ultimate decision is theirs. this is also not the place to be ranting your opinions on the op or fellow regulars.

@edifice

you will not notice a huge amount of difference between a soundcard that is lets say 5 years old and a newer soundcard unless you really delve into the advanced settings or are a complete audiophile. i'm running an integrated soundcard through higher end speakers and am perfectly happy with the result. is there a benefit? sure. is it a huge gain? not unless you have a crap soundcard to begin with.

you could notice some improvement moving to a different set of speakers provided the speakers you are going with are better. i've owned quite a few logitechs myself and i can attest that everything but the base models offer pretty decent sound for the price. all i can say is to compare reviews between what you have and what you want to get as i havent heard the corsair.

that said, dont expect any "night to day" type changes unless you were using inferior equipment to begin with. you might notice some improvments but most likely nothing substantial. using high bitrate songs can sometimes have almost as much perceived improvment as getting new equipment so you might want to try this out in case you aren't now.

 

[edifice]

@ Anime Freak

I have only just read your post having been at work. I have ordered the speakers Corsair SP2500 and hope to receive them in approximately 2 weeks from now, when there back in stock. I am very grateful for your advice as I couldn't find any info relating to anyone who has asked the same or similar questions!?

I nave only read good things about them in reviews etc, so hopefully I will hear a worthwhile difference between those and the basic Logitechs I am currently using?!

Do you think there would be better on board sound from my Gigabyte X58 UD3R than my Soundblaster Audigy X Fi? My friend has the Xonar Essence STX and can't stop singing its praises! He knows a.lot more about this than I do as he builds systems to.spec for the same.company I have ordered my speakers from. I will ask his opinion too but your obviously very knowledgeable too.

Many thanks!

 

[ssddx]

i'm not sure what integrated sound your MB uses. normally i would say sound cards are better than integrated sound unless the MB is using a much newer/better version.

i have a fairly recent MB (asus rampage III) so it has a pretty decent soundcard built into it. i would probably use it over something like the the old soundblaster card i have in my old pc.

i just googled "soundblaster audigy x fi" and it looks like the base versions are around $50. i've never paid much more than this for a card. ever. there really isnt much point unless you need the small gains the more expensive cards will give you.

--

as for your speakers: when you get them, try them out. if there isnt a noticible improvment you can always return them. from looks alone they look more serious than some basic logitechs but i've never even seen them in retail so i've never had a chance to listen to them.

you should hear what music sounds like on a 725w sound system. i dont think i'll ever go back to "computer speakers" myself.