[NosRokanaske]

Im looking to spend $100-150 For  center and bookshelf speakers. Right now i have the Creative T4 wireless which i really like and i want to setup a 5.1 Audio system on my desktop. Im using the T4 speakers as my front but it looks like i will be able to mount them on stands and use as my rear speakers. Any recommendations for a center and bookshelf speaker for $100-150?
 
I would also like to ask if anyone has tried the monoprice bookshelf and center speaker because i can get both for around $100 which isnt terrible, but i dont have anything to gauge them off of in terms of quality.

 

[Shenook]

That is quite a limited budget but there are some decent speakers out there.  Before anyone can recommend, will you be connecting this to a receiver, Dac/AMP you already have?  Passive and active speaker price points are different and components must be compatible of course.

 

[NosRokanaske]

I am going to be linking this to the Creative X7 Limited. Getting a really good deal on that unit so i may as well pair it with nice sound speakers. It can deliver up to 100W of power.
 
Seeing as i wont have the unit for a while, im just going to save more and get nicer speakers. Im looking at the Chane A1RX-C, but im hesistant cause it says $149.99 each and im not too sure if it means per pair or per speaker. Hopefully per pair. So im looking around $150-200 for the bookshelf speakers and i want to say $100 for the center speaker, but that one can wait a while since its only for my desktop.

 

[NosRokanaske]

Whats your opinion on Pioneer SP-BS21-LR? I can get them for $60 right now which isnt terribly bad and they are highly reviewed

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Im looking to spend $100-150 For  center and bookshelf speakers. Right now i have the Creative T4 wireless which i really like and i want to setup a 5.1 Audio system on my desktop. Im using the T4 speakers as my front but it looks like i will be able to mount them on stands and use as my rear speakers. Any recommendations for a center and bookshelf speaker for $100-150?
 
I would also like to ask if anyone has tried the monoprice bookshelf and center speaker because i can get both for around $100 which isnt terrible, but i dont have anything to gauge them off of in terms of quality.

  I am going to be linking this to the Creative X7 Limited. Getting a really good deal on that unit so i may as well pair it with nice sound speakers. It can deliver up to 100W of power.
 
Seeing as i wont have the unit for a while, im just going to save more and get nicer speakers. Im looking at the Chane A1RX-C, but im hesistant cause it says $149.99 each and im not too sure if it means per pair or per speaker. Hopefully per pair. So im looking around $150-200 for the bookshelf speakers and i want to say $100 for the center speaker, but that one can wait a while since its only for my desktop.

 

The problem here is how to power the center speaker if you'll use passive speakers. The X7 sends out amplified speaker outputs for the mains (FL, FR), and then line outs for 5.1 (FL, FR, C, RL, RR, Sub). You can connect the T4's receiver unit into the 3.5 line output for RL/RR and Sub, then you can hook up the mains to either the X7's speaker output or hook up a stereo amp (which is easy enough to find) to the FL and FR line outputs, but where does the center speaker go? You can't just buy a mono fullrange amp, not to mention the line outputs may not go through the X7's preamp, so at best you'll have to get a stereo amp and use only one channel. You'll end up with three separate analog preamps and the sub's is controlled mainly by the one that controls the rear (aside from its own gain knob). If your games or movies go into a loud passage you have to hit Shift+Tab to go back to Windows and adjust the volume there since that's the only one that you can use as a master preamp.

 

If you're really on a budget you'd be better off buying multimedia speakers since they all have 5.1 amplification circuits built in, then just hook up the T4 to the rear outputs (this might mean your rears probably sound better than your mains), leaving you with one master preamp to control the LCR and sub (sub level can be tuned but is affected by the master volume control) and then the T4's, but this still wastes the T4's sub unless you buy a Creative set which uses an identical subwoofer (it would still be problematic to set-up though since they'd have separate master preamps on them, as opposed to real HT systems hooked up to a single receiver and uses two subs through their x.2 output jacks, or a y-splitter on their x.1 output jack). At best you can use a portable mono speaker on the center but the match of the speakers will be really horrible, and using three of them instead for LCR will just be expensive anyway, then you'd have to charge them. And now mind all the power connections for all those amps - it'll be a bigger mess than two pairs of cables running to the rear.

 

If you want a system that's done properly and easier to set up (besides the size and wires), you can get an older HT receiver that still takes digital surround audio through SPDIF optical, plus maybe a set of compact surround speakers. The HT receiver will power all the speakers and if they don't come with a sub you can just use the T4's from its sub line output since you have that one already. Other than that, if the X7's lineouts don't go through its preamp, you can track down a Bada 5ch integrated amp (has its own preamp), but note that this is very rare - it came out in the mid-2000s with the intent to be a cheap alternative to expensive HT receivers but has a better amplification circuit (at which point the DVDPs and HD-DVDPs do all the decoding; those with 5.1 outputs are a lot cheaper with this than getting the same players for all the other features then pairing it with an HT receiver with comparable amplification quality but will see its processor outdated in about five years). Production runs were low and those who have them are likely going to keep running their systems as such.

 

Now, if the X7's line outputs go though the preamp, then you can buy a 5ch amp (pure amp, no preamp); problem is most of these are purpose built for really seriousHT systems and despite not having a processor nor preamp will likely be larger than an HT receiver due to the huge heatsink area necessary for its amp circuits. And they're expensive too - at minimum you might find a used Emotiva but not likely.

 

[NosRokanaske]

Not really a budget build anymore haha, but i dont want to spend an absurd amount of money. $250 would be my max on the bookshelf speakers and around $100-150.One of my friends actually did the same thing and hes going to show me how to wire it up. Its practically the same set up except he has the Chane speakers i mentioned earlier and a pioneer center speaker. But yeah, that was the hardest part was wiring the center speaker cause if im using a normal center speaker, i would have to use speaker cables and i dont think they make speaker cable to 3.5mm. At least none that i am aware of.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  But yeah, that was the hardest part was wiring the center speaker cause if im using a normal center speaker, i would have to use speaker cables and i dont think they make speaker cable to 3.5mm. At least none that i am aware of.

 
They don't for good reason - the output stage on a speaker amp is not the same as the output stage on a line output.

 

[Shenook]

I have to agree with him on your computer setup. I've used many of creative products in the past and they are ok but I ended up getting a Denon Receiver for my PC after trying everything under the sun including xonar product lines.  I run KEF speakers I got for pretty cheap on craigslist.  The receiver only ran me $200 on sale and they sufficiently handle my audio needs.  In addition I have some decent easy to drive headphones I can use as well.  They plug into the headhphone jack on the receiver when I need to (wife goes to sleep and needs quiet).  
 
I use HDMI out of my video card to my receiver to get my audio.  I plan to get a separate DAC/AMP for headphone listening though as receiver headphone out is not audiophile grade.
 
When it comes to computer bookshelf speakers these are a decent brand.  If you find them on sale you can get them in your pricepoint.  http://www.definitivetech.com/products/bookshelf-speakers/
 
ProtegeManiac is giving you good advice.  He is really taking you from basic computer audio to something that will sound better and is more future proof.