[Pantocrator]

Hey, so I'm looking into buying a new set of speakers for my PC and 360.
Here's the set up
at least 9 months a year, my 360 and pc share the same monitor, and i connect the 360 into the audio in on my pc (currently an x fi (gamer??)) and they share the same speakers and monitor.  (the other three months, i have a separate home theater system with a tv and 5.1 surround for my 360).
The speakers will be used in a dorm room and apartment.
I currently use a sound bar which is an accessory for my dell monitor. it does a good job for almost everything. very clear, surprising bass,  great for music and every day use, but not good for gaming. they "crack" or "break" on rather high frequencies or loud frequencies, and don't handle bass very well. they really dont do well for any game ive played on either the 360 or pc, but they work fine for all other pc uses.

requirements

I haven't decided between 2.1 and 5.1 yet.
They need to last me for a while, between 2 and 4 years, before i buy a legitmately good system.
They need to be affordable for a college student, but still be high quality, as i am a musician, so im pretty discerning. I'm just trying to find a balance.
If it is 5.1, at minimum the rear two speakers need to be wireless, since it is for a dorm room. the 2.1 (or  the front 3.1) speakers can be wired.
I will use it for gaming and music and movie viewing. I do some sound editing, but that isn't a concern.
They would hopefully be small (again, dorm room) but be loud enough that I can use them to listen to music loudly when I have guests over (mood music) or a room full of people watching a movie.

Did I forget anything? I don't have a budget yet, because I don't know what I should expect. I know that's a pain--sorry!!

Thanks for the help, you guys are always great helping me buy stuff!
 

 

[Pantocrator]

I'll bump this due to the long weekend. Any ideas?

 

[Pantocrator]

I'll try one last time. Any product suggestion would be welcome. I've only found speakers from logitech, and they are expensive, and haven't been updated in six years

 

[MichealAngelo]

I would get a good 2.1 system over a cheap 5.1

 

[anwaypasible]

maybe you dont read other threads..
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/499560/absolute-cheapest-computer-speakers-that-are-decent-quality/30
(although you should have been able to grab something from the pool of suggestions already given)
 
you said you want 'high quality'
the overall results would be of much higher quality if you chose some 3-way crossovers and used a large woofer (at least 8 inch)
 
most of the suggestions on this forum section have not been able to reproduce the entire frequency spectrum.
instead, they are chopping off the bass and replacing mediocre speakers with something that might make the purchaser grin with enjoyment.
 
i really have a hard time enjoying the sound from 2-way speakers because the rolloff is usually one of these frequencies:
40hz
50hz
60hz
70hz
80hz
90hz
100hz
 
most people are looking with speakers that are capable of a drum kick punch at 60hz and then these manufacturers wait for the consumer to come back for a subwoofer.
 
they dont realize that a custom 4-way crossover could split the power from an amplifier into four categories.
one - treble / tweeter
two - midrange / midrange speaker
three - low vocals and some bass / midbass or woofer (many 12 inch woofers can act as a midbass if their frequency response goes up high)
four - some bass from bass guitars & explosions or digital bass / subwoofer
 
each speaker needs to be the same impedance and each speaker needs to be capable of handling the same amount of RMS wattage.
(check impedance curves and frequency response of each speaker.. usually lay those results on top of eachother to find the 'perfect' crossover points)
 
you will notice that any 4-way crossovers on the consumer market are usually the opposite direction and include a 'super tweeter'
most people would drop their jaw if they knew they could run a subwoofer off of a regular 2 channel amplifier without a dedicated amplifier.
and since the sound is in 'stereo' you dont need to have a subwoofer amplifier that has 300-500 watts
the normal 100-125 watts from the receiver is plenty 'especially' in stereo.. and if that doesnt burst your bubble, try quadrophonic subwoofers with the rear speakers as 4-ways too.
 
but that is bad advice for a dorm.. quadrophonic speakers usually lead to more sound going through the walls and making neighbors upset.
 
checkout the parts list in that link above.
and if you dont like the idea of purchasing those midranges from somebody without some sort of insurance, parts express has some peerless midranges on sale for $22 each.
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=299-242

 
Quote:

I'll try one last time. Any product suggestion would be welcome. I've only found speakers from logitech, and they are expensive, and haven't been updated in six years

 

[raymond555]

go for logitech,,,,great speakers and mine seems to last forever(knock on wood)
creative are good for a year or two,whey wearing fast.