2.1 or 5.1 for PC in bedroom (£100 budget)

Mylestheone · 3 May 2019 at 17:53

Hi guys, my z506 died on me not long ago so need a replacement or something different. I really liked having a centre channel for voices hence the desire for 5.1 speakers. I'd go 3.1 if I could but space/budget won't allow it.

My desk is pretty small too so small satellites are desirable, anything taller than 18cm/7' is a no go really. The size of most logitech speakers is pretty bang on, but I'm curious about how noticeable no centre channel for movies really is. I could just get another set of z506 for £58 or grab something like the z333 for £39 (if no centre channel is needed) or if anything else exists within my budget I'd happily go for that too.

hornetstinger · 3 May 2019 at 19:16

Better stereo than crap 5.1

And £100 5.1 will be crap

Mylestheone · 3 May 2019 at 19:35

hornetstinger said:
Better stereo than crap 5.1

And £100 5.1 will be crap

What stereo sounds decent at my budget and size constraints? Most active speakers I've looked up are too tall for my needs.

hornetstinger · 3 May 2019 at 19:41

Wharfedale diamond 9.0 and a t-amp

Much better than pc speakers

phrases · 3 May 2019 at 20:09

I'd go with a soundbar because even at £100 thats a push for anything decent. Might as well cut it down and get something that acts as psudeo surround.

Mylestheone · 3 May 2019 at 20:21

if I went the wharfedale route, which t-amp? surely that is out of my budget

I do have a soundbar in my room already (Samsung HW J355) but that is paired up with my flatscreen on the wall

MartinPrince · 3 May 2019 at 20:35

I've got a set of Z506 and they're awesome for their size and price. I also have a 'proper' 5.1 setup in another room where the sub alone cost £300.

Just get another set of Z506. Virtual surround is just not as good as the real thing.

Mylestheone · 3 May 2019 at 20:47

MartinPrince said:
I've got a set of Z506 and they're awesome for their size and price. I also have a 'proper' 5.1 setup in another room where the sub alone cost £300.

Just get another set of Z506. Virtual surround is just not as good as the real thing.

Annoyed that I missed when they were £40 odd a few weeks back. Honestly, the rear speakers hardly got proper use, they were under my desk. If I need to go super loud, I just use the soundbar. 120w is overkill for my room so it does the job. If I could grab some 2.1 logis and just chuck in a centre speaker I'd be set.

These proper speakers do look appealing though, but wondering if it's overkill for my usage. Decisions decisions

hornetstinger · 3 May 2019 at 21:43

MartinPrince said:
I've got a set of Z506 and they're awesome for their size and price. I also have a 'proper' 5.1 setup in another room where the sub alone cost £300.

Just get another set of Z506. Virtual surround is just not as good as the real thing.

Is that all? So it's a fairly cheap sub then.

MartinPrince · 3 May 2019 at 22:05

hornetstinger said:
Is that all? So it's a fairly cheap sub then.

£300 second hand.

maj · 3 May 2019 at 22:14

Mylestheone said:
if I went the wharfedale route, which t-amp? surely that is out of my budget

I do have a soundbar in my room already (Samsung HW J355) but that is paired up with my flatscreen on the wall

I got a SMSL SA-36A for my dad to power his Wharfdale's and it powers them fine. Around £40 so speakers and amp will come under budget.

I'd echo the suggestion about getting a good stereo set rather than entry level 5.1 but it's your choice.

Mylestheone · 3 May 2019 at 22:45

I have nothing to lose really, if for whatever reason I don't enjoy the experience I can simply send them back. I'll try the wharfedales with the amp you suggested

Marsman · 5 May 2019 at 13:20

Given the space restrictions, Wharfedale 9.0's or similar stereo speakers are going to be a no go then as they are about 24cm in height. For stereo, the speakers would likely have to be smaller 3" woofer speakers.

Mylestheone · 5 May 2019 at 18:03

Marsman said:
Given the space restrictions, Wharfedale 9.0's or similar stereo speakers are going to be a no go then as they are about 24cm in height. For stereo, the speakers would likely have to be smaller 3" woofer speakers.

I've raised my monitor a bit so something taller should be fine. I've ordered the 9.0s and the smsl sa 50

My friend also has Edifier 1700bt's which he's happy to sell to me for £70 if I like the sound of them so will be giving those a listen when I see him in a few days

TALON1973 · 5 May 2019 at 18:53

Roth va4 active speakers . Refurbs available for £100 on the bay

Mylestheone · 5 May 2019 at 19:48

TALON1973 said:
Roth va4 active speakers . Refurbs available for £100 on the bay

These look good, just worried about them being refurbs and have seen a lot of people mention bluetooth issues? How do they compare to what's been suggested so far? Assuming they are better most given their brand new price.

Mylestheone · 7 May 2019 at 16:54

Ended up trying out the wharfedale 9.0s with smsl sa 50
Edifier 1700bt
Edifier 1850bt

Wharfedale + smsl sa 50 combo wins hands down.

Grim5 · 9 May 2019 at 02:27

MartinPrince said:
I've got a set of Z506 and they're awesome for their size and price. I also have a 'proper' 5.1 setup in another room where the sub alone cost £300.

Just get another set of Z506. Virtual surround is just not as good as the real thing.

Virtual surround sucks, period. Whether it's coming out of a soundbar or headphones or stereo speakers etc it doesn't matter. I'd rather have good 2.0 setup than a low quality fake 5.0.

I've heard a lot of people say good things about the Z506, it's a pitty that it's not wireless though. That being said, the Z506 is about the only Logitech speakers I haven't owned or tried out - I've tried everything else they make even their headphones and now I dislike Logitech (except their Mice, their Mice are still good) and tbh I think their speakers are total junk.

But you can't beat their value though, for the price there just isn't much else on the market and they do tend to be bass heavy which makes them ok for games - my first Logitech were the z313, I paid $10 for them in a sale, I mean what else can you get for $10, nothing