usb speakers

corkscott

Hi guys,

I am looking to buy a mid priced set of 2.1 speakers (€30-€80) they have to connect to my PC via USB port. Can anyone out there recommend? They will be mainly used for listening to music and movies.

Thanks in advance Scott

Deano12345

corkscott wrote: »

Hi guys,

I am looking to buy a mid priced set of 2.1 speakers (€30-€80) they have to connect to my PC via USB port. Can anyone out there recommend? They will be mainly used for listening to music and movies.

Thanks in advance Scott

No 3.5'' jack ?

USB sound drivers are terrible,and this translates into horrible sound form your speakers

corkscott

3.5 jack does not seem to be working and i only have a PCI-Ex16 slot available so i thought that speakers with a USB connection would be the easist option.

Deano12345

corkscott wrote: »

3.5 jack does not seem to be working and i only have a PCI-Ex16 slot available so i thought that speakers with a USB connection would be the easist option.

You can get PCI sound cards

corkscott

im not sure if you can fit a PCI card into a PCI-E slot:(

Deano12345 wrote: »

You can get PCI sound cards

Deano12345

corkscott wrote: »

im not sure if you can fit a PCI card into a PCI-E slot:(

Do you not have any PCI slots ? Any motherboard should have 1 or 2

corkscott

only one and im using it already

Deano12345 wrote: »

Do you not have any PCI slots ? Any motherboard should have 1 or 2

game4it70

There are some pci-e soundcards and they will work in the x16 slot.
Asus zonar dx is one for instance.

Deano12345

game4it70 wrote: »

There are some pci-e soundcards and they will work in the x16 slot.
Asus zonar dx is one for instance.

I think he's already using his PCI-E slot,although I may have misread it.

OP : If you do have a PCI-E slot open then you can use a PCI-E soundcard (even if the card is x1,and the slot is 16x)

Asus Xonar
Creative X-Fi
Auzentech Forte


Those would be the 3 I would recommend

game4it70

Deano12345 wrote: »

I think he's already using his PCI-E slot,although I may have misread it.

You may be right but i read this "i only have a PCI-Ex16 slot available" as being a spare slot but hey only the OP can clear that up:D

corkscott

i have PCI-E available but i thought if there was a good set of 2.1 USB speakers out there i could just plug them into port and have less hassle

game4it70 wrote: »

You may be right but i read this "i only have a PCI-Ex16 slot available" as being a spare slot but hey only the OP can clear that up:D

Deano12345

corkscott wrote: »

i have PCI-E available but i thought if there was a good set of 2.1 USB speakers out there i could just plug them into port and have less hassle

USB speakers are not even worth spending money on,horrible quality sound

swirlser

Deano12345 wrote: »

USB speakers are not even worth spending money on,horrible quality sound

I disagree, the Bose Companion are exceptional quality and the only reason Im not using them now is I wanted genuine 5.1 (even at that, those speakers did a remarkable job at fooling your ear). Altho they are out of the price range.

(I always call these things champions for some reason )

cherryghost

i disagree too. i have a usb 5.1 set, lovely crisp sound. well worth my investment.

Deano12345

swirlser wrote: »

I disagree, the Bose champions are exceptional quality and the only reason Im not using them now is I wanted genuine 5.1 (even at that, those speakers did a remarkable job at fooling your ear). Altho they are out of the price range.

If I remember rightly,those companions are a couple of hundred euro (€300 maybe,honestly I cant remember,haven't shopped for Bose in along time)So they are going to sound good regardless of the interface

The speakers are good,If I was to connect my H/K Soundsticks via USB,they would still sound good,but by connecting them to the 3.5'' input on my computer the sound quality between the two interfaces would be night and day.

I've tested out USB vs Audio jack input.Both tests done on a set of my brother Turtle Beach P21's.Tested in both the front and rear USB & Audio ports (On my front panel,and on the motherboard) and the USB offers poor quality in comparison.Bass and treble are muddy and far less punchy than the 3.5''.

I tested 5 songs with both input and the 3.5'' sounded much much better on each.All songs are 320KB/s MP3.

1.AC/DC - Decibel
2.Jason Mraz - Make it Mine
3.Tiesto - Adagio For Strings
4.Jay Z - Empire State Of Mind
5. Florence And The Machine - You've Got The Love

I picked those songs because there is a nice spread of genres.Biggest difference in the songs where there is lots of bass (Jay Z and Tiesto).3.5'' provides clear bass,while USB is muffled.

I also tested out 2 games.

Company of Heroes
GTR 2

Authie was the mission played in CoH and features lots of artillery fire (both being fired by the players and in the backround).I could hear alot more happening with 3.5'' and there was much more of an effect to each explosion and once I had scrolled away from the action,I could still hear it firing clearly.The USB seemed not able to pick up on these details to such an extent.

GTR 2 tests were conducted with a Ferrari 550 Maranello around the Catalunya circuit.3.5'' again was much better,with a much better sound coming from the car and things like tire squeal were much more prominent.

So I conclude that 3.5'' sounds MUCH better,at the cost of maybe being less convenient for some.Another point is that audio quality is a subjective issue.No one has the same sense of what sounds better.I did however get my dad to do the test alongside me and he agreed with my points.

OP whether you want USB speakers is really up to you,go listen to them and decide what you want

cherryghost

just sounds like a bad experience tbh deano :pac:

Deano12345

cherryghost wrote: »

just sounds like a bad experience tbh deano :pac:

What do you mean ?

Ronyponyboi

My fathers friends has this pair usb speakers http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=315908

Nce sounds for a USB set, pretty good price also

cherryghost

Deano12345 wrote: »

What do you mean ?

that it seems like an exception. theres nothing wrong with USB speakers at all.

Deano12345

cherryghost wrote: »

that it seems like an exception. theres nothing wrong with USB speakers at all.

I'm not trying to say that,I'm just trying to get the point across that the quality isn't the same IMO

Anyway,back OT : Peats have the Logitech Z-5's for €85,from what I've read,music aint its strong suit,but movies seem to be more than acceptable on it.

youcancallmeal

OP have you already got speakers with a 3.5mm Jack? If so a 3.5 to USB converter would be a handy stop gap measure. You can probably get them in the likes of Maplins in Dublin

corkscott

Thanks for all your input think I'm going to go with creative pci-e card and a good set of 2.1 of speakers. I have set a PC up in my living room to watch movies that I have downloaded or will stream, I already have DVD surround system set up and don't want another 5 speakers in the room and the wife would probably kill me

Deano12345

corkscott wrote: »

Thanks for all your input think I'm going to go with creative pci-e card and a good set of 2.1 of speakers. I have set a PC up in my living room to watch movies that I have downloaded or will stream, I already have DVD surround system set up and don't want another 5 speakers in the room and the wife would probably kill me

Nice one.How much are you looking to spend on the speakers ?

corkscott

I was thinking probablyLogitech Z4 they seem to have good reviews and look good or possibly creature II,s but i dont think they come with a remote.

Deano12345 wrote: »

Nice one.How much are you looking to spend on the speakers ?