Okay, looking at getting a 5.1 surrond sound system.

[ghost_recon88]

I'm looking at getting a nice 5.1 setup for my new computer and I have a few questions. Should I get a decoder with the speakers or buy one sperately from the speakers? It appears if you want a good one with the speakers, it costs around $500 and I'm wondering if it would be cheaper to buy them seperately? Also, what brands make good speakers? What should I look for in buying them? Are wireless speakers any good? Any input would be great.

Edit: Oh yeah, I'm looking at theses. Would these shake and rock my room? It doesn't appear it comes with a digital decoder or anything though. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121121

 

[Yuriman]

Over the past few days, I have put a lot of time into comparing speakers. Supposedly, those speakers are very good considering the price, but the subwoofer is very "muddy", and overpowering. Yes, they would shake your room. Since I don't own them, I don't know exactly what they were compared to when the reviewers said "muddy". I think you will be happy with those, but in the end, I ended up canceling my order at the last minute and getting the Z-5500's.

 

[NiTrO bOiE]

Logitech subs have been known to shake and rattle rooms, but as Yuriman stated from the reviews, people that know tons about audio always say the bass isn't clean. I personally have never heard the 5300. (I'm still using the 2.1 Z-340) If you want a system with a built in decoder, you can search around for the Z-680's, they are cancelled now, but they have the same features as the 5500 system, and come in silverish color. I saw a couple of 680 systems go on ebay for about $30 more than the 5300 system (shipping not included).

 

[ghost_recon88]

Hmm, so what if I want them hooked up to my computer, would I want them plugged directly into my sound card or would I want a shelf system to control all the bass and stuff?

 

[NiTrO bOiE]

They plug directly into your computer. I believe it has bass levels built into the control pod. Not to mention you can hook multiple sources up to the speakers at once, so you won't have to keep unplugging cables if you want to switch from computer to -> tv -> set-top dvd player, etc.