Looking for decent Dolby Digital 5.1 speakers+sub for gaming (1 Viewer)

[gtrplyr]

I'm looking for some great sounding speakers and a sub that will work great for playing Xbox in my tiny 11ft x 10ft room.

must have optical input and Dolby Digital decoding
-budget: $700-800
-that includes speakers and the sub, so $700-800 total
-willing to go used
-im going to buy the reciever seperately once i figure out which speakers im getting so the reciever is not part of the budget
-doesnt need to be incredibly loud
-will be using it for xbox, movies, tv, and listening to music

im drawing a blank as to what other information you guys might need to help me in my search for my home theater system



I'm quite the audiophile and can be picky sometimes. I know everyone has their own preference of sound that they like and it can be hard to ask someone else to recommend speakers for you. the kind of thing i like is good bass so a good sub is needed in my case. i dont know if anyone here games like i do but when im playing a war game or something like that, i want to be able to hear people coming up from behind me or to the side of me.


if there is any information i missed please tell me and ill get back as soon as possible and if this is in the wrong section of the forum please tell me, i apologize in advance if it is. i appreciate the help!

Edited by gtrplyr - 7/9/2009 at 09:01 pm GMT
Edited by gtrplyr - 7/9/2009 at 10:57 pm GMT
Edited by gtrplyr - 7/9/2009 at 10:57 pm GMT
Edited by gtrplyr - 7/10/2009 at 12:26 am GMT

 

[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by gtrplyr

-budget: $500
-that includes speakers and the sub, so $500 total
......I'm quite the audiophile and can be picky sometimes. I know everyone has their own preference of sound that they like and it can be hard to ask someone else to recommend speakers for you. the kind of thing i like is good bass so a good sub is needed in my case.

You can get a package deal from eD for $629 shipped and no tax (unless you live in Iowa). That's the least expensive I can find unless you use the crappy Insignia speakers from Best Buy. 5.1 for $500 is very, very difficult especially since you used "audiophile" and "picky" in the same sentence.

-Robert

 

[gtrplyr]

haha ive decided to bump it up to $700, im planning on spending $1000 on the whole system, that includes 5 speakers, sub, and reciever. i dont really need a reciever with tons of options and all that, just need to be able to hook up in dolby digital 5.1 and hookup to my xbox and tv. should i go find something like that and then come back here with what money i have left over?


alright ive been looking at eD's site and at the reviews and stuff and im thinking of getting 2 sets right now

Bose Acoustimass 6 speaker system
http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/home_theater/home_theater_speakers/acoustimass_6/index.jsp



or

a 5.0 package set from eD constisting of A6 - MTM pair, A6 - MTM single, and A3-5TC Bookshelf Pair and since the 5.1 set wont allow me to add the A2-300 Sub, ill have to buy that seperately.


what do u think i should go with?

Edited by gtrplyr - 7/9/2009 at 11:33 pm GMT

 

[David Willow]

ED vs. BOSE. You're kidding I hope.

(hint - if like bass, forget the bose, it doesn't come with a real sub)

 

[gtrplyr]

so i should go with the ED package?

anything wrong with any of the speakers in that package?

 

[Stephen Tu]

Doubt you can get in budget with the eD 6T6 series + an A2-300, probably have to go 5T5. A2-300 is a good pick for the sub, I'd stick with that. For satellites, besides eD, look at Energy C-series on sale various places (discontinued model so good prices now), and thespeakercompany.com Definitely not the Bose!

Receiver, Onkyo 507/Yamaha 465/Sony DH700 depending how much money you have left over.

 

[gtrplyr]

the 5T5's are the ones i was looking at, forgot to mention that. i also forgot to mention that the speakers must have optical input and Dolby Digital decoding or else i wont be able to hook it up to my xbox. does the ED speakers have that? where would i look to find out if they have that?

 

[David Willow]

Originally Posted by gtrplyr

the 5T5's are the ones i was looking at, forgot to mention that. i also forgot to mention that the speakers must have optical input and Dolby Digital decoding or else i wont be able to hook it up to my xbox. does the ED speakers have that? where would i look to find out if they have that?

Speakers do not decode anything. That is the job of the receiver. You did say you were getting a receiver, right?

 

[Stephen Tu]

The optical input & Dolby digital decoding are found on the receiver, not the speakers. The only thing you'll find on speakers are terminals to connect the speaker wire. Powered sub since it has an amp has more stuff (line level inputs, on/off/auto switches, volume, sometimes phase + crossover controls), but still decoding is done in the receiver. It's not like PC speakers were the speakers are self-powered, and sometimes there is decoding circuitry & digital input in the bass module/sub or separate control module.

 

[MaxL]

i have nothing against the ed stuff. i've never heard it either. but there are a ton of other options out there in your price range. that you say you're picky and want audiophile quality brings 3 things to mind.
1- you can do shockingly well for this budget but it ain't gonna be real audiophile level stuff.
2- listen, listen , listen - your ears will tell you more than anyone here can about which speakers to buy. but you have to go do the listening to find out what YOU like.
3- my two cents... if i had your budget and your priorities:

[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]my tiny 11ft x 10ft room.
-that includes speakers and the sub, so $700-800 total
-willing to go used
-doesnt need to be incredibly loud
-will be using it for xbox, movies, tv, and listening to music
I'm quite the audiophile and can be picky sometimes. the kind of thing i like is good bass so a good sub is needed in my case.[/COLOR]

i'd go to saturdayaudio.com. i'd get the dynamo sub now $469 (down from original $650, i think). i think i got mine for $600 a few years ago. i listened to at least 10 subs from klipsch, psb, monitor audio, deftech, velodyne and athena (defunct) and the dynamo blew them all away by my ears. (my test discs were thievery corporation and the incredibles.) my second choice was the monitor audio asw100 also from saturdayaudio at $299 (not necessarily second favorite sounding but great value and sounded excellent.) i'd pair the dynamo with 3 of the psb alpha c1's at $99 each for the front three speakers and then ask them (sat.aud.) what they could get you for the surrounds that will keep you in your budget and still sound decent with the speakers. saturday audio is a used dealer and will undoubtedly have something suitable on hand, new, demo or used. normally they're very good about negotiating on price or throwing something in to seal a deal but they may be a little hesitant given the outstanding prices for these items. but if you choose to go this route, do ask for something, maybe free or discounted shipping, or a sub cable or speaker wire. or go ahead and tell them you've got $700 for 5.1 and you want the dynamo sub and 5 speakers shipped and what can they do for the speakers. if you don't like the answer you can can ask what an extra $50 or $100 would get you...
audioadvisor.com also has the dynamo on sale for $479 and you could pair it with a combo of energy c series speakers inside your budget.

i cannot over emphasize how much i love this little sub. in a room your size and without needing to go to earthshaking sound levels i just think it's the best thing out there, even at $100 more than it's current price. the psb speakers (review and review and review) are also an outstanding value even much closer to their list price. they are clean and clear and pretty neutral IMO. what they lack is the air, presence and soundstage you would expect from true audiophile gear.

in spite of all of my opinions, follow point number 2 if you can. go listen before you buy.

good luck