[bugabooz]

Hey everyone, I am thinking about purchasing the Z-5500 5.1 speakers, but I have one question first. Would it make sense to get the 5.1 if i will be putting all the speakers on my desk in front of me. I would not be able to out the rear speakers very far away from the front left and right speakers, would that make music sound different than how it was meant to be heard? Thanks, Sorry if this question didnt make any sense.

[M733mhz]

Those are a pretty decent set of speakers. Certainly not the greatest, But they're nice. 5.1 is meant for you to get that all around you sense of sound. The spacing of the speakers doesn't matter so much in your case unless they are extremely close to one another. It won't alter your sound or anything. The rear speakers are usually playing the background noises and little parts of music while the front 3 handle the majority of your sound. What size is the room you're putting them in? If it's a small room you might be better off saving some money and just buying a 2.1 set or something. However the 5.1 is a good investment incase you end up using them in a future situation.

[Mak213]

To go a bit further on what M733 said.

Music is only recorded in Stereo. Unless you have specific artists who have done music in Surround Sound. So in reality you would only be using 2 speakers. (Or 2.1 with the sub)

Now before anyone rips my head off.

There are ways to force the sound out of all speakers. So you could use the 5.1 setup. But you would be splitting up the stereo signal to the 5 speakers and it really wouldnt sound as good. Most of the time it just plays all the sound out of all the speakers.

Now since you cant really place the speakers where they should be, it would honestly be a waste. If in the future you have the ability to place them where they belong then yeah, it would be worth it. But for the situation you have now, you wont really gain much.

It just depends on if you want to think of the future and what you might be able to do or save some cash now and get something that is better suited for you now and get teh surround setup later when it would be better for you.

[S0ULphIRE]

A lot of the music produced today is done with 6 channel support, and even more movies also include this option.
So yes, it's definitely worth going with the 5.1 set. Some people will say it's not worth it, but I reckon those are the people who haven't experienced TRUE surround sound

Also, as Mak said, even if it's just recorded in stereo you can still play it out of all the speakers. Just the back and sides will be playing the same channel. But it won't sound bad, in fact imo it'll still sound better than just 2.1 because you'll still be getting a 'fuller' sound coverage.
*rips Mak's head off*

[carnageX]

Just throwing this out there... I have the Z5500 set, and I love 'em. Glad I bought 'em.

[bugabooz]

Thanks for all the answers guys. I think I will end up get these speakers. Also would the sound card make a huge difference? I have some cheap 5.1 card. Would it be worth it to get a better one?

[M733mhz]

Sound cards can make a huge difference but aslong as the one you have is halfway decent I wouldn't worry about it too much. There are a ton of 5.1 cards on newegg for pretty cheap if you want to find something to upgrade to though.

[bugabooz]

The one i have now is pretty old, and im willing to spend a lil extra money to make use of the x-5500.
Can you recommend any good 5.1 cards under $100 Thanks.

[M733mhz]

Creative makes some alright cards for under 100. Look through newegg and find what suits your needs. There's a huge variety of cards on there. The creative soundblaster series ranges from basic to high end 7.1 cards so I'm sure you could find something to suit you on there.


Newegg.com - Computer Hardware,Input Devices,Sound Cards,5.1

There's a list of all the 5.1 cards on newegg.