Wanted: Theatre Sound for Office
During the day our home based office is just that an office for graphics, web design and photo restoration. At night, after the kids go to bed and so we don't wake them, we watch our movies and TV shows on our Mac's in the office. Although we love our Apple Displays our speakers are the pits to be kind. I'm looking for a speaker system that won't break me and doesn't have to be cranked too high to sound great. Just a full, rich, theatre sound.
I've seen numerous systems online from Cyber Acoustics, Creative, Logitech, Altec Lansing and others that include a sub and numerous speakers for well under a $100. Are these worth it or are they generally junk. Recommendations?
BTW, our office space is about 18'x18' if it matters.
Thx for any help
I've seen numerous systems online from Cyber Acoustics, Creative, Logitech, Altec Lansing and others that include a sub and numerous speakers for well under a $100. Are these worth it or are they generally junk. Recommendations?
BTW, our office space is about 18'x18' if it matters.
Thx for any help
Comments
During the day our home based office is just that an office for graphics, web design and photo restoration. At night, after the kids go to bed and so we don't wake them, we watch our movies and TV shows on our Mac's in the office. Although we love our Apple Displays our speakers are the pits to be kind. I'm looking for a speaker system that won't break me and doesn't have to be cranked too high to sound great. Just a full, rich, theatre sound.
I've seen numerous systems online from Cyber Acoustics, Creative, Logitech, Altec Lansing and others that include a sub and numerous speakers for well under a $100. Are these worth it or are they generally junk. Recommendations?
BTW, our office space is about 18'x18' if it matters.
Thx for any help
I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for. I have bought speakers in the past for about $150 and thought they were great until I hooked up my Bose Companion 5 speakers. They sound GREAT no matter what volume you listen to them at. A little pricey but than again as my reply starts out. You get what you pay for.
I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for. I have bought speakers in the past for about $150 and thought they were great until I hooked up my Bose Companion 5 speakers. They sound GREAT no matter what volume you listen to them at. A little pricey but than again as my reply starts out. You get what you pay for.
Thx for the reply,
I have to agree, but I couldn't help asking about those cheapy's.
I have a set of Bose (the set of 2 they sell) connected to an Airport Exxpress in my living room and love them and I had looked at the Companion 3's, but as you said a bit pricy even for those. Maybe I'll hold off for a couple months and then get the 5's. How do they sound loud and how do they sound low?
Thx for the reply,
I have to agree, but I couldn't help asking about those cheapy's.
I have a set of Bose (the set of 2 they sell) connected to an Airport Exxpress in my living room and love them and I had looked at the Companion 3's, but as you said a bit pricy even for those. Maybe I'll hold off for a couple months and then get the 5's. How do they sound loud and how do they sound low?
It doesn't matter the volume. They sound great no matter what volume and no matter what you are listening to.
During the day our home based office is just that an office for graphics, web design and photo restoration. At night, after the kids go to bed and so we don't wake them, we watch our movies and TV shows on our Mac's in the office. Although we love our Apple Displays our speakers are the pits to be kind. I'm looking for a speaker system that won't break me and doesn't have to be cranked too high to sound great. Just a full, rich, theatre sound.
I've seen numerous systems online from Cyber Acoustics, Creative, Logitech, Altec Lansing and others that include a sub and numerous speakers for well under a $100. Are these worth it or are they generally junk. Recommendations?
So to recap: it's for movies, not music, and you have no problem with the wires that a 5.1 system spreads into the room.
I'm guessing you do not have an external sound card.
IMO, here are the low-price solutions that make most sense:
$150 - Behringer MS40. 2.0, great value/$, good for music at the price as well, decent low end punch for movie watching but naturally nothing like a subwoofer. I have this.
$250 - Logitech Z-5500. 5.1, has Dolby Digital and DTS support for movies which puts it over the rest of the "computer" 5.1 systems. I wouldn't buy a cheaper 5.1 system than this. I think it is the best fit for you.
An important point is that both of these have digital inputs, so any noise and static from the Macs doesn't get into the sound system.
To improve upon the Z-5500, I think you'd have to spend $500 in separate components, and that would still not be a huge improvement. Therefore it's hard to justify paying for separates unless the budget goes even higher.
It will be used for music as well, but we never play our music very loud, Lord knows those days are long over. For that just a simple crisp sound would do.
I appreciate the recommendations. Nice price range. Have you compared them to the Bose (mentioned above) by chance.
Tony
Thanks Gon,
It will be used for music as well, but we never play our music very loud, Lord knows those days are long over. For that just a simple crisp sound would do.
I appreciate the recommendations. Nice price range. Have you compared them to the Bose (mentioned above) by chance.
I hadn't previously, but I made a Google search just now.
Both the Companion 3 and 5 are guaranteed to not have much of a low end. In fact, both systems' "bass unit" has a single woofer just half an inch larger as the woofers on my $150 MS40's. Moreover, neither of them is a 5.1 system so no actual surround.
I'll throw in one more option: the 2.1 M-Audio LX4.
At roughly the same price point, the Logitech is a consumer product aimed at best "theater sound" experience at the price, with the lowest low end, surround, a surprisingly robust and feature-rich input module relevant to media viewing and even a remote.
The M-Audio delivers musical accuracy instead of features and surround since it's a low end professional product, but has low end near comparable to the Logitech.
The Bose is a consumer product delivering convenience, visual design and status, but loses on low end range and surround to Logitech, or alternatively on low end range and sonic accuracy to M-Audio.
Savvy?
I would not be surprised if my lowly MS40's beat the Logitech and both Boses in pure accuracy, also coming from a pro sound company, and with the accuracy advantage 2.0 setups carry in this low price class against 5.1 or 2.1. The LX4 would slaughter them of course but it better at twice the price.