Question on affordable speakers and headphones

Hi,

I just boughtt a dell Inspiron 1505 laptop with the Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition option. What does this mean? Do I still need a good, cheap stereo system like the Logitech x-220 or x-230's? What are the differnces? Also, are these speakers compatible with my laptop(it says for PC on the manufacturer website)?

Also, what are the good afforable noise cancelling headphones on the market?(Bose seems too expensive). Are they damaging to the ear even if I turn down the volume? I'm thinking of using them for study and light music in my dorm.

Thanks!

-Sam

 

Another NBR user recently made a thread, that I will try to find for you, that said the SBA HD option is a dud. It only allows you to play HD content, but doesn't improve speaker quality. You will still need a good stereo system to listen to quality music. Dell basically charged you for the drivers.

I would say that almost any speaker systems will be compatible with your laptop. Just plug it into your line out port, and they should work.

 

Don't go anywhere near Bose products. Worst on the market. If you want some good fullsize closed headphones, get yourself the Audio-Technica ATH-A500. They're $106 shipped from www.audiocubes.com but if you prefer a US retailer, then they're over $150 from amazon. I ordered mine from audiocubes over a year and a half ago and they were directly imported from Japan. Took about a week to arrive. They're closed, so all background sounds will be drowned out with even low volumes. No sound leaks, unless you're listening to music at volumes you shouldn't be And they're super comfy too. I wore mine for 8 hours once and didn't even realize that much time had passed.