Speakers for laptop

I want to get a set of speakers for my dell vostro laptop

I can get a good deal on logitec x-540 5.1 speakers
would i be able to connect these to my laptop?

I saw discussion about sound cards, do i need to get one to make these speakers work?

also, would I be better off getting a 2.1 system rather than a 5.1 for any reason?

 

Fortunately, there is a sound card built into your notebook so you do not need to get one. The 5.1 system has 5 speakers whereas the 2.1 only has 2 so you'd be much better off with the 5.1 if unless you don't have the space or something.

Those speakers seem to be a good choice for gaming (if you can on the Dell Vostro), playing music and watching video so I don't think you need to do much more looking around although there are quite a good range of similar Creative brand speakers that are also quite good and might deserve a look.

EDIT: Yes, they have a cable known as a 3.2mm Jack cable coming out of them which plugs into a plug on your notebook, thus connecting them and making the sound come out through them, instead of through the notebook speakers (which would be much worse quality).

EDIT: I also like the fact that the speakers you have specified come with a nice remote control

 

I was curious about this as well. So mostly all speakers are compatible with laptops? I didnt want to have any problems. I just got a gateway m-6851, and was look for new speakers (the sound sucks big time right now). Looking at these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121014 It will be fine? Also what do you think of the selection. Thanks.

 

thanks for the reply,

i just found some logitech z-2300 2.1 refurbished speakers for about the same price as the x-540
the z2300 seem to be better quality and have 200 watt total power vs 70 watts in the x540, would they produce better sound even though they have 2 speakers?

 

"Wonderful sound for small dollars. If you are on a budget, can't go wrong." that was posted as a comment on those speakers on newegg, I would consider them to have poor sound but probably better than your notebook

 

But they would definatly fit? Also do you have a better recomendation im trying to keep the cost low. $20-$30 bucks.

 

Yep, should definitely fit. Sound's my specialist area

Nice low cost speakers. Fine for the price. Nice interface for plugging speakers into and look pretty stylish.

@Naws: no probs. The 5.1's will give you a more full sound sounding as if it will come from around you if you position the speakers correctly but as I don't actually have either model, I cannot accurately comment on which would give you the better quality. If I was in your position, I personally would go for the 5.1's if I had the space.

 

http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/promedia-2-1.aspx

I got myself a pair of these. Very very impressed and satisfied with these speakers for the price. Can not go wrong with these, IMO they rival speaker systems costing hundreds more.

 

Thanks for the reply, gonna go ahead with the purchase.

 

That is not unnecessarily true, 5.1 is not necessarily better than 2.1:

1. Number of speakers =! quality
2. Most music is only recorded in 2-channel, so having more speakers doesn't really help that much.
3. In cheap systems there can be a gap between the highest frequencies a subwoofer can produce and the lowest frequencies reproducable by the satellites (Frequently mid-range or Tweeters).

Compare any cheap 2.1 or 5.1 to my Bose Sounddock and it is likely that the Bose will be better quality despite being an all-in-one system.

It depends whether your laptop has a sound card supporting 5.1 sound, which most laptops do not. Those speakers will attempt to emulate 5.1 surround sound from a 2-channel source but it won't be true surround sound.

 

I dont have a 5.1 card so can i get an external USB one for cheap that will produce better sound? If so can u recomend some

I am leaning towards the x-540 since its a good deal at $50 vs $90 for refurbished z2300

 

You can get external sound cards that will plug into your expansion slot. I'm not sure about sound quality but it will support the connections for true 5.1 surround sound. Have a look around at what Creative offers (A quick search turns up this,

Do note that you get what you pay for: The z2300 is likely a better system than the x540.

 

@Naws: I did see an express card sound card that plugged into your notebook that had some very good reviews of it. I think you have to pay good money (probably more than your speakers cost) for a good one though.

 

Generally, yes. A good sound card is pretty expensive in comparison to a cheap set of speakers, though it's nothing compared to the cost high-quality speaker system.

 

If you're interested in a 2.1 set that delivers quality audio, try out the Altec Lansing FX6021. I have those and they are imo MUCH better than those Logitech speakers (too much bass imo). They are more expensive though ...

 

what about those alien lookin ones from jbl... they are called creatures i think.. any good?

 

To first answer Choy; I have personally owned 3 of these for different computers since the initial release and have found that they produce great (2.1 channel) sound. At higher volumes the base does begin to distort but for the money the sound reproduction was excellent.

To the main question at hand, One really needs to ask oneself;
1: What type of sound is required?
2: How and where the speakers will be used?
3: How much power output is required and in turn if an additional soundcard is necessary?

Having been in the situation where anemic sounding built in speakers disappointed and frustrated me I too have pondered all of these questions.

I wanted better sound for movie and music playback that was also portable so automatically I ruled out 5.1 systems because they were not condusive to portability. If you only intend to bump up your sound quality when in a fixed location the bigger multi-piece 5.1 systems are for u. You may also need a sound card capable of 5.1 output. Those with hardware 5.1 are always far superior to the software or simulated 5.1.

I'll jump directly to the portable units and hence 2.1, though there may be some easily portable 5.1 system I am not aware of them so feel free to fill in that gap folks. As for portability two speaker systems came to mind in my search. The Creative Labs Travelsound 400 and the Jbl On Tour Speaker set. There are many others on the market mind you, but these two were small enough to fit into a laptop bag, lightweight and produced great sound for their size. They will not produce block shaking bass mind you but they are excellent at everything else in my opinion.
Here's the Travelsound 400;
http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=4&subcategory=805&product=13602

Here's the Jbl On Tour;
http://www.jbl.com/home/products/pr...US&Region=USA&cat=MME&ser=HMM&featureid=12365

I went for the JBL's because they included the ac adaptor for free in the package though i did have to buy batteries for when i was on the run. The Creative's were about the same sound wise and free batteries were a plus but an AC adaptor and a lower price point won it for the JBl's.

Alot of built in soundcards are decent depending on what size laptop you own. Alot are also fairly weak. Until you upgrade your soundcard you will not realise just what you have been missing. I used to be a staunch Creative fan and though i still like alot of their products, I realize that there are far superior options available.

For the sub $100 price point, Creative has probably the most products available but for just a bit more you can get entry level pro sound. Most pro cards are actually small break out boxes that plug in via usb or have an expresscard or PCMCIA connection. M-Audio and Echo are two good brands just to name a couple. In fact i am currently infatuated with Echo's Indigo IO. It is an expresscard solution with no additional breakout box. When I first heard the difference in sound quality I knew i had to get one.

Here's it is;
http://www.echoaudio.com/Products/CardBus/IndigoIO/index.php

well there's my two cents...

 

Another one to add to the portable speaker systems:
Bose Sounddock - Expensive, but arguably the best portable solution available.

 

I am getting a pair of either swans, JBLs, or klipsch 2.1s for my office and home. for the amount of gaming I do, 5.1 is not needed, rather spend the extra money a 5.1 system would cost me, and put it into a better pair of 2.1s. I have a home theater with 120" screen psb speakers all around, and emotiva amp and processor. so I dont watch movies on my pc either. I use my computers for Work, and photo editing. so mostly im listening to music when Im on them.

 

That sounddock is almost prohibitively expensive. It is also quite huge. Something that size is not going to fit a laptop bag with all the other stuff that you will want or need to carry. So while i have no doubts that is sounds great, for the price point and size i would almost certainly rule it out.

For the pricepoint you can acquire an Echo Indigo IO and the Creative Gigaworks G500

Echo Indigo IO
http://www.echoaudio.com/Products/CardBus/IndigoIO/index.php

Creative Labs G500
http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=4&subcategory=789&product=10814

 

As far as price goes, agreed. Even with the extra size it is still fairly portable, if slightly to big to fit in a standard laptop bag. The sound quality and bass is superior to most 2.1 systems.

I like creative but, from what I see in reviews the Gigaworks isn't that great for music.

 

thanks ras!