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NightShade737 · Thu Nov 20, 2003 6:15 pm

Currently I use a Videologic DigiTheatre DTS Platinum on my PC, but due to not having an nForce I cant play games in 5.1. So basically I am in the market for a 5.1 system, but at the moment I am seeing two potential players. The Klipsch 5.1 Promedia Ultra, and the Logitech Z680.

I plan on using my system for most things, Listening to Music, Watching DVDs, PLAYING GAMES IN 5.1.... etc.

Currently I see the Pod and Remote with Dolby PLII and other decoding as a benefit of the Z680s, as lots of my DVDs are DTS... But a major disadvantage is that I don't trust the system to have good accurate sound reproduction from using simply a mid-range driver and no tweeter....

Any ideas?

No comments like "Oh, I owned the Z680 after using a compaq 2 speaker system and its awsome and sounds great and stuff....". I'm looking for an accurate comparison between the two. At least, an educated review of the sound reproduction on the Z680's speakers, as mainly for the reason, I don't want to take a step down in quality from my current system.

Thanks,
NS

Thu Nov 20, 2003 6:53 pm

The few people on the board that have klipsch setups have nothing but good things to say about them. Plus they do stand behind their product as ghandi had with a defective set of regular 5.1's he bought. They ended up replacing them with the ultra setup and give him free return shipping on the defective set. This has really convinced me to to go with them for my next speaker upgrade.

Forge · Thu Nov 20, 2003 7:13 pm

but due to not having an nForce I cant play games in 5.1.

Speakers alone are not going to magically make your games 5.1.

The nForce itself makes them 5.1. If you hook up through an Audigy, a Revolution 7.1, or another sound card, you'll get probably 4.1 sound in games. The Audigy can sort-of do it, but the nForce APU is the only way to truly make all DirectSound3D games output 5.1.

NightShade737 · Fri Nov 21, 2003 3:00 am

Forge wrote:
but due to not having an nForce I cant play games in 5.1.

Speakers alone are not going to magically make your games 5.1.

The nForce itself makes them 5.1. If you hook up through an Audigy, a Revolution 7.1, or another sound card, you'll get probably 4.1 sound in games. The Audigy can sort-of do it, but the nForce APU is the only way to truly make all DirectSound3D games output 5.1.

What I meant by that statement was that the VideoLogic system does not have multiple Analog inputs, only enough for the front set, but it does have a digital input and a DD decoder, so if I had an nForce I would use the DD encoder over the digital connection and get 5.1 that way. I do already know about all this. Though I wasn't aware that games were only 4.1 normally. If the nForce just uses its encoder-decoder to transfer the sound to the speakers in 5.1, doesn't that kind of imply that there must have been some 5.1 stream in the first place to do that from?

Anyway, thats not the point....

NS

CaptainCruise · Tue Nov 25, 2003 1:44 am

I have the Klipsch ProMedia Ultra's and thie is one, sweet sounding speaker setup. Since these were my first 5.1 speaker purchase, I have nothing previous to compare them to....I can only say that I love these things. The bass from the 8 inch subwoofer is tremendous, and the satelite speakers sound crisp and clear. Watching a DVD like "Saving Private Ryan" is a wild experience. The opening 20 minute scene when the troops are storming Omaha Beach sounded so incredible, you'd swear you were on the beach dodging bullets and bombs. I have absolutely no complaints with my purchase.

The only thing I can say about the Z-680's from the one time I heard them in CompUSA is that they also sound very good, but since they were just set up on a shelf for display purposes and not in a actual 5.1 Surround setup like you would normally do at home while setting up one of these speaker setups, it's hard for me to say how good they actually could sound.

Pro's and Con's:

The Klipsch ProMedia Ultra's are about $100 more expensive then the Logitech Z-680's. (newegg.com) Granted, the Klipsch Ultra's just came out a month ago, while the Z-680's have been available for some time. In a few months the Ultra's may come down in $$$ a bit.
Newegg.com has both:
Klipsch Promedia Ultra = $389.50 + free shipping
Logitech Z-680 = $284.00 + free shipping

The Klipsch don't come with the digital decoder...you have to buy it seperately. On the Klipsch site, it retails for about $170. I believe the Z-680's come with the decoder.

As Starfalcon mentioned, Klipsch seems to have very good customer support. Also, from some of the reviews I've read on newegg.com others with problems have gotten good customer support.

I don't think you can go wrong with either one, but IMHO I think the Klipsch Ultra's are the better deal if the price doesn't bother you.

G'luck and have fun speaker shopping.
:wink:

Forge · Tue Nov 25, 2003 1:49 am

Though I wasn't aware that games were only 4.1 normally. If the nForce just uses its encoder-decoder to transfer the sound to the speakers in 5.1, doesn't that kind of imply that there must have been some 5.1 stream in the first place to do that from?

Actually, that's *not* what the nForce APU does. That's what the new ALC658 does, but not nForce2. nForce2 actually sends the raw positional and sound data to the APU, where it 'virtualizes' an area, then 'renders' that to a 5.1 AC3 stream.

Virtualizes and renders are in quotes because I don't think they are the right terms, but they are the ones the NV guy used, so I repeat them.

Also, it's not just the center channel that the NF2 creates. It creates a .1 and a center from any source you tell it to, so you can take a nice 2.0 simple stereo MP3, mirror the front channels to the rear one, lowpass out the subwoofer data, and create a center channel for full 5.1 from a 2.0 source, all without the MP3 or it's player knowing what's going on. NF2 just kicks ass that way.

atryus28 · Tue Nov 25, 2003 2:12 am

I don't know but I love my klipsch speakers and even with 2.1 pro media's and a 6" sub I feel like I am there. They're pretty kickass as far as I'm concerned.

Of course I see a lot of people rave about optical outputs which actually suck and will never be as good as analog lines. Go ask real audiophiles who spend ridiculous amounts of money on equipment.

NightShade737 · Tue Nov 25, 2003 4:59 am

Well my choices just got cut down a lot due to Klipsch speakers not being available in the UK. So the Logitech it is.....

NS

Forge · Tue Nov 25, 2003 6:06 am

I'm not trying to start a flame fest, first off, this is just a totally candid observation:

Why is it that Logitech advocates typically talk about how good the Logis are, irrespective of what other gear is being discussed, while Klipsch people always talk about how they are better than X?

Anyways, back on topic: Don't feel you're "getting stuck with" or "settling for". The Z-680s do indeed kick booty, though if you're using them with a Creative Labs card, you'll want to tweak the bass down slightly on either the speakers' controller or the card's drivers, as the card's output is over-bassed by default. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine (hint: Xbox + Xbox hidef output box = coax Dolby Digital out to Z-680s. Resulting sound pwns.).

CaptainCruise · Tue Nov 25, 2003 1:41 pm

Klipsch aren't available in the UK?? Hmmm.....didn't know that.

Anyway, I think he'll be happy with either or......they're both solid setups, just depends what your personal preference is.

Enjoy whatever you buy!
:wink:

Buub · Wed Nov 26, 2003 5:34 pm

Forge wrote:
I'm not trying to start a flame fest, first off, this is just a totally candid observation:

Why is it that Logitech advocates typically talk about how good the Logis are, irrespective of what other gear is being discussed, while Klipsch people always talk about how they are better than X?

Your speakers suck. My speakers are great.

Gandhi · Sat Dec 06, 2003 8:13 pm

My new ProMedia Ultras just plain rock! Get the Ultras if you can afford 'em. And the Klipsch subwoofer can easily keep up with and surpass the Logitech's.

NightShade737 · Sun Dec 07, 2003 5:41 am

Question is, how do they fare in comparison to the new Creative Gigaworks S750s....

NS

Sun Dec 07, 2003 1:01 pm

The creative ones are not out yet, so there are no real reviews out to do comparisons with. If they are similar to past setups though, I would not expect them to be that great.

b3n113 · Sun Dec 07, 2003 1:16 pm

Bah, I say the Klipsh and Logitech both suck.

As a former user of the Revolution 7.1 + Klipsch promedia 5.1 (not ultra) I can safely say mini 5.1 systems are ****.

I started using a M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 + King Cobra Audioquest interconnects, a Creek OBH-21 amp, and Cardas headphone cables plugged into my HD-600s.

Most rooms that people place there PC in (at least from personal experance) are way to small to create the nessacary dynamics for good 5.1 surround.

Headphone gaming, plus FLAC for your music collection is the way to go.

Krogoth · Sun Dec 07, 2003 10:50 pm

but, b3n113 all that equipment together costs quite a bit more then Klipsh and Logitech 5.1 speakers. I personally think that spending more then $300 USD on computer speakers is overkill unless your using your system as a PVR or your a hardcore audiophlie. Anything more is entering into Home Theather and Professional territory.

LicketySplit · Sun Dec 07, 2003 11:10 pm

Well...he must have to damned much money to spend on computers then...bah...he will learn when the nursery is being built :lol:

b3n113 · Mon Dec 08, 2003 1:09 am

Lickety speaks the truth! I went and bought a ton of gear before Nicodemus showed up - knowing full well my days of buying toys at will are a thing of the past.

But hey, anything worth doing - is worth doing well

Rakhmaninov3 · Mon Dec 08, 2003 1:22 am

I really like my 2.1 Klipsch system. Music sounds very good, and games are awesome. I replaced my old 5.1 Sharp mini-system with them 'cause I was moving into a tiny dorm room and would have wound up with all the extra speakers on my desk anyway. For great sound with a relatively small footprint, this little system kicks a$$.

b3n113 · Mon Dec 08, 2003 1:47 am

I started with a pair of 2.1 Klipsch speakers, the sub is great and so are the main L/R speakers - very powerfull. Helps alot to get the stands Klipsch sells along with filling the stands full of sand. The highs can be a little airy for my taste and the weight from the stands help pull them down.

If you're just going to stereo, i'd check out the M-Audio studio monitors that newegg sells, they'd eat up the desktop compitition in the fidelity department.

Rakhmaninov - you ever give a listen to the Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Vocalise under Classic records CATALOG #: DAD-1004? It's **** outstanding, one of the best Rachmaninoff records out there. Sorry if I'm miss reading the reference to your name.

mattsteg · Mon Dec 08, 2003 2:10 am

I've been reasonably happy with my set of Klipsch v2.400s. They get the job done. I've heard plenty fo good things about the logitechs also. I think you'll probably be happy with either of them, or if you're picky enough, neither of them

. Best way to decide is to get a chance to listen to both of them if you can.

flying hippo · Wed Dec 10, 2003 2:42 am

I have the same dilemma. Right now I'm unemployed, living off of meger savings, and yes I'm still considering buying a $300+ speaker system. That's one advantage of being single...

Listening to the speakers generally is a good idea. Sometimes it's hard to find these speakers set up in stores though. In Akihabara, Tokyo I have never found any Logitec or Klpish speakers. All of the higher end stuff is Creative. I'm currently in dinky town in midwest America now and there are NO speaker setups here. What's it like in the UK?

According to the newegg reviews and some of the threads here, the Klpish speakers have clearer cleaner highs. Also as stated above, there is no digital decoder. This is important for me because I prefer to use optical and I want to hook my pc, ps2, game boy and TV all up to the same speaker system.

The logitecs are more reasonably priced and a decoder is included. Some people have complained about the Logitec's treble not being as crisp as the Klplish. The bass from the sub is stronger and "boomier." There were also complaints about noise, but if you are running a decent sound card and buying a newer revision, you shouldn't have to worry about it.
Also the speaker grills are not acustically transparent. It is better take them off but they don't look as nice.

I'm very picky at this point. I may go with either of them actually, Unless the 680s magically drop in price a bit more.

Again these are second hand reports. I don't know how accurate they are but I thought I would pass this info on.

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