VIV

Heh, just wondering what AR speakers you're running. I know the 4.1's aren't near the level of my 206HO and CS25HO speakers, but just curious...

LOL, did someone discover the 5.1's?

I'm CURRENTLY running a Celery 466, 192 megs PC133, TNT2 U.... and everything works fine with my AE, so should be no probs with yours. PS. buy some more RAM it's cheap as hell!

Nah, go with the AE. I've tested both cards on MY speaker system (MUCH higher quality then any multimedia system), and the AE provides a better and nicer overall sound. You might think the QMSS funtion (the one that seperates the channels so well) isn't much, but think about it this way. The AE can take a good 2.1 speaker system and produce a very reasonable facsimile of a 5.1 environment, and in a 4.1 setup, I found a phantom centre channel to be more pronounced. Another interesting advantage is the ability to take a stereo source (mp3) and blow it out into a full 5.1 (or in the Pro's case, a 4.1). Unless you're a VERY strict audio purest (because the music is stereo, they would argue that playing it in something like 4.1 would colour the sound), you would probably find the effect to be pleasing. As for the GTXP, ya, if you want the breakout box, go for it. It'll provide the same quality as the AE (they're both similar, AND they're both higher quality then the Live 5.1), so either one will do. As for the Audigy, don't put ANY faith in it until it's come out and been reviewed by reputable sites (3dsounddurge).

LOL! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH! You supposedly live in a house that has a room this big and all you can afford is multimedia speakers?!?! LOL! Me thinks you need to use a tape measure there tho. If your room IS massive tho, don't bother with ANY multimedia speakers. Hell, if you had a room that was 60x80', MY computer setup (bookshelf speakers...) would barely be able to provide a sufficient volume level for something like that!

Nah, what's the point? For the same price as 2 4.1's, you could seek out a better solution, hell, even the 5.1's would probably be a better buy.

First off, I know I'm coo Second, they were all taken within the last 2 years (I'm 19).

Bah, headphone jacks. The XP isn't a TRUE 7.1 snd card tho, it's just a 5.1 that has the ability to use headphones because of the breakout box, but true 7.1 cards (the cards, themselves, not things like breakout box and whatnot), aren't around (hell, they might be, but they'd be in the higher end audiophile categories, not mainstream public cards) As for IQ, well, I've taken 4 seperate official IQ tests from seperate sources, and they ranged from about 139 - 145, so 142 is a decent average.

127 IQ eh, decent, I'm sitting high at 142 myself, so as for the previous comment, a 6.2 setup? Heh, a rear centre speaker wouldn't make much of a dif at all, the next logical step up from a 5.1 setup is a 7.1, but since there're no 7.1 sound cards, not much point in going that route yet.

Bah, BB wars are boring (heh, no substance), so coo. And this msg looks screwy because of my AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA's. Anyways, suffice it to say, go out, listen to the 8200's and the Pro's, and decide which you like better, easiest and best way.

LOL, this is phunny. And what're you saying you expect more from me? Heh, I wouldn't expect much from me based on just the sporadic postings here. Anyways... Watts - Meaningless because you can have all the power you want, but the speakers themselves aren't greatly improved because of it. Look a the X-fires, they're about 90w or so, and they get louder then the Pro's and they're more neutral then the Pro's as well. History of company - Well, aren't you a big boy, buying all the BIG brand items? The problem with that is, when you limit yourself to the BIG ticket items, you tend to get cocky and ignore all other possibilities. You think to yourself, "hey, I'm paying a HELLUVA lotta cash to get this, it IS the best!". The problem with that is, you don't look at the other brands out there, and you miss out on items that would be considered a better deal. Intel? HELL NO, AMD all the way unless it's not your cash. Creative? (I assume sound cards), LOL, you can get the Philips Acoustic Edge or the Game Theatre XP, which both outperform the Live 5.1s in sound quality. IBM? (well, depends on what you're talking about, but for some of their hardware, there are better options. Epson/HP, well, depending on the hardware in particular, there might be better from other brands, it all depends. The point is, you limit yourself to the big names, and you miss out on a lot. THX - Ya, THX means something, but the MULTIMEDIA THX cert. is a monsterous joke. There are better speakers then the Pro's out there, but wait, they're not THX certified! Oh, guess that means the Pro's ARE better, right? HELL NO. THX Multimedia seriously means nothing, it's just something to stick on the box so people will see it and say, "HOLY CRAP THX CERTIFIED SPEAKERS!". As for repeating you, well, obviously you've never heard of agreeing with something you've said

Ok, if a 4.1 vs. 8200 comparison is what you're looking at, I'll just poke some holes into Justins post Heh, his list of advantages are... - watts (HA!) - lower Hz on da sub, probably, but the Pro 4.1's and the 8200's use 6.5" drivers, so they should go just about at LOW as each other, but the Pro's sub, which is a dual 6.5" setup should go LOUDER. - more dB? Well, I'm too damn lazy to look it up, but if memory serves correct, the Pro 4.1's SHOULD be a bit louder then the 8200's. - history of company? meaningless - THX? AHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA HAHAHHAHA... AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA - the centre channel of the 8200's is NOT useless, and I think even Klipsch has admitted that by MAKING a 5.1 system, wouldn't you? - No argument on the seperate mid/tweeter, it does usually make a large dif. - Klipsch look cooler, ya, guess so, but ah well Now, if you want to look at 5.1's vs. 8200's, then ya, definately go with the 5.1's. they will play louder, will have deeper bass, and of course, look nicer

Nope, to get something like the 5.1's, probably your best and easiest bet would be to sell your 4.1's for as high as possible and then get the real 5.1's. The main differences between the two are a sub with larger drivers, more overall power, the centre channel, and of course the control tower. The 4.1's amp wasn't designed to power another speaker, so no way to do that. The OTHER possibility would be to order the 2.1's to go with the 4.1's, and those would act as your centre channel, but then you go through the whole thing of having to control the volume on two pairs of speakers, so in the end, the best thing to do is go for the actual 5.1's

BAH! 2 - 2+ GHz? That means you're going P4, which is a VERY crappy choice. You'll be spending a LOT of ca$h, whereas you can buy one of the new Palomino's from AMD (should be about 1.5 - 1.7 GHz by October), and it should easily match a 2+ GHz P4, and it's cheaper overall

If 5.1 games is what you're looking for, toss the Acoustic Edge into the hat as well. Heh, wireless devices are cool, but I think I'll stick with corded items I have a MS Intellimouse Explorer (also have the Logitech Mouseman, if I wanted to use that), and this nice lil' keyboard, it's one of the ones HP shipped with their computers a few months ago. It has the regular beige keys and stuff, but the purple translucent frame around it, with ALL kinds of extras. volume control, play/stop/ff/rr/eject for movies/music, all kinds of stuff This message has been edited by VIV on 07-24-2001 at 11:43 PM

Ummm, Gluegun? The X-gamer IS a SB Live card. I assume you meant that the X-gamer is a better value then the Platinum? Well, the cards are essentially the same, except for the livedrive, of course, so it boils down to weather or not you want to spend the extra $$$ for it. Also, consider the Game Theatre XP, which would be a higher quality solution then ANY of the SB Live cards, and gives you the breakout box which you can put on your desk, rather then having to goto the front of your computer.

Heh, ya, I've read the 3DSS review, plus a lot of others. Quality wise, the Game Theatre XP and the AE are similar, but the breakout box is a kickass thing to have for multimedia speaker hookup. I decided to go with the AE mainly because I didn't need the beakout box, and didn't want it cluttering up my desk. I have a usb hub, so no need for that. Also, my reviever takes care of all my other needs, so I don't have to go to the back of the computer or anything. So ya, if you're going for multimedia speakers, then get the Game Theatre. If HT is what you're looking towards, then get the AE, since the reciever would kinda make the breakout box useless, and you get similar performance from both in terms of quality. This message has been edited by VIV on 07-24-2001 at 01:22 PM

Nope, the AE is currently the only card that can take regular stereo signals and turn them into a 5.1 sound. As for the AE's method not being that good, heh, have you tried the AE? I'm currently using it, and it kicks complete ***! I swear, when I'm sitting here listening to mp3's, I'm looking over my left or right shoulder every minute, because the card splits it up so that individual sounds come from each speaker, and it does it in a VERY convincing mannar. As for things like games, heh, once again, this card is EXTREMELY good. Sounds come through very clear and crisp, and the 5.1 implementation is damn near perfect

Yah, a lot off games don't support 5.1 sound, but if you DO want to be able to get 5.1 sound from EVERY game out there, pick up a Philips Acoustic Edge sound card. It'll even take regular stereo signals like mp3's and split it up into 5.1 sound.

Well, also look at it this way. MY PC/HT setup cost me about 700 - 750 USD (a full 5.1 setup, and that includes reciever). Yes it's 300 - 350 more then the Pro 5.1, but this setup squashes ANY multimedia setup around. I bought this a few weeks before talk of the 5.1's, came out, so the only other speakers I was looking at at the time were the Klipsch 4.1's, the Videologic Crossfires, and the Midiland 8200's. After looking them over, they just didn't cut it for me, so I spent the extra cash, and I must say, it was EASILY worth it For that 700 - 750, I got myself a Yamaha HTR 5250 reciever (100w x 5, DTS, DD), 2 pairs of Acoustic Research 206HO bookshelf speakers (5 1/4" mids, .75" tweeters), 1 Acoustic Research CS25HO centre channel (dual 5 1/4" drivers, 1" tweeter), and a Sony SAWM40 sub (12" driver) (the price of the 206HO's was 75 bux/pair, down from about 250, cause they were discontinued, and the CS25HO was the same story). So, the moral of this post, hell ya, get the 5.1's if you want great, loud sound, but don't discount other options if ya have the ca$h

The next system they make would be best served with an upgrade in driver quality (as opposed to size). It would allow the Pro Media's to finally compete with speakers like the Videologic Crossfires on all levels. The main advantage the Crossfires have over the Pro's is their neutrality, and and overall cleaner sound, but if Klipsch say took the 5.1 speakers (I'm assuming there isn't gonna be a massive difference from sat. quality from the 4.1's to the 5.1's), and upgraded the quality of the drivers down the road, they would quite possibly be the undisputed king of multimedia.

Ummm, 6" drivers on the sats? Well, the problem with that is, that setup would essentially be a HT setup, not a multimedia setup. To make a setup like that, the costs would easily be in the range of HT speakers, so if that's what you want, then look into buying some qality bookshelf speakers, a powered sub, and a reciever, it worked perfectly fine for me

Screw the SB Live 5.1, get the Philips Acoustic Edge! Quality wise, it'll be a bit bettre then the SB Live 5.1, it's about the same price, AND you get the added pleasure of listening to stereo signals (mp3's) in full 5.1 surround sound (the card takes the signal and seperates it so that each speaker has its own part, and it does it EXTREMELY well). About the only real problem with the AE is that it doesn't take as much workload off of the cpu as the SB Live's do, but hell, if you have a 500 MHz+ faster cpu, you'll be more then set.

A THX certified setup does absolutely nothing for you unless the hardware involved is THX certified, and the hardware is SETUP in the position that certification directs for that setup. With speakers like the Klipsch Pro Media's, they may be THX certified, but unless you have those speakers positioned EXACTLY as that certification wants it to be, the THX cert. means nothing.

You need a BNC cable that has the appropriate # of BNC connectors on one end, and a regular 15 pin VGA connector on the other. BNC is SUPPOSED to help out at higher resolutions