Speakers: Logitech X230s 2.1 (had for 3+ years)
Headset: Turtle Beach HPA2 5.1 Amplified Headset
Speaker Special Features: Headphone connection on rh satellite, sub level control
Soundcard: Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music
Audio Obsession Level: Casual
My primary tuning is for my headset as my apt sucks, so do my neighbors and the thin walls..so my TB's get the most tuning bar-none. I am fairly specific on how I want my audio to sound, I like full sound, I don't need earth shaking bass or ear-drum splitting hi's, but I do like good accuracy, level adjustments. I take my time tuning the EQ to what I feel sounds best overall...I used to tune as a "per application" basis, i.e. music, movies, games, compressed music, compressed movies, etc. I now have gone a tad more general with Headset and Speaker EQ settings. I leave the rest of the X-Fi features off, don't need em, they don't seem to improve anything to my ears.
One thing I've learned with headsets is to either get a cheap plantronics set unamplified or get an amplified headset, really anymore I prefer headsets just for the fact I can listen to whatever I want as loud as I want and be good to go. The TB HPA2's are amplified, have level adjustments for all channels, a master volume, and sound really good overall. Not super accurate 5.1, but if I wanted a tru sound-stage I'd have a 5.1 speaker setup, no point in a small apartment and the time and wiring it'd take to setup a 5.1 speaker setup just isn't worth it for me. 2.1 speakers are great, my satellites are mounted on the wall even with the top of my monitor, that actually improved overall sound stage a bit for my ears, the Logitech X-230's are a very good and cheap 2.1 set, plenty of sound, solid clarity, and bang-for-buck still one of my favorite 2.1 kits ever.
The X-fi has been a great card, I've had no issue with creative drivers in Vista x64 for well over 1 year now, many compain, maybe they're after something I'm not...but my sound is great and undistorted, very clear, the EQ adjusts as I command it to, the software is stable, I could care less about EAX, the cmms3d works great with 2.1 channel speakers and heasets. I know creative isn't the best at support, but I recommended the Xtreme Music to a friend of mine that decided to spend way more on an xtreme platinume pci-e, he ended up getting rid of it days later because of problems. I say if you go x-fi, get a lower end x-fi. To me it sounds leaps and bounds better than most onboard, I compared my P5B's onboard to the X-fi, hands down the x-fi was much clearer and more distinct with detail, hi's, mid's and low's. Sure it's not top dollar but with patience, time and tuning it sounds very good without having to get the best equipment that would require the same amount of time, patience and tuning to get similar results. I go for a good budget/performance ratio in pretty much all areas of my rig, this is definately one of them. What it comes down to is what you're happy with, I'm extremely content with my setup, so I feel I can highly recommend the X-Fi Xtreme Music, Turtle Beach HPA2 5.1 headset, and Logitech X-230 2.1 speakers without issue. They all work great together, the headset comes with good quality splitters, many hate them, but these ones are very good, thick, solidly built, support up to 5.1 split, and I noticed no audible differences in the audio I listen to using them. Plus it helps the HPA2's are amplified I suppose, very good sound through them overall, more of a well rounded sound...if you want max bass, they're not for you. Just my 2 cents!
PS: I'm not audiophile enough to spend a ton of senn's with an amp built into an altoids can...just not for me!
almost no commercials and sometimes the DJ gets caught in a loop and I have to hear the same annoying song all day.
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