Think I found the right speaker setup!

[WazMeister]

Finally!

i think I found a set thats not expensive, nothing great oh mighty but does the simple job of 5.1.

Will these plug in the 360 easily or is it a no go-

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=7618&GroupID=1135

Thanks

waz

[HaHaUK]

Dont buy that sound system.

It doesnt handle PLII, Dolby Digital or DTS. And it has no optical input.

[sj33]

Needs a decoder.

[WazMeister]

ok.
Can anyone sugguest the cheapest set that will work with 360 wise.
I don't care price atm but at least the cheapest that does the job.
I gonna sell my psp to afford em.

I dont need no massive high watt blow my bedroom door off the hinges etc just a basic set that will decode, do true 5.1, work on 360 as a optical.

Any help I am totally greatful

[sj33]

Your making a mistake selling your PSP for some speakers that won't be that good anyway.
As cool as 5.1 is, a decent 2.0/1 setup will blow away a poor 5.1 setup.

My advise, get some cheap 2.1 speakers such as these http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=97667 as a stopgap. Then save up some money for a decent set of 5.1 speakers some time next year.

[WazMeister]

I'd go for them but how do i plug them in.
Do i use the adaptors i got from maplins.
The RCA to 3.5mm and then the 3.5mm to a 3.5mm insert?

[atrus]

Personally I'd recommend something like this

Ebay Link

Supports Dolby and DTS, has optical input and all that jazz. I bought one of this seller over the summer and they are fantastic. He's put the price up a bit for xmas it seems, but still well worth it. I have Xbox360 hooked up via optical (comes with a short lead), and the rest going through the analogue inputs - the unit resamples all the sound to go through the 5 speakers, in a kind of pseudo-5.1 kinda way. Which is kinda nice. It also has a special music mode for when you're listening to CDs and you only want it stereo.

If you're looking for a budget 5.1 set up. Go for this.

[sj33]

They look decent, and come with a decoder.

[WazMeister]

Its only the decoder though, no speakers with it.

[sj33]

No, it is both.

[Mad Gear]

I've got that speaker setup on my PC and they are very good considering the size of them. The sub does a cracking job and is ideal for a small room.

[themanwithapc]

I'm in the exact same position with regards to sound, and I'm doing what ShakeyJake has said. I'm gonna use my crappy TV sound for about a month or so, and buy a decent 5.1 setup after christmas.

A few questions though, is it better to buy everything in one package or buy everything seperately? Also, do many amplifiers have more than 1 optical input, so that I can connect my PS2/DVD player/360/future hardware?

[sj33]

I'm in the exact same position with regards to sound, and I'm doing what ShakeyJake has said. I'm gonna use my crappy TV sound for about a month or so, and buy a decent 5.1 setup after christmas.

A few questions though, is it better to buy everything in one package or buy everything seperately? Also, do many amplifiers have more than 1 optical input, so that I can connect my PS2/DVD player/360/future hardware?

Depends how much you wish to spend. You can really go overboard and buy some elaborate speaker setup and decoder, and not really experience much benefit.

In my case, I set myself a ?200 limit, which I would stick to.
The Logitech Z-5500 Digital best fit my budget, at just under ?200 on Amazon and eBuyer. I decided that for my setup, a higher quality speaker system was more important than spending ?150+ on an amplifer/decoder, so the Z-5500's proved ideal with their built-in DD/DTS/PLII decoding.
It only has one optical, so I bought a switcher http://www.tvcables.co.uk/cgi-bin/tvcables/APRILO1.html

Many audiophiles may scoff at the idea of using a built-in decoder, but it was the best solution to fit my self-imposed budget, and I think I benefit more this way with ?200 worth of speaker, as opposed to ?50 worth of speaker + ?150 worth of amplifier...

[themanwithapc]

Yeah, I'm only buying mine for a bedroom, so the budget is similar to yours (and if possible smaller). I guess I'll have to hold tight and wait for the new year to see what the score is.

[H-Man]

Can anyone suggest a 5.1 setup that would work well in a smallish living room, ?200 - ?300?

My stereo is on its way out, so it'd be used for games, movies and music - mainly through the 360.

I'm completely clueless about this stuff, having no idea what cables i'd need, how to connect various devices to the sound setup, what a decoder is.

Any suggestions would be appreciated